Heavenly Father, I praise You today for forgiveness, grace, and mercy. I praise You for the example of Christ, who came and lived among and as a man and did not sin. I praise You for wisdom and the word which guides us on Your principles and ways to have guard rails in our life to keep us on our path to walk and do the purpose we were created. Help me today to take command of my day and shake all evil from it.
James wrote, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” [James 1:4, NIV] I have learned over time from scripture and experience that to defeat or avoid temptation, wrong desires, or to be enticed, I must learn to be a living sacrifice for God. If I am dead to the world, I am fully focused on God and the path He chose for me to walk. Knowing and meditating on the scriptures also helps since I have become a living temple for Christ, and the Holy Spirit resides in me to prompt me and to encourage me to do what is right and to make wise choices, I feel the weight of responsibility to keep this temple clean and honoring God.
Do I fail, sometimes, but I go right to the altar and ask that God wash that sin away and help me to right the ship, so to speak. Help me to put on my armor so that I can resist the devil, and as Peter told us, he will flee from us. “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and honor and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” [Philippians 2:12&13; Philippians 2:14&15; Philippians 4:4-7; Philippians 4:8] Help me to use this from the letters of Paul to meditate and keep my desires, affections, and focus where they belong so that I am not easily distracted by temptations or wrong and sinful desires. Let me not become prideful, but stay in humility that I understand that only through the Holy Spirit am I able to grow in faith, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and most of all discernment so that I make the right choices in life and live a life that demonstrates I am a child of God.
Grace and peace will be multiplied to me through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given to me all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of God who has called me to His glory and excellence, by which He has given to me exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these things I might become a partaker of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. For this reason, help me to make every effort to add virtue to my faith; and to my virtue, knowledge, and to my knowledge, self-control; and to my self-control, patient endurance; and to my patient endurance, godliness; and to my godliness, brotherly kindness; and to my brotherly kindness love. For if all of these reside in me and abound, they will ensure that I will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord. Help me to diligently make my calling and election sure so that when I add all these areas into my life I will not stumble and will be able to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which will be abundantly provided for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 2 Peter 1:3-11 MEV version