WWW: America's Idol

The Bible warns us not to make idols or have other gods before the Lord. Most of the time, we overlook this because not many people are making bronze cows or gold goats and bowing down to poles. However, we forget that ANYTHING can become an idol if we put it first and above God. We are blindsided to one of America’s biggest idols: foods. It is a drug and an idol and very addicting. Let’s think about it, if you know it is bad for you and you eat it anyway, you obviously cannot say no and it is a drug and a problem. In America, due to our readily available food source, we use food to fill a void, fix a problem, find pleasure, cease stress, ease frustration, social eat, as a thing to “do”, or because we are bored or lonely.

Food, just like other idols, distract us from God, drain our resources, and drive our behavior. When food becomes our idol, our actions, money, and attention all will align to that thing. We think about it, pursue it, invest time in it, indulge in it, dream about it, etc. Food is meant to fuel our body and sustain us and keep us alive. Instead, it is something we worship and find solace in. we eat without thinking. Most people don’t even know how much they eat. Read 1 Corinthians 8:4. It states: “So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘An idol is nothing at all in the world’ and that ‘There is no God but one.’”

It is a hard thing to admit you have a problem. Trust me. I don’t have an idol in junk food, but in healthy food. I am constantly thinking of what I am going to eat next and looking up nutrition facts and calculating numbers. I allow it to affect my mood on a daily basis and crave tastes daily and allow my emotions to get the best of me. For example, my office took me out to eat for my birthday. I spent the whole night before trying to find the nutrition facts of plates and calculating what I could have there and how that would affect my food for the rest of the day. Then, when everyone ate a 100 carb and 900 calorie cheesecake, I became bitter and craved sweets. Think I have an idol? I know I do. I then went and spent money on every low carb sweet I could think of. It’s bad and I know it and I have to attempt to battle this on a daily basis.

So how do we conquer our idol? An accountability partner is always a great thing to have first and foremost. Secondly, even though we have moved from God, he hasn’t moved from us. So all we have to do is repent, reconnect with Him, and let Him satisfy the longings of our heart. When we do this, our idols will look a lot less attractive and satisfying, even America’s idol.