“And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.'” – Exodus 20:1-6 NIV
Many of us, whether we’ve grown up in the Christian faith or not, have heard of the Ten Commandments. Of the ten, the commandment related to idolatry always stood out to me because it felt very “Bible days” specific. It didn’t feel relevant to me. I had no crafted image in my home nor was I laid prostrate on the floor praying to some golden image at an altar. I was chilling. I went to church. I confessed Jesus. I couldn’t have idols in my life. And like me, I’d venture to say many of you probably feel the same. That feeling, however, is often deceitful. Idolatry is still present in many of our lives because it doesn’t look how we expect it to. While we expect some crafted image, idols can often be the family we have, the material things we love, and the feelings we possess. Many of us, me included, unfortunately operate in idolatry often. We put our various affections above God, be it our relationships, finances, or even fears/self-perceptions, and let it have the final say. Our yielding and obedience, then, follow the way of the idol. If not confronted by God, in His mercy, to address and remove the idol, we risk living lives less than God’s standard. We risk limiting or even completely missing the power, victory, and freedom that God ultimately wants to give us.
“Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.” – Isaiah 45:20b NIV
For me, idolatry started pretty early. Growing up, a certain celebrity (if you know you know lol) was my idol. I knew everything about her. I studied every move. I spent my money (or my parents’ money) on things she was a part of. I looked to her as the ideal of beauty and success. Whatever she said was Bible as far as I was concerned. As an adolescent, I didn’t really understand or see the severity of the issue. Being a big fan was fun. It was exciting. It was fulfilling and fruitful. It made me happy. It produced, in my mind, good things. When I got to college however, I felt my first bout of conviction. In God’s mercy, He made me question this idol’s role in my life. Why did I need this person to feel happy or excited about life? Why did I critique myself because I didn’t look like her or have her talent? Why did I know everything about her but didn’t know much about myself? Why could I spend all my time engulfed in her world but couldn’t give myself, let alone God, that same effort? The red flags multiplied to a point that I realized I needed to back away. But with over ten years wrapped up in that idol, during that time, the transition was not smooth. I went back and forth for a long time. I grieved. Despite the instruction not to, I still found myself listening to and watching that idol’s work. I was sad. It felt unfair. The process of tearing down the idol was messy, but I eventually got there. And though letting go of that particular idol was successful, it wasn’t long before I picked up another one.
The cycle of dropping and picking up idols has followed me up until present day. It was just three weeks ago that God confronted me about another celebrity I admired. And within this past year, more generally, God has highlighted social media distraction as another preferred idol of mine. For me, it’s not necessarily that these celebrities are bad or that wanting to scroll on social media is inherently sinful; rather, it speaks to the larger issue that God wanted to address: escapism. In my life, I’ve used idols to run away from myself. I’ve gotten engulfed in other people’s worlds because I wasn’t content in my own. It was easier to root for the success of my “faves” than it was to do the hard work to find my own success and satisfaction. God made clear to me that I chose to busy myself in other things or with other people because I didn’t trust Him to handle me or help me through my struggles with discontentment. I felt more comfortable running away than sitting with Him. I was looking to those idols to save me from myself, and it wasn’t working. And while I recognize that many of you aren’t dealing with celebrity fandom or mindless scrolling as your idols of choice, the issue still affects many of us. What are the things you consume yourself with because they make you feel good, give you power or worth, or even provide the comfort your heart really needs? Have any of those things taken the place of God in your life? Do you think God is even able to meet those needs for you? Do you even want Him to? Honesty is key here. I had to be honest and admit that I didn’t think God could fix the problems I had. I had to be honest and say that I loved spending time with those idols more than I did spending time with Him. God’s confrontation was an invitation to see myself and my need for Him. God’s confrontation provided an opportunity for God to show me who He is and who He has always been.
