Everything Through Christ

 

 

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

—Philippians 4:12-13 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Father God, 

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation, with my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

Help me remember that I can remain content if I keep a heart full of gratitude and faith—gratitude expressed by continual thankfulness for all the undeserved blessings of my life, and faith demonstrated by my unwavering confidence that You will always provide everything that I need to accomplish the plans and purposes You have for me.

 

Help me to rest in the truth that You provide for me out of Your unlimited knowledge, wisdom and understanding—that You completely know me and the good plans You have for me—while I have only a cloudy memory of where I have been, a partial understanding of where I am now, and by Your grace, perhaps a mere glimpse of where You are taking me.

 

Help me remember that the power You give to me through Christ is not so that I can do whatever I please with my life—or to have anything that I think I want—but rather that I might have the strength to do whatever You would require of me, whether I have little or plenty.

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation, with my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Control

 

 

Indeed, we all make many mistakes.  For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

 

—James 3:2 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Save me from the many sinful mistakes I make when I carelessly open my mouth. Help me control my tongue, so that I might be made perfect in You.

Keep me from gossiping. Help me never to say anything about a person behind their backs, that I would not say—with love—to their face. Don’t let me taint the reputation of another with the negative things I might say. Help me build others up, not tear them down. 

 

Keep me from using my tongue to exaggerate, flatter, or exchange the truth for a lie—knowing that the motive behind each of these is manipulation. And help me to speak the truth in love—from a pure motive of reflecting Christ’s love for us all.

 

Keep me from complaining—since complaining drives gratefulness and joy out of my heart and robs me of my very life. And help me to be thankful—in all situations—for the blessings You so richly pour out on my life.

 

Keep me from boasting—except when I testify to what You have done in my life. Help me to be humble—since I know any good thing found in me is all because of You and is only given to me that I might bring You glory.

 

Remind me that in order to bring You glory, I must know when to speak, where to speak, how to speak, and understand why I should speak—just as much as I need to know what to speak.

Save me from the many sinful mistakes I make when I carelessly open my mouth. Help me control my tongue, so that I might be made perfect in You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Grow!

 

 

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

 

—Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Merciful and Gracious God,

 

Help my roots to grow down deeply into Christ Jesus—so that my life is built on Him.

 

Thank You for the awesome blessing of everlasting life that You gave to me when I accepted Christ as my Savior—and for the compounded blessings that I experience in every moment that I chose to make Him the Lord of my life and follow Him in willing obedience.

 

Help my relationship with Him continue to grow deeper every day, so that I can be built up in Him—the One who holds all things together, who is the source of my life and my strength, and who is my only hope. 

 

Help my faith to grow strong in the truth—the truth that I am taught in Him—and let me ever overflow with thankfulness, so that I am not carried away by sin, but continue in that truth that has set me free.

 

Help my roots to grow down deeply into Christ Jesus—so that my life is built on Him.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Heavenly Treasures

 

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

—Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May I never forget that the only treasures that will ever truly satisfy the longing desires of my heart are found in Jesus Christ.

 

Help me not to allow the distractions or the attractions of this world to become a quickly vanishing treasure that I get lost in seeking after—when such a greater treasure is made available to me in Christ.

 

Help me remember that only the treasures that I lay up for myself in heaven are truly mine to keep—that they are the only treasures which can never be taken away from me.

 

Help me keep my heart set on those eternal things, things that cannot be destroyed, and cannot be taken from me—as I lift up to You every blessing You have given me in this life with open hands and surrendered it all to You to be used for Your Glory.

 

May I never forget that the only treasures that will ever truly satisfy the longing desires of my heart are found in Jesus Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Do What It Says!

 

 

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

 

—James 1:22 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Don’t allow me to fool myself!  Help me not only to listen to Your Word, but also willingly choose to do what it says!

 

Save me from the self-deception that I am accomplishing something good when I merely listen to Your Word, but then walk away—failing to embrace and apply its instructions to my life.

 

Help me always to approach Your Word carefully and with proper reverence for the power of the Truth that it contains—that power to change me, from within, into all that You have called me to be.

 

Help me to invest the time to look carefully into the perfect law that sets me free, so that I can understand it, do what it says, remember what I have heard, and enjoy the freedom that living by Your Word can bring me.

 

Don’t allow me to fool myself!  Help me not only to listen to Your Word, but also willingly choose to do what it says!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Our Strength!

 

They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

 

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our LORD. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

 

And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.”  So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.

 

—Nehemiah 8:8-12 (NLT)

 

Loving LORD God,

 

Let my joy never waver, my strength never wane, as You help me to understand the truth of the good plans You have laid out clearly before me, in the pages of Your Word.

