I have been wanting to write an article about my idols for a while now. Even though I have been a Christian all my life, for most of my life satan blinded me to my idols. My ability to identify them and to overcome them over the last few years has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with God. My Saviour opened my eyes and continues to help me daily turn from evil.

Since my early years I loved playing and watching sport. As my sporting abilities changed I found myself more engaged with tactics and coaching. I delighted in learning the history of football, reading many biographies and coaching guides. I would get up early in the morning and stay up late at night watching games live from the other side of the world.

I supported a football club very passionately and every year they put out a new playing kit. I would spend $200 (sometimes more) buying this shirt and then proudly wear it. On weekends I watched my team play live and the result would determine my mood for the rest of the week.

Football was not my only idol, I was also devoted to watching television and movies. If a television show or movie featured comedy, romance, nudity, sex, murder, science-fiction, horror, gore or demons, I would probably like it. 

My friends also watched these television shows and movies. We often watched them together, enjoying it as entertainment or watching with a critical eye so we could analyse it and talk about it later.

In this my biggest idol wasn’t football, television or movies, it was myself. Selfishness, pride and apathy controlled my actions. Even though I had grown up Christian, all I wanted to do was please myself. I didn’t really care about God, I didn’t even make excuses for my behaviour, everything I watched was good in my eyes, so I just kept watching. 

One day God broke through to me, I read in a Christian book that since Christians are commanded to serve, selfishness is sinful. This message broke through to me. I started to see how sinful, idolatrous and demonic selfishness is. Turning from my idols, my worthless and shameful deeds is not easy, it’s an ongoing process, but it is good.

I hear stories of idol worship in other countries and the similarities to the way I lived are so clear. Overseas, an idol is set up and people spend time in front of it burning incense and interacting with it. I spent my time in front of the television I set-up and interacted with it by cheering, laughing, crying and buying what an advertisement told me I needed.

I was only deceiving myself when I called sport, television and movies entertainment, instead it only hardened my heart. I still claimed I loved God and His Word, but I was only abusing His grace and rebelling against Him. My allegiance wasn’t to Christ, it was to the football team whose shirt I was wearing. In watching the twisted desire of the world, I was participating in it and enjoying the vividly portrayed sin.

Over time, murder, violence, greed, theft, winning, sporting physique, sexual immorality, homosexual relationships, lies and cheating became desirable to me, it affected my mind and I saw what God hates as good.

I sold myself to the devil by my sin and pursuit of idols. Knowing this makes me all the more thankful for the precious blood of Jesus Christ that purchased me for God and forgave my sins. I’m only able to recognise sporting idols, screen idols and self idols because God’s grace has helped me identify them and turn from them.

Now, I get up early to pray, stay up late to pray, study, analyse, internalise, and delight in the bible. I rarely watch sport, television or movies, instead I imitate and speak of Christ whenever I can. I long to grow downward in humility, grow Christlike in holiness and live for God’s kingdom.

In the new creation I will spend all my time worshipping God, glorifying God and knowing God. I used to think that was boring, but the more I do that on earth, the more I look forward to it in heaven. My calling as a Christian, is to live as though heaven is on earth, to live a holy, pure and righteous life, devoted to God’s glory, through prayer, worship and service. That is all I desire.

All over the bible are warnings to stay away from idols, and they are there for a reason. God is a jealous God, commanding us to worship Him only. Again and again God’s holy people are told not to bow down to false gods or worship idols because worshipping idols is the same as worshipping demons. It only leads to death, the opposite of good life in God.

I was seduced, chained and a slave to my idols, and it was only a work of God that delivered me. There are so many idols around me today, our culture just calls them by a different name. Please, my dear readers, stay away from idols.