Steadfast Love!

 

 

O my Strength, to you I sing praises,
    for you, O God, are my refuge,
    the God who shows me unfailing love. 

 

—Psalm 59:17 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Loving and Gracious God,

 

May I always sing praise to You, so all might know that You are my Strength and my Refuge—the God who shows me unfailing love.

 

I will sing praise to You for being my Strength. You are the power within me, the Holy Spirit by whom I am equipped and sustained for every good work that You have planned for me to accomplish in Christ.

 

I will sing praise to You for being my Refuge.  You are that safe haven against the evil of this life, where I find peace, protection, and provision for my every need under the shelter of Your Presence with me.

 

I will sing praise to You for Your unfailing love. You pour out Your unfailing loving-kindness, mercy, and grace over me, so that I can love others with the love of Christ.

 

May I always sing praise to You, so all may know that You are my Strength and my Refuge—the God who shows me unfailing love.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Show True Humility

 

 

 

Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.  They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone. 
—Titus 3:1-2 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me to take seriously my responsibility to submit to the government and its officers—as long as doing so does not violate Your commands.

 

Your Word commands me to be obedient—especially to Your Word and Your Spirit—and to be ready to do that which is good.

 

Your Word commands me to never slander anyone and to avoid quarreling—to speak only truth, with grace, in love.

 

Your Word commands me to be gentle with others, and to show true humility to everyone—not thinking more highly of myself than I ought to but living within the truth of who I am in Christ—with the knowledge that any good in me comes from You.

 

Help me to take seriously my responsibility to submit to the government and its officers—as long as doing so does not violate Your commands.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Walk by the Spirit

 

 

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

 

—Galatians 5:16 (ESV)

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Make me make aware of Your Holy Spirit within me and help me submit to His guidance—so I won’t find myself doing what my sinful nature desires to do.

 

May my actions reflect my character, and my character be an overflow of the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that I find in Christ. 

 

Help me to be able to discern the difference between my own subjective feelings and the leading of Your Holy Spirit—as I commit to listen for, to hear, and to willingly obey all the instructions You give me through Your Word and by Your Spirit.

 

Strengthen me to live every moment of my life under the guidance and control of Your Spirit. Fill my heart with the words of Christ and cause my actions to reflect Your truth. Show me how to rely on Your power within me to control of my selfish and sinful desires. 

 

Make me more aware of Your Holy Spirit within me and help me submit to His guidance—so I won’t find myself doing what my sinful nature desires to do.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Deceitful and Desperately Sick

 

 

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
“I the LORD search the heart
    and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.”

 

—Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV)

 

 

O LORD, who searches my heart,

 

Show me my heart and reveal the true motives in my mind, so that I won’t be led astray by any deceitfulness within me.

 

Help me to understand that to trust my heart is to trust in man—and that You have warned me against trusting in man. Help me to put all my trust in You alone!

 

Heal my heart and purify my mind, so that Your thoughts and ways will be made known to me and reflected in all my thoughts, words, and actions.

 

May love be my only motive for the choices I make—love for You and love for others—so that Your perfect will for me would be accomplished, and Your goodness and mercy would overtake me.

 

Show me my heart and reveal the true motives in my mind, so that I won’t be led astray by any deceitfulness within me.

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

No Greater Love!

 

 

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

 

—John 15:12-13 (NLT)

 

 

 

My Lord Jesus,

 

Help me to love others as You have loved me—to lay down my life for my friends.

 

Help me more fully understand and more completely receive Your love for me—so that same love will flow through me, in all my thoughts, words and actions, toward others.

 

Your love for me is not dependent on my love for You—for Your love continues constant, unchanging and unfailing, regardless of my faults and failures.

 

Your love for me is demonstrated in Your compassion for me—and poured out over me with mercy and grace, by Your goodness and kindness toward me.

 

Your love for me is evidenced in Your patience and gentleness with me—for Your love for me is perfectly genuine and never superficial.

