August 1:  God Controls the Outcome

“BUT AS FOR YOU, YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME; BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, IN ORDER TO BRING IT ABOUT AS IT IS THIS DAY, TO SAVE MANY PEOPLE ALIVE” (Genesis 50:20).

Perfect Father, deliver me from evil, so I should not stay in despair about the evil done against me...the unfairness committed…the unrighteousness performed.  I know the evil-doers will be held responsible for their evil deeds…and it is You who control the outcome.

May I take courage from the life of Joseph, who was persecuted by his own jealous brothers, thrown into a dry water pit, and left to cope with his hopeless circumstances.  Even though they meant it for evil...it was You, Most High, who controlled the outcome, raising Joseph up to become a leader next to the mighty Pharaoh.  (Read about the life of Joseph in the Bible book of Genesis)

“FOR OUR PRESENT TROUBLES ARE SMALL AND WON’T LAST VERY LONG. YET THEY PRODUCE FOR US A GLORY THAT VASTLY OUTWEIGHS THEM AND WILL LAST FOREVER! 18 SO WE DON’T LOOK AT THE TROUBLES WE CAN SEE NOW; RATHER, WE FIX OUR GAZE ON THINGS THAT CANNOT BE SEEN. FOR THE THINGS WE SEE NOW WILL SOON BE GONE, BUT THE THINGS WE CANNOT SEE WILL LAST FOREVER”
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

God of my salvation, raise me up from the effects my past circumstances had on me.  Thank you that also my present troubles are small compared to the glory You have in store for me in the final outcome of it all.  May I fix my gaze steadily on You, God, because it is You who control the outcome.

“FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS AND PLANS THAT I HAVE FOR YOU, SAYS THE LORD, THOUGHTS AND PLANS FOR WELFARE AND PEACE AND NOT FOR EVIL, TO GIVE YOU HOPE IN YOUR FINAL OUTCOME.” (Jeremiah 29:11, AMP).

Thank you for having control over the outcome!

August 2  Endure through every Circumstance

“WE GIVE GREAT HONOR TO THOSE WHO ENDURE UNDER SUFFERING. FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW ABOUT JOB, A MAN OF GREAT ENDURANCE. YOU CAN SEE HOW THE LORD WAS KIND TO HIM AT THE END, FOR THE LORD IS FULL OF TENDERNESS AND MERCY” (James 5:11)

O Lord, lay Your hand upon me, so that I will learn to endure…to persevere…to persist in a state or undertaking in spite of counter-influences, opposition, or discouragement, without yielding.

“KEEP YOURSELVES IN GOD'S LOVE AS YOU WAIT FOR THE MERCY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO BRING YOU TO ETERNAL LIFE” (Jude 1:21).

O Sovereign Lord, You are my God.  Strengthen my weakened spirit so I may persist in the state of Your Love in spite of the counter-influences of the people around me…in spite of the opposition of the father-of-lies…in spite of the discouragement in my heart.

“LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND. LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD 5 OR RUDE. IT DOES NOT DEMAND ITS OWN WAY. IT IS NOT IRRITABLE, AND IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED. 6 IT DOES NOT REJOICE ABOUT INJUSTICE BUT REJOICES WHENEVER THE TRUTH WINS OUT. 7 LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Most High, Your Love is patient.  I open my heart for Your Love to work Your Patience in me.  Your Love does not demand its own way.  I embrace Your Love in my heart to keep me from demanding my own way.  Your Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  Work Your Love in me, so I would never give up, never lose faith, always be hopeful and endure through every circumstance.

“GOD IS LOVE” (1 John 4:8).

May I persist in Your Love!

August 3  I’m OK-You’re OK

O sovereign God, You have searched us and You know us.  You know that we take on certain life positions of OK-ness and NOT OK-ness when we are very young as a result of negative destructive beliefs that form in our hearts.  These life positions then stay with us for the rest of our lives.  You know that some of us take on the life position “I’m not OK-You’re not OK”.  We do not like ourselves…and we do not like anybody else enough to trust them.

“When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Lord God, we lift our prayer to You.  Save us from the evil one.  It is the father-of-lies’ goal to get us to adopt the life position “I’m not OK-You’re not OK”.  He does this by lying to us about ourselves…and lying to us about You, God.  He tells us that we are not OK and that You are not OK either…that You cannot be trusted.  This way, he sets us up with a life position that keeps us trapped.  We are not feeling OK about ourselves, but we have nowhere to turn, because “God is not OK and cannot be trusted”.But then the father-of-lies offers us sin as the escape route while we hide from ourselves and our “not-OK God.”

“MAY THEY BE BROUGHT TO COMPLETE UNITY TO LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT YOU SENT ME AND HAVE LOVED THEM EVEN AS YOU HAVE LOVED ME” (John 17:23).

Perfect Father, thank you that You love me as much as You love Your son, Jesus.  Thank you that You are OK…that You are trustworthy.  Let not my heart be drawn to the lies about You, but deliver me with Your Truth as I bring these lies to You. 

You created my inmost being.  Create in me a new heart, O Lord, that I may adopt the life position “I’m OK-You’re OK”.

I am OK, God…and so are You!

August 4  (Audio) Misunderstandings

“TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT” (Proverbs 3:5).

Lord God, protect and preserve me during my conversations.  The roaring lion is prowling around during our conversations and looking for an opening, so he could kill, steal and destroy.  He would love to use my mind as a means to hate someone…to deceive someone…to attack someone.

“THE MIND OF SINFUL MAN IS DEATH, BUT THE MIND CONTROLLED BY THE SPIRIT IS LIFE AND PEACE” (Romans 8:6).

Holy Spirit, lead me with Your Truth, so I would not trust my own deceived mind.  I am not the only one using it.  The father-of-lies has access to my mind to fill it with his own conclusions whenever he gets a chance…especially during my conversations.  His weapon is deception…suggesting beliefs that are not true. 

“IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT”

How profound are Your thoughts, O Lord!  Help me to acknowledge Your thoughts and understanding during my conversations.  May I submit my negative feelings and destructive beliefs that surface during my conversations, to You, Lord God, so I might close the channel of deception between me and the father-of-lies. 

