Hope Mangiafico (00:00)
I'll be honest, Nikki. We just came off an episode about everyday idols, and we are now in the 60s for our episodes of these of our podcast. I'm not sure if I've had that many pauses in an episode where I'm trying to real time process what the father is saying. I was like speechless for extended periods of time, which doesn't happen often.
Nikki Humphrey (00:26)
Well, I think we both had those extended pauses because the real real time revelations that we
Hope Mangiafico (00:34)
Right.
Nikki Humphrey (00:34)
were having and the connections that we were drawing between things that we were saying and getting into the not staying superficial in that episode
Hope Mangiafico (00:46)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (00:47)
at all, but really diving deep into the minutiae of like, why?
Why do we do that? Why is it so hard to identify? What is the impact of that in our lives?
We had a lot of pauses because that topic you have to pause for reflection.
Can't plow through it because then you'll miss out on the big thing that God wants to reveal to you through that.
Hope Mangiafico (01:15)
Nikki, you and I have shared on episodes like what the Lord's doing in our life, you know, how he's teaching us, giving us loving corrections. And I'm just like, I don't have an example right now, but I just had this like thought, like, has every growth opportunity I've had actually been a form of breaking idolatry?
Nikki Humphrey (01:36)
Couldn't be.
Hope Mangiafico (01:37)
Even if it's from trauma, right? Because you held on to something that protected you, it became an idol to hold on to the pain.
Nikki Humphrey (01:43)
Like you talked about in the episode hope, the hate, the
Hope Mangiafico (01:46)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (01:47)
bitterness, the woe is me, the victim victim mindset was a big idol in my life.
Hope Mangiafico (01:54)
I don't know if I would have ever deemed them as idols. Same with like in the episode, I didn't give a ton of elaboration when we we first talked about the whole like squeezing the juice out of life thing. But I was trying to ask the Lord, like, why do I hate when people give me excuses? I hate when people have excuses, but then I notice when something goes wrong in my life, I find peace because I'm at least I have an excuse.
I'm like, Lord, that's conflicting, and that is not that's a double minded mind. Plain and simple, and that's not of you. What is that? And he was that's when he was telling, like, come using that squeezing the juice out of life thing for me. And I'm just like, whoa, I started crying. But when I think about it, I made opportunities an idol, because they then gave me a reason to do the thing I hate in other people.
That's an idol, and I would not have gotten that until our recording. So I think every growth and healing opportunity, because he is the roof, as we talked about, he is the top, he is all, it all goes back to things in our heart replacing him, which is idolatry. And I don't think I realize that.
Nikki Humphrey (03:12)
I'm processing what you said and I'm just like, ooh, like on the healing way back in the day when I was not well. I would only go to the top doctors that had all the awards and all the things. Cause I idolized those doctors and I thought that those doctors were gonna give me my healing, my big breakthrough.
Hope Mangiafico (03:34)
Mm.
Nikki Humphrey (03:35)
And you know what? Not one of those doctors have done what other people might deem less qualified
Hope Mangiafico (03:43)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (03:44)
have done for my health.
so many choices I made early on was just because they had a title.
Hope Mangiafico (03:52)
But if you weren't careful, you would probably call it wisdom.
Nikki Humphrey (03:56)
Correct. I was making the best choice for myself.
Hope Mangiafico (04:01)
I mean, this just paints the picture of how sneaky it is. And I'm I and
Nikki Humphrey (04:04)
It's a
Hope Mangiafico (04:05)
I use the word wisdom because that is a very quote-unquote churchy word. That's a Christian word. So we can slap Christian labels on these things that are idolatry. And that's how we get so we we get by for so long looking like the world. Because we can hide behind things for a very long time and do it very well. All humans can.
The more I think about it, the more s I realize like Christians are just more skilled.
I'm maneuvering because we have the Holy Spirit. So we know the conviction's there, but we have to have the skill to avoid it. It takes a lot of skill to avoid conviction. And we've all done it.
Nikki Humphrey (04:49)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (04:50)
It's funny, I gotta laugh it off for a moment, you know? 'Cause that's really heartbreaking, but it's true and we wonder why Christians look like the world.
