My Actions and Your Decrees

 

You have charged us

    to keep your commandments carefully.

Oh, that my actions would consistently

    reflect your decrees!

 

—Psalm 119:4-5 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to carefully keep Your commandments, so that all my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

 

LORD, out of Your great love for me, You have charged me with this great and awesome responsibility—to keep Your commandments carefully.

 

In order to do this, I must take the time to discover and seek to understand Your commandments—by reading, studying and being taught the instructions that are found in Your Word.

 

This also means I must meditate on Your Word at all times—so the Truth of Your Word will permeate my thoughts and, in turn, will produce in me the godly actions that would bring You glory, honor, and praise.

 

I must totally surrender control over my heart to Your Spirit—so that You can empower me not to do those things I shouldn’t do, but also, to do those things that I should.

 

Because of Your great and unending love for me, You have given me Your commandments—so that, to the extent that I am faithful to follow them, I can walk in the freedom, peace, protection, provision, and joy that they bring to me.

 

Help me to carefully keep Your commandments, so that all my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Supported in Your Unfailing Love

 

I cried out, “I am slipping!”

    but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.

When doubts filled my mind,

    your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

—Psalm 94:18-19 (NLT)

 

Loving LORD,

 

When I feel myself slipping in any way, help me to cry out to You in faith—knowing that You will hear my cry and You will support me in Your unfailing love.

 

Help me to fix my eyes upon You at all times, so that I won’t slip or fall, but rather will allow Your unfailing love to sustain me in every way—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

 

But, in those times when I find myself under attack from the deceiver—the one who floods my mind with doubts and lies, and tempts me to question all that I know in my heart is true—help me to cry out to You.

 

For You, O LORD, are the only One who can save me, comfort me, and bring me renewed hope and cheer.

 

When I feel myself slipping in any way, help me to cry out to You in faith—knowing that You will hear my cry and You will support me in Your unfailing love.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Your Words in My Mouth

 

My name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

And I have put my words in your mouth

    and hidden you safely in my hand.

 

—Isaiah 51:15b-16a (NLT)

 

O LORD of Heaven’s Armies,

 

Thank You for being the self-existent One, the redemptive God—for all who choose to believe, receive and respond to Your passionate, unrelenting and pursuing love. You are the God of all the armies of Heaven—and the One who holds me safely hidden in the palm of Your hand!

 

It is You who has put Your words in my mouth—that I might boldly proclaim the Truth of all that You are and of all that You have done—so that You would receive all the glory and honor and praise that You are due.

 

You have chosen me as an ambassador of the Good News—placing Your hand of blessing upon me, so that my entire life would be a testimony to everyone that You place in my path of the power and glory of the God that I worship.

 

And it is You who holds me safely hidden in Your hand and shielded from my enemies—that is, kept perfectly at peace against any storm of evil that would try to come against me physically, spiritually, emotionally or mentally.

 

Thank You for being the self-existent One, the redemptive God—for all who choose to believe, receive and respond to Your passionate, unrelenting and pursuing love. You are the God of all the armies of Heaven—and the One who holds me safely hidden in the palm of Your hand!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Following in Christ's Steps

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. —1 Peter 2:21-23 (NLT)

 

Dear Father God,

 

Help me to do good—even if it means suffering because of it.

 

Thank You for the perfect example set by Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help me to follow in His steps.

 

Help me to turn my back on sin—and to be obedient to Christ in all my ways 

 

Help me to be honest, open, and transparent in all my affairs—to live in truth and never act deceitfully.

 

When I am reviled or insulted, help me to control my flesh and my thoughts—and choose not to retaliate, or threaten to get even—even when I suffer unjustly as I follow Christ.

 

Help me rest in the peace that comes as I continue to entrust my case, indeed my very life, into Your loving hands—with full confidence that You will always judge fairly.

 

Help me to do good—even if it means suffering because of it.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Be Careful How You Live

 

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

 

—Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to live like one who is wise—like one who makes the most of every opportunity You give—as I take the time to consider, understand, and submit to Your will, Your plan and Your purpose for me.

