THANKFUL

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Lord Jesus, how fitting that you walk with us through this fallen world. You’ve gone before us, experienced the same things we do, tempted in the same ways we are tempted. You have been hungry, cold, lonely and felt isolated. You’ve known weariness like no other. You were betrayed by a friend, abandoned by those closest to you, received undeserved hatred when you did good to others. Your humanity faced death, but your confidence rested in the promise your Father would raise you back to life.

For those who are committed to you, their souls have been wounded by these same devil-impacted arrows. The ancient psalmist knew you had our backs and your righteous judgments would rule. Thus, he prayed confidently: for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous . . . but the way of the wicked leads to destruction (Psalm 1:6). Lead us, Holy Spirit, in the ways we should go. You hold our hand, walking every step with us in this fallen world. Help us take our family and friends along this same path. You’re our confidence since you’ve been here, done this!

Be merciful to those who face medical and physical challenges. Your grace comforts and sustains all who look to you. The power of your name is greater than any illness or affliction. Your love conquers all fears for those who have placed faith in you Jesus.

Bless and protect President Trump and his advisors. May our nation return to you in repentance, to live by your standards and govern by your principles. Start a spiritual renewal within each of us.

Thank you for walking with us, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Lord, try as I might hide my faults from others, I can’t hide my imperfections from you. You know my shortcomings, how my foolish pride causes me to make bone-headed choices. I admit, I need more of you, Lord Jesus. My selfishness, along with my self-centeredness, needs to be replaced by godly humility, which only you can provide. If I boast about my accomplishments, let my bragging be on you and what you have done. Your half-brother James could not be clearer: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (4:6).

As we walk with you, Jesus, we see how much of a work in progress we are. Our hearts long to be fully submitted to you, but as Jeremiah explained, the heart of man is naturally wicked—sometimes even evil (17:9). Ouch! We hate to admit it, but our hearts tend to be are the same when we take our eyes off you and do our own thing. That’s humbling. But with your Spirit living within us, when we stumble, you reveal how much more we need you and how you want to be Lord over all areas of our lives. Help us surrender our wills to what you want, Lord Jesus.

Forgive our sins, heal our nation. Start a spiritual renewal in each of us.

Needing more of you, Jesus. Amen.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Forgive us, Lord, for getting sidetracked by things that don’t matter. If we’re not careful to stay close to you, the events happening in the world steer our focus on the latest crisis or cause us to fret over what-ifs that could happen. All these things are out of our control. What we can control is our time with you, telling you what’s on our hearts, the fears we face, the difficulties attacking our faith in this fallen world. Lord, you know all about this already. You just want us to trust you more and keep our focus on you. We can stand on your promise that brother Isaiah recorded, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you” (26:3). Brother Paul, who knew trials and woes, lived by this promise when he urged his Philippian friends to keep their thoughts on “whatever is true, noble, right, whatever is pure, love or admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things . . . and the peace of God will keep you” (4:8,9). Help our minds to be focused on you and not the madness dividing our country and the world today. We must remember that in your sovereignty, you are in control. And while we are mediating on your goodness, open our eyes to see that more things unite us as believers than divide us. Help our obedience. As our love for you increases so does our love for one another.

Thinking about the good things in our lives, Lord Jesus, amen.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Lord, we want to worship you in all we do. You are eager to reveal who you are when we sincerely seek you. Unfortunately, many people get their idea of who you are from misguided social media addicts, or from celebrities who have no idea who you are. Social justice warriors spout attributes about you in attempts to make their deceptive agendas credible, or ungodly politicians use your name to sound righteous to their constituents.

Your word is clear in John 4:24 that “those who worship you must worship in spirit and in truth.” You want folks to love you from their hearts, in their spirit. As we want to know your heart, even though you know everything about us, you want us to open our hearts to you. You desire these one-on-one talks that make you real in our lives. When we worship we must worship who you are. You are not just a great teacher, or just a religious person who did good things. Your time on earth was not to implement a new social structure so everyone would feel equal, nor did you teach that the Ten Commandments were no longer relevant but let your heart guide you. Just doing good things will get you into heaven, since all religions lead to God–not!

Lord Jesus, when we worship you, we worship you as the only Son of God, the creator of the universe and everything in it. Your sacrifice for the sins of the world on the cross is the only way we’re saved us from our sins. You created all people, but only those who place their faith in Jesus are your children (John 1:12). We worship you as the conqueror over sin and spiritual death–crucified, buried and resurrected on Easter Sunday. Help us worship you in spirit and in truth, Lord God.

