Delight and Desires

 

 

 

Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

 

—Psalm 37:4-5 (NASB)

 

 

 

 

Loving LORD,

 

Let the deepest desires of my heart, my greatest pleasure, and my most complete joy simply be found in experiencing the blessing of Your Presence in my life—as I commit all that I am to You and trust You to help me, no matter what I face.

 

This day, may I truly take delight in You, as I seek to know You in a more intimate and personal way, and as I make this commitment to walk in Your Presence—to walk continually mindful of the truth that You are always right here with me.

 

As I seek to understand more completely the vastness of Your unfailing love for me, the mystery of the perfection of Your ways, and as I reflect on Your steadfast faithfulness to me, help me learn to trust You even more. 

 

Help me to commit all that I do to You, so my heart’s desires will be melded with Your will for my life, and so I can walk fearlessly in the plans and purposes that You have for me—as I make the choice to believe that You will always empower and equip me in every way, for the good plans You have for me.

 

Let the deepest desires of my heart, my greatest pleasure, and my most complete joy simply be found in experiencing the blessing of Your Presence in my life—as I commit all that I am to You and trust You to help me, no matter what I face.

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

As God's Obedient Children

 

 

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

 

 —1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Since You have adopted me into Your family, claiming me as one of Your own, help me to live as Your obedient child—rejecting my old life and embracing completely the wonderful new life that You have freely offered me in Christ.

 

Save me from slipping back into the attitudes and patterns of behavior from which You rescued me—those old selfish ways that I once thought served me well, but in fact, only led me closer to my own destruction and death.

 

Since I now know better, let me always be led by Your Spirit, according to the Truth of Your Word. May I be found grateful in every circumstance and willing submitted to You in all things.

 

Continue to sanctify me, making me holy, because You are holy. Help me daily put on the clothing of Christ’s righteousness and be set apart for Your service.

 

Since You have adopted me into Your family, claiming me as one of Your own, help me to live as Your obedient child—rejecting my old life and embracing completely the wonderful new life that You have freely offered me in Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Don't Just Pretend to Love!

 

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

 

—Romans 12:9 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loving LORD GOD,

 

With Christ as my example, teach me to love others in Spirit and in Truth, to hate what is evil, and hold tightly to what is good—for You are the source of all that is good.

 

Keep me from the hypocrisy of only pretending to love others—from “loving” others out of impure motives that falsely promise to serve me well, but in the end leave me empty and far from You.

 

Out of a grateful heart for Your love for me, help me to love others as You do—with complete selflessness—putting the needs of others before my own selfish wants and desires, so that they might see Your love for them through me.

 

Like Christ, help me to fight passionately against all that is evil—wherever it may raise its ugly head—by always speaking truth, always giving grace, and always walking in His perfect love.

 

With Christ as my example, teach me to love others in Spirit and in Truth, to hate what is evil, and hold tightly to what is good—for You are the source of all that is good.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Come and Pray!

 

 

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

 

—Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NASB)

 

 

 

Loving LORD,

 

Give me the wisdom to call upon You, come to You, pray to You—with an unwavering faith that believes You listen to hear my every prayer. Help me seek You with my whole heart, fully confident that You are the God who can be found—the God who desires that all His children find Him.

 

Thank You that You are not a god who is unconcerned about those things that concern me—but rather, the God who is intimately acquainted with my every need, and with every desire of my heart.

 

Thank You that, when I come to You in prayer, You are eager to put into action Your already existing plan to provide for my every need—in accord with what is the very best for me—because You always have my best interests at heart.

 

So, help me to seek You with all my heart—holding nothing back—knowing that as I seek You, You will reveal Yourself to me and draw me into that close, intimate and personal relationship that You desire to have with me. 

 

Give me the wisdom to call upon You, come to You, pray to You—with an unwavering faith that believes You listen to hear my every prayer.  Help me seek You with my whole heart, fully confident that You are the God who can be found—the God who desires that all His children find Him.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Consider Carefully Your Way!

 

For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.  They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.   

