IDOL WORSHIP AND MINISTRY
by Pam Clark

One of the biggest snares I have seen in the Body of Christ that has not been dealt with effectively enough is the sin of idol worship in ministry. Just as children must be taught right and wrong on many things, like what to eat and not to eat, so must the children of God's Kingdom be taught how to walk in the ways of His goodness.

"Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings." Isaiah 7:15-16

The Scriptures definitely teach here that some things must be taught. There are those who have the mistaken idea that so much comes automatically. Little children are like that, they believe that "it's magic!" They are easily influenced in their innocence and lack of guile. But at the same time, bad seeds (words and thoughts) can be sown into that good field.

As these thoughts are consistantly sown and gain strongholds, the plans and works of the enemy begin to manifest against the Kingdom work of God. This takes place on so many levels, large and small, that only God can truly deliver us from the snares, but if we work at it, we can overcome much destruction at work in our lives and improve it.

If God is the Creator and Ruler over all things, then it only goes to show that He knows all things. The mystery of this choice to choose Him, when He designed the whole thing is mystifying, but He chose identifying with the frailties and ultimate weakness of our form (the susceptibility of death) to give us that opportunity to choose to love Him from the volition of our own will.

Now as one becomes acquainted with the Creator, and loves and worships, the gazer takes on the image of the One gazed upon. While this is wonderful, it can also confuse other people who see that influence and likeness they admire and they falsely transfer their adoration and worship to the created rather than the Creator. Nurture is necessary in our co-dependent world, and children often imitate their parents' philosophies and ways of doing things.

We learn trust from our caregivers as well as wisdom, but there is a higher order than just human life and that is the God life. To add to the confusion for us, there is a higher order of angelic beings, some righteous and some demonic, including Satan himself as ruler over the fallen spirits.

Satan's assignment in his earlier days known as Lucifer (or "light bearer") was that of covering cherub and leader in worship. This one who accused God of pride was himself the one who was guilty and unsubmissive to God's ways. It became a contest as to who would rule the Universe. In efforts to gain his way and thwart God's purposes, sin was conceived and birthed and deceitfulness and lies became manifest.

Because we, too, are spirit beings, we are caught in this battle of good and evil with the choice to choose God and believe good, or succomb to the evil of Lucifer's fallen ways. God says that the choice, just the choice to honestly believe His Son, who came in the flesh to reveal God Himself, is a way of deliverance for us.

While our mortal bodies may die, we are transformed into a new realm of glory clothed with His salvation and given a new body for everlasting life, delivered from evil and the ultimate enemy of death. In this way, God receives the glory of witnesses, knowing what He is and is not.

But as we come into our God awareness, it can be a snare for us to transfer that identification of holiness to one like Him rather than to Him. And worse are the ones who perpetuate the lie. This deceit will cause the works of the devil to become a problem and a curse. Our good intentions can be misread and misrepresented and mistaken.

The work of the enemy is to get you to not believe in the goodness of God. This will result in the loss of faith, hope and love for your future and into a despair that can bring death, including the loss of eternal life with God. For this purpose was the Son of God made manifest, that He might destroy the works of the evil one. If we call on him in faith believing, we will be saved.

The goodness and majesty of God is manifest in many ways and He is impressive! He is most worthy of all praise. But when we have the mistaken notion that people (or things) carry His sovereign abilities, we miss the mark.

Jealousy can enter in if we feel intimidated, or fear. And if we do not master these spirits, and it can be a major struggle because of the forces of anti-Christ, we will succomb to them and the evil purposes of their plan.

If we see the struggle in small children, we can certainly know the struggle goes on in adults. Because to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must come as a child, innocent and without guile.

To overcome this, we must use our reasoning abilities in the power of choice and that is the way we will overcome. We must study to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of His truth. Often as we break away from these jealousies and fears, we will find many strings trying to pull us back into our false beliefs of identifying the creature as having the powers of the Creator, but if we will choose the path of worshipping the One True God, we will overcome.

The temptation to identify others as Satan is also a snare but the bottom line is that some will choose life and the others will choose death - for eternity! Life is a struggle, but God says, "Choose Life!" His plan and ways will work. He is Love.