As Christians, we ought to fear the Lord and not knowingly or unknowingly have any gods before Him. This means not bowing down to any idols, such as Mary, the Saints, or the like. All of these statues and figurines need to be thrown down and destroyed in the name of Jesus. The same can be said of people who lift up people ahead of Christ. Even going so far as to serving Trump or other presidents ahead of God. These things are also wrong and should be stopped. There is nothing wrong with honoring and respecting the president of the United States, but to go overboard is what is wrong. Now, with all this said, if you are caught up in serving other gods, then heed what Joshua said. “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods.” (Joshua 24:14-16) Will you also accept what Joshua said and only serve the Lord? If so, then God is well pleased with you and your decision to serve Him.
It was also written, “And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.” (Joshua 24:19-25) Now, because the people were so entrenched in their idols and false worship to other gods, he had to make sure they were sincere. Therefore, he asked them twice if they were truly willing to give up all their idols to serve God alone. Thankfully, they were willing and also made a covenant with God. Will you do the same? If you have the rosary, destroy that necklace today. No where does it say to pray to Mary in the Bible. This is serving an idol. Cancel this idol worship in the name of Jesus, and God will forgive you. Amen.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that people will be willing to stop serving things and people that go before You. This can be praying to Mary and serving and following people in this life. For You, we ought to lift You up alone in prayer, praise, and worship. All wisdom and counsel that we need for our growth in the faith and salvation comes by Your hand. This can be through the Bible, prayer, worship, and even through other people in the faith. Yes, God, Your words are a lamp unto our feet and it can also come from other good brothers and sisters in the faith. I know that I do not have it all together. There are many things I still do not know, so gaining wise counsel from others in the faith is so welcoming. I just pray that their wisdom is coming from You and not themselves. There is nourishment and peace that come from Your words and it is made evident when You are speaking through them and when it doesn’t come from You also. Yes, Lord, it would be amazing if we could have Your presence round about us at all times. Then, could we know for a surety that what we are learning comes from Your hands alone. Even better would be if You stepped into the room with us and spoke to us directly. Wow! That would be amazing, but I know that the Holy Spirit is with us now to confirm Your truth in us for now. So we continue to seek Your hands for guidance and direction and know that the Spirit will lead us into all truth. Thank You, Lord. I believe in You. I trust in You. I love You. Amen.
Amen to all of this! We must be willing to get rid of all of our sins including all of our idols. Idolatry and sins are synonymous with each other for idolatry is the ultimate sin and sin is idolatry. This is the ultimate sacrilege and we must stop it.
Hi Paul:
With all due respect, Catholics do not “adore” or pray to Mary and the saints per se: they honor them and ask for their intercession with God; the same way children sometimes ask their mother to speak to their father. They adore only one God: so it is not idolatry.