Nikki Humphrey (04:59)
It's it's nuts. All the things it's like the floodgates are open now and I'm just seeing all the things that I made as idles.
Hope Mangiafico (05:07)
Exactly.
Nikki Humphrey (05:12)
But you buy it
Hope Mangiafico (05:12)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (05:13)
because of the label. And ooh ooh, la la la la, I made that. But you if you look at the ingredients compared to somebody else, it's just like I'm spending, you know.
twice as much or whatever on this one product just because I'm idolizing because I think it has status or clout or it's gonna work better because it costs more.
Hope Mangiafico (05:35)
Tell me if this makes sense as you're speaking. Okay, so we talked in the episode about patiently obeying. Patient
Nikki Humphrey (05:44)
Mm-hmm.
Hope Mangiafico (05:45)
patient obedience. I'm trying to remember the exact term. It was beautiful. I loved how you said it. Either way, it's combining the word patient and obedience. So we're gonna call it patient obedience. and that's really important because you have to pause. But I just got this like thought when you use your lotion example.
If there is something in your life in a given moment that you are spending so much time analyzing.
And giving it so much thought, it's probably an idol. And not using the patient obedience of Holy Spirit. Patience is actually a fruit of the spirit. So, an example. I'm just gonna give this this Yeti cup made me think all this. I don't drink out of Yetis, okay? There is a tiny one that I have. I've held on to it. Your girl has never used it, and I've had it since the
Beginning of our network marketing days because it was gifted to me. And I felt bad getting rid of it. We're emptying out our water bottles this weekend, and Sean was like, Do you want to get rid of this? And I'm like, Yes. A couple seconds go by. I changed my mind. I made an idol out of a gift because I put I spent too much time. Does that make sense?
Nikki Humphrey (07:05)
Total.
Hope Mangiafico (07:06)
That was not me being patient. That was
but what if?
I don't use it. I've never used it once
It's sitting in our sink.
The same with like a lotion or whatever, you know. You could one, you could spend a million hours trying to pick the best one Idolizing. Or you you buy it 'cause a clout but you got the clout because you spent so much time learning about it, watching the TikToks, whatever.
That is not Holy Spirit patience and being obedient.
Nikki Humphrey (07:36)
No, that's being influenced. That's in our culture now. I was influenced to buy that. I was influenced. Let's be influenced by the Holy Spirit. Let's not be influenced by the algorithm people.
Hope Mangiafico (07:47)
I hate I hate that word so much.
Nikki Humphrey (07:50)
You're like, where did you get it? I was influenced.
But we're idolizing
those people we watch on TikToks for all the hot tips and all the things and all the suggestions.
Hope Mangiafico (07:59)
Yes.
That and they might just have a Christian label on them, you know, whether it's the product or actually the person. but it doesn't
Nikki Humphrey (08:07)
Like I talked about last
week, the Jesus pen.
Hope Mangiafico (08:11)
such a funny example. But it's it's really started to get me pretty worked up because I'm noticing more and more people having in their bios Christian, Jesus Follower, whatever. But he's sprinkled on top. Technically he's still the roof, you know, he's still over my life. But I poked holes all through.
Nikki Humphrey (08:31)
Sleaky, but it's still there.
Hope Mangiafico (08:33)
Because here's the thing influencers have success. We talked about that threshold, that fine line. I believe becoming influential on social media could be the very detriment to your walk with Christ.
That requires maturity beyond my comprehension. Because the one time I get anything that gets a lot of likes, I'm gone. I'm no longer surrendered. I'm now idolizing that that one post.
Nikki Humphrey (09:01)
you're trying to get it again. Got it one time I can do it again.
Hope Mangiafico (09:05)
Never.
So just truly, where does your mind go? And what are you spending the most time thinking about? That's an idol.
I say most time. I mean again, if I'm looking at a bunch of water bottles and I'm torn about what I'm getting rid of, I got a problem.
And people call it sentimental. God doesn't tell us to be sentimental. He says, you know, I don't have a scripture quote for this, but have gratitude but not hoard out of fear.
Do not be afraid. So anyways, I know that's a really goofy example, but it just shows how goofy idolatry is and how sneaky it is. I gotta get rid of that.
