Praying For Repentance From Idolatry And Materialism
Day 3 - September 29, 2024
Clark Kellogg Sports Commentator, Analyst, and Former NBA Basketball Player
Devotion For Day 3
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins’
D. L. Moody, when talking about the state of our nation, once said: “You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.” It’s true that there are many distractions and temptations in our culture today, drawing attention away from time with and attention to the things of God. Satan is very sly and manipulative and wants to rob us of our devotion to Christ by any means possible. Even “good” things such as serving the Lord can turn into idolatry if we’re not careful. A. W. Pink illustrates this point: “An ‘idol’ is anything which displaces God in my heart. It may be something which is quite harmless in itself, yet if it absorbs me, if it be given the first place in my affections and thoughts, it becomes an ‘idol’. It may be my business, a loved one, or my service for Christ. Any one or any thing which comes into competition with the Lord’s ruling me in a practical way, is an ‘idol’.”
Take some time to examine your life today and ask the Father to identify the idols in your life and any selfishness or materialism that has crept in! Martin Luther encourages us: “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
Sovereign Lord, You desire nothing less than total devotion from me, and yet, I have placed so many things, people, and even serving in the church ahead of You! Forgive me for allowing the enemy to distract me from Your presence. Keep me from selfish greed, and help me to be generous whenever possible. Show me how to place everything in Your hands so that I can focus first on what is eternal.
Prayer Topics
- Pour out thanksgivings to the One who has blessed you abundantly beyond all you could ever think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20 – paraphrase)
- Confess any idols in your life that have become more important than cultivating the presence of God.
- Ask God to help you quickly recognize any greed or selfishness and show you how to live a more generous life.
- Ask God to bring people into your path with needs you can meet.
