Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart
By Kyle Idleman
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About this ebook
In gods at war, Kyle Idleman, bestselling author of not a fan, helps every believer recognize there are false gods at war within each of us, and they battle for the place of glory and control in our lives. What keeps us from truly following Jesus is that our hearts are pursuing something or someone else. While these pursuits may not be the “graven images” of old, they are in fact modern day idols. Behind the sin you’re struggling with, the discouragement you’re dealing with, the lack of purpose you’re living with is a false god that is winning the war for your heart.
According to Idleman, idolatry isn’t an issue—it is the issue.
By asking insightful questions, Idleman reveals which false gods each of us are allowing on the throne of our lives. What do you sacrifice for? What makes you mad? What do you worry about? Whose applause do you long for? We’re all wired for worship, but we often end up valuing and honoring the idols of money, sex, food, romance, success and many others that keep us from the intimate relationship with God that we desire.
Using true, powerful and honest testimonies of those who have struggled in each area, gods at war illustrates a clear path away from the heartache of our 21st century idolatry back to the heart of God – enabling us to truly be completely committed followers of Jesus.
Kyle Idleman
Kyle Idleman is the senior pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, one of the largest churches in America. On a normal weekend, he speaks to more than twenty-five thousand people spread across eleven campuses. More than anything else, Kyle enjoys unearthing the teachings of Jesus and making them relevant in people’s lives. He is a frequent speaker for national conventions and influential churches across the country. Kyle and his wife, DesiRae, have been married for over twenty-five years. They have four children, two sons-in-law, and recently welcomed their first grandchild. They live on a farm in Kentucky.
Read more from Kyle Idleman
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Reviews for Gods at War
31 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"What if I told you that every sin you are struggling with, every discouragement you are dealing with, even the lack of purpose you're living with are because of idolatry?" (12)With this statement, Kyle Idleman launches into a pointed, challenging, and needed assault on the idols in our lives. Idleman says that an idol is "anything that becomes the purpose or driving force of your life probably points back to idolatry of some kind" (26). He groups nine idols into three "temples": the temple of pleasure - addressing the god of food, the god of sex, and the god of entertainment; the temple of power - addressing the god of success, the god of money, and the god of achievement; and the temple of love - addressing the god of romance, the god of family, the god of me. The thoroughness with which Idleman dismantles the gods of culture leaves no stone unturned. Any reader of this book is likely to be skewered at multiple points.My only qualm with this book is the obviously Arminian thought that shines through at points. Interestingly enough, I was leading a group of highschoolers through this book; they were the ones who identified (correctly) Idleman's theological presuppositions. Their theological instincts made me proud!This book was a good read. I highly recommend it. It will challenge and lead many people to address sin in their lives. I know it did that for me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book for teaching class/small-groupish discussion.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing: 4.5; Theme: 5.0; Content: 5.0; Language: 5.0; Overall: 4.5This is another great book from this Christian author. Modern Christians seem to think that idol worship is a thing of the past, but Idleman shares how this is a mistaken thought process. We have many idols that get in our way of worshipping God the way He desires and deserves. We have many gods and many idols. We have gods of pleasure, romance, sex, money, food, entertainment, achievement, and even family. All of these other idols in our lives are a result of the idol worship of ourselves- the god of "me.". God deserves and commands our duty to honor Him and serve Him in this way. The author gives valuable principles how we can accomplish this in a much better way. Highly recommend.***June 15, 2023***
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a decent book about identifying the different types of idols in your life. I think Idleman does a good job with defining the major types of false gods and impacts they have. He picks some good stories to illustrate his main points with (I think this is one of his main gifts - illustrations). I don't think he always hit on his biblical examples though. There were a couple of times I saw him stretching the example or pulling something that wasn't there. This was a good book but I don't think it had as big of impact on me as "Not A Fan" was. Still wroth a read. Final Grade - B-
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As someone who was just saved, this book was a real eye opener to how wrongly I have been living my life. I will be coming back and rereading this book. For more on the topic of modern-day false idols, I recommend sermons and works by Timothy Keller.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good but I liked "not a fan," better.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was the Big Idea at my church. We've all read it and studied it on Sundays and in small group. The book is sort of repetitive. I agree with my husband who said we could have just watched the video series without reading the book. I learned a lot and appreciated the insights.