Idolatry

When the topic of idolatry came up in one of my Bible Studies, I thought I was finally going to be off the hook that week. I felt confident that I didn’t struggle with idolatry because in my mind the worship of idols meant carved statues like those described in the Old Testament.  It meant not worshipping God but something fashioned by man and since I wasn’t bowing down to any statues, I thought I was good. However, from the moment I began that study, I realized that idolatry meant worshipping something more than just carved statues and I was guilty of it, in fact very guilty of it.

God opened my eyes to see that idolatry means “ANYTHING we try to put in a place where God belongs” (Moore). Read this definition…

Inappropriate devotion to something or someone which holds illicit leverage over decisions, priorities, time or resources…whoa! I was forced to ask myself who or what was occupying these roles in my life and I unfortunately discovered that while God was on the list, he wasn’t at the top. People pleasing seemed to be at the top and all my decisions, my priorities, my time and my resources were devoted to people first not God.  I was deceiving myself.  Keeping the people in my life happy seemed easier than dealing with conflict or disappointment or failure. I became enslaved to them not God and fear left me entrapped in a scenario I unknowingly created.  

Another way of defining idolatry is based on the idea of putting your faith in something other than God. By putting my faith in others, I was continually disappointed because they are human. God designed us to have empty spaces in our lives that are meant to be filled by God and God alone. However, we try to fill those places with other things that we think will satisfy us.  Those things can take on the forms of work, shopping, addictions, eating disorders, self, others, your kids, your spouse, astrology etc. But these things leave us empty and dry. 

God offers us streams of living water. He invites us to drink deeply from His eternal source. God wants us to know that He is enough. He is all we need to fill our emptiness.  It was in the loneliest and darkest places in my life where I discovered that God is enough and by recalibrating my list, placing God at the top, changed everything. 

Beloved, are you ready for a change? Put God at the top of your list and be filled.

Resources:
Beth Moore: Breaking Free Bible Study
Beth Moore: Praying God's Word