“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior—from violent men, you save me. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress, I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple, he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. [2 Samuel 22:2-7]
Holy Spirit, David was inspired by You to write: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Your
righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. You inspired Isaiah to write: No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me, says the Lord. [Psalm 51:10-17; Isaiah 54:17 MEV]
Holy Spirit, I seek daily to have You examine my heart and show me how to become more the man You desire me to be. I see my failures, and You know my heart, yet You still love me and try to guide me. I, like Paul, desire to be better but feel I am constantly at war with my flesh. I desire to be a better husband, father, grandfather, leader, and just a better person. Yet I constantly seem to be the opposite. I need help in doing better in listening to Your Spirit, being more discerning and accepting Your wisdom so that I can eventually know that I am becoming the man You desire and one who is considered good to those who are closest to me. Help me to wear my armor well so that I do not let anger, foolishness, or evil find a place within my heart. Let me learn to meditate so well on Your word that my desires align themselves with Your desires for me.
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 over 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. 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 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 1:9-18; Colossians 3:1-11, MEV and paraphrased by me]