Heavenly Father, I praise You for sending Christ to live among us, live before us, leave behind messages of wisdom, and a life to imitate. I praise You for how, through the prophets, You let us know how and why He would come. I praise You for the times You have warned my spirit that something was very wrong ethically and forewarned me of trouble soon to come. Help me today to take captive all thoughts, control my tongue, listen to Your Spirit, grow in wisdom, and take command of my day so I can shake all evil from it.
Christ taught us that blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, those who demonstrate mercy, the pure in heart, peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and those who people revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for because You are Christ’s. We are blessed because we will have the kingdom of heaven, be comforted, inherit the earth, be filled with wisdom and knowledge, receive mercy, see God, and be called the sons and daughters of God. Through all this, we are to rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is our reward in heaven because we have become like the prophets who came before us and were persecuted. As simple as this message is, given the depth of the wisdom, it will take me a lifetime to fully embrace, understand, apply, and appreciate. I have learned to mourn, I have demonstrated mercy, and I have been persecuted for what I believe and whom I believe in. The rest I am working on or learning. Help me to truly take the time to listen to Your voice and grow in understanding, as I lay my life on Your altar to be the living sacrifice You desire of me. Help me to constantly renew my mind and take captive all thoughts that may interfere with or attack my purpose and how I should live. Help the purpose You created me for is the driving force behind my will and spirit, so that I can fulfill Your will. Let me put nothing in the way of my walk to one day step into heaven and fully embrace You and the life You created for me. While I am here, let me live as fully as I can and serve You as enjoyably as I can. Let me drink deeply of
The fountain of life and feed upon the bread of life to sustain me through the days yet to come.
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 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)