Anything that takes the place of the Lord being first in our life is a heart idol. Matthew  6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” His righteousness is conforming our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will and ways.

You can see how a heart idol is unrighteousness ~ it conforms to our fleshly desires. Anything that we turn to before we turn to the Lord is a heart idol. Our flesh operates from there.

A heart idol is a deceiver. Ezekiel 14 says that when we have an idol in our heart, the Lord will allow it to speak to us instead of Him. Wow! We do not want that! A heart idol will block His still small voice because they are always clamoring to be heeded.

Let’s go back to Israel’s disobedience. They served other gods because they didn’t fulfill what God had called them to do. He told them to destroy all of the enemy that was in the land. They had to fight for the land that was their inheritance.

Our inheritance is settled in the heavens. 1 Peter 1:4-5. However, our heritage is the righteousness that He gave us. Isiah 54:17 says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage  of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.”

1 John 5:4 says, “…This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Romans 1:17 says about the cross, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”