We worship you as the God of all healing, whether by a divine touch, medicines, or by natural healing in body, soul, and spirit. We look to you for strength and encouragement in troubling times.

Worshipping in spirit and in truth, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Lord, how do I measure up? When adversity comes around, do I trust you or do I fall back on my own efforts to right the situations? One of your spiritual gifts is self-control, but what does that mean. Many folks who don’t know you have self-control, but as your follower, you have a different meaning. Living in this fallen world, we’re faced with situations where must choose to trust you or using our earthly wisdom and take matters into our own hands. What spiritual lessons did I miss when I jumped headlong into a problem without consulting you? When you wanted to let hard times lead me to higher faith, did my resistance to make lifestyle changes hinder your higher purpose for me? Looking at the mountain in front of me, did I choose to gripe and complain instead of asking you what you wanted to show me? How often did/do I trust in my job, a comfortable bank account, unique talents, or my tendency to manipulate people to get what I want rather than trust the one who forgave my sins, gave me new life, and all these blessings? What signal am I sending to those who, after hearing me talk about trusting you, are watching me to see how much I live by those convictions?

My prayer, Lord God, is when adversity knocks on my door, if relationships go sour, sickness comes unexpectantly, or my journey of faith leads me to a mountain I can’t climb, I will choose to trust you regardless of what I see. May I never withhold praise from you for all you have done in my life. You are a good God, working the good in all situations for your followers.

Help us all who call you Lord and Savior give you praise and thanks, even when illness and afflictions linger. Help us choose to use these troubles to spotlight your goodness, so that skeptics will see how you strengthen all who call on you.

Praying for more of your self-control, Lord God. Amen!

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Lord, we look to you this morning for guidance and godly wisdom so we may live this day in ways that please you. Give us your grace when we deal with people, whether they directly impact our life or not. From the guy with the man-bun behind the drive-thru window, to the driver distracted by his phone while entering the freeway, to the annoying coworker who lets what little authority they have go to their head, may we show your kindness to all. Let us live in unity with our fellow Christ-followers (Psalm 133:1). We may not agree exactly on doctrines, but we share the same theology that we have salvation and new life only in you, Lord Jesus.

This life is a spiritual journey. Many do not know you, or sadly, have the wrong impression of you. Most think you are an angry and vengeful God, ready to bop all on the head fall out of line, whatever that may be. Nothing is further from the truth. Help us reveal who you really are to those you bring into our world. As your followers, let your light shining within us reflect your love and relentless grace. Many poor souls live in depression, guilt, shame, burdened by their mistakes and bad life choices, desperate for a new start in life. The enemy of their soul adds to their mental anguish, reminding them of their wasted life. You gave each of your followers this “offer of your reconciliation of the lost back to you” (2 Corinthians 518) message. Just as when we heard this redemptive message and came to you, help us share this message with those seeking purpose and meaning. Our prayer is our life will be a true reflection of who you are, the God of mercy and grace and reconciliation.

Protect our precious children. Bless their teachers and all who you have placed over them. Station warrior angels around each school campus so that evil will never gain an opening to attack our kids physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Forgive our sins, heal our nation, begin a spiritual renewal in each of us.

Desiring to show your love in all we do, Jesus, amen.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, for reconciling us back to you when we came to you in repentance. Your grace destroyed the power of the enemy of our souls, the devil. You gave us a new lease in life with you, and in turn, trusted us with your message of reconciliation back to you through Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17–19). However, you never meant for us to keep this to reconciliation to ourselves. Give us a holy boldness, along with a humble attitude, to share this message of hope and a new life with someone who has lost hope or life’s stuff trampled their dreams. We all were estranged from you at one time to some degree or other by our sins, yet in your mercy, you made a way to reconcile your greatest creation, mankind, back to you through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, you only son. All who trust that Jesus took their sins are declared righteous in your eyes. May joy overflow in our hearts and spill on to others the more we realize the eternal impact of our reconciliation with you, Lord God. According to the prophet Joel, what the enemy destroyed, God’s grace restores (Joel 2:25).

Forgive our sins, heal our nation. Start a spiritual renewal in each of us.

