Heavenly Father, I praise You for today. I praise You for giving me life, talents, ministry, and a purpose. I praise You for creating me and trusting me to carry out Your will daily, and through my life. I praise You for teaching me to trust You to handle what I was not created to handle. I praise You for Your word, for giving me good counsel when I need it, and for a burning desire to learn and grow. Help me today to take command of my day and shake all the evil from it, put a hedge of protection around my home, family, and church.
Holy Spirit, Christ said to the people while here on the earth: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” [John 13:34&35, John 14:12-14; John 14:16-17 NKJV] I know I now live in the age when You, the Holy Spirit, are that helper Christ was telling us about. You allow me access to the throne room daily to lay my petitions before the feet of Christ, who sits on the throne. I want to claim John 14, 12-14, and this year I seek to do bigger and greater things for You. I seek to be more focused and deeper in my prayers, I seek to demonstrate my faith better, and I seek to demonstrate love as You commanded. I desire to grow more in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and discernment so that I can be fully equipped to fight the battle before me and begin laying more bricks on the foundation of Your kingdom here on the earth. I seek to own and embody the boldness, courage, and faith of Caleb, Joshua, David, Daniel, and Nehemiah. I seek to be unshakeable like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, be faithful even if it means my life.
Holy Spirit, help me to learn this year that I serve a big and mighty God and that through faith I can see mountains moved that others see as impossible. Let me learn to be the advocate and stand in the gap for those who need salvation, healing, or hope. Help me to somehow represent You in a way that people can deny You live within me.
Holy Spirit, since Jesus prayed this prayer, help me to embrace it, live it, and follow Christ through it: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. As you have given Him authority over all flesh, He will give eternal life to all who have given Him. This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the work You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory which I had with You before the world existed. I have revealed Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that all things You have given Me are from You. For I have given them the words which You gave Me. They have received them and certainly know that I came from You, and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me. For they are Yours. All that is Mine are Yours, and all that are Yours are Mine. And I am glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, though these are in the world, for I am coming to You. Holy Father, through Your name keep those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I have kept those whom You have given Me, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and I say these things in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word. And the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. For their sakes, I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You. May they also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory which You gave Me, that they may be one even as We are one: I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfect in unity, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have love them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may see My glory which You have given Me. For You loved Me before the creation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me. I have declared Your name to them, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. [John 17] Let us live and especially me, to live up to be unified with my brothers and sisters who truly believe and have accepted the salvation of Christ, and now live to serve and honor You. Guide me to live up to the prayer of Jesus and stand faithfully until I can truly be with Christ in heaven. Amen.