Prayers Against Greed

We have collected some of the best prayers against Greed to use in request to God. May these prayers for safety bring you comfort and peace of mind. May these prayers for strength encourage your spirit and strengthen your faith.

Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use: of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified an as undesirable behavior throughout known human history.

As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs. The degree of inordinance is related to the inability to control the reformulation of “wants” once desired “needs” are eliminated. Erich Fromm described greed as

“a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”

Main  articles: Sin, What Is Sin?, and The Seven Deadly Sins.

Prayer for mean and greedy people to be turned nice or kept out of power

Dear GOD: The animals, plants, air, water, children, babies, and old people and disabled need YOUR help. Please help. We thank you for that help as we see the world becoming what YOU want it to be, not harmed and filled with pain and heartbreak by a few mean, greedy people who do not care for all the amazing and awesome things you have given to all of us.

Please look and wash those who go along with the bad and greedy people. Thank you for helping them to see that the things they buy, the people they do not stand up to, the things they do not stand up for harm YOUR gifts and the creation you have gifted to us all.

Thank you for all those who have shared their broken-heartedness and their blessings, for opening people’s eyes, changing world leaders and helping the world to change to a better and more thankful one by all of us.

Thank you for this site that offers soothing to a broken heart as a rough day confronted with the evil of one horrible person has harmed so many animals and people in just one day. Thank you for someone who offers us a place to heal and know God heals us, so we can be thankful for that healing even in the midst of horrors.

— by Liz, (Pasadena, CA, USA) https://www.greenhearted.org/

A Prayer Against Fear and Greed

Father, I pray today for ___. I pray that You’ll be a shield to them, protecting them spiritually and physically. Let no evil person do harm against them. Also, personally, guard their emotions from the enemy of fear and doubt. I pray that they will rest in Your promise of protection and that their hearts will be filled with a quiet confidence that You are with them, beside them. Help them to flee to You as their refuge and strength. Replace fear with trust and peace.

Also, I pray that they might be kept from the greed that would spoil their relationship with You. Like Abraham protect them from foolish “Get Rich Quick” schemes or using deceit to earning money.  Above all, let us be motivated to seek Your face and not just ask for blessings from Your hand. Let us all be faithful and content with You as our great reward.

I pray in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.

— By Erwin W. Lutzer

Guard yourself against greed

Lord God, I can best guard myself against greed when your Spirit is living within me, guiding and shaping my life. Please shape me into your self-giving image. Amen.

A Prayer about Materialism #1

Heavenly Father, Your Name is to be honored.  Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth.   You have set Your glory above the heavens.  Lord, You are a great and greatly to be praised.  Your greatness is unsearchable.  Today, we lift our voices towards heaven and offer praises to Your Most Holy Name.  We thank You for Your marvelous works and Your loving kindness and tender mercies toward us.  Thank You for providing us with employment and blessing us with homes, cars, and “things.”  Lord, You are good.  Your mercy endures forever.

***

Father, it is Your will that we do not lay up material treasures on earth for ourselves, where moth and rust can destroy and where thieves can break in and steal; but lay up treasures in heaven for ourselves, where neither moth nor rust can destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  Your word states that our lives do not consist in the abundance of the things we possess: therefore, we will beware of covetousness.  The one who lays up treasure for himself is not rich towards You.  Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.  Lord, we confess that life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Therefore, we declare that we, as a church body, will seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness and all things will be added to us.  Lord, we confess that we will not trust in uncertain riches but we will trust in You, the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  We confess that we will be a church that will continue to do good works and we will be ready to give and be willing to share.

***

Father, please help us to spend wisely and not excessively.  Please break the bondage of conspicuous consumption over our nation.  Help us to be better stewards of the resources You have blessed us with.  Holy Spirit, please help us to be more disciplined with our lifestyles.  Father, help us to learn to be content with what we have instead of always wanting more.  Help those who are in financial trouble.  Many need a miracle in their finances and we ask for Your intervention.

***

Father, please forgive us for greed, selfish ambition, idolatry, conceit and arrogance.  Forgive us for loving things and placing them over You.  Forgive us for not being good stewards of Your blessings.  As a church, we renounce any gods of materialism.  Lord, remind us of those we need to forgive; and help us to forgive.

