CHAPTER 5
THE SEED OF IDOLATRY
THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN; BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL, WHO WILL NOT SUFFER YOU TO BE TEMPTED ABOVE THAT YE ARE ABLE; BUT WILL WITH THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE A WAY OF ESCAPE, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO BEAR IT. WHEREFORE, MY DEARLY BELOVED, FLEE FROM IDOLATRY. 1 Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verses 13-14.
The Apostle Paul is comparing falling into temptation to Idolatry. Idolatry is “placing anything or anyone above God.” THOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. Exodus, Chapter 20, Verse 3. It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin when men allow themselves to be beguiled and led into Idolatry. God has provided a way of escape from Idolatry. That escape is found in partaking of the Tree of Life. Christ, who is our Life, will always lead us away from temptation into the paths of His Righteousness if we place all our faith, trust and hope in Him.
1 Samuel, Chapter 15, Verse 23 says: STUBBORNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. Having things MY WAY OR NO WAY has caused the demise of many great and feeble minded men. A stubborn man is one who rules the expanses of his own heart.
He is the last one to recognize that he is wrong and will stand his ground no matter what evidence is presented to him. You cannot reason with someone who is unwilling to receive good advice and godly counsel.
God created man to serve, worship, and fellowship with Him. Sadly, when the First Couple sinned, they inherited many of the unholy attributes of the Serpent. Among the worst of these unholy attributes is the SEED OF IDOLATRY which lies in wait to deceive the masses.
Idolatry is defined as: “the worship of a natural, spiritual or physical god invented or made by men.” That god can be anything made of any natural, physical and/or spiritual entity. Since the beginning of time mankind has created and formed gods from the works of their own hands and bowed down to worship them. In reality, these men are being manipulated by demonic powers and entities which draw them away from the Tree of Life and the TRUE GOD, Christ Jesus.
Idolatry always begins with impure motives and attitudes. In thinking he can create a god by works, man becomes an infidel. Spiritual Infidelity is the same as Spiritual Adultery. Mankind creates what he desires to worship in order to satisfy his desire for acceptance and redemption. He places these idols he creates upon the throne of his heart because he feels a void which must be filled. Christ is the only one that can fill that void.
On the other hand, many men set themselves upon the throne of their own hearts. Like Cain, this legitimizes “self” as the ultimate authority in their life. This is known as PRIDE. All of mankind who are not eating from the Tree of Life are eating the Fruit of Pride which ultimately comes from the Forbidden Tree. The most prominent and deceptive Fruit found on the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil is the Fruit of Pride.
Pride is the Fruit of Destruction which has caused, and continues to cause, many men to fall into the trap of the Serpent. The Fruit of Pride is a beguiler which continues to damn the souls of many unsuspecting Idolaters. There is no hope or help for mankind outside of the TREE OF LIFE.
While Moses was meeting with God on Mount Sinai in the Wilderness, the Children of Israel created an idol out of the gold they had brought with them from Egypt. It was formed in the likeness of a Golden Calf. The Golden Calf or Bull God was worshipped by the Egyptians. The Bull God was named “APIS” and was worshipped as their God of Prosperity and Fertility.
In creating and bowing down to worship the Golden Calf, the Children of Israel were committing Spiritual Idolatry. They were proclaiming that the Egyptian God of Prosperity and Fertility which they created had delivered them from the bondage of their Taskmasters in Egypt. Now, they were trusting the Golden Calf which they had created to lead them out of the Wilderness into a land filled with milk and honey.
Many men today continue to worship the God of Prosperity. A prosperous Stock Market is even represented by a Bull. It is called a “Bull Market.” Natural man worships the physical, spiritual and natural things which are rooted in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Monetary gain continues to bring spiritual and emotional conflict if it is not used for godly purposes. Many men committed suicide after the Stock Market Crash in 1929 because they were distressed and emotionally broken over their monetary losses.
