“All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”
Joshua 24:23-24

Dear God, it’s always good to do a repeated inventory of my idols. They slip in when I’m not looking. I think they fall into two major categories: things that take my time and attention and things that make me feel secure and safe.

The problem with the things that take my time and attention is that they keep me from doing the things you have for me to do. For example, watching too many videos on YouTube is probably an idol to some extent. That habit keeps me from loving you with all of my heart, mind, and strength. How productive could I be in the things you lay on my heart if I were to remove that idol?

Then there are the idols that bring me false senses of security. I’ve talked about these before. They range from my bank accounts, to my job and the money it provides my wife and me, to the economy, to law and order, to our military. Then there are the cultural things that can threaten me and my sense of security. If I wonder what exactly they are, all I have to do is watch any news channel of any political persuasion and identify what they want me to fear at any given moment. It is those things that can become my idols. They include either side of issues like racism, the border, crime, political power (I probably should have led with that one), abortion/right to choose, etc. The news organizations have identified the things that will attract our eyeballs, and those things are usually idols.

Father, I know I have idols in both categories. I’m sorry. Please help me to identify them one by one and purge them from my life. I want to love you with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I also want to love my neighbor as myself. Please be gentle with me as I go through this process.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen