In Biblical times people used statues to worship the various gods or goddesses. Greeks had many gods such as Artemis, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Nemesis, & Nike. Paul spoke about them in the scripture:

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;  for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: Acts 17:22-23

The Greeks had to ensure that no powerful “deity” was left unacknowledged, hence they even had an inscription to the “unknown god”. They believed that every one of these gods had some sort of super power to provide for their needs or desires, so they chose to worship numerous gods in fear of not leaving any of them out.

In our modern days, we don’t necessarily worship fictional gods, but we can look up to people as our source of wisdom, identity, lifestyle, & purpose. Musicians, actors, politicians, and spiritual leaders are looked up to as if they have an answer to every problem in our lives or a solution for the society.

Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:12-13

Paul noticed that this idolatrous attitude had crept up in the church. The new believers who formed the Corinthian church had started walking in carnality. While they were no longer worshipping fictional gods, they had developed special affinity towards their favorite spiritual leaders. Paul had to remind them that he and the other leaders were not the ones who were crucified  for them but Jesus was!

Regardless of a person’s giftedness, sacrifice, or anointing, they are not meant to take the place of Jesus. They may be great preachers, prophets, or pastors, but they are still flawed and imperfect people who are not meant to be placed on any divine pedestal.  As people, we have a tendency to get lazy about seeking the Lord for ourselves because we feel that this person has a direct line with God. Eventually, when things don’t work out or we get a bad counsel, we get upset with the leader because he/she is either too controlling or not as anointed as we originally thought!

We need to allow God to recalibrate our lives in areas that are prone to idolatry and allow Him to be back at the center of our attention. God doesn’t need for us to perform to show Him that we love Him, but He chooses to use us when He wants to. If our identity is tied to our performance, our education, our entertainment, or our relationships with spiritual leaders, it is built on shifting sand, and someday it will come tumbling down. God is too loving and kind to let us live with counterfeits. Here is a song to remind us of the greatness of the God we serve! He is the only one worthy of our worship.

Our relationship towards our pets can be another form of idolatry.  The Bible is clear about the fact that we are to take care of our animals. 

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

God gave the rulership of the earth to Adam & Eve and included in the mandate was taking care of the animals. In the old days, animals were source of food, labor, income, and protection for a farmer and his family. Nowadays, not only we don’t utilize animals for work, but we also pamper them and give them all the fancy things that we enjoy. Granted there are dogs that serve a good purpose, and their companionship for people is valuable, but Americans are treating their animals as if they are their children!

NBC News had an article reporting on people’s passion towards their pets. In Southern California there are “Pow Bars”, “Cat socials”, and “Mutt Mingles” according to this article, just as a parents may join a MOPS group for their children. NBC News article stated that Americans will spend more than $60 billion dollars on their pets in 2015. That is a lot of money! We may each spend a couple of thousand dollars and not think much about it, but when you think about the collective amount that we all spend on our animals, it is sadly enormous! Doesn’t that say something about what we value as a nation? Can some of this money be put to better use rather than lavishing our animals with the best food, healthcare, hotel, etc.?

I grew up in a culture that animals were used for work or protection and did not live in the house  because they were considered unclean. For the majority of my life, I had been scared of dogs. I didn’t understand why people love their dogs so much. Additionally, I could not to find scriptures that supported having pets for fun.  When we finally purchased a dog for my daughter six years ago, things changed for me. I did get attached to this dog, and now she is part of the family. It is hard not to want to do things for her and get her the best I can afford. However, I still don’t believe that it was God’s idea for us to lavish them and love them as children. 

Culturally loving animals is acceptable and there are many believers who cherish their pets as well. This keeps us in a comfortable position where we don’t question whether our affection or behavior towards our animals is idolatrous or not because they are many like us!

While Modern day idols can look very different than the Biblical times, anything that takes too much time, attention, and focus to the point of throwing our priorities out of balance can become a form of idolatry.

Sports

People may be too busy to serve at church, invest in friendships, or spend time with family, but somehow they manage to have plenty of time to watch sports or attend sporting events which makes it an issue of priority not necessarily a lack of time.

