“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3

 Idol worship is not a practice that many Christians will consciously engage in, or readily admit to as a form of worship,  but, regardless of what we may think; this type of worship is rampant in the lives of those who have unknowingly permitted it to chart its course through the streams of Christian worship.

People erroneously believe that in order to worship an idol, one must actually be engaged in worshipping a carved image, that is symbolic or representative of God. What they do not seem to understand, is the fact that idols come with many faces, and adopt various forms and shapes.

An idol is anything or anyone on whom we lavish excessive, strong, passionate devotion or adoration. An idol may be a husband, a wife, a pastor, teacher, classmate or co-worker. These idols subtly creep into our lives when we blindly lean on them for support, strength, or daily subsistence.  The idol becomes the first port of call, rather than God.

We Christians are far more vulnerable and susceptible to this form of worship, when we let go of our faith, and exchange it with fear, regarding the issues of life, relationships, subsistence, and the future.

An idol is worshipped every time we humans rely on mere mortals for things that God alone can provide through His providence and sustaining grace. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19 that “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” As long as we look to man, we tie God’s hands and make it impossible for Him to act on our behalf.

The bondage of idolatry is evident in the life of the Christian, who entertains the thoughts of fear and hopelessness in the absence of a significant other, thus making that person an idol, trusted to supply the comfort and strength, or dependence needed to make it in life. Such victims become blinded to the scriptures that say “I will never leave nor forsake you” and deafened to the voice of the Lord that declares that “I am with you always”

 We run the risk of idolizing men, when we put them on pedestals, to the extent that life becomes unbearable or comes to a standstill in their absence.

Some people have gone as far as blindly uprooting themselves from the place of their planting, in order to follow their self –made idol, without necessarily inquiring of God if such a move is valid, necessary or justified.

We must remember that idolizing is a sin. Security, hope, love joy and peace can only be found in the one and only true God, the creator of all things. He is the one who holds our future in His hands. Let us therefore, trust our destinies to God, because He is the one in control.