Search, Seek, Remember

Search for the LORD and for his strength;
    continually seek him.
Remember the wonders he has performed,
    his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
you children of his servant Abraham,
    you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

—Psalm 105:4-6 (NLT)

Loving LORD,

When I lose my way, when I no longer feel Your strength in me, stir my heart to search for You—to continually seek You—so that I will remember who You are, and all that You have done for me!

Help me to remember that, just as You chose the descendants of Abraham and Jacob as Your own, You chose me and received me as Your own—when the Holy Spirit prompted me to accept the salvation You freely offered me, through Christ.

And help me not to forget all the wonders that You have performed, Your miracles, and the rulings and instructions that You have given—both as recorded in the Bible, and as I have experienced personally in my own walk with You.

Then move me to respond to Your immeasurable love for me, with a grateful heart, and in faithful obedience to everything You have taught me and to everything that You ask me to do—by the strength I find in Your Word and by empowering of Your Spirit within me.

And help me to walk through each moment of all the rest of my days in that strength, so I will come to understand more and more how You are at work in me, through me and all around me—both now and always.

When I lose my way, when I no longer feel Your strength in me, stir my heart to search for You—to continually seek You—so that I will remember who You are, and all that You have done for me!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Pay Attention, Listen Carefully, For My Words Bring Life and Healing

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 to pay attention to what You say—as I listen carefully to Your words and let them penetrate deep into my heart—so that I can fully experience the life, healing, and wholeness they bring.

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

Then help me to apply the truth that I have hidden in my heart to everything I think, say and do, so that I can truly live for You—walking in health and wholeness, in my body, soul and spirit, to Your glory, for the rest of my days.

Help me to pay attention to what You say—as I listen carefully to Your words and let them penetrate deep into my heart—so that I can fully experience the life, healing, and wholeness they bring.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Weapons We Fight With

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 to 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 to examine carefully 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, as measured by Christ.

Help me always to 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.