COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY – PART 2
From The HeartPublish date: 04/25/2005
So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). Colossians 3:5 AMP
Idolatry is the deifying of self and other created things instead of God. Idolatry is the worship of created beings or created things rather than the worship of the Creator – the only One worthy of worship. What people don’t realize is that when they commit idolatry by worshipping an object or a person, they give it, or them, control over their life. The devil will jump at the opportunity to take control over you through your idolatry and you really don’t want him to have any influence over your life, because he is a thief, a liar, a murderer, and a destroyer! The Lord, on the other hand, is worthy of your worship. He will receive your worship and reach out to you to embrace you, to protect you from the devil, to bless you, and to restore whatever the devil has stolen or destroyed. The bottom line is that you choose your outcome by whom or what you choose to worship.
God gave us direction for our blessing and prosperity - spirit, soul, and body – through His commandments. In Exodus 20:2-6 AMP, God gave us His first two of ten commandments. “I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the
There are people who would not dream of worshipping an idol of wood or stone, and yet they worship their money and their stuff! You might say, “I don’t worship my possessions,” but if they are more important to you than God is to you, then you are an idolater. If you can’t give anything away, if you are offended when someone talks to you about giving your money or your stuff away, if the thought of losing your stuff or giving it away makes you extremely fearful, then you have made an idol out of your money and stuff. You are no longer the master of your stuff – it has mastered you!
No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely). Luke
It is impossible to serve two masters. Every living person makes a choice of who they worship by whom or what is most important in their life. If you want to be blessed, if you want God’s blessing on your life, you have to realize that there is a choice to make and God’s word makes it abundantly clear which choice will result in your good and your blessing. If you are wise, you will take God’s advice and make Him your priority!
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
Covetousness is a hallmark of those who do not know Jesus, who are not yet washed in the blood of Jesus, who are not yet sanctified and made righteous by receiving Him as Lord and Savior. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are making a choice to love Him and serve Him. He gave His ALL to you; He gave His very own life! This is a covenant relationship. He gives you His life and you give Him your life – ALL of it and ALL of you! You now belong to Him and so does everything you own. You need to act like you belong to Him and He belongs to you by taking your hands off your stuff and by releasing it into His service.
It is like a marriage relationship – unless both partners give 100%, there are going to be problems. Selfishness in a marriage is always destructive to the relationship. Selfishness will cause you to hold back your heart, it will make your spouse feel unloved and devalued, and cause a breach in your relationship. There is nothing as awesome as a relationship where two people totally accept one another and give each other unconditional love. This is the only way to be truly fulfilled as God intended for you to be.
In the same way, selfishness in your relationship with the Lord will cause you to miss out on all the blessings of a committed relationship with Him. Everyone wants to get something from God without giving Him anything in return, but you need to realize that as committed as you are to Him, is as committed as He is going to be to you! Commit to Him, give Him your all, and allow Him to bless you exceedingly above all that you could ask or think!