Lord, make me aware of the many pitfalls and snares constructed against me by the Evil One. Help me always to be alert to his jihad and to the ingenious ways he camouflages these entrapments, even to the use of “The Lord’s Work” as a means of drawing me away from You.
Not only flesh, but the spirits of the devil. In Your trust, in Your arms, I am secure. There is no cause for fear, no reason to stew and fret; all the details and events of my life are in Your hands; I have Your promise that all things work together for good for one who loves You and seeks to follow in your Word.
Lord, my enemies are self-will, pride, covetousness, and other sins of one who sets himself up as his own god. They never cease their assaults, they are tireless, fueled and driven by the obsession of the Evil One to rip one of Yours from your arms.
Give me greater understanding of the import of this commandment. Perhaps in no other area, is the testimony of your church more weak and lax. Show me how to lead, both by example and by winsome word. That my life would be a life of observing your Sabbath, long before I begin to lecture others.
Lord, we am casting our burden of inattention on You. We am coming to You, confessing that this is a sin, primarily of self and that our desire is to be freed of it. We want to walk with You, we want to commune with You, we want awareness of Your Presence in our lives. We want to become new men in every aspect and corner of our lives.
Lord, there are still many, many chunks of gravel from the old heart that are sharp shards in that new heart you have given me. Guide my broom as the Holy Spirit shows me where the floor needs swept.
Thank You, Lord, for You do take over our anxieties and depressions, You do set Your might and power against those who would afflict us. May You name be praised in the assemblies of Your people.
Lord, stand between us and our inflicters. Shield us with Your mighty arm. Cover us with Your outstretched wings. Hold us in the palm of Your hand. Give us that peace that passes all understanding in the face of affliction by the Evil One. Teach us that as You forgave Your tormentors, so we are to forgive ours. Lead us, our Lord
Even You, my Lord, suffered from the desertion of close friends, fleeing and denying that they ever knew You. You have gone before, You know what it is to be forsaken and abandoned by loved ones. And You forgave those who reviled You.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Sometimes, Lord, the enemy mounts attack upon attack upon one or more of us and we all suffer.. Sometimes the assault takes the form of depression and anxiety, sometimes it is a problem with family members or even fellow believers. Sometimes, insidiously quiet and seemingly unoffensive; at other times up front and in your face. Lord, hear our plea; do not hide Yourself from Your people.
Understanding is not the end that You desire for me, my Lord, deliverance is not the goal, learning is not the final reward. No, glorifying You, pouring out praise, singing of Your word, living Your word, carrying Your word into the world, being Your ambassador; this is the goal that You set for me. May my obedience shine before You today.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Not just my body, Lord, but my heart, soul and mind also to be my freewill offering and living sacrifice to You. Let Your praises and my thanksgivings be in my mouth continuously today. You provide wisdom and discernment to protect me from the Ziphites and to propound the fullness of Your Law as compared to a weak, flabby, emasculated vision.
You stand between me and those strong bulls of Bashan who would tear, gore and trample me. You are a shield about me. It is Your love and sacrifice that cleansed me, it is Your Word that is my map and guidebook, it is the Holy Spirit that teaches me and leads me into all Truth.
Praise You, Lord.
The Ziphities come in many guises and forms, but with common intent to destroy my communion with You. Some even are wearing the cloak of righteousness, declaring that they speak revelation from You, but their words betray them for their intent is to limit Your Word.
Save me from false paths, empower me to speak Your truth in love, to be able to explain the hope that lies within me in gentleness and respect.
A most precious name, for it is the only name given among men whereby we might be saved. Let every utterance of your name today be one of praise and thanksgiving. Let today be a day of seeking your guidance and wisdom.
The salvation for Israel has come out of Zion and has come to all the nations of the world. You have restored the fortunes of all the peoples, let us rejoice and be glad. Let us not forget that our God is an awesome God.
Great evil has corrupted your creation. We, the work of your hand, are abominable in your sight, filled with iniquity, self-worshiping, seeking our own understanding. There is none righteous, no not one.
Lord, guide my life so that I can and do live according to Your precepts and steadfast love. Give me understanding so that I can live; so that I am not filled with disgust by my disobedient ways. Lead me into a life of "smiling and sharing the love of Jesus," not as an occasional conversation or preaching but as a way of life.
Lord, so many of the persecutors and adversaries are the little things of life that fill my day. Filling the woodbox, running an errand, cooking breakfast, visiting with a friend, all distract me from being aware of your Presence. I need to be more intentional about practicing your Presence.
This certainly is a "I believe, Lord, help me in my unbelief" situation in my life. I want to live in your Presence. I want to be able to join with the Psalmist and not swerve from your righteous and just testimonies. I hunger for that awareness of You.
Lord, open the eyes of my heart and show me where sin still obscures my vision.
Thank You, Lord, You have brought me into Your steadfast love, where I can grow and flourish like a young tree, a sapling to be bent and formed to Your will.
Thank You for the many of Your saints with which You have surrounded me. Thank You for the encouragement and strength that flows from You through them. Thank You for the Holy Spirit who unites all of us into Your Body.