May I place myself under Your Truth, so You might love others through me, comfort others through me and live Your nature through me during my conversations.

I acknowledge You, Lord God!

August 5: Hide in the Shadow of the Almighty

God Almighty, sometimes I am afraid.  Sometimes my heart is so filled with fear and apprehension that I am unable to sleep at night.  Sometimes I am afraid of the pestilence that stalks in the darkness.  Sometimes I am afraid of the arrow that flies by day.  Sometimes I am afraid of the plague that destroys at midday.

THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE SHELTER OF THE MOST HIGH
WILL FIND REST IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY (Psalm 91:1).

Most High, I come to You to find hope, assurance and protection. 

HE WILL COVER YOU WITH HIS FEATHERS,
AND UNDER HIS WINGS YOU WILL FIND REFUGE;
HIS FAITHFULNESS WILL BE YOUR SHIELD AND RAMPART (Psalm 91:4).

Shield me from the evil arrows that cause abandonment, shame and condemnation, while I huddle in Your shadow.  Hide me with Your feathers while I sleep, so I would not fear the pestilence that stalks in the darkness.  Tuck me under Your wings, so I would not fear the plague that destroys at midday. 

YOU WILL NOT FEAR THE TERROR OF NIGHT, NOR THE ARROW THAT FLIES BY DAY,
NOR THE PESTILENCE THAT STALKS IN THE DARKNESS,
NOR THE PLAGUE THAT DESTROYS AT MIDDAY (Psalm 91:5, 6).

Most High, keep me from hiding from my pain in all the wrong places.  Instead, let me hide in Your Presence.  Then no evil will conquer me, because like a hen protects her chicks under her feathers, You faithfully protect those who trust in You and hide in Your shadow. 

IF YOU MAKE THE LORD YOUR REFUGE,
IF YOU MAKE THE MOST HIGH YOUR SHELTER,
NO EVIL WILL CONQUER YOU;
I WILL PROTECT THOSE WHO TRUST IN MY NAME (Psalm 91:9, 10, 14).

August 6 The Darkness Shall not Hide from You

Most High, sometimes I sit on the beach to witness the rising of the full moon.  I watch the lights of the fishing village grow brighter as the evening grows dimmer.  As the glow of the sunset fades into hues of gray in the western sky, the full moon balloons from the horizon in the east. 

Then, the pebbles shimmer on the beach like a highway inlaid with jewels.  Then, a person can feel the moon light shining on your face like a lamp.  Night appears like day!

“INDEED, THE DARKNESS SHALL NOT HIDE FROM YOU, BUT THE NIGHT SHINES AS THE DAY; THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT ARE BOTH ALIKE TO YOU” (Psalm 139:12).

Perfect Father, I am excited that the darkness and the light are both alike to You.  Although I might be engulfed in thick oppressing darkness, You can see right through it.  Although my understanding becomes clouded by darkness, Your Understanding stays acute. 

I will not be afraid of darkness, Almighty God.  You can still see the way.  I will take Your hand when I cannot see anymore.  I will lean on Your Understanding.  I will allow You to guide me with Your Eye.

“I WILL INSTRUCT YOU AND TEACH YOU IN THE WAY YOU SHOULD GO; I WILL GUIDE YOU WITH MY EYE” (Psalm 32:8).

Everlasting Father, lead me to the Light.

I am taking Your hand!

August 7: Has Darkness Blinded your Eyes?

“BUT FOR YOU WHO FEAR MY NAME, THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL RISE WITH HEALING IN HIS WINGS. AND YOU WILL GO FREE, LEAPING WITH JOY LIKE CALVES LET OUT TO PASTURE” (Malachi 4:2).

Sun of Righteousness, rise in my heart with healing in Your wings, so I may be set free from darkness, leaping with Joy like calves let out to pasture.

“BUT HE WHO HATES HIS BROTHER IS IN DARKNESS AND WALKS IN DARKNESS, AND DOES NOT KNOW WHERE HE IS GOING, BECAUSE THE DARKNESS HAS BLINDED HIS EYES” (1 John 2:11).

Lord God, darkness has blinded our eyes, causing us to hate others.  We walk in darkness and cannot see.  But You are the sun of Righteousness, who has healing in Your wings.  Rise over us so we may see…so we may experience the Truth about ourselves…that we are accepted and acceptable, regardless of how others treat us.  Then we will stop hating.

“IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM, AND WALK IN DARKNESS, WE LIE AND DO NOT PRACTICE THE TRUTH” (1 John 1:6).

Most High, fellowship with You and darkness do not go hand in hand, because real fellowship with You brings Truth about who we are, so we do not have to defend ourselves from those who hate us.  Call us into fellowship with You each time someone attacks us, so we may respond from the Light.

“NOW THAT YOU HAVE PURIFIED YOURSELVES BY OBEYING THE TRUTH SO THAT YOU HAVE SINCERE LOVE FOR YOUR BROTHERS, LOVE ONE ANOTHER DEEPLY, FROM THE HEART” (1 Peter 1:22).

Sun of Righteousness, rise in my heart.  Remind me of my responsibility…to obey Your Truth You are holding out to me each time someone hates me.  May I come to You for Truth about ME whenever someone attacks me, so I would not return the hatred, but love deeply, from the heart.

Sun Of Righteousness, rise in my heart!

August 8  Your Power, Ability and Sufficiency are from God

“NOT THAT WE ARE FIT (QUALIFIED AND SUFFICIENT IN ABILITY) OF OURSELVES TO FORM PERSONAL JUDGMENTS OR TO CLAIM OR COUNT ANYTHING AS COMING FROM US, BUT OUR POWER AND ABILITY AND SUFFICIENCY ARE FROM GOD”
(2 Corinthians 3:5 AMP).

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that I do not have to try in vain to be good and kind and patient.  You alone have become my Righteousness from God: my Patience…my Goodness…my Kindness.  My sufficiency of Goodness comes from You.

Lord Jesus, how comforted I am that I do not have to muster up hope for my future.  It is You, God of Hope, who will fill me with Joy and Peace when I trust in You.  My sufficiency of Hope comes from You.

