Heavenly Father, I praise You for today, for all You have done for me and Your creation. I praise You that we were made in Your image to live and enjoy life. That we were made with a purpose, not just random atoms tossed together. I ask that you help me today to take command of my day and shake all the evil from it.
Holy Spirit, You inspired Paul to write: For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he is not
subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. [1 Corinthians 2:11-16] Let Your Spirit reside and abide in me daily, and let me be the living temple to build Your kingdom. Let me lay down my rights on Your altar so that I am a living sacrifice and am clean and righteous to do Your will with a transformed mind that allows my focus to be on what is just, pure, lovely, and true. Help me to ground my faith in my trust in You and the moving of Your Holy Spirit on and within my life so that I may be given and use wisdom, discernment, and understanding from the knowledge I have learned from my youth until now. Help me to go forward and to exhibit Your fruit for others to learn of You. Help me to wear my armor so that I can pray as an intercessor to ward off the enemy’s interference and to bring the hope of salvation to my family, community, country, and world. Let me join with others to become a bright beacon of light that shows and exposes sin and gives rays of love and forgiveness so that salvation can be available to all.
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 love for 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 that 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 can no longer 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]