The Hidden Idols in Our Lives
When we think of the word idol, our minds go straight to the Old Testament. We picture the Israelites worshiping a golden calf and wonder how they could forget the God who just parted the Red Sea. It seems almost unthinkable. But if we are honest, we do the same thing, our idols just look different.
They are not carved out of gold or stone. They live quietly in our hearts, disguised as good things. Success, relationships, security, comfort, control, even ministry, things that start off as blessings can slowly become the things we depend on the most. Sometimes it is not even about what we have, but what consumes our minds the most. For some, it is constant scrolling. For others, it is politics or the news. We become so absorbed in what is happening around us that we lose sight of the One who is still in control of it all.
An idol is anything we trust more than God. Anything we turn to before Him. Anything we believe we cannot live without. For me, it was not money or status or even my work. It was something much smaller, something that did not seem like a problem at all, my phone and my TV.
It sounds silly at first, but that was exactly what God revealed to me. My phone and my TV had slowly become the things I turned to more than Him. They were my distractions, my comfort, and honestly, my escape. I would spend countless hours scrolling through social media or binge-watching something on Netflix, and then wonder why I felt so distant from God or so behind in what He called me to do.
It was stealing my time, my focus, and even my peace. There were moments when I would sit down to pray or read my Bible, and as soon as I heard that little “ding,” I would immediately reach for my phone. I would answer a message, check a notification, and before I knew it, twenty or thirty minutes had passed, and the moment I had set aside for God was gone.
During confession one day, my priest looked at me and said, “Leave it in another room. Or just turn it off for a few hours.” And I am not going to lie, I think I just stared at him for a second like, what do you mean turn it off?
That was the moment it hit me, the fact that I hesitated said everything. I had to stop and think, you can’t turn your phone off for a few hours? You can’t leave it in another room while you pray? That was a problem.
The first day I actually did turn it off, I caught myself reaching for it at least a dozen times forgetting it was off. It was such an eye-opening experience because it showed me just how much control it had over my time and my attention.
God used that moment to gently show me that I cannot hear Him clearly when I am constantly filling my mind with noise. He is not in the chaos. He speaks in the quiet.
And maybe that is why so many of us struggle to hear His voice, not because He is not speaking, but because we are too distracted to notice. Sometimes our idols do not look like idols at all. They look like comfort, entertainment, or productivity. They look like harmless habits that quietly steal the time and focus meant for Him.
Control can become one of those idols too. It makes us feel safe. It gives us this false sense of stability, like if we just manage every detail, everything will work out the way we want. But control and faith cannot coexist. You either trust God or you try to be Him.
King Saul learned that lesson in 1 Samuel when he grew impatient waiting for Samuel and took matters into his own hands. He wanted movement more than obedience, and that one choice cost him everything. That story reminds me how often obedience and surrender are tested in the waiting. Waiting reveals what we trust in most.
And if I am being honest, that is something I struggle with too. I see it in my business and in my finances. I know God placed this calling on my heart, but when things are slow or I do not see progress, I start to panic. I start to overthink, overwork, and try to figure everything out myself. I watch the numbers, check sales, worry about bills, and begin to question everything because doubt starts to creep in.
But what I am really doing in those moments is trying to control what only God can do.
It is hard to admit that because it comes from a good place, wanting to provide, wanting to be responsible, but control can quietly disguise itself as responsibility when really it is fear. Fear that God will not come through. Fear that He is not moving.
But He is. Just not always in ways I can see.
God keeps reminding me that He is working even in the waiting. That His timing is not behind, and my obedience is not wasted. The same God who called me to this will bring the fruit in His perfect time. My job is not to make it happen, but to stay faithful while He does.
And for some of us, that trust is in control. For others, it is in comfort. For me, it has been distraction, turning to my phone or TV instead of sitting in silence with God, and sometimes control, trying to force something that only He can build.
But the truth is, He is not asking us to give up everything we enjoy. He is asking us to stop letting those things take His place. To put Him first again.
Because the moment we put Him back where He belongs, everything else falls into order. He gives peace where fear once lived. Clarity where confusion once filled our minds. And joy in the spaces where we once chased distraction.
We may not have golden calves sitting in front of us, but we all have things that quietly pull our hearts away from Him. The beauty of God’s mercy is that He never stops inviting us back. He does not condemn us for getting distracted, He gently calls us to return.
He wants to be the One we run to first. The One we depend on most. The One we cannot live without. And when He takes His rightful place again, every false idol loses its power.
Lord, show me the places in my heart where I have placed other things before You. Help me let go of the idols I have built without realizing it. Teach me to find my peace and focus only in You. When I start to cling to distraction, control, or comfort, gently remind me that You alone are enough. Be the center of my life again.
Amen.
