American Idolatry...

God knows that all sin begins with the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is the stem cells, if you will, of sin. Stem cells, as you know, have the incredible potential to develop into several different types of cells—muscle cells, red blood cells, nerve cells, for instance. They’re the building blocks of life.

The sin of idolatry holds the incredible potential to develop into any number of other sins! It’s the sin-behind-the-sin. If a person gives over to some sexual sin, it’s because lust has become more important in his life than God! Lust has become an idol! When people’s lives are consumed with materialism, it’s because money has become more important in their lives than God! Money has become an idol! When a person has to violate everything holy to vote for her party’s candidate, politics have become more important in her life than God. The political machine has become an idol!

God, in His mercy, has told us, “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” God essentially said in Ezekiel 14:3, “Why should I even bother with their prayers?” “Should I be consulted by them at all?” If your prayer life is hollow and lifeless and ineffective…maybe you ought to ask yourself if something’s become more important in your life than God.

But there’s an equal if not greater issue that God raises in Ezekiel 14:8, “I will set My face against that man”…what man? The one who allows an imposter to sit upon God’s throne in his heart. The one whose heart is captured by idolatrous affections.

So what does this verse mean? It means that idolatry—outward or inward—sets a person in contradiction to God. And do you really want to oppose God? Because that’s one fight that you’re not going to win.

It still never ceases to amaze me how people will live their lives resisting and rejecting God’s authority over their lives…but when they need something, they’re surprised when their barrel of blessings is empty! But how can we really expect the blessing of God on our lives if we’ve rented out His throne in our hearts to some two-bit deity wannabe?!?

I know how tempted we are to try to justify or explain away letting something move God out of His rightful place in our lives…but listen to me today—there’s only one response that God will accept. Look at Ezekiel 14:6, “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations.” We can not accommodate idolatry in our lives and expect God to look the other way! It’s repentance…it’s turning away from the idolatry—even idolatry of the heart—that God’s looking for!

I love the words William Cowper (pr. “Cooper”) wrote in his poem, Walking with God:

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.

Someone wisely said, “It’s never too soon to repent…but one day it will be too late.” So let’s forsake today any no-god idols in our lives…anything that monopolizes our attention away from God.

And as you stand at the threshold of decision today, beware of that li’l Gremlin named “Not Me.” Be very careful about assuming that these words have nothing to do with you, because that might just be a clue that pride has rented out God’s throne in your heart. “Repent and turn away from your idols...”