Heavenly Father, I praise You for giving me intelligence so I can acquire knowledge and grow in wisdom. Thank you for giving me a deep desire to know history and to have an appreciation of it. Thank You for Your word and the wisdom I glean from it also. Help me today to take command of my morning with the assistance of Your Holy Spirit so that I can shake all the evil from it.
Holy Spirit, You have helped me learn that the motto of the Knights Templar was Psalm 115:1—Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for the sake of Your mercy, and for the sake of Your truth. I find this a fitting cry to have for my own heart, just like when David wrote: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14] Let these be the meditation and foundation within my heart and who I am.
Holy Spirit, You inspired Paul to write: Since I am raised with Christ, I will learn to desire those things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Help me to set my affection on things above, not be consumed by the love of things on the earth. For I am dead, and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is my life, shall appear, then I also shall appear with Him in glory. Teach me to put to death the parts of my earthly nature: sexual immorality, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because I am learning these things, the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. I used to live that life with them. I must now put away all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language out of my mouth. I no longer can lie to others, for that was part of my old nature or way, because I am embracing the new nature to emulate Christ, who has and is becoming my all in all. Thank You for being my guide and prompter as I grow in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen. [Colossians 3:1-11, MEV and paraphrased by me]