Due to my Indiana lazy dialect, I often have to think REAL hard so that when I say "idolatry" it doesn't sound like I am saying "adultery"
Even as I am writing the word, in my mind I am correcting my lazy tongue to recognize the difference.
Just now as I was finishing up my study of the book of Lamentations, I summarized the book by writing, "The Death of Pride and Idolatry" at the top of the page. As I wrote, "idolatry" and "adultery" swam around in my head and God showed me something.
Idolatry is adultery against God.
We were created to have intimate relationship with our creator. Jesus even said the greatest commandment is to love him with our whole....well...everything.
Placing anything else on the throne of our hearts is essentially "cheating" on God. We may continue to wear the wedding ring, but our attention is elsewhere.
I have witnessed adultery play out in many ways. I have seen remorse and coming home, accepted in love like the prodigal son leading to celebration and reconciliation. I have seen ignoring and pretending nothing happened, as if shoving our sins under the bed will make what happened on top of the bed go away. I have seen desperate justification and selfishness, begging anyone to validate that they "deserve to be happy" even if they went about that happiness in a way that destroyed others.
Does idolatry not play out the same?
We can repent and come home, welcomed with open arms.
We can see it, but instead of facing our demons just pretend it never happened.
We can justify it with with momentary "happiness" in the flesh and seek others who also live for themselves to surround ourselves with.
The point is the choice is yours.
I summarized my lessons through Lamentations with this:
At rock bottom, you have to get to a place where you:
-acknowledge and accept fault
-see that nothing can save but Jesus (Psalm 121)
-WANT to come back
-surrender