PRAYER ROOMS
- 9am – Tuesday, online only
- 2/14/23 – Ash Wednesday Service, 6:30pm | 15 Hayes St
“And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.” – Psalm 115:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:1-3
PRAYER GUIDE
You are what you eat. It is a biological truth. The molecules that make up your body are derived from what you eat. The actual matter in a human body turns over every 7 years or so. You are, therefore, literally comprised of what you have been eating over the last seven years.
The truth applies to our spirits as well. We are what we worship. In other words, we become what we give our attention to, what we focus on, what we take in, what we consume with our minds. This is why Psalm 115 tells that those who make and worship idols will become like them.
What we spend our attention on is what will become most important to us. And what is most important to us will shape us spiritually. The average American spends somewhere around 4.5 hours a day on their mobile device (this is in addition to time spent talking). Major corporations spend billions upon billions of dollars seeking to colonize our brain space. They use the most advanced algorithms and human psychological insight to capture our attention.
These algorithms do not love us. They do not care about us. They do not have our best interests at heart. They are designed to do one thing and one thing only – to turn a human being into an income stream. They are very much like the idols in the old testament, in that they are the work of human hands. And like the idols of the old testament, if allowed, they will come to dominate and shape our inner worlds such that we end up looking less human, and more like them.
In the Old Testament, the very best kings and leaders (Josiah, Gideon, Elijah etc) were those who helped the people tear down idols and altars to false gods and who called the people back to worship the One True God. We need men and women in our own day who are willing to provide similar leadership by breaking their attachment and addiction to our screens and algorithms, and to reclaim space in our brains and hearts for the Lord. What if we gave Jesus and the Spirit of God some of the space we have ceded to instagram and youtube and snapchat and facebook and our newsfeeds? What could God grow in this fallow ground?
PRAYER PROMPTS
Pray, starting with yourself, for God to break our addiction to our screens, our phones, and the content that is constantly vying for our attention.
Ask God to break this addiction off in the church and in the next generation.
Ask God to enable us, by the Spirit, to fix our thoughts on Jesus and on those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)
Pray Colossians 3:1-3 over you, the church, and the Big C church. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:1-3
Ask for God to set the minds and thoughts of his people apart for his use.
In Our Time 