 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6: 12

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with watching or doing sports, but it is the inordinate amount of time, focus, and money that causes it to become idolatry. Players seem to have such a significance in people’s lives that they are idolized. Some individuals know player stats better than they know their Bible. We can spend hundreds of dollars sitting on the sidelines watching the game for hours while the players make millions of dollars.

If you were to compare an athlete to a military serviceman, do our servicemen get at least the same honor as an athlete? The servicemen are willing to lay down their lives for our freedoms as opposed to an athlete who has entertained people for a few hours! Would you support a war veterans organization rather than spending the money on the ticket to your favorite game? At the end of the day, professional sports is an entertainment industry and as such we need to put it in the proper perspective. Families may spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on sports, but when it comes to giving to a charity, they may not be as generous.

Others spend endless hours take the children to their various sporting events and tournaments. In addition to taking time away on Sundays to go to various games, there is an increasing number of injuries that happen in competitive sports and especially contact sports. Nowadays, parents start the children at a younger age to do competitive sport. It’s generally the parents who decide Johnny needs to be placed on competitive team to ensure he can develop his true potential!

Some of the questions we can ask in determining whether the sports have turned into idolatry are as follows: Does a sport need to be that competitive to be enjoyable to a young child? Is there a limit to how much time or money a sport will require before you decline to have your child participate in it? How many sports is the family involved in at any one time? Is it seasonal or year-round? Does it take time away from developing wholesome friendships individually and as a family? Does it take time away from being at church regularly?

In the last devotional, I stated that the enemy is not going to trap us with the same form of idolatry that he ensnared the people in Biblical times. He finds things that we value in our times and in our current culture. The key to finding idolatry in our lives is to find what we value and the extent we change our priorities to obtain what is valuable to us.

Higher Education

We are blessed in this country to have many options for education. There is a plethora of schools from public to private education and from junior colleges to Ivy league schools that are available to those who seek higher level of education. However, the entrance to many well known schools has become so difficult, that it is creating a subtle class system between those who can make it and those who cannot.

For some believers, higher education has turned into idolatry. Some students apply to over twenty schools in the hope of getting to their “reach” schools but finding themselves rejected over and over again because they reached too far. The parents are not doing any better. As a matter of fact, those rejection letters hurt some parents more than it hurts the students. When finally students choose a school from the array of good options available to them, they still feel dejected because they did not reach their dream school!

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 1 Timothy 6:20

Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 7:18 

In addition, our education system is run by many ultra liberal professors who do not mind espousing their atheistic or humanistic ideologies as facts to students. Since the students lack experience and knowledge, they are easily impressionable by the “brilliant” professors who seem to tell the truth about the world. What we find that many children who grew up in Christian households, begin to regress spiritually after spending four years in a world that is dominated by new age and godless thinking. Why do we do this? It is all in the name of getting superior education, so our students can have good options for careers when they graduate.

Does a superior education that dampens one’s faith worth it? Is that special piece of paper from the elite school worth losing your faith for it? 

Education is certainly the idol of our modern times. There is much pressure for students  to perform to the point of developing health problems, identity issues, and suicidal behaviors. As believers, do we handle education any differently than the world? Do we perceive people more valuable based on their level of education or where they received their education from?

Definition of  “Idol” According to Strong’s Concordance:

 H4656: horrid thing, so called from it being an object of fear

H6090: pain, sorrow

H457: of naught, good for nothing, worthless

G1497 image, likeness, a false god, whatever represents the form of an object, real or imaginary.

The definition of “idol” according to Strong’s Concordance was very surprising to me. According to the above definitions, idols cause sorrow and are worthless. They are more of an object of fear rather than source of life or hope. In the Biblical times, people used idols for false security because they thought that those idols have the power for protection against evil. In reality, no idol has any power. In fact, they are worthless, but they appear powerful enough that possessor fears losing it or making it angry.

