Tag Archives: idolatry

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Idol Worship Stinks | Bible Gleanings | October 25-26, 2025

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The woman was “down in the dumps,” having entangled herself in a messy situation which prompted her to reassess her priorities. The Brinnon Fire Department in Washington State reported that a lady in her 40s requested emergency assistance, after falling headfirst into a vault toilet at a frequented hiking area. On the list of “worst things to happen to hikers,” this ranks as number two. How did she end up neck-deep?

She reportedly dropped her smartphone in the outhouse latrine and attempted to retrieve it—unsuccessfully. Initially, she tried fishing it out with her dog’s leash, and let’s just say her furry friend went home leashless that day. Next, she removed the seat and leaned into the abhorrent abyss to get closer—and that’s when it happened. The entire latrine collapsed inward, causing her to plunge into the filth below, where she dialed 9-1-1 from her soiled cellphone. All of this for a $200 smartphone. 

The lengths we will go for what we love and the things we are willing to do for what we value are truly astonishing. And many times, the price we pay in doing so is not worth the gain. But this is precisely what we do when worshiping gods that are not God. We often invest precious time, money, and energy into idols we believe will make us happier and more fulfilled—although they leave us down in the dumps. As the psalmist counseled, “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply” (Psalm 16:4a).

Idol-worship always costs more than it pays, and the false gods of possessions, protection, power, pleasure, prestige, and position always take more than they give. As Jonah cautioned, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love” (Jonah 2:8). You can’t get from gods what you can only get from God. So, why give to gods and get nothing when you can give to God and get everything He promises?

Nevertheless, emulating Josiah of old (2 Chron. 34:33) and demolishing our idols is challenging because, as John Calvin once stated, our hearts are “factories of idols,” equipped with a golden-calf assembly line, eager to fashion a god from anything and everything. Paul likewise stated in Romans that we are prone to worship and serve “the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). This is why we are exhorted, “Flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14, KJV), and admonished, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Therefore, we must continually “turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15b).

Idols are all glitter and no gold—God is God and always good. Idol-worship stinks—worshiping God satisfies. As David declared: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Other, Theological Reflections

The Unexpected Blessing of Unanswered Prayer

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Unanswered prayer is a razor-sharp instrument of sanctification that the Lord uses to slice open our idolatrous, covetous, unbelieving, and impatient hearts.

That has been my experience, anyway.

When the Lord does not grant us what we want or think we need, our sinful inclination is to desire what we are praying for more than we desire the will of God, which may or may not include the things we have prayed for. The things for which we have yearned for and cried for in prayer may even be good, but our idol-worshipping hearts have a way of turning good things into god-things (Rom. 1:25). A good thing can swiftly become a golden calf and we can easily become fixated upon what we want, allowing everything in our lives to revolve around it, thus, inhibiting contentment with the Lord and His will.

Of course, this is contrary to the kind of God-pleasing obedience which Jesus exemplified in the gloomy garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42). He prayed that the cup of God’s righteous indignation would pass from Him, if it were possible. For a brief moment, He prayed for a plan B. Nevertheless, He submitted to God’s sovereign plan of redemption, content with the Lord’s will, which was to “crush Him” (Isa. 53:10). Jesus desired the will of God more than what He prayed for.

Unanswered prayer can also reveal our unholy disposition to question God’s promises and provision, as if His word has failed because we have failed to receive what we have asked for in prayer. When the Lord denies our request(s), we can slip into unbelief and falsely suppose that God is going to give us a serpent or a stone, or worse, that He will withhold the bread and good gifts which He promises to give His children. Walking by sight instead of by faith, we can easily interpret a “No” from God as His displeasure or a failure to keep His word.

Unanswered prayer can also expose our impatience and unwillingness to wait upon the Lord. Perhaps He will give us what we are praying for, but today is not the day. Tomorrow may not be the day, either. Perhaps His denial or delay is because He has something much better in store. Only the Lord knows. But what is certain is that when we do not immediately receive what we are praying for, we have a tendency to grow frustrated and impatient.

To be certain, unanswered prayer can be painful, but it is often painful in the same way that open heart surgery is painful; the heart has to be lacerated and opened in order to get it working right. And the Lord has a way of using unanswered prayers to expose the evil of our hearts and show us that all we truly need is Him. Because of this, unanswered prayer can often be an unexpected blessing.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Failure of False Gods | Bible Gleanings – March 9-10, 2024

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A toy power drill is stashed away in a box at our house that we keep to occupy the multitude of my wife’s nieces and nephews. It is plastic, devoid of electricity, and always produces entertainment (and sometimes a pounding headache). In my closet is a Black and Decker cordless drill—it is the real deal, and the tool I always use when there is a job to do. I’m not a genius, but I know better than to grab the Fisher Price toy drill when I need to drive a screw through a wood plank or door hinge. I know that the fake drill is incapable of getting the job done because I’ve seen the power of the real drill and the powerlessness of the phony one. 