Most High, I admit that I am not able to achieve peace during my unsettling circumstances.  May I always remember that only You, the Lord of Peace, delivers Peace at all times and in every way.  My sufficiency of Peace comes from You.

Often, the father-of-lies’ negative beliefs confuse me, so that I am not able to unlock the truth.  Remind me that only the Spirit of Truth is able to guide me into all Truth.  My sufficiency of Truth comes from You.

Lord God, I acknowledge that I do not have the power to solve my problems.  My sufficiency of Power comes from You.

“FOR FROM HIM AND THROUGH HIM AND TO HIM ARE ALL THINGS. TO HIM BE THE GLORY FOREVER! AMEN” (Romans 11:36).

To You be the Glory forever!

August 9:  The Meaning of Suffering

A quote from Victor E. Frankl, a psychiatrist writing from a Nazi concentration camp explains, “…a life whose meaning depends upon such a happenstance----as whether one escapes or not---ultimately would not be worth living at all.”

Lord God, I once lead a life of wanting to escape at all cost: to escape from feeling abandoned, condemned and shamed.  At some point, I was doing so much escaping that there was not much time left for living.

I have discovered that we are always looking for a way out of heartache and have come up with many solutions.  Some of them are depression, distraction, and divorce.  But You, O Lord, have Your own “escape” out of shame, abandonment and condemnation.  You call it DISCIPLINE…a training to endure, so You could remove what can be shaken, from our lives, and replace it with something permanent, that cannot be shaken.

“ENDURE HARDSHIP AS DISCIPLINE; GOD IS TREATING YOU AS SONS (Hebrews 12:7).

Dear Lord, deliver me from wanting to live my life as a means to escape.  Instead, let me choose Your discipline.  My life of “escaping” has becomes very tiresome.  The same issues from which I need to escape today, I need to escape again tomorrow.

“THEREFORE, SINCE WE ARE RECEIVING A KINGDOM THAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN, LET US BE THANKFUL, AND SO WORSHIP GOD ACCEPTABLY WITH REVERENCE AND AWE” (Hebrews 12:28).

Thank you, God, that everything You do, lasts forever.  Remove from my heart everything that can be shaken, and replace it with that, which cannot be shaken: Your Love, Hope and Truth!

“I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING GOD DOES WILL ENDURE FOREVER; NOTHING CAN BE ADDED TO IT AND NOTHING TAKEN FROM IT. GOD DOES IT SO THAT MEN WILL REVERE HIM” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

August 10   The Meaning of Sin

“HE WHO SINS IS OF THE DEVIL, FOR THE DEVIL HAS SINNED FROM THE BEGINNING… (1 John 3:8).

Lord Jesus, wash out my eyes to see the purpose of sin.  Help me to understand that sin is not something mysterious… something unexplainable… something that HAPPENS to me.  Instead, sin has a purpose.

Sin is the father-of-lies’ solutions to escape heartache.

Lord Jesus, I can see that sin does not stand alone.  It does not happen by itself.  It sits on a pillar of beliefs suggested by the father-of-lies.  These beliefs hurt.  They suggest that I have been abandoned by certain people and by You.  They propose that I am unaccepted and unacceptable.  They insinuate that I am nothing but a being of shame.

However, the father-of-lies is craftier than the beliefs he proposes.  Not only does he suggest the beliefs of abandonment, condemnation and shame, but also the solutions to the heartache these cause…SIN.  After he introduces the hurtful beliefs, he offers solutions of distraction and destruction…SIN.  After the father-of-lies plants his painful beliefs, he entices me to do what is wrong to dull the pain…SIN.

“FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL” (1 John 3:8)

Lord Jesus, I am filled with Hope because of You, because You were manifested to destroy the works of the father-of-lies.  You came to offer a different solution to escape the heartache of the father-of-lies’ painful beliefs…Yourself.  Instead of turning to solutions of distraction and destruction to ease my heartache, I can turn to You and ask You to take away the pain in my heart.  Instead of turning to SIN as a solution to the father-of-lies beliefs of abandonment, condemnation and shame, I can accept Your solutions of Truth, Hope and Love.

August 11  The Meaning of Temptation

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that sin is not something mysterious …something unexplainable …something unknowable.  Sin is not just something that happens to me.  Sin is explainable.  Sin has a purpose.  Sin is the father-of-lies’ solutions to escape the heartache of his painful beliefs of abandonment, condemnation and shame. 

I realize that the father-of-lies is constantly tempting me to adopt his solutions of distraction and destruction to ease my heartache.  The father-of-lies is continually enticing me to do what is wrong.  The father-of-lies is incessantly luring me into habits and patterns that point me away from Your solutions, O Lord.

“BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT ENDURETH TEMPTATION: FOR WHEN HE IS TRIED, HE SHALL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE, WHICH THE LORD HATH PROMISED TO THEM THAT LOVE HIM” (James 1:12).

Lord Jesus, allow me to stand firm when the father-of-lies invites me to adopt his solutions for my heartache.  His answers to my heartache cause harm, ruin and loss.  His solutions are counterfeit.  His answers to my heartache are only enticements to keep me away from experiencing Your miraculous solutions of Truth, Hope and Love.

“NO TEMPTATION HAS SEIZED YOU EXCEPT WHAT IS COMMON TO MAN. AND GOD IS FAITHFUL; HE WILL NOT LET YOU BE TEMPTED BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN BEAR. BUT WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED, HE WILL ALSO PROVIDE A WAY OUT SO THAT YOU CAN STAND UP UNDER IT” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that the temptations from the enemy are explainable, surmountable, and escapable.  Thank you that You stand ready with the real solution to my heartache of abandonment, condemnation and shame.  I turn to You for an answer.  Remove what can be shaken in my life…and exchange it for something permanent…that cannot be shaken.

I love You, Lord!

August 12  May Christ’s Light Shine in your Darkness

Dear Lord Jesus, I have experienced intense darkness in my life: severe depression…deep despair…piercing heartache.  I would try to shine my own light on my darkness and strive to get rid of the fear…the rejection…the unworthiness, but to no avail.  The darkness would stay.  No amount of my light I shone on it would make a difference.

