Have my Religious Experience become and Idol?

Some good religious practices have become idols. When religious doing, is doing separate from the substance of Jesus’ work on the cross, it becomes idolatry.

Some questions I have asked myself that has helped me to determine if my religious experience has become an idol are;

Is my Sunday-go-meeting attendance out of obligation, habitual, for the approval and to gain the approval of others?

Do I get satisfaction from your spiritual performance and personal holiness more than satisfaction in what God has already accomplished for me in Christ Jesus.

Do I feel spiritual superior about my biblical knowledge and gain satisfaction by shooting Bible verses to back up some man-made doctrine?

Do I relish debating theology with others and feel superior when I gain what I consider a win, but get angry and defensive when my theology is challenged?

Do I feel that I are on a higher spiritual plateau because a title is attached to my name?

Am I more of a word person than a Word person?

Am I uncomfortable with hurting, lonely people and to avoid engagement I say “I will pray for you” as a way to avoid intimate, personal relationship?

My honest answer was  "yes" to some of the above questions. I came to the realization that I had taken the gracious gifts God has graciously given and used them for my own selfish egotistic purposes.

This kind of idolatry is hard to pinpoint because the “fruit bearing” looks to be good fruit.

But, none the less; it's idolatry.

Any object or practice that becomes the focus of my  life can become an idol. Some things I may think are spiritually neutral really are not. Even things morally neutral, like my career, a sport, wealth, fame, education, intelligence, good looks or any passion I value more than God can become my idol.

To place my identity in anything other than Jesus the "living Word of God", I am  making an idol out of it...including...the fallible-man translated bible...the "written word about God."