Sometimes we idolize people. Not just bad influences but good influences to. If I idolize my pastor, or youth leader, father, mother, uncle, aunt, friend, cousin, brother, famous musician, or if I idolize anyone other than God it presents problems. This is not what God wants. It’s a good thing to look up to someone with more wisdom and knowledge than you. It’s good to look up to those Godly women and Men in your life but you don’t want to idolize them.

2 Chronicles 26:3-5
“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.”

Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord”

Uzziah was a great man. Isaiah was another great man and he had a book full of prophesy. He saw lots of visions and followed the Lord but what does that verse say? “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord” He saw the Lord after King Uzziah died. He saw him before that to but it says he saw him “In the year that King Uzziah died” specifically. God could have used his death as a wake up call.
Another example would be Elijah and Elisha. Elijah was a great prophet of God, but sometimes I think Elisha was idolizing him. There were times when Elijah would say “Stay here”(2 Kings 2:4 and 2:6) but Elisha would say “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”(2 Kings 2:4 and 2:6) This prevented Elisha from being used to the full potential by God. Imagine if Elisha and Elijah had gone seperate ways! They would have impacted the world even greater than they did together! Elisha’s real ministry only started after Elijah was taken up to heaven.

2 Kings 2:11″As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”

So you need to stop idolizing people. You can look up to them and ask for advice; thats great, but trying to be more like them than Christ is not right. You must love God and follow him before anything and everything else. He is a jealous God, he does get jealous if you put others first, so don’t! Put God first. Follow him with everything you have. Love him with everything you have. Do it because you want to. Not because you have to.

Exodus 20:5
“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God”

Deuteronomy 6:5
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”