If we don't want to fall into idolatry; into spiritual adultery, we must protect the relationship that we have with our God! Just as we would need to work hard to build and protect the relationships we have with our spouses, we need to put some serious effort into our relationship with God. We must make sure He is the one you look to for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life. Make sure He is the one who you find security and hope in. He needs to be the one who satisfies us and we cannot live without.

STAY FAITHFUL IN OUR “SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES.”

Nothing kills a relationship like not spending quantity and quality time with the person. “Quality time” usually happens during the “quantity time”. This is important for our relationships, but for some reason, this at times we don’t apply this to our relationship with the Lord. If we are not spending time often in Bible reading and study and prayer, it is going to kill our relationship with God and our hearts will be tempted to look elsewhere for satisfaction and meaning.

How much time are you spending during the week building up your relationship with God? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Thirty minutes? I will say this, it is more than likely not enough if all we are doing is reading a morning devotional in a devotional book and saying a ten second prayer when we are done. We are not going to build a strong relationship with God that way. Reading one verse with a page worth of men’s words (which usually take the verse out of it’s original context) is not good enough. We need more. We need to spend enough time in God’s word that we are able to see on a weekly basis just how much we need Him and depend on Him in our lives. We need to spend enough time in His word that we can know His word (in context) and not be led away to believe things that are wrong or to serve other things. We will put more time into study and prayer if our relationship with God is as important as we claim it is! I don’t think it is too much to ask to challenge ourselves with spending AT LEAST a half hour per day for around four to five days per week in combined study time and prayer time. That adds up to two to three hours per week OUTSIDE OF WHAT YOU DO WITH OTHERS DURING SERVICES AND STUDIES. I would recommend more than that. Many here may spend more time than that exercising, surfing the web, and watching TV per week!

EXAMINE OURSELVES

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

We need regular spiritual checkups. Adults are supposed to see a doctor annually to prevent heart ailments, cancer and other problems. Yet many of us don’t examine our health spiritually and do what is needed to prevent sin in our lives. This is something we need to do often. We need weekly checkups to see how we are doing spiritually. Just because we are being faithful to God now does not mean will be faithful to Him next week or next month. We need to keep on asking ourselves some important questions in regards to our relationship with God.

Here are some key questions to examine our hearts with…

• What is it that gives my life meaning, purpose, and fulfillment?
• What would I not give up to serve the Lord?
• What am I most passionate about?
• What consumes my time, energy and affections?
• Are there sins (barriers to my relationship with God) that I am not repenting of? 

Whenever we think of one who was given over to his possessions, the first person that comes to mind in scripture is the rich young ruler. I think many of us at times can be like this man if we are not careful.
From the looks of things, when he comes to Jesus, he has many of good things going for him.

HE WAS A RELIGIOUS MAN. When Jesus told him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life: " 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER' " (v19), he answered by saying that he had been practicing these things since his youth.  He had been taught the word of God and trained to obey it in these areas. Obviously he wasn't perfect at it. If you would have asked him, he probably would have said such, just as the majority of people would. But he was trying to do what was right. But in spite of this, there was still something missing. We are not told why he came to Jesus, but it seems to me that it was because he felt that there was still something missing in his life. There was still something that seemed to be missing to him. He still did not know if he had eternal life,  and he wanted the answer to what he needed to do.

HE WAS EAGER. It is encouraging to see how he approaches Jesus. He didn't just walk up to Jesus. He ran up to Jesus. He wanted an answer to his question, and he wanted it quickly…

HE ALSO DISPLAYED SOME  HUMILITY BEFORE JESUS. He knew that he did not have the answer to the question he asked Jesus, so he came to the One who he believed would have the answer. And when he got to Jesus, verse 17 tells us that the rich young ruler fell before Jesus. This would have been unusual with the difference in social status and dress between him and Jesus. Here the rich and powerful man falling down before the poor and lowly.

HE WAS YOUNG. He may have many years to work on all of these things. Just think, if he had risen to the position where he is at so early in his life, this man shows a lot of promise of being able to grow in all of these things and being a great servant of God.

