Determined
Good morning, Father! Though I am weary, there is no place I would rather be than in Your presence. Bless me. Teach me. Fill me. Amen.
2 Timothy 3:10-13 (<<click here)
No matter what, Lord, I want to please You. Help me to stay strong in my faith. Enable me to continue to passionately pursue You. These times that we have together have totally changed my life. I have followed You for decades. But I have struggled; I have been defeated again and again. I am still, by no means, perfect but ever since this past spring, things are different. And all the credit goes to You! You love me so much – You never gave up on me. You pursued me – You wooed me… and here I am. I still struggle. I still loose battles but I am no longer defeated. In Your sustaining grace I cast my failings behind me and continue to move ever forward. My strength is in You.
But Paul assures us that “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” vs.12 In expounding upon these thoughts, my study Bible *state “Don’t give up, Continue to live as You should. God is the only one you need to please. “ Lord, may my faith remain firmly with You . May I grow in Your wisdom and discernment. Live through me. Touch others through me. I am Yours, Lord, use me as You will.
December 12th, Saturday, 6:45 am
No Use Hiding
The quiet of the morning seems best for me, Father, though even this “late” hour has its challenges. After a good night’s sleep, my mind is quiet and hearing Your voice is easier in that there is less to obstruct it. Enable me to listen to what You have to say to me today
2 Timothy 3:8-9 (<<click here)
Lord, thank You for the love You have extended to me. Saying thank You for the sacrifice You made for me is a paltry response, small and meager indeed. Your love truly covers a vast multitude of my sins.
This morning’s passage makes me think how futile it is to try and hide sin in our lives. The end of Numbers 32:23 says, “you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Looking back over my life I can think of numerous times when I would have been absolutely mortified if others could have read my mind or had known what I had been doing or thinking. But I have given those things over to You to “trample… under Your feet and throw them in the depths of the ocean!” Micah 7:19 They will never be seen or heard from again – praise Your holy name!
Lord, continue helping me to be drawn to You. Only because of You can I be victorious over the sin that tries to trip me up in my walk with You. You have helped me so much in the past and continue to help me in the present. I am lost without You… I am Yours, Lord.
December 11th, Friday, 8:38 am
Your Name Is Mighty in Power
Father, “no one is like You…You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.” Jeremiah 10:6 Your creation will worship many things and we worship others, too – musicians, actors, athletes, leaders but “no one is like You.” We fail / we let people down / we are not perfect / we are sinful.
You never fail.
You are always there for us.
You are perfect in every way.
You have always been and will always be holy.
“You are great.”
You alone are worthy of our praise… and honor… and worship – for “no one is like You!”
“Your name is mighty in power.” You are a mighty God – the Creator of all that is! There is no question there. But to say Your name is mighty in power takes it to a whole other level! We often pray “in Jesus’ name,“ but do we take to heart what that means?
At creation, You spoke things into existence. Everything that is (in all its vast diversity) came to be just because You said so! So much power in words. You are a God of action and power. When we call upon You, You hear us so even “Your name is mighty in power”!
Fill me today with Your power to accomplish what needs to be done and to stand against what would hinder me. Father, use me this day to do Your will!
Dec 10th, 2015, Thurs, 8:31 am
Fuzzy on the Edges
Good morning, Father, I pray that my time together with You will be productive. I know that You have much to share- may I be attentive. Amen
2 Timothy 3:6-7 (<<click here)
Lord, it is surely important that we be eager to learn about You and how You would have us live. But it is also important that we are very careful from whom we learn. Especially in our information saturated world, it is easy for us to latch on to all kinds of teachers. Some are rock solid – sitting squarely in the center of Biblical truth and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Others are mostly on target but a little fuzzy on the edges, proclaiming ideas of their own (or someone else’s) creation. They may sound good but are things that are not of You.
May I be able to wisely discern – with the Holy Spirits active involvement – what I take in. I pray that it will be in the heart of Your truth. I know there have been times where I have read books, recommended by solid brothers in Christ, that have just not felt right. Then later on I would find out that the authors were a little “fuzzy on the edges”
“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” Psalm 25:5
Lord, as a proclaimer of the truth, may I be rock solid – eliminate any and all fuzziness in me.
Dec 8th, Tues, 4:50 am
Lying in Bed
Father, thank You for Your love. Thank You for being who You are – God Almighty! As I lie in bed last night I was overcome with fear and anxiety. Sadness enveloped me. Multiple factors contributed to my state of mind. As we lay there, I shared some of my thoughts with Karen and after a bit she basically said that we can’t let “what ifs” control our lives for we don’t know what will be.
Father, You – and only You – know what the future holds. No matter how terrifying it may become You will be victorious. Like it or not, the world in which we live is of own making. And we must live with the repercussions of our actions. We must shoulder the blame. You will help us through it but You are not the one to blame. You have guided and directed us as to what we should do and where we should go but we have disobeyed Your directives. We have been fearful. We have been apathetic. We have been lazy. You have warned us but we have not heeded the warning.
Men like Isaiah and Daniel show us there is no such thing as too little too late. Father, may I be a man of courage – not relying on myself, but on You. Lying in bed last night, I gave my fear, my anxiety and my sadness over to You. You are my God. You are my Redeemer. Regardless of what I must go through, those statements – those realities – will not change. Evil may think it has the upper hand. It may win some battles. It will have it’s day. But it will be defeated! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has already won the war! Nothing can and no one will be able to stand before You! Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that You and you alone are God! (Romans 14:11)
I rest in You , Father – I will not be debilitated but I will be determined to follow You – whatever the cost! Amen – so be it!
Dec 7th, Mon, 4:42 am