Counterfeit Gods:
What is an idol?

Anything that one loves more than God. Idol is anything without which you cannot live joyfully, it is pseudo-god, surrogate-god. Idols are bad things turned into ultimate thing. Although, the true ultimate thing is God and one can't really replace it. If you loose a good thing, that leads to sorrow and it is replaceable. Whereas if you loose an ultimate thing, that leads to dispair and it has no replacement. No wonder there were lots of suicides in the wake of economic downturn, because they had made money, career their wrongfully ultimate thing, when they lost it they had no reason to live. Often good things can be turned into idols. In the Old Testament, Israel looked to its neighbours for security and protection which is not necessarily a bad thing. But they looked for it in a wrong place whereas only God could have given them ultimate security. Another thing to remember is that we can take created things and replace them with the creator and that is sin and this is Bible's definition of idolatry.

How many kinds of idolatry?
a) Personal idols: Example: career, success etc. Some people say that in primitive cultures people bow down to idols and even commit child sacrifice. In Manhattan, New York City people sacrifice children on the altar of career. Example: Nothing wrong to please your parents but parents approval is not most important than God. An idol is a kind of god, and these gods demand your work, if you don't impress them with your work then they will devour you. Only Christian God says that if you get me, I'll satisfy you, if you fail me, I'll still accept you as you are because its a relationship of grace and not work.
b) Cultural idols: Systemic and corporate idols. Example: In traditional cultures family is the ultimate in a persons life that's why we have honour killings in certain societies. In individualistic cultures its all about individuals right. Female beauty in western culture leads to eating disorder and distorted view of beauty.
c) Intellectual idols: When certain ideas, philosophies play a dominant role in a persons life, worldwide for example free market capitalism versus socialism. The trouble with the world is that we can take a good thing and turn it into evil and demonise it.
d) Religious idols: Wrong notion that God loves me for what I do and my performance. We think God is impressed with us when our church is growing, people are helped by our ministry etc. Sometimes we can be smug about our doctrinal understanding and make them salvation issues.

Surface idols and Deep idols!
Deep idols are- I feel I'm only alive when I get something.
Surface idol: is at the forefront of what is going on deep inside. (A problem on the surface level often has a deeper root)

How to detect idols?

We need community to detect it, very difficult to do it on ones own.
Daydreams: Where does your mind naturally go when you are in solitude by yourself?
Biggest nightmare: Life will be over if you don't have these things.
Uncontrolled emotions: The reasons why you behave the way you behave?
What you spend your money on most effortlessly: Example: if you spend on clothes, your idol is self appearance.
If you are Christian, look at the unanswered prayers that you can't get over it: I will obey God if God gives me this...

What do you do about detected idols?
Remember, idolatry is basically a matter of affection. Only way to disposes the heart of old affection is by replacing it with the expulsion power of the new one. Replace idols with the knowledge of God and love of Christ. It's not just mental acknowledgement, one can know that honey is sweet without ever tasting it. It is possible to know God and Jesus and not sene on the heart which comes through prayer. Abraham had an idol called Isaac, but when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his idol (Isaac), Abraham obeyed. But before He could complete the sacrifice, God sent an angel to stop the dagger from making it a done deal. God says something really interesting, "Abraham I now know that you fear me because you did not even put your only son whom you love before me." We now know how great God's love for us because He did not withhold his only Son for us. God sacrificed His only Son on the cross. Because God has not withhold his Only Son (the greatest demonstration of love), we now do not put anything before God.

I am greatly indebted to my friend Hezekiah whom I used his notes here (I had paper, hard surface to write on, and totally forgot a pen).

I highly recommend Dr. Keller's Three Books:
The Reason for God
The Prodigal God
Counterfeit Gods

You can also listen to his sermons here.