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 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
may I never find myself foolishly and thoughtlessly turning down a path that
brings sure destruction to my joy, peace, purpose and even my very life.
Help me never to allow an appetite
for the deceitful pleasures of this world to rule over me—never allow the
desires of my flesh to become an idol—by serving my own will, seeking to
satisfy my own lust for more, as I chase after my own plans, submit myself to
my own desires, and make them the object of my worship.
I don’t want to be that
guy who, being so deceived, brags about his sin, as if it were not sin at all—or
the one who admits there is sin in his life, but makes light of the 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 was purchased and freely offered to me in
Christ.
Help me to be continually
conscious of how I am living, that I would submit my will to Your will, resist
temptation and flee from sin, and seek—with my whole heart—that life which is hidden
in Christ.
Help
me to consider 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.
