S2.E9 - Idolatry

In this episode we discuss the dangers of idolatry, what it is and most importantly... what is better! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello listeners. Welcome to episode nine of season two of Football Eterno, the greatest podcast the world has never seen. Thank you so much for your time, taking the time out of your life and your day or your evening, you know what I mean? To listen to this podcast. There's a podcast that is titled Idolatry. We're going to talk about idolatry, what it is, why it's not good and what we should do instead, basically. And yeah, we're just firstly just going to praise God for today. We thank the Lord. This is a day that He is made and we shall be glad and rejoice in it. That truth's always available for us. The truths of the Bible, the truths of God, the truths of the Kingdom of God. Who he is, what he's done, who we are in him. All that he is, all all that's true. That's true and pure and holy and mighty and righteous and good is always available for us. And so we needn't swim around and or worry ourselves too much at all, really. Actually, the Bible says don't worry at all. So praise God. Praise God. But yeah, we are able to delight in him any second of every day, and that is it's in itself an incredible joy, an incredible privilege, a wonder to behold. Just an absolute wonder to behold. And um, we're gonna sing, well, I'm not gonna sing a song, praise God. Listen to this song, it's called You Are Yahweh, and this version is from the Jubilee Worship, and I I love it a lot. Praise God for God, basically. I love praise and worship. I love what it does to me, what it does in me. It's uh essentially it's a way to access him. It's a way to access his presence. Feel his presence, experience his presence. Be bathed in his presence, be filled with his holy spirit. We are filled with it and for his his presence to to sense his mana manifest presence is Shekinah glory. God is is is uh everywhere at all times and for the believers his Holy Spirit dwells in us and the truths of God are always available because he's always available. And whilst we're in this section of this section of time, whilst we're awaiting his uh his f full return essentially and the new earth and the new world and all that amazing stuff. Pardon me, I'm gonna sneeze. Anyway, praise God Yeah, when you just start saying his name, speaking to him describing him using the using the ways in which he describes himself and his word in the Bible these words are like um access access points. So 'cause he is his word. When you repeat his word back to him and you describe him and you and you you talk to him in that way about him, essentially that is materializing his presence in the room you're in, in your heart, in your body, and your soul and your spirit and then you're away, and it's just m it's just absolutely amazing. Like if I knew I knew anything about what it would what it would be like to be reconciled to him. And my goodness, I just chatting with someone at work the other day and I was like, look, I'm totally biased. I just think Jesus is the best thing, it's just I and I am because I know it to be true, praise God. And also I'm just consistently, constantly amazed by him. Like I'm just he's just uh absolutely incredible and he never ever uh gets old or gets sane. There's a similar sense, uh there's a similar feeling, like you go, wow, yeah, wow, the Lord. It's always fresh and new. And that's one of the answers, I think, to the question about what's eternity like, like every day, like doesn't it eventually get boring? No, it doesn't. No, it doesn't, because drinking from his well and the receiving from his well is always like it always is incredible and insane. Unlike uh other things in this world, which I would refer to as false fillers, which they don't truly satisfy there, so always something missing and they're unsustainable, and often we need to go back to them in increasing increasing amount of because it doesn't get the job done. And that can be yes, I can be talking about addictions. I can also just be talking about experience, dopamine highs, just ve ev various things, concerts, sporting events, well all these things they're they're nothing like either requires some it requires something, like it requires it for example you need a stadium loads of people in a sports game, so you requires quite a lot to get that going, right? Whereas you can just be sitting at home and just start start worshiping the Lord and it's like yeah, no, this is it, this is better than it's way better than anything you can get. And I and doing that corporately, i.e. in a group, worshiping the Lord in a group fellowshipping with other Christians is is is the best thing you can do you can experience on earth being in God's sharing God's presence with others who are in my in my eyes are also really going for it. Like the more that go for it and seek him and and just don't worry about how they're gonna look or anything like that, just go for it. Like that's what I that's what I do privately, and I'm sure lots of people do it privately, but