“WHOSE MINDS THE GOD OF THIS AGE HAS BLINDED, WHO DO NOT BELIEVE, LEST THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF THE GLORY OF CHRIST, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD, SHOULD SHINE ON THEM.” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Most High, for the longest time, I never knew there was a different Light available that could turn my darkness into light.  The god of this age had blinded my mind for fear that I would find the Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ.

“BUT THE MINISTRY JESUS HAS RECEIVED IS AS SUPERIOR TO THEIRS AS THE COVENANT OF WHICH HE IS MEDIATOR IS SUPERIOR TO THE OLD ONE, AND IT IS FOUNDED ON BETTER PROMISES”(Hebrews 8:6).

Lord Jesus, the ministry You have received from the Perfect Father is superior to anything I have ever come across.  It is the only ministry that has the Power to remove my darkness…and put Light in its place.

I HAVE BECOME ITS SERVANT BY THE COMMISSION GOD GAVE ME TO PRESENT TO YOU THE WORD OF GOD IN ITS FULLNESS— 26THE MYSTERY THAT HAS BEEN KEPT HIDDEN FOR AGES AND GENERATIONS, BUT IS NOW DISCLOSED TO THE SAINTS. 27TO THEM GOD HAS CHOSEN TO MAKE KNOWN AMONG THE GENTILES THE GLORIOUS RICHES OF THIS MYSTERY, WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY” (Colossians 1:25-27).

Thank you, God, that the mystery that had been kept hidden for ages was disclosed to my heart… “Christ in you, the Hope of Glory.”  How marvelous is Your Light…to erase the darkness in my heart whenever I expose the negative destructive beliefs instilled in my mind by the father-of-lies, to the Light of Your Glory. Hollowed be Your Name!

You are my Hope of Glory!

August 13  Know What Makes You Stumble

“THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS LIKE DARKNESS; THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT MAKES THEM STUMBLE” (Proverbs 4:19).

Help me, O God of my salvation, when I am chained by darkness and do not know what makes me stumble.  Help me identify what makes me stumble, and expose it to You, so my darkness could turn into Light.

FOR A MAN IS A SLAVE TO WHATEVER HAS MASTERED HIM” (2 Peter 2:19).

Darkness means that I am devoid of light.  I do not understand.  I am not able to discern.  I am not able to differentiate.  I am not able to recognize… to conclude…to know.  I have become a slave to powers that have mastered me, but I do not understand what they are, and where to look for the light.

“AND HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP WITH THE UNFRUITFUL WORKS OF DARKNESS, BUT RATHER EXPOSE THEM” (Ephesians 5:11).

God of the Heavenly Lights, I worship You with Joy!  Remind me daily to not have fellowship with the works of darkness, but rather expose them to You: to be attentive to the feelings that cause me to flee from a situation…to be alert to the beliefs in my heart that cause me to hide from people…to investigate my heart and find out why I am blaming others for my pain. 

Lord Jesus, You have come into the world, so I should abide in You, not in darkness.  May I remain in Your Truth…not in the dark belief that I am a failure.  May I abide in Your Hope…not in the dark belief that there are no answers.  May I remain in Your Love…not in the dark belief that I am not likable. 

“I HAVE COME AS A LIGHT INTO THE WORLD, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME SHOULD NOT ABIDE IN DARKNESS” (John 12:46).

Thank you for the Light!

August 14  Each Moment Is an Act of Deciding

God of Hope, my life changed drastically when I realized that life was not just a solid time period here on this earth for which I had to make one big decision, but chopped up into little segments of time periods, for which I had to make many individual moment-by-moment decisions.

“THIS DAY I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH AS WITNESSES AGAINST YOU THAT I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSINGS AND CURSES. NOW CHOOSE LIFE, SO THAT YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE 20 AND THAT YOU MAY LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD, LISTEN TO HIS VOICE, AND HOLD FAST TO HIM. FOR THE LORD IS YOUR LIFE….” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Most High, help me to understand that life is a moment-by-moment choice between Life and Death: that every minute of my life is an act of deciding between Your blessings and thecurses of the roaring lion, that every minute I am alive, I live either in Light or in Darkness, that every hour of my life, I am either living in Truth or in Deception.

“DO NOT OFFER THE PARTS OF YOUR BODY TO SIN, AS INSTRUMENTS OF WICKEDNESS, BUT RATHER OFFER YOURSELVES TO GOD, AS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FROM DEATH TO LIFE; AND OFFER THE PARTS OF YOUR BODY TO HIM AS INSTRUMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Romans 6:13).

May I realize that each moment of my life I am selecting a choice of action: that every given moment of my life, I live either in obedience to You, Perfect Father, or in obedience to the father-of-lies, that each given moment, I either adopt the father-of-lies’ suggestions of escaping my heartache, or adopt Your suggestions of dealing with my heartache.

How encouraged I am to know that life is made up of many choices and even if I made the wrong decision one moment, I can make the right decision the next moment. 

August 15 (Audio) Success Is a By-Product

“YET WHEN I SURVEYED ALL THAT MY HANDS HAD DONE AND WHAT I HAD TOILED TO ACHIEVE, EVERYTHING WAS MEANINGLESS, A CHASING AFTER THE WIND; NOTHING WAS GAINED UNDER THE SUN” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

Lord God, at the end of my life, when I survey all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, I would like to see that everything was not meaningless…a chasing after the wind.  I would like to see that something permanent was gained under the sun. 

“AND I SAW THAT ALL LABOR AND ALL ACHIEVEMENT SPRING FROM MAN'S ENVY OF HIS NEIGHBOR. THIS TOO IS MEANINGLESS, A CHASING AFTER THE WIND” (Ecclesiastes 4:4).

Most High, at the end of my life, when I survey all that I had toiled to achieve, I would like to see that no achievement sprang from my envy of my neighbor.  This would have been meaningless toiling…a chasing after the wind.  Nothing would have been gained under the sun.

“I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING GOD DOES WILL ENDURE FOREVER; NOTHING CAN BE ADDED TO IT AND NOTHING TAKEN FROM IT. GOD DOES IT SO THAT MEN WILL REVERE HIM” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

Lord God, how my heart fills with Hope when I ponder that everything You do is permanent.  Everything You do through me will endure forever.  Nobody will be able to add to that or take away from that.  Success is only a by-product of my surrender to You.

