Idolatry

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Hello everyone!

For those who do not know my name.

My name is Lemara And so today

our topic is based on idolatry.

So I'm going to open it up to the young people.

And I would like to ask the question of what do you think?

Idolatry means I guess I'll go first.

My name is Opeyemi, and what I believe

idolatry means is, in a sense, putting anything,

whether it's, physical or otherwise, before God.

And this can be done in many, many ways and many different.

Factors that,

influence, how we should all treat and other things that we do

as those, as, young individuals, especially this day and age.

But that's what I thought really means to me.

Okay.

So anything that you put before God, no matter what

it may be physical, spiritual, emotional, whatever it may be.

Okay, cool.

I like that answer.

Anyone else? Maybe.

Philippa

and I would also agree on that definition.

When you hear the word idolatry, you kind of think of the biblical sense

where it was like actual, like worshiping of the deities and things.

I feel like in this day and age, it took on a different form

where there are certain things that take what finally God speaks.

If you take up more of our thinking space, more of, like,

the more passionate about it in that sense.

And I feel like those could also be forms of idolatry, but

you have a greater passion for something with just a greater, importance.

You place things higher importance about God.

Okay, cool.

Thank you so much, both of you.

You good?

Very good.

Like technical answers. And one is it is true.

Idolatry is basically anything you put before

God and that you play center and I.

My meaning was that idolatry is anything you love more than your obedience to God.

So all sums up.

Basically, I think that whatever you put before God

is basically placed as an idol because you love it more established more,

you see it more like, well, sometimes it's

very subconscious, but we do place it more higher than God.

So then my next question to you both is,

what do you idolize me?

Okay. So

when I was thinking about it, I was really like,

what do I generally generally idolize?

For most people in this, like in our generation in this age,

is our phones or media or technology.

And I was like, why not? I don't idolize it.

For example, when I wake up in the morning,

which many of us do, which is when you wake up,

the first thing you do is your touch your phone,

touch your iPad, touch your tablet, whatever device you got,

you turn on the TV

and that's the first thing you do before giving the day to God that

I don't really do that because, the first thing I do, I actually wake up,

I lay that, and then I pray I have to dedicate my day to God.

So I try to think and think and think like, what do I really and truly idolize?

And sometimes it can.

And then I was realizing that sometimes when you would just be sitting there

and you're on your phone, that's also a form of idolatry,

especially if you haven't read your Bible today or went to go pray.

Another form of idolatry that I also used to suffer with

would be like vanity yourself.

I used to be like, oh, like I'm not going to go out the house

about my head on, like, or I had to look a certain way.

I had to be.

I had to be on point a certain way.

Like I didn't want nothing out of place.

And that's a form of idolatry, because I put myself before God,

and God was like, Ma, I need you to quickly go outside.

I'm sorry.

No, no, no. Like I look a mess.

Then that's a hindrance.

Then that's disobedience.

And that's me either idolizing myself

before what God wants so that my example examples,

it could be any examples from eating to friends to ministry to,

marriages, to your education,

to your work, to to anything,

I think I would say,

and that is that I probably idolize my interest,

get very invested in any sort of media

or like book or show I'm reading, like word,

and it takes up a lot of my time and like, thoughts.

So I feel like in that sense, probably something that

I would probably pick up and enjoy more than picking up my Bible

and reading a verse or reading a child that day.

And it's not really the first thing that comes to mind.

It's like the same way.

Phone is an automatic.

The things that I'll reach for in the morning,

the Bible automatically isn't either.

So there's

and I would say as well in.

Okay cool.

Thank you for your answer and yes, I appreciate both of you for sharing.

What you believe,

all were your idols and I'd say for me,

one thing.

When I was much, much younger, I used to just be an

idol was gaming and video games.

I was a little more obsessed with that when I was much younger

and that would be something I revolve myself around

and not be tentative to just reading the Bible or, you know, reading the word.

