The Hidden Idol We May Not See

Could it possibly be so? Could this be true? Of course it cannot be, could it?

The very lingering thought after the sting of conviction that touched my heart in ways i began to feel this deep sorrowful guilt. Not guilt of hiding, but a holy guilt that made me seriously think twice and reflect back and see.

Idols are sneaky. Why must they be so sneaky? It seems as if they sneak in not realizing that it could be such a thing.

How could I love something so much more than God himself? How could I love such a thing that doesn’t give me full satisfaction, only temporary satisfaction? How could I ever betray such a loving God, a Savior who came to rescue and save me from my own self? How could this be?

I sat there, with this deep anguish and turmoil in my soul that I knew, I deeply knew, God was right. I had an idol in my heart. A few actually. And I didn’t see it.

But God.

As gracious and merciful that He is, showed me the idols in my heart to grant me a heart of repentance, to turn away from it, cut it off, and pursue the ONE. The only one who can sustain me in life. The only one who can be my full satisfaction in life. The only one who stays and remains when all idols fade, shake, tremble, and are burned in the rubble.

I never thought I would find myself in such a position of idol worship. I don’t think many of us do. But that is the thing. Sometimes we don’t see it creep up and sneak in. And this my friend, is dangerous. But let me tell you what God did and how freeing this can be.

Idol worship isn’t necessarily physically bending your knee down to it as a carved statue, but moreso, a very thing we dwell on deeply, taking room in our hearts, minds and thoughts, something we think of more than God himself.

I carried the holy guilt and brought it to God. As much as I wanted to keep it, I felt the firm “no” and “return it.” I held onto it a little longer thinking it wouldn’t be so bad because it wasn’t, right?

Wrong. It is wrong when God says we shouldn’t have it or keep it only to do the opposite. You know friend, I want to tell you this, even the good things are not good for our soul. No matter how appealing it may be. Much like Eve seeing the fruit on the tree to see it was “pleasing to the eye,” or like another translation puts it, NASB, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes,” Genesis 3:6b. I’ll pause it there because that is exactly where I saw the trap and how deceiving, conniving, the enemy is. Even in our lives.

Just because we are followers of Christ doesn’t mean it makes us less of a target and less to be deceived. WRONG! It is quite the opposite. It places a big target on our backs, including our family, spouse and children, along with the enemy coming full force to tempt us, rob us, and deceive us as he did Eve and Adam. His plan hasn’t changed. But his tactics have. The enemy gets smarter and smarter. Want to know why? Because he studies our lives. Where our fears are at. Where our insecurities are at. Where our wounds are. What we dwell on (our thoughts). What we seek pleasure in. Where we search things for. Etc. And it is the very reason we must, as God’s Word says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Just because we are daughters of the Most High does not make us immune to falling to temptation. Nor does it make us immune to being attacked and deceived. It puts a target on our backs for the enemy and his minions to come after the Lord’s beloved ones. But hold on. Before you exit out the blog let me tell you this.

We do not need to be afraid of the enemy. He isn’t worth fearing. We are to fear God. Here is some encouragement for you sister. Resist him, stand firm in your faith, fight the good fight, push through the urge to agreeing with your flesh and choose to walk in the Spirit. No matter what. Because there is such great freedom and a reward to it.

I’m reminded of the Israelites journey, the exile, the wilderness, and how God delivered them from their idols. We often read it and think, “oh how dare they, we could never.” Only to see we are very much like them. It took them being in the wilderness to have the idols exposed. The wilderness reveals much because God cares and loves greatly. God allures her into the wilderness and speaks tenderly towards her, Hosea 2:14. To deepen the relationship with them two, removing the idols, purging her heart, purifying her, cleansing her, making her white as snow, to dismantle idols, destroy them, and placing the maker as her husband. You know, even Jesus was led into the wilderness. David fled to the wilderness. Hagar fled to the wilderness. Elijah as well. Do you see the pattern here?

