Heavenly Father I praise You for Your word and how it directs our steps and supplies confidence in our faith towards You. I praise You for the life of Christ, which demonstrates how we should live and the fact that sin is always knocking on the door. I ask that this morning You will help me take command of the morning and shake any evil out of it so that I may face my day honoring You. Let my life be a living sacrifice so I can know, understand, and apply Your will to my life. Help me renew my mind so that I stay focused, and open to hear Your Spirit speak to me and see with earthly and heavenly eyes.
Holy Spirit Your word tells me: Now all these things happened to them for example. They are written as an admonition to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall. No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted above what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it. [1 Corinthians 10:11-13] So help me to learn the lessons of my predecessors that came before me and I can learn from Your word. I also understand that this means God through salvation, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the accountability of my brethren and sisters can avoid sin. I also understand that this does not mean that he will allow this world to press on me more than I can endure because this is where my faith must come into play just as Christ was forced to face the agony of the cross. Sometimes life will be more than we can endure that is why we must trust Jesus. Look at the lives of Joseph, Daniel, Job, Paul, Peter, and the rest of the disciples. We will face challenges that overwhelm us, and knock our feet out from under us, but do we call out to You, Oh Lord, or do we give in and become defeated? I will do my best to grow my faith and trust in You. I may cower at times but even Peter failed before becoming the powerhouse for You. Let me draw on these lessons to become stronger in my faith, fear nothing but God, and understand that this is not my eternal home.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen (Matthew 6:9-13)