Be Thirsty for Jesus part 1

Cool quotes in Loving Jesus

As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

"Are you not thirsty?" said the lion. "I’m dying of thirst," said Jill. "Then drink," said the lion. "May I- could I- would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill. The lion answered this only by a look and very low growl. As Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. "Will you promise not to- do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill. "I make no such promise," said the lion. Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer the lion. "Do you eat girls?" she said. "I have swallowed up, consumed girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it. "I daren’t come and drink," said Jill. "Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion. "Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then." The lion said, "There is no other stream."

C.S. Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia"

‘Every Christian will become at last what his desires have made him. We are the sum total of our hungers. The great saints have all had thirsting hearts. Their cry has been, ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ Their longing after God all but consumed them; it propelled them onward and upward to heights toward which less ardent Christians look with languid eye and entertain no hope of reaching.’ I can conceive of nothing more significant and compelling than the beatific vision of the living God, and if our capacity for this vision relates to faithfulness in this life, every other concern should pale in comparison.”

A.W. Tozer

 “At the same moment the Trinity filled me full of heartfelt joy, and I knew that all eternity was like this for those who attain heaven. For the Trinity is God, and God the Trinity; the Trinity is our Maker and keeper, our eternal lover, joy and bliss—all through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . We have got to realize the littleness of creation and to see it for the nothing that it is before we can love and possess God who is uncreated. This is the reason why we have no ease of heart or soul, for we are seeking our rest in trivial things which cannot satisfy, and not seeking to know God, almighty, all-wise, all-good. He is true rest. It is His will that we should know Him, and His pleasure that we should rest in Him. Nothing less will satisfy us. . . . We shall never cease wanting and longing until we possess Him in fulness and joy. Then we shall have no further wants. Meanwhile His will is that we go on knowing and loving until we are perfected in heaven. . . . The more clearly the soul sees the blessed face by grace and love, the more it longs to see it in its fullness.”

Julian of Norwich, in her Revelations of Divine Love

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:51

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. John 6:54-56

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:66-69

Keep Swimming Upstream

Swimming Upstream
Being Pro-Life in a Culture of Death part 3

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Alfred Edersheim (1825-89) was born in Vienna, Austria to Hebrew parents and he was reared in the Jewish faith. He entered the University of Vienna when he was sixteen, but, as a result of his father’s ill health, young Alfred was presently forced to leave that institution. He wrote The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, first published in 1883.

Edersheim’s work is a gold mine of information relative to the religious and cultural conditions that prevailed during the time of our Lord’s earthly sojourn. The author’s fascinating description of Roman society as such existed at the dawn of the Christian age. It was so starkly “modern.” He wrote:

“It has been rightly said, that the idea of conscience, as we understand it, was unknown to heathenism. Absolute right did not exist. Might was right. The social relations exhibited, if possible, even deeper corruption. The sanctity of marriage had ceased. Female dissipation and the general dissoluteness led at last to an almost entire cessation of marriage. Abortion, and the exposure and murder of newly-born children, were common and tolerated; unnatural vices, which even the greatest philosophers practiced, if not advocated, attained proportions which defy description”

Sounds like he writing of America as we know it.

And the lie continues, even as we move into the political season.  The lie is simply this: that the political parties have to choose between social issues and economic issues. This year, the media and the party machines are telling us ad nauseam that the only issue that matters is the economy.

So any candidate who wants to win the White House should just shut up about things like marriage, the sanctity of life, religious liberty, and those other annoying issues that distract us from focusing on jobs and the economy.

But sin is costly, far more than we will ever know, though we do see some of the bills.  Consider what Rick Santorum had the courage to link the two in a recent Iowa town hall meeting.

“Yes, [the election is] about growth and the economy, [but] it’s also about what is at the core of our country . . . faith and family. You can’t have a strong economy, you can’t have limited government if the family is breaking down and we don’t live good, moral, and decent lives.” 

Sin is ALWAYS costly.  Remember what someone has said:

Sin will always… take you further than You Intended to Go

Sin will always… keep you longer than You Intended to Stay

Sin will always… Cost you More than You Intended to Pay

So swim upstream… shine His Light in the darkness.  John Stott wrote years ago:

“The world is evidently a dark place, with little or no light of its own, since an external source of light is needed it illumine it. True, it is "always talking about its enlightenment," but much of its boasted light is in reality darkness. The world also manifests a constant tendency to deteriorate. The notion is not that the world is tasteless and that Christians can make it less insipid ("The thought of making the world palatable to God is quite impossible"), but that it is putrefying. It cannot stop itself from going bad. Only salt introduced from outside can do this. The church, on the other hand, is set in the world with a double role, as salt to arrest -- or at least to hinder -- the process of social decay, and as light to dispel the darkness. When we look at the two metaphors more closely, we see that they are deliberately phrased in order to be parallel to each other. In each case Jesus first makes as affirmation ("You are the salt of the earth," "You are the light of the world"). Then he adds a rider, the condition on which the affirmation depends (the salt must retain it saltiness, the light must be allowed to shine). Salt is good for nothing if its saltiness is lost; light is good for nothing if it is concealed.”

