Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
Exodus 32:1 NKJV
What are our modern-day golden calves, and how did we begin worshipping them? The world makes gods of their jobs, money, materialism, and notoriety. What golden calves do Christians have? The answer may surprise you, because most of us aren’t aware we have created idols.
When I read this verse, two words caught my attention, “delay” and “go.” Both words describe movement. Delay infers we are in a holding pattern. Movement has slowed down or ceased. Go indicates a forward motion with a destination.
The Israelites had grown weary waiting for Moses to return from Mt. Sinai. It had been forty days. What had detained Moses while meeting with God? Was he ever going to return?
Their solution was the golden calf, and they spared no expense when they donated their golden jewelry to Aaron to create their god.
I look at myself and the way I respond when God delays. My first mistake occurs when I get anxious like the Israelites. Instead of patiently trusting the Lord, I stress. Like them, I need something to appease my impatient soul. What do we go to in those moments?
Food can be comforting, and for years, in these seasons, I looked towards food before looking towards God. I found my self-discipline running on empty as my body stored up calories.
Let’s go shopping! We don’t have to leave our home, our PJ’s, or even our beds now to shop. I fell into this pattern after gaining weight creating a need for new clothes.
Do you know what I discovered? I am addicted to food and shopping. When you have tendencies toward depression, the craving for food and shopping is even stronger.
There are other addictions besides food and shopping, but these are the ones I battle. Just like drugs and alcohol, we get a buzz from our drug of choice. That momentary sensation of pleasure. We can fall under their control just like an alcoholic.
Then I realized, I am my golden calf. I sacrifice on the altar of self to appease me when God takes His time. Like Israel, I go in the wrong direction. Now I need even more deliverance. But God is able. He is mightier than any food or outfit Amazon can offer.
Friend, if you find yourself in the midst of addictive behaviors, ask God to remove your craving for these drugs. Our cravings must be for God alone. We will have victory. This is spiritual warfare, and we overcome through prayer and the Word of God. Turn to Him today, and put your addictions to rest.
Lord, forgive us for turning to anything other than You when things go wrong. Help us avoid our addictions (name them). We have victory through the blood of Jesus Christ.
DIG DEEPER
Read Ephesians 6:10-18
HIKING THE TRAIL
Admitting the problem exists is half the battle, but we will have to be prepared to fight daily. Stay in God’s Word to do this.
Originally posted on September 8, 2020 @ 12:53 pm