Do You Worship Idols?

Do you ever wonder if God is really first in your life? I’ve been looking at the book of Hosea and at spiritual adultery and idolatry and it’s so searching. It has opened my eyes to just how much we need to be ‘kept by the power of God’. I just cannot keep myself. The devil is too cunning for me and it’s only with God’s help that any of us will be kept. When I was three I had to say those six words ‘kept by the power of God’ at our Sunday school prize giving service. Afterwards I told my Dad that when I went to heaven I would tell Jesus my text. How wonderful it will be if both you and I are able to tell Jesus that one day in heaven!

First let me tell you why this subject struck such a chord with me.

There was a space of several years, soon after I was baptized, when life was busy, the world took over and God just wasn’t first in my life. I was kept outwardly in so many ways but God just wasn’t the most important part of my life. Nobody at that time asked me how I was doing spiritually, no-one asked me searching questions but how I wish they had!!

So because my heart aches for every one who reads this to have a full spiritual life, I’m going to ask you…

Are you a spiritual adulterer?

Do you worship idols?

Are you a friend of the world?

I’ll be totally honest with you here friends. I went for several years only reading my Bible as something to cross off the to do list and real, true, earnest prayer only happened in emergencies. I was distracted by the cares of this life, my time was devoted to my work and preparing for our wedding, and then looking after a home and family and other pursuits. I became an idolater because I pursued these things more than I persued my God. I fulfilled my desires with the things of this life and not with my Saviour and I became a spiritual adultress. Yet these things never truly satisfied me. Do you ever look back longingly to the ‘time of your first love’? Did you Come to know Jesus as your Saviour and forget or not realise that you needed to Abide in Him? I did and my spiritual life became so dry.

But God in His love, mercy and great goodness didn’t leave me there, He brought me back but it was through much affliction, He took away my health and strength, I could literally no longer do the things I had previously filled my life with and He sweetly brought me to realise in it, that without Him I can do nothing. As I turned back to my God and leaned on Him in my weakness, so He, in His love began to teach me what it is to lean only upon Him. I thank and praise God for taking away my health because in and through it ‘He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:’

Those of you that know me well, know that my prayers for healing were not answered physically but instead God gave me a much greater healing, He restored my soul.

I hope you can see a little from this why my heart aches to see others brought into a place of truly abiding IN Christ, of resting in His love and of feasting upon His word. To live daily in that place of rejoicing in and leaning upon the God of our salvation.

So, let’s come a little closer, are there things you are putting before God? I’m not saying the only thing you can pick up when you have a free moment is your Bible but have you picked it up at all today or is there something else you’d rather be doing?

Is there anything in your life coming before God?

Are you going after idols rather than your God?

Let’s look at Col 3:5-6

‘Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is IDOLATRY: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience’.

Have you put to death the passions and desires, the things you covet and go after, the things that draw you away from God? These verses tell us that the wrath of God is coming on those who seek after earthly things above the one true God. As we go after these ‘idols’ we turn away FROM our God TO something else and commit spiritual adultery!

How we need God to continually cleanse us from our idols, to keep us from unfaithfulness in our relationship with Him.

Do you have longings and desires after other things or people?

Are there those things in your life that you feel satisfy you more than God satisfies you?

Are there things that you treasure more than you treasure God?

Are there things you enjoy more than you enjoy God?

Are there things you choose to do and as a result you do without God?

Because God loves his people so perfectly He is jealous over their love, He desires ALL their affection, just as a husband doesn’t want his wife to commit adultery and give her affection for him to another.

‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ James 4:4

We CANNOT serve God and man friends, God wants and has every right to our whole heart.

If this has struck a chord in your heart then ask God to make His desires your desires and to open your eyes to any way that you may be committing adultery and to cleanse you from your idols and to help you to truly seek and desire Him only Him.

This is something we’ll have to keep praying all our lives because the enemy knows our weaknesses and will constantly be trying to lure us away. This life is a battle and the enemy is stronger than us but we do not need to fight alone, God will help us to be faithful to Him if we truly desire it. The victory is secure for each and every soul that Jesus died to save and who put their trust and hope in God alone.