Beware of counterfeit gods

What kind of picture does the word idolatry bring up in your mind?

Primitive people bowing down before statues or sun and stars? We may think of idol worship as something of the ancient past. Like in Greco-Roman cultures, where Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, Ares, the god of war, or Artemis, the goddess of fertility and wealth were worshiped.

While we may not literally bow down before a statue, our cultures are dominated by their own sets of idols. Today they may be office towers, stadiums, gyms or spas. The gods of money and achievement, power and beauty, must be adored if we want to obtain the blessings of the good life.

Many young people today are driven into depression and eating disorders by obsessing over their beauty and body image. We may not burn incense to the goddess of wealth, but isn’t the obsession on becoming wealthy while neglecting family and community just like it?

Because humans are so prone to make an idol, a god out of anything, the first of the Ten Commandments instructs us “I am the Lord your God…you shall not to have other gods before me.”

Anything in life can serve as an idol, a God-alternative, a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life. Anything more important to us than God, anything that absorbs our heart and imagination more than God, anything that we seek to give us what only God can give, is a counterfeit God. It can be family and children, making big money, or saving “face” and social standing. This imitation god wields such control in our heart that we spend our passion, energy, financial and emotional resources on it without a second thought.

One of the ways the Bible speaks about idols is by showing us that God should be our true Savior. But we often look to personal achievement and financial security to give us the peace and security we need.

The way out of the control of idols begins with seeking to understand which ones have a hold on us.

But that is not enough!

The only way to be free from the destructive influence of counterfeit gods is to turn back to the true one.

The living God, who revealed himself as our lawgiver and through his self-giving in Jesus. He will truly fulfill us, and if we fail him, he can truly forgive us.