Have You Tried Everything Else (Idol Worship, Cont’d)? Now Try Jesus (Pt.4) (349) – May 9 2026

You might be thinking, why are we doing a part 4 on idol worship? Because it’s time to wake up to the reality of the things you are doing to yourself. Yes, there are things that the devil tries to do, but sometimes the enemy doesn’t even have to attack you because you are attacking yourself. Sabotaging yourself, feeding the darkness in your life yourself. Yes, you might be your own weapon formed against yourself.

Luke 19:10 – 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Commentary – Sometimes, we are lost and it’s not because of the idols. Make sure you are just lost and not a part of, deliberately defying or running away from Jesus. Why, an idol has no power unless we give it power. How, we open the door ourselves to sin and evil. God’s warning – Exodus 20:3 says – 3 You shall have no other gods before or besides me.

Commentary – We decide to do the action of coming into agreement with idols and worshipping them. We decide to make bad choices, we decide to be around evil people, things, to get what we think they will give us. It is people who carry out the sin by agreeing to do things.

Example – Some people have decided to go to witch doctors and let evil into their lives. Some people are doing witchcraft. It’s people who have abused children. Then they cry out for the Lord to help them after killing, stealing and destroying. Yes, idols are a part of things but you have to agree to do the sin, go in debt, have sex outside of marriage, steal someone’s things, not pay your bills, spend the money, not study for school exams. These are only some examples. Remember we reap what we have sown. This means what you have done to others, wished against others, prayed against others, it’s all coming back to you. Do you have fear of the Lord now?

Hosea 4:6 – 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Revelation 3:10 – 10 Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth.

Biblical idol definition – 1 John 5:21 – Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)— [from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).

Topics for this week:

• We can be our own worst enemy
• Know the devices of the enemy
• Results of worshipping idols, continued
• Removing idol worship from your life

This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): Luke 19:10, Exodus 20:3, Hosea 4:6, Revelation 3:10, 1 John 5:21, Exodus 32:7-8, John 10:27-28, Isaiah 53:6, 1 Peter 2:25, 2 Corinthians 2:11, Exodus 32:7, John 10:7-11, Isaiah 44:6-11, 1 Corinthians 10:12-15, Zechariah 4:6, James 5:16, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, Proverbs 24:3-5, Proverbs 24:12, Proverbs 24:14, 1 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 5:12, Leviticus 26:1-14.

Pastor Catrice teaches on this topic this week.

Transcript

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.)

And welcome back to yet another episode of Touch of God. My name is Catrice and I’ll be delivering the message for you today. This week, the episode will be about Have You Tried Everything Else? Now Try Jesus Idol Worship Continued Part Four.

Last week on Have You Tried Everything Else? Now Try Jesus Idol Worship Continued Part Three, we discussed the following. Last week we left off with talking about idols and how you cannot serve two masters, results of worshiping idols, removing idol worship from your life. It is important to really pay attention here.

We can all overlook things that we think are not important. The key is things we think are not important. We must train ourselves on what Jesus thinks is important for us to have or to not have in our lives.

If we want our lives to become better, and if we think that we are perfect in our own eyes, we will never see the things that God wants us to remove. An idol can be anything that takes the place of God as the most important focus and priority in our lives. Last week’s topics were, you cannot serve two masters, continued finding out who God is, results of worshiping idols, removing idol worship from your life.

This week in part four of Have You Tried Everything Else? Now Try Jesus Idol Worship Continued, again, this is part four, we’ll be discussing the following. You might be thinking, why are we doing a part four on idol worship? Because it’s time to wake up to the reality of things you are doing to yourself. Yes, there are things that the devil tries to do, but sometimes the enemy doesn’t even have to attack you because you are attacking yourself, sabotaging yourself, feeding the darkness in your life yourself.

Yes, you might be your own weapon formed against yourself. Luke 19 10, for the son of man came to seek and save that which was lost. Sometimes we are lost and it’s not because of the idols.

Make sure you are just lost and not a part of deliberately defying or running away from Jesus. Why? An idol has no power unless we give it power. How? We open the doors ourself to sin and evil.

God’s warning in Exodus 20 verse three says, you shall have no other gods before me or beside me. We decide to do the actions of coming into agreement with idols and worshiping them. We decide to make bad choices.

We decide to be around evil people, things to get what we think they can give us. It is people who carry out the sin by agreeing to those things. For example, some people have decided to go to witch doctors and let evil into their lives.