Don’t aim at success.  For success cannot be pursued, it must ensue, and it does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. (Victor E. Frankl).

I surrender to You, O Lord!

August 16  Love Is a By-Product of God’s Spirit

“PRAISE THE LORD, O MY SOUL, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS”
(Psalm 103:2).

Lord God, You are love.  I surrender to You.  I surrender to Your Love.  I surrender to You to love through me.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22).

Lord God, I realize that love is not a change of attitude towards someone from the outside.  Love is a fruit of Your Spirit that grows from the inside.  Love is a by-product of my surrender to You.

“LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND. IT DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD. 5IT IS NOT RUDE, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS. 6LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH. 7IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

May my love not be a counterfeit love that only loves on the outside, but hates on the inside.  May my love be grown by Your Spirit, because love that is grown by Your Holy Spirit is kind from the inside out.  It does not envy.  It does not boast.  It is not rude.  The only love that keeps no record of wrongs is the love that is a by-product of my surrender to You, O Lord.

“LOVE NEVER FAILS.  7IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES” ((1 Corinthians 13:8, 7).

Lord God, grow Your love in my heart…the kind that never fails.  Yours is the only love that does not fail.  It always trusts.  It always hopes.  It always perseveres.

“The salvation of man is through love and in love.” (Victor E. Frankl)

August 17  God Loves to Reward Us

“ANYONE WHO COMES TO HIM MUST BELIEVE THAT HE EXISTS AND THAT HE REWARDS THOSE WHO EARNESTLY SEEK HIM” (Hebrews 11:6).

Perfect Father, how encouraged I am that You reward me, when I come to You and earnestly seek You.  Let me come face to face with Your Truth, when I seek You, feeling like a failure.  Let me experience Your Wisdom, when I seek You in my confusion.  Let me taste Your Love, when I seek you while feeling unloved and unlovable.  Let me drink deeply from Your streams of Living Water, when my heart feels numb with the pain of rejection.  Let me witness Your Light, when I seek You in the dark dungeons of depression.  Let me behold Your transforming Power, when I seek you in my sinful defense habits and patterns.

"BECAUSE HE LOVES ME," SAYS THE LORD, "I WILL RESCUE HIM; I WILL PROTECT HIM, FOR HE ACKNOWLEDGES MY NAME.  HE WILL CALL UPON ME, AND I WILL ANSWER HIM; I WILL BE WITH HIM IN TROUBLE, I WILL DELIVER HIM AND HONOR HIM.  WITH LONG LIFE WILL I SATISFY HIM AND SHOW HIM MY SALVATION."
(Psalm 91:14-16).

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You love to show Yourself to us, when we love You.  You love to answer us, when we call upon You.  You love to deliver us from hopelessness, helplessness and powerlessness, when we submit these lies to Your Truth.  You love to honor us, when we obey You.  You love to rescue us from the deception that lives in our minds, when we invite Your Presence and Participation into our understanding.  You love to protect us, when we acknowledge Your Name.  You love to talk to us, when we talk to You.

“WHOEVER HAS MY COMMANDS AND OBEYS THEM, HE IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME. HE WHO LOVES ME WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER, AND I TOO WILL LOVE HIM AND SHOW MYSELF TO HIM" (John 14:21).

I seek You, O Lord!

August 18  If Your Eye Is Bad

“BUT IF YOUR EYE IS BAD, YOUR WHOLE BODY WILL BE FULL OF DARKNESS. IF THEREFORE THE LIGHT THAT IS IN YOU IS DARKNESS, HOW GREAT IS THAT DARKNESS!” (Matthew 6:23).

Lord Jesus, let me be on the alert for a bad eye, because if I have a bad eye, my whole body will be filled with darkness.

I realize that my eye is bad when I live in the negative destructive beliefs of the evil one: “I am condemned.  I am shameful.  I am abandoned.”  Everything and everyone around me becomes contaminated because I do not see them through the lenses of Truth, but through the lenses of “I am condemned.  I am shameful.  I am abandoned.” 

If my eye is contaminated with specks of abandonment, I will look at everything and everyone through the lenses of feeling alone, unprotected and overlooked.  If my eye is polluted with condemnation, I will experience everything and everybody through the lenses of feeling doomed, wrong and incriminated.  If my eye is smeared with shame, I will view everything and everyone through the lenses of guilt, shortcoming and impropriety.

“THEREFORE TAKE HEED THAT THE LIGHT WHICH IS IN YOU IS NOT DARKNESS” (Luke 11:35).

Lord Jesus, shine Your Light in my heart.  Remove the counterfeit light that has been  filling my heart with darkness, and that has been causing my eye to be bad.  Give me Your Light, so I can see everything and everyone through the lenses of Your eyes.

“FOR GOD, WHO SAID, "LET LIGHT SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS MADE HIS LIGHT SHINE IN OUR HEARTS TO GIVE US THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Make Your Light shine in my heart!

August 19  Enter God’s Rest

“FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU TO WILL AND TO ACT ACCORDING TO HIS GOOD PURPOSE” (Philippians 2:13).

Most High, help me to allow You to act in my life according to Your good Purpose.  I always seem to want to do everything according to my good purpose.  It is so hard for me to think that Your good Purpose will be better than mine.

The problem with working out my good purpose is that it gives me no rest.  I strive a lot.  I worry a lot.  In the end, things do not even work out.

“THEREFORE, SINCE THE PROMISE OF ENTERING HIS REST STILL STANDS, LET US BE CAREFUL THAT NONE OF YOU BE FOUND TO HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF IT. 2FOR WE ALSO HAVE HAD THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO US, JUST AS THEY DID; BUT THE MESSAGE THEY HEARD WAS OF NO VALUE TO THEM, BECAUSE THOSE WHO HEARD DID NOT COMBINE IT WITH FAITH” (Hebrews 4:1, 2).

Lord God, thank you that the promise of entering Your rest still stands. But in order to allow You to will and act in me according to Your good Purpose, the promise has to be combined with Faith.  Work Your Faith in my heart, so I may enter Your rest.