 

Help me to be careful how I live. Help me not to live foolishly but help me carefully consider and seek to understand what You would have me do—as I pour out my heart to You in prayer, search Your Word for truth, and as I listen for and trust the promptings of Your Spirit to guide me.

 

Reveal Your will for me and help me to be willing to eagerly and obediently walk with You wherever You lead—knowing that Your plan is the very best path for me to walk, and will always bring You glory, honor, and praise.

 

And keep me always ready to accept Your invitation to join You in the opportunities You put before me to advance Your Kingdom here on earth—as I choose to live every day of my life with the intention and purpose of taking on more and more of the character of Jesus Christ.

 

Help me to live like one who is wise—like one who makes the most of every opportunity You give—as I take the time to consider, understand, and submit to Your will, Your plan and Your purpose for me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Unless God Gives It

 

 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” 

—John 3:27 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Never allow me to forget that there is no talent that I have, no position I hold, no power I wield, and no possession I own, that You haven’t given to me—and help me to walk humbly before You in that understanding.

 

Keep me from the pride that comes when I am deceived into believing that the talents that I have are a result of my own striving—rather than the blessing of Your hand alone, which You intend to be used for Your glory and honor and praise.

 

Help me to represent Christ well in any position in which You have placed me—knowing that You have put me there in order to make me known, so that I would make You known to others.

 

Help me to use any power that You have entrusted to me with gentleness and kindness, to bring about good—as I reflect Your goodness in every thought I think, every decision I make, every word I speak, and every action I take.

 

And help me to hold any possession that You have given to me, with open hands lifted to You—that You might use it, or take it from me, according to Your perfect plans and purposes, that Your will would be accomplished in me.

 

Never allow me to forget that there is no talent that I have, no position I hold, no power I wield, and no possession I own, that You haven’t given to me—and help me to walk humbly before You in that understanding.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Choose for Yourselves

 

“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!  And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” —Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJV)

 

LORD GOD Almighty,

 

Show me how to fear You, LORD—in awe and reverence of everything that You are and all that You have done!  As I seek to serve You in sincerity and in truth, let me put no other gods before You.

 

Multiple times within each new day, I am faced with making the same decision that Joshua told the children of Israel they must make.  Because I have free-will, I get to choose whom I will serve, but I still must make that choice.  Help me to choose only You.

 

Help me to understand and remember that it is impossible for me not to worship—whether it is some thing or someone—and that whatever I give my time, talents, and money to, has the potential to be my god.

 

So help me to reject any of the false gods that others, who came before me, may have served—gods of success, money, power, possessions, or even other people.

 

Help me also reject the false gods of this present world in which I must dwell—paying close attention not to allow any of the so-called “good things of this life” to become gods that I place before You.

 

Help me to repeatedly make the right choice for me and my house, as to whom we will serve.  Help us always to choose You, LORD.

 

Show me how to fear You, LORD—in awe and reverence of everything that You are and all that You have done!  As I seek to serve You in sincerity and in truth, let me put no other gods before You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Be Glad and Rejoice!

 

I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,

    for you have seen my troubles,

    and you care about the anguish of my soul.

 

—Psalm 31:7 (NLT)

 

Loving LORD,

 

How wonderful it is to be glad and rejoice in Your love—to know, in my heart, that it’s always Your unfailing love which carries me through the hardest things that life on this earth can bring!

 

When my troubles try to overtake me, show me Your unfailing love for me—Your mercy and Your grace poured out over me.  For only by the power of Your caring and compassionate presence here with me can the anguish of my soul be truly put to rest.

 

Don’t allow my soul to be overwhelmed. Don’t allow my troubled heart to see the very hard but momentary struggles I face here on earth, as larger than Your capacity to bring me through them all, in the ultimate victory granted to me in Christ.

 

Help me to run to Your love, expecting You to hold me in that love, and trusting You to protect me and provide for me by that love—believing that You see my troubles and care about the anguish of my soul, and through Your unfailing love, will take me down the best path for me.

