Living Righteously Instead of Sinfully

Heavenly Father I praise You for today. I praise You for the opportunity to go to church freely and to worship with brothers and sisters. I praise You for the people who I am closest to who keep me accountable and encourage me. Holy Spirit, I praise You for watching over my family and walking with us through difficult times.  

Holy Spirit help me to walk with wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment. Let me face my trials with the faith and trust in You that Caleb, Daniel, Joseph, Nehemiah, Peter, Philip, and Paul walked with. Let me be receptive and listen to Your Spirit so that I can see my way through the storms of life and enjoy the sunny days too.  

This world has dulled its sensitivity to Your Spirit and has become dark and haughty. That is not how I have learned to live when I heard, accepted, and decided to follow Jesus. I have been taught in the truth by Your word, by the testimony of others, and by mentors and teachers who instruct me of Your ways and Your will. I am continually ridding myself of my old self, ways, and thoughts so that I can live with a renewed mind, a new view of life, and with a keen interest in listening, learning, and living as Your Spirit leads me. This way I put on the armor of God and walk with a strength and courage that befits a child of God. I am nothing without God and the leading of Your Spirit. [Ephesians 4:18-24] I no longer can use the excuse that out of ignorance I sin. I am accountable and must live a life with correction and wisdom as the foundation to stand me as I walk with the Spirit. Your word says: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. For we dare not count or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. They who measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another are not wise. [2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 2 Corinthians 10:12] 

I pray and ask that I may be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that I may walk worthy of the You, fully pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You; strengthened with all might, according to Your glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the light. You have delivered me from the power of darkness and conveyed me into the kingdom of the Son of Your love, in whom I have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. You are the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by You, all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through You for You. And You are before all things, and in You, all things exist. And You are the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things You may have the preeminence. In Your blessed Son Jesus’ name, Amen. (Colossians 1:9-18)