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Idolatry is an overlooked reason why people do not get set free! Have you ever read a mic-dropping passage of scripture that made you speechless? I experienced the stunned silence to raw truth when I read the 16th chapter of Ezekiel. God held nothing back as He exposed adultery and idolatry in the people He loved. Take a look:
Ezekiel 16:32-34
32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. 33 Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. 34 You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”
Think about this statement! God had brought them out of bondage and adorned them with beautiful garments and jewelry. He had spent so much time loving them and they took what He gave them to finance their idolatry! Their lovers didn’t pay them like the wages of a harlot, they paid to be prostituted!
Are we any different? My conscience doesn’t think so! Our money is used to pay for movies, videos, and games that are an abomination to God. We spend hundreds of dollars to give our children quick and unbridled access to cultural filth, and pornography. We pay for a cell phone and then don’t do what it takes to use it in the purity and Holiness of Christ! People we don’t even know can text, chat with, and share perversion with our kids. Jesus paid a price for our freedom, and we cannot access this provision with another lover on speed dial!
What is Idolatry?
Rick Renner writes, “The word “idolatry” is from the Greek word eidololatria, which means the worship of idols. However, it is a compound of the words eidolon and latria. The word eidolon is Greek for a manmade idol; a heathen edifice; a pagan statue; or an image of a false god. Such idols were an offense to God in the Old Testament, and they were forbidden to believers in the New Testament.
The second part of the word eidololatria (“idolatry”) comes from the Greek word latria, derived from the word latreuo, which means to work or to serve. However, it primarily has the meaning of one’s extreme devotion and service to something he worships.“
A Test of Idolatry
Idolatry isn’t just erecting a graven image and bowing down before it. Mark 12:30 says we should love God with our hearts, soul, mind, and all of our strength! We aren’t to have anything before Him. How are we to know if we are half-heartedly following Him and walking in idolatry? Here is a list of revealing questions to pray about:
- Is there anything that God would ask you to do, say, or give that would be an issue for you? Disobedience is a result of idolatry.
- Survey your thoughts during the day. What is your main focus? Follow your thoughts and you’ll see what is in your heart.
- Where do you spend your money?
- What are you most likely to defend? (What makes you hot under the collar? Is it the truth or is it something else?)
- What gets your cheers? (What do you applaud more than anything else? Education? Money? Sports Teams? When someone is born again? Getting to give? Promotion?)
If we ask God to show us anything before Him, He will show us. We can then begin to set our hearts and priorities in order and Seek the Kingdom of Heaven first!
Derek Prince breaks down the basic THREE loves that are the root of all problems, including idolatry!
Deliverance
The remedy for bondage from the open doors of idolatry is simple. I’m going to outline the steps, but you’ll need to spend time in prayer seeking God to identify and remove the idols.
- Repent of all idolatry and disobedience. Ask God to show you anything that you’ve placed before Him. If it is an object, purpose in your heart to remove anything detestable from your presence.
- Forgive. Ask God to show you anyone you need to forgive. This may be those who introduced you to the idol or who modeled idolatry before you. Unforgiveness can also be an idol.
- Renounce the idol.
- For example, if my idol was my reputation, I might say, “God, I give to you my reputation. I have been in charge of it. I have gone to great lengths to protect it, and make an appearance to impress people. I renounce the fear of what people think. I give to you my reputation. I want my identity to be in you!” (Just pour your heart about how you feel and what you think to Him.)
- Command the idol to go. Name the idol(s) if you can and treat them like a spirit.
- For example, If the idol was a Buddha in my home, I’d say, “I have repented for having an abominable statue in my home. I renounce its meaning and every bit of attention given to it. Now, in the mighty name of Jesus, I command every spirit that was given access to me and my family through this sin to go right now. Buddha, go in the name of Jesus and do not return.”
- Let it go and Praise the Lord. Continue commanding until you feel the peace of the Lord. Then, praise Him for taking it. Start a new day.
A Caution and Counsel
Write down your decisions and date them. Journal all the benefits that happen because of your freedom. My caution is that sometimes when people get rid of idols, at a later time, something will rise up to “mourn” the loss. This is a spiritual issue. If you get rid of an object and then suddenly feel like you are oddly sad, simply say, “Whatever is mourning that detestable object, go right now, in Jesus’ name!” You’ll be surprised how fast mourning can turn into joy! (Spirits have intense emotions. They love idolatry! We have to discern between what is our own thoughts and what is a transplant. It never hurts to command an unwanted emotion, desire, or compelling to go.)
If your freedom was from an addiction to entertainment of some sort and you feel a “compelling” to go back to old ways. I caution you to get into prayer. Once the Israelites were free, they would look back and think about how good it was even though when they were in bondage, they just wanted out. The enemy and our flesh can twist our thoughts and make us think it was better in the past. It isn’t the truth!
Your freedom has been purchased at a great price. Pursue it and live out a life honorable to the King!
Want more Insight on Getting rid of Idols?
I found this video of Isaiah Saldivar interviewing Katie Souza and discussing destroying idoltary and getting freedom! There’s a lot of wisdom that they share about what to get rid of and how to do it.
