We will always struggle to keep God as the center of our worship and satisfaction. Just like the verse in Come Thou Fount says, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love,” I definitely feel that pull.
Even as a redeemed child of God, I struggle with my sin nature and will continue to fail and need to repent. While you and I will not be perfect in this life, we can make progress. That’s what I’d like to focus on today. How can you and I as Christians seeking to love God with all our hearts, souls, and strength avoid common traps that lead to idolatry?
While there are many great ways to do this, I’d like to share three practical tips to fight idolatry that have been extremely helpful in my own walk with the Lord.
The first is to develop the habit of spiritual disciplines.
Spiritual disciplines are practices we do because they aid us in our relationship with God. The two most powerful spiritual disciplines are prayer and Bible reading. I can’t even begin to describe how important these practices have been in my life.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
Surely the pattern of this world includes idolatry. Don’t you constantly hear messages that call you to put our hope in something other than God? But when I come to his Word on a regular basis, my mind is renewed. I see that thing, whatever it is, I have been placing my trust in is empty and will fail every time. I read about God’s character—how he is steadfast, and sustains his people, how his love never fails, and he is powerful.
As I pray and confess my need for him and praise him for his character, my mind is renewed and I am less likely to fall into the trap of looking to worthless things to satisfy me. What would it look like for you to prioritize prayer and Bible reading as a regular part of life to orient your mind and affections toward the Lord?
The next tip for fighting against idolatry is similar and takes the practice of Bible reading a step further.
I have found it very helpful to spend time meditating on God’s character. Now the word meditate in our current setting can often mean emptying or clearing your mind and just being present in the here and now. However, Biblical meditation is very different. It is not clearing the mind but actively setting the mind on truth and choosing to focus on that truth and mull it over—to steep in it and consider it from all angles.
Remember, even though you and I know idolatry proves fruitless, the pull and want of certain things is extremely powerful, sometimes ridiculously powerful. If you are struggling with a disordered love, something you feel you have to have or hold so dear that it has taken God’s place in your heart, if that’s you, I would commend you to meditate on God’s attributes.
As you read your Bible, take time to stop and ask yourself, what is this teaching me about God? What does this show me of his character? And then stop and ponder it. Maybe keep a notebook where you list what you learn about God from scripture. Pray about it. Talk with God about his character. Praise him, thank him, draw near to him. When was the last time you sat and marveled at who God is? It is so difficult to do in a world that is constantly rushing to the next thing! Meditation takes discipline and practice, and I need to cultivate that in my life more as well because it is so worthwhile.
A passage that might be helpful to start meditating on is Isaiah 46. That passage provides a wonderful contrast between false gods that vie for our hearts and the one true God. Listen to how verses 1-2 describe idols.
Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are bo
