They will eventually be crushed under the weight of your worship! Only God can receive and hold your worship.
“You shall have no other gods before Me."
~~Exodus 20:3
Of course, you don't have statues of your favorite actor, singer, minister or author; but have you put them before God? How do you put them before God? Do you spend more time thinking about them, listening to them, reading their books than you spend in prayer or reading His Word? If you do, you have put them before God! Who do you quote more...God's Word, or your favorite speaker/author? Think about it...only you can evaluate your heart and thoughts. Enjoy the music, the movies, the books and the sermons. Learn from them, use them in your worship, but never place them above the Creator who made all that talent and gifts possible.
Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”...So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.~~Exodus 32:20-21, 35
But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...~~Exodus 34:13-14
The Old Testament shows the character and heart of God. If you love and serve God, you should desire to know His character and heart for us.
We can all list many famous secular and Christian artists and ministers we have elevated to "idol" status, who have succumbed to sin and/or died far too soon. We may not want to admit this, but many people worshiped them. We do them no favor by putting a burden upon them that they cannot ultimately bear.
First and foremost get God's Word in your mind so that everything else that comes into your mind is measured against it for Truth. Become sensitive to the leading and discernment of the Holy Spirit. And ONLY worship God.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.~~Philippians 2:12-13
It all comes from God. Of course, we must never put anyone or ANYTHING before God, but when the object of our worship is another human, we put a weight on them they were not created to bear. We have made them an idol and God hates and destroys idols. Something to think about. Of that, I want no part!
If our ministry had a million followers, I would say the same thing with far more passion and insistence! We never want that weight put upon us. We only want to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, teaching and spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught.
Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they—guilty like me—will repent and return to you. ~~Psalm 51:10-13 TLB
Be blessed,
Arlene
“You shall have no other gods before Me."
~~Exodus 20:3
Of course, you don't have statues of your favorite actor, singer, minister or author; but have you put them before God? How do you put them before God? Do you spend more time thinking about them, listening to them, reading their books than you spend in prayer or reading His Word? If you do, you have put them before God! Who do you quote more...God's Word, or your favorite speaker/author? Think about it...only you can evaluate your heart and thoughts. Enjoy the music, the movies, the books and the sermons. Learn from them, use them in your worship, but never place them above the Creator who made all that talent and gifts possible.
Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”...So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.~~Exodus 32:20-21, 35
But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...~~Exodus 34:13-14
The Old Testament shows the character and heart of God. If you love and serve God, you should desire to know His character and heart for us.
We can all list many famous secular and Christian artists and ministers we have elevated to "idol" status, who have succumbed to sin and/or died far too soon. We may not want to admit this, but many people worshiped them. We do them no favor by putting a burden upon them that they cannot ultimately bear.
First and foremost get God's Word in your mind so that everything else that comes into your mind is measured against it for Truth. Become sensitive to the leading and discernment of the Holy Spirit. And ONLY worship God.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.~~Philippians 2:12-13
It all comes from God. Of course, we must never put anyone or ANYTHING before God, but when the object of our worship is another human, we put a weight on them they were not created to bear. We have made them an idol and God hates and destroys idols. Something to think about. Of that, I want no part!
If our ministry had a million followers, I would say the same thing with far more passion and insistence! We never want that weight put upon us. We only want to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, teaching and spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught.
Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they—guilty like me—will repent and return to you. ~~Psalm 51:10-13 TLB
Be blessed,
Arlene
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