The wilderness is a place of, “and the Lord speaks.” And indeed He does friend. The wilderness is also training ground. Not only cleansing us but training us for where we are headed to next. The next destination in our journey with God. But how can we move into the Promised Land without first being stripped? Yes the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt but Egypt was never delivered out of them. And this my dear friend, is what the wilderness teaches us.

I sat there. Not wanting to return it. But I knew, I deeply knew the Lord told me to do so, and not just once either my friend.

Idols. They portray this false imagery to bring a “ooo” and an “awww” but only for a short period of time only to seek again for another false temporary satisfaction.

I didn’t want to share this blog post. I actually didn’t plan on writing anymore. But it isn’t my writing or blog anyways, it’s HIS. And I knew, because I am feeling the tug to write this, no matter how embarrassing it may sound or “little” it may sound to some, it actually is pretty big to God. And because He cares for me, He cares for you too! And He wants you free from your idols too! Even if it brings confirmation to that one sister in Christ, this piece is worth writing, bringing all glory to God.

“There shall be no foreign god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
Psalm 81:9-10

Idols are anything and anyone we look to besides God. And no I am not talking about a wooden carved statue or some sort. I’m talking about everything. Yes, even the “good” things that are hindering our walk in the Lord. Because it’s the honest truth. Idols hinder our fruit bearing and our walk in Him. He is a jealous God. This is Him. Yes He is gracious and merciful but that is the thing. Because He is jealous and wants no other god before Him, He also is gracious and merciful enough to bring it to light. This is His grace. This is his mercy. To bring our heart to a place of repentance, to grieve over what broke His heart to come to a place of surrender and breaking free from idol worship.

Idols have a mask. And how we know it’s an idol is by seeing what we look at constantly. Shop for constantly. Taking pleasure in constantly. What sits on the throne of our hearts. Seeing if it were stripped away from me, if God told me to lay it down and it hurts, there it is. Laying on the throne of our hearts.

I didn’t think a bible could be an idol. But it is. And I say this with grace and salt, but with mercy and compassion and filled with truth. Yes, having the Word of God is beautiful in itself. And what a gift it is to have in this country because in other countries, they get persecuted for carrying it. This is freedom here in this country, for now, more on that subject that God has been showing me what is coming to America (modern day babylon). He also showed me how these other countries, the people, they didn’t care how the bible looked. Whether leather or premium leather, whether goatskin or not. Whether paperback or hardcover. They just wanted to own the Word of God and they would be so happy to even own whatever kind it looks, they didn’t care how it looked to be honest, as long as it holds the true & sound doctrine.

Yet, what God has shown me, that here in America it idolizes much, consumes much, filled with wanting more always in discontent, never satisfied, and has been masked with comparison, coveting, over-indulging (gluttony) in commercialism and materialism, the forgetting to distinguish from a want and a need. We excuse it with “well there could never be enough bibles in my home” or “nobody can tell me they don’t pay for it,” or “all the bible’s mean a God flowing home” or “well the more bibles with more notes, the more growth,” and whatever else is said. But this isn’t so. It’s a masquerade, a slithering lie that sneaks in like the serpent did Eve.

When God showed me that my heart was in the wrong thing and I did NOT need another bible, I just wanted one, I had to learn that one of the nine fruits of the Spirit is self-control. There is good reason that is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Because it’s needed. The need to fight the urge to buy another, to compare to another, to feel the deep “ahhhh I just gotta have it its pretty.” We somehow have fallen to prey, taken the bait, like a fish on the hook, of “oooo look at that one, i need that one,” only to see we truly didn’t need it. We have to fight through it. Now I am not saying bibles are wrong. Please do not take this out of context to fit your place and setting. I am saying this because God showed me it. He showed me in this way one night while sleeping, “if there was a fire and you could only grab one bible, which one would it be?” And I knew. I already knew which one because no matter how many I had, I always, to this day, still grab the same one because of what I been through with it. The notes, the tears, the spiritual warfare and victory battles. It’s seen the hardest of hard days. And I knew right there, I said, “okay Lord, no more. My yes needs to be yes and no be no. When you say yes, that is okay, but when you say no, help me to fight the urge to go the opposite direction you say.” And let me say this also, anytime God says no, there is good reason. No need to pout dear one. But also, when God says no, be alert. Be on guard, because when God says no, the enemy will throw in his tactics and begin by “oooo look at this shiny thing over here you need it,” or “look at their marriage of how good it looks and yours is falling apart,” or whatever you are struggling with… he will use that tactic

