You're My Idol! | 6 Ways to Spot Idolatry

Calling a sin a sin!

The thing about idolatry is that we almost never realize we are doing it and if you are not familiar with the word of God, you do not even recognize that you are committing a sin. The devil is a sneaky little snake, he is! Here is one reason why he does not want us to know the word of God because if we knew what God considers to be sin, we could cease from doing it. Once you know better, you do better. Or in the words of God's prophets, "My people perish for lack of knowledge" The last thing the enemy wants is a liberated heart and a child of God to recognize that you are just that! You come from heavenly places, thus you are holy. If your father be holy, you ought to also be holy. That is scripture. This brings me to todays topic. False idols and gods. The goal is to help maybe even just one reader repent of their ways and return to the ONE TRUE God.

Superiority and Inferiority Complexes

In our current culture we have celebrities, the rich and famous, and just people we look up to that seem to be above average. But the idea of an idol is sinful. Why, you ask? Because an "idol" is typically someone you have placed on a pedestal which means you have subconsciously made yourself inferior and them superior. I do not idolize anyone. Not my mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, associate, celebrity. Like absolutely no one! But I used to. (Insert, praise break!) I thank God for delivering me from that dis-ease. I literally had no idea how much it was impacting me and my self-esteem. When we deem someone superior, we tend to forget that they are human just like us. They make mistakes, and are not perfect despite what they portray or possess. In fact, the very people that we think are super human tend to have the exact, if not more of the same struggles as the average person. Often we compare our realities to their edited portrayals. And you can bet, our self-esteem is affected by this. We cannot see past the illusion of perfection. And quite honestly those people cannot or will not show themselves to be human because of pride. The spirit of pride is also known as a demon named leviathan. So in essence, what we do when we worship these idols who suffer from pride, is worship leviathan. Make sense?!

Breaking Free!

So how do we break free? Well first, you have to know how to recognize when you are operating in this energy. You would be shocked to know, you do this in your day to day activities and interactions. Here is why it helps to be self-aware. But let us get into six ways to spot your idolatry.

First,

You put them on a pedestal. As mentioned above, when it comes to these people, they can do no wrong. Even if they are wrong, you overlook it because it would tarnish your pristine view of them. If you have a close relationship, you might even help them do wrong. We call this rose colored glasses. This is something like the blind leading the blind.

Secondly,

You secretly see them as your savior. In some form or fashion you could rely on this individual for resources, and get out of jail free cards (bad situations). Or you could mostly want the relationship/connection because of what they bring to the table and how you benefit. Another example of this is success by association. You feel your connection validates your worth or makes you superior as well. This is the epitome of a codependent attachment, and is not love at all. Luke 2:11 tells us; For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Thirdly,

You covet. There could be characteristics or material possessions that they have that you would like for yourself. In an extreme case of covetousness you could want their life. But beware, covetousness is deadly. God speaks against coveting. Exodus 20:17 tells us: “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

Fourthly,

You overly praise and false worship. You could think so highly of this person, you drip them in compliments and treat them as if they walk on water. Your butter them up, love bombing them to get in their good graces. This is also very narcissistic by the way. You are basically giving them preferential treatment with ulterior motives. Romans 2:11 says; for there is not respect of persons with God. Meaning don’t be impressed by what they have or what they look like. God is against favoritism and commands we treat everyone the same. James 2:1 says; "My brothers, show no partiality [favoritism] as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory." Plus God commands in Exodus 34:14; "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

Fifthly,

You feel like you have to prove your worthiness to them. This is an inferiority complex because you have put them on such a high pedestal. Unfortunately, you think they are better than you because of their possessions and/or positions and deem yourself less than because you don’t have those things/titles. The truth is you do not have to have material possessions to be worthy of love and acceptance. Any environment that requires you to prove your worth and/or perform for their favor (acceptance) is not a healthy one. You could have absolutely nothing and still be precious in the sight of God because it aint what's on you, its about what's in you. 2 Corinthians tells us, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the LORD." God speaks against Jerusalem when we follow after other cultures with their rituals and such. Jeremiah 4:30 speaks of trying to gain the approval of others saying; "What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you."

Lastly,

You fear losing them. Wheeww! This the one so don’t let it go over your head. You could fear losing them at the expense of losing yourself. Trust me, I have been there and it is not a pretty sight. At times, we can self-sacrifice to save another. Again, what we are doing here is regenerating and ingraining the savior complex. Martyrdom sounds extreme but that is exactly what we do every time we go outside of our own limits to appease another. You are literally falling on your own sword. In order to be selfless, you must first be selfish. It is the only way you can pour from a full cup. Your next task is discerning who is worthy of the overflow. Anyone that cannot respect your boundaries is not worthy of your gold.

Final Thoughts | Christ, You're My Idol!

Go ahead, say it! Christ, You're my idol! The path of the follower of Christ, or the believer, is one that requires that we idolize Christ. In our walk, the goal is to be more like Jesus. As we embody his Holy Spirit, we become more aware of others and self-aware. This is called the spirit of discernment, which is one of the many fruits of the spirit. When you receive this gift, your life changes, your path becomes clear and your steps ordered. This is what it means to be led by God and in alignment with His will.

"When Christ Jesus chose his disciples he simply said "follow me" and they followed his command. He had authority over the soul, similar to the hypnotist, but without manipulation. The light has that kind of power because it's light that draws out darkness. It allows us to see clearly with a better understanding of life, gives us direction and authority."

- Ground Up Self-Love Workbook

For more information about aligning to the word of God and embodying the spirit of Christ by way of spiritual fitness (healing the chakras), check out my Ground Up Self-Love Workbook and ReAlign Masterclass & Workshop e-course below. If you're seeking like-minded individuals to do this walk with, join my Pretty Beast Fit VIP Community and meet your self-love sisters! You don't have to do it alone, you can sit with us! For more tips, please be sure to subscribe to my email list and don't forget to share with a friend.

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La'Tara Jackson is Author/Owner of Ground Up Self-Love Workbook and .com, and Holistic Coach both certified in personal training and yoga. She has over eight years experience in nutrition and wellness and it all began with being a single mom desiring a better life for herself and children by starting a woman's community bootcamp that would go on to change the lives of many. And that was just the beginning.

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