In refusing to acknowledge dependence upon the God of Revelation we have substituted other gods in His place. If the loving God of the Scriptures does not exist for us, we are forced to invent substitutes one – we come to rely upon False gods. In the process, we create our own rules, institute our own guidelines, and make up our own definition of good and evil. The result is that evil becomes the good and the good, evil.
The irrational pursuit of power and the ability to exercise control over events is the greatest False god.
A False god is any person or thing that is a proxy for the true God. It manifests itself principally in striving for power, money, and wealth. Possessions and riches become our “security blanket”.
How do we recognize the presence of False gods in our lives?
Because they do not contain the Truth, the pursuit of False gods will ultimately lead to disaster. Before the final disaster – an eternity without the love of God – there are numerous physical and emotional signs that we are on the wrong track.
Breakdown begins when we reach the limits of our ability to control people and events. It manifests itself in symptoms of anxiety and stress which, if not arrested, can lead to depression and in the worst case, suicide. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
If it does not result in self-inflicted violence, it results in the slow abandonment of commitment and responsibility – the equivalent of “six-packing it into the grave”. We numb out and lead lives of quiet desperation.