Some people are doing witchcraft. It’s people who have abused children. Then they cry out for the Lord to help them after killing, stealing and destroying.

Yes, idols are a part of things, but you have to agree to the sin. You have to agree to go into debt and spend. You have to agree to have sex outside of marriage.

You have to agree to steal someone’s things. You have to be agreeing to not pay your bills. You have to be agreeing to be drinking or smoking and be out of control.

You have to agree to not study for your exams. These are only some examples. Remember, we reap what we have sown.

This means what you have done to others, wished against others, prayed against others, it all can come back to you. Do you have fear of the Lord now? Let’s look at Hosea 4, 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because you, the priestly nation, have rejected knowledge. I also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me, seeing and having have forgotten the law of your God.

I also forget your children. Let’s look at Revelation 3, verse 10. Because you have guarded and kept my word of patient endurance, have held fast the lesson of my patience with the expectant endurance that I give you, I also will keep you safe from the hour of trial, testing, which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth.

So God is saying that if we remain in him and keep true to his word, he has provision for us. But for those outside of his word, for those who have forgotten his law, God is going to forget you. So let’s look at, again, the definition in the Bible for idol worship.

1 John 5, 21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols, false gods, from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for him. That would take first place in your life, amen? So let it be.

The topics for this week. We can be our own worst enemy. Know the devices of the enemy, results of worship being idols continued, removing idol worship from your life.

Let’s start with we can be our own worst enemy. God said to Moses in Exodus 32, 7, the Lord said to Moses, go down for your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. We’re looking at this and it’s saying that people can corrupt themselves, which is what I literally just spoke about us being the pathway to opening up our own doors to sin and the enemy doesn’t even have to attack because people are corrupting themselves.

Let’s continue. In Exodus 32, verse 8, they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made them a molten calf and have worshiped it and sacrifice to it and said, these are your gods, oh Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

We can see from the previous verse that there were people who started out obedient. Then it says they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. How did they turn aside? Well, according to Exodus 32, which is what we were reading, verses 7 and onward, it said they have made them a molten calf.

So they made an idol. They made an engraven image. They decided to worship it.

They sacrificed to it and they instructed their followers to replace God almighty with this idol that they created. They said, these are your gods, oh Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt. People who have either never served Jesus or turned from Jesus are doing these things to and for their new God, their idol.

They have made them an idol, have worshiped it. What are the things that are so bad that are in this verse that we need to understand that God is looking at as a sin? They have made them an idol. So making idols is not what the Lord wants you to do.

They have worshiped it. So they not only made the idol, now they’re worshiping the idol. They have sacrificed to the idol, which means they’re bringing offerings to the idol.

So many people out there are bringing offerings. They have an altar in their home. They have an altar on their land and they’re sacrificing to these gods.

This is idol worship, and this is a sin, an abomination to the stench of God’s nostrils. They’ve instructed their followers to replace God almighty with this idol that they created. They give their gods the credit for anything that God has done by trying to imitate God and the things of the Bible by saying, these are your gods.

This is how they’re instructing their followers. Oh, Israel that brought you out of the land of Egypt. So this is a lie because these gods, these idols did not bring them out of the land of Egypt, but it was God almighty who brought them out of the land of Egypt.

Those who do not remain in Christ are not reading the word of Jesus, memorizing, living, doing, studying the word in relationship with Jesus, doing all that the Bible says. Those not praying daily can be lost and fooled by the counterfeit that the enemy has tried to replace Jesus with. Those who do not believe in, trust in, cling to, and rely on Jesus.

Only the Lord’s true sheep hear his voice. Let’s look at John 10 verses 27 to 28. The sheep that are my own, hear and are listening to my voice.

I know them and they follow me. This is what God is saying. Verse 28, and I give them eternal life and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages.

To all eternity, they shall never by any means be destroyed and no one is able to snatch them out of my hand. Amen. Let’s look at Isaiah 53 6. We are told that all of us like sheep have gone astray.

Each of us has turned to his own way. In other words, we seek to live however we please, to go our own way. Let’s look at 1 Peter 2 verse 25.

We need to be close to our shepherd to enable him to be the guardian of our soul. If you are true followers of Jesus Christ, the John 10 verses 27 to 28 says that my sheep know my voice and I know them and they follow me. So if you don’t know God’s voice and God doesn’t know you, you’re not in relationship with Jesus Christ, then he doesn’t know you and you don’t know him.

Isaiah 53 6. We are told that all of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. In other words, we seek to live however we please, to go our own way.