There is nothing wrong with monetary gain. It has been given as a gift to further God’s Kingdom and His plan and purpose here on earth. Feeding the poor, clothing the naked and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom is tantamount to the Will of God being fulfilled on Earth. God gives men wealth so His covenant, will and purpose may be fulfilled and accomplished here on earth. When His will is accomplished, there will be no more need for men to seek monetary gain.
Idolatry comes in many forms and is often hidden behind many different facades. Only the Light from the Tree of Life can expose all the hidden snares the SEED OF IDOLATRY possesses. All philosophies, false religions and false doctrines are mirrored by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. All psychology, psychiatry, man-made theology, rumor and theory is rooted in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Tree of Life is the only thing which exists that produces Truth, Spiritual Wisdom and Godly Understanding. Only the Tree of Life can produce Spiritual Life. Man cannot live by natural means alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The carnal mind is the enemy of God. Keeping our focus on the Tree of Life, Christ Jesus, will lead us into all Truth and ultimately into LIFE EVERLASTING.
FOR TO BE CARNALLY MINDED IS DEATH; BUT TO BE SPIRITUALLY MINDED IS LIFE AND PEACE. BECAUSE THE CARNAL MIND IS EMNITY AGAINST GOD; FOR IT IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE LAW OF GOD, NEITHER INDEED CAN BE. Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 6-7.
EMOTIONS
Our Emotions consist of our feelings and desires. Our WILL is strongly influenced by our emotions, feelings and desires. Emotions strongly influence us to do the things we do, whether they be good or bad, right or wrong. Our emotions are usually controlled by what we have learned, experienced and assimilated physically, mentally, spiritually and psychologically over the years. We act and react according to what motivates us and by what our strongest desires and feelings dictates to us.
If we are eating from the Forbidden Tree, the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life all contribute to our behavior in one way or another. On the other hand, through Wisdom, the Tree of Life produces only Christ-like behavior in us.
Many emotions reside within the confines of man’s spirit because of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Some of the emotions we exhibit are good and some are bad. Some of the bad or negative emotions are named in Galatians, Chapter 5. They include Fear, Anger, Pride, Jealousy and Hatred, just to name a few.
All of the above named emotions create ungodly responses in us resulting in severe consequences when they are triggered. Negative emotions and responses not only hinder the Spirit of Grace, but they hinder the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding from producing good Fruit in our life. We have no Peace without true Wisdom. The fruit of Godly Wisdom, which is Righteousness, is sown in peace. James, Chapter 3, Verses 17-18.
True Peace is an Emotion which is derived from the Tree of Life. Our Peace is reliant upon the strength of godly emotions. Love is also an emotion. If we possess the God kind of Love, we will desire to share that Love with others in order that they may also experience His Love.
The Light of Understanding, which comes from the Tree of Life, enables us to see the plight of the sinner and love him with the Love of the Father. Seeing through the Light of God’s understanding enables us to share the Love of God with all mankind.
If we are motivated by godly emotions, we can lead others to eat from the Tree of Life. All godly emotions come from the Tree of Life. When we make the Tree of Life our only source of Spiritual Food, godly attitudes and emotions will produce godly character within us.
Everything we do and say is a result of our motives, attitudes and emotions. When we are motivated by God’s love, we will seek to perform His will with a passion, surpassing any earthly desire or emotion. Old emotions and mind-sets rooted in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil must be cast down and replaced by the Fruit which is available on the Tree of Life. The carnal mind is the enemy of God because it is sustained by the Forbidden Fruit.
We need to meet with God every day and read and study the Bible daily, prayerfully seeking Him at every moment. God’s Word is Spiritual Food which will produce spiritual nourishment and godly fruit within us. If we are not seeking God and partaking of the Tree of Life daily, we will not recognize the schemes of the Devil as he attempts to beguile us into eating the Forbidden Fruit. We must be “STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT,” because we face a daily battle with our enemy, Satan.