Some cultures use statues and images for  “good luck”  in their homes or businesses. The underlying message in those cases is that if one does not have the idol on their property, either something bad might happen or one could lose the “good luck” or the “blessing”.

We call these kinds of ideas superstitious. In our modern day, not only we do not believe in such idols anymore, but we might even look down upon those simple-minded individuals who believe in these imaginary idols. Since we are too sophisticated to believe in such a nonsense, the enemy is not going to use the same form of idols to have us worship a false god, but he will use something that is of value, importance, and of power in this day and age. In order for us to recognize our modern day idols, we need to determine what we value that can set a trap for us as believers?

Cultural values

Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. Genesis 31:19

Rachel, Jacob’s wife, stole those idols because she had seen her father Laban rely on them. They were valuable because her father had deemed them valuable. She stole her father’s idols because she did not want to lose her source of power and security when she departed from her father’s house.

Every culture has certain things they value, which can turn idolatrous. Some people come from a background where having statues of Virgin Mary or Jesus were valuable to them. Others have jewelry with certain symbolism signifying prosperity. When I was growing up, in my grandparents village, there was a church with a tree, which water came out of the tree. People believed in its supernatural power, so they would fill up bottles and take the water home with them. They used it to anoint a sick person and hope for healing. I was given a bottle when I came to the U.S., and for years I held onto it until God showed me that it was time for spiritual housecleaning. I got rid of that bottle along with gold jewelry that was supposed to bring “good luck”.

Are there things in your household that you have held onto that are not only sentimental but deep down you also believe they have some sort of power?

 I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

It was God’s intent and pleasure to create us, and it is His job to define us. We were designed to be in relationship with God and call Him, “Abba Father”. Adam & Eve walked with God daily before the Fall. It was only after the Fall that Adam & Eve ran to hide from Him. The sin changed their perception of God and made them fearful rather than accepted by Him.

Sin stripped us out of our value by breaking our fellowship with God. We became ensnared and enslaved to insecurity because we were void of definition. Living without a relationship with God is like living as an orphan spiritually. This causes a person to feel lonely, disconnected, and unsafe about life. 

People can wonder if they matter in this big wide world.  Rejection and disappointment is part of this darkened world. It is easy to feel that we don’t belong and that relationships are transitory and temporary. At times, those of us who are mature believers can feel that way too. All of us need to examine our value to see if it based on the One who is stable, unchanging, and consistent!

It was God’s intent to be the source of stability for us. Jesus came to restore our value by dying on the cross and showing us how much we are treasured. He opens His arms to accept those who are tired of others defining them. He reaches out to those who are hurt and bruised by other’s definition of worth. He receives those who are willing to admit that they are bankrupt and exhausted from trying to prove themselves and meet other’s standard of worth.

Meditate on the above scriptures, feel His embrace, and see His smile. Are you willing to lay down the wrong definitions that made you feel unloved and devalued? Are you willing to accept God’s report about you and refrain from proving or defending yourself to others? This can be hard even for mature believers because they can rely on certain people or activities to validate their worth. It may take a period of time to intentionally consider your actions and avoid things that feel like you are proving yourself. 

When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. Matthew 23:21 (MSG)

The enemy is continually sending counterfeits in people’s lives to make them distracted from the Truth! If you tell someone that their focus is on the wrong thing, most likely they will get offended. They may even accuse you of being jealous of them, but God’s people have to tell the truth and expose the counterfeit. 

People look for worth in many different places such as career, relationships, & education. There are multitudes of self-help books written to boost the  person’s self-worth and help them to feel good about themselves. The reality is that we cannot muster up worth for ourselves neither can we look to another creature to define our value. It is not other people’s job or responsibility to define our worth. 

We do not expect a newborn to know his/her own worth. They are completely oblivious to who they are and their surroundings. Initially, all they care about is to have their basic needs met. It is their parents’ job to love and care for the baby and show them that they have value. If the child receives healthy dose of attention and discipline, they will grow with the idea that they have some value in this world. In contrast, if the parents are neglectful or passive the children will grow with feeling of inferiority and insecurity. 