Lord, You know the young man who is on my heart, one who claims to know You and be obedient to You, but whose every action speaks of his dependence upon his own strength and wisdom. The words of obedience but the actions of self-will.
Lord, be merciful to him, bring him to a place of complete abandonment,where he can no longer turn to his own strength but has to trust in Your grace. Fill him with contrition and remorse, empty him of pride of self and fill him with passion for Your presence.
Where are those things I have constructed to set ahead of you? What are they, Lord? Give me a searing fire in my conscience against anything which makes me seek You second.
My lack of faithfulness in prayer is one of those things. And it is not a thing; it is lots of little things, the little distractions that I allow to get between me and you.
So, Lord, let my conscience burn within me when I am not listening, meditating, or praying as I should be. Help me, through that burning conscience, to develop an addictive prayer habit.
The bulls of Bashan – guilt, greed, pride, lust, covetousness, idolatry – all persecute and assault me; they seek my downfall. They despise You and all who declare fealty to Your Name.
But You are with me, Your commandments are true and reliable to lead me out of danger. I need only to turn to You in moments of attack and rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead me through the battlefield. Your Word, Your Law are both my armor and my weapons of defense and offense.
“With my whole heart I cry.” Oh, that it would be so, Lord. I know that there are pockets of resistance, of self, in my heart. You have said that my heart is wicked above all else, and it is so. Those cancers need to be rooted out. The process of enabling me to walk in Your statutes, to observe Your testimonies in all of my life, needs to continue.
Oh what joy it is when I do remember to consider Your promises during the night. Lord, lead me from grumbling that I am awake to a praising of You because of another opportunity to consider the richness of Your Word.
I come to You with the only thing I have to offer: I give You my will. Accept this sacrifice of obedience, and let me be a faithful servant to You in all things. Build me up and strengthen my walls, for I am Your holy temple. Make me complete in You.
An interesting word, Lord: blood-guiltiness. I've never murdered anyone and neither did David. But he did arrange for Uriah's murder, and I certainly have murdered spirit and enthusiasm at times. His motivation was lust; mine is pride and elevation of self.
How can I teach transgressors when my own transgression is so before me? Deliver me, Lord! Yes, I repent of my pride and idolization of self. Transform me so that I can teach, so that I can lead sinners to You. Transform me so that my lips are open and my mouth declares Your praises from sunrise to sunset.
You have purged me with the blood of the Lamb, freely offered and accepted. My sins and iniquities You remember no more.
But Lord, the consequences remain, those stains and that brokenness need bleaching and repair. Therefore my cry is to create a clean, new heart within me, to cut out the spirit of the old man and replace it with your Spirit.
When I don't listen and obey, I lose the joy of Your salvation. Forgive me, Lord and restore me to Your presence. Lead me in the Way Everlasting.
It has been such a hard lesson, Lord, to realize and accept that all my sin(s) are against You only. It is so much easier to believe in my heart that an offense is against another individual; it is easy to convince myself that I don't have to apologize or even acknowledge the sin.
But You, but You, oh Lord, are the offended One. Yes, the harm to another individual must be acknowledged, repented of, and restitution made; but in all, I must come to You, seeking Your forgiveness in repentance. I must petition You for the tutelage of the Holy Spirit to reform and transform me.
Show me, LORD, where there are other gods I have put before you. Speak up, Holy Spirit, for I am hard of hearing and easily distracted.
The world demands a god of their understanding, a god they can manipulate in order to get what they want. Their god is a god of weakness and failings like themselves. Their god tears them apart and leaves them in ruin; he cannot deliver.
Ah, but You answer the one who seeks, to “draw near to You and You will draw near to me.” To believe in You is to obey You. My sacrifice of thanksgiving is a sacrifice of obedience. The right ordering of my way is to fear You, for that is the beginning of wisdom. And the fear of You comes through endless praise of You. May Your praise be ever in my mouth!
The only gifts I have to give You that are not already Yours are my love, obedience, thanksgiving, and praise. These are mine to give or mine to withhold.
I give you my pledge of obedience, together with my love; I will seek to praise You and give You thanksgiving in all circumstances. Forgive me, Lord, for my failings, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Lord, You continue the theme of Your constancy, perfection, and sufficiency. You are the just and righteous judge who calls out the faithful.
And how did I make a covenant with You, Lord; what sacrifice did I make? It was and is a sacrifice of self, a pledge of obedience, a laying down of my will and taking up of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It was and is the declaration that You are Lord and Master of my life. It was and is the bowing of my knee, the confessing of my mouth that You are Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. It was and is a determination to live my life, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to Your Word, in every aspect of my life.
Your righteousness never fails; it is true and complete. It provides me with an unfailing guide to lead me into life in the Kingdom. Thank You, Lord, for showing me the way.
Even as trouble and anguish beset me, Lord, Your testimonies provide the support and understanding I need to continue. The testimonies of Your Word and the lives of Your saints, as they overcame through Your leadership, sustain me in my own times of trial.
I am learning to trust and depend on Your promises; continue to train me, Lord. Thank You for all those saints You have placed in my path to teach me and to show me what it is to live in Your promises.
