Heavenly Father, I praise You for allowing me to have had the privilege to play sports in school. It taught me how to have a good work ethic, determination, trust in my teammates and my own abilities, and how to handle adversity. I thank You for some of the mentors You placed in my life in sports, like Gordy who challenged me to make it through high school without swearing, Mr. Lodden who taught me to trust and believe in myself, and Mr. Warnette who encouraged me to be better than anyone I had to go against. These men helped make me a person who did not quit, who could be trusted, focus on my responsibilities, and trust others to take care of theirs. They taught me to be a man who took pride in hard work, discipline, seeing a goal and achieving it, and to stand on who I was no matter the circumstances.
Holy Spirit I praise You for the examples in the Bible that give us the challenge to be more like them so that we can serve You better. Help me to be like Caleb who had a different spirit and served You with his whole heart. Let me be like Daniel who decided to buck the system and keep himself honorable before You even if it meant death. Show me how to be like David a man after Your own heart. Give me wisdom as You did Joseph while working through slavery, prison, and serving a dictator. Let me be bold like Peter and step onto the water with my eyes fully on You. Give me the wisdom to know when to speak to others as Paul did. Help me to be discerning in how to witness as Philip did. Most of all, help me to be a man of faith, not a failure in Your eyes.
Holy Spirit help me to take the advice that Jude wrote to all of us when he wrote, “But, beloved, remember the words that were previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last days there will be scoffers who will walk after their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who cause divisions, sensual, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God while you are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life. On some have compassion, using discernment. And others save with fear while pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Jude 17-24 (MEV)