If you grew up in the church, the word “idol” may immediately make you think of wooden or metal figures that pagan people bow down to. If you’re heavily influenced by pop culture, the same word might make you think of Beyoncé or K-pop stars.
The practice of idolatry, though variant in distinct cultures, will ALWAYS be offensive to the living God. Exodus 32 presents one of the most popular examples of idolatry in the bible:
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
The Israelites were simply tired of waiting on God to give an answer. Aaron in compliance to their request asked for their jewelry to construct the image. The result was a golden calf, likely a reproduction of the Egyptian bull god, Apis.
In their decision to seek the face of a pagan deity, they blatantly disobeyed the law Moses had given to them prior:
3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, Exodus 20:3-5
Idolatry of Prophetic Artists
A common temptation for the modern Christian is to think that because they aren’t literally bowing down to a golden calf, they aren’t engaging in idol worship. Yet, we are still prone to worship the intangible as much as the tangible.
To bring that point closer to home for the prophetic artist: even though you can’t see a creative gift, you sure can idolize it! Prophetic artists commonly, and sometimes unaware, idolize their creative gift.
Signs of Idolatry
Drawing from the example in Exodus 32, here are three foundational principles of Idolatry:
- Mistrust in or impatience with God.
- Dissociation from God and his principles.
- The resolve to follow one’s own will and take matters into their own hands.
So… Am I idolizing my creative gift?
You may be prey to this idolatry if:
- You place your identity in your creative gift rather than in God.
- You’d rather spend time doing creative work than in the presence of God.
- Your decision making prioritizes your creative endeavors over the leading of and submission to the Holy Spirit.
In other words, whoever or whatever has your identity, time and devotion is likely your Idol.
How to stop idolizing the creative gift?
Here’s how to stop idolizing the creative gift:
- Be humble and ask the Lord to search your heart to see if you are guilty of this idolatry.
- Repent of the Idolatry.
- Submit to the Holy Spirit’s instructions to guide your creative journey.
Rejecting the idolization of the creative gift is an ongoing process. The foundation of the prophetic artist is a lifestyle of consecration. Repent of the idolization of the creative Gift and allow its expression to be guided by the gift giver, Jesus.
Recommended meditation: Psalm 51
Profess Creatives 
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