Heavenly Father, I praise You for today and for watching over me. I praise You for standing by me when I face trouble and strife. I praise You for slowly teaching me wisdom and understanding. Help me today to take command of my day, shake the evil from it, and let Your Holy Spirit breathe wisdom and discernment into me.
Holy Spirit, You inspired James to write to the early church: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow of turning. [James 1:17, MEV] I am so thankful that God, who is the Father of Lights, is the one being in the universe that is never changing. Help me to learn what gifts I have and how to wisely use them in life so that I can fully appreciate the love of God shown to me, just one of the billions of creations He has set in motion. Help me to understand the depth and love behind the gift of salvation and have some understanding of how precious I must be for that gift to be given to me. Help me to walk each day with the power of faith that I am desired by God for a
relationship that has grown into a friendship that is bound by the new covenant brought to us by Christ. Never let me diminish the importance or power of that gift given to me that is the key to life in eternity and becoming fully what I was intended to be. Let this sustain me and push me to live life, seek to do the will of God, and ignore and disdain sin and temptation that is put out as a snare to destroy me. Let me live with the humility that only because of God am I anyone.
Holy Spirit, You inspired Paul to write: Since I am raised with Christ, I will learn to desire those things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Help me to set my affection on things above, not be consumed or love things on the earth. For I am dead, and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is my life, shall appear, then I also shall appear with Him in glory. Teach me to put to death the parts of my earthly nature: sexual immorality, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because I am learning that these things, the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. I used to live that life with them. I must now
put away all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language out of my mouth. I no longer can lie to others, for that was part of my old nature or way, because I am embracing the new nature to emulate Christ, who has and is becoming my all in all. [Colossians 3:1-11, MEV and paraphrased by me] Thank You for being my guide and prompter as I grow in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.