The Good Fruit Of The Holy Spirit

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

—Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Let my life continually abound with the good fruit that is produced by Your Spirit—as I submit to Your will for me and embrace Your power at work within me to change me.

Teach me to be a person who loves You and loves others—with the deep, God-kind of love that can only come from You.

Teach me to be a person who overflows with unrelenting joy—because of the strength you give me for today, and the hope for tomorrow that is mine in Christ.

Teach me to walk in that peace that only You can give, which passes understanding—and, in as much as is my part, to live at peace with everyone.

Teach me to patiently bear with others, with kindness and gentleness—just as You have always been patient, kind and gentle with me.

Teach me to remain faithful to You—at all times and in every situation—just as You have always proven Yourself faithful to me.

Teach me to have a gentleness of spirit and exercise self-control at all times—as I humble myself and surrender my control to Your Spirit, for Your glory and honor.

Teach me to reflect the character of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, always.

Let my life continually abound with the good fruit that is produced by Your Spirit—as I submit to Your will for me and embrace Your power at work within me to change me.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Walking Closely After You

You shall walk after the Lord your God and you shall fear [and worship] Him [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], and you shall keep His commandments and you shall listen to His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cling to Him.

—Deuteronomy 13:4 (AMP)

O LORD My God,

Let me walk after You all the days of my life!  Be for me the only God I fear and worship—the God I obey, the God I listen to, the God I serve, and the God I cling to always!

Help me only go down paths that You lead me down—as I walk closely after You—and not go wandering off on my own.

Help me always worship You in reverential awe of who You are, Your infinite and delivering power, and Your unfailing love for me—and not allow myself to become afraid of anything that looms before me, whether man, demon, or circumstance.

Help me to be careful to obey all Your commands and instructions—knowing that You have given them to me so I might live in the peace, provision and protection that can only come from Your hand.

Help me to listen to Your voice alone—and silence the many “voices” of this world which would try to pull my attention away from You.

Help me to examine my thoughts, words, and actions to ensure that everything that I do is in service to You—that it is done from pure and right motives in order to bring glory to Your Name.

Help me to cling to You with all of my heart, mind and strength—and allow no temptation to overcome me and separate me from You.

Let me walk after You all the days of my life!  Be for me the only God I fear and worship—the God I obey, the God I listen to, the God I serve, and the God I cling to always!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Trusting At All Times

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

—Psalm 62:8 (NKJV)

Loving Father God,

Grant me the wisdom to trust You at all times, to pour out my heart before You, and to find my place of perfect refuge in You!

You call on me to trust You at all times.  And I respond with sporadic bursts of absolute trust which are intermingled with my struggles over my doubts and fears.

You plead with me to trust You in all situations and under all circumstances.  And while I find myself easily and completely trusting You with some things, at the same time I catch myself wanting to have control over other things—all the while knowing in my heart that they are not mine to control.

You caution me to trust You with constancy, both in good times and in bad.  Yet, when things are going along fine, I become tempted to walk off in my own strength and forget that I am totally dependent on You—only to be driven back to you in desperation when the next crisis comes crushing in on me.

You desire for me to pour out my heart to You.  And I foolishly choose to try to figure things out on my own—rather than to come into Your Presence, share with You the concerns of my heart and allow You to heal all my brokenness.

And all the while, no matter where I may wander, You remain a ready refuge for me—a strong tower, a fortress of strength, a place of protection, a storehouse of provision, a sanctuary of peace, and an overflowing fountain of joy—as You wait patiently for me to put all of my trust in You.

Grant me the wisdom to trust You at all times, to pour out my heart before You, and to find my place of perfect refuge in You!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.