So during the Clinton years, 56 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-choice, while only 33 percent of us self-identified as pro-life. But in just a decade and a half, the numbers have completely shifted.  According to the most recent Gallup polling, pro-lifers edge out those in favor of legal abortion by 47 to 45 percent. Half of all Americans agree that abortion is morally wrong.

Keep swimming…

Swimming Upstream part 2

Being Pro-Life in a Culture of Death

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Peter Singer, the most famous bioethicist on the planet, is known for his extreme but consistent views of utilitarianism. Moral absolutes do not exist, so we should do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.  Consistently, Singer has publicly defended abortion, euthanasia without consent, and even infanticide -- arguing that parents should have the rights to kill newborns if they wish. Not only is Dr. Singer in favor of abortion anytime, anywhere, but he states elsewhere that a newborn has no more rights than a pig.

But at a recent ethics conference at Oxford, Singer acknowledged that his views are not adequate for certain contemporary challenges. They can’t make people live for the good of others and the physical world. He admitted that his current position was in flux, and even that he had regrets about not believing in God.  He better watch out.  Perhaps the Hound of Heaven is tracking him down. C. S. Lewis, himself once an atheist warned:

“Really, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side.”

What then are people to do without TRUTH (ethics, morals)? Enter what is called The Noble Lie.  This term comes from Plato’s "The Republic."  In it Plato described a city whose inhabitant were organized into categories: The Rulers,  Auxiliaries, Farmers, etc. The Rulers, he said, would be chosen  from the military elite (called Guardians) because they were good at shepherding and caring for the interest of the community. The Auxiliaries would be Guardians in training. The Rulers, Plato said, must tell the people of the city “The Noble Lie“--that the categories of Rules, Auxiliaries, Farmers, etc. was not due to circumstances within the people's control, upbringing, or education, but because of God's intervention. God, the Lie went, had put gold, silver, and iron into each person’s soul, and those metals determined where a person's station was in life was.)

Not long ago In a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, philosopher Loyal Rue said that science has made it impossible to believe any longer in the myths of the Bible. And with the loss of these teachings, he acknowledged that we have lost the very underpinnings of moral theory and cultural coherence, for science itself cannot provide us with such answers. We are left, therefore, with the unprecedented situation of needing to concoct what he calls a "noble lie." This is how he words it:

“The illusion must be so imaginative and so compelling that it can't be resisted. What I mean by the noble lie is one that deceives us, tricks us, compels us beyond self interest, beyond ego...[and] will deceive us into the view that our moral discourse must serve the interests not only of ourselves and each other, but those of the earth as well.”

Really live a Lie that we know is a Lie?  Is that the best can do without God?  Maybe. But you are created in His Image, recreated in Christ to know God, to follow Christ and shine His light into a dark, dark world.

Swim hard Upstream and against the current.

Swimming Upstream

Being Pro-Life in a Culture of Death part 1

 The follower of Jesus usually finds themselves swimming upstream against the current, in the opposite direction of others.  Not just to different, BUT to follow Jesus, who was not of this world and greatly opposed by the spirit of the age and the delusion of religion.

Recently I was interested to read that the original “General Lee” from “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV series is set to cross the block at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Scottsdale.  Known as “Lee 1,” this is the car seen flying through the air during the opening credits of the show, and was used during the filming of the first episode before being wrecked as it landed the famous jump. It was the first of more than 300 cars used during the seven-year run of the program. Only a couple of dozen are still known to exist.

The orange 1969 Dodge Charger was discovered sitting in a Georgia junk yard about a decade ago by the founder of The North American General Lee Fan Club, Travis Bell, who paid less than a grand for it, according to a report from Inside Line.

Not long ago a replica of the General Lee that was owned by John “Bo Duke” Schneider and featured in a Dukes of Hazzard reunion movie, sold in 2008 for $495,000. Experts say the original could fetch well over $1 million.  What the world often discards is far more valuable than ever thought.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Consider what Alfred Edersheim wrote of the Roman empire, prior to it’s collapse.

It has been rightly said, that the idea of conscience, as we understand it, was unknown to heathenism. Absolute right did not exist. Might was right. The social relations exhibited, if possible, even deeper corruption. The sanctity of marriage had ceased. Female dissipation and the general dissoluteness led at last to an almost entire cessation of marriage. Abortion, and the exposure and murder of newly-born children, were common and tolerated; unnatural vices, which even the greatest philosophers practiced, if not advocated, attained proportions which defy description (Alfred Edersheim on Ancient Society 1947, 259).

Created in His Image, recreated in Christ to know God, to follow Christ and shine His light into a dark, dark world. Swim hard against the current.

Idol Factories… part 5

So far… not so good!!!