“The holiest people are people that just trust God with everything.”1 – Jackie Hill Perry
Since committing to reading the entire Bible in a year, which I started this January, God has intentionally highlighted His trustworthiness to me. At the same time, He’s pinpointed the areas where I lack belief and trust in Him despite the Bible I know. Last year, I wrote about fighting the devil’s facts with God’s truth. I’ve realized that it’s not just about fighting against what the devil has said about me, but it’s also what he’s said about God. As discussed in my last post, I’ve battled with performance and perfectionism since what feels like the beginning of time. It was from these places that I crafted my view of God. Like parents, like teachers, and like friends, I believed that God was pleased when all was well and annoyed or disappointed when I fell short. Why would God want to deal with me? How could He even help me? I felt beyond repair, beyond love. The sadness was high, the shame was high. Of course it seemed better to go somewhere else and trust something else. But as I read through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and onward, one theme was consistent — God’s goodness. The Israelites failed and God stayed committed to them. The Israelites turned away from God and God called them back home. The Israelites sinned and God provided atonement. The Israelites lost hope and God comforted them. As I saw these examples reinforced over and over again, something shifted. If I could identify with the ratchetness of the Israelites, then I could receive the love, help, and comfort that God gave them too. If God met their needs and fulfilled His promises to them, then I could believe He’d do it for me too. If the Israelites trusted God with their lives (even if they struggled along the way), so could I (struggle and all).
Idolatry is such an important topic to me because it really has the power to destroy you if you let it. With its seemingly harmless nature, it easily slides into your life, your thinking, and your heart. It allures you with quick fixes, power, acceptance, love, and comfort. It tells you that it’s safe and worthy of your trust. It plants seeds of doubt towards God. It causes you to think the ways of the world aren’t really that bad. It causes you to falsely assume that you know and can handle it all. And even if you can’t, it tells you that God can’t do a better job. It’s a liar and a fraud. Unfortunately, I was deceived for years. I gave my youth to an idol that didn’t actually help me. I left her more broken and lost than when I found her. I’ve given so much of my time to the idol of distraction with nothing to show for it. Though idolatry might have affected me in ways that you may not relate to, at the core, no matter what your idols may be, idolatry gives you a false and unfulfilling substitute for God. That bank account you set your focus on can be wiped out with a few emergencies. That relationship you chase can’t heal the heart wounds you’re running away from. That job you give all your energy to can still fire you at the drop of a hat. Those kids you pour your entire being into will one day grow up and move out of the house. The idol can’t love you, sustain you, free you, care for you, or save you. Only God can do that.
The process of completely removing idols has been difficult for me. Idols have always felt comforting and numbing for me. They also often work a lot quicker than God seems to (though their “benefits” are short lived). Believe me when I tell you that I understand your hesitancy to drop that “thing” for God. In the thick of hardship and pain, the last thing you want to do is pray to God and wonder if He hears you or even cares. The last thing you want to do is stop entertaining that person that makes you escape from the depression you’re in, if only for a few moments. The last thing you want to do is give up that leadership position or that status at your organization when it was the thing that made you feel purposeful and worth something in this life. I understand. And yet, I really want to challenge you to try God out. I want to challenge you to run to Him first. In moments of temptation, sadness, or cries for comfort, I want you to talk to God first. Let out your frustration to Him before you vent to a friend or binge that TV series to escape your reality. I challenge you to find a Bible passage to read for a few minutes to focus your mind on something higher. I challenge you to give God a chance. I want you to leave space for Him to answer you, show you that He can handle your situation, and reaffirm how deep His love is for you. And maybe it won’t “work” the first time. There have been plenty of times I’ve gone to God, didn’t feel anything after, and watched hours of YouTube instead to numb my emotions. I get it. But I implore you to keep seeking Him. Continue to be open and expectant. Find scripture about what God did or promised and call Him out on it. Ask to experience the fulfillment of His Word in your life. He will show you. He will reveal Himself. He will bring that comfort and support. He will give peace even if the situation you’re in doesn’t change all at once. He will do what He said. I know this because the Word says He doesn’t lie nor does His Word return to Him void (Numbers 23:19). I know this because He’s done it for me.
My final ask is that you’ll watch the video I’ve linked below from Jackie Hill Perry on this topic. I encourage you to take inventory of the idols in your life, get to the heart of the issue, find scripture that addresses those deep needs, and go to God with His Word. I pray that you’ll give Him a chance to show Himself strong in this area of your life. I pray that you’ll be gracious with yourself in this process. It’s hard out here but you’re not alone. I’m here with you, and most importantly, God is here with you. He’ll never leave nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Until next time, be ye holy…authentically. ❤️
Nikki Rich Writes 
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