Likewise, the God of the Bible is the real deal—the true and living God—not only because He has displayed His power in creation and salvation, but because all counterfeit gods are powerless. The Lord is God not only because of what He can do, but also because of what false gods cannot do. Idols cannot speak, love, or answer prayer—and the Lord God does all three (Psalm 115:4-8). False gods only bring disappointment, dissatisfaction, destruction, depression, and—apart from repentance—damnation from God. The only One who can provide lasting joy, enduring satisfaction, abiding contentment, and everlasting life is the God whose name is the Lord. 

Idols cannot be faithful to you. All they can do is fool you and fail you. The false gods of possessions, pleasure, prestige, power, and position will never give you unconditional love, unceasing care, and eternal soul-satisfaction. Besides, idols are only so-called “gods,” as Paul said: “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—  yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor. 8:5-6).

Therefore, only the Lord God is worthy of your service, trust, and worship. He never disappoints, deceives, or dismays. He will satisfy you with good things (Psalm 103:5). He will love you relentlessly (Romans 8:38-39). Do you serve and love Him or the false gods of this world? The choice is as obvious as choosing between a real drill and a toy.

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

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What’s Missing In Our Evangelism (It’s Not What You Think)

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It is incontestably true that, with the exception of Jesus, the apostle Paul made the deepest spiritual impact upon the world and spread the gospel further than anyone else in history. It is also fair to say that, as believers, we all have a desire to transform our world and reach lost souls the same way Paul did. But, as painful as it is to admit, it is observably true that we are not doing so for the most part. So, what are we missing in our evangelism? Why aren’t we impacting the world like Paul did? 

We have a plethora of evangelistic resources and tools at our disposal—much more than Paul had—so that’s not the problem. We mostly know how to share the gospel with sinners who will listen, so that’s not the issue. And, we certainly have ample opportunities and plenty of “open doors” to proclaim the gospel every week, so that’s not the hang-up either. What we don’t have oftentimes is the heart Paul had. 

What we need in order to reach the world like Paul is a burning and broken heart—a heart that burns hot for God’s glory, and one that is broken and shattered for the sinfulness of man. That’s the heart Paul possessed, and it drove him to evangelize a place as depraved as Athens, Greece. Paul was consumed by a conviction that compelled him to preach the gospel and point idolatrous sinners to the only God who is worthy of worship:

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.  So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him” (Acts 17:16-18)

As soon as Paul arrived in Athens, he wasn’t struck by the alluring ancient architecture; he was struck by the awful idolatry that filled the streets. “The city was full of idols,” Luke says. In Greek, this literally means the city streets were “smothered in idols.” And people who passed through Athens confirmed this, as they would often say that it was easier to find a god than a man. 

Athens was an idol-factory that never ceased operations. Temples to mythical gods towered thousands of feet high. Every street corner had an altar. Marble busts depicting every fictitious deity imaginable were almost innumerable. And, at the sight of this, Paul was “provoked” within his spirit.

His heart simultaneously erupted in righteous indignation and fractured into a thousand pieces. He was enraged that wood and stone idols were given glory that belongs to God (cf. Deut. 9:7), and he was saddened because he knew that all sinners are hopelessly enslaved to such idolatry. And a burning and broken heart drove him to proclaim the gospel—the only remedy for sinners steeped in perverted idolatry. 

Thus, Luke says: “So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him” (vv. 17-18a).

Paul did not raid temples or topple idols. He didn’t grab robes or protest in the streets. And most importantly, he didn’t stand idly by while people sailed merrily to eternal torment. Instead, he patiently and boldly preached the gospel to anyone who would listen.

He “reasoned” with the Jews, proving to them that Jesus was the Christ, just as he had done in many other cities. He conversed with people in the public marketplace, engaging in street evangelism with pedestrians. And he debated the philosophers of the day, arguing that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life (cf. John 14:6).

Here’s the bottom line: Paul saw sinners the way they truly were, and it compelled him to impact the world for Christ and proclaim the gospel to every listening ear. And thus, we have the missing ingredient in our evangelism. If we want to transform the world the way Paul did, we must speak the way Paul spoke. If we desire to speak the way Paul did, we must feel the way he felt about the world. And, if we want to feel the way Paul felt, we must see the way Paul saw the world: steeped in idolatry and in need of redemption from the Lord.

Seeing the world’s pitiful idolatry through biblical eyes is what fuels our zeal to point lost sinners to the only God who is worthy of worship.

How do you see your unsaved family, friends, and neighbors? Do you see them the same way Paul saw the world? Do you see them as helplessly and hopelessly enslaved to idolatry? That’s the conviction that will compel you to proclaim the gospel to a place as sinful and unreachable as Athens.