The Heart of a Man

 

 

As in water face reflects face,
    so the heart of man reflects the man.

 

— Proverbs 27:19 (ESV)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Show me my heart, that I may know the man that I am. Then make me more like Jesus. 

 

Just as I might look carefully into still, clear water to see the reflection of my face on its surface, so may I carefully examine what my thoughts, words, and actions say about the condition of my heart—and how that reveals the man that I truly am. 

 

Help me to see the places in my heart that I have not yet surrendered to the sanctifying power of Your Holy Spirit within me—and give me the strength and desire to give those places over to You, today.

 

Change me, so that the reflection of the man that I am in my heart will no longer resemble a man of this world but be a better reflection of a man who has a heart after Your own heart.

 

Show me my heart, that I may know the man that I am. Then make me more like Jesus.

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Therefore Be Holy!

 

 

“For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

 

—Leviticus 11:45 (ESV)

 

 

 

 

 

Holy LORD,

 

Thank You for being the One who called me and brought me out of my slavery to sin, in order that You might be my God—for being the One who makes me holy in Christ Jesus.

 

I praise You, for You are holy! Just as You brought Your people, Israel, up out of their slavery in Egypt, so have You brought me up out of my slavery to sin, through the redeeming sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.

 

I exalt You, for You are holy!  Just as You called Your people, Israel, to be holy—set apart and uniquely different from the world around them—so have You called me to be holy in Christ—set apart and uniquely different from the world around me.

 

I worship You, for You are holy!  Just as You desired to be the only God of Your people, Israel, so You have called me into a personal relationship with You through Christ—so that You would be my only God!

 

Thank You for being the One who called me and brought me out of my slavery to sin, in order that You might be my God—for being the One who makes me holy in Christ Jesus.

 

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.

 

An Example to Follow

 

 

I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

 

—John 13:15 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to us all! May I always follow His example of obedience, humility, and sacrifice, as I serve those whom You have entrusted to me, with the love of Christ.

 

Help me to follow His perfect example. May I reflect His heart more perfectly, offer His grace more compassionately, speak His Truth only out of love, and emulate His servant leadership more completely.

 

Help me to walk in His humility. May I set aside all my pride—not considering anything You ask me to do to be beneath me—and joyfully embrace any invitation that You give me to be a part of what You are doing.

 

Help me to love as Jesus loves. Make me humbly and willingly obedient to every command and instruction of Your Word and every prompting of Your Holy Spirit within me, as evidence of my love for You and my love for my neighbor, for Your glory, honor, and praise. 

 

Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to us all! May I always follow His example of obedience, humility, and sacrifice, as I serve those whom You have entrusted to me, with the love of Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

And Not Forget Your Word!

 

 

I will study your commandments

    and reflect on your ways.

I will delight in your decrees

    and not forget your word.

 

—Psalm 119:15-16 (NLT)

 

 

 

Loving LORD,

 

May I forever study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways! Let Your decrees be my delight and may I never forget Your Word!

 

Help me to study Your commands that I might know the Truth behind all that You have commanded us in Your Word—and rightly apply that Truth to my life and more perfectly live my life for You.

 

Teach me to know You, as I reflect on Your ways—so that in coming to know You more completely, I can better understand Your love for each one of us and so be compelled to share that love with others around me.

 

Show me how to take my highest delight in what You have decreed—knowing that Your love for us is the foundation upon which every decree is established, each one being framed for our benefit.

 

May I forever study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways! Let Your decrees be my delight and may I never forget Your Word!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Keeping God's Commandments

 

 

You have charged us

    to keep your commandments carefully.

Oh, that my actions would consistently

    reflect your decrees!

 

—Psalm 119:4-5 (NLT)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to carefully keep Your commandments, so that all my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

 

LORD, out of Your great love for me, You have charged me with this great and awesome responsibility—to keep Your commandments carefully.

 

To do this, I must take the time to discover and seek to understand Your commandments—by reading, studying and being taught the instructions that are found in Your Word.

 

This also means I must always meditate on Your Word—so the Truth of Your Word will permeate my thoughts and, in turn, will produce in me the godly actions that would bring You glory, honor, and praise.

 

I must totally surrender control over my heart to Your Spirit—so that You can empower me not to do those things I shouldn’t do, but also, to do those things that I should.

 

Because of Your great and unending love for me, You have given me Your commandments—so that, to the extent that I am faithful to follow them, I can walk in the freedom, peace, protection, provision, and joy that they bring to me.

 

Help me to carefully keep Your commandments, so that all my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

He Who Works for Us

 

 

For since the world began,

   no ear has heard

and no eye has seen a God like you,

   who works for those who wait for him!

 

—Isaiah 64:4 (NLT)

 

Father God,

 

Teach me how to wait for You—and remind me that it is the most important thing that I must do today!

 

There is no God like You.  Since the world began, You have always been ready to work on behalf of anyone who would patiently wait for You—anyone who would take time to be quiet in Your presence, listen for Your voice to speak to them, and follow You as You guide and direct their ways.

 

Help me to see that taking time to be quiet before You is the most important thing I can do today—so that You can show me the way that I should go and the things that You want me to do.

 

Help me to realize that if I fail to do this, that I will exhaust myself in busyness and in doing things in my own strength—by my own will—and in the end, I will neither accomplish that which You want me to do, nor will I be any closer to being who You want me to become.

 

Help me to understand that the difference my life makes in this world is determined much less by how much I do, and so much more by how closely my life reflects the light of Christ’s love in me, to those around me.

