Why Should I Be Afraid?

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)

Dear God,

Thank You that Your promises will keep me far from fear.

In those times when I have allowed my mind to take me to those dark places that cause me to become afraid, let the light of Your promises fill my heart and drive the darkness of fear away, as I put my trust in You.

Remind me that as I let the praise of my heart stir up every good promise You have spoken over me, Your love for me will so overwhelm me that there is no room for fear.

Why should I ever fear what man can do to me, when You—the Lord God Almighty, Creator of the heavens and the earth—are the one who holds my life in Your grip?

Thank You that Your promises will keep me far from fear.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Submit and Resist

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

--James 4:7 (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Help me not forget that, as I submit myself to be obedient to You in all things, You give me the power to resist the attacks of the enemy, and he will run from me in fear.

Help me always humbly and willingly acknowledge Your authority over me, Your power at work in me through Your Holy Spirit, and the authority that is given me in the name of Jesus, by the sacrifice He made for me.

Help me to remember that the only weapon the enemy can come against me with is his attempts to deceive me into not believing the Truth of Your Word.

But 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 forget that, as I submit myself to be obedient to You in all things, You give me the power to resist the attacks of the enemy, and he will run from me in fear.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Build Wisely

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

--Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)

Dear Lord,

I want to be counted among the wise—as one who has built my house on solid rock.

Keep me far from sin—both the sin of doing what I know is wrong and the sin of not being obedient to do what You have taught me is good and right.

I want to build my life on the rock of things eternal—on the revealed truth of Your Word—so I can stand against any storm that the enemy sends to try to destroy me.

Keep me from the self-deception that comes from building my life on the temporal things of this world—things that will cause me to fall and be completely destroyed.

I don’t want to be like the foolish man, who thinks all he has built will continue to stand, only to find one day that it has been completely destroyed and, just like himself, is lost forever.

I want to be counted among the wise—as one who has built my house on solid rock.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Living Set Apart

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

--1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

By Your Spirit within me, keep me from slipping back into the ignorance of my old ways—when I was living my life for myself, rather than embracing the freedom and blessing of obedience to You.

It is only right that—out of gratitude for the grace that You have poured out on me in order to set me apart from my sin—I should strive to walk in obedience to You in all my ways.

I no longer have the excuse that I don’t know any better, because Your Spirit continues to show me the way I should go.

May Your holiness—Your example of absolute moral perfection—be my only standard by which I judge my actions, as I endeavor to be more like You.

Let everything I say and do reflect that You have not only set me apart from sin, but set me apart to Your service—as in obedience, I allow the power of Your Spirit within me to control me.

By Your Spirit within me, keep me from slipping back into the ignorance of my old ways—when I was living my life for myself, rather than embracing the freedom and blessing of obedience to You.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Joy In Every Storm

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

--James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

In every situation, in any storm that comes, help me never lose my joy!

I know that troubles will come my way, because no one is exempt.  But help me look for the good that You will bring out of every situation.

Help me to consider troubles as opportunities for me to have great joy in You, knowing You will go with me, that You will teach me, and that You will help me to grow as I allow You to carry me through the midst of the trouble.

When the enemy comes against me with trials and temptations to try to steal my joy, help me to pass the testing of my faith.

Help me to trust You with patient endurance—not just pretending to be happy—but remaining truly joyful, looking to You to rescue me, so I can become the mature and complete person that You want me to be.

In every situation, in any storm that comes, help me never lose my joy!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.