«Son of man, these men have set up idols in their heart… » (Ezekiel 14:3). Below is a list of possible idols. Prayerfully look at the list and see which of these idols are in your heart. Be true and honest with yourself.
- Ingratitude to God.
- Ingratitude to parents.
- Ingratitude to spiritual leadership.
- Ingratitude to employer.
- Ingratitude to employees.
- Love of ease.
- Love of sleep.
- Love of comfort.
- Love of clothes.
- Love of cars.
- Love of landed property – lands, houses, etc.
- The desire to be praised.
- The desire to be promoted.
- The desire to be consulted.
- The desire to outclass others.
- The desire to be seen.
- The desire to be heard.
- The desire to have the final word.
- Fear of failure.
- Fear of being forgotten.
- Fear of dying without accomplishing something worthy of praise by man.
- Self-will.
- Self-justification.
- Love of gain.
- Love of vanity.
- Fear of the presence of God.
- Rebellion against political leadership.
- Rebellion against spiritual leadership.
- Rebellion against employer.
- Rebellion against husband.
- Rebellion against parents.
- Rebellion against school authorities.
- Self-sufficiency.
- The first place in the heart has been given to the family.
- The first place in the heart has been given to the profession.
- The first place in the heart has been given to the tribe.
- Bitterness.
- An unforgiving heart.
- A heart that remembers what should be forgotten.
- A heart that forgets what it should remember.
- Pride because of physical looks.
- Pride because of academic attainment.
- Pride because of social position.
- Pride because of the success of children.
- Pride because of financial wealth.
- Pride because of spiritual gifts.
- Pride because of talents.
- Pride because of the success of parents.
- Pride because of husband’s success.
- Pride because of husband’s position.
- Laziness.
- Self-advertisement.
- Wrath.
- An unforgiving spirit.
- A spirit of revenge.
- Severity.
- Sternness.
- Lack of tenderness.
- A critical spirit.
- Gossip.
- Murmuring against the government.
- Murmuring against all in authority.
- Love of money.
- A spirit of hoarding.
- The stealing of time from the employer.
- The stealing of paper, envelopes and all the like from the employer.
- The abusive use of the telephone because someone else is paying for it.
- The abusive use of water, electricity, etc, because someone else will pay the bill.
- Prayerlessness.
- Superficiality in prayer.
- Always sleeping during prayer.
- Fear of fasting.
- False show of spirituality.
- Impatience.
- Joylessness.
- Unkindness.
- Consistent choice of the pathway of least resistance.
- Unfaithfulness in fulfilling promises made.
- A capacity to make promises thoughtlessly.
- Lack of capacity to be true to anyone.
- Lack of capacity to believe anyone.
- Lack of power to keep the mouth shut.
- Lack of power to keep a secret.
- Lying by completing the parts of a story that are forgotten by things of personal creation.
- Lying to cover one’s failures.
- Lying to cover those that are beloved.
- Exaggerating the weaknesses and failures of some.
- Exaggerating the strengths and accomplishments of some.
- Falsehood in expressing need.
- Pretentious love.
- Pretentious care.
- Pretentious involvement.
- Fear of the future.
- Worry about the future of children.
- Unbelief.
- Love of food, more than love for God.
- Love of special types of food, more than love for God.
- Love of meat, more than love for God.
- Gluttony.
- Love of football, more than love for God.
- Love of television, more than love for God.
- An unusual love for children, more than the love for God.
- An unusual love for partner, more than love for God.
- An unusual love for parents, more than love for God.
- Stealing God’s tithe.
- Stealing God’s offering.
- Moods.
- Spite.
- Fear of man.
- Fear of being identified as a believer.
- Fear of public opinion.
- Lack of burden for the lost.
- Lack of love for the saints.
- Selfishness towards believers.
- Selfishness towards unbelievers.
- Selfishness towards the needy.
- Selfishness towards mate.
- Selfishness towards children.
- Selfishness towards parents.
- Desiring things that are not needs.
- Debts.
- Unwillingness to pay debts, i.e. having money, but not paying one’s debt.
- Self-created loneliness.
- A capacity to withdraw and be shut up in self.
- Cowardice.
- Worry.
- Restlessness.
- A wandering spirit.
