Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
This is the one thing that God warns most about: serving and worshiping other gods. Through the law, there’s many warnings and admonishments to not go after the gods of the land that they were occupying. When you get to the prophets, this is the one thing that they are rebuked mostly for: idolatry. And now, 4000 years later, this thing of idolatry, have God’s people finally got it licked?
It’s not something you hear much about anymore. You never really hear of Christians abandoning their faith to go after Mohammed; or after Buddha; or any other religion for that matter. So is this something that we have to worry about anymore? I mean I haven’t heard of any child sacrifices to Chemosh lately. We are not idolatrous. That’s not something we do nowadays, right?
Wrong. Idolatry is still something we must take heed of. The bible says to take heed to yourselves that your heart be not deceived. Whoops. That’s a little more complicated. Why? Because the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) It’s more deceitful than the devil and his devils. It’s more deceitful that the world and all it’s attractions.
I would say that the heart might be deceived while your conscience has no idea. I suppose that is indeed what qualifies deception; to believe something that is not true. In this case, that thing that is not true is that you are faithful to your God. Are we faithful to our God? Do we serve and worship him only?
The first and most important commandment: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Maybe you’re faithful to be in your spot every Sunday morning? Maybe you’re faithful to tithe? Maybe you’re faithful to thank God for your food every time you eat? But are you faithful to love Him?
It’s amazing that Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, His first desire of us is love. He desires that we love Him. It’s not do this or do that. It’s to love Him. So. In view of Deuteronomy 11:16, do we love something other than God? Where do we spend our heart, soul, and might? Is all of them set upon loving God?
I remember listening to Brother Janow many times in prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me…” (Psalm 139.23,24) Anybody can be deceived, but nobody must be. Truth is the opposite of deception. God the Father desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6); Jesus said that He is the truth (John 14:6).; and the Holy Ghost can lead you into all truth.
The truth may not be pretty. When I think of this topic of idolatry, I remember and fear the visions of Ezekiel. It all looked good on the outside of the temple (Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost…); but Ezekiel beheld a little hole in the wall. And God said to dig. So Ezekiel dug and found a door. And God said, “Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.” (Ezekiel 8:9)
Oh, but we’re all okay, right? There’s no way God’s people can be guilty of idolatry? I know it’s the biggest sin in the bible, but there ain’t none of that in our church, right?
“Nothing to see here…”
“We’re all holy here…”
“No idols here…”