“THERE REMAINS, THEN, A SABBATH-REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD; 10FOR ANYONE WHO ENTERS GOD'S REST ALSO RESTS FROM HIS OWN WORK, JUST AS GOD DID FROM HIS” (Hebrews 4:9, 10).

Exchange my good purpose for Your good Purpose, O Lord, so I might enter Your rest, and rest from my own striving and worrying. 

“FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

August 20   I Have Received a Comforter

“NEVERTHELESS I TELL YOU THE TRUTH;
IT IS EXPEDIENT FOR YOU THAT I GO AWAY:
 FOR IF I GO NOT AWAY, THE COMFORTER WILL NOT COME UNTO YOU;
BUT IF I DEPART, I WILL SEND HIM UNTO YOU
(John 16:7).

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You have sent me a Helper.  I have an Adviser…a Sustainer…a Maintainer.  I am not companionless… unaccompanied… alone.   I am not forsaken… abandoned…betrayed.  I have a Helper.

“AND I WILL PRAY THE FATHER,
AND HE SHALL GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER,
THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER”
(John 14:16).

How encouraged I am that the Comforter is always with me and will not leave me.  I am never alone.  I do not have to be intimidated by my surroundings and circumstances, because I am not abandoned.  I do not have to be afraid to be by myself, for my Counselor is at my side.  I do not have to be anxious about anything, because my Encourager abides with me forever. 

“THOUGH MY FATHER AND MOTHER FORSAKE ME,
THE LORD WILL RECEIVE ME” (Psalm 27:10).

Thank you, Perfect Father, that I may know that even if my father and mother have forsaken me, You will receive me. 

“I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS: I WILL COME TO YOU” (John 14:18).

I have the Comforter!

August 21 (Audio) That You May Stand

“STAND FAST IN THE LORD” (1 Thessalonians 3:8).

Lord Jesus, I yearn to stand fast in You.  I yearn to follow You…not the father-of-lies.  I yearn to live in Your Light…not the darkness.  I yearn to obey Your thoughts…not the negative destructive thoughts in my mind.

Enable me to stand.  Help me to feel and exhibit Your Hope, when hopelessness is pulling me down.  Equip me to set forth Your Light amidst the darkness.  Strengthen me to display Your humility in the face of adversity.

“THAT YOU MAY STAND PERFECT AND COMPLETE IN ALL THE WILL OF GOD” (Colossians 4:12).

Lord Jesus, I yearn to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.  Let me stand in all the will of God, even when despair knocks at my heart’s door.  Let me stand in all the will of God, even when circumstances beg me to give up.  Let me stand in all the will of God, even when I do not see any results.

Let me not become weary in doing good, so that at the proper time I might reap a harvest.

“LET US NOT BECOME WEARY IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP A HARVEST IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP” (Galatians 6:9).

May I stand in all the will of God!

August 22  To Exchange the Truth for a Lie

“THEY EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE, AND WORSHIPED AND SERVED CREATED THINGS RATHER THAN THE CREATOR—WHO IS FOREVER PRAISED. AMEN.” (Romans 1:25).

Lord Jesus, I see that it has always been the god of this world’s goal to get me to serve created things rather than the Creator…to revere people, instead of the Creator of people.  He would love me to serve a ministry, instead of the Creator of the ministry.  He would like me to glorify and exalt the extent of my education, rather than the Most High.

”DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU OFFER YOURSELVES TO SOMEONE TO OBEY HIM AS SLAVES, YOU ARE SLAVES TO THE ONE WHOM YOU OBEY—WHETHER YOU ARE SLAVES TO SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH, OR TO OBEDIENCE, WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?” (Romans 6:16).

Lord Jesus, I realize that the father-of-lies has come to deceive those who are perishing, by exchanging the Truth for lies.  And I will become the slave to whatever or whomever I obey: the Truth…or lies, God…or the father-of-lies.

“THE COMING OF THE LAWLESS ONE WILL BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WORK OF SATAN DISPLAYED IN ALL KINDS OF COUNTERFEIT MIRACLES, SIGNS AND WONDERS, AND IN EVERY SORT OF EVIL THAT DECEIVES THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING. THEY PERISH BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO LOVE THE TRUTH AND SO BE SAVED.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

Lord Jesus, You are the Truth.  I do not want to perish by becoming a slave to deception…the lies.  I do not want to find acceptance, worth and meaning for my life by serving people, things, organizations and high positions, rather than the Creator of these. 

I come to You for Truth.  Lead me out from the deception in which my mind has been living.  Save me with Your Truth.

You are forever praised!

August 23  When You Surrender, God Will Accept

“LET US DRAW NEAR WITH A TRUE HEART IN FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH”
(Hebrews 10:22).

Most High, thank you that I may have confidence to enter Your Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus and that I may draw near to Your in true assurance of faith.  How comforting to know that there is no wrong or right way to enter the Most Holy Place, since the blood of Jesus has given me access.  How encouraging to know that there is no wrong way to surrender anything or anyone to You, regardless of what the father-of-lies tells me, to keep me away from You.  You will accept and guard whatever I have entrusted You, even if I do not submit someone or something in a perfect way.  You will receive me, because I come under the blood of Jesus, who, by a new and living way, opened a way to You.

“THEREFORE, BROTHERS, SINCE WE HAVE CONFIDENCE TO ENTER THE MOST HOLY PLACE BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS, 20BY A NEW AND LIVING WAY OPENED FOR US THROUGH THE CURTAIN, THAT IS, HIS BODY, 21AND SINCE WE HAVE A GREAT PRIEST OVER THE HOUSE OF GOD, 22LET US DRAW NEAR TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HEART IN FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Most High, I enter boldly into Your Presence, with a heart fully trusting You, even when it feels so unreal and unacceptable to enter into Your Presence.  You have never forsaken those who seek You, because we have a Great Priest over the House of God.

“THOSE WHO KNOW YOUR NAME WILL TRUST IN YOU, FOR YOU, LORD, HAVE NEVER FORSAKEN THOSE WHO SEEK YOU” (Psalm 9:10).

