Control and Comfort

1. Isaiah 2:8
   Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.
2. Isaiah 2:18
   And the idols shall utterly pass away.
3. Isaiah 2:20
   In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,
4. Isaiah 10:10
   As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
5. Isaiah 10:11
   shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images?”
6. Isaiah 19:1
   [ An Oracle Concerning Egypt ] An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
7. Isaiah 19:3
   and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;
8. Isaiah 30:22
   Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”
9. Isaiah 31:7
   For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.
10. Isaiah 40:19
    An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
11. Isaiah 40:20
    He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.
12. Isaiah 41:21
    [ The Futility of Idols ] Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
13. Isaiah 42:8
    I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
14. Isaiah 42:17
    They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.”
15. Isaiah 44:9
    [ The Folly of Idolatry ] All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.
16. Isaiah 44:10
    Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?
17. Isaiah 44:15
    Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.
18. Isaiah 44:17
    And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
19. Isaiah 45:16
    All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together.
20. Isaiah 45:20
    “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.
21. Isaiah 46:1
    [ The Idols of Babylon and the One True God ] Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts.
22. Isaiah 48:5
    I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’
23. Isaiah 57:1
    [ Israel's Futile Idolatry ] The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
24. Isaiah 57:13
    When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain.
25. Isaiah 66:3
    “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;

This morning I was reflecting on my idols ...

Control - I want to control the situation so I make lists of what I can do about it, before even talking to God, I get busy, rather then stopping first and turning to God, asking him what he wants me to do/ not to do and/or how to do it. 

Friends - if I'm having a bad day, rather then crying to the Lord who promises to love and comfort me, I first turn to my friends... Food - same deal, I seek comfort in friends, food, I also try to escape into movies and TV.

Fun - I am desperate to feel "alive" and rather then living in Christ, I seek "life" in the things of this world, like drinking, parties, movies, clothing, and so on.

Note: This list is by no means exhaustive, it is only the things that first came to my mind.

I could call my idols Control and Comfort... any time I try to control a situation before first giving it over to God and asking him to guide me, and anytime I seek comfort in anything or anyone before first crying out to my heavenly Father, I am worshiping Control and Comfort. 

Think of all the idols you have in your life, things/people/activities that you put your trust in... When you are in need you cry out to them, you turn to them to help you to comfort you, before you turn to God... Does it work? Maybe sometimes, maybe for a short time, but they will all eventually let you down, where as God never ever ever will, grantee! 

Make a list of your idols... tear them up, burn them, stomp on them! Confess them to the Lord and he will be faithful to forgive you, ask him to help you not to turn to your idols, but to trust in him first and above all others. 

Amen.