What are your false gods, your idols?

I wrote a long time ago in I used to think that I couldn't ever be an Idolate...
about how I discovered to my shock that I was an idolator. When you discover something like that, the obvious first thing you want to do is stop doing it! The problem is that with idolatry, we generally have quite a few idols in our hearts that we've been unaware of and we have to discover what they are before we can get rid of them. With the Lord's help, I've learned of one way to discover what my idols are, and it's actually pretty easy to do. It makes sense too when we realize that anything we've made into an idol is going to be something we feel strongly about.

When we feel strongly about something, that means we're also going to have some real strong emotions concerning it when we feel it's threatened. The main emotions we tend to feel when an idol is threatened are anger, fear, and/or jealousy. I learned that if I pay attention to what makes me really angry, or hurt, I'll come to quickly know what my idols are.

Our emotions can tell us what we hold the most dear, what's the most important to us. If someone spills something that stains on a piece of carpet that we think of as trash anyway, we're not going to get upset about it, or at least not real upset. But if someone stains something we value highly, then we're going to get really upset!

I'm not suggesting that every time we get angry it means we've got an idol lurking behind it. The way we can tell the difference is by how often we get angry about something. If we consistently get angry or fearful or feel jealous about something, we need to examine what's behind it to find out what our false god is. If we're generally angered or hurt by things other people say and/or do to us, if we examine what made us angry about what each person said or did, we'll most likely find a pattern, and that pattern will lead us to our false god.

We all have the false god of self that we have to deal with. The major symptom for that god is selfishness which can show up in many different ways. When we're saved, our part is supposed to be to die to ourselves and live for Christ, so it's natural that our "self" is going to fight that to the bitter end. But if we're not aware of it and keep alert, it's going to take back control or try to. So the idol of self is one I think we all have to fight fairly constantly.

The other false gods may not be so easy to spot. There's false gods of money, success, image, beauty, materialism, etc. Anything can be made into a false god, and probably has been by someone.

When we feel angry or fearful about something consistently, we need to ask ourselves why we're feeling threatened; what are we afraid we're going to lose; what goal is being blocked, or what's so important that it's causing us to lose control, and what are we getting from this area that we should be getting from God? What need is it filling for us that we should be having filled by God?

Strong emotions are a good reason to look and see just what those emotions are pointing us to. Fear, anger, hurt feelings, and jealousy are especially good signs that will often point us to who or what we're putting our hope in. I've also realized that the things that have hurt us in the past, how and why were were hurt and what we think we need to stop the pain and prevent it from happening again, will also help point us toward our false gods.
A false god or idol is anything that we have put our hope in, or that we're looking to for love, acceptance, contentment and/or happiness. Our strong emotions can tell us that something's wrong, that we've misplaced our affections, because God is supposed to be first in our lives. He demands to be first...above our parents, children, spouse, siblings or anyone or anything else.

I'd like to end this by simply including a few of my notes about idols as they've helped me to find many of mine.

We’ve defined idols as anything that is inflated to take the position of God in our lives, anyone or anything that becomes an ultimate thing. We’ve discovered that some of their roots trace back to experiences of being unloved, rejected, abused—or the flipside, of having it all while ironically having an insatiable desire for more. We’ve identified a few of their more prominent characteristics, which revolve around subtle deceit, blatant lies, and flashy seduction. No other gods

“Belief in Yahweh doesn’t come with your mind, Hezekiah. It comes with your heart. When you only believe in things you can see with your eyes and touch with your hands, it is idolatry.” Trusting in Molech, as Ahaz did, or trusting in your own wisdom and intellect—there’s no difference in God’s eyes. It’s all idolatry.” Gods and kings: A novel.

Idolatry is thinking anything about God that isn’t true or attempting to transform Him into something He isn’t. God: Coming face to face with His Majesty

The essence of idolatry, is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. Be Determined.

The love of pleasures and possessions is but an insidious form of idolatry, demonic in its origin and destructive in its outcome. To make possessions and pleasures the most important things in life is idolatry. The Bible exposition

Anything becomes an idol when it keeps us away from God. Morning and evening
According to Paul in Romans 6:16, we all have a yoke and we all have a burden—there is no getting around this, as much as we might like to think we can skip through life weightless and independent. Every day, every minute, we will serve something. The trickier part is who or what will that be? The idols of our hearts—the people I depend on for approval, Ashley’s dismal boyfriend, five more social drinks—are not gentle, and they are far from humble. They are cruel with our hearts, promising what can’t suffice yet grooming us as repeat customers. Their yoke is weighty and binding. Christ’s is easy and light. No other gods:
To keep yourself from idols is to live with a whole heart of faith in Jesus. John’s last line properly leaves us with that most basic question which God continually poses to each human heart. Has something or someone besides Christ taken title to your heart’s trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear & delight? It's a question bearing on the immediate motivation for one’s behavior, thoughts, & feelings. In the Bible’s conceptualization, the motivation question is the lordship question. Who or what rules my behavior, the Lord or a substitute?

The 1st Great Commandment, to love God heart, soul, mind, & might, also demonstrates the essential inwardness of the law regarding idolatry. The language of love, trust, fear, hope, seeking, serving—terms describing a relationship to the true God—is continually utilized in the Bible to describe our false loves, trusts, fears, hopes, pursuits, false masters. If idolatry is the characteristic & summary OT word for our drift from God, then desires is the characteristic & summary NT word for the same drift. See Gal 5:16ff; Eph 2:3 & Eph 4:22; 1 Pet 2:11 & 1 Pet 4:2; 1 John 2:16; James 1:14f Both are shorthand for the problem of human beings.

The 10th commandment's also a command that internalizes the problem of sin, making sin psychodynamic. It lays bare the grasping & demanding nature of the human heart, as Paul powerfully describes it in Rom 7. Interestingly & unsurprisingly the NT merges the concept of idolatry & the concept of inordinate, life-ruling desires. Idolatry becomes a problem of the heart, a metaphor for human lust, craving, yearning, & greedy demand. 2nd, the Bible treats idolatry as a central feature of the social context, “the world,” which shapes & molds us. Idols of the Heart

1 John 5:21 —Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. * 

Part 2:  The times we're most likely to turn to an idol