Idols of the heart

"You shall have no other gods before me." - Ex. 20:3

"Sin is fundamentally idolatrous." Isn't that so true? We're reading parts of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands for Biblical Counseling by Paul David Tripp and it is soooo good.

I was listening to a song by Paul Alan called "One Thing". I can't make out exactly what he's singing about, sounds like waiting on answers from God, but the lyrics also imply that we're all reaching for something...and that emptiness is good, the thirst is good, because it needs to be for God and God alone.

It's easy to migrate worship of the Creator into worship of a created thing. Questions you can ask yourself are:

1) What is ruling my heart in this situation?

2) What do I become anxious over or fearful over?

3) Do I desire or want something that God does not want or desire?

When desires become demands, the "thing/person" gains position of prominence. We are unhappy without it, can disobey God to have it/keep it, or if you don't get it, you will disobey God.

Here are some other good barometers for understanding where your "treasure" and "worship" lies:

1) how you spend your time

2) what you sacrifice to do certain things with certain people

3) what you spend your money on

4) what you have frustration over, in the sense that you want/need something God hasn't given to you

"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." - 1 Cor. 10:14

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 John 5:21

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." - Col. 3:5

So how do we battle these idols?* It's so subtle, something seemingly innocent, then creeps up and becomes 1st in our hearts.

a) Pray daily

b) Ask yourself hard questions, invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart

c) Write down how your particular idol is worshipped

d) Acknowledge it for what it is - sin of idolatry

e) Ask God for forgiveness

f) Study God's character and replace that idol worship with worship of God

*adapted materials from GCC DC1 class

We probably all struggle with this, especially when "self" is placed over God - that's SIN!

I pray that God will help us see the idolatry, to search our hearts against, to bind our wandering hearts back to Him.

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." - Ezekiel 36:25-28

Grace and peace to you.