Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.—1 John 5:21 (NLT)
Heavenly Father,
Help me to keep away from anything that might take Your place in my heart—from any false god that I might put before You.
Don’t ever allow me to
idolize a person—to allow my relationship with them to become more important to
me than my relationship with You. But rather,
help me to keep my relationship with
You in proper order, so that all of my other relationships will fall in
order as well, and bring You glory.
Don’t ever allow me to
idolize a place—to make where I am now more important than my obedience to Your
calling to stretch myself to go somewhere new, or to do something different. Make me willing and obedient to go wherever
You call me—knowing You will never leave me, so I have nothing to fear.
Don’t ever allow me to
idolize a thing—to believe that I need some “thing” more than I need to believe
that You are the source of everything I need, the giver of all good
things. Let me realize, instead, that
everything I have is Yours and is only placed temporarily in my hands for me to
use for Your glory, honor and praise.
Don’t ever allow me to
idolize an idea—substituting it for Truth.
But rather, help me walk in the freedom, the joy, and the peace that
comes from knowing the Truth of Your Word and walking in faithful obedience to
it.
Don’t ever allow me to
idolize myself—thinking that it is somehow by my own power that I live, or
claiming that I have some right to live as I choose—as if I were wiser, or
higher, or more powerful, than the One who made me and orders my every step
according to His will and purpose.
Help me to keep away from anything that might take Your place in my heart—from any false god that I might put before You.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