But 1 Peter 2 25 says that in order for the Lord to lead you and to guide your soul, you need to be close to him. And if you’re not close to him, which means you’re not in relationship with Jesus Christ, you’re not talking to him every day, you’re not reading your Bible, all the things that we just mentioned, that means you’re not close to him. You’re not going to hear God’s voice.

You’re not going to understand anything that he’s saying because you are not in relationship. And you don’t hear God’s voice and God doesn’t hear you because that’s what John 10 27 to 28 says. It’s time to kick it into gear and get serious about God and hearing his voice because he’s the only one who’s going to get you out of these situations that you are in.

Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 2 verse 11 to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions, knowing the devices of the enemy to keep Satan from getting advantage over us. We need to not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy and his wiles and his intentions. We need to know what the enemy is trying to do to us.

We need to have the discernment and you can only have discernment by being in relationship with the Lord and hearing his voice. Some of the devices of the devil we already discussed in Exodus 32 verses seven, the idol creation, idol worship, idol sacrifices, replacing Jesus with your idol, giving your idol credit for what the Lord has done. These are all sins towards the one Jesus who heals, delivers, saves, sets free, died for us, provides for us, and so much more.

Let’s look at John 10 verses seven to 11. Jesus said, again, I assure you most solemnly, I tell you that I myself am the door for the sheep. All others who came as such before me are thieves and robbers, but the true sheep did not listen to and obey them.

I am the door. Anyone who enters in through me will be saved, will live. He will come in and he will go out freely and will find pasture.

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. This is Jesus speaking. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd risks and lays down his own life for the sheep. God is trying to tell us something that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus has come so that you may have life and life more abundantly.

And Jesus risks everything for you. And he lays down his own life, which this is showing you what Jesus has done for you versus what the enemy has done. And the reason why we’re discussing this is because you’re supposed to know what the enemy is up to.

Let’s look at results of worshiping idols. And this is the continuation. Isaiah 44 verses 6 to 11.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. I am the first and I am the last. Besides me, there is no God who is like me.

Let him stand and proclaim it, declare it, and set his proofs in order before me, since I made and established the people of antiquity, who has announced from old the things that are coming. Then let them declare yet future things. Fear not, nor be afraid in the coming violent upheavals.

Have I not told it to you? From of old and declared it. And you are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? There is no other rock.

I know not any. All who make graven idols are confusion, chaos, and worthlessness. Their objects, idols in which they delight, do not profit them and their own witnesses, worshipers do not see or know so that they are put to shame.

Verse 10, who is such a fool as to fashion a God or cast a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be put to shame and the craftsmen. How can they make a God? They are but men. Let them all gathered together.

Let them stand forth. They shall be terrified. They shall be put to shame together.

Let’s look at the continued results of worshiping idols. First Corinthians 10, verse 12. Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands, who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm, take heed lest he fall into sin.

For no temptation, no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid hold on you. That is not common to man. That is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience and such as man can bear.

But God is faithful to his word and to his compassionate nature, and he can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of assistance and power to endure. But with the temptation, he will always also provide the way out, the means of escape to a landing place. That you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun, keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be, any sort of idolatry of loving or venerating anything more than God. I am speaking as to intelligent, sensible men. Think over and make up your minds for yourselves about what I say.

I appeal to your reason and your discernment in these matters. Let’s look at removing idol worship from your life. How to remove idols.

Let’s look at Zechariah 4, 6, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit of whom the oil is a symbol, says the Lord of hosts. God in his word is trying to tell you that it is not by anything you were doing. This means there is no person you can go to, no power that you can call upon besides him.

There is no thing that will give you what you need, except through Jesus, who is the only way to the Lord God almighty. Let’s look at James 5, 16. Confess to one another, therefore, your faults, your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins, and pray also for one another that you may be healed and restored to a spiritual tone of mind and heart.

The earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available, dynamic in his working. Let’s look at Hebrews 13, verses five to six. Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money, including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions, and be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what you have.

For he, God himself, has said, I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake, nor let you down. Relax my hold on you, assuredly not.

So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not be seized with alarm. I will not fear or dread or be terrified.

What can man do to me? Let’s look at first Corinthians 10, 23 to 24. All things are legitimate, permissible, and we are free to do anything we please, but not all things are helpful, expedient, profitable, and wholesome. All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive to character and edifying to spiritual life.

Let no one then seek his own good and advantage and profit, but rather each one of the other, let him seek the welfare of his neighbor. Let’s look at Proverbs 24 verses three to five through skillful and godly wisdom is a house, a life, a home, a family built. And by understanding it is established on a sound and good foundation.