Now, I am cautious at what I post. Meaning, I never want to portray a place of “you need this bible, you need these pens you need these….” because in all honesty, we don’t need them. As I said on Instagram, if I have pointed you to material possessions rather than Christ, I have failed. Because this is NOT our calling in Christ. This is NOT our job in Christ. This is NOT who we are in Christ. We are to point to Him never to have others feel the “need” to buy because they are “left out” in the new trend of being “aesthetically pleasing” as they say. I want what Christ wants and if that is laying aside every weighted guilt, every weighted sin, because that is true, then so be it. If that is laying aside looking different, like an outcast than one who is in the “in,” so be it. Because I want to live sold out for Jesus. Not the world. I want to live holy and set apart, as an ambassador for Christ our King, a daughter who reflects the King, not the world. To have my mind fully and wholeheartedly devoted in Him.

Sister, this blog post isn’t to condemn but to bring us heart checks. Heart checks are needed in the body of Christ. We must always carry a teachable heart, a humble heart, a willing spirit to follow the Lord and lay aside everything that is weighing us down in the walk with Yeshua!

My heart hurts for the body of Christ. Because idol worship is true. And it’s sneaky. It slithers in like the serpent did in the Garden of Eden and my heart yearns for God to awaken the body of Christ. My heart breaks deeply because I was once blind to it, but now I see. And though it stung like a bee, I knew God did it for great reason.

The following is a heart check for you. It may not be towards bible obsession like mine, but it could be marriage obsession, dream obsession, child obsession, careers, money, material things, health, body image, or anything else for that matter. And if you want to truly seek your heart, to get rid of any idols you may be blinded to, I encourage you to do this next part, the heart check questions below, sit with God on this, have Him bring light to those places. And if not, just know I am praying for us all, in the body of Christ, to be ready upon the grooms arrival, not swayed to the doctrines of the world nor to look like the world, but to be living holy and set apart, living as ambassadors for the King, content with everything the Lord has given us and to pursue Him wholeheartedly. Walking in Him, with Him, beside Him, never ahead of Him.

Much Love, And in Christ,
Nicole

Heart Check

These are honest heart check questions you must answer honestly for yourself, while asking God to search your heart and know it. Psalm 51, Psalm 139.

• What do you desire the most?
• What do you dwell (think) on the most?
• Where do you spend your downtime?
• How many minutes, or hours, of the day do you scroll?
• If you never got your want, how do you react?
• When you see something you like, do you feel the need to “have” it?
• Your home, where is your heart in the home?
• Marriage, where is your heart in marriage? In your spouse?
• What is it that you have the most of in multiple colors, styles, etc.?
• When you wake up in the morning, what do you run to or look forward to the most?
• Do you compulsive buy because of bordem?
• What do you watch constantly of?
• What do you obsess over?

How to move forward from a blinded idol

We must first acknowledge to God that we have placed other things above Him. I know it’s hard. I know it’s painful. I know it even feels disgusting and sad at the same time. But friend, we must. We then need to repent of it & ask Him to forgive us for having another god before Him. For serving, thinking, loving something else other than Him when it should be Him and Him alone. We then put it to action. Being serious of our need to let it go because it broke the Father’s heart. And from everyday forward, we surrender ourselves to Him, asking the Holy Spirit to give us awareness of the enemy’s tactics and to fight for us. To give us strength to say no and do it.