Continuing to be Like Christ

christHeavenly Father I praise You for the simple things in life we take for granted like a child’s laughter.  Like playing in a slip and slide pool.  Like children having the wonder to see a kitten or puppy.  The honesty of a child who tells you that they love you.  The times when a child takes your hand to walk with them or go discover something that is new to them.  I praise you for family when times are rough who will talk you through the anxiousness, or take up the slack when you are sick.  

I praise You for the sunny days that allow plants to bloom and grow their produce. I praise You for the rain that comes to give nourishment to the plants and animals.  I praise You for the lightening that gives us awesome light shows and helps purify the air.  I praise You when storms come we can depend on You to help us through.  

Holy Spirit fill my heart today with Your Spirit.  Cleanse me from sinful or unhealthy thoughts.  Guide me to desire what You desire and to listen to Your voice through all the noise of the world around me.  Open my eyes to see the world the way You see it.  Help me to love unconditionally as You do.  Lead me to go and do what You expect me to do and to say what You expect me to say. 

Holy Spirit remind me that without You I am nothing.  Help me to remember that all that I have and all that I am is because of how You created me and have led me this far.  Help me to never lean onto my own understanding.  Continue to put a hunger in my heart for Your wisdom, direction and discernment.  Let me thirst for Your Spirit and Your righteousness.  Help me to grow in my faith and to be humble enough to ask for help to have faith when life seems to be greater than I can handle or understand. 

Holy Spirit help me to [Colossians 3:5-10] put to death, what belongs to my earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. I used to walk in these ways, in the life I once lived. But now I must also rid myself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from my lips. I can’t afford lie to others since I have taken off my old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator, [Colossians 3:13-17] therefore, as God’s chosen, holy and dearly loved, I have clothed myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Let all believers bear with each other and forgive one another if any of us has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from eh Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father  through him. [Colossians 4:2-6] Holy Spirit help me to continue to devote myself to prayer, being watchful and thankful...  Let me be wise in the way I act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let my conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that I may know how to answer everyone. In Jesus’ name, amen.