Alert to the Threat of Attack, But at Perfect Peace in God

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

—1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

Gracious and Merciful God,

Help me to be alert to the threat of attack from the devil, but still remain at perfect peace in You—knowing that if I stand strong in my faith, You will deliver me from all the traps he has set for me, by the power of Christ in me.

Keep me on guard against his deceptions and aware of his divisive tactics. Remind me that he is battling for my soul—my mind, my will and my emotions—and that the battle is primarily waged in my mind.

As I carefully hold and consider every thought that passes through my mind, let Your Spirit warn me when a thought does not align itself with the Truth of Your Word.   And let me discard any thought that contradicts that Truth for what it is—a lie from the enemy, meant to steal, kill, and destroy.

Remind me that I don’t have to be afraid, because he can only harm me by deceiving me into believing his lies—and while he may make a lot of noise, he is defeated and cannot have any control over me that I don’t give him.

Help me trust, LORD, that You have already saved me from the enemy—that the victory is mine to take—as I stand firm in my faith and resist his attacks.

Keep me mindful that the whole family of believers is in this same battle with me—and that we are most effective when, in unity, we fight together against this common foe.

Help me to be alert to the threat of attack from the devil, but still remain at perfect peace in You—knowing that if I stand strong in my faith, You will deliver me from all the traps he has set for me, by the power of Christ in me.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Healthy Self-Esteem

 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

--Romans 12:3 (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Help me to live with a healthy self-esteem—not overestimating myself nor thinking too little of myself—but rather judging myself in light of the faith that I have to operate in the gift that You have given to me.

I don’t want to be puffed up—thinking that I am something in myself.  I want to honestly and accurately evaluate myself, realizing that any good in me comes from You. 

I want to judge myself based on who I am in Christ, because without Him I can do little that is good, by eternal standards, while in His strength and power I can be of valuable and capable service to Him.

Help me escape the danger of judging my worth by the world’s standards—which leads me to think too much about how much I am worth in the eyes of others and causes me to miss discovering my true value in Your eyes.

I want to properly serve You by giving You credit for Your love, power and perfection at work in me in any good thing that I do, so that others might glorify You, rather than sing my praises and by doing so, lead me to be tempted to not judge my worth correctly.

Increase my faith to be able to operate in that place into which You have called me, gifted me, and equipped me, so that I might boldly serve You—remaining totally dependent on You and walking humbly before You.

Help me to live with a healthy self-esteem—not overestimating myself nor thinking too little of myself—but rather judging myself in light of the faith that I have to operate in the gift that You have given to me.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.