Prayer Day – Materialism

hands to the sky

Definition of materialism (Google) –

 

a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.

 

Lord,

You desire our obedience in every area of our lives. And You are MOST WORTHY of our obedience in everything. Please give us hearts that long for Your presence, and that hunger deeply for Your Word and Your truth. Let us delight in obeying You – not in a legalistic way – but in joy because of the grace and mercy and love You have so richly bestowed upon us.

I pray that You might help us to thoroughly examine our hearts, minds and motives about our stuff. Why do we want what we want? Why do we keep what we do? How do we spend our money? Those things show us so much about our priorities and whether we are honoring You or not.

Help us to see ourselves as You see us.

  • Are we greedy for things that will never actually satisfy?
  • Are we seeking to find contentment and fulfillment in stuff? Is it an idol for us?
  • Do we put money or stuff above You?
  • Do we feel like we have to have a beautiful house, or beautiful clothes, or a certain kind of car or people will “talk” about us?
  • Are we caving in to the pressure to keep up with the Joneses instead of being godly stewards of our time, money, possessions and resources for Your glory?
  • Do we seek happiness in things instead of in Christ alone?
  • Do we make our identity about what we own instead of who we are in You?
  • Do we try to comfort ourselves by buying new stuff and then end up empty?
  • Do we have so much stuff that we are stressed out by all the time it takes to organize, manage, clean, dust and care for it?
  • Do we care more about a beautiful house than loving people and loving You?
  • Do we yell at our husbands or children if they mess up our stuff?
  • Do we think we need luxury to be content and happy in life?
  • Do we think, “If I only had X (a thing), I would be satisfied?”
  • Do we pressure our husbands to make more money so we can have a fancier house, car, clothes or vacation?
  • Do we spend way too much on clothing, shoes, makeup, decorations, furniture, cars, houses and things?
  • Are we in debt? Do we justify going into debt because we “deserve” to have “nice things”?
  • Do we think we have to have the latest and most expensive nails, hair, clothing, makeup and jewelry? How important are these things to us? How important are they to You?
  • Or do we go too far the other way and have pride about being frugal to an extreme?
  • Do we try to control other people and prevent them from spending money unless their spending is “justified” in our sight?
  • Do we think we are more “holy” or better than other people if we have less stuff?
  • What things in our lives are creating temptation for us that we need to cut out or reduce our exposure to? (commercials, advertisements, DIY shows, house selling shows, tv programs, worldly people in our lives…)

 

Sweep through the darkest corners of our hearts, minds and souls and expose any pride, jealousy, greed, materialism, worldliness and carnality, Lord!

We repent for putting stuff ahead of You in Your rightful place in our hearts!  Let us mourn over our sin. Help us to see our sin for the vile thing that it is in Your holy sight.

Cleanse us. Give us godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Help us to repent to You and to our husbands and families if necessary. Help us to honor You with our priorities about things. We are tempted to love things and use people – when You desire us to love people and use things. Help us love what You love and hate what You hate. Help us use money wisely and help us to seek to use it for Your kingdom and for the purposes You desire us to – under our husbands’ leadership.

Let us cultivate thankful hearts that focus on good things and contentment in what we have in this moment.

In the Name and power of Christ,

Amen!

FROM WWW.OPENBIBLE.INFO:

Bible verses about materialism

 

Hebrews 13:5 ESV

  • Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 John 2:16 ESV

  • For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 ESV

  • But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Luke 12:15 ESV

  • And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

  • “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

  • For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV

  • He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

  • But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV

  • Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Romans 12:2 ESV

  • Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Mark 4:18-19 ESV

  • And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

1 John 2:15-17 ESV

  • Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

  • “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

1 John 3:17 ESV

  • But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Luke 16:14-15 ESV

  • The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

John 10:10 ESV

  • The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

James 5:1-20 ESV

  • Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV

  • The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

James 4:4 ESV

  • You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV

  • But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV

  • And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Matthew 16:26 ESV

  • For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

James 2:15-16 ESV

  • If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

1 Timothy 6:17 ESV

  • As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.