14 Honest Prayers for Mama BearsSample

Day 6: Unhealthy Fixations

Lord, I confess that [thing I am obsessing over] is starting to have too much mastery over my life. It’s what I think about. I plan around it. It determines if I feel happy or sad, peaceful, or stressed. It determines if my day is good or bad. Lord, nothing should have that kind of power over me. I’ll call it what it is: an idol. Forgive me for bowing my heart to another. [Thing] is not easy to give up. I ask You to kill my desire for it. But at the same time, Lord, I know that living in this fallen world means that temptation will never fully die. It just keeps crawling back, wheezing, weak but ready to be renewed.

You have called me to die to myself and to live for You. You have called me to repent and to turn from my sins. I pray that You would help me in this journey of taking up my cross to follow You. My character is not grown by You making things easier but by You strengthening me to make hard decisions on a daily basis. And yet, I also confess my fear. I’m scared to let go of this. What if life is as miserable without it as I imagine? No. I refuse to be mastered by anyone but You, my Lord and my God; I will not be enslaved to anything but righteousness (Romans 6:15-23). Strengthen my resolve. Please help me to get out from underneath the power that [thing] has over me.

Honest Evaluation

Identifying that something is mastering you is the first step to breaking free. Ask the Lord to reveal one thing that is totally unnecessary yet has a hold over your mind and your schedule.

Then, test yourself to release it for a full two weeks. (Can’t leave the house without makeup? Go without for two full weeks. Browsing social media? Go silent for two weeks.)