There are idols that we can see, feel and touch and there are idols of the heart that are easily kept away from the view of others!

In this episode of Now is the Time I give you some tips of how you can find those idols in your life that are keeping you from true worship of the true God.

It’s difficult to find the idols in your life if you don’t have a good understanding of what true worship is.

Just as we often have a limited idea of what idols are we also often connect worship with singing praise songs on Sunday morning and feeling some sort of emotional response. This may be a part of worship it certainly does not define it.

In the Old Testament the main word translated “worship” indicates a prostrate position before a king or ruler. The main New Testament word for “worship” is similar; meaning “to kiss the hand”.

The physical action indicated by the words for worship help us understand what it really is.  I use three words to sum up the main ideas of worship.

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• Honor
  

The act of prostration is one in which the lesser gives honor to the greater.  Bowing down before a person or a thing indicates that you believe that person to be worthy of praise or you believe that thing to be worth great value.

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• Submission
  

A prostrate position is not prideful, defensive or defiant, rather it is a sign of submission to a greater authority.

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• Obedience
  

Obedience to whomever or whatever you worship is the natural outcome of all worship.  This will eventually be seen in every aspect of life.

Once we understand what worship is, finding the idols in our life becomes much easier. We must simply and honestly ask ourselves the questions.

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• What or who do I honor?
  
• To what or whom do I submit my life?
  
• Whose standard of morals does my life represent?
  

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• Pray for us as we get ready to leave for the US in about 1 month, especially for Christina as she works to get our apartment in order and homeschools 4 kids at the same time.
  
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I highly recommend getting a copy of Timothy Keller’s book

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

I have found this book to be a great tool in understanding the subtle nature of idols of the heart and how to identify those idols in my own life.