Idolatry is the worship of anything other than God (biblically speaking). I look around the world, and it seems to be the new acceptable behavior. From material possessions to self, our desires over God have interfered with the flow of Christian community and growth.
My son and I attended church service a few years back, and we both appreciated the message-
“Do you want it, or do you need it?”
He was a young teenager at the time, so it was perfect. I always made sure that any lesson I wanted them to hold tight to, I also made it a priority for me.
It was easy to commit to changing my shopping habits after that day. If I do not need it, I do not buy it. I stopped getting my nails done, stopped eating out as much, and changed a few personal behavior habits for the better. We saved money, but more importantly, we were responsible stewards of all God provided. However, there was more to this question than shopping.
It is easy to look at others and shake our heads. We see waste, hypocritical behaviors, selfishness, overindulgence; however, can you commit to looking inside yourself. Are you willing to surrender your desires and sinful nature for the glory of the Lord? Are we striving to live more righteous lives? Lives that proclaim what we need over what we want? Have you committed to speaking to God daily, studying His Word, and sharing the good news with a world in need? Are you living out your faith and genuinely committed to the God we serve? Or are we meeting him halfway in hopes he overlooks our lack of commitment?
I commit to self-assessment and confession daily. I pray God reveals to me anything I cannot see. It is not about ‘judging’ (the easy answer to the lack of holding ourselves and others accountable). It is a call to commit to God in ways the world holds us back. To see past the cultural norms we’ve embraced and focus more on God’s will for our life.
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Authentic Truths 
I don’t do self-assessment;
it’s not that I don’t care,
but when to find myself I went,
I found I wasn’t there.
There’s nothing deep inside me
except, well, guts and bone,
not something you would want to see,
so let’s leave that alone
and dance a happy little jig
that’s today’s bright singularity,
or let loose a small greased pig
in the church’s neat clean sanctuary,
and then, caught, smiling confess,
and laugh while cleaning up the mess.
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I think that is a great question to reflect on. Do I need it or do I want it? It is hard to commit to only getting what we need, but we can’t splurge on everything we want either, it is wasteful. Thanks for sharing.
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