***

Lord, You are the Almighty God, the One who is and who was and who is to come.  You have taken Your great power and reigned.  Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty.  Just and true are Your ways, O king of the saints.  Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?  For You alone are holy.  All the nations will come and worship before You; for Your judgments are manifested.  For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

— by prayerwvumc

Prayer Against Greed #1

My Lord Jesus Christ, I have grown too fond of taking into the consideration of my own needs, over those who have less then I have.
I have purposely taken it upon myself, to take what was more than my own share, and hoard it for my self- comfort and my own self worth. Though I am not sick, this disease has not spared me, from not thinking on those who cannot afford, or cannot physically take care of themselves, and here is where I profess to You my shame.

Please my Lord Jesus Christ, drive back all my desires of self-worth, and allow my soul to be generous as You are generous, to all those who are in need, and deserve the peace that I can provide to them to better their lives.

Teach me in the future to be a true reflection of You my Lord Jesus Christ, and guide my hands and my heart to those who need more then I need, and to those who are in pain more then I am in pain. Of this, I beg, of this, I plead and of this, I pray… Amen.

A Prayer for Guarding Against All Kinds of Greed

Dear heavenly Father, throughout your Word, you have things to say to us about greed—strong cautions about our heart’s relentless hunger, quest, and demand to have a little more. But today, Jesus’ warning about “all kinds” of greed has broadened this admonition, and I find myself both convicted of sin and wooed to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Like anyone, I can be greedy for money and the things money can buy. Though it’s easy for me to downplay my cash greed by comparing myself to others, seemingly much more preoccupied with getting rich than I am, nonetheless, Father, your warning about the love of money being a root of all kinds of evil is real to me.

But I am also aware of being greedy for other “currencies” too. When Jesus “isn’t enough” for me, I get greedy for control over my space, schedule, and interruptions; I get greedy for people to notice me and appreciate me; I get greedy for being included in special circles of cool and important people; I get greedy for being thought of as smart and spiritual; I get greedy for people not to be needy or have unrealistic expectations of me. Ouch, I’m going to stop there, Father, though I could add to my “all kinds of greed” list.

I repent, Father, and collapse upon Jesus as my righteousness; and ask you both forgive me and liberate me. I want to glorify you and enjoy you—more than ever. By the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to find my deepest satisfaction, joy, and peace in knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. So very Amen I pray, in his magnificent and merciful name.

Prayer Against Greed #2

Displaying the treasures of Your work, Jesus, You invited me to follow You, To sell my goods, to give to the poor, And to completely submit Myself to You. Desires for wealth leads to greed, Satisfaction never being reached. He who seeks no earthly possessions Is free of all avarice aspirations. Jesus, edify my weak human nature, To resist unnecessary commodities, Those classified as evident luxury. May I subdue all greedy tendencies!

Prayer Against Materialism #2

Lord,

You desire our obedience in every area of our lives. And You are MOST WORTHY of our obedience in everything. Please give us hearts that long for Your presence, and that hunger deeply for Your Word and Your truth. Let us delight in obeying You – not in a legalistic way – but in joy because of the grace and mercy and love You have so richly bestowed upon us.

I pray that You might help us to thoroughly examine our hearts, minds and motives about our stuff. Why do we want what we want? Why do we keep what we do? How do we spend our money? Those things show us so much about our priorities and whether we are honoring You or not.

Help us to see ourselves as You see us.

• • Are we greedy for things that will never actually satisfy?
  • Are we seeking to find contentment and fulfillment in stuff? Is it an idol for us?
  • Do we put money or stuff above You?
  • Do we feel like we have to have a beautiful house, or beautiful clothes, or a certain kind of car or people will “talk” about us?
  • Are we caving in to the pressure to keep up with the Joneses instead of being godly stewards of our time, money, possessions and resources for Your glory?
  • Do we seek happiness in things instead of in Christ alone?
  • Do we make our identity about what we own instead of who we are in You?
  • Do we try to comfort ourselves by buying new stuff and then end up empty?
  • Do we have so much stuff that we are stressed out by all the time it takes to organize, manage, clean, dust and care for it?
  • Do we care more about a beautiful house than loving people and loving You?
  • Do we yell at our husbands or children if they mess up our stuff?
  • Do we think we need luxury to be content and happy in life?
  • Do we think, “If I only had X (a thing), I would be satisfied?”
  • Do we pressure our husbands to make more money so we can have a fancier house, car, clothes or vacation?
  • Do we spend way too much on clothing, shoes, makeup, decorations, furniture, cars, houses and things?
  • Are we in debt? Do we justify going into debt because we “deserve” to have “nice things”?
  • Do we think we have to have the latest and most expensive nails, hair, clothing, makeup and jewelry? How important are these things to us? How important are they to You?
  • Or do we go too far the other way and have pride about being frugal to an extreme?
  • Do we try to control other people and prevent them from spending money unless their spending is “justified” in our sight?
  • Do we think we are more “holy” or better than other people if we have less stuff?
  • What things in our lives are creating temptation for us that we need to cut out or reduce our exposure to? (commercials, advertisements, DIY shows, house selling shows, tv programs, worldly people in our lives…)