the better we can get it doing that corporately and publicly to an extent the better, because where two or more are, there he is. And I can be speaking to another just having a chat with another Christian who's got who's the Holy Spirit and boom, the Lord is just it's just bang, just pop, there he is, bang, and you just you just you're it you're in and you're away, and and he and he's there, and you know, it's like the road to a mess every single time you're speaking to another Christian. Not every single Christian every time for whatever reason, but but yeah, but a lot. I've had it a lot, and it's a wonderful thing. Anyway, let's get into idolatry. So let's define it first, folks. Let's do that. So idolatry is defined as worshipping or placing supreme value on anything other than the creator. So idolatry in the Bible is defined as worshiping or placing, so that means God defines it as worshiping or placing supreme value on anything other than the creator. That might involve physical statues, which was common. Could be greed or fleshy desires, like I I I love cheesecake, I do love cheesecake. But I don't that's an example of a fleshy desire. It could be lust, could be money, objects, rings, jewelry, you know, anything, right? Anything, your job, someone else, another person. So we'll get into that in terms of the sports world and and football slash soccer. And the reason for that, the reason why it's it's not good is because by doing so God is in your heart at least dethroned as the ultimate the ultimate the ultimate th it is appropriate place. And so he doesn't ask for worship because it he he needs it, or it he's like, oh, oh or it's some chore that doesn't really feel appropriate. It's absolutely appropriate and worthy because of who he is by just his existence, not not by any effort he makes, just by his who he is in his existence. He made the universe, he's the universe maker, he spoke it into existence. He has never had a beginning, he's never had an end. He's never had a I was saying to my mate the other day, I was like, that one always flattens me. He knows he's he has a no he knows no beginning and no end, he's never had a beginning. Just that's it, isn't it? It's like might as well just go and fall on the floor now. He's never had a beginning and no end, and he made the heavens and the stars and the skies, and and he made everything and he and he made you, I've said this before on a previous podcast, and he made you, and he has a character and a nature, and he's your father, and he's a great king. And he is he is love, the Bible tells us, he is love. He's perfect in every way, in every single way. He is fair, he is good, he is good. His ways are perfect, his he he can can never lie, it's impossible for his nature, like he's holy he's just everything he is the light in the darkness, guys. He is the supreme supremeness of of of anything you can you could ever aspire to be in relationship with, and he comes to us and says, But here I am. It's it's it's he comes to us, guys. We can't we we can't reach him. That's what Babylon did with the Tower of Babylon, that's why you see huge skyscrapers around. It's it's all Babylonian in that sense, the skyscrapers, the towers, the money, the greed. It's all Babylon's never really gone. It's more of a it's a spiritual kingdom, it's a it's a it's operate a kingdom that operates in opposition to God essentially. In that kingdom, it was full of idolatry and paganism and what and and worshipping of false gods and false idols. The Bible says there is there is only one God. And there are references to uh people worship other gods. There is no other, there is no other they they are believing, though they think that there's other that that that they've got gods, but they're all they're not. There's only one God. Besides him, there is no other. And these are false gods, essentially. They don't they're not they're not they're not that. They might be demonic powers, spirits, uh ideas, even ideas from the enemy that people gather around, which then gives it power because of the eyes and the attention and the energy that goes towards it, that can certainly manifest something in the spirit realm as derivative of of the enemy, and therefore has some power, but ultimately has no real power, like the old man in the Wizard of Oz that's behind the you know on the bike. It's like oh okay, compared to the Creator, the one true living God, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, his name is Yahweh, he is Jesus Christ, and he is worthy of our worship. And the Bible yeah, so if we were if we worship we have idols in our hearts, that A can stop us accessing God, which is not a good thing because he should be because of because of the reality and the truth of it, it's just the way it is, and it's good for us. Like we we only you want him to capture your your heart, your imagination, your love, right? Because Bible also tells us we can only love because he first loved us. So your capacity to love is is exists in and through you because of the love that God has for you. And I there's been times where