 

How wonderful it is to be glad and rejoice in Your love—to know, in my heart, that it’s always Your unfailing love which carries me through the hardest things that life on this earth can bring!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

To Take Up My Cross Daily

 

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

 

—Luke 9:23 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Grant me the strength to turn away from my selfish ways and to embrace with courage and patient endurance any challenge I may face—as I daily commit to follow after Christ, wherever He may lead me.

 

Help me always remember that my life is found in Christ—that I belong to Him and that the life I am called to live serves Your plans and purposes and not my own.

 

Give me a heart that is willing to deny myself in order to accomplish the all that You have placed before me to do—and hands and feet that move quickly and willingly toward the work at hand.

 

Help me not to merely serve You with my mouth, but rather demonstrate my love for You, and my gratitude for all that You have done for me, by truly living my life—moment by moment—for Your glory, honor and praise.

 

Grant me the strength to turn away from my selfish ways and to embrace with courage and patient endurance any challenge I may face—as I daily commit to follow after Christ, wherever He may lead me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

To Watch and Pray

 

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

—Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)

 

Heavenly Father,  

 

Help me to watch and pray.

Help me keep watch against all the schemes of the enemy by living each moment of my life in prayerful fellowship with You—so that my spirit will remain sensitive to every prompting of Your Holy Spirit within me, and my life can be lived in the peace You offer to those who will trust and obey.

 

By Your Holy Spirit, make me wise and help me to be discerning—so I can expose every evil lie sent against me that might cause me to fall to temptation.  Help me to stand against those lies with the truth of Your Word—so I might live in the freedom that can only be found in Truth.

 

I know that, though my spirit is willing, my flesh remains weak.  Help me to depend on Your Spirit to strengthen me and enable me to resist every temptation I face—so that my life will be filled with only Your very best for me.

 

Help me to watch and pray.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Best Pathway for My Life

 

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

    I will advise you and watch over you.

Do not be like a senseless horse or mule

    that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

 

—Psalm 32:8-9 (NLT)

 

Loving LORD,

 

Guide me along the best pathway for my life—advise me and watch over me always.  Let my heart be fully submitted to Your will, Your plan and Your purpose for me.

 

I don’t want to find myself fighting against You—like a senseless or stubborn horse or mule—only to end up having to endure the discipline and deal with the consequences of my foolish disobedience.

 

Help me to remember that the path You lead me down is the best way for me to go—the way that will keep me safe and the direction in which I will find my every need met according to Your plan and Your perfect timing.

 

Help me to seek out Your counsel, listen for Your advice, willingly obey Your instruction—and then, by faith, rest in Your provision, protection, peace and joy.

 

Guide me along the best pathway for my life—advise me and watch over me always.  Let my heart be fully submitted to Your will, Your plan and Your purpose for me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Cared For, Carried, and Saved!

 

I have cared for you since you were born.

    Yes, I carried you before you were born.

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—

    until your hair is white with age.

I made you, and I will care for you.

    I will carry you along and save you.

 

—Isaiah 46:3b-4 (NLT) 

 

 

Everlasting LORD GOD,

 

You are the one true God—the One who made me and loves me, who cares for me, carries me, and saves me!

 

Yes, it is You who made me, and You who has cared for me every day of my life, even from before I was born—always loving me, despite my wanderings—always calling me back into intimate fellowship with You.

 

It is You who has carried me safely into, through, and out of every trial and storm that has come against me—my constant source of strength and the supplier of my every need along the way.

 

And, it is You who will remain faithful to save me, just as You always have—because Your love for me never falters nor fails, and Your plans to bring me good will never change and can never be stopped.

 

So, help me to walk forever in Your peace and experience the fullness of joy that comes from being conscious of Your ever-abiding Presence in every moment of the day ahead—as I choose to believe that what You have said, You will do.

 

You are the one true God—the One who made me and loves me, who cares for me, carries me, and saves me!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.