Thank you for reconciling us back to you, Lord God. Amen.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, that none of the six Philadelphia police officers shot lost their lives. Your divine intervention is beyond amazing. We pray your protection for all law enforcement personnel, firefighters, first responders, trauma center workers. Protect them physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Begin a spiritual renewal in each of us. Show us what our priorities need to be and help us discipline our lives accordingly. Give us a deeper desire to know your heart, and develop more godly characteristics of your love, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Because your love compels us to love others like you do, help our obedience. In our humanity, we tend to still be a little conceited, with a mixture of jealousy and envy mixed in too. When offended, we find forgiving others difficult. At times, we’re short with our words and actions and wound those we love. Help us ‘crucify’ those earthly character traits that are so opposite of who you are and what we represent as your followers. Strengthen our resolve to study the Bible regularly to understand the spiritual truths found in your word. Keep us walking in step with your Spirit as we comprehend the great extent of the grace and forgiveness found in you, Jesus, our Savior. By your grace, help us live worthy of your calling to follow you (2 Thessalonians 1:11).

Heal the sick, raise the spiritually dead, protect us and our family from the evil one. Bless and protect our kids and grandkids. May we cover them in prayer daily. Heal our nation as we repent and return to living by biblical principles and godly values.

Needing more of you in our daily life, Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Help, Lord, our humanity is in its panic mode. When we look at the worldwide chaos and turmoil, the depravity and lawlessness in the public square, we tend to worry about these things, which we have no control over. The enemy of our souls whispers “what-ifs” or “if-onlys,” adding more to our mental oppression, attempting to make us more troubled by circumstances, vulnerable to his lies. But you stand beside us, ready to issue your peace when we call to you.

Lord, calm our nervous spirits. We surrender our anxiety to you and ask for your peace. We cannot control the stock market’s rising and falling, foreign and domestic government actions, other peoples’ attitudes, plans. We cannot even control all that happens in our circumstances. But one thing we can do is surrender, yielding all these worrisome matters to you. Help us keep our focus on you, knowing you are in control of all things (Isaiah 46:10). You intervene in the affairs of men. You are sovereign over all creation, peoples and nations. Your sovereignty reveals your holiness, your goodness, your everlasting love, your mercy and kindness. The closer we draw to you and learn more of your character, Lord God, the more we can trust that you are in control of all situations. Nothing takes you by surprise. As your followers, we will see your goodness (Psalm 27:13). We pray for those who don’t know you that these circumstances will cause them to call out to you.

May your Spirit continually speak peace, hope and healing for those facing medical issues or physical afflictions. Let the truth that you are in control of all things bring them comfort and strengthen their faith. We’re thankful you understand that at times that faith is weak, and when it seems like you are a million miles away, you are there beside them. In good times or bad situations, you have promised never to leave those who call upon you (Hebrews 13:5).

Forgive our sins. Heal our nation. Start a spiritual renewal in each of us. Protect and bless our children.

Thankful you are in control, Lord God. Amen.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Good morning, Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings, how you want to bless us with your presence 24/7. Help us order our lives to make you the center of everything and may we never forget all you have done for us.

You are the God who restores what the enemy of our souls destroyed. When we wandered in a spiritual wilderness, You planted gardens that refreshed our thirsty souls and pointed us to you. When the unfavorable diagnosis caused our hearts to melt with anxiety, you held our hearts close to your heart and held our hands, reassuring us of your presence. During the medical battles, we found you faithful. Your presence gave renewed life to our spirits when doubt knocked repeatedly on our door. We rejoiced, and laughed out loud, as doubt and fear fled when you answered the door.

Open our spiritual eyes to see your goodness in all circumstances. As your followers, “you work all things for our good” (Romans 8:28). In your compassion, you placed within each person a desire to know you. Again, you work all things for our good to point us to you. “My heart heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responded, ‘Lord, I am coming’” (Psalm 27:8). You are faithful to rush to those who seek you with a sincere heart: “I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

Encourage the sick and afflicted and their family and friends. Flood our souls with your compassion and show your power in situations where faith is tested, and illness lingers. Be the safe harbor we anchor our souls in when the storms of life want to batter us to pieces.

Protect our precious kids as they go back to school. Have your warrior angels surround every school, every class, every teacher, every student. Protect the children from false teaching of moral relativism, that there are not absolutes, no good nor bad. We pray our schools will teach moral, biblical values and godly principles.

Forgive our sins. Heal our nation. Begin a spiritual renewal in each of us.

Thank You, Jesus, for being so eager to talk with us. In your holy name, amen.