 

Let me live in the truth that the more I wait on You—trusting You to work in me, and through me, and all around me, according to Your perfect plan—the less difficult my life becomes, and the more peace and joy I will experience.

 

Teach me how to wait for You—and remind me that it is the most important thing that I must do today!

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Heart of Man Reflects the Man

 

 

As in water face reflects face,
    so the heart of man reflects the man.

 

— Proverbs 27:19 (ESV)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Show me my heart, that I may know the man that I am. Then make me more like Jesus. 

 

Just as I might look carefully into still, clear water to see the reflection of my face on its surface, so may I carefully examine what my thoughts, words, and actions say about the condition of my heart—and how that reveals the man that I truly am. 

 

Help me to see the places in my heart that I have not yet surrendered to the sanctifying power of Your Holy Spirit within me—and give me the strength and desire to give those places over to You, today.

 

Change me, so that the reflection of the man that I am in my heart will no longer resemble a man of this world but be a better reflection of a man who has a heart after Your own heart.

 

Show me my heart, that I may know the man that I am. Then make me more like Jesus.

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

You Shall Therefore be Holy

 

 

 

“For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

 

—Leviticus 11:45 (ESV)

 

Holy LORD,

 

Thank You for being the One who called me and brought me out of my slavery to sin, in order that You might be my God—for being the One who makes me holy in Christ Jesus.

 

I praise You, for You are holy! Just as You brought Your people, Israel, up out of their slavery in Egypt, so have You brought me up out of my slavery to sin, through the redeeming sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.

 

I exalt You, for You are holy!  Just as You called Your people, Israel, to be holy—set apart and uniquely different from the world around them—so have You called me to be holy in Christ—set apart and uniquely different from the world around me.

 

I worship You, for You are holy!  Just as You desired to be the only God of Your people, Israel, so You have called me into a personal relationship with You through Christ—so that You would be my only God!

 

Thank You for being the One who called me and brought me out of my slavery to sin, in order that You might be my God—for being the One who makes me holy in Christ Jesus.

 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

You Must Love

 

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.  And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  No other commandment is greater than these.  —Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

 

Dear LORD God,

 

Oh, that I could more perfectly return to You that same love with which You first loved me—and then actively love others in the same way that I love myself!

 

Help me to make room within my heart, so that You can fill it completely with Your love—that love that overwhelms me and consumes my soul—so that I would never miss any opportunity You give me to participate with You in loving those around me.

 

Help me to avoid the trap of believing that there could ever be anything more important than these all-inclusive commands—commands that are not restricted by time or place, commands I should follow no matter where I may find myself.

 

Just as You have loved me, help me to love others well—with that same compassion, patience, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and grace that You have shown me—by willingly and obediently reflecting Your love for them in all my thoughts, words, and actions.

 

Oh, that I could more perfectly return to You that same love with which You first loved me—and then actively love others in the same way that I love myself!

 

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.

The Example of Christ

 

I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

 

—John 13:15 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to us all! May I always follow His example of obedience, humility, and sacrifice, as I serve the ones You place before me, with the love of Christ.

 

Help me to follow His perfect example. May I reflect His heart more perfectly, offer His grace more compassionately, speak His Truth only out of love, and emulate His servant leadership more completely.

 

Help me to walk in His humility. May I set aside all my pride—not considering anything You ask me to do to be beneath me—and joyfully embrace any invitation that You give me to be a part of what You are doing.

 

Help me to love as He did. May I see with Your eyes of love, so that I respond with willing obedience, and sacrificially serve others for Your glory. 

 

Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to us all!  May I always follow His example of obedience, humility, and sacrifice, as I serve the ones You place before me, with the love of Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Study, Reflect, Delight, and Not Forget

 

I will study your commandments

    and reflect on your ways.

I will delight in your decrees

    and not forget your word.

 

—Psalm 119:15-16 (NLT)

 

Loving LORD,

 

May I forever study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways! Let Your decrees be my delight and may I never forget Your Word!

 

Help me to study Your commands that I might know the Truth behind all that You have commanded us in Your Word—and rightly apply that Truth to my life and more perfectly live my life for You.

 

Teach me to know You, as I reflect on Your ways—so that in coming to know You more completely, I can better understand Your love for each one of us and so be compelled to share that love with others around me.

 

Show me how to take my highest delight in what You have decreed—knowing that Your love for us is the foundation upon which every decree is established, each one being framed for our benefit.

 

May I forever study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways! Let Your decrees be my delight and may I never forget Your Word!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

My Actions and Your Decrees

 

You have charged us

    to keep your commandments carefully.

Oh, that my actions would consistently

    reflect your decrees!

 

—Psalm 119:4-5 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to carefully keep Your commandments, so that all my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

 

LORD, out of Your great love for me, You have charged me with this great and awesome responsibility—to keep Your commandments carefully.

 

In order to do this, I must take the time to discover and seek to understand Your commandments—by reading, studying and being taught the instructions that are found in Your Word.

 

This also means I must meditate on Your Word at all times—so the Truth of Your Word will permeate my thoughts and, in turn, will produce in me the godly actions that would bring You glory, honor, and praise.

 

I must totally surrender control over my heart to Your Spirit—so that You can empower me not to do those things I shouldn’t do, but also, to do those things that I should.

 

Because of Your great and unending love for me, You have given me Your commandments—so that, to the extent that I am faithful to follow them, I can walk in the freedom, peace, protection, provision, and joy that they bring to me.

 

Help me to carefully keep Your commandments, so that all my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.