Motives and Intents

 

 

All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions],
But the LORD weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].

 

—Proverbs 16:2 (AMP)

 

 

 

 

 

All-Knowing LORD,

 

You alone know the truth about the motives and intents of my heart—so I ask You to show me my heart and help me to surrender all my ways to You. Make my heart Your Home!

 

Don’t allow me to deceive myself into believing that all my ways are clean and innocent—but help me to find the truth behind the reasons for what I do, so that I can more perfectly submit my thoughts, words, plans and actions to Your will for me.

 

Help me to live every moment of my life in willing obedience to the instruction of Your Word and according to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit—so that I can live an emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually healthy life of Truth.

 

Help me never to try to hide my impurity from You but openly come before You to confess and repent of my sin and ask You to change me by Your mercy, forgiveness and grace—fully aware that You already know every imperfection in me but love me anyway.

 

You alone know the truth about the motives and intents of my heart—so I ask You to show me my heart and help me to surrender all my ways to You. Make my heart Your Home!

 

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.

 

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.

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.

What the LORD Says!

 

 

“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another.”

 

—Zechariah 7:9 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

O LORD of Heaven’s Armies,

 

May all my judgments be fair, and may I always show mercy and kindness to others—as I am reminded of the way You judge everything about me fairly, yet still lavish me with love and grace, pouring out Your mercy and kindness upon me.

 

Keep me from standing arrogantly in rash judgment of others—from being too quick to condemn people for how they act.  For only You can truly know the deep wounds of a person’s heart, and only You can judge their motives and intentions.

 

So instead, give me the boldness to speak the Truth in love against that which is sin—as You have revealed it in Your Word—all the while showing the same mercy and kindness that You pour out upon us all, because of Your great love for each one of us.

 

Grant me the wisdom to fairly judge for myself between that which is right and good, and that which is wrong and evil—so that I would live a life full of truth and grace, and bring glory to You in all my thoughts, words and actions.

 

May all my judgments be fair, and may I always show mercy and kindness to others—as I am reminded of the way You judge everything about me fairly, yet still lavish me with love and grace, pouring out Your mercy and kindness upon me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Search Me!

 

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

—Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

 

 

 

Holy God,

Search me and know my heart—and by the continuing work of the power of Christ in me, point out and remove anything that is offensive to You, so I can walk more perfectly with You the path that leads to everlasting life.

 

As You test the integrity of the motives my heart and as You reveal my secret fears, grant me the strength to endure Your testing and the faith to overcome my fears—so I might learn to put all my trust and hope in You.

 

Grant me the courage to ask You to shine the light of Your love on the hidden places of my heart to dispel the darkness—indeed the evil—of anything in me that offends You, as I repent and run to You. 

 

Grant me the peace and the joy that comes when I invite You to lead me along the path of everlasting life—to that place where nothing remains that would keep me from that close, personal, intimate relationship that You desire to have with me, and which I so desperately need to have with You.

 

Search me and know my heart—and by the continuing work of the power of Christ in me, point out and remove anything that is offensive to You, so I can walk more perfectly with You the path that leads to everlasting life.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Live in Harmony

 

 

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

 

—Romans 12:16 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Give me a humble heart and pure motives, so that I might have the privilege of joining in with You to touch the lives of others with Your love.

 

Help me to live in harmony with those around me—by celebrating the diversity of souls that You have created and making my first consideration my own shortcomings, rather than the shortcomings of others.

 

Keep me from taking a proud and haughty attitude with others, thinking I am better than them, when in truth it is only by Your mercy, grace, and strength that I can stand at all.

 

Teach me to enjoy the company of “ordinary” people—people who are just broken in different ways than I am—and help me to work willingly alongside them as you lead, understanding that You are the One who knows it all.

 

Give me a humble heart and pure motives, so that I might have the privilege of joining in with You to touch the lives of others with Your love.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Nothing Hidden, All Naked and Exposed!

