Idolatry
“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:25).
It is hard for saved Christians to avoid the pitfalls of idolatry upon occasion much less those who do not know Jesus. But it seems young people today are exceptionally vulnerable as they are bombarded with images all the time. It seems the idolator and the idolized human self destruct. I am thinking of young celebrities in Hollywood who begin their careers on track and become so used to being told yes they do not see their behavior spinning out of control. Many young people try to emulate the behavior of the starlets and end up emotionally, spiritually, and mentally empty and sin sick, addicted to drugs and alcohol, weighed down by the guilt of unholy relationships.
In Romans 1, the apostle Paul condemns the human race for dumping the truth of God; he says that we should have seen God’s invisible attributes which are displayed in the created world. He goes on to declare that we didn’t honor God, but exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corrupted man. We failed and continue to fail to rightly worship the Creator, our Heavenly father and instead we worship and serve the creatures that he has created. When we gaze upon the beauty or marvel at the talent of another and we fail to recognize that it is God alone who is the author and the source, we are not only lying to ourselves but we are doing a great disservice to our fellow man.
Isa 40:6-8 says:
6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
We cannot feed our brokeness and insecurities with the things of the world. Instead we must worship our Creator and know He is God. We must allow Him in to deal with our broken, hurt, empty, and wounded areas.
Am I guilty of idolatry, yes...of course I am. But thankfully, God forgives me...He made it possible through Jesus Christ to be reconciled with Him. My sins are washed away by the Blood of the Lamb. The Lord wants to set you free from idolatry. He gives you a fresh start, He will deliver you from the consequences of idolatry. He will cut you free from all unholy relationships. Return to the Lord...be set free.
Lord, I repent of idolatry. I pray for forgiveness for the times I have looked at the created instead of the Creator. You are the Source of all talent and beauty. Forgive me for making idols of people and things. Forgive me for contributing to the downfall of people I idolized. Please convict me if I begin to idolize anything ever again. In Jesus Name I pray.
It is hard for saved Christians to avoid the pitfalls of idolatry upon occasion much less those who do not know Jesus. But it seems young people today are exceptionally vulnerable as they are bombarded with images all the time. It seems the idolator and the idolized human self destruct. I am thinking of young celebrities in Hollywood who begin their careers on track and become so used to being told yes they do not see their behavior spinning out of control. Many young people try to emulate the behavior of the starlets and end up emotionally, spiritually, and mentally empty and sin sick, addicted to drugs and alcohol, weighed down by the guilt of unholy relationships.
In Romans 1, the apostle Paul condemns the human race for dumping the truth of God; he says that we should have seen God’s invisible attributes which are displayed in the created world. He goes on to declare that we didn’t honor God, but exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corrupted man. We failed and continue to fail to rightly worship the Creator, our Heavenly father and instead we worship and serve the creatures that he has created. When we gaze upon the beauty or marvel at the talent of another and we fail to recognize that it is God alone who is the author and the source, we are not only lying to ourselves but we are doing a great disservice to our fellow man.
Isa 40:6-8 says:
6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
We cannot feed our brokeness and insecurities with the things of the world. Instead we must worship our Creator and know He is God. We must allow Him in to deal with our broken, hurt, empty, and wounded areas.
Am I guilty of idolatry, yes...of course I am. But thankfully, God forgives me...He made it possible through Jesus Christ to be reconciled with Him. My sins are washed away by the Blood of the Lamb. The Lord wants to set you free from idolatry. He gives you a fresh start, He will deliver you from the consequences of idolatry. He will cut you free from all unholy relationships. Return to the Lord...be set free.
Lord, I repent of idolatry. I pray for forgiveness for the times I have looked at the created instead of the Creator. You are the Source of all talent and beauty. Forgive me for making idols of people and things. Forgive me for contributing to the downfall of people I idolized. Please convict me if I begin to idolize anything ever again. In Jesus Name I pray.
Comments
I pray for Christians to return to the Lord and be a shining light of Christ at their work places and schools.