 

As I come to understand Your Word more and more—and in that understanding, my sins are brought to light before me—help me not only to mourn my sin and repent, but help me even more to rejoice in the power of Your love to remove my sin from me, so my joy in You might not waver and cause me to lose strength.

 

Help me to live in the understanding that my joy in You will strengthen me to be obedient to the things that You have placed before me to do and cause me to be able to resist any temptations from the enemy to do the wrong thing.

 

Help me to spread the joy that acceptance of Your salvation and obedience to Your Word brings, by sharing with others the abundant blessings You have placed on my life—materially, physically and spiritually.

 

Let my joy never waver, my strength never wane, as You help me to understand the truth of the good plans You have laid out clearly before me, in the pages of Your Word.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Everything Through Christ

 

 

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

—Philippians 4:12-13 (NLT)

 

Father God, 

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation, with my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

Help me remember that I can remain content if I keep a heart full of gratitude and faith—gratitude expressed by continual thankfulness for all the undeserved blessings of my life, and faith demonstrated by my unwavering confidence that You will always provide everything that I need to accomplish the plans and purposes You have for me.

 

Help me to rest in the truth that You provide for me out of Your unlimited knowledge, wisdom and understanding—that You completely know me and the good plans You have for me—while I have only a cloudy memory of where I have been, a partial understanding of where I am now, and by Your grace, perhaps a mere glimpse of where You are taking me.

 

Help me remember that the power You give to me through Christ is not so that I can do whatever I please with my life—or to have anything that I think I want—but rather that I might have the strength to do whatever You would require of me, whether I have little or plenty.

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation, with my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If We Could

 

Indeed, we all make many mistakes.  For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

—James 3:2 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

Save me from the many sinful mistakes I make when I carelessly open my mouth. Help me control my tongue, so that I might be made perfect in You.

Keep me from gossiping. Help me never to say anything about a person behind their backs, that I would not say—with love—to their face. Don’t let me taint the reputation of another with the negative things I might say. Help me build others up, not tear them down. 

 

Keep me from using my tongue to exaggerate, flatter, or exchange the truth for a lie—knowing that the motive behind each of these is manipulation. And help me to speak the truth in love—from a pure motive of reflecting Christ’s love for us all.

 

Keep me from complaining—since complaining drives gratefulness and joy out of my heart and robs me of my very life. And help me to be thankful—in all situations—for the blessings You so richly pour out on my life.

 

Keep me from boasting—except when I testify to what You have done in my life. Help me to be humble—since I know any good thing found in me is all because of You and is only given to me that I might bring You glory.

 

Remind me that in order to bring You glory, I must know when to speak, where to speak, how to speak, and understand why I should speak—just as much as I need to know what to speak.

Save me from the many sinful mistakes I make when I carelessly open my mouth. Help me control my tongue, so that I might be made perfect in You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Let Your Roots Grow Down

 

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

 

—Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

 

Merciful and Gracious God,

 

Help my roots to grow down deeply into Christ Jesus—so that my life is built on Him.

 

Thank You for the awesome blessing of everlasting life that You gave to me when I accepted Christ as my Savior—and for the compounded blessings that I experience in every moment that I chose to make Him the Lord of my life and follow Him in willing obedience.

 

Help my relationship with Him continue to grow deeper every day, so that I can be built up in Him—the One who holds all things together, who is the source of my life and my strength, and who is my only hope. 

 

Help my faith to grow strong in the truth—the truth that I am taught in Him—and let me ever overflow with thankfulness, so that I am not carried away by sin, but continue in that truth that has set me free.

 

Help my roots to grow down deeply into Christ Jesus—so that my life is built on Him.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Store Your Treasures in Heaven

 

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

—Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May I never forget that the only treasures that will ever truly satisfy the longing desires of my heart are found in Jesus Christ.

 

Help me not to allow the distractions or the attractions of this world to become a quickly vanishing treasure that I get lost in seeking after—when such a greater treasure is made available to me in Christ.

 

Help me remember that only the treasures that I lay up for myself in heaven are truly mine to keep—that they are the only treasures which can never be taken away from me.

 

Help me keep my heart set on those eternal things, things that cannot be destroyed, and cannot be taken from me—as I lift up to You every blessing You have given me in this life with open hands and surrendered it all to You to be used for Your Glory.

 

May I never forget that the only treasures that will ever truly satisfy the longing desires of my heart are found in Jesus Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Don't Just Listen to God's Word!

 

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

 

—James 1:22 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Don’t allow me to fool myself!  Help me not only to listen to Your Word, but also willingly choose to do what it says!

 

Save me from the self-deception that I am accomplishing something good when I merely listen to Your Word, but then walk away—failing to embrace and apply its instructions to my life.

 

Help me always to approach Your Word carefully and with proper reverence for the power of the Truth that it contains—that power to change me, from within, into all that You have called me to be.

