The theologian John Calvin once famously said, “The heart is an idol factory.”
Something gets us out of bed in the morning and gets us going. Money, jobs, kids, hobbies, comfort, happiness, and the list goes on.
Everyone is driven by something. Everyone has an idol.
What are idols?
Idols are anything more important to you than God. An idol is anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.
Idols can be exterior, like money, sex, or drugs. But perhaps the most sinister idols are interior like, power, status, respect, and comfort. What drives your life?
Idols aren’t necessarily “bad” things. We can turn work or fun or family or faith into an idol. An idol is anything other than the LORD that gives us a sense of security or a sense of fulfillment.
How can you discover your idols so you can destroy them? We can ask series of questions that can expose the idolatry lurking in our hearts.
Here are diagnostic questions from Pastor Josh Stone at our CVC Brunswick campus.
- What do you ask God for the most?
- What do you ask God for the most?
- In what area of life is your heart never at rest
- What do you sacrifice your family for?
- What provokes your anger the quickest?
- Which sin have you stopped fighting?
- For what are you willing to spend lavishly?
- What are you willing to lie about?
- What causes you sadness when you hear about someone else’s success?
Here are diagnostics questions from Pastor Rick Duncan at our CVC Broadview Heights Campus.
- What distracts you and pulls your attention and affection away from God?
- Where you spend your time and money?
- What occupies your attention when you have nothing to think about?
- Where do you turn to find comfort?
- What, if you lost it, would make life not worth living?
- What triggers your negative, selfish emotions like unrighteous anger, jealousy, and sadness?
- What or who do you trust more than God?
- What or who do you serve more than God?
