Heavenly Father I praise You for the father and both grandfathers that You allowed me to have and know. I praise You for their faithfulness to serve You. I praise You for teaching me that my earthly heritage is not perfect, but to value the lessons I learned and that I have been able to pass on to my children and my children’s children.
Holy Spirit I thank you for placing me in the care of a father who has been a Marine and served in wartime, a factory worker, a pastor for over 35 years, a school board member, a school janitor, and now a full-time great grandparent. My father taught me many valuable lessons like how to dissect and learn deeper wisdom from scriptures and to apply them to life. He taught me the value of understanding that as a Marine a person had to know and trust their weapon, their capabilities, and their units to survive. I have learned to use this as a focus on how to be a soldier for Christ. I know though I walk in the flesh, I do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of my warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. [2 Corinthians 10:3-5] I will be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. I will put on the full armor of God so that I can take my stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore putting on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, I may be able to stand my ground, and after I have done everything, stand. With the belt of truth buckled around my waist, I will speak honestly before all and avoid lies. I will attach to my waist my knowledge, wisdom, and discernment of Your word to hold me together in battle. With a breastplate of righteousness in place, I know that my integrity, character, and the fruits of the Spirit growing in me will be protected so that my heart can stay strong and steadfast no matter how bad the battle I am placed in. I will rely on Your Holy Spirit to fill and dwell in my heart to strengthen this breastplate so that I can stand unashamed before all the people I come into contact with daily. My feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, so that I can walk where God leads me, live as God intends for me to live, and exercise my faith to become strong enough to see hearts changed, and the Kingdom of God move forward. In addition to all this, I take up the shield of faith, with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I will take the helmet of salvation and place it on my head to protect my thoughts, help renew my mind daily, and to show the world the Mark of Christ upon me. I will also hold onto my sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, I must be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. [Ephesians 6:10-18]
Holy Spirit help me to honor the heritage of my family and be the man of God I was created to be. Help me to fulfill my purpose in life and to pass this on to my children and their children so that the legacy of faith and believing continues to honor You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.