What Does The Bible Say About Idolatry?

What does the Bible say about idolatry?

Have you been practicing idolatry without even realizing it? Have you been creating idols in your life? Idolatry isn’t just worshiping physical idols, images, or sculptures. Idolatry is putting anyone or anything above God. This can be other people, wealth, goals, achievements, things, ourselves, etc. Anything that is taking God’s #1 spot in our life is automatically considered an idol. Today we’re going to dive into scripture to discover what the Bible says about idolatry, the dangers of idolatry, what it means to live in idolatry, and how to get rid of the idols in your life to completely turn to God.

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What IDOLS Are You Worshiping?

How is your relationship with God at the moment?

Can you honestly say that He is your number one priority in your life? Or is there something coming in between you and God?

I can tell you from experience that when you have idols in your life it is impossible to have a strong and genuine relationship with God. No matter how small or big the idol is, it will not allow you to give your full devotion to God. And that is a problem.

Idols You May Be Worshipping

• A loved one
• People
• Celebrities
• Fame
• Success
• Money
• Vanity
• Self-Care
• TV
• Social Media
• Technology
• A career
• Sports
• The internet
• Personal Growth
• Fitness
• Addictions
• Sin
• Being Perfect
• Religion
• Ministry
• Hobbies

Although most of these things may not necessarily be bad, they can turn into idols when you let them come in between your relationship with God.

My Own Experience With Idolatry

Growing up I had various idols in my life.

As a teenager I was the biggest fangirl ever. I idolized a handful of celebrities……handsome wrestlers and soccer players to be specific! 😉

As a young women with ambition, I also idolized my blog, success, vanity, personal growth, and even fitness.

How did I know that these were idols in my life?

Because all of these things at one point or another interfered in my relationship with God. When I was idolizing my blog, I gave all of my time, love, dedication, and energy to my blog. I remember I would be thinking about new blog post ideas while in church, skip my time with scripture to work on my blog, and care more about my blog’s growth than my spiritual growth. While blogging is not a sin, I turned my blog into an idol by putting it before God and letting it absorb all of my time and energy.

It took almost losing my blog entirely to open my eyes and see what really matters. Just like anything on this earth, idols can easily be destroyed. Nothing is eternal, but God. So, what is the point of putting something temporary over something eternal?

The Dangers of Idolatry

• Idols consume the time and energy you can give to God.
• Idols don’t let you concentrate on God.
• Your heart is divided between God and your idols.
• Idolatry is a sin.
• Idolatry distances you from God.
• God hates idolatry.
• Having to disregard God to regard others or other things.

What Does The Bible Say About Idolatry?

1. You should have no other gods in your life beside God.

Exodus 20: 3-5 “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. (NKJV)

2. Put to death all idols in your life.

Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (NKJV)

3. Those who have idols disregard God’s mercy.

Jonah 2:8 “Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. (NKJV)

4. Don’t turn your eyes to idols.

Leviticus 19:4 ‘Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God. (NKJV)

5. You must flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (NKJV)

6. Idols can’t save you in time of trouble.

Jeremiah 11:12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. (NKJV)

7. Idols cannot save.

Isaiah 45:20 “Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save. (NKJV)

8. Don’t follow the Israelite’s example of idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” (NKJV)

9. Don’t change God’s glory for the glory of idols.

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (NKJV)

10. Serve the creator, not the creation.

Romans 1:25 Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (NKJV)

11. Idolaters can’t inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites. (NKJV)

12. No matter how devoted you are to your idols, they will not help you in your time of need.

Isaiah 46:7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it and set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer nor save him out of his trouble. (NKJV)

13. Don’t let idols enter your heart.

Deuteronomy 7:26 Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing. (NKJV)

14. You cannot serve both God and idols.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (NKJV)

15. God does not share his glory with anyone.

Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. (NKJV)

16. Idolatry produces spiritual death.

Deuteronomy 8:19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. (NKJV)

17. The only God you need to worship is God.

Exodus 34:14 For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. (NKJV)

18. Keep yourself from idols.

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (NKJV)

Tips To Get Rid Of Idols

Although God is the one who works through you, you need to put your part and allow God to work in your life. Below I’m sharing some tips to help you get rid of idols.

• Seek God through prayer and scripture.
• Ask God to reveal what idols you have in your life.
• Ask for courage and strength to destroy idols in your life.
• Change your habits – spend more time with God.
• Make God a priority in your life.
• Maintain a life of prayer – this is where you will find strength to fight your desires and direction when you don’t know how to move forward.
• Hold yourself accountable by letting someone you trust know about your battles with the idols in your life.
• Fill your heart and mind with the Word of God.
• Find bible verses related to the areas you’re struggling with (idols) and pray using these bible verses.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope you found this post helpful and learned a little bit more on what the Bible says about idolatry. Let me know in the comments below if you have struggled with idolatry before and what were some idols you had to destroy in your life.

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• What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?
• What Does The Bible Say About Heartbreak?

Sending you blessings & love,

Gabby Abigail

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