As Long as I Live, To My Last Breath

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.
    I will praise my God to my last breath!

May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD.

—Psalm 104:33-34 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Oh that all my thoughts would be pleasing to You—that You would be the source of all my joy and the object of all my praise, for as long as I live!

Give me a voice to sing Your praises—and I will sing praise You, my God, because of who You are and for all that You have done, until my final breath!

Remind me to praise You, LORD—for the precious gift of life You have given me, for the love that You have freely showered on me, and for the opportunity that You have opened before me to experience personally Your amazing grace!

Let my heart rejoice with gratitude for everything You have done, everything that You are doing, and everything that You have yet to do—so that my thoughts would always be pleasing to You!

Oh that all my thoughts would be pleasing to You—that You would be the source of all my joy and the object of all my praise, for as long as I live!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Be Thankful and Keep Your Vows to the Most High

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
    and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
    and I will rescue you,
    and you will give me glory.”

—Psalm 50:14-15 (NLT)

LORD God Most High,

Give me a heart to continually offer sacrifices of thankfulness to You—for You are forever faithful to hear me call on You when I am in trouble, and You rescue me so that I will give You all the glory.

Let it be true of me, that my genuine gratitude and heartfelt thankfulness to You would be expressed in the first sounds that cross my lips—within every prayer I speak and in all the praises that I lift up to You.

Help me demonstrate my love and commitment to Your will for me, not by saying empty words, but by submitting my life to Your will in truth—so that if I was on trial for being Your child, there would be an abundance of compelling evidence presented to convict me.

And help me to boldly and confidently call on You in those times when I find myself in trouble, knowing that You alone are the One who hears my cry and has the power to rescue me—whether You rescue me by delivering me from my circumstances, or rescue me by sustaining me through them.

And let it be that I would be faithful to give You glory for that rescue—even before I see it with my eyes—so that others would see my faith confirmed and come to know that I serve the only God who is able to save to the uttermost!

Give me a heart to continually offer sacrifices of thankfulness to You—for You are forever faithful to hear me call on You when I am in trouble, and You rescue me so that I will give You all the glory.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Abstain, Withdraw, and Keep Away

Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].

—1 Thessalonians 5:22 (AMP)

Heavenly Father,

Help me deliberately choose not to have anything to do with evil—to withdraw from any temptation to join in with it and keep away from it!

Because Christ has broken sin’s power over me—by the sacrifice of His life on the cross for my sin—I have been given the freedom to choose not to sin.

So grant me the strength to walk with You in integrity and with purity of heart—always conscious that I am called to represent Christ to this dark and evil world—in my thoughts, with my words and by my actions.

And when I feel this world of evil crowding in on me, when I feel my peace being stolen from me, or when I am tempted to buy into the lies of darkness and join in its evilness, be for me a refuge from the storm, a strong tower—where I can run and where I am kept safe in every way.

Keep me from the temptation to try to see how close I can come to evil, and yet still not sin.  And let me also abstain from even the appearance of evil—from anything that might even look like it could be sin.

Help me consistently choose to move away from darkness and toward the Light of true holiness that can only be found in You.

Help me deliberately choose not to have anything to do with evil—to withdraw from any temptation to join in with it and keep away from it!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.