Are You Unknowingly Wicked? - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 26, 2026

Recently, I was reading Romans 1 and paid attention to Paul's assessment of wicked people. It's easy not to see oneself as wicked. After all, you don't steal, you've never killed, and you help little old ladies cross the street (we all do that, too, right?). However, there was one tiny mention about the wicked that gave me pause and made me realize many of us Christians might fall into that category unknowingly.

Romans 1:21 - Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Again, Paul was speaking about the wicked, highlighting some of the things they do. Although these people were not believers in God and His Son, do you see anything in that verse that could apply to Christians? People like you and me?

The key is in the first sentence - they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. There are many Christians who readily state that we believe in the Lord, but do we readily give Him our worship and thanksgiving?

Our interactions with God are often brief check-ins where we tell Him what we want, failing to seek His plans for our day or even His purpose for our lives.  We idolize and worship celebrities, money, and ourselves, as evidenced by how we allocate our time, attention, and resources. We don't see anything wrong with it, and when we hit a bumpy patch, we blame God, not ignoring that we haven't nurtured a relationship with the One who calls His own to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

And let's talk about thanksgiving. Many of us withhold our thanks from the Lord because there's one thing or another that we feel He is yet to do for us. We thereby allow the spirits of discontentment and ingratitude to cloud our hearts. Yet, we forget all that He's done and the Jericho Walls He brought down on our behalf. We see little reason to practice what the righteous do, which is to give God unreserved praise.

The saddest part about this is that because we don't realize we are doing what the wicked do, we fail to see that we are wicked when we behave this way. We don't see how our lack of thanks and sincere worship causes us to be ignorant of the warning in Proverbs 17:13 - Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

As Christians, we are told to give thanks in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That means whether things are good or bad, we will have reason to express gratitude to the Lord. Remember what He's done and the Jericho Walls He brought down on your behalf. Give Him praise for that.

Thank Him that things in your life aren't worse than they are. That seems like a strange thing until you understand that satan wanted to destroy everything about your life, as it was able to with Job. The enemy's plan has always been to kill you, but Jesus advocated, God said, "No," and extended grace. The Lord provided another day to hold His hand and be the child He fashioned who honors Him and walks into the fullness of life.

If you are struggling to give thanks, please write down what you are grateful for. It could be only one thing - the fact that you can wiggle your fingers, or can hear, for instance. These are things many take for granted. But not you. Thank God for that one blessing over and over. You'll notice you have had experiences that others could only dream of. All because God showed you great love and mercy. Your list of things to thank God for will grow.

As you give Him your thanks and worship, you will not be anything like the wicked. And He will reward you all the more. God bless you.

Give your life to Christ with the Altar Call below and learn more about today's topic from the following previous P&P messages:

1. But, can you wait?

2. You are being built for the Lord

3. You Reap What You Sow

4. Thanks Offering

5. Thanksgiving Psalms

6. What are you thankful for?

7. Thank Him for Wanting You

8. Complete Respect (1 Peter 2:18)

9. The Process Of Becoming

10. God's Word, His Plan & Spirit

11. Ask, Don't 'Tell' With God

12. That All May Praise Him

13. Topic: God's Concerns Series (Mark 8:33)

14. Topic: Happiness, Joy & Contentment

15. Topic: Praise

16. Are You Unknowingly Wicked?