8 Prayers to Lessen Your Love for This World

1. A Prayer for an Eternal Focus

Lord, help me to please You by setting my heart, desires, and affections on things above, not on things on this earth (Colossians 3:1-2). When it comes to the investment of my time, talents, and treasure, may You and Your kingdom be first. Help me not to store up “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,” but to collect “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). Lord, anything I do for you, for Your people, for Your kingdom and glory will be an eternal investment that can never be taken away from me. May I live by this principle, knowing this earth (and its attractions) will pass away, but Your words and commands will never fade, fail, or go out of fashion, but will remain forever (Mark 13:31). 

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2. A Prayer to Live as a Servant, Not a Celebrity

Lord, even among believers, it’s easy to elevate some because of their popular messages, best-selling books, or impactful reels on Instagram. But the minute I start considering other believers' celebrities, something within me wants to be one too. And something in my heart worships You less. Help me to heed Jesus’ words when He said, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26 ESV). Lord, form in me a servant mindset, not one that seeks to be recognized, well-known, or widely praised. That kind of recognition and awe belongs to You alone, who sits on the throne. May I reserve my worship for You alone and love far less anything this world produces.

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3. A Prayer for Anticipating God’s Presence

Lord, it’s easy to long for people and occasions and special events here on earth. Sometimes I just need something enjoyable to look forward to. Help me to remember that every good and perfect gift is from You (James 1:17), including the opportunities I have to enjoy life here. Yet, may my longing be much stronger for You and what I will experience with You one day. Help me to long for the day You and I will be in perfect unity and fellowship, without the hindrance or obstacle of sin. Help me to long for the enjoyment of all that You have prepared for Your beloved children. Help me to greatly anticipate with joy the day when I will see You face to face and know You as You are.

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4. A Prayer for a Redirected Heart

Lord, may the material things in this world and the promises of wealth and success no longer pull at me or make me believe I have to have them in order to be complete. Help me to remember my completion is in You. It is so easy to be deceived by my own flesh and by what this world says I need to have in order to be fulfilled, in order to be happy, in order to be more attractive, more successful, more youthful, or more loved. Yet, I have everything I need in You. You, Lord, are truly enough. Reinforce to me that You are enough so that nothing draws me away, and Asaph’s song becomes my own:

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26).

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5. A Prayer for a Deeper Commitment to God and His Interests

Precious Heavenly Father, help me to daily remember that this life is neither moral nor immoral, but I make it moral or immoral through my attitude and my motivation. Purify my heart and mind so that Your interests and Your glory supersede my own. Help me to not only view life as a gift from You, but all of the activities of life as my gift to You.

Lord, please set me apart for Your purposes and give me the strength to rely on You and live purely so that my life stands in stark contrast to the values and priorities of this world.

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6. A Prayer of Longing for Biblical Justice

Almighty God, give me a clear picture of biblical justice—of justice not in the eyes of this world and its corrupt values, but in the eyes of a holy and just God. May I have a heart for the oppressed, for the trafficked and ill-treated, and for unborn children whose lives are carelessly terminated. Lord, use me to bring about Your purposes here on earth, knowing I have only a short time to be here in the scope of eternity. Help me to show grace toward others, knowing I have not received what was just, but have been shown mercy in Your eyes, through the submission of Your Son and His sacrifice for me at Calvary. May that be the motivating force behind any justice I seek—not to feel a sense of revenge toward anyone, but to seek that You be glorified, while ever aware of Your grace shown toward me. Lord, extend Your grace toward others as well, so that You are ultimately glorified.

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7. A Prayer to Focus on the Few Things That Matter

Lord, as Moses prayed, help me to number my days and present to You a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12) by focusing on the few things that truly matter in this world.  Help me to seek to love You first, others second, and myself last so that I will honor You, Your Word, and others. Give me strength to be faithful and upright in my work and my relationships, to treat others well (believers and unbelievers alike), to honor Your body – the church—and to seek to advance Your kingdom and not the ambitions of self or this world. Lord, may You be the reason I get up in the morning. May You be my reason for singing. May my salvation be considered my greatest possession, and may Your name alone be revered on my lips. Lord, I will swim against the stream in order to follow hard after You so that I will be kingdom-ready and not too attached to this world when it comes time for You to take me home.

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8. A Prayer to Seek Eternal Success, Rather than Temporary Recognition

Lord God, please humble my heart and sharpen my focus so that my image, reputation, and achievements are not nearly as important to me as pleasing You with a humble and upright heart. Help me to fully understand and live by Galatians 2:20, which tells me “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (ESV). Lord, don’t let me strive, stress, compete, or compare myself with others, thinking that I lack something and must try to make up for it in order to please You or someone else. I am Yours, Lord, and Your Word says I am “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). May my overriding goal and ambition be to hear You one day say: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). 

For a daily reminder and challenge to lessen your love for this world, see The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God by Cindi McMenamin.

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