Spiritual Idolatry
Thou shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:3
Anything that takes priority over God, anything that keeps us from doing the will of God, we will consider idolatry. Is there anything in your life that could be considered idolatry by this definition? For example is there anything you consistently chose over attending Sunday worship? Or maybe sometimes we are called to serve the Lord but we justify our reason to decline. Whatever we do in our life that might be considered spiritual idolatry, it’s comes from having a false god, and that god is us.
Becoming our own god is sometimes obvious and at other times we may not even be aware that we are our own god. Justifying what we want to do instead of what God called us to do, can be recognized if we are honest with ourselves. If we go through our day making our own decisions with no thought of God, then are we our own god today? Who is in control of your life, you or God? Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) We are to live by the Spirit which means we take everything to the Lord and he guides us through the Holy Spirit. If we invite the Lord into our life, he will guide us in his divine love, power, and wisdom. It’s important we commune with the Lord, asking him for guidance in doing our tasks, and to open our eyes and hearts to minister to others.
If we are used to being our own god to the point that it is lifelong habit, then changing to follow Christ can be difficult. Below are steps that will help to follow Christ. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)
- Start the day with prayer and scripture. This can prime us to walk with the Lord today.
- Schedule times during the day to pray. This can be a short prayer that you can do in most any situation.
- Take a scripture(s) with you today and read it throughout the day.
- Identify things today that you can be thankful for, and include those things that we normally take for granted. Offer at least one prayer of thankfulness to God today
Following Christ takes practice and your progress is dependent on your motivation to walk in Godly wisdom and minister to others. Pray for the Lord’s help in following him, because when we follow Christ we are not our own god. When we step off the throne, the Lord will be active in our life. He guides us in his divine love and power, leading us to show Christ-like behavior which the world around should notice.
Today remember to invite the Lord into every situation in your life seeking his help and guidance. This will keep you from being your own god. The more we commune with the Lord and seek his help, the more we will depend on him. We become a brighter light in this world when we give the Lord control. All this pleases the Lord more that we can imagine, and we give God the glory, he gives us the blessings.
Prayer: Lord keep me from being my own god today, and help me to follow Christ through the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your willingness to help me through every detail of my life. Truly this is a blessing beyond words. In Jesus name, Amen