Sweep through the darkest corners of our hearts, minds and souls and expose any pride, jealousy, greed, materialism, worldliness and carnality, Lord!

We repent for putting stuff ahead of You in Your rightful place in our hearts!  Let us mourn over our sin. Help us to see our sin for the vile thing that it is in Your holy sight.

Cleanse us. Give us godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Help us to repent to You and to our husbands and families if necessary. Help us to honor You with our priorities about things. We are tempted to love things and use people – when You desire us to love people and use things. Help us love what You love and hate what You hate. Help us use money wisely and help us to seek to use it for Your kingdom and for the purposes You desire us to – under our husbands’ leadership.

Let us cultivate thankful hearts that focus on good things and contentment in what we have in this moment.

In the Name and power of Christ,

Amen!

— Borrowed From https://peacefulwife.com

Prayer Against Materialism #3

Our Father, this has been just a very practical time this morning and yet really a worship time.  We can’t worship You properly unless we can worship You with our money and goods.  We do worship You by laying up treasure in heaven, and by seeking first the kingdom, and letting You add all these necessities. 

Help us, Lord, to worship with a true and a pure heart.  Thank You that You own everything, You control everything, You provide everything for Your children.  And, Lord, I just know, too, that there are some here in our midst this morning who are not Your children. You love them and You died for them, but they’ve never said yes.  They’ve never opened their heart to receive You.  They’re not in Your family and they have no guarantee of Your provision. 

We pray, Lord, that this might be the day when their hearts are opened by the Spirit of God, their hearts become receptive, that day when they believe in Jesus Christ who died and rose for them, and they enter upon the miracle of birth into Your family and come under the providence of Your care.  We pray, Lord, that this might happen in many hearts this morning. 

Some who came here outside the family may go home in the family.  And some, Father, who have been in the family, but who have wasted the resources, and been possessive, and selfish – and greedy, and it’s touched every one of us, including my own heart – might go away with a new resolve to so live to Your honor that our treasure is in heaven, and our seeking is of Your kingdom and righteousness. 

Thank You for being so gracious, Father, not to just give us what we think we possess, but to give us the world and eternity.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Some Bible Verses About Greed

1. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

2. Hebrews 13:5 Your conduct must befree from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

3. Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money will never have enough money.Whoever loves luxury will not be content with abundance. This also is pointless.

4. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”

5. Luke 12:15 He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”

6. Proverbs 28:25 A greedy person stirs up a fight, but whoever trusts the LORD prospers.

7. 1 John 2:16 For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world.

8. Mark 7:21-22 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly.

9. James 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

10. Psalm 10:3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

11. 2 Corinthians 8:7-9 Since you excel in so many ways–in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us–I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

12. Luke 9:58  But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests,but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

13. Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,It is more blessed to give than to receive.

14. Proverbs 11:24-15 Those who give freely gain even more; others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer. A generous person will prosper, and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.

15. Proverbs 21:6 Those who gather wealth by lying are wasting time.They are looking for death.

16. Proverbs 28:20 The faithful man will prosper with blessings, but whoever is in a hurry to get rich will not escape punishment.

17. Proverbs 15:27 Those who are greedy for unjust gain bring trouble into their homes, but the person who hates bribes will live.

18. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Don’t you know that wicked people won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals, or thieves, those who are greedy or drunk, who use abusive language, or who rob people will not inherit God’s kingdom.

19. Matthew 19:24 I can guarantee again that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

20. Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

21. Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

22. 2 Peter 2:3 They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words.Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.

23. Jeremiah 6:13 “From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed.From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.

24. John 12:4-6 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was going to betray him, asked, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the destitute?” He said this, not because he cared about the destitute, but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and would steal what was put into it.

25. Matthew 26:15-16 and inquired, “What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They offered him 30 pieces of silver, and from then on he began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.