HE WAS RICH AND HAD INFLUENCE. He had a lot of resources to use for the kingdom if he would dedicate it to the Lord, and because he was wealthy, many may have looked up to him at that time. He could have used his influence for kingdom work.
I think it is safe to say that if we met this young man, we would see him as a great candidate for the gospel and for the kingdom. He is a religious, young man who could have made a difference in the kingdom. I think he would fit in pretty well amongst the people of God today.

BUT HE MISSED EVERYTHING!

He had some major issues and sin that got in the way of this happening. When Jesus says that this young man only lacked one thing, it may be easy to be tempted to think that this man was "pretty close" to being kingdom material. This one thing that kept him from choosing to follow Christ was a big thing. Surgery was required. He had to cut away his stuff.

His allegiances are divided, but in a sense, not divided. He was trying to serve both God and wealth, but was failing. The "one thing" he was missing was that he was an idolater. He was missing the fact that it is impossible to serve both God and his possessions. He was in reality serving money while wearing the "I am a religious person" mask. The same mask you and I can be guilty of wearing!
We need to keep in mind what Jesus says after His encounter with this young man:

"And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
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If Jesus said to you, I want you to go and sell ALL that you have, then I want you to come and follow me,” would there be some things that you own that you would be unwilling to part with? This is an important question. It may serve us well at times to take the command that was given to the rich young ruler as a command to us so that our devotions can really be tested! 

Please consider a few more passages about the dangers of wealth and possessions:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24)

"And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'" (Luke 12:15)

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:32-34)

It can become very easy to idolize those who are closest to us. Our friends and our family. This can be very dangerous for our souls! It is hard not to put too much emphasis on our closest relationships in this life. How often regarding family members have you heard said, “I just could not live without you”?  First, it is simply not a true statement. I lived for about 25 years without my wife. It is possible. I lived for over 30 years without my daughter. I can live with or without them. These relationships are great to have, but they are not what our life is all about. Our spouses and our children should not be the “center of our universe”. Only God should be! Christ is the only one I cannot live without. We need to be careful not to make them “ultimate things” in our life.

Some say, I could never accept that doctrine. It would mean that my parents are wrong and that my dead grandma is in Hell!” Some are unwilling to accept the truth about how to be saved because doing so would “condemn their dead relatives” or because their parents would be wrong and they do not want to disagree with their parents about the Bible. Many are led to reject the truth or to sin by family members.

We need to be careful because putting too much emphasis on these temporary relationships can also lead us to reject the truth. I have heard of so many instances where people out of nowhere changed their beliefs about Biblical doctrines because of a loved one. People change their views about divorce and remarriage when they find out that one of their loved ones are in an adulterous relationship? Many parents have changed their minds about what the Bible teaches about homosexuality when their son or daughter confesses to be a homosexual. When these kind of things happen, we are exalting our family above our God and His teachings. Jesus says,

"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" Luke 14:26

This is a challenging passage for us, isn’t it? Our devotion to Christ must be greater than any other relationship. For God’s people, for disciples of Jesus Christ, Jesus is the only One we truly need. He is the only One we cannot live without. “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Jesus is the one who gives our lives meaning and lasting, ultimate satisfaction and fulfillment. We are living for Him, and even our deaths will be rewarded with Him, the one who we are living for. My relationship with the Lord is THE relationship that my life here and my eternal life in Heaven will be ultimately focused on. My family and friends are NOT the ultimate reason why I want to go to Heaven, no matter which loved ones may be there. Why do we really want to go to Heaven? Isn’t going to Heaven ultimately about going to be with our God and Savior?

Whenever I share the gospel with people, I like to ask them this question to gauge whether or not they have truly given themselves over to Christ or if they have idols in their life, “If I were to line up ten of your closest friends and family members and ask them what the most important thing in your life is, what would they say?” Almost every time, without fail, on of the top answers I get is 'family.'

How would you answer this question? Would your family and friends say based on what THEY see in you that the most important thing in your life is Jesus? Or may they say your family? 

