Again we are taught that to “profess” to know You but to have impure thoughts and impure behaviors is not o.k. Help us, today, not to simply profess our faith, but to live our faith in complete obedience to Your word. Help us not to disqualify ourselves by misbehaving or worse yet, professing but not believing. We hear of dysfunctional families but You Father remove our stony hearts, replacing them with a new heart that is able to keep pace with Your perfect will, if we but seek You.
Proclaiming the Gospel… Is that too risky?
Father, help us today not to hide our Light under a bushel, knowing that when we witness of Your love, made manifest at the Cross, we are witnessing to Your children, created in Your image and that You will that not one single person perish, no not one.
Where do you get comfort and counsel during chaos?
Jesus, for this wonderful set of facts, we are so grateful. You tell us, in the first person, that the Holy Spirit, having been sent, will convict the world of sin. Your crucifixion and resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and teach us, is also a turning point in Your relationship with every person. You have planted the truth in our hearts, You have turned on a Light that either accuses us or excuses us.
Ashamed of the Gospel? A really serious error!
Father, when Jesus went to the cross and then was resurrected, He told us that He was the Deliverer of the New Covenant. We know that one facet of the New Covenant is that the truth about You was written on the heart of every person. No more wondering about Your existence, Your creation, and Your love for us. These truths have been made self-evident to us.
You are invited to enter, behind the veil.
Father, first You have called us saints and now You invite us to enter into Your Holy Presence, a place where only the High Priest could enter once a year, behind the veil.
The Devil made me do it!
Core Christian Value: As long as we inhabit this mortal body, we will face temptation. But, we never face it alone. God permits the test and as long as we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, Satan loses.
Fear not, I will help you…do you believe that?
Dear God, what powerful promises these are. Even in the midst of fear, You lift us up, You extend Your hand to us, in a very personal way. You are our God!
Are we at risk when we witness?
If and when we suffer for declaring You, Jesus, among men, we know that our tribulations bring glory to You. We never can out give You. What You did to redeem us exceeds anything we could have hoped for. Our manifest love for You is our response to Your love for us.
Anxiety, a prescription for pain!
On many occasions You teach us not to be anxious about anything. Given the number of deep sighs, hands wringing, and perplexed looks we manifest, it seems anxiety and stress are more common than not. But what do You say Jesus, about anxiety? You say, repeatedly, “don’t worry” and then You teach us why.
The perfect Independence Day; freedom from guilt!
Father, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States as a way of marking our freedom from the control of others. When we accept, by faith in Jesus, Your grace and salvation, we celebrate a different kind of freedom. We believe that freedom from dominance by Satan marks that day as the most important day in our existence.