1. Idols have no real existence

2. Idolatry is a work of the flesh

3. Idols are at the core of an Unbeliever’s life

4. Idols are impotent to help

5. Idols rule us, master us, enslave us

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:19-24

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34

6. Idols deceive us

But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. Psalm 115:4-8

"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.' "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! "'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself. Ezekiel 14:3-7

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

7. Idols are energized by demons

No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 1 Corinthians 10:20

and the MAIN Thing is Still the MAIN Thing…

8. Idols rob us of knowing God

When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Psalm 106:7

So…

Flee Idolatry

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:14

Be Discerning (alert)

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

Idolatry & the BIBLE

Specifically in the Bible we find that Idolatry is a HUGE theme, consider what God’s Word says about Idol.

From the belly of the great fish Jonah prays…

Jonah 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

 1. Idols Rule Us

Exodus 20:1-3 And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me.
Isaiah 2:8-9 Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So man will be brought low and mankind humbled-- do not forgive them.

Matthew 6:19-24 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

John 8:34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

2. Idols Deceive Us

Psalm 119:8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

Ezekiel 14:3-7 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.' "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! "'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself.

3. Idols Entrap Us

1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

4. Idols Are Impotent

Jeremiah 10:5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good."

There’s more to come...

Made in America, Revelaed in our Hearts

Idol Factories… part 3

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

So okay Idols, they come in tangible and intangible forms. I’ve mentioned 4 key areas so far, which were

1. Riches (Materialism)

2. Relationship Idols
3. Religious idols
4. Pride (the worship of SELF), which by the way is often (like the other idols mentioned) seen as a “good” thing in our culture

The fifth area of idolatry in America is physical comfort.  The way to follow Christ is…

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me

Self denial is not just about denying Self to deny Self, it is the denial of Self for something Greater, and that is Jesus Christ.  I deny my Old Life in order for the New Life in Christ to be manifested.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. Philippians 3:18-19

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Idolatry is a HUGE theme in the Scriptures and God has much to say about these idols that we face at every turn in life

1. Idols have no real existence

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 1 Corinthians 8:4

But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. Psalm 115:4-8

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. Psalm 135:15-18

Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Daniel 5:23

2. Idolatry is a work of the flesh

idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions Galatians 5:20

 3. Idols are at the core of an Unbeliever’s life

for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. Galatians 4:8

These Infested Idols

Idol Factories… part 2
 

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

 Last time I mentioned the idols of:

1. Riches and

2. Relationships

 
Here’s a few more to consider, remembering that we wrestle not against Flesh & Blood!

3. The third type of idolatry are Religious idols

But those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame. Isaiah 42:17

"Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Habakkuk 2:18

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Psalms 96:5

Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. Isaiah 2:8

They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. Psalms 106:36-38

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:21-25
4. The fourth area of idolatry that I have found non-believers fall prey to is pride (SELF).  In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. Psalms 10:4

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Obadiah 1:3

"Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. Ezekiel 28:2

for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. Ezekiel 28:13-17

Idolatry... Alive & Destructive

Idol Factories… part 1

Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good." Jeremiah 10:5

As we begin 2012… let us make a conscious effort to keep ourselves from idols.  Idols, you say?  Yes idols.  This is John’s advice to believers in the 1^st century.

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

 

“To summarize, idols will inevitably involve self-centerness, self-inflation, and self-deception.  Idolatry begins with the counterfeiting of God, because only with a counterfeit of God can people remain the center of their lives and loyalties, autonomous architects of their futures.  Something within creation will then be idolatrously inflated to fill the God-shaped hole in the individual's world.  But a counterfeit is a lie, not the real thing.  It must present itself through self-deception, often with images suggesting that the idol will fulfill promises for the good life.”  (Guinness & Seel 1992, 33)

Idolatry in America is a way of life and it competes with the One who is Life.  I think is we take a moment to reflect we will discover that as followers of Christ there are distractions, detours and disasters that we must avoid as we fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus.  Idolatry is a “HUGE” theme in the Scriptures, and we’re not just talking about golden idols, though gold is always an idol.  Consider with me over these next few blogs about the dangers and influence that idols can have in our life.  There are at least 5 (many more I’m sure) recurring areas of idolatry, here are the first 2.

1. The first idol that is common among nonbelievers in America is riches.  We live in a society that promotes the concept that "He who dies with the most toys, wins."  When in reality, "He who dies with the most toys, wins nothing."   

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:21-24
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:19-24

2. The second area of idolatry deals with  the relational idols that keep people from coming to Christ.  These include, but are not limited to…

(1) issues of power that seeks to control other people

(2) issues of pleasing other people, which becomes a fear of man

(3) issues of victimization, in which the idolater escapes responsibility, because it's always someone else's fault.

So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:26-28

But those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame. Isaiah 42:17

 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. Psalms 106:36-38
"Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Habakkuk 2:18

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Psalms 96:5