[Pastor Ralph]

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

[pickledilly]

An idol is anything that takes precedence over the LORD in your heart. That will generally include anything of the world or the natural character of humanity. Verse 19 says that the world lies in the power of the evil one. So when we desire or indulge or chase after things that belong to this world we are yielding ourselves to the control of the one whose main objective is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). We take our eyes off of the true God and give our devotion to self and false objects of worship. Idolatry leads to loss and death. The LORD says only He is worthy of our adoration and obedience, and through that comes abundant life.

There are all kinds of idols in this life. Power, position, and wealth have always competed with God for our attention. I think we also allow fear and worry to step into His place. We desire comfort and ease. Television and internet consume our interest. We indulge greed as we chase after stuff. Some people adore their children to the extreme. Even our time can become an object of worship.

[iam4-1god]

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?


Idols can and do distract us from learning more about God and His perpose for us. An idol is anything or anyone that will keep us away from God. Anything that we spend more time on than we do studying or praying or fellowshiping is concidered an idol.
Some idols that come to mind:
Television
Any sport
Significant other
Food
I say food, because sometimes I can be studying, and all of a sudden I get the urge to get a snack, and then I get distracted. After that, I loose track and don't go back to my study.

[charisbarak]

Idols, things that take our time & affection, are ever with us. In any age we have "idols" that can rob us of our time with & for Jesus.

Idols can be anything--daily work, hobbies, good works....just anything.

Some of my "idols" are food, busy work, time constraints, handwork, working on the computer--e-mail--facebook--all desiring to grab my time with the Lord.

[Magnus]

• Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"?John has told us that there is only one true God, and he came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, fully man and and fully God, co-equal/co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
  
  "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3
  
  
• What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?Power, status, money, our children, our career, affirmation, pride... are everyday idols in the lives of Christians and non-Christians alike. My idols... well to differing degrees they are represented by that list.

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[Elwood C O'Dell]

I like what Dr. Wilson said: “John seems to be using idolatry in a figurative sense here. He is saying: Little children, watch yourselves so that you don't let anything false or unworthy take the place of your true faith in the true God..”
Anything that we allow in our lives which can distract us from having fellowship with God, or we deem more important that God, thus pushing HIM out of first place, can be considered an idol.

[JanMary]

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"?

God longs to be first in our hearts and lives, because He knows that anything or anyone who takes His place will lead us away from Him and His best for us.

What idols distract us from the true God?

Anything or anyone which is a substitute for our love and affection for our Lord. It may even be "service" for the Lord, which glorify ourselves, and are not what He has designed for us to do. It can be T.V., our kids, hobbies, home, car, possessions, the internet, friends, sports, ....whatever we invest our time and affections in, which takes precedence over Him and time spent with Him.

What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

It used to be my children, as I "over mothered" them in an attempt to prevent them from ever feeling abandoned or neglected as I did growing up in an abusive, violent home.....Thank God He showed me what I was doing, while there was still time to "undo" it while they were still at home!

[jmlhopeful]

Pastor Ralph, on 21 October 2009 - 06:53 AM, said:

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? John does not want anything or anyone to come between us and God.

What idols distract us from the true God? False ideas in contrast with God’s truth and the doctrines of false teachers.

What idols compete with God for attention in your life? People with a warped sense of reality.

[csreeves]

Pastor Ralph, on 21 October 2009 - 02:53 PM, said:

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

Idols are a distraction from the one true God. My idols are TV, time-busy, anger.

[Moises]

Pastor Ralph, on 21 October 2009 - 02:53 PM, said:

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

Q4.(1 John 5:21)

Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"?

That is because there is only one Lord, God, who deserves praise, as per
Deut 6:4-5, 13-15: “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. .. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.


What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?
Idols will distract us from loving our God fully. Love to God is manifested by faith in Him only. When we praise idols apart from God, we will then believe our faith in God is not enough, so we will start seeking for help from idols which serve nothing because they are powerless.

[millie]

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?



The Son leads believers to the Father, and they are in the love and favour of both; in union with both, by the indwelling and working of the Holy Spirit. Happy are those to whom it is given to know that the Son of God is come, and to have a heart to trust in and rely on him that is true! May this be our privilege; we shall thus be kept from all idols and false doctrines, and from the idolatrous love of worldly objects, and be kept by the power of God, through faith, unto eternal salvation. To this living and true God.

[hanks]

Q4. (1 John 5:21)
Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"?
What idols distract us from the true God?
What idols compete with God for attention in your life?
John is warning us to abstain from any form of worship that draws us away from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ must be central in our lives; knowing Jesus Christ is God. Any other thought is idolatry. So we are to be aware of all false teachings. An idol is a substitute or false god taking the place of the true. Here an idol is not so much a material thing as a false teaching. Praise the Lord; I must say that I do try my utmost to stay focussed on the Word. Perhaps I spend too much time on the computer; otherwise I’m not aware of any idols competing with God in my life.

[haar]

John advised the children of God to keep themselves away from idols because idols compete with God for attention. God is the only true God that should be worshiped.

Anything that distracts our attention from God is an idol. Money, our jobs, etc can become an idol if any one of them becomes the center of attention or is worshiped.