As of now, I'd say similar to, for the, for,

if anything is close to idolatry, I'd say it's hobbies and interests,

because I like to do a lot of things, whether it's exercise, basketball or,

research or whatnot, streaming.

Sometimes those things do take precedence, and it's about

being cognizant of the fact that, what am I doing?

You know, what are the fourth foremost, you know,

on my mind when it comes to activities like is is reading my word?

The first thing

I'm thinking about when I'm waking up was that what's taking most of my day?

Or at least I might devote more time towards that.

So for me, definitely, it's, hobbies and interests

and sometimes I just, take a bit more effort into remembering.

Okay.

Have I, you know, opened the word today?

I've, I've, I take time aside to actually study that.

And, you know, it's very difficult to do when you do have love interests.

However, that's not an excuse.

So I'd say for me, that's definitely, one of my idols.

Okay. Thank you so much for sharing.

And now I have I've got a third question.

And that is, why do you think you idolize like,

why we don't really call it idolatry in this day and age

because I don't literally see, like,

let's say back in the days of the Old Testament,

especially the back in the days of Moses

as well, but with the Israelites, and how they would make molten images

and graven images and all these things just from their jewelry,

or for things that they have found and they would fall down and worship.

And so we're obviously not bowing down like physically,

but dogs, for example, your, your hobbies or your,

your wants or like, you're not physically bowed down to food.

So like, why do we like as human beings, why do we idolize.

I'd say I do these guys in those because,

at the core, most of our being were creatures of worship.

We'll create some worship.

So in that sense, anything we can't help but worship.

So have we put, you know what?

If we devote our energy to what we are worshiping, and I'd say it's

very easy to worship anything, because of that nature.

So when it comes down to, you know, worshiping the Lord

and worshiping, you know, the things we do, it's just about,

other sets, you know, thinking about what are we spending most of our time on.

On what, what is occupying our spirit,

throughout the day?

Yeah, that's why I'd say that's why I believe we

idolize is because of that commerce power by nature of being created to worship.

So therefore we have our energy towards more because we worship the most.

I like that answer.

You see that too? I think especially me.

But certain things that people like start idolize,

so like, you can see immediate

effects, those things like, exercising.

If I'm making, like a meal plan and I spend a lot of time,

like, calculating what I'm going to do for routine,

what I'm doing to make myself feel better in my, like, health wise.

I feel like these those results you automatically see,

like much easier than you can see, like your spiritual work, you can see,

but you and I feel like with those things you can do those things,

but you will have to look a lot deeper to see those effects.

And things like dope mean when you're on your phone

or you're enjoying like a hobby, feel that immediate effect.

Unlike with like your spiritual profession,

look a bit deeper to feel those effects and see how is benefits of life.

Okay, cool.

I really like before your answer is like this is like intensive.

I'm, I'm really enjoying it.

So so we are creatures who like need

or who are designed to worship because our main objective on this

or one of our main objective on this earth is to worship

is to literally bow down and surrender to a God

who is Jesus Christ, our God, who created the heavens and the earth.

Right?

So I love that, I love that, I love that. So

again, a bit more deeper into it.

What do you know?

So you say we also have something

that we've idolized or or is idolizing.

And as we know that we're doing this because

because sometimes it's because this can be easy

or sometimes because by accident or,

or just because it becomes that, you know, these things can become a habit.

So not really a question.

It's more of like, do you think?

How can I wear this?

Do you think that through what you're idolizing

in your personal life, what do you think you can do

in order to stop that?

Idolization, if that makes sense.

If that doesn't make sense, let me know that.

What do you personally think you can do to stop that?

I would say one way

to probably tackle that would be even more present, being one

tension of what you're doing and what's occupying your mind or your spirit.

Okay.

As you mentioned, it can be subconscious.

We can easily slip into, a habit or something that's occupying online more

if we're not aware of, what is occupying our mind

and of how we how we can be led to, obsess over something.

So I'd say be more intentional with what you do,

recognizing certain patterns and, why you're doing something like

when you kind of understand why you're doing something you can analyze.