 

 

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

 

—Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

 

 

 

Omniscient God,

 

Thank You for loving me, wanting me, and for continually calling me into a deeper relationship with You—even though You see and know all my imperfections.

 

You have created everything there is and there is not one thing that is hidden from You. You have perfect and absolute knowledge of the smallest detail about every person, everywhere, at all times.

 

You know all of my thoughts, even before they are formed; sense every one of my emotions, before they ever manifest; discern and understand my every motive, better than I ever will myself; hear my every word, even before it is formed in my mouth and crosses my lips; and You see everything I do, before I even begin to do it.

 

And You are the One to whom I am held accountable, so help me to see myself as I truly am—then help me repent of my sin, submit myself to You, and allow You to change me into the person I should be.

 

Help me each day to purpose in my heart to please You in everything that I think, say, and do—just as You are faithful to shower me daily with new mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love.

 

Thank You for loving me, wanting me, and for continually calling me into a deeper relationship with You—even though You see and know all my imperfections.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

When Gossip Stops

 

 

Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

 

—Proverbs 26:20 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me never allow myself—in any way—to be the wood that fuels fires of contention and strife by joining in with others in gossip.

 

May the thoughts, motives and intents of my heart be right and pure and holy, so that those things which fill my heart—and flow from my mouth—will produce the good fruit of one who loves by only speaking words of truth and grace.

 

Help me remember that it is not enough to refuse to start or repeat gossip—I must also refuse to listen to gossip—refuse to allow my ears to receive and my heart to be polluted by that which is garbage to my soul.

 

So, help me to be bold and loving enough to challenge anyone who chooses to gossip, to stop—in the hope that they might repent and that we all would benefit from the peace and unity that comes when gossip stops.

 

Help me never allow myself—in any way—to be the wood that fuels fires of contention and strife by joining in with others in gossip.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

All the Ways of a Man

 

 

All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions],
But the LORD weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].

 

—Proverbs 16:2 (AMP)

 

All-Knowing LORD,

 

You alone know the truth about the motives and intents of my heart—so I ask You to show me my heart.  And then help me to surrender all my ways to You—so that You make Your home in my heart.

 

Don’t allow me to deceive myself into believing that all my ways are clean and innocent—but help me to find the truth behind the reasons for what I do, so that I can more perfectly submit my thoughts, words, plans and actions to Your will for me.

 

Help me to live every moment of my life in willing obedience to the instruction of Your Word and according to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit—so that I can live an emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually healthy life of Truth.

 

Help me never to try to hide my impurity from You, but openly come before You to confess and repent of my sin and ask You to change me by Your mercy, forgiveness and grace—fully aware that You already know every imperfection in me but love me anyway.

 

You alone know the truth about the motives and intents of my heart—so I ask You to show me my heart.  And then help me to surrender all my ways to You—so that You will make Your home in my heart.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

No Pretending

 

 

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.

Show Me My Heart

 

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.

Where is Your 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.

Judge Fairly

 

“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another.”

 

—Zechariah 7:9 (NLT)

 

O LORD of Heaven’s Armies,

 

May all my judgments be fair, and may I always show mercy and kindness to others—as I am reminded of the way You judge everything about me fairly, yet still lavish me with love and grace, pouring out Your mercy and kindness upon me.

 

Keep me from standing arrogantly in rash judgment of others—from being too quick to condemn people for how they act.  For only You can truly know the deep wounds of a person’s heart, and only You can judge their motives and intentions.

 

So instead, give me the boldness to speak the Truth in love against that which is sin—as You have revealed it in Your Word—all the while showing the same mercy and kindness that You pour out upon us all, because of Your great love for each one of us.

 

Grant me the wisdom to fairly judge for myself between that which is right and good, and that which is wrong and evil—so that I would live a life full of truth and grace, and bring glory to You in all of my thoughts, words and actions.

 

May all my judgments be fair, and may I always show mercy and kindness to others—as I am reminded of the way You judge everything about me fairly, yet still lavish me with love and grace, pouring out Your mercy and kindness upon me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.