I draw near to You!

August 24 You Share the Divine Nature of God

“THROUGH THESE HE HAS GIVEN US HIS VERY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES, SO THAT THROUGH THEM YOU MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE DIVINE NATURE AND ESCAPE THE CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD CAUSED BY EVIL DESIRES” (2 Peter 1:4).

Lord Jesus, how my heart is lifted when I realize that every time I surrender sin with its beliefs to You, I have the opportunity to participate in the Divine Nature of God and escape the corruption of my sinful Self-nature.

How joy enters my soul, as I grasp that Your Divine Nature is at work in me, whenever I yield Self to Your Power and Control.  I cannot change Self into someone good…but Your Divine Power can mortify these deeds of my body, which have their origin in Satan.  Although I cannot disarm the condemnation burrowed in my heart, Lord Jesus, You can through Your Divine Power, when I submit the beliefs of condemnation to You.  Although I cannot disband the abandonment stuck in my heart, You can with Your Divine Love, when I surrender the beliefs of abandonment to You.  Although I cannot discard the shame lodged in my heart, You can with Your Divine Hope, when I relinquish the shame to You.

“FOR THOUGH WE LIVE IN THE WORLD, WE DO NOT WAGE WAR AS THE WORLD DOES.  THE WEAPONS WE FIGHT WITH ARE NOT THE WEAPONS OF THE WORLD. ON THE CONTRARY, THEY HAVE DIVINE POWER TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Lord Jesus, I rely on Your Divine Power, because the weapons You use are not the world’s weapons of running, hiding and blaming, but weapons of Divine Power that can demolish the strongholds of corruption in my heart.

“HIS DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM WHO CALLED US BY HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS” (2 Peter 1:3).

Your Divine Power has given me everything I need!

August 25 Be Silent when You Are Dishonored

“WHEN HE WAS ACCUSED BY THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND THE ELDERS, HE GAVE NO ANSWER. 13THEN PILATE ASKED HIM, "DON'T YOU HEAR THE TESTIMONY THEY ARE BRINGING AGAINST YOU?" 14BUT JESUS MADE NO REPLY, NOT EVEN TO A SINGLE CHARGE—TO THE GREAT AMAZEMENT OF THE GOVERNOR” (Matthew 27:12-14).

Jesus, You are Lord.  You are above all.  When You were accused, incriminated and denounced, You made no reply.  When You were treated with disrespect, dishonor, and disgrace, You were silent.

“HE WAS OPPRESSED, AND HE WAS AFFLICTED, YET HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH…” (Isaiah 53:7).

Jesus, when You were oppressed and afflicted, You said no word.  You did not defend Yourself in anger.  You did not argue and prove Yourself as valid.  You were silent when you were accused, so that the Will of the Perfect Father might be done in Your life and in the lives of the accusers.

"’FATHER, IF YOU ARE WILLING, TAKE THIS CUP FROM ME; YET NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE’” (Luke 22:42).

Perfect Father, You sent the Spirit of Your Son into my heart: the Spirit of the same person who kept silent when He was accused, oppressed and afflicted.

May I allow the Spirit of Your son in my heart to react with silence when someone accuses and disrespects me, so that Your Will may be done in my life and in the person’s life who is accusing me.

“GOD SENT THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO OUR HEARTS…..” (Galatians 4:6).

Your Will be done!

August 26  To Say, “I Am Sorry”

“AND FORGIVE US OUR SINS, FOR WE ALSO FORGIVE EVERYONE WHO IS INDEBTED TO US. AND DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE” (Luke 11:4).

Lord Jesus, help me to forgive anyone who is indebted to me and to ask forgiveness to those whom I have offended and to whom I am indebted.

I realize that to seek forgiveness for an offense could soften someone’s hardened heart and release him from further temptation that comes from the father-of-lies.  To be atoning, could deliver someone from strongholds set in place by the father-of-lies.  Dropping my defense, and offering an apology, could bring Truth to someone’s darkened understanding and set him free.

For the father-of-lies is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  And he will use the same words or actions with which I offended someone, to infuse someone with his negative destructive beliefs, yet he never views himself as being indebted to anyone.  He never says, “I am sorry.”

And Lord Jesus, when my words, “I am sorry,” are not enough to soften someone’s heart, help them to understand that these negative destructive beliefs cannot always be removed by a human’s, “I am sorry.”  Sometimes, it takes Your words of Truth, Lord Jesus, to take away the pain with which the father-of-lies had infused their minds.

“A GENTLE ANSWER TURNS AWAY WRATH, BUT A HARSH WORD STIRS UP ANGER” (Proverbs 15:1).

Lord Jesus, give me a humble heart with gentle answers, for a gentle answer could turn away strong vengeful anger and indignation.  A gentle answer could soften someone’s heart enough to open a channel for Your Truth to enter…for Your Hope to be revealed…for Your Love to heal. 

For we also forgive!

August 27 In the Midst of Suffering

“Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stand up to them.  In other words, man is ultimately self-determining.  Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.” (Victor E. Frankl)

Lord Jesus, life is full of joy…but also full of pain.  There is the pain of feeling alone…companionless…forsaken.  Then there is the pain of rejection… unacceptability… condemnation.  Still yet, there is the pain of shame…a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming or impropriety.  There is also the pain of loss and of disappointment.

But, regardless of which pain I have, the determining question is, “What am I going to do with it?”  Thank you, Most High, that I do not simply exist, but that You made me into a self-determining being…a being whose quality of existence depends on my choices.  Thank you that, even though someone could control me from the outside, nobody could control me from the inside, because I will always have the freedom to choose what I will become in the midst of my pain…even in the next moment. 

“HE IS DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN; A MAN OF SORROWS, AND ACQUAINTED WITH GRIEF… 4SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS... ” (Isaiah 53:3, 4).

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that I have a choice to decide who I will be in the midst of my heartache and suffering.  I have the choice to run from my sorrows, hide from my anguish or blame someone else for my wounds.  Or, I could choose You!

Lord Jesus, in the midst of my suffering, I choose You.  I invite Your Presence and Participation into the place in my heart that is filled with sorrow.  Come into that place of sorrow…and bear my grief.  And when You have taken my sorrow on You, my heart will be released from it.