Okay, is this conducive for me?

If I'm saying my goal is to grow

my walk or to worship God under, that's my directive.

Is this actually leading me down that path?

Is it something that's a hindrance and naturally, anything that is

not advancing you forward in that goal towards that destination is

so that I send you back.

So I'd say being more intentional is a start.

And hopefully then it's a matter of, you know, definitely something

you pray about, of course.

And to take steps to,

put more focus, on worshiping God.

But yeah, definitely say being more intentional with our time.

But how we occupy or spirit is some of the start.

Okay, just to quickly add on to what you said,

you also said the word obsession.

I want you to kind of dive deeper

into the word obsession and what you're trying to say.

So with

obsession, that's what is quite an exchange.

But what I mean by that is essentially

anything that is

occupying our mind to an extent where

it's it's something that's very hard to,

dismiss or

compartmentalize.

Like it's always the foremost forefront of our mind.

So, for instance,

someone crosses over, you know, as you mentioned earlier on vanities,

how we look, you're always concerned about how you look to a point

where, you know, you don't feel comfortable enough.

So in some way, or, for instance, we constantly are looking ourselves

in the mirror, an example then, anything that is at the forefront of our mind,

we're finding it difficult to, compartmentalize

or to, reduce in terms of importance.

That's what I deem as something as obsessive.

I think that's a really good point as well.

Oh, it's our nature, but it isn't how

we should be living in this world.

I think especially like these things like bills and health,

like do find them important.

But we also have to try and remember for All Saints that

these are very temporary things.

These are things that we can put to do in a sense,

not try to put it all on ourselves, because when we put it on ourselves,

then it becomes a kind of obsessive thing, that thing

where you're like, oh, I have to do this myself.

I have to do this immediately.

This is the only thing I can think about is we put these things to God.

Then,

that weight is

kind of lifted, that kind of pressure that we put on ourselves

and the thought it would be less like, demanding, like,

this thing in my mind kind of cool, because we would have to God in a sense.

Yeah.

That's a that's an interesting point especially.

But you know, just how

it's not in our

like design to be obsessive, but it's just how

this world is kind of curate us to be more.

So it's okay cool cool cool.

Thanks for that.

Can I go literally be stopped by just going to church?

I do this many, many ways

to, you know, one of the Lord's.

We know that for one, our bodies and our spirits,

we have a symbiotic relationship.

So I'd say for one, just simply, if you're taking steps to,

improve your health in a way, then in a sense,

you're looking after your temple, which is a good thing.

And with regards to ulcers, any specific actions

like specifically

such as, you know, praying on of itself

or going to church in of itself, they'll stop idolatry.

But I would say

a really good way, as I mentioned,

I mean, with intentionality is I'd say I start with a desire to.

And if you do have the desire to change something,

then ultimately you're not going to change it

and you're not going to be committed to changing it.

So I would say more rambling, but I would say when it comes to,

stopping idolatry in and of itself, it has to start with a desire

to actually want to change or recognize that there's something that you need to

change, like, for instance, you you can't recognize a problem

or you can't fix a problem until you recognize that there's a problem.

So I do believe that there's to be an intent,

and the intent is something that I believe, obviously the Holy Spirit.

But it's not always about self.

But there has to be something inside of us

that is yearning for that.

And with a desire like, as, as,

unconventional obsession is a tool and it can be used

to, you know, strengthen and move us forward.

Or it could be used to,

you know, take us away from the Lord with other worldly desires.

So I say, being, potential for obsession is.

And that desire, if I'm making sense.

Desire.

That is a strong word, especially when it comes to the physical

and the spiritual.

But we were thoughts on that.

I want to hear from Christopher and also Phillip Patti.

But we have to get back to that word desire.

But thank you.

I don't think we can really get rid

of Idolization if it one I think of like replacing it

with something more useful spiritually

like this.

Is definitely

something everyone struggles with.

Like I feel like everyone's heightened in the sense

that you're working towards getting rid of idolatry.