—Philippians 3:18-19 (NLT)

 

 

'Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to consider carefully the way I conduct myself in life here on earth—that I might not ever be found to be an enemy of the cross of Christ.

 

You have given me the opportunity to embrace everything that the cross of Christ has purchased for me. So keep me from foolishly or thoughtlessly turning down a path that brings sure destruction to my joy, my peace, my purpose, and ultimately my life.

 

Never allow me to develop an appetite for any of the deceitful pleasures of this world—to allow my fleshly desires to become idols that I choose to worship. 

 

Keep me from being so deceived, that I would speak about my sin as if it were something to brag about, as if it were not sin at all—or to admit there is sin in my life, but make light of that sin, as if it were not a stench in the nostrils of a Holy God.

 

Help me control my thoughts, so that they are not consumed with the pursuit of the ultimately empty and unsatisfying things of this life—but keep me spiritually minded, so I don’t miss the fullness of life that is mine in Christ.

 

Help me to be continually conscious of how I am living, so I might submit my will to Your will, resist temptation, flee from sin, and seek—with my whole heart—that life which is hidden in Christ.

 

Help me to consider carefully the way I conduct myself in life here on earth—that I might not ever be found to be an enemy of the cross of Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

My LORD and My King

 

 

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

 

—Judges 21:25 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

My LORD and My King,

 

May You remain forever my only LORD and King, so that the way I conduct my life will be according to Your Truth and not according to my own opinion.

 

Help me to seek Your perfect will, rather than my selfish will; Your eternal plans, rather than my fleeting plans; Your righteous desires, rather than my corrupt desires; and Your pure motives, rather than my sinful motives—so that my heart would be fully Yours and I would reflect the character of Christ.

 

Keep me from the chaos that comes from deciding for myself what is right and what is wrong—based on my own limited and flawed intellect and perspective—and give me the faith to trust You for the best answers, knowing Your intellect is infinitely beyond my own and Your perfect perspective is limitless.

 

As I commit to obediently follow Your instructions—as revealed to my spirit by the Holy Spirit through Your Word—let my actions reflect Your standards for morality, mercy, forgiveness, grace, justice, truth, and above all, love.

May You remain forever my only LORD and King, so that the way I conduct my life will be according to Your Truth and not according to my own opinion.

 

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.

The Word of God

 

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

 

—Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank You that Your Word is so much more than just words on a page. Thank You that it is alive and powerful in me!

 

Never let me forget that Your Word is filled with Your life and power as the Almighty God. For it tells me who You are—as my Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Sanctifier—and tells me who I am as Your child, in Christ—so that when I go to Your Word and allow Your Word to wash over me, it heals me and makes me whole.

 

Help me to hear and understand Your Word—so that I can receive all the Truth that it contains into my heart. And then help me willingly and obediently apply that Truth to my life—as my loving and grateful response for all You have done for me.

 

Use Your Word to plunge deeply within me, to separate and expose the innermost thoughts and desires and motives of my soul and spirit—and to bring to light anything within me that is not in line with the Truth, so that I can repent and walk in the fullness of life to which You have called me.

 

Thank You that Your Word is so much more than just words on a page. Thank You that it is alive and powerful in me!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Know the LORD!

 

 

Oh, that we might know the LORD!

    Let us press on to know him.

He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn

    or the coming of rains in early spring.

 

—Hosea 6:3 (NLT)

 

 

Loving and Compassionate LORD,

 

Your Word promises that You will respond to me, when I seek You, when I choose to press on to know You. So, help me to know You as You are—to know You in truth! 

 

Don’t allow me to settle for knowing about You, LORD, but help me to know You intimately—through my experience of Your Holy Spirit at work in me, through me, and all around me.

 

Help me to understand that my deepest needs and desires are satisfied only by knowing You personally—not as some abstract idea, but in unbroken fellowship with You, as Your very own child.

 

Help me to seek You through continuous prayer, in spontaneous worship, and by careful meditation on the Truth of Your Word—and by application of that Truth to my life.