And by knowledge shall its chambers of every area be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong and is better than a strong man and a man of knowledge increases and strengthens his power. God is trying to tell us something that we need to be led by the Holy Spirit.

We also need the wisdom of his word to guide us through so that as we stay away from the idols, we are led by his very wisdom, but we have to be in relationship. We can’t come into the Bible thinking all of these promises are for us if we’re in full fledged sin and we’re worshiping idols. The idea here is to start removing these things one by one from your life and praying to the Lord to help you in your walk and to strengthen you.

And even if it means you start fasting in some cases, as long as it’s approved for you to fast and you have made that decision, begin to walk out, walk out your salvation with fear and trembling. Let’s look at Proverbs 24, 12. If you profess ignorance and say, behold, we did not know this.

Does not he who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it and he who guards your life, does not he know it and shall not he render to you and every man according to his works? Let’s look at Proverbs 24, 14. So shall you know skillful and godly wisdom to be thus to your life. If you find it, then you shall there be a future and a reward and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.

Let’s look at first Corinthians 5, 10, not meaning, of course, that you must altogether shun the immoral people of this world or the greedy graspers and cheats and thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world. And human society altogether. So in this case, yes, we are called to be separate and apart, but we are also called to love our neighbor and to disciple, to make disciples of men.

We don’t condone what people are doing, but we try to show them the way, the truth, the life that Jesus came and died for us for. And now that Jesus has paid the price for us, we then turn around and we go and we help others, disciple others, go into the world and explain to them that they don’t have to live by sin and according to idols. Let’s look at first Corinthians 5, 12.

What business of mine is it and what right have I to judge outsiders, the unsaved? Is it not those inside the church upon whom you are to pass disciplinary judgment, passing censoring, sentence on them as the facts require? God is saying all of these things to us to open up our eyes to the idols that have been dormant in some people’s lives, or perhaps some people didn’t know about the idols that are in their lives. For continuous reading on how to set yourself free from idols and things that you can do in your life, you can read Leviticus 26, 1 to 14. God, I just thank you right now that everyone within the sound of my voice, Lord, that their hearts are touched, Lord, that people are being healed, delivered, saved and set free.

The scales are falling off their eyes. Hardened hearts are being softened. The word is going forth and it is penetrating.

It is penetrating, Lord. It is penetrating. Their hearts and their minds and their souls are being penetrated right now in the mighty name of Jesus.

And they are being set free right now as the word of God is going forth and it is accomplishing indeed what the Lord pleases. And it is not returning void. I just thank you, Lord.

I thank you, Lord, that the people hearken unto your word, because it is life to all who hear it and it is health to all of their flesh. Lord, help them to cling to, trust in and rely upon you. Lord, help them to not turn away from your words.

Lord, touch them right now where they’re at. Lord, lead them down the path of righteousness, cause them to desire to turn from evil, cause them to desire to choose this day whom they serve, cause them to desire to go home and to clean out their house of altars and of witchcraft and everything pertaining to evil and darkness. And to begin to surrender those things and to repent of their sins, Lord, and to call upon your name and godliness, cause them to desire to become righteous.

Lord, thank you, Lord, that they are being translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light right now, right now in their home as they call upon you, Lord, as they repent of their sins, Lord, and they let you know what they have sinned, what their sins are. Lord, and that you as people call upon your name, Lord, and they ask for forgiveness. Lord, you are faithful and righteous to forgive them.

I thank you, God, that you’re just perfecting all the things concerning your people. Lord, your word says, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for God is with me. I thank you, God, that you are with all of your people who just seek and hunger for righteousness right where they’re at.

Lord, thank you, God, that you’re setting the captives free. Thank you, God, that bodies are being healed right now in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, God, for your hand upon them, Lord. Thank you, Lord, that every word spoken today in today’s broadcast, Lord, the angels are hearkening unto your word, Lord, and they’re carrying out everything. That you have ordained in this moment right now in Jesus name.

Thank you, Lord, that today people are turning away from idols. They’re removing the idols out of their lives. They’re removing people who are doing idol worship.

They’re removing every place that they go to that has idols in it right now. Thank you, God, for helping them to identify by the spirit, the symbols that are idols and that are witchcraft right now. In the mighty name of Jesus, when God is for you, who can be against you.

Thank you, Lord, that you sent your son here to proclaim the day of liberty and to set the captives free in Jesus name. Amen.