Idolatry usually does not happen overnight. It’s a process.

David Platt recently listed three steps that people take when they make sports their god. These steps can be applied to any false god:

It Captivates. It grabs our attention. We think, “Oh, that is cool/neat/tasty.”
It Consumes. The false god consumes our imagination, thoughts and dreams.
It Controls. At some point, we are no longer in control. Instead, the chase for a relationship, the pursuit of money or the taste of food controls our thoughts, actions, checkbooks and calendars.
Have you ever seen this progression in your life?

Do you see it now?

How far advanced is it?

As I thought about this progression, I came to a few conclusions:

Being captivated by something isn’t wrong. The sin begins somewhere around the consuming stage. There is no need to feel guilty about feeling captivated. There is a need to recognize the stages.
If you are easily captivated by all sorts of things, trouble is brewing. Mature Christians have perspective. Perspective keeps us from becoming over-excited about temporal things.
If we could fix ourselves, we would already be OK. So ask for help, if something is controlling or consuming you! God gives it and so do his people.
Resources:

Our church is reading through Kyle Idleman’s book, gods at war. I highly recommmend it.

You can hear my sermon about guarding your heart from idolatry.