A Prayer To Set My Intentions For the Day

Proverbs 16:7 

When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

 

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Lord,

Thank You for another morning and another chance to serve You today. Thank You for Your providence, and Your guidance in my life. I come to You to set my intentions for this day. Thank You that You will help me to show others the grace I’d like to be shown. Thank You for letting me live in Your Peace. I am so grateful I can look to You when I need to be patient with others, with my family. Remind me today that I can ask for Your help with forgiveness, with remembering to be grateful and joyous.Help me, Lord, to be humble in my interactions and thoughts, and to honor you with my actions. Please, Lord, help me set my mind on You, and allow me to see others through Your eyes. Remind me, finally, Lord, that You have given me the power of a sound mind, and that Your voice reassures.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer About Judging and Being Judged.

Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Lord,
I find this to be one of the hardest things to live by in studying Your Word.

I find myself talking about people who judge and realize that even talking about that is a judgment I’m making when I shouldn’t.

I find myself feeling too often bothered by what I hear others have said of me, or even what I imagine they may be thinking of me. I have imaginary conversations justifying myself against their imagined judgments and it is a waste of time that could be spent in Your service or on Your path for me.

Take from me this urge to pick at myself and others, please, Lord.

Help me to understand that I need to focus on you and Your precepts as set down in Your Word.

Please, Lord, create in me not only a clean heart, but a heart that does not judge. Not others, or myself.

Allow me not to hear the devil’s voice in my head telling me that others are thinking this way or that about me. Allow me to guard my heart against these attacks and to remember You have forgiven me already where I fall short, You have also forgiven others and called me to do so as well.

Teach me to be more like You, Lord, more like Your earthbound Son.

Help me to hold on to the humility I know is right, Lord.

Help me to never open my mouth with my opinion out in front of my knowledge that I am just another among all of us who are here for Your Glory, and not our own.

Most of all, Lord, remind me that what other people think of me is not my business and is not important because I am a child of Yours, and Your opinion on me is set in Your Word, because I am washed in the blood.

I know I am beloved, and saved by Grace, and that is what should set my value in my own mind.

In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

A Prayer to Remain Humble, and for Grace in Times of Change

God does not change, and that is such a comfort to me in times of change and transition in my life. He’s called The Rock for a reason!

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

I’m also having a lot of conviction lately about learning to be truly humble. It seems it’s hard for my habits to get in line with my mental grasp of this being what God wants me to be. It’s hard to change the way you think and feel sometimes and to not put stock in what others think of you, or to remind yourself that the bad things they think of you are often true, and justification of self in this world is just not possible, except through Jesus’ sacrifice. We can stand on our pride all we like and say “I’m a good person! I tried so hard! I did my best!” but the truth is we all fail, we all falter, we all fall short, and we all do bad, ungrateful, mean spirited, unkind things even if we truly don’t intend to. And so, I am learning (slowly and often painfully) to remind myself that God wants us to lean on His love, to wrap ourselves in who He says we are, and to be humble with others. God is teaching me that I need to stop trying to justify myself to the world, and to live with a humble outlook, seeing what I can do to serve them in His name, rather than what can be done for me or what someone might think of me because of our interaction. Here’s some verses I’m studying about that as well.

2 Corinthians 11:30 “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

1 Peter 5:5b “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ ”

Lord, Help me to boast on the things that show my weakness, because I know in my weakest moments, Your Grace and Glory shine through. Your perfection lifts me up at every fall, You step in last minute and save me at every desperate moment when I feel I’m careening back into trouble because of my bad habits or poor stewardship, and I am so unworthy. I am so un-endingly thankful, Lord, that You would stoop to do so much for me and my family. We see Your hand in every small moment of our lives, Lord. When You wake us each morning with the sun and show us Your love with every person You put in our lives who supports us, helps us, and loves us. You, Lord, shine through them and I pray You shine through me as well. Take me, Lord, make me truly Your vessel. Help me to forget my sense of “self” and remember only to turn to You. Remind me I don’t need to justify my actions, Lord, to make myself feel all right. I know I shouldn’t do these things, and I know that studying You and Your Word helps me do less and less wrong, but in the times I do fail, Lord, remind me that I am saved by Grace and not my own wits. Lord, Father, I am so very grateful for that. I am grateful to not need a quick wit or a slick tongue to cover up my misdeeds and pray no one sees the things I don’t do right. Let them see, Lord! Let them all see how frail and human and stupid and foolish I so often am, for they will see in that how often You are lifting me, saving me, rescuing me, and protecting me. Let them see only Your strength in my weakness, Your glory in my failure, Your Grace in my faux pas. There are not enough words to praise Your helping, healing, protecting hands, Lord, but I will say again I am so grateful. I love Your discipline, Lord, teaching me to be more like Your Son, teaching me to allow Your Spirit to shine through. Thank You So Much for letting me be a reflection of You, through my imperfection. When everything seems uncertain, because all around me is changing, I thank You that You are the rock I can build my house on. You, Lord, are unchanging perfection in the constant flux and turmoil of our human lives, and there is nothing more reassuring.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer For A Change In Thinking About Worry, Patience, And Being A Constant Fixer