These things that you idolize from your life,

they're just things where you can work towards making something you know,

you idolize in that sense.

But then I think,

can you entirely remove I don't feel like

I feel like you like.

In the same way of worship that if you can

make God the most important thing

and you have that like will

and discipline and you have that drive to make God

the most important thing in your life, and then you put everything else

in on the sense that you're not getting rid of it from your life completely.

Enjoy it.

Or you don't like,

you don't have it so important in your life

that God and you can remove idolatry.

It's just you're not removing that thing from your life entirely.

Just as opposed to like,

okay, I'm going to counter that a little, little, a little bit.

So so you so you're saying that can't remove it completely,

but for yourself to go to center there like you can work towards it.

Do you think us as humans, us on this,

being in the flesh, being in human form

that we can generally like really that full heartedly

put God first?

Answer yes.

I think you just like, come across people you like from your perspective.

But these that they definitely put God first in their life.

And you can see how it works for the I mean, you can see how they've

accomplished that and you're striving towards that yourself.

I feel like you can

you can't until you.

What is putting God first like give us your opinion or what you think is

God first?

I feel putting God first

is he able to like,

live a life where everything you do is for God

and everything you accomplish is because of God and

you're like very,

not very vocal about it, but it's very visible.

The way you hold yourself back.

The way.

Yes. I you

okay. Thank you.

I know he's

doing a little bit of picking that

but I just wanted to get a whole perspective of it.

Now the other two what do you think.

Also speaking about do you think you can really put

God first God center while being in this flesh.

I would say just like Philip, we can. And

the reason I say that is because, you know,

because of God's grace, we do have the ability

to have, you know,

a new spirit in Christ, you know,

when in Christ, all things die away.

And with that, we know that,

we're part of a body.

So in that sense, even though there are, there is a war

between that the flesh, that of the spirit, as we know.

That doesn't mean that desiring,

the laws unfolding in me, something that I can't just focus.

But I guess

one thing to be privy of is just the fact that there always is that struggle.

But just because it's a struggle doesn't mean that,

there isn't a focus, and it doesn't mean that it's impossible

because I don't I don't believe that,

you know, the Lord told us to do something that we're not able to do.

We know that,

through to his power.

So to answer your question, yeah, I do believe that we can have that focus.

It's just that you have to be wary of what can influence us to lose focus.

So I see it.

Okay, cool.

Thank you.

Christopher, have you got anything to add on?

I do when it comes to putting God first, it's

not really that we as humans, not more like we do not allow him.

That's what please find the way to be in our lives.

Whether it's through.

Like him doing something you said

in the book, the time.

I think if we really try

and allow God in our lives.

To. Oh, okay.

Cool. So

from what you guys were saying, it's.

Yes, we can really and truly put

God as this center, place him in the middle

and literally live a life according to what he wants.

The to go against what you guys are saying.

So there's a bit of like opposite,

why don't we do that?

We know that God is great.

We did everything that he wants for us is righteous.

We know that all he wants is for us to be his children,

for us to love him, for us to abide in him and in us.

All he wants is good for us.

He was nothing, nothing, nothing bad for us.

So why don't we do that?

Why don't we place him center?

Why do we end up falling into idolatry?

Why do we? Why do some people end up falling

into other religions and other types of idolatry?

Why, if we know that God,

the one true living God, is so good for us and was nothing but

grace and mercy over our life was nothing but us to have everlasting life.

That's why we fully commit to him.

Put him in the center.

That is an open question for whoever is ready to answer. Why?

It's a reason as to why we don't do so.

Is it the fact that we as human beings

kind of go, so many things to influence little of us, to,

not understand not true and or to actually not believe it.

I don't see do you think that if you truly understand that,

then you will have that desire to do so?

But but ultimately, as I mentioned, we have to be proof to the fact

that we're not free of influence.