I've caught more than a whiff off God's love for me. Like some there's been times where I've been hit by it like it's an invisible love train that's just sweeps into my in into my soul like this deep um flowing river of his love for me, and it's what's the best way to explain it? It blows me away because you just feel like me. And so, and not that I'm necessarily putting myself in a pit, but A, if you're full of pride and arrogance, you the the Lord knows you God knows you from afar. So it basically means you're far from him, he can't know you close up, you can't you can't receive his presence and his love for you and all that he is, you can't, because you've you've lifted yourself up, essentially. You love you're in love with yourself and you think you're amazing, whereas he's amazing, and so if when I but when I am focused on his amazingness and I'm not not focused on myself, I get to experience his presence and his love for me, and that's the best thing ever. So that's why humility, when the Lord says humble yourself, because he's not a a tyrant dictator that says that the world has has given us these tyrant kings, and that's we've got to erase that and and get that out of the way. This this is this is the one true king, the king of kings, who is the perfect king, the perfect ruler. He's perfect, and his love for us is is like I say that the times when it's flowed through me and I've experienced it, it's broken me, broken me into a thousand pieces, but yet I yet I'm shattered in his arms, and he puts me back together and wipes a snot off my face, and I and I and I somehow carry on with my day. But in that is like the identity that you're looking for is like actually it's it's it's the relationship we have with him as as as children, as daughters and sons. Yes, we're royal priests, you yes, we're co-heirs with Christ, we're kings and queens, and you know, we have uh roles and offices in his kingdom, and all that's all that great stuff. And there really is nothing better than being father-son, you're a son of the great king, you're a you know, of all the things that he is, and that's who he is, your father. He's your father, and that's and when we have the father, I'm digressing here, but I'm just going with it. When we have the because we have the father, son, and holy spirit, that's also perfect, eh? Because that's who he is, and so it the sense that it's perfect is because that's who he is, and he is perfect, so it fits because you've also got Jesus as your brother, and he calls us brother, and so you know, he calls himself our brother, and that's what it says in the Bible. You know, he's also eternal life, he is the he is the true bread of life, from he's the he's the bread of heaven, the true mana. There's so many things that he is, it's like well, he is eternal life. Yeah, he's he's he's he's taken on flesh, a human form, but he existed with God because God is the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. Then you've got the Holy Spirit who's a helper and advocate, and all this great stuff. So because God's triune, he's able to fulfill a number of relational aspects and angles that we can relate to that that that fill and fulfill all that we need to experience and know as human beings, and that's not by chance because that's because that's who he is and that's how he's created. So we fit into his plans, we fit into his, we fit into him relationally because he's perfect and he made us. So that's why everything works and fits and feels great and amazing because that's how that's how it is. There's no there's no gap unfilled, there's not there's no corner cut, there's no need for any of it. We're experiencing him and he's perfect, and we're just in that river existing and beholding him and it in his and um praising him, worship him, because that we're supposed to praise him and worship him in our in that that's what we're made for in many ways, and it's what feels so good because it's the best, it's like he knows best, he is the best, and so lay down your thoughts and ideas about what it may or may not be, and just get in the river. Just get in the river, and so you can't get in the river if you've if you have if you're full of life and your heart's full of idols, and some of these idols can be. We're on a we're all on a journey. I'm on a journey. I don't ever make any of these podcasts from a place of or because if I do that, like I know best or I know that if I do that, I'm out of the river, guys, and I'm you know, I'm I'm I've I'm just sharing what I've been able to know and experience in my journey thus far. Like the Lord could easily show me later on tonight or tomorrow an idol in my heart that I had no idea about because I it's hidden or sunken and it's covered with things I could that I you know what I mean. So this is why we need him. We need him to excavate us and know us and shine his light in and in and through of us and expose what needs to be exposed so we can purify ourselves and access and know him more in deeper ways, because that's the o that's the thing that gets the job done for us, that's the thing that