Heavenly Father, I praise You that You are a God of orderliness and calm instead of chaos like the world and the father of Lies. I praise You for sending Your Son to teach us how to love, serve, to live righteously and set the example of how important prayer is. I praise You for giving us the Holy Spirit to lead us, teach us and help us to love others despite our personal hang ups.
Holy Spirit teach us to love one another. Help us to not marvel when the world hates us, for we are aware that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers. We also understand that those who do not love the body of Christ remain in death. Those who hate are as bad as murders and have no place in eternal life. We know that God loves us because Christ laid down His life for us on the cross, and we should die out to ourselves and sacrifice our lives for others and especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me to remember that if I have the world’s goods and see a person in need and do not demonstrate compassion by helping them, then I do not have the love of God in me. For it is God who gives me resources so that I may help those in need. Help me to not love in word or speech, but in action and truth. This way I will know that I am of truth, and it shall reassure my heart before God. For if my heart condemns me, God is greater than my heart. If my heart does not condemn me then I rest assured that I abide with God. And whatever I ask I shall receive because I ask from a heart that desires God’s will and seeks to do His will. I know this commandment to be a foundation to my life: I shall believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love others as He has commanded me to do. I also understand that if I keep His commandments, I will remain in Him and He in me. He remains in me through You, the Holy Spirit. [1John 3:11-24, my paraphrase from the MEV]
Holy Spirit I pray for the families who lost their love ones this past few months because of hate, mental health, violence and the chaos of this current broken world. I pray that they will seek You, and that they will not fall into the lie that Satan likes to perpetuate that You wanted all this to happen. Help them to realize that real change will only come from changing hearts and true fasting and prayer. For this world is full of sin and brokenness. With our free will we need to take responsibility and quit blaming others and live a life that demonstrates love and righteousness, knowing there will be times of trials and tribulation. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. [Romans 3:23-26; Romans 5:1-5]
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore, I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (Romans 16:17-20)