I thank you, Lord Jesus!

August 28  To Whom Do You Offer Your Emotions?

“Women are nurturers.  There’s so much we can do with the power of our feelings, the power of our sensitivity.” (Nicole Kidman)

I have an excess of feelings…a plethora of impressions...an abundance of perceptions.  I am very sensitive, perceptive and aware.  I am a woman.

“DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU OFFER YOURSELVES TO SOMEONE TO OBEY HIM AS SLAVES, YOU ARE SLAVES TO THE ONE WHOM YOU OBEY—WHETHER YOU ARE SLAVES TO SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH, OR TO OBEDIENCE, WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?” (Romans 6:16).

Lord Jesus, thank you that I do not simply exist, but that You made me into a self-determining being… a being whose quality of existence depends on my choices.  I know that I will become a slave to the one whom I obey…but I have a choice whom to obey.  I have a choice to whom to offer my emotions.

“Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stand up to them.  In other words, man is ultimately self-determining.  Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.” (Victor E. Frankl)

Lord Jesus, remind me daily to be careful whom I serve with my emotions.  Because I am so sensitive, perceptive, and aware of my surroundings, the father-of-lies is constantly looking for a way to use my emotions to serve him …to use these sensitive characteristics as a nest in which he deposits his lies.

Therefore, I choose to offer my emotions to You, Lord God.  How I am filled with Joy when I realize that You came to redeem my emotions and purify them, if I offer them to You.

“JESUS CHRIST, 14WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US TO REDEEM US FROM ALL WICKEDNESS AND TO PURIFY FOR HIMSELF A PEOPLE THAT ARE HIS VERY OWN, EAGER TO DO WHAT IS GOOD” (Titus 2:13, 14).

To You be all glory!

August 29  May the God of Truth Redeem Your Spirit

“BUT THERE IS A SPIRIT IN MAN, AND THE BREATH OF THE ALMIGHTY GIVES HIM UNDERSTANDING” (Job 32:8).

Lord Jesus, often, during my daily perceptions, I am confused, perturbed or anxious.  Often, when I look at a circumstance, I perceive things as being hopeless.  Sometimes, when I look at a situation through my own eyes, I perceive that I am not safe.  Other times, when I look at the state of affairs through my own understanding, I perceive that You are not in control of my life, Lord God.

But everything changes when I invite Your Presence and Participation into my perturbing perceptions.  The Breath of the Almighty gives me understanding.  It is not necessarily an understanding that I can grasp and explain with my mind, but an understanding that places Truth, Hope and Love deep into my spirit.

“FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS QUICK, AND POWERFUL, AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD, PIERCING EVEN TO THE DIVIDING ASUNDER OF SOUL AND SPIRIT, AND OF THE JOINTS AND MARROW, AND IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART.” (Hebrews 4:12).

Lord Almighty, how encouraged I am that the active, living words that You speak into my spirit, when I invite Your Presence and Participation into a perturbing perception, are very powerful… cutting between soul and spirit.  They discern my innermost thoughts and desires…even the thoughts and desires that are hidden from my own mind.

“INTO YOUR HAND I COMMIT MY SPIRIT; YOU HAVE REDEEMED ME, O LORD GOD OF TRUTH” (Psalm 31:5).

Most High, how my heart leaps with joy, when I ponder that the Breath of the Almighty can redeem me from the inside out, without first having to explain things to my understanding.  You can circumvent my mind and speak directly to my spirit, reaching places in my spirit where humans have no access. 

May I surrender each perturbing perception to You, Lord Jesus, so You may give me understanding from the inside out.

You redeem my perceptions, O Lord God of Truth!

August 30  Ambassadors for Christ

“WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Lord Jesus, it is so easy for me to be a representative of my own kingdom…a spokesperson of my own domain…an advocate of my own possessions.

“BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU” (Matthew 6:33).

Most High, may I become an ambassador for You…a representative of the Perfect Father’s Kingdom.

May my body become available to You, Lord Jesus, by which someone could experience Your dwelling place.

May my hands become available to You, from which someone could experience Your kindness, Lord Jesus.

May my mouth become available to You, Lord, by which someone could experience Your gentleness.

May my feet become available to You, my Lord, by which someone could experience Your Presence.

“THY KINGDOM IS AN EVERLASTING KINGDOM, AND THY DOMINION ENDURETH THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS” (Psalm 145:13).

May my mind be available to You, Christ, through which I could experience the Truth, the Way and the Life.

May my will be available to You, Lord, through which I could experience Your obedience towards the Perfect Father.
May Your Kingdom last forever!

May I be an ambassador for You, O Lord!

August 31  Your Decisions Matter

“BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU” (Matthew 6:33).

Lord God, I have discovered that it is so easy to become a representative of the father-of-lies’ kingdom…a spokesperson for his domain of lies…an advocate for his godlessness and wickedness.  All I need to do is ACCEPT AND ADOPT the negative thoughts or interpretations he introduces on a daily basis, and SUPPRESS THE TRUTH offered by You, the God of Truth, in opposition to these.

I grasp that when I adopt a thought or interpretation offered by the father-of-lies, I have MADE A DECISION to invite the father-of-lies to govern my life at that moment.  I have placed my whole self under the authority of the father-of-lies and his kingdom…to kill, steal, and destroy me and those around me.

“Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stand up to them.  In other words, man is ultimately self-determining.  Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.” (Victor E. Frankl)

On the other hand, when I turn the father-of-lies’ thoughts or interpretations over to You, God of Truth, I have MADE A DECISION to invite You to govern my life at that moment.  I have placed my whole self under the authority of Your Kingdom, so that Your Love, Hope and Truth might be revealed to me and those around me.

“THE WRATH OF GOD IS BEING REVEALED FROM HEAVEN AGAINST ALL THE GODLESSNESS AND WICKEDNESS OF MEN WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH BY THEIR WICKEDNESS” (Romans 1:18).

Thank you, Lord God, that You have created me into a self-determining being.  MY DECISIONS MATTER to the father-of-lies…to You, God of Truth…to me…and to those around me.

May I make the right decisions!