Counterfeit gods

“What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than He is?” (1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NLT)

From the standpoint of Scripture an idol is a counterfeit god, a God substitute to which we give allegiance that should rightfully be given to the Lord God of heaven alone. Perhaps Tim Keller said it best when he wrote: “A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.”

What is it for you? Have you ever thought of it as an idol, a counterfeit god? Therein lies the problem. We’re like the rich young man (Matthew 19) who couldn’t see his riches taking the place of the Lord Jesus, until Jesus asked him to make a choice.

It’s the same choice He’s asking me and you to make today. Who’s Lord? Who or what is the owner of our heart? What motivates us to be the person we are? Why do we do what we do? What serves as the reason behind everything we do? Our spouse? Our kids? Our job? Our ________?

Does this mean we can’t have nice things? That depends! If the “nice things” mean more to us than Jesus, they have to go, at least from their position in our heart and mind. I live in a nice house, but, by God’s grace, I own it, it doesn’t own me. I drive a “nice” 10-year-old car, but it’s a means of transportation, I don’t find my identity in it. What’s my point?

Counterfeit gods don’t have to be expensive, in terms of dollars and cents, to own our heart. If what I’m loving more than God is a person, position, profession, or _____________, what should I do? If anything is taking the Lord’s place in my heart, how do I reposition my priorities, my heart’s preferences to align with God’s heart?

That’s a spiritual matter that must be handled in prayer and time spent in the sole presence of the Master. Like the “rich young man” (Matthew 19) we must come before the Lord with an open heart and mind. He will direct us as surely as He directed the young man who had great wealth. My sense is the Lord doesn’t care what we have as much as He cares about what has us.

“How do I know who or what has me?” becomes a legitimate question. The simplest answer is: “Who or what stands in your way of becoming everything you believe the Lord is asking you to do or be?” Regardless of our age or stage of life, there are always obstacles, at least in our mind, to walking in the complete will of God for our life.

Perhaps it’s a relationship, a child, or a sin that is our “counterfeit god.” Perhaps you’re entangled in an adulterous affair; a homosexual relationship; or an unhealthy/illegal monetary arrangement and you can’t imagine how it can end any way but disastrous – emotionally, financially, relationally, spiritually. Here’s the truth, we bring nothing but our sin and shame to the feet of Jesus. He meets us there, heals us, changes our heart, and pledges to walk with us every step from there on.

When we’re walking intimately and closely with Jesus, nothing else really matters. When He’s first, everything else gets removed or takes its place behind Him. And no, we can’t hold on to our sin and to Him. We must make a choice.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