Jesus is the only source of security, joy, satisfaction and provision. When we turn to anything or anyone else to meet these needs, we create idols out of them.
Leviticus 19:4 commands us, "Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal:I am the Lord your God." Idolatry today can look completely different compared to how it once was. Whereas the Bible tells us mostly of idols being graven images built from wood, stone or metal, idols don't necessarily have to be in the form of a figure or statue to invade our hearts.
An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our hearts, and truth be told, we all have a form of idolatry in our heart. We may not worship lifeless images, but we can often find ourselves worshipping things like money, alcohol, work, success, friends or even ministry. When we look to these things to give us satisfaction apart from the will and power of God, we put ourselves in danger of offering ourselves to idols of this world.
Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Every sin is in a sense a form of idolatry where we worship sinful desires, objects or people more than God and place them as number one in our hearts by trusting and devoting ourselves to them more than Jesus Christ.
Idols try to promise us freedom when in fact all they do is hold us captive to false hopes. Idolatry starts small and subtly, but then grows into an addiction that chains us to wrong motives and bad intentions. 2 Peter 2:19 tells us, "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved."
But God has promised that there is freedom from idolatry only if we believe that Jesus Christ is truly the source of everything we want in need. Ephesians 1:3 tells us, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places."
When we turn our needs from worldly and temporal needs to the need for more of God in our lives, He not only changes our hearts and removes the idols in our lives. He fulfils every need that every idol once promised to fulfil but failed to do so. Jesus is the true source of everything that we need in our lives and when we look to Him first seeking Him whole-heartedly, He adds everything else unto us and protects our hearts from idolatry and false hopes.