[Lion of Grace]

John exhorts to keep away from idols because idols shift our focus from God to other areas. Some idols are wordly material things that "fill us up" as opposed to God being our source of contentment. Other idols can be more on an emotional level. I have the tendancy to want people to fill me up. I have issues of neglect and abandonment, so it can become easy for me to turn to people for love and solutions to problems. That's OK in balanced relationships, God gave us to each other for love and support, but I sometimes slip into forgetting to go to God first for the fill up and guidance. And THEN enjoying the people in my life together in Christ. Thank God I have friends who understand this, who stick by me, yet encourage me in wholesome relationships and I have a very good God who reminds me He's first and brings me to places I can be gently led to acknowledge that. He is faithful to remind me, knowing my circumstances, correcting me and restoring me to Himself.

[C Riv]

Pastor Ralph, on 21 October 2009 - 03:53 PM, said:

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

You can only have one God, and He is a jealous God. He tells us over and over again that we can not worship Him and something else. Anything that we put ahead of God, value as more important and it all comes from the world, are idols. There was a time when there were many things that I gave more time to then God,not that I did not know Him but I certainly did not walk with Him like I do now .Bless God for He never gave up on me and He slowly changed me and now because of Him He is my life. I am in a position now to give to Him equal or more time then I would something else. This is good. Thank you Jesus.

[kenny]

Pastor Ralph, on 21 October 2009 - 04:53 PM, said:

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life?

I think that most Christians at some stage in their lives fall into the trap of idolatry, and almost always without intent. We need to be on constant alert and guard against anything that may take our eyes of the Lord. For some it's sport others it may be friends or even their own family, and then there are all those material things, money, the love thereof; cars; fancy houses and clothes, and right down to personal vanity. These are all things that take our attention away from God and in doing so can become idols, in other words they are taking the place of Him.How much time do we actually devote to God?? It should be 100% and this is not to say you need to become a missionary, no just live your life out in accordance with His will and you will find that you can give Him glory in all that you do. Amen!!

[janel]

Q4 During John's time there were lots of conflicts in the church. The Antichrist with
their false teachings would influence and sway the people away. Cities across the
Mediterranean were filled with idol worship. Children of God who were weak fell
victims to all these that is why John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves
from idols."
We being in the world are easily influenced by it. False gods lack love and
lawlessness. If our focus and attention are on these gods then we are distracted
from our true God.
Idolatry, the riches and glamour of the world, competition on statues, the modern
technology of this time eg. TV, computers, emails, internet etc have taken over the
minds and hearts of many people. As Christians we need to be aware of all these
material wealth for they are temporary compared to the promises of Christ.

[Paul H]

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life? An idol in this sense is anything which takes over, even for a short time, the central position of God in my life. That's not to say that we shouldn't do other things and have interests and hobbies, but God has to be central to everything that I do, and everything I do has to be to His glory. I suppose that my idols are similar to those of others namely work, money, possessions etc. Those things used to be everything to me and what I lived for. Now when I feel them starting to take over, I pray and I give everything I have and everything I am into God's hands. I look back at what He has done for me since I turned back to Him and that refocusses my attention to where it should be.

[glory]

WE NEED TO KEEP OURSELVES FROM IDOLS BECAUSE THEY DISTRACT US FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD, JESUS CHRIST.ANYTHING WE PUT BEFORE GOD CAN BECOME AN IDOL IN OUR HEARTS, WHETHER IT'S MONEY, POSSESSIONS, FAMILY, JOB, ETC.IN MY OWN LIFE, I TEND TO SOMETIMES PUT PEOPLE FIRST RATHER THAN RUN TO THE LORD FOR HELP.I THINK I STRUGGLE WITH AN EMOTIONAL DEPENDENCY ON OTHERS BECAUSE OF LACK OF LOVE AND AN ABUSIVE PAST, SO I HAVE TO ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP ME TO GET MY PRIORITIES RIGHT. HE ALWAYS HELPS ME TO SEE MY ERRORS AND LEADS ME INTO ALL TRUTHS, PRAISE GOD!!

[Delivered]

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep your selves from idols"?
It is the summary of V 20 We know that Jesus Christ the Son of God has come and has shown us the true God. And because of Jesus, we now belong to the true God who gives eternal life.Christ has reconciled us to His father, the true God, God the Father is a jealous God, we are not to worship any idols!

Paul was warning the Gentile believers who came out of idolatry, they must not go back to their Heathen idolatry, the same warning is for believer's today, we came out of idolatry, we must stay in “faith” don’t go back to our heathen idolatry, sin.

What idols distract us from the true God?
An idol could be anything that takes first place in a believer’s life. An idol could be any SIN a believer continues to practice doing, knowing it does not please God; therefore the idol has taken first place.

What idols compete with God for attention in your life?
I have been warned, everyone who has God as his Father does not go on sinning, and the evil one does not touch him, so now that I have found the truth, I must not deliberately go back to the idols that once held me in its grip, I am united with the Father and with the Messiah, He is genuine, the idols are of the evil one, so I must GUARD MY SELF from any idol which might distract me from the true life, that of the Messiah and from God, so I am taking the warning seriously, I am going to guard myself from any idol that would like to take first place in my heart, it belongs to God and to His Son, my Savior.