Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Idolatry... Me?

Yikes! I don’t know about you, but the thought scares me. For the most part I think of myself as a godly woman. But I’m also well aware of my weaknesses.

In our day there are probably more ways to commit idolatry than there were back in the days of Moses. They didn’t have TV’s, computers, ipods, ipads, fancy cars ... um perhaps they had an upgraded camel or donkey, but they didn’t have the luxuries we enjoy today.

They didn’t have restaurants, fast food, or high speed internet, etc. If what we want doesn’t pop up on the screen in a nano second we get antsy. We live in a world of zoom, zoom, zoom! Is it possible we’re making idols of what we have or do? TV shows, or perhaps, food, clothes, shoes, working out, sports, etc?

Online games are often touted as being addictive. And ya know what? Many are. Personally, I have to be careful because I love Bejeweled Blitz. I could play for hours. Really!

Silly games can steal precious time that should be spent elsewhere. I’m not saying we can’t have fun, but we need to be watchful that we don’t miss precious opportunities to serve the Lord. It will be a challenge not to waste time on my new Asus Eee Pad Transformer. I waited months for it to come into the store. And yes, I already downloaded some games. But I also downloaded three good books. One recommended by my cousin, Heaven by Randy Alcorn, that I’m anxious to read.

How do we know if we’re committing idolatry?

1. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal it.
2. Take an inventory to see what saps your time that isn’t a necessity.
3. Ask for wisdom and understanding.
4. Are you putting Christ first?

I believe the Lord wants us to enjoy the life He’s given us, but He also wants us to use our time wisely; this means avoiding the many footholds of idolatry and using self-control to limit how much time or attention we take on frivolities.


He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. Prov. 4:8 The Message.

Prayer: Lord, give us wisdom to know those things in our lives that have beome idols; give us understanding and knowledge of what we need to let go of, or restrain in our lives. And keep evil far from us. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.


Blessings ~ Danie

4 comments:

  1. Good post, Danie. I don't think of myself as an idolator either, but I'm gonna pray about it. Thank you for the wake-up call.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're most welcome, Sue, God bless you!
    Danie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Danie! It was so nice to meet you tonight at Joanne's book launch! This was a great article. There are so many things that steal my time away from the Lord. Praying He helps me to always put Him first! Blessings and let's keep in touch!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Barbie ~ It was great meeting you, too! Thanks much for stopping by, and yes, let's stay in touch. Speaking of which, I'm popping over your way, now!
    Blessings, Danie

    ReplyDelete

Blogs Danie Follows