He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Isaiah 44:20 NASB

Isaiah 44:9-20 is speaking to us about idolatry. Isaiah goes into great detail explaining the process of making idols. He talks of the use of wood from trees…burning for warmth and cooking…and in the next verses, he says these craftsmen have been blinded and deceived. For now, the man will make himself an idol to worship.

We all have them…idols. Maybe they aren’t statues we fall in front of…but we carry them with us. This isn’t a new idea. We have heard it before.

But today I want to speak to how idol worship nourishes us. What we eat feeds our bodies. What we look at is planted in our mind’s eye. I think that what /Who we worship nourishes and grows our spirit.

If we are in God’s Word, praying and fellowshipping with Him, loving Him, serving Him…this feeds us on our deepest level. If we are focused on earthly desires, things, status, position, that feeds us too.

I have observed in myself and others, “What we take in creates a desire for more of the same.” More of Him…we desire to know and love Him more.
Things of this world? Can’t ever have enough. Like eating ashes. Ashes, do not satisfy, so we want more. We get more. Think about what this spiritual diet is doing to us. We would never knowingly ingest ashes in our bodies, why do we feed on such a diet spiritually?

Please don’t misunderstand. Hard work and experiencing good success is commendable. But nothing should sit on the throne of our heart but Abba God. Putting our idols there…well…we are feeding on ashes.