02.24.21 | More of His Presence
Based on the words of Barnabas and Paul to the crowd in Lystra, from today’s BREAD reading, we will focus on identifying and turning away from worthless things.
“We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” – Acts 14:15-16
The words “worthless things” are typically used in the Old and New Testaments to describe idols. Idols are anything we love, prioritize, gain more pleasure from, find fulfillment in, or seek comfort from rather than God. The Holy Spirit may identify things such as power, money, certain people, fame or recognition, job, career, or sex. With that in mind, be honest with yourself and make a list of things that you dedicate more love towards than God; write them down.
After you have identified things in your life that are worthless or idols, turn them over to God in prayer. This can be as simple as stating, “God, I offer You [name the idol] and ask for more of Your presence in my life instead.” Repeat this process with any of the things that are on your list throughout the day.
As it is often helpful to confess your identified idols to a brother or sister in Christ, we encourage you to do this and let him or her say these words over you in response: “May God bless you with more of His presence.”