“Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.” – Ezekiel 14:4-5
Idols aren’t just funny little statues we bow down to. The idols of our hearts are those elements of our lives and worlds that functionally rule over us. We love to make idols in our hearts! They can be very good things that we take too far. These are the things that delight us enormously to contemplate or possess or that fill us with dread, fear, or rage when we fear we might lose them.
An idol can be anything that functionally takes priority over God in our heart. Idols are the things that keep us from worshiping God or worshiping enough. They are those things which always seem to take priority over God in our lives – that crowd out reading the Bible or praying or worshiping or gathering with other Christians. Our careers can become our idols. Our kids’ athletic or academic achievements can become our idols. Our comfort and peace can become our idols. Our health and safety can become our idols. Our politics, politicians, and leaders can become our idols. Our pleasures (sex, addictions, entertainment) can become idols. Our financial status, 401(k) balance, or cash in our pocket can become our idols. Our cars, houses, and gadgets can become our idols. And the list goes on.
God wants all of your heart. Jesus said to, “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind.” There can be no place for idols in our hearts. However, even as followers of Christ, we keep setting up new idols! We must recognize them for what they are and take them off the throne of our hearts. We must let God reign in our lives over any and everything else we value. Period.