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Proverbs of a 40 yr. old man- Idols are everywhere series

The things of this world will never fully satisfy the human heart. They were never meant to. The sinful things deceive us and ultimately lead only to death. The good things of this world are gifts from God, meant to be enjoyed with a thankful heart, in submission to Him and for His glory. But when the gift replaces the Giver or the created replaces the Creator in our lives, we have fallen into idolatry. And no idol can infuse our lives with meaning or worth or give us eternal hope. There are three forms of idolatry: 1. Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc. 2. Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature. 3. Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes. Want to go over what some of these old idols represented and how many still worship these things today. Also, give you an answer through the Scriptures. Today want to focus on Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc. This is the lusts of the flesh and finding fulfillment in life pleasing yourself with everything that feels good. So, there was an idol called the goddess Asherah and was a Canaanite deity of fertility. According to ancient mythology, Asherah was the wife of El, who mothered 70 gods, including Baal, the most famous. Baal, the chief of the Canaanite pantheon, was the god of storm and “bringer of rain.” He was recognized as the sustainer of the fertility of crops, animals, and people. Asherah worship was deeply sensual, involving illicit sex and ritual prostitution. Asherah poles were erected at sacred sites and alongside altars throughout the land of Canaan “on every high hill and under every green tree” 1 Kings 14:23. At times, to appease Baal and Asherah, human sacrifices were made. These sacrifices usually consisted of the firstborn child of the person making the sacrifice. Comparing this idol today to our modern times: Humans have always tried to find meaning and purpose in pleasing yourself. We are a self-obsessed people. Anything that can bring us happiness and purpose we will fill ourselves with no matter the cost. Our culture might convince us that this is beneficial, but like worshiping the idol Asherah you have to sacrifice your morals and you sacred conscious to please yourself. We as Christians belong to an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful Savior who gave His everything so that we might live. In return, He asks that we willingly give ourselves to Him. Amen. When we give ourselves to the flesh and the things of this world we are robbed of humanity and sacredness. I think of Esau who lost his blessing for a bowl of soup. Looking to please ourselves and to live your best life now can create an idol in your life that makes you a slave to sin. Through surrender, we can break free from the idol of self and in so doing, find the freedom to be all that God created us to be. Little children, stay away from idols. They are everywhere. To be continued....

Study Eccles. 2:1



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