Addictions to chemical substances can be dangerous for anybody physically and spiritually. Some refer to this area as “chemical dependency.” Many in our country turn to things like narcotics, prescription drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, or illegal drugs such as marijuana. They can become sinful idols whenever these are the things we run to for an escape and for ultimate fulfillment in life. And it becomes even worse when one becomes hooked on these things. There are many who look at these things to be their life. They need them to survive. For instance, let’s talk about what many refer to as alcoholism. Many in our society look at this as a disease… but the Bible has it’s own word for it: being a drunkard. Alcohol becomes the thing by which they find their identity in. It completely wrecks the lives of so many people in our world today. It dominates their lives; their home life, their work life, their spiritual life, can all be destroyed by the effects of alcohol. And the Spirit’s affect in our lives can be destroyed. Paul says in Ephesians 5:18-19:

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord”

Paul uses the example of being drunk with wine in this passage, but I believe any chemical substance we can partake of or be controlled by applies also. Regarding drinking of the intoxicating substance of wine, the idea that Paul is giving us here is that it is wasteful to get drunk with wine. The reason why this is the case is that the more that we are filled with wine, the less we will be filled with the Spirit of God. The idea of “filled” in this passage carry’s along with it the ideas of “permeation” or “being led by or influenced.” What we allow to fill us is what controls us… It can be the Spirit and His word, or it can be other things. Alcohol is the example that Paul uses. The more you drink, the more it will permeate you, overpower you and control you, and in the end, lead you to do things that are contrary to the word of God. When one is enslaved by alcohol (which is not the disease of alcoholism, but is the sin of drunkenness) or by other chemical substances, the desire for these things and the meeting of these desires become gods to us. It is what controls us and our thinking.

Regarding the idea of addictions, one author says, "Addiction is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire. Addiction sidetracks and eclipses the energy of our deepest, truest desire for love and goodness.”[1] We are talking about things in our lives that can overcome and enslave us if we are not careful; things that we end up running to these things to be an escape for us when we have a bad day. We trust in these things to take away our pain and to free us from our frustrations and anxieties INSTEAD OF GOD. They are idols.

We need to see the dangers of being addicted to these substances and flee them so we can be fruitful and grow in our godliness. 

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[1] Gerald May, Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions. 

Romans 1:24-25 is a passage that shows us the root cause of idolatry and it shows us many of the things we choose to worship instead of our Creator. This passage says this about people who reject truth, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” We come to serve the creature… we are given over to fulfill our lusts and to dishonor our bodies. And one of the desires Paul shows us that we are given over to in worship is sexual perversions. Most would agree that the idol of sex is destroying our families, our nation, and our culture. “If it feels good do it” is the catch phrase of the day; or YOLO… you only live once! You only live once, so why deny yourself of the pleasures that things in this life, such as sex, brings? Do what you can to be happen and have sexual relationships with whomever you want. 

When talking about sexual desires and actions, we fail to realize or remember at times that they can be equally as intoxicating and can equally become an addiction for us. For instance, let’s talk for a moment about pornography. I have spent time talking to and trying to help a few men deal with addictions to pornography. To see how this sin controls their lives is sobering. It is so destructive to them and their relationships. It is destructive to their minds and their bodies. And it is destructive to their relationship with God. And so many, no matter how much they may agree with these things, are so controlled by the addiction that they just feel they are trapped and cannot get out. This is a big issue in our country today. It is shocking to see just how many teenagers are affected by it and overcome by it. One survey showed this staggering statistic: only 3% of boys and 17% of girls have never seen internet pornography…[1] Let that sink in for a moment. It is much more wide spread than we tend to think at times. We live in a culture that is obsessed with sex and perverting God’s intentions for it. It should not surprise us then that this is a popular addiction for men in the United States. Roughly two-thirds (67 percent) of young men and one-half (49 percent) of young women in our country agree that viewing pornography is acceptable.[2] Porn sites get more visitors each month than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined![3] And let’s not think that this is only an issue amongst teenagers in the world. It is also a problem in the church. even amongst God’s people. I have been part of prayer groups where 8 out of 10 of the males involved (the majority of which claim to be disciples of Christ) were currently have struggles with addictions to sexual sin, looking at pornography, and self-stimulation.

