Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21).
The first commandment is to get rid of idols and have no other gods besides the Lord. What does this mean? This means we must remove the other gods from our hearts and from our homes. One of the first things new Christians did in the time of Jesus was to do spiritual house cleaning. Have you heard of it? It was to go through one’s home to destroy and get rid of idols and idolatrous items.
"You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…" (Exodus 20:3-5)
"And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver." (Acts 19:18-19)
Go through your home to see if there is anything in it that displeases the Lord.
1. Statues or images of idols or gods from different cultures
2. Altars or small temples and altars dedicated to ancestors (Christians should not bow down to worship anyone except God)
3. Statues or images of saints (saint worship is not good)
4. Statues or images of angels (do not worship angels)
5. Vessels used for worship of other gods or ancestors - cauldrons, incense, and saucers used for such things
6. Wooden masks or feathers used in religious dances or divination
7. Voodoo dolls - used to curse other people
8. Items that people say bring good luck or money or protection - Christians don’t believe in luck but believe in God. Luck is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. And items like rabbit's foot or any such things are contrary to God's word.
9. Magic books or any tool used to perform magic
10. Tarot cards - these are used for witchcraft
11. Poker cards - the pictures on the playing cards are highly symbolic and their meanings are very anti-Christian
12. Ouija boards - these are used in seances and witchcraft, even though some are marketed as a game
13. Exercises that have roots in idolatry - such as yoga (many yoga positions are actually worship postures (e.g. sun salutation)). Such practices should be avoided and books removed from the home.
14. Violent images and pornographic images
15. Tattoos - if you have a tattoo, try to go to a hospital to get it removed. “You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28).
If you find any such items in your home, ask for God’s forgiveness and then get rid of them. (I have found some of these in my own home and gotten rid of them. I can tell you I have much more peace and health after removing them.) These items should not be given to other people or sold, even if they are made from precious materials. These items should be trashed, burned, or buried. If the idols or idolatrous items are given to other people, then you may entice them to sin. Get rid of idols so that no one would use them for worship again.
It is true that these items can serve as portals to spiritual attacks (1 Corinthians 10:19-22 and Deuteronomy 32:16-17). It is true that these items are considered abominations by God. God does not want to see a home full of these things while you are praying in it.
“The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.” (Deuteronomy 7: 25-26)
God does not look simply at the external things, but He looks at the internal state of our hearts. Do you place anyone or anything above God in your heart? Do you have an obsession for a favorite activity that takes priority above everything else? If so, it is a form of idolatry. Ask God to forgive you, and help you place Him first in your heart and worship Him only.
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14)
Sometimes, we bring things into our homes that are displeasing to the Lord without even knowing it. Even so, it is important to get rid of them so that we can pray in our homes without being next to items that displease the Lord.