 

Your love for me changes me and always points me to my Heavenly Father—back to the love relationship I was made to have with Him.

 

Your love for me is sacrificial. You laid down Your life for me, so that I could have life—so I could then follow Your example, by setting aside my will, so that the Father’s will would be done through me.

 

Help me to love others as You have loved me—to lay down my life for my friends.

 

In Your compassionate and loving Name, Lord Jesus, Amen.

Turn . . . and Be Saved!

 

 

 

Turn to me and be saved,
    all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.”

 

—Isaiah 45:22 (ESV)

 

 

 

 

Righteous God and Savior,

 

From all the ends of the earth, may each soul You have created turn to You—the One and Only God—and be saved!

 

You are indeed God, and there is no other. You created all that there is and set in perfect motion every interdependent complexity of Your creation.

 

You created each one of us to bear Your image and placed us within Your creation, so that we could know You through a deep and personal relationship with you, to worship You, and to bring You glory.

 

You have made known to us Your love for us and made Your creation to declare to us the wonders of Your power and goodness—that we would make You known to the ends of the earth.

 

May we continue to turn to You in every moment of this day—to turn to the only One who can save us—and find that You are the God who is faithful to save, always.

 

From all the ends of the earth, may each soul You have created turn to You—the One and Only God—and be saved!

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The Essence of All

  

 

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

 

—Matthew 7:12 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to prove my love for You, by loving others in the same way that I would want to be loved—in the same way that I have been loved by You.

 

Help me to see that how I want others to treat me goes far beyond merely wanting them to refrain from hurting me. Help me to recognize how much I desire to be truly seen and not ignored, heard and well understood, and sincerely loved despite all my failures and shortcomings—as evidenced by what others say to me and about me, and by their actions toward me.

 

Then, help me always look for opportunities to actively do those good things for others, just as I would want them to do for me—with the pure motive of a sincere heart that wants what You want for all Your children.

 

Just as You have poured over me Your immeasurable love, according to Your patience, compassion, kindness, goodness, gentleness, mercy, and grace, let me pour out all these things on others—as You empower me by Your Spirit to fulfill the law of Christ.

 

Help me to prove my love for You, by loving others in the same way that I would want to be loved—in the same way that I have been loved by You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Childlike

 

“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

 

—Mark 10:15 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Loving Father God,

 

Teach me how to come to You like a child, that I might enter into all that You have for me—both in the here-and-now, and for all eternity to come.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike humility—knowing that I have only my heart to offer You and that I can do no good thing apart from You.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike dependence—knowing I am helpless and hopeless without You, but that even still, I can find my help and hope in You.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike inquisitiveness—that I might gain knowledge, grow in wisdom, and leave behind my foolish ways.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike faith—asking confidently for Your best for me and believing You will give me every good thing You have for me.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike obedience—willingly going and doing that which You require of me, knowing You always have my best interests at heart.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike gratefulness—giving thanks and rejoicing in all situations for all Your goodness, knowing You work all things together for my good.

 

Teach me how to come to You with childlike love—a love that is purely motivated and freely offered, just because of who You are.

 

Teach me how to come to You like a child—that I might enter into all that You have for me, both in the here-and-now, and for all eternity to come.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Good Things Stored Up

 

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

—Luke 6:45 (NIV)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

—Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Help me to become a better reflection of Your goodness—someone who chooses to fill his heart only with that which is good—so that whatever overflows from my heart and across my lips will always bring You glory!

 

Let those things I have stored up in my heart be those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise—so that the life I live will be a pleasing offering to You and be a source of blessing to those around me.

 

Help me not to allow any evil thoughts, or the lies of the enemy, to have any place in my heart—for if I allow them to remain, they will corrupt the good treasure of my heart, and pollute and poison every part of me.