These all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth. Hebrews 11:13

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:6-8

 

Lord, I pray in thanks that You have allowed me such a forgiving and willing to communicate family. I pray in gratefulness that I am blessed to be so close to them. I also pray with a humbled heart, seeking forgiveness, Lord, because I have too often nagged and interfered with things that are not my problem to try to fix. I know that I too often attempt to do Your job for You, Father, and I know I should take to heart the parts of Your Word that remind us not to worry, to remember to have patience in waiting for Your timing, and to cast our cares on You. God, I put too much importance on myself and my role in others’ lives and think that I am here to fix all that ails them. I know this is a sin, Lord, and I know it is also a failing in me to understand that Your Word and who it says I am is all the reflection of worth I should need. I too often let myself think that others won’t love me without me trying to fix their lives or their problems or themselves, and I know in truth, Lord, it is actually a trait that often drives people away. I am seeking Your gentle correction in my heart, Lord. Please come into my mind and make in me a new way of thinking so that I can remember that all of my value on earth is due to Your Grace and the sacrifice of Your Son, and help me to reflect that in my actions. I am so grateful that I know You have already begun this work in me, Lord. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

A Prayer for a New Inner Monologue

Lord, I know you have given me this body to house my soul and spirit here on earth, and I know I haven’t taken care of it as well as you have charged me to do. I pray for forgiveness in that and also pray in thanks that you have helped me change my inner thoughts. From now on I will know that: I am a walker. I walk everyday. I am healthy. I eat healthy food and only what my body requires. I am worthwhile. I am all that Your word says that I am and I am more powerful than earthly cravings because of the power of Jesus’ spirit which you have told us is one with our own. It is my duty to care for this body which you have given me to house my soul and spirit and I will not take that charge lightly. I thank you so much for the gift. Amen.

 

Verses:

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17)

Upon Beginning to Seek God’s Purpose In Our Lives

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Luke 11:9

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:3

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Lord, we humble ourselves before you tonight because we know we are nothing without your presence. We know all we can achieve on our own is sin and pain and lowliness. We come seeking You, Lord, and seeking Your guidance upon our lives. We pray that You will intervene in our ways, Lord, and show us the way You would have us go instead. My family and I are wholly looking to fulfill Your will and purpose for our lives, and that can be so daunting. We ache to know the peace of feeling certain we are working for You in the manner You would have us do, Lord, and we pray you guide us strongly until we find it. This is all we have tonight, Lord, our prayer and our plea that You use us to Your purposes here on earth, and we pledge our lives to the cause of it. We are so tired of being weary, of being caught up in dissatisfaction because we keep going through the daily grind without a full and complete direction from You, Lord. We crave the wisdom to see what we can use the gifts You’ve given us to achieve for Your glory! We pray in the name of your holy Son, Lord, that You will show us the way and get our own selves out of the way. In humble supplication, through the loving sacrifice of Your Son, Amen.

A Prayer After Falling Short

Dear Lord,

So often I fall short of my intentions.

I always think this month, this week, this day, I’ll be better but always it is a battle, always there are thrusts and parries and I move forward only to be drawn back.

I know it is this way for all of us, Lord, and I know You said in Your book that we would toil and that faith without works is dead, but I want to take a moment to thank You, Lord, that You also said works without faith cannot save us. We need your Grace, Lord. You sent us Your Son when You saw that we were forever fighting a losing battle and you allowed His sacrifice to stand in for us.

Lord, I am so very grateful that You have allowed us to live under this umbrella of love and forgiveness because as much as we try to enact our good works and as much as we long to live faultlessly, none of us ever can.

Lord, please help to guard my tongue, help to make my intentions come out in my actions and allow me to show love to the world in the way you have shown it to me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scriptures:

Romans 3:20-24

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.  But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

An Aside: I’ve created a page to try and help get donations so that we can try and take my disabled sister to Disneyland, if you would like to know more or to help, please click here: http://www.facebook.com/SendAprilToDisneyland . Thank you!