Heavenly Father I praise You for the profound wonder that You do and are every day. I praise You for being Creator, Father, Savior, Spirit, and all that You are to us and for us. I praise You for Your faith in us to have faith in You. Help me today to take command of my day and shake all the evil, sin, and temptation out of it and away from me with Your power from the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit You inspired Isaiah to write a very long time ago and we have evidence of this even in the Dead Sea scrolls that were found that he wrote it: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. [Isaiah 7:14] I often feel we do not even scratch the surface of how significant this name is and how much it matters to our lives. You stepped out of Heaven which is separate from the confines of our time and where sin exists to live, eat, breathe, grow, learn, and be one of us in our world confined by time, facing life where You could not physically see the spiritual world around us or Your kingdom. Where sin is constantly blatant, hatred, anger, evil, chaos, and just plain humanness exist full throttle. You came into the world in humble means and lived in a community under multiple layers of government and especially under the very pagan rule of Rome. You grew and had a ministry for roughly 3 years before You had to pay the price for our salvation and then go down to hell and get the keys, come back, and walk among men for a short period to demonstrate You were greater than death, and to give us the hope of eternity beyond this lifetime we live.
I, in 1982 gave my life to You and accepted Your salvation. I have not lived a perfect life and my life for most of it has not been easy, yet I can testify to miracles, wonders, and eye-witnessing the power of Your kingdom here on the earth. I have witnessed evil in multiple forms, I have seen people fully given to the control of Satan, yet I have also witnessed redemption, love, and brotherhood. I have had to face death more than a few times, yet You decided to continue my life here on the earth. I have felt sorrow, pain, anger, frustration, and raw desire, but I have also witnessed peace, joy, love, kindness, gentleness, and honor and I have learned to value all that I have journeyed through to grow closer to You. Help me, and all those around me to take a moment and give You praise for being Immanuel. For we had You Physically among us for 33 years and now we can have the Holy Spirit with us until time on earth finally ends. Let us use this as a foundation of our faith, our drive to worship and serve You, and to help us grasp the relationship that will build us to be prepared for heaven.
I will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to me. Jesus told us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” Help me to understand this peace You left for us and to receive daily Your Spirit of Truth as I walk this earth as one of Your living temples who I sacrifice my life daily as a living sacrifice to serve You and Your will. May I always give praise to Jesus Christ, my Savior, and who is Immanuel, Amen. [Matthew 6:33; John 14:12-14; John 14:16-17 NKJV; John 14:27]