And it's very confusing if you're not focused,

to,

have things take away,

that truth or that understanding, should I say of that truth

and to fall into, you know, a dark, a dark, you know, spiritual state

and what it comes to focus, like focus is, is an active thing.

It's not a passive thing. So,

if we're not

constantly ensuring that, you know,

we will make an object of our focus and doing or actions

and honor our spirit to him, then we can easily be set.

Of course, we know that, there's little distractions,

misinformation, disinformation, all lot lies.

You know, the when it comes to see it.

And you know, the, the, the message they send

you, it's always to do with,

having you doubt your identity in Christ or in the Lord

and fostering insecurity, fostering doubt, fostering hate of oneself.

So, yeah, we have to be privy of all of the messages being sent our way.

Anything that doesn't align with that, we just have to be cognizant of and,

not draw, not please focus onto those things.

But it's something that we have to do and it's it's not done by ourselves.

So it's something we have to really pray about.

And ensure that we we ask for that focus of your attention.

And we actually take a steps to, foster that because as we just,

we're that we're putting our energy into it as well focuses.

So as I just mentioned, that's a it's just

showing that we're focusing on the truth and what matters.

And you know, trying to,

navigate around a

lot of the influences, being, sent our way.

Okay. Okay. Cool.

Thank you very much.

So what we are putting our energy into is becoming our focus and free influences.

Maybe that's awesome. Hindering. Okay.

I would say

I would say self that I can't do it and that I'm doing.

So what I'm what I'm doing is when I wake up, I pray, I read a chapter,

then I go into my phone and do what I need to do,

which is like answer stuff or read my emails and stuff.

And then throughout the day, I have to also Bible study a chapter

and also throughout the day, a prep point for each day in a month.

So I also have to pray on that, that that prayer point.

And then the same thing when I go to sleep, I've gotten now into the habit of

reading a chapter or two before I go to sleep to calm my mind down,

and then and then pray before I go to sleep for a and,

then things I can do better is will, I think will be more in my prayer book.

Thus, personally speaking, that's where my anointing is, is in prayer.

So if I pray more, not just Lord,

thank you Lord for everything that and just said,

if I really stand up and stop praying and properly intercede, and I'm also then

communicating with God through intercession.

And another thing I could do better would be,

communicating with him before I basically I started to do it.

But then because I was at a friend's house,

I started to not do it because I was with someone else.

But get into that habit. Oh, before I go to sleep.

Also, I speak to God like a normal conversation

that high God like, how are you?

How's life up in heaven?

Like just really have that friendship bond,

still knowing that you get this respect.

He's the king above king, but the Lord above.

Not that I am his thoughts off, but having that relational

like friendship, but with respect that talk

where like how we would just like normally talk to our friends and our family

have that normal talk a good like just invite him, you know,

come Lord, like lay with me, sit with me and let's just have a deep talk there.

Let me just, like, embrace your presence and even know what I'm

talking, talking, talking to. Okay? God is such a good listener.

But then there's times when I need to shut up.

If you like God, like if you need to speak to me, do it like I.

We all know how God speaks to us.

It could be through someone else.

It could be through your mind. It could be free.

The Bible, it could be out on the street.

Could be through nature.

It could be now.

So I know that God speaks to me through like my mind.

And the Bible said,

there are those two things I just need to keep looking to God for.

Like God, when you want to speak to me, I'm here.

You. I'm quiet.

So that I like.

So it's literally be still and know that I am God.

So be still tomorrow and know that I will speak to you when the time is right.

So that's me personally.

I don't always wake up listening and pick up fighting,

which is something I've been told quite a lot from my dad to start doing.

And I understand why.

Because I feel like when you start the day that way,

you are starting to be correct and you starting in the right mindset.

And I feel like I can't just be praying in the mornings, praying in the evenings,

and I feel like I need to start

getting in the habit of reading my Bible, reading what

I feel like just being upset that time in the morning.

Like my parents go in prayer walks now, so they wake up in the morning

and they attempt to every day just go out for a walk

20, 30 minutes and pray together.