you want. And I promise, I promise you. I promise you. And yeah, we can't get in the river if we've if we're loving other are loving other things, and so some of these idols, some of the idols can be hard to get rid of. It could be I mean, it could be like, and this is I'll just be truthful here. I love my I love my son, like the love that I have for my son helps me understand the father's love for me and and for and for you and for us because I'm like blimey, like how much I love my son. Now, in that love, would I say that my love for him is perfect? I I I I wouldn't know because it may be there's so much wrapped in wrapped up into it where it might be like, you know, I want to be a really good dad, and you want you want in your own relationship with your own parents and your own childhood's woven into it. And so it's it can it it's this inc it it it it's something that for me just proves Proves God like having children and childbirth and that relationship stuff, it's like as if that just came from like a dry, lifeless, loveless bang of existence, you know, it's just but it's just ridiculous, and so and I was chatting to the Lord at one point because I was like, Lord, I I I'm struggling because I think I love my son more than I love you, and um I need to get that I need to get that right and reorientated, and I can't do it by myself, I can't do it by myself, and I need your help with that, and so he did help me with that. Now the Bible tells us that the kingdom of God, and why is the kingdom of God so good? Well, because God's in it, so you can't take the king out, they can't separate the king from the kingdom in terms of the what the pro what what the kingdom displays and the prosperity and the life and the beauty of it all flows from the throne room because it's full it's a reflection and an extension of the king. And so the Bible says that the king there's a man who found a treasure in a field. The kingdom of God is like a man who finds a treasure in a field, and he goes and sells everything that he has, and in his joy, he goes and buys the field, and so he sells everything that he has. He can't wait to do that, he's sprinting to like get everything sold because he's found the the true treasure, he knows it. There's he's unequivocal, no one could convince him otherwise, and it's between him and the treasure, it's between him and the treasure in the field, it's between him and God because it's he doesn't need to ask someone. Do you think he's completely blown away, smitten, whatever you want to call it, taken by the treasure in this field. He rushes to sell everything in his joy, and so because he's found the thing that he's looking for, and God knows that we're all looking for him because that that we're supposed to be reconciled because that's what we're looking for, and on that journey to find him, some of us might go, and it can just be a sense of dissatisfaction or something in your life, or don't know. I've tried I've you hear people like Russell Blanders like, I did the whole money in Hollywood fame thing, and I just left felt empty, so he's tried it, and anyway, anyway, the Lord's ended up finding him. Praise God, right? Same thing for me in many ways. I was, you know, went through different, tried, tried ayahuasca, tried this, tried loads of stuff, tried loads of stuff, tried loads of stuff, and I realised that what I was that you uh only Jesus can fill a Jesus-shaped hole in your in your in your in your life and in your heart and your body and your soul, and that's the that's the whole, the docking point that we all have, because when it connects and it's in, you're like, oh my lord, literally, like, wow. It's beyond it. I mean, I had some you know, whoop-de-doo, la di doll ayahuasca experiences that at the time blew me away, but they they're nothing compared to the the the being in the Lord's presence, absolutely nothing, like nothing in comparison to it. And also, it wasn't really in it in many ways it wasn't really true anyway. And uh and yeah, the the the truth has a has a a firmness and a strength to it as beautiful and as and as texturized and as and as deep uh and uh wide and beautiful as it is, it's also got a str uh incredible strength strength to it and power to it that doesn't need to shout or it just is. It's just it's just it's just amazing, it's just full of grace and beauty and truth. And and the enemy knows this, the enemy knows that, the enemy knows this, the enemy, the enemy, the the evil one, Satan, Liza, was a is a fallen angel, he was a an angel, a type of angel, a type of celestial being, an angelic being, I think Cherubim. Cherubim, who guarded or was clo was in the close, close to or outside or next to the throne room of God, and he was adorned with all manner of jewels and beauty and wisdom that wisdom is basically like top dog in the angelic realm, let's say. Anyway, he got as the story goes, he got full of full of pride, basically fancied himself a bit, as the story goes, and had a great four, pride comes before a four. He basically saw in in essence looking at himself and saying, I've got to be careful