If you remember elementary science, gases expand to fill whatever space they’re in. If they are moved to a larger container, the gases will move throughout it until an equilibrium is reached. I can see a correlation between a gas cloud and idols.

To make it easier for me to talk about, I’m going to use money as the particular idol. If you seek to get as much money as you can, that will influence what you do. Choices will be made based on the monetary gain or retention. The desire for money, greed, will expand to fill every area of life you let it. You might try to contain it at first, but you will gradually allow it more space as it grows. Soon, it is everywhere.

There is a difference between an idol and a gas cloud. The gas will dilute and become weaker as it expands, the idol will not. It will become stronger as it expands.

You can put anything in place of money in that example, and the result will be the same.

On the other hand, the more space we give God in our lives, the more He will take and the stronger He can be in our lives. The difference being, the outcome will be so much better. He knew what He was saying when He told us to have no other gods before Him.