That's like, that's a really good, mentality to have, especially

when we're trying to start like weeding out small things

that we face in our lives that I feel like if you just start the day

that we entered, the day that we do really good.

Stepping stone. I like not marriage,

I agree, I agree.

Just also add on to what you said it's like.

Then the Lord's Prayer says, give us this day our daily bread.

So when we wake up, it's not our day is technically the Lord's.

Well, it is the Lord's because he's given it to us.

Like just like when we wake up, he's making us up just like that.

When we're breathing, it's

not our breath in our lungs, it's his breath in our lungs.

So it's like a borrowed in a way.

So this is like it was the day our daily bread,

that's what first came to mind, was speaking.

It was like, we need to keep daily, come in for that replenishment daily.

Come in for that bread daily.

Come in for the word daily.

Come into prayer daily. Fasting.

Just keep coming to God because we need that refreshment and to keep going.

Like just praying in the morning and praying in the night and keeping it going.

That's not daily bread.

It's just like not even like a ritual.

But it's more of, like a habit that you're just doing it just to do it.

So I like what you said, and I agree 100%.

Outside.

Agree with what the mother of Philip talking about say.

Definitely sink time side first thing in the morning.

Church.

Should you read the word stuff the day right?

I guess aligned correctly for the day ahead because as you studies

are you mean to go what have that focus initially and definitely

take more

take more intent to create time for out the day,

whether it be a lunch break or just before bed to really,

have that conversation with Lord, as Lamar has said.

And then read the word, I feel the more

you find more opportunities

to form that connection, strengthen that connection, the more focus you have,

and the less likely you'll be to be influenced by outside factors.

I like that, I like that.

So it's just the voting.

That's what a lot of people,

especially young people, they just need to devote their time,

even if it's a short period of time or even when it's like

when you're in the shower, like just time or even when you're on the street

and you have your headphones on, just if you are like,

if you act like you're talking, people won't know

that you're actually talking to God or to yourself, that you're on the phone.

You get what I mean?

So it's like, I never thought about that.

That's. Yes. Oh yeah.

Because you could genuinely

be talking to yourself and because you have your headphones on

or your earphones or whatever you got in on your ears or on your head,

like people think you're obviously talking to someone, you don't look crazy,

but you could really just be like, hi, God, how are you?

Or be like, Because God's also our father.

He's our heavenly father. He can be like that.

Like how a you like this and that is going on in my life.

And who would know that you're talking to God?

Who would actually know?

So it's another thing to do that the more we implement little like scenes

into our life, the way that God, then we can grow it through watering it.

And then before, you know,

we just bear fruit, like we just have the fruit of the spirit in us,

and then we're just thriving spiritually.

And then when we thrive spiritually, you also have physically.

Then before you know, you have that holy glowing, you go.

But I mean, like,

I love what you got to say, Chris, the before let's hear from you.

I like what you said about implementing.

First of all, I do like what I do.

Like if I have kids, if I'm worrying about a test,

I think about God and implement him into my daily life.

And then I live and breathe God like it helps me to

think about what he's done for me and what I can do for him.

Yes, gratitude.

Gratitude is a big, big, big thing.

I will say I agree with that

because it's like whenever we pray, like I personally think I'm from experience.

Like the way we should pray is for

for gratitude first and then going on to whatever you want to say.

So it's like, Lola, thank you for waking me up.

Thank you for that.

Think about to share that you're grateful.

And then the blessings will come.

I love me, I love that, I really do love ledger pleasure.

Okay. So thank you everyone.

Firstly for your input on such,

such a weird but needed topic.

I really, really, really do appreciate it.

And I hope that we've all learned something from it.

We've all taken something from it that there's some type of reflection

happening so that we can understand,

like, what are we doing that's not glorifying God?

And what do we need to change

in order to do, even if it's small or big, no matter what it is,

keep giving your attention sorry to God and stop your idols and

we'll continue to thrive.

And we'll all be in heaven one day.

Amen, Amen.