here, and so speaking out turn but wouldn't you admire we can't take credit for uh our own existence or our own qualities or traits because we we've just been given, we've just been made and given to us. So so in that sense, we're always honour, but we have to remain humble because God can turn me into a pumpkin at any point, in any point, at any point in my life, he can turn me into a pumpkin and make it make a f you know. You know what I mean, right? That's that's humility in a nutshell, right? We must always remember that as best we can. We need the Holy Spirit to help us there, please help us with that, Lord Jesus. And like I say, the enemy knows plenty about mankind and ways to deceive and trick and all that kind of stuff, and so one thing that the enemy does is fill the world, the non-believing, the common mass non-believing world, not yet believers, people that haven't yet met known the Lord, have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God, into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of Jesus. He fills it with like with idols. Now, back in the day that could have been somebody making a wooden carving in their hand because they wanted something they could see and touch and pray to and ask for wisdom and guidance. And I saw this in the New Age with like could be a f eagle feather or a crystal or something like that. But basically they're calling it a power object, and it and it becomes their it becomes your like um your go-to, your go-to, right? Now you can at genuinely get information and insight from these things, but it behind it is not it's it's from Satan essentially what one way or another, and so you you're in somewhat somewhat that is it allowing you, enabling you to interface with the spirit realm, but it's the kingdom of darkness, it's all it's all trickery. People go to mediums and soothsayers and things like that, because they they they want uh knowledge from they want knowledge from the other side to help them in their life, which is a sin to do that, but they're looking for they want because some level they that they're not comfortable with the resistance, they're a bit scared, and that part of that reason is because they don't know God. Because if you know God, you know that everything's taken care of because his word tells you, oh, you go, it's like okay, wow, okay, great. No matter what goes on, God is who he is, and where I'm safe now forever and eternity, and it's great peace to be in. And then from that, a knowing God, you realise, well, he at He's the one that actually knows everything. Satan doesn't know everything, he isn't all places, all time, only God isn't. So you've got access to the one who knows everything. God might not tell you everything, but you know the one who knows everything, and when you know his nature and his character and you trust him, then you you're walking with him and you go, Well, I don't know everything, but I know but I I know that he loves me and he's my and he's he's my father and he's my God, and his word is true and faithful. I trust him, I trust him with my heart. The Bible says, Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. And so some of those idols can be things like that, it can also be what's lifted up. So what's lifted up and exalted, and wow, this is amazing, right? And we see that a lot in with literally people that are called idols. So that literally the world calls them idols. Now you might not know, well no, it's in uh it can be in a everyday lexicon, unless you know what it's really talking to, talking about biblically, and you go into the Bible and what's talked there about idols, then you wouldn't necessarily know. And an example of that is Doreen Virtue, who was a new ager, she had angel cards. Just because someone has angel cards doesn't mean they're no, they're no they're no God. Again, we've got this fallen angels, guys, so still still falsity. She she met the Lord, and part of that was through a a preacher, a pastor in the an Irish guy, I think Alistair Begg, who was in America at the time, and he showed her in the Bible in the days of Moses, where Moses says, Don't don't don't go and seek after soothsayers and mediums and cleverance and all that kind of stuff. And she was like blinding, that was all the way back then. There's nothing new under the sun, and that was that word from God, which is living and true, sharper than a two-edged sword, which is Jesus through God through his word, because God is his word, and so when you're interacting with the word of God, you're interacting with God, and he works through his word like that. That's one way in which he works. It's like she instantly, she instantly knew, and she was she was delivered, and she's she's now completely different, praise God. She's been saved, and um, she's renounced all that other stuff and all that kind of you know what she was into. So that it could be again, oh look at the cards or the horoscopes or um the idols, stars, right? So we call them stars, we look up to stars, don't we? So we look up to stars, wow, look at stars. You worship the stars and the