To Those With Fearful Hearts

 

 

Say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, and do not fear,

for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.

    He is coming to save you.”

 

—Isaiah 35:4 (NLT)

 

 

Just and Merciful God,

 

In these disquieting times, quiet my fearful heart, so that I can be strong and fearlessly walk the path that You have placed before me—fully believing that soon You will come to destroy my enemies and save me completely from this evil world in which I now live.

 

Help me to see that Your perfect morality is evident in Your complete hatred of immorality—which is, sin—and it leads to Your perfect execution of judgment on all who have sinned.

 

But help me to be assured that Your perfect morality is also revealed in Your absolute and unfailing love for all of humanity—which leads to Your perfect exercise of mercy for those of us who, though we have sinned, have sincerely loved Your Son, Jesus, and placed all our hope in Him.

 

With confidence help me rest in the knowledge that You are coming soon to destroy all that is evil and set all things right—every hurt, every offense, every injustice—according to Your perfect judgment and mercy, in order to restore us completely to Yourself.

 

In these disquieting times, quiet my fearful heart, so that I can be strong and fearlessly walk the path that You have placed before me—fully believing that soon You will come to destroy my enemies and save me completely from this evil world in which I now live.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Keeping God's Commandments

 

 

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.

 

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 always meditate on Your Word—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.

 

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, help me to cry out to You in faith—knowing that You will hear my cry, and You will support me with Your unfailing love.

 

May I always remain mindful of Your abiding presence with me, so that I won’t slip or fall, but will be upheld in every way—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—in Your unfailing arms of love.

 

But, in those times when I find myself slipping under attack from the deceiver—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 and will save me, comfort me, and bring me renewed hope and cheer.

 

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

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Hidden Safely

 

 

 

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. May You always 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 the power and glory of the God that I worship.

 

You hold me safely hidden in Your hand and shielded from my enemies—where I am kept perfectly at peace, protected against any kind of evil that would try to come against me.

 

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.

Arise! Shine!

 

 

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

 

—Isaiah 60:1 (ESV)

 

Dear Lord Jesus,

 

Thank You that the light of a new day has come, but even more so, that Your Glorious Light has come to dispel all the darkness!

 

Help us to receive Your Light—to receive everything that You have for us, in this new day, with open, willing, and eagerly obedient hearts.

 

Teach us what You want us to learn. Help us walk in the depths of all that You want us to experience as Your lead us by Your Light. And instruct us in the way that we should go, how we should think about things, and what we should say, and do!

 

May the Light of Your Glory be upon us and within us, that we might shine with it brightly and dispel the darkness surrounding us!

 

Thank You that the light of a new day has come, but even more so, that Your Glorious Light has come to dispel all the darkness!

 

In Your Name, Lord Jesus, Amen!

Just as Christ!

 

 

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.

 

Don't Live Like Fools!

 

 

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 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.

Fear and Serve the LORD!

 

“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.

In Your Unfailing Love

 

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 that it’s Your unfailing love that always carries me through even the hardest things that life may bring!

 

When my troubles try to overtake me, show me Your unfailing love—Your mercy and Your grace poured out over me. For only through the caring and compassion of Your presence with me will 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 and help me to trust You to uphold me in that love—to protect me and provide for me, because You see my troubles, care about the anguish of my soul, and have a plan to bring good from it all.

 

How wonderful it is to be glad and rejoice in Your love—to know that it’s Your unfailing love that always carries me through even the hardest things that life may bring!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Follow Jesus!

 

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)

 

 

Dear Jesus,

 

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 You, wherever You 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, not my own selfish ways.

 

Give me a sacrificial heart—one that is willing to deny myself—and give me 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 and my gratitude for You, by obeying Your Word and following Your example—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 You, wherever You may lead me.

 

I pray these things in Your Precious Name, Lord Jesus, Amen.

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, grant me wisdom and discernment to identify and confront any deceit that may lead to temptation. Enable me to counter these falsehoods with the truth of Your Word, so I may experience the liberty inherent in truth.

 

I acknowledge that, although my spirit is willing, my flesh is weak. May I rely on Your Spirit to strengthen me and enable me to resist every temptation I encounter, ensuring that my life is filled with only the best that You have for me.

 

Help me to watch and pray.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.