We often make 'good things' into 'God things'. The very things that our Creator has given us to enjoy are the things that we put in his rightful place.
Let's take coffee as an example. God has created coffee as something to be enjoyed in life. However, my love for coffee could quickly turn into something that consumes my thinking and dictates my behaviour and choices throughout my day.
So often the object of this misplaced desire becomes an idol. Idols strip God of his role as Lord of our lives.
How do we let it get to this point?
God has created things for us to enjoy: food, wine, spouses, culture, friendship, entertainment, and nature. Satan is an expert at using the created to distract us from our Creator. The Bible tells us to "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5 verse 8).
When we feel like we're doing well, God reveals to us, by his Holy Spirit, that there are things we have built up to have more importance and honour than he does. When the word 'idol' is mentioned, we often think of things that we worship.
This is rightly so, however, today we often worship things in different ways. You might worship an idol by giving it your thoughtful attention all day, actively seeking out ways to attain it or please it or trying to get rid of anything that threatens your access to it.
Because we're so busy enjoying these things – even at times thanking God for them – we can become numb to the possibility of them becoming idols in our lives. Maybe we don't stop to notice how we've idolised our new boyfriend or girlfriend. Or perhaps we haven't considered whether we're idolising our children.
The Holy Spirit is diligent to convict us of areas in our lives where we place more value on the created rather than the Creator himself.
Laziness
One of the main reasons I know I don't stop to consider the things I may be placing before God is laziness. These idols don't want to be killed. They'll hang on like there's no tomorrow. This is especially so for those idols that are not physical, such as the desire to be well-liked, the thought of academic success or the lure of fame and recognition. These idols are deeply rooted in our hearts.
The idols in my heart ultimately stem from my desire to be first; to play God and to have things my way. I'm sinful to my core. But I also know that the gospel is the best news I can hear.
The gospel tells me that although I'm primarily concerned about what I want out of life, and though I want to be first, God sent his son, Jesus, to take the punishment that my sin deserved. He paid the price so that I could experience his mercy and have my eyes opened to who he is and his rightful place as God in my life.
I'm no theologian, but I do know that God's grace works in powerful ways to uproot sin in our hearts.
So what part can we play?
Often we are well aware that there are things God wants to address and cut out of our lives. If we trust the power of his Holy Spirit to change and mould us into his liking, we should set aside time in our 'busy' schedules to pray about these things, and, if necessary, take action to eradicate the hold these things have in our lives.
Another step that may be necessary to kill an idol is to confess it to a wise Christian in your life. Tell them where your heart is at, and that you know you aren't placing God at the centre of your life.
Remember, you're not alone in this. I'll try to take my own advice this week.
Sarah Young is completing her Masters in Clinical Psychology and loves spending time engaging with young people. She spends her spare time writing songs, running and going on adventures with her husband, James.
Sarah Young's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/sarah-young.html