Throughout the history of the Old Testament, the people of God had trouble with idolatry. They repeatedly adopted the idolatrous practices of the nations around them, and God constantly had to issue calls like this one: “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14:6).
However, even though they embraced idolatry, they wanted to hold onto God somehow. When they realized they needed guidance and help, they would ask a “prophet to inquire of [the Lord],” yet God would “set [His] face against” them because of their sin (Ezekiel 7-8).
We often think about the idolatry during Old Testament times involving the worship of graven images, yet it was about more than that. God condemned the one who “sets up his idols in his heart” (Ezekiel 14:7). This is particularly important for us to notice today. It is unlikely that any of us are tempted to fall down before a carved statue of a “god,” yet we are often tempted to allow the things of this world to take the place of God in our hearts. This is idolatry, and when it exists, we need to restore God to His rightful place.
So we must remove idols from our hearts. We cannot divide our allegiance between God and the things of this world. We must be wholly devoted to Him.