A Lamp and a Light

 

 

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
    and a light for my path.

 

—Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to take up the lamp of Your Word, discover the Truth that it holds, and trust it to light my way through all the perils of this world—as I journey home to You.

 

Help me study, embrace, and apply to my life the Truth that Your Word holds for me—Truth about who You are, and who I am in Christ, about right and wrong, and good and evil, and about Your great plan for my life.

 

Show me how Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet—so that when I carry the lamp of Your Word within me, I can see clearly each step that I am taking and be kept from falling, in my thoughts, words, and actions, as I navigate this life here on earth.

 

Teach me that Your Word is a light for my path—that as I move forward in faith, I can trust that You will illuminate before me the best path for me to walk and will safely lead me all the way home to You.

 

Help me to take up the lamp of Your Word, discover the Truth that it holds, and trust it to light my way through all the perils of this world—as I journey home to You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

What is Good

 

 

No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

 

—Micah 6:8 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

Help me to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You, today.

 

Thank You, for showing me Your character and Your will through Your Word—so that, out of my own personal experience with the goodness I see demonstrated in You, I am able to understand what is good.

 

Help me live out my life with an overflowing gratefulness for the gifts of Your unrelenting and unfailing love, Your ultimate sacrifice for my redemption, and the fullness of my salvation.

 

Let that heart of gratefulness govern my thoughts, words, and actions—so I might always respond by doing what is right and just in Your sight.

 

Help me to live my life in service to You and to others—in demonstration of the love and mercy that has been poured out on me.

 

And help me to walk with You—living for You and drawing my very essence from You—with a humble spirit that is void of pride.

 

Help me to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You, today.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

In Your Presence

 

 

You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

 

—Psalm 16:11 (NASB)

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

I have placed all my trust in You—for I know that You will always lead me down the path of life, to that place of joy and peace that can only be found in Your Presence.

 

Thank You that as I seek to hear what You would say to me, in Your Word and by the promptings of Your Spirit, You are always faithful to lead me down paths that bring me life—life that is full, rich, and free; life that fulfills Your will for me.

 

Thank You that as I remain in Your Presence, the power of Christ in me carries me through every hardship I face, the cares of this world are lifted from my shoulders, and my joy is made complete in trusting and serving You.

 

Thank You that Your desire for all believers is that we would remain at Your right hand and enjoy the pleasure of living in the protection, provision, and peace of Your Presence, forever.

 

I have placed all my trust in You—for I know that You will always lead me down the path of life, to that place of joy and peace that can only be found in Your Presence.

 

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.

Seven Detestable Things

 

There are six things the LORD hates—
    no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
    a lying tongue,
    hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
    feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
    a person who sows discord in a family.

 —Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)

 

 

 

LORD of my Heart,

 

Help me surrender all my heart and life to You—so You would have no reason to detest the things that You find in me.

Remove any haughtiness or conceitedness from within me—especially when my eyes show contempt for others. Keep me from sinning by thinking more highly of myself than I ought to, while undervaluing others.

 

Check me by Your Spirit should any lie be formed in my heart—before it spills across my tongue—that my words would always reflect that I hold Truth as sacred in my life.

 

Purge from me any desire for the shedding of innocent blood—for cruelty or bloodthirstiness.  Help me to have precious reverence for the sanctity of life.

 

Expose any tendency to devise wickedness in my heart or to entertain or rehearse evil plans in my mind—that I might chose to meditate only on what is good and right.

 

Make my feet quick to run to do what is good, so that my feet will be kept from that which is evil.

 

Let me only speak the truth about others—and let those words be pleasing to You—so that I cannot be used as a tool of the enemy for his purposes.

 

And stop me from sowing any seeds of discord among my family—whether my natural family or my brothers and sisters in Christ—that unity would be preserved.

Help me surrender all my heart and life to You—so You would have no reason to detest the things that You find in me.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

I Sing, I Cling!

 

 

Because you are my helper,
    I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you;
    your strong right hand holds me securely.

 

—Psalm 63:7-8 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Almighty God, My Helper,

May I always sing for joy, and may I forever cling to You!

 

While there are those who seek to find their help from the things of this world, You have shown us the Truth in Your Word—that our help is found in You alone.

 

You are the One who spoke the heavens and the earth into existence—so where else would I go to find help for my life, if not to the Creator of life, Himself?

 

Because You are my helper, I can always sing for joy—no matter what outward circumstances I face—for You shelter me under the protection of Your covering wings from the troubles of this life. 

 

As I cling to You, You hold me securely—You take on Yourself the force of each storm that comes against me—so I can fulfill Your plan and purpose for me.

 

So, let my unending song in this life be a joyful song of praise, worship and thanksgiving offered to You—my only help and my sure salvation!

May I always sing for joy, and may I forever cling to You!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

I Hold You!

 

 

"For I hold you by your right hand—
    I, the LORD your God.
And I say to you,
    ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’"

 

—Isaiah 41:13 (NLT)

 

 

 

Sovereign LORD my God,

 

What a comfort and a joy to know that I am never alone! For it is You who holds me by the right hand and tells me not to be afraid—You who reminds me that You are always here to help me!

