In 1 John 5:21, the apostle John warns believers to keep themselves from idols. An idol is anything or anybody that you love more than God. It is anything or anybody in your life that receives greater priority than God. This verse reveals that Christians are in danger of allowing things and people to become more important, to receive a greater priority in our lives than God. If the people of God are going to experience revival, our idols must be put away (1 Samuel 7:3).
In order to return to the Lord and experience revival, we must deal with those things that receive a greater priority in our lives than our relationship with God.
The following Scripture prayers will help us to confess and repent of different forms of idolatry in our lives, the church and our nation. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any idols that you have built in your life. Plead with Him to enable you to deal with these idolatrous loves, and to remove them from your life.
- Love hidden idols: Father, You have said in Matthew 22:37-38, that I am to love You with my entire being. This is Your Word. This is Your desire and command for me. I plead with You to grant me the grace and power to do this. Reveal to me the idols that I have erected in my life. Show me anything that I love more than You – anything that I have made a higher priority than You. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would convict me deeply and powerfully concerning the idols in my life. Strengthen me to deal with them. Amen.
- Love of money: I pray that I would not love money more than You, and that I would not have a sinful longing for it. Help me to never fall into the trap where the pursuit of money becomes greater or more important to me than my pursuit of knowing, loving and obeying You (1 Timothy 6:10).
- Love of self: I plead that I would not love myself more than You, Father. Deliver me from being self-centred, and grant me the power and strength to deny myself (2 Timothy 3:2).
- Love of approval: Father, I pray that I will love and seek Your approval above the approval of men. Cause me to pursue a lifestyle of pleasing You rather than men (John 12:42).
- Love of power or control: Father, enable me to overcome the desire for power. I plead that You will create in me a servant’s heart, willing to serve others (3 John 9:10).
- Love of pleasure: I plead that I will not love pleasure more than You. Cause me to find my greatest delight and pleasure in You (2 Timothy 3:4).
- Love of food: Father, I want You to be my God; not my stomach. Cause me to have a proper perspective when it comes to food (Proverbs 21:17)
- Love of sleep: Enable me to get proper rest, but deliver me from indulging in too much sleep and from laziness (Proverbs 20:13).
- Love of darkness (sin): I pray that I would not love my sin more than You. Cause me to hate sin, and to love You with all my being (John 3:19).
- Love of simplicity: Father, I ask that I would not prefer my own wisdom above Your Word (Proverbs 1:22).
- Love of cursing: I pray that I would not love speaking profanity and filth above speaking words of love and encouragement (Psalm 109:17).
- Love of abundance: I ask that the pursuit of my life would not be to gain material possessions. I ask that You would grant me the grace and power to love and pursue You above all else (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
- Love of the things of the world: Father, do not allow me to love the attitudes and actions of this world above You. Deliver me from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Cause me to love You and Your Word more than this world (1 John 2:15).
