Red Alert: Who Am I Worshiping?

Red Alert 1

Who Am I Worshippipng?

By Kuya Daniel Carandang

RED ALERT!

When the alert is red, in military terms, it means that the danger is imminent. The enemies are nearby, ready to pounce on us at any second. 

It is vital for us to know that we are currently under attack. Not from any enemy country or group, rather from the number one antagonist in our lives: SATAN!

Satan is out to get us and he won't stop at anything. He will utilize anything just to dissuade us from being faithful to our Heavenly Father. Yes, you read right...ANYTHING. Under that category of anything, one of the most effective stumbling blocks the devil uses against us is the issue of IDOLATRY. 

What's idolatry? 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, IDOLATRY can be defined as the worship of a physical object as a god  or the immoderate attachment or devotion to something. 

Here's a quick test. Which of the following can be considered as idolatry?

a. worshiping a golden calf

b. gushing and talking about Justin Bieber. Everything you think about is his new album, his new hair, his new videos.

c. bowing down to an carved statue with five arms

d. studying all day and night, not bothering to sleep because you can't bear to fail your academics
e. all of the above

If you answered a and c, you're right but the answers are not complete.

The correct answer would be letter e. all of the above

Why?

How can becoming a fan girl for Justin Bieber or studying hard can become IDOLATRY?

Besides the dictionary meaning, Idols can also be defined as matters that takes God's place in our lives. They needn't be golden calves or wooden statues. They can be anyone or anything that steals our attention from our Heavenly Dad.

They may be things we see on a daily basis and apparently, get a sense of security and attachment when we have them.

What are the usual idols for teens like us?

- GRADES

Admit it.

Some of us shiver at the sight of bad grades.

There's nothing wrong with aiming for high marks. In fact, God appreciates it when we work hard. But when getting good grades becomes the central focus of our lives, that's another issue. There are cases when some students refuse to sleep or eat just so they can master their lessons. Others rarely put down their books or handouts, believing that missing one second can lead to a failing mark.

- RELATIONSHIPS

"But what's the sense of my life without him/her? (insert dramatically high-pitched sobs)"

Sounds familiar?

At this point of our lives, we have these tendencies to long for someone to love us back. There are people our age who are already in a relationship with whom they believe is the ONE for them. They just can't let go of their boyfriend/girlfriend because they think that their life would not be complete without them.

What's the point of life without someone who loves you romantically? they ask.

-SELF

You just can't get enough of your self.

Every single thing you do must be for the benefit of your lovely self. You buy the perfect clothes because you can't do without them. You make sure that anything you do will be enough for you.

You. You. You.

-OTHERS

They can be dreams or goals in life. Over adoration of pop stars and musical bands can also fall in the list.


All of these become our idols when we allow them to take God's place in our hearts. We desire them because we believe they can provide the security and the contentment we need. We get this feeling that we simply can't live without these. Sometimes, we look unto these idols instead of looking unto Him.

Let us not be deceived!

Idols promise EVERYTHING but deliver NOTHING!

There was also a time in the Jews' life when they were deceived by idols. They had just escaped clutches of their Egyptian captors and were wandering around the desert, in search of their true homeland. They knew very well who delivered them for the hands of the Egyptians. Why, they saw Moses split the Red Sea in half by His divine power.

But despite all of these, they fell into idolatry.

The desperation caused them to search for security in the form of these idols they made for themselves. Instead of running to God, they sought help from false idols. 

They saw God's miracle through their deliverance yet they turned their backs from Him. 

God had already told them against idolatry in Exodus 20:2-3:

² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

³ “You must not have any other god but me.

Like the Jews, we fall into the sin of idolatry. When we prioritize other matters over God, we commit this sin. 

Our hearts, if not on red alert, will be deceived by these idols. Think about it! If we don't worship God, we 

don't worship nothing.

We worship ANYTHING.

Why is God so against idolatry? 

Well...

⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments

Exodus 20:5-6

That's sort of what God feels, only much more and more divine.

 Our God is a JEALOUS God.

That's why.

He says so again in the following verse:

¹⁴ Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Exodus 34:14

Don't we sometimes get jealous when we see our crushes having fun with other people? Or when our 

parents pay more attention to a child not their own? Or when our best friends find comfort in other 

people?

He wants YOU for an EXCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. 

What kind of a Father would God be if he didn't crave the attention of His beloved children? Who can blame Him for becoming jealous when He sees His children paying more attention to the ways of this world rather than being with Him, despite the unending love He lavished upon us?

God wants us to keep our eyes on Him, just as He never loses sight of us. He wants us to pay attention, to listen to His voice and to love Him more than the matters of this world. God deserves to be worshiped rather than these earthly idols because He has done more for us. He deserves to be given the honor, glory and praise as written in Revelation 4:11.

You have a special place in God's heart. His only wish is written in 1 John 5:21 (NLT):

²¹ Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

Have a blessed RED-ALERT week! :)