Have you ever found yourself captured by the allure of pornography? Or are you trapped in it? Is it an idol to you? If so, I could not encourage you more strongly to get help before it destroys you. Don’t let pornography or any other sexual addiction be an idol to you. God calls each one of us to holiness as His people. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 that sexual sin defiles our bodies which are temples of the Holy Spirit. He also says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.”


[1] http://www.covenanteyes.com/2010/08/19/teens-and-porn-10-stats-your-need-to-know/

[2] http://www.internetsafety101.org/Pornographystatistics.htm#_ftn7

[3] ibid.

This form of idolatry is one we can fall into without even realizing it… It is so easy to put an extraordinary amount of trust in the words of people, especially when those men or women claim to be speaking on God’s behalf. We can even begin to exalt these men or women above where scripture does, becoming their disciples instead of disciples of Christ:

"Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11  For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. 12  Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." 13  Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

Do you see the point that Paul is making here? It seems that these brethren were lifting up one teacher while looking down on others who were lifting up another teacher, both of whom were saying they were disciples of. Paul’s questions show that there was only One who was worthy of such trust and devotion… the One who was crucified for them. Paul, Apollos, Peter, and any other man was not crucified for us. We need to make sure that only One has our undivided trust and devotion: Jesus Christ. Paul continues talking about this subject in chapter 3:

"For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? 5  What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6  I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:4-7).

Paul is showing them here that they as men are merely servants of the Lord; servants of God. Paul and Apollos only taught what they were given by God, so it was God that they needed to trust in. It was only Him to which they belong. He has given them the growth they have had to this point, and as Paul says in verse 9, “they (and we) are God’s building.” And then in chapter 6, He goes on to say that each one of us are temples of the Holy Spirit, that we belong to God and not even to ourselves. We need to see this regarding ourselves. We should only claim, “I am of Christ.” Any other man or teacher must have what they say compared to the word of God before we trust it to be from God.

With this said, have we ever been guilty as the Corinthians have in our affections towards our preachers or teachers? It is sad to say that there are many who have been guilty of this amongst God’s people. An eldership asks a preacher to move on to another work and what ends up happening too often? Those who loved and adored that preacher leave, causing a split in the church. This is “preacher idolatry.”

Some of us also may be guilty of idolizing a preacher or teacher if we just blindly believe what they say without ever comparing what they say to scripture from the truth by what a preacher or teacher says, then we are following and serving that man in the place of God. We are taking his words above God’s! We must be careful of this. Just because someone claims to be speaking on God’s behalf from scripture doesn’t make it true. We can make mistakes also. Whether it is one of our dear friends or brothers in Christ, or even your parents teaching you, your devotion must be first and foremost to Jesus Christ. What any man or woman teaches is subject to being tested and compared to scripture. spirits to make sure they are of God (1 John 4:1). We must test all things and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thess. 5:21).

You may have seen this title and thought to yourself, "How in the world can spiritual activities become an idol?" There are two main points I would like to make about how even spiritual activities can become an idol.

1. ARE WE SEEKING SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES INSTEAD OF GOD?

First, we can be so busy even with spiritual activities that we forget that we are supposed to be as individuals, seeking the Lord and drawing near to Him through them, and all of the activities end up becoming an end in and of themselves. Our goal as Christians should be not to merely attend as many spiritual things that we can, but to make sure that no matter what it is we are doing that we are drawing near to God. Just because we are attending spiritual activities; all of the studies, singings, worship services, gospel meetings, etc. that we can does NOT mean that we are right with God. This is not necessarily the case. You can go to all of these faithfully and still not be right with God. Spiritual activities cannot replace much weightier spiritual activities, such as mercy, faithfulness, and love. Spiritual activities cannot replace our own personal growth and fruitfulness for the Lord. Attending all of these things cannot replace God’s command for each of us to serve one another. No matter how much of these things we do, they cannot make up for our sin and what we are neglecting to do in our service to God. Are we seeking spiritual activities or are we seeking God?

2. ARE OUR MOTIVATIONS RIGHT?

We need our motivations to be right in what we do. If we are doing all of these “spiritual” things with the wrong motivation, we are not being spiritual or faithful to God in doing them.

