A thought (or two) on idols

The question is not "Is your heart worshiping anything?", but rather "What is your heart worshiping?". If you worship anything other than God, you have an idol. No, I'm not talking about an actual carved image (which is also an idol), I'm talking about a heart issue. Jeremiah 17:9 says that The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? Our hearts are so depraved, that we can't even keep our eyes focused solely on the One who created us; and I am talking about myself too. One of the first questions that we should ask is "How do you identify an idol?" I really liked John Piper's article on this subject, you can find it here. Now, after reading that, what are the idols in your life? I think that what he said about idolatry being the root of almost all problems is so true. When I really dig down into the heart of the issue, I can prove that fact for myself. I have also found that, during the times that I have been the most swamped with idols, is when I am struggling in my relationship with God. By staying close to Him, making sure that our eyes are fixed on Him, we don't turn aside to other things as easily. Now, I'm not saying that all of your problems will go away, but they will diminish to a large degree. I think that this sums it up for us:

• 1. • Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
       Look full in His wonderful face,
       And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
       In the light of His glory and grace.
     • 
       

This is actually referring to salvation, but I would say that it also applies to this situation. Just look to Him for everything that you need. So, as always, I would really appreciate your prayers on this subject, as I seek to turn and keep my focus on my King.