Jonah 2:8-9
Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord (YHWH).
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I believe that the single most egregious sin, the one most horrific, is idolatry. To take the worship and the glory that is due to our God alone and give it to another, regardless of who or what, is without doubt the ultimate offense—and it is certainly forsaking our faithfulness.
 
The prophet Samuel confronted Saul, the King of Israel, because he had disobeyed, literally rejected, the command of God. He told Saul that his disobedience to God's Word was idolatry and so he was rejected as being king over Israel! {1Sam.15:23} Many years later the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae that immorality, impurity, evil desire and greed were all idolatry. {Col.3:5} It should therefore be clear to us that idolatry can take many forms and we need to be on guard that we are not taken captive by it. Although idols can, they will not always look like a 'golden calf’ like the one the people of God worshiped in the wilderness. {Ex.32:1-9}
 
Today, in these perilous days, there is an idol that is greatly worshiped by people of all ages and races, rich and poor all around us, and is without any doubt the most powerful and most loved idol by the majority of people just as the apostle Paul prophesied; I know his name — SELF!

Paul, that blessed bond-servant of Christ who surrendered himself to the will of God taught that we are not to seek our own interests but rather those of Christ {Php.2:21} so that we who live might no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf. {2Cor.5:15}

He would then go on to sound this warning: “But realize this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self! {2Tim.3:1-2} And they will come dragging all kinds of filth in their wakes: lovers of money, unholy, unloving, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God....and on and on! Those are very much in contrast to the words of Jesus who said that if anyone wanted to follow Him they must 'deny themselves, take up his cross and follow Him.' {Lk.9:23}

So realizing that the devil prowls about as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, and we are instructed to resist him firm in our faith {1Pt.5:8-9} we must now guard ourselves from idols as John wrote. {1Jn.5:21} You and I must be able to say as Paul did:
 
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)
 
TEST EVERYTHING BY THE WORD OF GOD