Pure Motives, Committed Action

People may be pure in their own eyes,
    but the Lord examines their motives.

Commit your actions to the Lord,
    and your plans will succeed.

—Proverbs 16:2-3 (NLT)

Dear Lord,

Reveal to me the motives of my own heart, and help me commit everything I do to You, so that I don’t work in vain.

Lord, You know my heart better than I do.  You examine every motive.  Show me my motives, so that what I set out to do will be done from a pure heart.

Help me to completely commit my every action to You, Lord, so that my plans will be in harmony with Your will for me—based in the Truth of Your Word.

Help me to continue to trust You and commit my way to You when things don’t go just the way I thought they would—knowing that You know the path that will lead to true success, if I continue to work diligently for You.

Thank You that in as much as I am able to submit all of my plans to Your will, You will cause my plans to be successful, because my motives will be pure and my actions will glorify You.

Reveal to me the motives of my own heart, and help me commit everything I do to You, so that I don’t work in vain.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Freedom In Truth

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

—John 8:31-32 (NLT)

Dear Lord,

I want to be faithful to what You have taught me in Your Word.

Help me to understand that to truly be Your disciple, I must study Your Word so You can reveal the Truth of Your Word to me, and I must purpose to be obedient to all Your teachings, as I allow that Truth to guide me in all my affairs.

Help me to remember that Jesus is that Truth—that He is the source of Truth and the one true example of everything that is right and just.

Help me to steadfastly cling to Him for He is the one who sets me free—free from my slavery to sin, free from my inclination to deceive myself, free from the lies of the enemy and free to choose eternal life with You.

May I always understand that the freedom You give is freedom to walk out my life in obedience to You—that as I am obedient to You, You make it possible for me to enjoy the full benefits that come from being everything You intended for me to be.

I want to be faithful to what You have taught me in Your Word.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Not About Me

Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.

—John 7:18 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

I want always to speak words that bring honor and glory to You—I want to speak truth, not lies.

I don’t want to be that person who arrogantly speaks for his own gain or glory—spouting words out of his head to try to impress others with his own knowledge or wisdom, only to make himself a liar and a thief of the glory that belongs to You alone.

But I want to speak words that honor You, LORD—the One who sends me to speak on His behalf—opening my mouth and allowing the words that You give me, through the Holy Spirit within me, to flow out from my spirit to bring You all the glory You are due.

May I always speak words that bring honor and glory to You—words that declare the truth of who You are.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.