In the last post in this series, we learned that God is jealous for you and for your worship. He seeks to be the soul object of adoration in your life. Now this may sound egotistical, but it is not so for God. In the words of Isaiah 42:8:

"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.

If God were to reallocate any glory due to him elsewhere, he would be committing idolatry. The fact is that all the universe exists for Him and His glory. In light of this, he wants to purge His children of all idols. And He does so in the following ways.

God’s Spirit works through His Word to convict us of idolatry.
God may withhold that raise, or pain relief, or an opportunity you really want in order to show you that His grace is sufficient. Therefore, when you find yourself angry, discontent, or anxious about not getting your way, consider that God may be revealing an idol of the heart.
God may hand you over to your idol, so that you can experience firsthand the misery of idol enslavement. The love of money leads to the bondage of debt, or your anxiety over money creates health problems, or sexual immorality leads to a lonely emptiness. In the words of Hebrews 12:10:

"He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness."

All of this is done to expose our idols, so that we can return to the worship of the Living God and not perish with our idols. So what do you do when your idol is exposed? In the next post we will find out.

Dave Hintz