Ultimately, the answer to this question is “sin.” It is the sin nature of man that causes us to worship modern idols, all of which are, in reality, forms of self-worship. The temptation to worship ourselves in various ways is a powerful temptation indeed. In fact, it is so powerful that only those who belong to Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them can possibly hope to resist the temptation of modern idolatry. Even then, resisting the worship of idols is a lifelong battle that is part of the Christian life (Ephesians 6:11; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3.
Numb with shock and disbelief, the “I” inwardly would like to take a moment with silent, drink a cup of coffee full of my past perception of life in conjunction with a taste of coffee cream reality. In the midst ofmy idols seeking solace from the hardships of life along with the turmoil presented in our world. The things of this world will never fully satisfy the human heart. They were never meant to. The sinful things deceive me and ultimately lead only to death Romans 6:23). Often as I sing, my words shout out, “Should we embrace it as a badge of honor and a privilege that we, like the apostles, have "been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for his Name?
That was the morning after everything changed, the morning after having a conversation with my college mentor about, faith and how we could reset the diversity and inclusion conversation. During my whole youthful life, I walked a thousand miles up against more implicit bias specific to my race and to be honest, I had built up a lot of anger. At the time, I didn’t realize how it had affected my beliefs, growth and living a godly life in Christ Jesus
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This is when with the help from the Holy Spirit and fellow brothers who reached out to my broken heart changed my attitude; joining Jesus moment to an open heart, mind with one person at a time. I started singing, Hallelujah to the Lord! My camouflaged sinful attitudes started on a path of Love and I stopped (over-time) being occupied with anger; a song based on injustice grounded on the pigmentation. My view began to be a big deal leading me to be all about” ME’”, pure hateful sin.
Why do people create hero worship of fear? Why might they risk their lives to rescue them using a mask that of appearance that stands a spiritual dilemma. Everyone lives with fear.
We do not know when the next quake will strike, when the next war will rage, what painful disease will overtake us, or the day of our death. These and other fears drive us to search for security. What compel you to look for help in your hour of need. Can we worship something or someone more powerful than ourselves?
The describes about idols by Paul in Romans 1:23 sounds pretty foolish. The next step down on this ladder of unrighteousness is that we begin to worship the creation instead of the Creator. We refuse to give God credit and instead we honor created things. That’s not right. As Paul describes this idol worship, we trade the glory of the immortal God for images that look like mortal people and animals.
In other words, God has revealed Himself by what He has made as a glorious and eternal being. We should see this in the beauty of creation (Psalm 19:1). How could He who made that not be a glorious being Himself? Look at how long creation has gone on and on beyond the lifespan of men. How could He who made that not have an existence longer than everything that exists?
Humanity, however, having rejected the creator God, creates our own, lesser versions of the mortal things HE has made, and we worship those. We worship our pale version of the creation instead of the creator of it all. God does not show partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9), and neither should we. James 2:4 describes those who discriminate as “judges with evil thoughts.” Instead, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8).
Understanding the good things of this world are gifts from God, meant to be enjoyed with a thankful heart, in submission to Him and for His glory. But when the gift replaces the Giver or the created replaces the Creator in our lives, we have fallen into idolatry. And no idol can infuse our lives with meaning or worth or give us eternal hope. As Solomon beautifully conveys in the book of Ecclesiastes, apart from a right relationship with God, life is futile. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and designed to worship and glorify Him as He alone is worthy of our worship. God has placed “eternity in man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to fulfill this longing for eternal life. All of our idolatrous pursuits will leave us empty, unsatisfied, and, ultimately, on the broad road that most people take, the one that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).
Understanding contemporary idols can help us to understand why they prove to be such a powerful temptation. An idol can be anything we place ahead of God in our lives, anything that takes God’s place in our hearts, such as possessions, careers, relationships, hobbies, sports, entertainment, goals, greed, addictions to alcohol/drugs/gambling/pornography, etc. Some of the things we idolize are clearly sinful. But many of the things we idolize can be very good, such as relationships or careers. Yet Scripture tells us that, whatever we do, we are to “do it all for the glory of God” (1Corinthians 10:31) and that we are to serve God only (Deuteronomy 6:13; Luke 16:13). Unfortunately, God is often shoved out of the way as we zealously pursue our idols. Worse yet, the significant amount of time we often spend in these idolatrous pursuits leaves us with little or no time to spend with the Lord.
God’s Word is given to guide and protect us, as well as to bring Him glory.
As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
God Bless You and This Ministry!
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