 

So, help me to embrace whatever lies before me today, with the certain confidence that You are by my side, and with the understanding that my access to all that You are is only restricted by how willing I am to seek You out by faith.

 

Thank You for the compassionate love You show to me—that You comfort and keep me, holding fast to my right hand—so that in the times I stumble, You uphold me in Your strength and steady me, so that I don’t fall down completely.

 

Thank You for Your assurance to me that I have nothing to fear, because You are here to help me, to guide and direct me—no matter the situation or circumstance in which I may find myself—as You lead me forward down paths of righteousness, for love’s sake and for Your glory, in the fullness of Truth and Grace.

What a comfort and a joy to know that I am never alone!  For it is You who holds me by the right hand and tells me not to be afraid—You who reminds me that You are always here to help me!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

For Those Who are Righteous

 

But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough.

You are a God who does what is right,

and you smooth out the path ahead of them.

LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. —Isaiah 26:7-8 (NLT)

 

 

 

Gracious and Loving LORD,

 

Help me to walk in right-standing with You—exemplifying both moral and spiritual integrity in all I do—by the power of Christ in me—so that my path will not be steep and rough but be smoothed out before me by Your hand.

 

You have called me to obedience for my own good—so my way will not be rough and steep. Help me to obey both Your Word and Your Spirit, as I follow You!

 

You are the upright God—the One who always does what is right. You smooth out the path of those who are righteous—for those who are in right-standing with You—because they have put their trust in You.

 

We show our trust in You when we obey Your laws—when the deepest desire of our hearts is to glorify Your name!

 

Help me to walk in right-standing with You—exemplifying both moral and spiritual integrity in all I do—by the power of Christ in me—so that my path will not be steep and rough but be smoothed out before me by Your hand.

 

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.

 

Just Walk by Faith

 

 

 

The LORD directs our steps,
    so why try to understand everything along the way?

 

—Proverbs 20:24 (NLT) 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

When I don’t quite understand all that is going on, grant me the faith I need to trust You and the patience I need to wait and watch, as You unfold before me—according to Your perfect timing—Your plan to use all things to accomplish Your purposes.

 

Keep me in Your peace, by helping me to accept that the full impact of Your plans and purposes—for those things that happen both to me and all around me—is infinitely beyond my ability to fully comprehend, but still a part of Your plan.  

 

Don’t allow my days to be so consumed by my own “need" to understand the reason behind why certain things happen, that I miss doing the next good and right thing with the opportunity that You have placed immediately before me—a gracious and loving invitation to join in with what You are doing.

 

Keep me from the temptation to “make You in my image”—thinking I know best what You should do and how You should do it.  Rather be the Lord of my life—as the Sovereign God that You are—within my heart of hearts.

 

When I don’t quite understand all that is going on, grant me the faith I need to trust You and the patience I need to wait and watch, as You unfold before me—according to Your perfect timing—Your plan to use all things to accomplish Your purposes.

 

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.

Turn, and Live!

 

 

For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.

 

— Ezekiel 18:32 ESV

 

 

Dear Lord GOD, 

 

Thank you that even in my unfaithful wanderings away from You, You never wanted me to die. You wanted me to turn back to You and live!

 

Thank You for loving me with an unfailing love and for the unrelenting way that You call me to Yourself—because You want me to be in right relationship with You.

 

Thank You for showing me that You want me to walk in the abundant life that is available to all who will accept Jesus as their Savior, and who choose to make Him Lord of their lives.

 

So, help me to trust and obey each command and instruction of Your Word and every prompting of Your Spirit within me. Help me turn my back on the sin that leads me to death, and walk, with Christ, down the path that leads me to the life you want me to have in Him.

 

Thank you that even in my unfaithful wanderings away from You, You never wanted me to die. You wanted me to turn back to You and live!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Joy to the Heart, Insight for Living

 

 

The commandments of the LORD are right,

    bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are clear,

    giving insight for living.

 

—Psalm 19:8 (NLT)

 

 

 

Loving LORD,

 

Grant me the hunger to know, and the desire to obey, the commandments of Your Word—so my heart may be full of joy, and my mind would be filled with insight for how I should live.

 

Help me to understand that Your commands are exactly right—that they flow from Your Truth and are written for my good, and for Your glory.

 

Help me to understand that, as I obediently follow them, I not only demonstrate my love for You, but my heart is also filled with joy—as protection, provision and peace flood my life in proportion to that obedience.

 

Help me to understand that Your commands are perfectly clear—that they are pure, clean, that there is no darkness in them at all, and they are clearly understood.

 

Help me to understand that Your commands allow me to see with certainty the best paths for me to follow—as You guide me by Your Spirit on my journey through this life on my way home to You.

 

Grant me the hunger to know, and the desire to obey, the commandments of Your Word—so my heart may be full of joy, and my mind would be filled with insight for how I should live.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.