The Wisdom to Let the Holy Spirit Guide My Life

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

—Galatians 5:16 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Grant me the wisdom to allow Your Holy Spirit to guide all of my life—so I won’t find myself doing what my sinful nature desires to do.

Let my actions reflect my character—and let 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, hear and willingly obey all of the instructions You give me through Your Word and Your Spirit.

Strengthen me to continue to live every moment of my life under the guidance and control of Your Spirit—allowing the words of Christ to fill my thoughts, to determine my actions, and to be the power within me that keeps control of my selfish and sinful desires.

Grant me the wisdom to allow Your Holy Spirit to guide all of my life—so I won’t find myself doing what my sinful nature desires to do.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Our Hearts, His Home

 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

—Ephesians 3:16-17 (NLT)

Gracious God,

Empower us by Your Holy Spirit, so that we would be made spiritually stronger—that our hearts, rooted and nourished in Your love, would be a place for Christ to call His home, as we put all our trust in Him.

According to Your glorious and unlimited resources, pour spiritual strength into us—change us by the working of Your Spirit within us—so our outward lives would be made visibly different, to the Glory of Christ.

Help us to surrender anything that doesn’t honor Christ, to the sanctifying work of Your Spirit—making Him Lord of our hearts, so that our hearts would be a place suitable for our King to make His home.

And grant that our roots would go down deep and be nourished by Your amazing love—so that we would be made strong and firmly established, forever abiding with You.

Empower us by Your Holy Spirit, so that we would be made spiritually stronger—that our hearts, rooted and nourished in Your love, would be a place for Christ to call His home, as we put all our trust in Him.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Love Your Enemies!

 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies!  Do good to those who hate you.  Bless those who curse you.  Pray for those who hurt you.”

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

—Luke 6:27-28, 31 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Help me be willing to listen to, and to follow, Your instructions.  Help me to love and do good to everyone—even those who hate and curse me.  Help me to do to others just as I would want others to do to me.

Help me not to allow how others treat me, or mistreat me, to determine the path that I walk down—but rather make my path straight and my way sure, as I listen and follow the example that was set before me in Christ.

But also show me how truly loving another person does not mean enabling them to continue to sin—for in doing so, I become an active participant in the sin.  Instead, help me always to stand for both Truth and Grace—as expressed through Christ’s perfect love—as equally necessary parts of any good relationship I might have.

Let my actions reflect my love for You, and let my love for others be an outflow of that love for You—as I surrender the desires of my mind, will and emotions to the control of Your Holy Spirit, so I can walk in the freedom and the joy You have reserved for those who choose to follow Christ obediently.

Help me do good to those who hate me, bless those who curse me and always pray for those who hurt me—so that they might be rescued by Your love from the sin that enslaves them, and so I won’t destroy my own life by harboring an unforgiving heart.

Help me be willing to listen to, and to follow, Your instructions.  Help me to love and do good to everyone—even those who hate and curse me.  Help me to do to others just as I would want others to do to me.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.