If You Want to Boast . . .

 

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.  Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

 

—1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NLT)

 

Merciful and Gracious God,

 

Let me never boast about anything, except Jesus, my Lord!

 

Thank You for uniting me with Christ Jesus, Your Son, so that I can walk in the blessing of being joined with wisdom itself.

 

Thank You that because You have called me, and I have believed and confessed that Christ died and rose again for me—because I have received Him into my heart and life as my Lord—I am made right with You.  

 

Thank You that by Christ’s transforming power, I am made pure and holy—and by His death and resurrection, the power that sin once had over me has been broken, and I am free to choose good over evil.

 

Help me always remember that anything good in me has come through Christ who is Worthy of all the Honor, and Glory, and Power, forevermore!

 

Let me never boast about anything, except Jesus, my Lord!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

 

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

—James 4:7 (NIV)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me not to forget that, as I humbly and obediently submit myself to You in all things, You give me the power to resist the attacks of the enemy, so that he has no choice but to run from me in fear.

 

Help me always willingly acknowledge Your authority over me, Your power at work in me through Your Holy Spirit, and the authority that is given to me in the name of Jesus, as a follower of Christ.

 

Help me to remember that the only power the enemy can use against me is that which I give him, when because of his lies, I begin to doubt the Truth of Your Word.

 

Don’t let me forget that You alone have the authority over me, and it is Your Word that gives me the authority to act on Your command to resist the attacks of the devil, with the full confidence that he must flee from me.

 

Help me not to forget that, as I humbly and obediently submit myself to You in all things, You give me the power to resist the attacks of the enemy, so that he has no choice but to run from me in fear.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

I Trust in God!

 

 

But when I am afraid,
    I will put my trust in you.

I praise God for what he has promised.
    I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
    What can mere mortals do to me?

 

—Psalm 56:3-4 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Overwhelm me with an ever-deepening revelation of Your amazing love for me—so that I will place all my trust in You and see all my fears brought down to nothing!

 

Help me resist the times when my mind tries to take me to those dark places that open an entrance for fear to come rushing into my heart. May the light of Your love fill me up inside, flooding me with truth and driving the darkness of fear away.

 

May I always praise You out of a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude—as Your Spirit brings back to my remembrance every promise that You have given me in Your Word.

 

Help me to see the folly of fearing what mortal man can do to me, when it is You, the Ever-living LORD of all Creation, in whom I have placed my trust—that it is You who holds my life firmly and forever in His grip!

 

Overwhelm me with an ever-deepening revelation of Your amazing love for me—so that I will place all my trust in You and see all my fears brought down to nothing!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Everything Through Christ

 

 

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

—Philippians 4:12-13 (NLT)

 

Father God, 

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation, with my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

Help me remember that I can remain content if I keep a heart full of gratitude and faith—gratitude expressed by continual thankfulness for all the undeserved blessings of my life, and faith demonstrated by my unwavering confidence that You will always provide everything that I need to accomplish the plans and purposes You have for me.

 

Help me to rest in the truth that You provide for me out of Your unlimited knowledge, wisdom and understanding—that You completely know me and the good plans You have for me—while I have only a cloudy memory of where I have been, a partial understanding of where I am now, and by Your grace, perhaps a mere glimpse of where You are taking me.

 

Help me remember that the power You give to me through Christ is not so that I can do whatever I please with my life—or to have anything that I think I want—but rather that I might have the strength to do whatever You would require of me, whether I have little or plenty.

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation, with my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Light!

 

 

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

 

—Genesis 1:3-4 (NLT)

 

Creator of Light and Life,

 

Let every word I speak be birthed out of truth, seasoned with grace, spoken in faith, and motivated by love—bringing light and life to anyone who has ears to hear. 

 

You spoke, “Let there be light,” and light came into being from nothing—forever demonstrating for us the creative power of Your spoken Word. 

 

Knowing that You have made me in Your image, may I ever be mindful that the words I speak also contain a power to create—either something that is good, or something that is evil. 

 

Forgive me, LORD, for too often my careless words have created doubt, instead of hope; resentment, instead of respect; discouragement, instead of encouragement; hurt, instead of healing; darkness, instead of light; and death, instead of life.

 

Just as You saw that the light was good, help me to speak in such a way that I might see good things created from the words that You give me to speak—that with every word, I would represent Christ well and bring You glory.

 

Help me to walk fully in Your light—so I can be the messenger of light, that You created me to be, to those who are lost and separated from You by the evil darkness of this world.

 

Let every word I speak be birthed out of truth, seasoned with grace, spoken in faith, and motivated by love—bringing light and life to anyone who has ears to hear. 

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen. 

Christ's Love for Us

 

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

 

—Romans 8:35, 37 (NLT)

 

Loving Heavenly Father,

 

May I always rejoice in the knowledge that there is nothing that can ever separate me from the constant and continuous love of Christ—which never wavers, never diminishes, never fails, and never ends.

 

In the tough and troubled times of my life, help me to cling to this Truth: You will use everything that I may suffer to help me to identify more closely with Christ’s sufferings on my behalf, so I can more fully realize the depth of His love for me, and be drawn into ever closer fellowship with You.

 

Use those times of my life to help me to understand how totally dependent I am on You to provide everything I need, not only survive, but also to thrive along this journey here—as I watch You prove Your faithfulness to me, every step along the way.

 

Let me never forget that no matter what may come, I have no need to fear, for overwhelming victory is mine through Christ—who, because of His great love for me, heals my brokenness with Truth; who, through His mercy, forgives my sin and makes me completely whole; and who, out of His amazing grace, grants me abundant and eternal life with Him. 

 

May I always rejoice in the knowledge that there is nothing that can ever separate me from the constant and continuous love of Christ—which never wavers, never diminishes, never fails, and never ends.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Shipwrecked Faith

 

 

 

Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.

 

—1 Timothy 1:19 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me always cling to my faith in Christ and keep a clear conscience—unwilling to violate my conscience, unwilling to see my faith shipwrecked.

 

 

Help me truly believe that my faith in Jesus Christ alone is enough to save and deliver me through any circumstance and every situation in which I find myself—and help me listen to and obey Your Spirit, speaking through my conscience, as You show me the way that I should go. 

 

Help me be careful not to deliberately violate my conscience—because in doing so I harden my heart to the voice of Your Spirit, weaken my capacity to discern right from wrong, deny my belief in the power of Christ to protect and save me, and ultimately shipwreck my faith.

 

Help me always choose to submit my will to the tugging of the Holy Spirit at my heart, so my conscience will remain clear, and my faith will remain strong—and I can better represent my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with my life.

 

Help me always cling to my faith in Christ and keep a clear conscience—unwilling to violate my conscience, unwilling to see my faith shipwrecked. 

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.