movement of the planets, but then we would what we do with these, you know, what the world calls stars is they're lifted up. Oh wow, isn't so and so so amazing. But look at how much work has to go around somebody to be for them to be amazing, because and once they're lifted up and and all the energy is sent that way about how amazing they are, people we can just believe it and go into it and be like, oh yeah, wow, that's amazing. And we've got people passing out at concerts because someone someone's turned up on stage and it's this big intro where they wait and then they come out and then they they stand there and everyone's going, wow, like that is so the altar that's raised up there to a false idol to a to a person like you and me that but when that person goes backstage and goes to the toilet, they've still got to check the paper to see if they need to have another wipe. Do you know what I mean? Like honestly, like they've got just to bring us back down to earth. But look at the what goes on with that art, and people can be in love with these people, these stars have never met, follow them, la la la. We're supposed to be sending all of that energy towards God, towards Jesus Christ. And actually, when you do that, you it it will blow any of that out of the water because that's fake, fake, exalted, manufactured infrastructure that's got so much effort has to go into it could consistently, whereas Jesus just is that good, but he doesn't have to, you know, it's just who he is, right? He doesn't have to, he does not need any artificial scaffolding. And also with these stars, once they've already got so many eyes that sending that way, and the mass and the media and everything gets behind it and all that kind of stuff. It's like because they they know the enemy knows hu human nature and psychology. Like, for example, if if you're people that are selling stuff on the streets, you know, where they pop up and go, right, gather around, buy wants to buy this. Often they'll have one or two people in the crowd that will act as if they're members of the public and they'll go, Oh yeah, I'll take five. And that gets everyone else buying. And so, because you uh right, so you there's so many experiments in psychology. There's another one I can't remember what it was, but basically there'd be a room of 20 people, let's say, 10 people, ten people sat round. Uh one person is doesn't know what's going on, the rest are all actors, and they're in on it, and they'll go around and they'll go, right guys, two plus two, right? Four, four, four, four, and it and let's say the person is number of number six in the in the in the in the number six turn, right? And they'll go, yeah, four. They'll do that a few times and then they'll say something like five plus five, and then the person will go twelve, and then they'll go around. So obviously it's incorrect, like it's basically basic and it's massively incorrect. But that person who's number six, might the first time they might go ten, like, but eventually, what happens now? People, some people are different, some people don't, some people do straight away. It's part of our our desire to fit in, to belong, all that kind of stuff, to not, you know, different personality. You might say I wouldn't do it, but you know, these this these experiments show that. More often than not, most people very quickly at some just go, yeah, 12. And so, you know, it the enemy knows this kind of stuff. So it's very easy, well designed to take our to be an you know an energy energy tax because anything that's being sent that way and being lifted up on our heart means that there's there's yeah, we don't we're we're in that moment of time, we're absolutely not knowing and loving God because we're we're we're something else artificial is temporarily filling that filling that void, and it's doesn't not gonna work because it doesn't trick it can't truly satisfy, it can't fill all the gaps and and fill us up like Jesus can, it can't. That's the point, and also it the high or whatever the that it gives us actually can leave us drained afterwards, where we're like, Oh, I need to go back to that thing, or well uh you know what I mean, whereas actually you can just be with Jesus every single second of every day, like all the time, constantly bam, blah, bam, blah, bang. And so that's because it's real and legit and doesn't need any effort or force, it's just by his pure existence, and that's an example of idolatry. We see that in the world of football, and we see that in the World Cup. Like, what's going on with the Messi and the Ronaldo? Like, I'm like, I was chatting to someone at work, and I got a little bit like because I and I can I through the Holy Spirit, praise God, I could tell that that's what this is what's going on with idolatry. So it's like how much they're exalted, like in people's eyes and in kids' eyes, and stuff like that, where they're lifted up, like they can do no role, and even there's debate about them and try and people have their opinions, but even that, the amount of time that's consumed and spent going towards it in the news