 

Through Your Word, and by Your Spirit, continue to fill my heart with Your Love and Truth—until I overflow with all things good, and become that faithful representative of my Lord, Jesus Christ, that You have called me to be.

 

Help me to become a better reflection of Your goodness—someone who chooses to fill his heart only with that which is good—so that whatever overflows from my heart and across my lips will always bring You glory!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Prayerful, Watchful, Thankful

 

 

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

 

— Colossians 4:2 ESV 

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

 

May I forever devote myself to continue in steadfast prayer to You and watch with great expectation and thanksgiving for You to answer with my best interests at heart—bringing You the greatest glory and me the greatest good.

 

May I never grow weary in prayer but remain steadfastly committed to deepening my personal relationship with You through continual, prayerful, conversation with You.

 

May I remain alert, watchful, and persistent in prayer, confident that You hear the requests that I make and are faithful to answer according to Your perfect timing and best plan for my life.

 

May I always be thankful to You for the answer—even before the answer comes—as an act of my faith and trust in Your mercy, grace, goodness, and unfailing love towards me.

 

May I forever devote myself to continue in steadfast prayer to You and watch with great expectation and thanksgiving for You to answer with my best interests at heart—bringing You the greatest glory and me the greatest good.

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Power of Goodness!

 

 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

—Romans 12:21 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May I never be overcome by the evil that surrounds me, nor miss the opportunity to overcome evil with good.

 

When I feel overwhelmed by the evil that is evident all around me, remind me that it is the power of Christ’s love that has delivered me out of the enemy’s hand and has made me an overcomer.   

 

And help me to enforce the enemy's defeat in my life—to stand against evil as You lead me to do what is good and right in Your sight, to choose light over darkness.

 

Remind me that the only way to conquer evil is with good—that good will always win over evil in the end. Let the power of Your goodness flow into me and through me to overcome every evil thing I face.

 

May I never be overcome by the evil that surrounds me, nor miss the opportunity to overcome evil with good.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Wait Quietly

 

 

The LORD is good to those who depend on him,

    to those who search for him.

So it is good to wait quietly

    for salvation from the LORD.

 

—Lamentations 3:25-26 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Good and Faithful LORD,

 

May I always depend on You, and see that You are good. May I always search for You, and discover that You can be found. And may I always wait quietly for You, and find my salvation always and only comes from You.

 

Help me to acknowledge that I am totally dependent on You—that apart from You I have no hope. Display Your goodness in every corner of my life, as it is Your desire to do.

 

Help me to search for You with all my heart, so that You can usher me into Your presence and show me who You are and who I am to You.

 

Help me to wait quietly for You, trusting in Your faithfulness. Let me fully experience the salvation that comes to everyone who puts all their hope in You.

 

May I always depend on You, and see that You are good. May I always search for You, and discover that You can be found. And may I always wait quietly for You, and find my salvation always and only comes from You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The LORD is Close!

 

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;

    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

The righteous person faces many troubles,

    but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

 —Psalm 34:18-19 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Thank You that when my heart is broken, when my spirit is crushed, and when I face many troubles, You remain close to me and never let me slip from Your rescuing grip.

 

Teach me to trust You—whether my troubles appear to be insurmountably huge in my own eyes or are just a series of small frustrations that have piled up on me to wear me down and rob me of my strength.  Remind me that You are always here to rescue me.

 

Thank You for all the times You have sovereignly chosen to rescue me by either shielding me from the trouble I was facing or by entirely removing the trouble from me.

 

Thank You for all the times You have chosen to rescue me by equipping me with the strength, courage, and discerning wisdom that enabled me to remain in Your peace and push through the trouble that came against me.

 

And even though I may face many troubles—because I have chosen to walk in the righteousness of Christ—let me not be afraid but only believe that I will see Your goodness through it all, as I look to You to rescue me.

 

Thank You that when my heart is broken, when my spirit is crushed, and when I face many troubles, You remain close to me and never let me slip from Your rescuing grip.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.