Idol Worship

As I was scrolling the Internet one day, I came across an article regarding parishioners who seem to defend the “honor” of many pastors who are requiring they “offer” a specific amount of money in order for these pastors to obtain material possessions for the benefit of “the ministries they serve.” I even know of several churches where membership requirement consists of the members providing their W-2 (I'll never understand that). Another day while scrolling Facebook, I saw a post from a friend who posted a picture of their pastor leaning against what looked like the hood of an expensive foreign car as he was reflecting, and there was a caption (one that I can’t actually quote), but the message was clear that whatever you focus on God will provide the increase for it, so remain steadfast. Now, there is simply nothing wrong with that picture--hope, faith, belief, but what got me thinking was “what is subliminally being transferred here,” is God into materialism? Sure, God is going to bless us, but if my focus is mainly on material possessions (or money/wealth) than my heart, will God honor that? Oh, the desires of my heart, right? <insert eye roll here> I am confused sometimes, because these preachers are ministering about prosperity in the form of tangible, earthly benefits rather than, the Kingdom of Heaven (as it is also written what they preach). But, hold tight--is God more concerned with your heart health than your material wealth and are they connected, should health and wealth be connected if they are not?

And, how many parishioners are probably living paycheck to paycheck while the pastors living in luxury-- putting them in positions of choosing tithing and “offering” in order for them to have prosperity and wealth that the Bible talks about vs their families (rhetorical). And, some of you are in that very position right now, how do I know, because I’ve been there and I remember how much of a real struggle it was contemplating paying my tithes vs paying my bills and the condemnation I felt when I choose my bills because that meant that I definitely needed to increase my faith in God and that I was choosing my bills over obedience.

How about when you love your pastor(s) so much that you only see God through them, you believe what they say and ONLY what they say--is that idol worship? When your focus is more on a thing than God--isn’t that idol worship? See when we love our pastors so much and only see God through them, some won’t call that idol worship, but when it's tied to a thing, some will recognize it as idol worship, but the truth is there is no difference. Idol worship is anything placed before God--money, acquiring wealth, food, a job, clothing, cars, personal airplanes, pastors, etc.

I wonder is your heart healthy enough to experience the wealth that your mind tells you that you so desperately want. Think about it, if your heart was truly ready for the wealth experience than your focus wouldn’t be on wealth as a tangible thing. If you cannot see wealth without having a limitless bank account, a single family home, a husband, a wife, a foreign car, gold, or silver, then you are in illusion living with attachment--a different kind of experience completely; certainly not Spiritual. I’m not convinced that the wealth that God (Spiritual) refers to is material possession (seems religious to me). I mean how does God profit by anything material or tangible when he only operates in the Spiritual--see my confusion. Oh, I'm probably applying logic where I shouldn't be, that's considered a lack of faith too <insert screw face here>.

People, I'm just saying, when the heart is truly transformed it only concerns itself with itself (Spirit, higher consciousness, awareness)--meaning your wealth becomes nothing but a love experience. You see love and the good in everything! You are not focused on the tangible, but the intangible. You are not wealthy because you have, you are wealthy because you just are. 

Ase’