Heavenly Father, I can never give enough praise and honor or glory to You, but I will continue to do so as long as I live. I praise you for being my shepherd and taking care of me, leading me through valleys, mountains, and, most of all, when I need it most, still waters. I praise You for being beside me as I walked through the valley of death more than once in my life, and I am learning to be thankful for Your discipline and keeping me humbly in line. It helps me not to be afraid and to stand boldly because You love me. Help me today to take control of my day so that renew my mind, control what I say, and shake all evil from it.
Holy Spirit, I strive daily to live as Christ, or at least how I see You leading me to live the way He designed me to live. I know Isaiah 43 was written about Christ and was part of what Satan tried to use to tempt Jesus, but as a Christ follower, I have learned truth from verse 2 also applies to my life, not because I am close to living like Christ, but because Christ loves and desires me to draw near and trust Him. “When I pass through waters, You will be with me, and through rivers they shall not overflow me. When I walk through fire, You shall protect me, and I will not be burned because Hell’s fires no longer threaten me. For You are my God and my Savior.” [Isaiah 43:2 paraphrased by me] Let me learn as Paul told Timothy that You do not give me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control. [ 2 Timothy 1:7] I will do my best to live boldly, humbly, and with purpose.
And this is my prayer: let my love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Amen. Philippians 1:9-11