and the media and stuff like that, it's it's all it's all to keep you distracted, but it does it in a way where it gives you some kind of experience, so even the World Cup to an extent, how they how it's going at the minute. For me, it's like it's just become this like runaway energy vortex where it's like the game's a ridiculous, it's almost like I go, What was it like back in the day? I think it was probably a bit better, but I don't think the players were as good, let's say. But the game, I don't know. It's like for me, it's taking a bit of the shine off for it because I'm like, okay, I could kind of sense and see what's going on to an extent, all the talking points, the drama, that you know, it's all massive distraction, big energy, big energy tax, and it leaves you feeling of ultimately in the end unfulfilled. Even if you win it, if if you let's say your team wins it, and you're like, huh, what then? What what four weeks later, or six, you know, it's like, uh, whereas the real deal, Jesus Christ, it's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, it'll always give you everything you need. And so that's why often you see players that are genuine or Christians are able to put these things into perspective because they're not gonna, you know, it's it's they're not gonna let they've got to guard the hearts and their mind and make sure Jesus is remains primary. And they do that by spending time in his word, speaking to him, singing his praises, talking about him, hanging out with him, tralala, all that kind of good stuff, right? And so I've been enjoying the World Cup for sure. I've been making a podcast about Light to Talk, and through this process, actually, what's also emerged is is you know, as far as I'm concerned, this podcast, well, the podcast belongs to the Lord anyway, and so he wants me to talk about idolatry. Partly because yeah, it's almost like I've I'm not gonna have the the the tax or the dump that I might have done through this because I was getting so carried away with it. I was right, I was right into it. You know, I love I love I love football, I love playing it personally, and I love and you know and I love and I love sport and I love all the things that it brings to us. And praise praise God for sport and and praise God for it, like it's um it's something that we do as human beings. The difference is is where the place that it takes in our hearts and our lives. A also A when you are a Christian, you know God and be careful for that. But also if you don't, then it it's it's it's it isn't just a sporting event, it's it's a form, a mass form of idolatry in that either right at some point then we would have seen the usefulness of it, and we do this with you know movies, movie stars, you know, all this kind of stuff, right? Like they they take them away from mainstream society, place them on a hill somewhere in Hollywood. Don't you can't access them, but you can find out bits of information about them. It's like, oh you know, I tell you what, uh I would say for 20 years straight, I don't know, probably 25 years, I don't know how long. The checkout at Woolwoods has a has a magazine about Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, like it's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, right? There's something about the royals. That's an that's a prime example of like just people, guys, like and obviously they played their roles in it. I mean, there was a f there's a I didn't watch it, but there was a Hollywood movie out called Babylon, guys. I mean, they don't even hide the thing, it's like if you don't know what Babylon is, Babylon was a a culture, a culture in in the um you know in the ancient world that yeah essentially exalted itself against God. They built a tower to try and get to God, whereas our God comes to us and we don't we don't lift up ourselves, we stay humble. If anything, we we find our appropriate place, which isn't putting us in a pit or feeling like low self. It takes away your personal journey with like self-esteem and stuff like that. And how am I doing like in comparison to, or I'm doing you know, all that kind of personal growth journey? It's basically just know God more and he knows you perfectly, and his relationship with you through his word and what he says, and how he speaks to you and treats you and looks after you, and that kind of stuff. You feel special because he loves you and he made you, and he wants a personal relationship with you, and it's like you don't need any more eyes or attention on you than that. And often what can happen is with um God's children is the enemy can get hold of them at a time where the light's shining or they know they've got a bright light and shine and put false eyes on them, and they get and they're swept away before they've had a chance to really come to maturity in Christ and know who they are in Him, because when you know that A, he'll help you see evil eyes on you that have ulterior motives before you get snared in those in the false bright lights, right? I was in Malaga once and there was a film festival going on there for a lot