Put away...the strange gods which are among you

"Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel" (Joshua 24:23).

When Joshua spoke these words to the Israelites they had already come into Canaan. God had given them great victories as they were enabled by him to drive out the evil inhabitants of the land. As they began to settle in, Joshua exhorted them to put away the strange gods among them. These idols were competing for the affections of their hearts and would lead them to forsake God for the false security they offered. Idols exist in our lives too in many forms. Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods, gives the following definitions for identifying idols of the heart. An Idol is:

-Anything more important to you than God.
-Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God.
-Anything you seek to give you what only God can give.
-Whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that,then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.
-Anything [that] becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity.

An idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand. Do you have idols in your life? As Joshua exhorted the Israelites who were in danger of forsaking God, “Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel” (Joshua 24:23).