The world continually tries to redefine our value. We are barraged with feelings of inadequacy; there is always someone who is better than us at something. No one is immune from this including the children who came from healthy upbringing. They are bombarded with the voice of culture that tries to put a different standard of worth on them.

The Lord has made it His job to define our worth. Since He is the one who has created us, His standard is the most important standard! When we accept His truth, it will cause a shift in our hearts and settling in our spirit. What is your worth dependent on? Do you need a continual affirmation of others or pat on the back to help you feel better about yourself? When you feel insecure where do you run to? 

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14

Jesus met the woman at the well at the point of her thirst. As she had the habit to do, she came to satisfy her natural thirst, but Jesus addressed the root of her need, which was a spiritual thirst. Many of us just like the woman at the well keep going back to the wells that satisfy only temporarily; we are so comfortable with our habits that we just settle for “better than nothing” situations.  Many wells and many waters cannot quench our thirst until we come to Jesus. This song “You Won’t Relent” by Jesus Culture beautifully illustrates this point.

The good news is that Jesus came, so we won’t have to settle for less. We don’t have to act like we are satisfied when in reality we are still yearning or striving on the inside. The living water quenches the thirst better. The more we drink of this water, the less we thirst for the world.  When we get thirsty, we go right to the source and seek His approval and His love for us.

The scripture tells us that when experience the living waters, it doesn’t just meet our needs, but it begins to overflow through us! This living water takes us out of isolation, self-preservation, and survival mentality. It opens us up to others. We develop abundance mind-set rather than scarcity mind-set. Not only we see God’s provision in our lives, but we also become the carriers of this provision to others who are seeking and searching for the living waters as well. The spring of living waters does not run dry because we are connected to the source. The Lord continues to pour down his grace on us by giving us more love, deeper compassion, greater generosity,  & better understanding for others.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” John 4:39

The story of the woman at the well does not end by her just drinking the living waters. Once she found this incredible gift, she became a “fountain of living water springing up to life” as Jesus stated. She took her testimony to her other fellow villagers because she had found a treasure that she could not keep to herself. Even though the villagers must have shunned her for years, she did not hold that against them. Sharing her precious living water was more important than their pathetic rejection of her. She was too excited to hold the Good News back from those who had held back years of love and respect for her. Praise God!

As Godly voters, we should examine candidates’ position on public debt and their plan of action to tackle this huge problem. This is an important Biblical and practical issue. A governmental leader should be conservative in spending and aggressive in paying off the public debt. Just as parents are called to leave an inheritance for their children, we should hand over the wealth of our country as an inheritance to the next generation rather than burying them under our massive debt.

For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. Deuteronomy 15:6

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7 (TLB)

God told the Israelites that a sign of blessing was that they were going to be in a position to lend money but not borrow from other nations. Just as the above scriptures state, when a nation borrows it takes on the position of servitude and slavery to another nation. This is a dangerous position to be in. We owe money to nations who are not our friends nor our allies. Our governmental leaders need to be unyielding about reducing the public debt and not presume on a rosy future. Additionally, there are scriptures that tell us that it is wickedness not to pay off our debt (See Psalm 37:21).

Years ago when I taught Civics, under the categories of government spending, it showed that about 25% of the government income was spent on public debt and its interest. The current data, no longer addresses paying off the debt anymore; it only states that the government pays about 6% interest on public debt every year. In my opinion, our governmental leaders are trying to minimize the significance of the problem, and they have given up paying down the debt. They are just trying to keep their head above the ocean of debt!

When it comes to spending, Democrats and Republicans have been spending our money. They just choose to spend them in different areas. As Godly voters, we need to look for candidates who are not promising the world to people, but they are promising that they will leave this country in a better shape fiscally than they found it.

Every year the government has a deficit. That means they spend more than they bring in. If the government has not shown that they can live within their means, should we trust them with higher taxation and more borrowing powers? Let’s continue to pray for wisdom for our leaders as well as American people. We cannot afford to get derailed from important Biblical issues and jeopardize the future of our nation.