The Idols in Our Lives
by Gilly Mathiesen
It is interesting to note that Hezekiah destroyed something that at one time had been a blessing from the Lord, because people had lost sight of its purpose and had begun worshipping the bronze snake as an idol, which caused them to sin.
Idols can be anything in our lives which take the place of the Lord. Social media can be a blessing, but it can also be ensnaring at times for some of us, not least me! That one video reel leads to another and before we know where we are, one hour, two hours or more of our life is gone. Some of us can make idols of our children, our work, our accolades or our partner. All these things are good things, but like the Israelites, what was intended as a blessing from God can end up taking the place of Him, if we do not guard our hearts.
Idols stand in the way of our relationship with the Lord. He has said He doesn’t want any other gods before Him. I love what David writes in Psalm 51:10-12, after Nathan had spoken to him about his sin with Bathsheba, ‘Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a right spirit within me … Grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me’. Some versions translate ‘willing’ as ‘resolute’ or ‘willing obedience’. We need our ‘willingness’ or ‘desire for willing obedience’ back, when we have opened doors to idols or things which lead us away from intimacy with the Lord. The Lord loved David enough to send the prophet Nathan to confront him and give him a chance to repent and come into right relationship with the Lord again.
In Ezekiel, we can see that undealt-with idols lead to sin and affect our relationship with the Lord. The Lord said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, these men came to talk to you. But they still have their filthy idols. They kept the things that made them sin. They still worship those statues, so why do they come to me for advice? Should I answer their questions?” (Ezekiel 14:3, ERV).
Hebrews 3:13 says in the Amplified, ‘But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today” (and there is opportunity), so that none of you will be hardened (into settled rebellion) by the deceitfulness of sin (Its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication).’
The words ‘settled rebellion’ paint a picture of something wrongful in our lives which we have tolerated, and which has had time to grow unhealthy roots in the place God wants to occupy in our lives.
Settled rebellion is the opposite of willing obedience and my prayer today for all of us is that the Lord in His great love shows us if we have any idols and helps us to walk in willing obedience.
Gilly Mathiesen Gilly has a heart to see broken lives healed. She got involved in Christian ministry at a young age, working as a missionary for some years, as well as teaching at a Christian school. She has been involved with Ellel Ministries for the past 10 years and trained and worked on the team in Northern Ireland before moving to Denmark in 2016. She and her husband Steen have been pioneering an Ellel work there since early 2018. They long to see people healed and set free to be all that God has designed them to be.
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