 

Keep me mindful that You so desired a relationship with me, that You chose to live inside of me by Your Holy Spirit when I first surrendered my life to Christ—sealing my life in Your love forever.

 

Your Word promises that You will respond to me, when I seek You, when I choose to press on to know You. So, help me to know You as You are—to know You in truth!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Jesus, Lord of My Life

 

 

 

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”

 

—Luke 6:46 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to fully realize that making Jesus Christ the Lord of my life involves so much more than merely calling out to Him, “Lord, Lord!”

 

Help me to understand and accept the truth that, in order for Jesus to be my Lord, I must freely surrender the “liberty of my free will” to “His will for me”—and then, and only then, find true freedom from the things that hold me captive.

 

Help me remember that my obedience to His commands and instructions is the best measurement of His Lordship over my life—and that the example of how He lived His life is the only standard of comparison by which I should examine my own life.

 

Keep me from the hypocrisy of claiming Christ as my Lord, while choosing to go my own way—allowing my own fleshly desires to control me, rather than living surrendered to the Spirit of Christ that lives in me.

 

Help me to fully realize that making Jesus Christ the Lord of my life involves so much more than merely calling out to Him, “Lord, Lord!”

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Those Who Belong to Christ Jesus

 

 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

 

—Galatians 5:24 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Grant me the power, once again today, to choose to nail the passions and desires of my sinful nature to the cross of Christ and crucify them there.

 

Thank you that because of the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, on the cross, and my acceptance of His gift of salvation, I have been set free from sin’s power over me—so that now, I can choose not to give in to sin.

 

Show me that even though the Holy Spirit is alive and living in me, my flesh still remains—along with all of its self-serving inclinations. It is at war with my recreated heart—and must be nailed to the cross and made to die there, so that Christ may be seen in me.

 

Help me, as I commit to surrender my sinful nature to Your control and draw on the sanctifying power of Your Spirit to give me the strength to walk in victory over sin. 

 

Give me strong nails and a heavy hammer, so that what I take to the cross stays on the cross and is left there to die.

 

Grant me the power, once again today, to choose to nail the passions and desires of my sinful nature to the cross of Christ and crucify them there.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

With an Attitude!

 

 

 

Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

 

—Colossians 4:2 (AMP)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Thank You for giving me the privilege of praying to You—the One who hears and answers my prayers, according to Your perfect will, and Your very best for me.

 

Help me to be persistent in my prayers—devoting myself to pray about all things—knowing You long for me to lay the desires of my heart before You, and to place all my trust in You, believing that You will do what only You can do.

 

Help me to be alert and focused as I come before You with my prayers—mindful that I am speaking directly to You, knowing that only You hold all power and authority in Your hands, that only You are willing and able to answer my prayers, and that only You can do this according to Your perfect love for me.

 

Help me to come before You with an attitude of thanksgiving—grateful for all that You have done, are doing, and have yet to bring to pass, but also grateful for all that You are that makes You worthy of my unending worship and adoration, forever!

 

Thank You for giving me the privilege of praying to You—the One who hears and answers my prayers, according to Your perfect will, and Your very best for me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Not Just a Lot of Talk

 

 

 

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

 

—1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May Your Kingdom be seen in me, not just by the words that I say, but so much more by the way I live—as I live according to Your life-giving power at work within me.

 

By the power of Your Holy Spirit, continue to change my heart so that my walk—the evidence that proves what I truly believe—more perfectly reflects my talk—those things I claim to believe.

 

Help me to see that my understanding of the spiritual realm, over which You are sovereign, is not realized merely by knowing the right words to say—but that it is revealed and made alive by my personal experience of the power of Your Holy Spirit working in me, through me, and all around me.

 

Help me to live by submitting my will, my wants, and my desires more completely to Your authority over me, so that I might truly experience living by Your power—and so that Your Kingdom authority would be fully established, both in my life and here upon the earth.

 

May Your Kingdom be seen in me, not just by the words that I say, but so much more by the way I live—as I live according to Your life-giving power at work within me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.