The Idol of Good Things Part One
Exodus 3:8 NLT
8So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
June 1, 2026
Mostly based on Deuteronomy 8 and 9
The sin of adultery in replacing God with what is good. This is one idol that most people overlook. It is deceptive in nature because the good thing itself is not bad; however, when the good things replace God in our lives, that is when it becomes bad. This process is subtle and becomes normalized in our day-to-day life. The pride that lurks in hearts begins to boast of its accomplishments and good works. Pointing to itself instead of to God. Pride rather point to anything other than the one true God because it knows it can't exist as it wants in his presence.
Pride is our flesh's or sinful nature’s favourite companion; our fleshly nature would rather go its own way and be free to do what feels good to it, in its own understanding and control. The flesh understands pride better than it understands the Creator because pride gives it what it wants now without the wait. The pride of man rides the flesh into rebellion against God every time. Simply because pride thinks it knows better than God and demonstrates this by going its own way in disobedience to the word of God. Often, following the bait of doubting questions such as "did God really say," instead of waiting on God for the answer, Pride takes the reins with its own answers because, in pride's mind, it knows better and could never be wrong. Pride thinks its judgment is pure and right and justified, while everything else is lesser or wrong. Everyone has pride in their life; the question is where it is and how it is managed. When things are going well, and the blessings are abundant, it is when pride of man has the most opportunity to lead man away from God. For it tries to take credit for the goodness provided by God as its own accomplishments for works it has done. It wants to feed on a piece of glory, and the Lord shares that with nobody.
Deuteronomy 8:10-19 NLT
10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 12 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13 and when your flocks and herds have become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! 14 Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. 15 Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you the power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. 19 “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.
The humbling process in life is brought through the Lord's discipline. He brings us through our desert seasons, humbling us and teaching us to trust in him and him alone. He also tests our hearts there. Due 8:2. Comforts put above God are pride's bricks used to build its strongholds to justify its ways and reasoning in our hearts. It scoffs at the things of God and looks elsewhere to fulfil its sensational desires that never stop growing like a bad vine in the garden. It creeps through the plants and will choke out the trees it surrounds and weaken structures it attaches to, ever so slowly. It can look so pretty, but underneath it is causing destruction.
Through the Lord's humbling process, we can see the truth about ourselves and how much we need God. Not just for his blessings but for his ways. He teaches us to walk in humility by not forgetting him and by giving him all the praise, honour, and glory. This prevents pride from being fed and puts it to death before it leads us to our death and destruction. Like weeds in a garden, it keeps returning, so it needs continual management. Continuing to forget God, especially in our good times, makes room for pride to grow in a man's heart. The lack of discipline in walking in the Lord's ways strengthens the flesh to produce its own fruits. Left unchecked and unsurrendered to the Lord, those two will carry a man down the path of destruction, deceiving them the whole way. For the heart is deceitful Jeremiah 17:9
Pride leads to Idolatry every time it is allowed to grow to fruition. Idolatry is simply putting something or someone above God. Deuteronomy 8:19 gives a stern warning: bowing down to other gods will lead to destruction for failing to obey the Lord, your God. We can't save ourselves. The cost of sinning against God is too great for anyone to pay. No amount of good work can make your way into heaven. Our stony, prideful hearts have all sinned against God, leading us to destruction and judgment in Hell. The wages of sin is death. The meaning of paying the cost of sin is death. No one is worthy to pay that price. We are all held captive by sin. Just as the Israelites were held captive in Egypt, we become slaves to sin.
“23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God knows this, so he made a way by giving his one and only son to die on the cross. He raised him up three days later. For everyone who repents and believes in him will be saved. Jesus walked the earth in a perfect, sinless walk with God. He was born by the virgin Mary. He was fully man and fully God at the same time. He laid down his life willingly to set the captives free. Doing so, he paid the price for our sins and set us free by forgiving us of our trespasses against him. At the cross, we become new creations and our stony hearts are replaced with hearts of flesh. We are given the Holy Spirit to help guide us as we learn to follow Jesus and his ways. Those who love him follow his commands. He is the true vine, and we are the branches. Remain in him, and he will remain in you. It is a free gift for those who humble themselves by repenting and believing Jesus is who he said he is.
Just like with the Israelites about to go into the promised land in Deuteronomy 8, we have the same warning. Do not forget the Lord your God. Be careful to follow his ways and praise him. Remember how he delivered you and provided for you in your times of need. Stay humble and understand it is not by your works or rightness that this happens, but by Jesus' work on the cross, fulfilling God's promise to his people. It is based on the goodness and integrity of God, not ours. So, all the glory, honour, and praise go to the only true living almighty God and no other.
John 3:16 NLT
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
If you have never accepted Jesus into your life and would like to, let's pray a simple prayer together to receive him.
God, you are an awesome, almighty God. You created the heavens and the earth by your words spoken into being.
You are Holy and just in all your ways. I have sinned against you by choosing to rebel against you. Walking in my own way instead of yours. I have committed sins known and unknown before you. Today I repent of my sins and choose to follow your ways by believing in your son Jesus that you sent to die for me and raised from the dead. I accept your free gift of salvation through the work that Jesus did willingly, laying down his life on the cross. I recognized that none of my works could pay such a price to forgive me of my sins. Teach me how to obey and follow you. Thank you for my salvation in Jesus' name, amen.
Father, for all of those who prayed that prayer, let them be baptized in the Holy Spirit and allow them to feel and know the difference of walking with you in the light, as they are now a new creation in Christ. In Jesus' name, amen, and thank you
If you received Jesus into your life today, CONGRATULATIONS. This is the start of a beautiful new beginning for you. Heaven is celebrating your return to the Father. I encourage you to find a local church to begin growing in your walk with the LORD. Get a bible and start reading it. Pray to the Lord, asking him where you should go, and follow the leading that you get. Let that church body know that you are a new believer, and they should be able to help you get connected in your area. V1 Church is also a good online choice for teaching and helping you grow in your faith. Feel free to contact Blue Diamond Ministries for prayer and such.
Later this month, Part 2 will be released. Until then, take some time with the Lord and ask him to reveal the pride in your life. Ask him to show you the things you have put up as idols in your life, and repent, putting him back to being the Lord of your life.