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Idols are not just something from the past, they are real today and they have a very real impact on our lives.

When you read the Old Testament, idols are everywhere. The people of Israel were always making gods out of rock, stone, and really anything else instead of trusting the God who rescued them out of Egypt. Making idols out of stuff is hard for us to relate to, until we realize that we do the very same thing today.

Video Highlights:

The very first commandment warns us about idols (Exodus 20:3-5). In fact, breaking this first commandment is what opens the door to breaking all the rest. An idol consumes your thoughts, controls your heart and directs your actions away from God. Anything or anyone can be an idol. An idol is simply something that takes the place of God. It can be a physical object, a property, a person, an activity, a role, an institution, a hope, an image, an idea, a pleasure, or a hero. Here are our top 5 idols for today:

  • Celebrities: We believe that they are better than us, and we put them on a pedestal to basically worship them. In reality, they are only human like you and me, and they don’t deserve the importance we give them.
  • Entertainment: We focus all of our time on Netflix, YouTube, or at the movies and don’t make time for God or the Bible. While entertainment is fun, using that time to seek God has a greater long-term reward than the instant gratification entertainment provides.
  • Relationships: We prioritize boyfriends, girlfriends, or even friends over God because they are tangible, physical relationships. But if we put those relationships over a relationship with God, we are creating idols.
  • Success: We often compare ourselves to others through grades, money, popularity, etc. The better grades we get or the nicer clothes we have, the better we think we are, and achieving those things can consume our thoughts and control our actions.
  • Social Media: We seek validation through our popularity on social media. If you get the most likes or favorites, we place our affirmation in that attention. Instead, God gives us the opportunity to find our affirmation in him, which is where we can find our true worth.

In the end, we were all created to worship something, and that something is meant to be God. If we replace God with something temporary like relationships, popularity, or entertainment, we will live a dissatisfied and sad life. If we make God more important than anything else, we will live life to the fullest, just as he meant for us to.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
  2. What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
  3. Name some things that you think are idols today.
  4. Are any of those idols in your life? What makes them an idol?
  5. Why do you think it is easier to worship an idol than it is to worship God?
  6. Read 1 Kings 18: 21-39. What was the first question Elijah asked the people? How would you answer that question?
  7. Why is having an idol bad? How can it affect your relationship with God and others?
  8. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
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