 

Help me to invest the time to look carefully into the perfect law that sets me free, so that I can understand it, do what it says, remember what I have heard, and enjoy the freedom that living by Your Word can bring me.

 

Don’t allow me to fool myself!  Help me not only to listen to Your Word, but also willingly choose to do what it says!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

The Joy of the LORD

 

They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

 

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our LORD. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

 

And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.”  So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.

 

—Nehemiah 8:8-12 (NLT)

 

Loving LORD God,

 

Let my joy never waver, my strength never wane, as You help me to understand the truth of the good plans You have laid out clearly before me, in the pages of Your Word.

 

As I come to understand Your Word more and more—and in that understanding, my sins are brought to light before me—help me not only to mourn my sin and repent, but help me even more to rejoice in the power of Your love to remove my sin from me, so my joy in You might not waver and cause me to lose strength.

 

Help me to live in the understanding that my joy in You will strengthen me to be obedient to the things that You have placed before me to do and cause me to be able to resist any temptations from the enemy to do the wrong thing.

 

Help me to spread the joy that acceptance of Your salvation and obedience to Your Word brings, by sharing with others the abundant blessings You have placed on my life—materially, physically and spiritually.

 

Let my joy never waver, my strength never wane, as You help me to understand the truth of the good plans You have laid out clearly before me, in the pages of Your Word.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Everything Through Christ

 

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

—Philippians 4:12-13 (NLT)

 

Father God, 

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation—keeping my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

Help me remember that I can remain content if I keep a heart full of gratitude and faith—gratitude expressed by continual thankfulness for all the undeserved blessings of my life, and faith demonstrated by my unwavering confidence that You will always provide everything that I need to accomplish the plans and purposes You have for me.

 

Help me to rest in the truth that You provide for me out of Your unlimited knowledge, wisdom and understanding—that You completely know me and the good plans You have for me—while I have only a cloudy memory of where I have been, a partial understanding of where I am now, and by Your grace, perhaps a mere glimpse of where You are taking me.

 

Help me remember that the power You give to me through Christ is not so that I can do whatever I please with my life—or to have anything that I think I want—but rather that I might have the strength to do whatever You would require of me, whether I have little or plenty.

 

Help me hold onto the secret of living in every situation—keeping my eyes, my mind, and my heart fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gives me all the strength I need to do everything that You ask me to do.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Good Times and Bad Times

 

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

    I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
    I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.

 

—Isaiah 45:6b-7 (NLT)

 

Sovereign and Loving LORD,

You are the LORD, and there is no other! You are the Sovereign Ruler over light and darkness—good times and bad.  You use all things for my good and for Your glory!

 

Let me never question the wisdom of Your plans and purposes for everything that You allow to happen—or cause to happen—in my life.  Help me trust You, as I acknowledge that I don’t always have all the information that You do.

 

For out of the darkest nights of my life, You have brought forth the greatest blessings, and from my hardest struggles, You have forged within me ever greater strength, faith, and victory—as You continue to write the story of Your love for me on the pages of my life.

 

Help me graciously receive everything You allow to come my way as a gift from You—a gift to be used to help me grow spiritually and deepen my understanding of Your ways and Your love—knowing You always have my best interest at heart.

 

And help me always remember to thank You in the good times, and in the hard times, help me to remain thankful—always rejoicing over the Truth that You are at work for my good. Let my faith please You and my life testify to Your glory.

 

You are the LORD, and there is no other! You are the Sovereign Ruler over light and darkness—good times and bad.  You use all things for my good and for Your glory!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If We Could Control Our Tongues

 

Indeed, we all make many mistakes.  For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

 

—James 3:2 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

Save me from the many sinful mistakes I make when I carelessly open my mouth. Help me control my tongue, so that I might be made perfect in You.

Keep me from gossiping.  Help me never to say anything about a person behind their backs, that I would not say—with love—to their face.  Don’t let me taint the reputation of another with the negative things I might say.  Help me build others up, not tear them down. 

 

Keep me from using my tongue to exaggerate, flatter, or exchange the truth for a lie—knowing that the motive behind each of these is manipulation.  And help me to speak the truth in love—from a pure motive of reflecting Christ’s love for us all.

 

Keep me from complaining—since complaining drives gratefulness and joy out of my heart and robs me of my very life.  And help me to be thankful—in all situations—for the blessings You so richly pour out on my life.

 

Keep me from boasting—except when I testify to what You have done in my life.  Help me to be humble—since I know any good thing found in me is all because of You and is only given to me that I might bring You glory.

 

Remind me that in order to bring You glory, I must know when to speak, where to speak, how to speak, and understand why I should speak—just as much as I need to know what to speak.

Save me from the many sinful mistakes I make when I carelessly open my mouth. Help me control my tongue, so that I might be made perfect in You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.