Heavenly Father, I praise You this morning. I praise You today for the sunshine and the beauty of the nature around me. I praise You for a job to come to so that I can earn money to take care of the family You have entrusted me with. I praise You for slowly teaching me how to take command of my morning. I praise You for working with me to face each challenge, problem, trial, heartache, and even how to deal with my enjoyment of all the good that happens in the day. I praise You for helping me with humility while being bold in faith.
Holy Spirit I have grown to love, depend, and feed upon Your word. It comforts and emboldens me. It makes me desire to be more, want more, and know there is more to life because of how You made and blessed Your creation. I seek to immolate Caleb and Joshua as they saw what was possible for You and be bold enough to stand against the majority who lacked faith and trust. I seek to immolate Joseph to dream and be faithful to see that the dreams You instill in us will find fruition if I am faithful to obey, live, and do Your will in all situations. I seek to immolate Daniel to grow in wisdom, to seek alternatives so that I do not cross the line in how I know I must live and be willing to sacrifice all if I am forced to stand and not compromise. I seek to immolate Ruth and obey even after great loss, not always feeling like I belong. I seek to immolate Rahab and be obedient and support Your people even though I know I have had a sinful past I can have a righteous future. I seek to immolate Peter, even after letting You down, was willing to repent, grow, and allow the Holy Spirit to move him to do unexpected things that would build and strengthen Your church. I seek to immolate Steven and be able to grow in knowledge to defend my faith so concisely that I can’t be refuted with worldly wisdom. I seek to immolate Philip and be ready to testify and explain Your word to strangers when the opportunity arises. Finally, I seek to immolate Jonathan to be bold in faith, loyal to friends, be willing to take the back seat when needed but to take charge when prompted by Your Spirit. I understand Lord that these people did not just get handed these traits but had to hone them by being tested, tried in the fire of tribulation and to stand alone when the world stood against them. I seek to immolate not to be exactly like them. I must learn to face my trials, be willing to be molded and tried by fire in my own life, and keep my focus and desire on You. I need to trust, obey, and truly believe with all my heart that nothing is impossible for You. I seek most of all that Your Holy Spirit will instill in me wisdom, knowledge, understanding, love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, meekness, and discernment as I learn to be my own man of God. Let the words I speak, the thoughts I think, the work I do, and the actions I take be glorifying and purposeful so that I fulfill my purpose as I continue to breathe and walk this earth. Help me to understand and feel the support of the great cloud of witnesses who watch and cheer me through this marathon I am engaging in.
Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain! May the God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen. [1Chronicles 4:9&10; Romans 15:13]