Grow!

 

 

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

 

—Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Merciful and Gracious God,

 

Help my roots to grow down deeply into Christ Jesus—so that my life is built on Him.

 

Thank You for the awesome blessing of everlasting life that You gave to me when I accepted Christ as my Savior—and for the compounded blessings that I experience in every moment that I chose to make Him the Lord of my life and follow Him in willing obedience.

 

Help my relationship with Him continue to grow deeper every day, so that I can be built up in Him—the One who holds all things together, who is the source of my life and my strength, and who is my only hope. 

 

Help my faith to grow strong in the truth—the truth that I am taught in Him—and let me ever overflow with thankfulness, so that I am not carried away by sin, but continue in that truth that has set me free.

 

Help my roots to grow down deeply into Christ Jesus—so that my life is built on Him.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

An Example to Follow

 

 

I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

 

—John 13:15 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to us all! May I always follow His example of obedience, humility, and sacrifice, as I serve those whom You have entrusted to me, with the love of Christ.

 

Help me to follow His perfect example. May I reflect His heart more perfectly, offer His grace more compassionately, speak His Truth only out of love, and emulate His servant leadership more completely.

 

Help me to walk in His humility. May I set aside all my pride—not considering anything You ask me to do to be beneath me—and joyfully embrace any invitation that You give me to be a part of what You are doing.

 

Help me to love as Jesus loves. Make me humbly and willingly obedient to every command and instruction of Your Word and every prompting of Your Holy Spirit within me, as evidence of my love for You and my love for my neighbor, for Your glory, honor, and praise. 

 

Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to us all! May I always follow His example of obedience, humility, and sacrifice, as I serve those whom You have entrusted to me, with the love of Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

No One Can Stop You!

 

 

“I know that you can do anything,
    and no one can stop you.”

 

—Job 42:2 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Almighty God,

 

Expand the limits of my heart, my mind, and my faith, so that I might more fully embrace the Truth of Your unlimited strength and power, unlimited knowledge and wisdom, unlimited authority and dominion, and unlimited love for me as Your child.

 

Help me to repent of all the times when, by my thoughts, words or actions, I have shown a lack of faith in the Truth of Your greatness, glory, and perfection—times when I have put limits on what I believed that You were able, or were willing, to do.

 

Help me to see, believe, and take comfort in the Truth that Your Plan cannot be stopped—cannot be restrained or prevented—even by the mistakes and misjudgments I make in my life.  You work all things—good and bad—together for my good and interweave them all into the perfection of Your plan!

 

So, help me to move boldly forward with my life, trusting that You will guide my every step and position me in the place that You want me to be, so that You can receive the greatest glory—because of Your unfailing love for us all.

Expand the limits of my heart, my mind, and my faith, so that I might more fully embrace the Truth of Your unlimited strength and power, unlimited knowledge and wisdom, unlimited authority and dominion, and unlimited love for me as Your child.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Guard Your Heart!

 

 

Guard your heart above all else,
    for it determines the course of your life.

 

—Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to guard my heart above all else!

 

Help me to see that the battle for my heart is a battle that is waged against the enemy—in my mind—for the rights to occupy that sacred space which is my heart.   It is a battle over what thoughts (good or bad) and beliefs (right or wrong) that I will allow to fill my heart, and thus determine my life’s course.

 

Help me remember that You are always with me in this battle and that I am armed with the Truth of Your Word—the Bible—so that I have the strength I need to stand against the enemy, and the weapons I need to defeat him and defend the holy ground of my heart.

 

Help me to make my heart a space that only You can fill—with Your Presence and Power—as I wage every battle of my mind, by holding every thought captive until it lines up with the Truth of the Word, as revealed to my heart, by the Holy Spirit.

 

Help me to guard my heart above all else!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

I Sought the LORD!

 

 

I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
    And delivered me from all my fears.

 

—Psalm 34:4 (NASB)

 

 

 

 

 

O LORD, My Deliverer,

 

Thank You for delivering me from all my fears!

 

For far too much of my life, I lived full of fear—not knowing intimately, nor trusting completely, the One who could deliver me from that fear and usher me into the abundant life that He wanted me to experience.

 

But then I sought You. I searched Your Word for Truth, studied to understand who You are and all that You have done, and I prayed to You. I found that You are the God who can be found—the Father who wants to have a deep and personal relationship with each of His children.

 

I found that You are the God who hears and answers my prayers, according to the perfect plans that You have for me, always with my best interests at heart—out of Your great love for me. 

 

I discovered, through my personal experience of relationship with You, that You are faithful—that You are who You say You are, and that You do what You say You will do—and that my trust is never misplaced when I put my trust in You.

 

And then, I looked back at where I started and followed my path to where You have brought me thus far, and I realized I was no longer afraid. You had delivered me from all my fears. Now, fear no longer has a hold on me, and I am free to continue becoming all that You have called me to be in Christ.

 

Thank You for delivering me from all my fears!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

For They Bring Life

 

 

My child, pay attention to what I say.

    Listen carefully to my words.

Don’t lose sight of them.

    Let them penetrate deep into your heart,

for they bring life to those who find them,

    and healing to their whole body.

 

—Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me pay attention to what You say!

 

With Your Holy Spirit as my teacher, help me fully hear what You would say to me—when I read and study my Bible, while I listen to teaching and preaching, through my conversations with others, and as I quiet myself before You.

 

Help me receive, remember and treasure every word—allowing the truth of Your words to find a home in the deepest parts of my heart and abide there forever.

 

Then help me apply the truth that I have hidden in my heart to everything I think, say, and do—so I can experience the life, healing, and wholeness it brings, to my body, soul, and spirit, for the rest of my days, for Your glory and for my good!

 

Help me pay attention to what You say!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Obedient to Christ

 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

—2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Help me always remember this:  The real battles I must fight in this life are spiritual battles against anything that challenges Truth—that is, the knowledge of God—for the control of my heart. 

 

Thank You that my battles are not like those of the world which—because they are waged in the flesh—only bring misery and destruction to all who fight them.  Thank You there is victory in Christ for every battle I face!

 

Remind me that You have given me divinely powerful weapons—to use in the spiritual battles I must fight for the control of my heart, soul, and spirit—weapons that are able to demolish any strongholds of the enemy, every argument he may make, and each lie that he spews which contradicts the Truth I find in Your Word.

 

Grant me the wisdom to use these weapons—the weapons of prayer, the power of Truth of Your Word proclaimed, the witness of Your Holy Spirit within my spirit, and my authority in Christ as Your child—to enforce Your victory over the enemy in my life.

 

Help me carefully examine every thought or argument that enters my mind and hold it captive and isolated—unable to escape, deceive, or influence me in any way—until such time as it conforms to, and agrees with, and is obedient to Truth I find in Christ.

 

Help me always remember this:  The real battles I must fight in this life are spiritual battles against anything that challenges Truth—that is, the knowledge of God—for the control of my heart. 

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.