ARE WE TRUSTING IN OUR SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES AS THE REASON WHY I WILL BE GOING TO HEAVEN?

Also, if we are trusting in our spiritual activities to be the reason why I am going to Heaven, trusting in these things instead of God to save us, our spiritual activities are idols. Going to church, Bible studies, and singings are not the reason why I (or you) am going to Heaven. This may or may not be new information for you, but listen very closely… coming to worship services, attending studies, meetings, and singings… these things cannot and will not atone for one single sin. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can atone for and remove our sins. I think why we tend to trust in these things to be our salvation is because doing spiritual activities to make up for our sin is so much easier to do than what scripture commands: to with humility and godly sorrow repent, confess our sins, and pray. These are the things we must do if we desire the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all unrighteousness as Christians (1 John 1:7-9; Luke 13:3). We need to understand that we cannot earn God’s favor before we become Christians, and we cannot earn God’s favor after we become Christians.

ARE WE DOING SPIRITUAL THINGS IN ORDER TO BE SEEN AND HONORED BY OTHERS?
If we are doing spiritual activities to be seen by others, these things do not please God. We are not serving God, but ourselves. This is what the first 18 verses of Matthew 6 deal with. Jesus says not to do our “spiritual” things to be seen and praised by men. The Pharisees were so focused on trying to be respected and praised by men, trying to receive glory which truly belongs to God alone!  This is not spirituality at all. We are only being spiritual if we are desiring to obey God so HE can be glorified. Jesus says:

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NASB)

It may be so easy for us to think that our work cannot (or will not) become an idol by saying things like this:

• "I am just supporting my family with this job"
• "I am obeying the Lord in not being lazy and working with my own two hands"

These are good things to be doing. God does indeed want us to work and to be productive (2 Thessalonians 3:10), but this does not mean that your work cannot be an idol. Even if we work for these reasons, our work can still become an idol. Here are some ways in which this can happen:

First, we can begin to think that being the best accountant, engineer, computer programmer, insurance salesman, social worker, the best Bible preacher/teacher, or the best “stay at home mom” (that is work too!) is what makes me successful and that it makes me who I am. It is what defines me. We can begin to think or act like whatever work I am doing is what gives me ultimate fulfillment and purpose in life. If you are looking at your work as the thing that gives you security, meaning, and purpose in life, this is a problem. God does not want our work to be what we are living for! It may be an idol if it is!

This happens a lot in our society, even amongst the people of God (especially the men). The first question that men ask one another when they meet (this drives me crazy) is what they do for a living. We act like whatever job we have is what we find our identity in. It is what we point to in order to show how successful we are. But the truth is, your job is not what defines you. It should be viewed as a gift that the Lord has given you in order to make it easier to serve Him, His people, and your family. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I usually tell them that I am a servant of God. This is what defines who I am, and it is always a good conversation starter. Being a Christian is what makes me the employee that I need to be. It is what my life is about. The fact that I help my wife with her business or am supported to preach the gospel is not where I find my purpose or identity. Work is not what drives me. Jesus does.
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Second, there are many people, including Christians, who become addicted to their work. They are usually called workaholics. Work is their drug that helps them to escape the problems in their lives. It helps them get their mind off of the problems at home. Their job is what they feel they must excel in to be successful and satisfied with themselves or to get others to look at them with respect. So they work incredibly long hours, think about work even when at home and on vacation, and allow their health and their relationships to become strained. As with many things, society and medical professionals would call such a problem/addiction a disease when in reality it is sin. This is idolatry!

I appreciate the wisdom in Ecclesiastes 4 regarding the subject of work. The man described in that section was working his hands to the bone and never thought of stopping to ask himself WHY he was depriving himself of so much pleasure in life. He was alone. His work had become his life. It was all worthless/vanity. The same is true regarding anyone who has work as an idol. Work is vanity if it is not viewed through the lens of Biblical truth. You can be so driven. You can make work your life, but is it worth the sacrifices you make? Is it worth your family being without you while you neglect them to work 80 hour weeks? Is it worth neglecting your duties to train up your children and to meet the needs of your spouse? Is it worth losing the ability to serve in the church?

