I have to admit I got into American Idol this year.  It's definitely an entertaining show.  I didn't vote because I liked Adam and Kris.   I came across this video of Kris singing "God of This City" today and while I was watching it I really felt overwhelmed that we need to pray for Kris.   He's been given a huge stage and with that comes a lot of responsibility.   He seemed like such a humble guy on the show and I loved to see that.   The entertainment world can suck you in and chew you up if you allow it.   We need to pray for strength for him and his family.   We need to pray for boldness for him to use his new stage and a platform to speak truth and spread God's love.

So many people will make an idol out of Kris for what he's accomplished.   I pray that he can deflect that attention off of himself and on to Jesus.

Would you join me in praying for him?

Here's a link to another recent post I did called "American Idol"

Who hasn't seen American Idol at least once?  I'd say pretty much all American's teenage and older have at least heard about it.  I like the show.   I find it entertaining and the singers are amazing.  

The name of the show really got me thinking this morning.   I am reading in Isaiah 44 and it's talking about "All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless".

Before I even go any further, this is not a slam on American Idol at all.   I do like the show and the entertainment value it provides. 

The word "Idol" though has got me thinking.

What do you think of when you hear the word "Idol"?  Is it:

• A person?
• A god?
• A statue?

I grew up watching the Brady Bunch.   Do you remember that episode when they went to Hawaii?  Remember that tiki idol statue that Bobby found and gave it to Greg to wear as good luck in the surfing competition?   Remember what happened to Greg?   He crashed and they all started to think that the statue was bad luck.   They thought it caused the tarantula spider to come as well.

I bet most people think of this type of little statue when they think about what an Idol is.  

An Idol can be so much more than that, and it can be so much more subtle than that too.

This is from the study notes in my Bible:

Isaiah tell us, "Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing?"  We think of idols as statues of wood or stone, but in reality an idol is anything natural that is given sacred value and power. 

Idols can be:

• Money
• Power
• Food
• Exercise
• Sex
• Another Person
• The list could go on and on....

Essentially, an Idol is anything that we put first in our life above our relationship with God. 

I need to check myself every so often on this matter.  Many times for me, it's my business and work that I put on the throne of my life.   I get too consumed with it and thinking about it.   I bet for a lot of guys this is true.   We do get consumed with work many times.

What about for you?   Do you have any Idols you need to vote off of your life's show?

Here are a few questions again from my study Bible and if your answer to any of these is anything or anyone other than God, you may need to check out who or what you're worshipping:

• Who created me?
• Whom do I ultimately trust?
• Whom do I look to for ultimate truth?
• Whom do I look to for security and happiness?
• Who is in charge of my future?

Many times I could answer some of those questions with "myself".   That's not good, but I'm trying.   How about you?