- A sluggish spirit.
- An unbroken heart.
- Lack of capacity to repent.
- Lack of capacity to turn away from sin.
- Lack of hatred of sin.
- Love of the world.
- Love of the things of the world.
- An undecided spirit.
- Extravagance.
- Indiscipline with money.
- Indiscipline with time.
- Inferiority complex.
- Superiority complex.
- Cunning.
- Guile.
- Timidity.
- Instability.
- Absence of deep convictions.
- A cold heart towards God.
- A cold heart towards man.
- Exposing the faults of others.
- Hiding personal faults.
- A fastidious spirit.
- Jesting.
- The spirit of entertainment.
- Murder in thought.
- Adultery in thought.
- Fornication in thought.
- Adultery in act.
- Fornication in act.
- Discouragement.
- Masturbation.
- At home in disorder.
- Egotism.
- A weak will.
- Self-centredness.
- A stubborn will.
- A compromising spirit.
- An unusual inclination towards the opposite sex.
- The love of worldly music.
- An independent spirit.
- Hatred for people.
- A callous spirit.
- Intolerance.
- Procrastination.
- Stealing of God’s glory.
- Stealing the praise that is due to others.
- Using people to accomplish selfish interests.
- Hatred for ugly people.
- Desire for the company of the mockers of God.
- Preference for the company of inferiors.
- A possessive spirit over people.
- A possessive spirit over things.
- An unusual capacity to make plans that are known will not work.
- A spirit that is easily deceived.
- Love of the supernatural.
- A spirit that easily gives up.
- Inability to give oneself to anyone.
- Self-doubt.
- An unusual attachment to sports.
- An unusual capacity to initiate projects but never completing any.
- Teaching what is not practised by the teacher.
- Lying silence.
- A spirit of slander.
- An unusual capacity to make conclusions on little or no evidence.
- An unusual capacity to take decisions that are not the fruit of much thought.
- Telling as testimony a story that is a mixture of reality and imagination.
- A developed capacity to serve or do things just when someone is looking or supervising and to stop immediately such a person is gone.
- An unusual capacity to resist being influenced positively by others.
- Lack of an overriding purpose for living.
- A hatred for those who love the Lord exceptionally.
- A fear of setting goals.
- A fear of God’s presence that results in an incapacity to sustain a long period of intercourse with God.
- An unusual capacity to blame others.
- An unusual capacity to blame oneself.
- An unusual capacity to justify others.
- An unusual capacity to daydream.
- A preference for daydreaming rather than translating ideas into action.
- Lack of desire that Jesus should return today.
- Lack of desire that Jesus should return in one’s generation.
- Doubting God’s word.
- Doubting God’s servants.
- Worship of idols.
The first step towards an idol-free heart is the identification of the idol. Say to God: My Lord, I identify the following idols in my heart… My Lord, if there are some others that are not on the list, show them to me and I will include them on the list of idols that are on my heart.
The second step towards an idol-free heart is to hate the idol. Ask and keep asking the Lord to give you His hatred for the idol. When you receive God’s hatred for the idol, overthrow the idol from your heart once and for all. As soon as the idol is overthrown, build a hedge around your heart to protect your heart from further entry by the idol. Do this with each idol until all of them have been overthrown. Seek and receive a confirmation from the Lord that you have parted with all the idols in your heart.
The third step towards an idol-free heart is to lay your idol-free heart on the altar of irreversible, radical, and total consecration to the Lord. Pray, saying, My Lord, I lay my heart, soul, and body on Your altar now and forever. It is Yours. lt will always be Yours. It will never be mine again come sun, come rain. I also lay on Your altar for Your possession and for Your service, all that I am, all that I have, all that I will ever be; and all that I will ever have. I am Yours 100 % in every way and forever. Do with me as it seems good to You.
The fourth step towards an idol-free heart is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to fill your idol-free heart with the Holy Spirit. He will fill you. Ask to be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit.
You may also like these articles
The last step towards an idol-free life is to commit righteousness. Before, you planned sin and committed sin. Now, do all you can to take all of the Gospel of Jesus-Christ to the largest number of people in the shortest possible time. You go on with that job until Jesus comes back
Professor Zacharias Tanee Fomum.