more than that. It was a it was a a large big ceremony with a with a film festival running running through the middle of it, and I saw them put the red carpet out, security guards, fences, people around it, and then I saw like some stars get out on the red, and I was standing there, and the bro and the cameras were flashing, and I was like, this is so weird. I was like, this is the weirdest, and they were standing there like uh uh I was like, I could just see that. I was like, this is absolute, this is a sh uh, what's the word? I say a facade, that's not the right word. Um it was just it the ridiculousness of it was was apparent, and I could also see the art the I could sense the energetic where you could totally like it'd be very difficult not to believe that you are a star it when all that's going on around you. You'd have to be very careful, and also what they can do is they'll do that and then they'll pull the rug away from under you the next minute, and then that you want it back and then give you back, and then oh, can I go and it's become I mean that that's that's deeper into like some of the Freemasonry stuff and things like that about how they work and duality and up, down, left, right, and who gets what and where and all that kind of stuff. But you basically you're beholden unto them, you're just being you know tossed around like a ragdoll because you've um you've made a mistake essentially, or you've been tricked, but essentially you've made a m you've made a mistake, or you're yeah, or you or you or you know quite a lot about it and you're right into it, in which case, you know, everybody needs the Lord, and there's d there's degrees, there's there's there's degrees to which we need the Lord. We need the Lord to come and pull us out of stuff. But there's points where anyway, there's dangerous idolatry and and false worship and false light and and and all that kind of stuff, seeking attention and this kind of stuff, you know. Like I say, the the God's giving you God's knows all the hairs on your head, he knitting you together in your mother's womb. The Bible says he thinks about you more times than there are grains of sand. And so once once that hits you, and he hits you in that regard, in that respect, and that and that swims in you, like nobody can do anything like that anyway. Nothing nobody can do anything like that, and you're centered in your rock, and you you're you're you're centered on the rock. Do you know what I mean? It's it's it's just there it is, and it's this wonderful thing in your life, it's this firm structure that's that's beautiful and amazing because it's God. And so there's some of the dangers of idolatry. There's a bit of scripture here which we'll go to just to just to back it up with scripture. Exodus 20, verse 3 to 5. You shall have no other gods before me, you shall not make for yourself a carved image. Now, the Oscar, again, there's an Egyptian god called Sokar, S-O-K-A-R, and the Oscar, they look very, very similar because that's a form of idolatry and worship. Nothing new under the sun guide, it's just taking another form. It's the same thing that was going on back in the days, back in the days, Babylon and all that kind of stuff. You should 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. So don't take, don't take, don't make any don't make the likeness of anything that's in heaven or in the so don't make a make a don't have an owl statue, don't have an image of an angel. I and I ha I had that one point. I had carved metal carved angels that weren't weren't sorry, total idolatry, I didn't know. Total idolatry, and the Lord had me chuck them in the bin, praise God. You should not bow down to them or serve them. For I am the Lord your God and a jealous God. God's jealous, in not because he's insecure, because he looked because it's it's a it's part of his nature, and also because he loves you. And so if he wasn't jealous, he would be like, Yeah, whatever, do whatever. That's that's not true, that's not his nature, that's not his love for you, right? Psalms 115, verses 4 to 8. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands, again, an Oscar, or an Emmy, or any of those awards, things. They have mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them. So that's a start warning. Those who make them become like them, so do all that trust in them. Jonah 2, chapter 2, verse 8 Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them. I mean, there you go, guys. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them. And so God tells us these things because he knows what's good for us. He knows what's good for us. And I pray in closing that the Lord would fill your hearts with his love tonight, and that you would turn to him and say, Lord, please fill me with your love tonight. Please send it my way. I'm I'm I'm I want to experience it and know it, Lord. So please sweep in. Sweep in, fill this room, fill my heart, fill my body, fill my soul, fill my mind, fill my spirit. Overwhelm me, Lord, overtake me with your love and your goodness. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.