Whenever God says, "Do this," but we say, "I can't (or I won't) do it because I need to work, we are exchanging God and His truth for something of this world and making an idol. There is no justification for purposefully neglecting or rejecting what God says because of work. A man is not "providing for his household" if he gives them a paycheck but does not give them his time and the other more important things that God instructs him to do. The same goes for the wife and mother working outside of the home. If her career puts her family and God on the "back-burner"; if she is not loving and respecting her husband, not being a manager of the house, or bringing up and nurturing her children, then she also has exchanged God and His truth for her career/work.

We we need to examine ourselves to make sure we are indeed serving God and our families with our work. Are we glorifying the Lord in our work or has work become our idol?

I do believe that education is one of the prevailing gods of our time. A great myth is that modern education will provide its beneficiaries with great wisdom, a secure future, as if we can secure our future by hard work. One mark of idolatry is the attitude that something we achieve or acquire will bring us lasting security, contentment, and power. This attitude is often directed toward education. If we just get enough good education, we will be able to have the life we want. We can be in charge of our own lives once we have a degree in hand, and the more advanced the degree, the better. In addition, the myth continues, we can use educational achievement to place ourselves ahead of others. Those with letters after their names are viewed by our society as the ones who are ahead; the ones who are being successful; the ones that we need to listen to, even if that means we need to not listen to what God says at times. There are some professors who, if you forget to call them “doctor”, they about have an aneurysm. You make sure you call them by their official designation which they gained by all of their education!

People are willing to make great sacrifices to gain a great education for themselves and their children. Many go into large amounts of debt to get an education; debt that at times seems to take a lifetime to pay off. Some are willing to work their way through college, making it so that all that it seems they do is either work, go to school, and do homework. Some parents are willing to sacrifice time with their families to go back to school so they can get a better job than they currently have. But at times this comes at great cost. Souls are lost because education becomes such a focus and love in our lives. We can become so distracted by the demands education place on us. We can also be indoctrinated with “knowledge” that contradicts the word of God and is based on philosophies that are ungodly. We may not be passing our children through the fire in worship to Molech, but it at times can be the case that we are in a sense “passing ourselves or our children” through the fire in worship of education and enlightenment. The fire can kill them, especially when they are not prepared for it.

Anything that the world calls “knowledge” that points us away from God or his truth is an idol. It is not truth. It is false knowledge and foolishness. Paul says that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). If we are going to submit ourselves or our children to the American educational system, we need to make sure they are ready for it. They need to have a strong foundation of Biblical truth, and they need to have their own faith in Christ and their own devotion to prayer and studying his word so that they can obey what Paul says in Colossians 2:8:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."

From our lesson "Respectable Sins" - Idolatry:

Whether it is a football team, a basketball team, a baseball team… or any other team (including teams our children are on), this video sure does show the kind of devotion that we can put into being a fan of their favorite sports teams. A fan… I don’t like this word at all… It is a shorter version of another word: a fanatic; which is defined as one who is completely devoted; usually in irrational ways, to a certain person or cause. Based on this definition (in my judgment), another word for 'fanatic' from the Bible would be 'idolatry.'

I remember the time before I became a Christian. So much of my life was spent watching football and other sports. I would get so into the games, so frustrated, angry, and even depressed when things did not go the way I wanted them to. Whole days and even whole weekends would be spent in front of TVs at bars and at home making sure I caught every moment. Of course, when I became a Christian, the places where I watched the games changed, and I didn’t get as angry when my teams were not doing well, but it still did affect me. I had to almost completely stop watching sports because of the kind of hold it had on my heart. Probably one of the only times I sit down and watch a whole game is when I am get together with brethren to do so. 

There is a reason why we often hear people say that they "religiously" don't miss one game their favorite team plays. Sports can quickly become a religion if we are not careful. All of the news regarding our favorite team becomes our gospel, the TV becomes our altar, the games become our "worship services", and the team becomes our object of worship. 

How devoted are to your favorite sports teams or sports figures? Has it (they) become all you want to talk about with others? Has your favorite team become what you anticipate the most during the week? Does watching them win or lose make/break your week?