Some Truths About Idolatry: –

• Covetousness is a form of idolatry. Col. 3:5, “Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry” (TLB). It is good to have things but it is a terrible thing for you to worship things; it is a terrible thing to allow things to have you. Love God and use things. Modern day idolatry is loving things and using God or even using God to get things. This is materialism, the worship of things. This is the origin of corruption. Jesus made a very categorical statement in Matthew 6:24^b “Ye cannot serve God and mammon”. Mammon is a demonic spirit that makes people worship money. It wants your worship. Many people find it difficult to pay tithe of ten percent; if you cannot give tithe, how can you give your life? God does not really need your money; he only wants you to give so that it may be well with you and so that he can rebuke the devourer for your sake. It is good to have money but it is a curse for money to have you. 1 Tim. 6:6-12 says, “Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. Afterall, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die. So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself. For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows. Oh Timothy, you are God’s man. Run from all these evil things and work instead at what is right and good, learning to trust him and love others, and to be patient and gentle. Fight on for God. Hold tightly to eternal life which God has given you, and which you have confessed with such a ringing confession before many witnesses.” (TLB). This is the counsel of a man of God who loves his spiritual son. The rich young ruler could not follow Jesus because he had too much wealth, which he was not willing to release. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Nobody will leave this earth with a dime. There are many things that people think that money can give them but which it can never give. The rich are not always the happiest or the most joyful because Joy is a fruit of the spirit. Money can give you a fine house but it can never give you a happy home; money can never give you glory though it can give you glamour. The most miserable people I came in contact with while I was growing up were very rich people; they feign happiness but they were not really happy. It is only Christians that don’t value what they have. If you know what you have in your relationship with Jesus, you will place more value on it. If you know what you have in the presence of the Holy Spirit, you will cultivate fellowship with him. That is where you have comprehensive success; it is not in accumulation of material things.
• Idolatry is a gateway to hell. Rev. 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (KJV). All idolaters will end up in hell; whether it is the primitive type or modern type of idolatry.

I enjoin you to throw away your idols.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .