For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in You. Romans 8:5-6, 9
My words…
Praise
You don’t seem to mind repeated praise. David did it. Now I will do it. I have praised You so many times for being The God Who Indwells. No other god does it. No other god can. But You chose to exist outside of Yourself, outside of heaven, and inhabit Your children. Only You, who knows full-well the condition of my heart would choose to dwell there. You’re not put off by the mess, and for this I am eternally grateful.
Prayer for me
Life and peace. That’s what I want. I want life to the fullest, to the most abundant where I may exist on earth while holding heaven in my heart. I want to stand against what evil slithers across my path and know I am not alone. When I witness an injustice, I want to be lead to pray. I want to revel in the truth that I am Your child and rely on that confidence when doubt rears its head. That’s what I want.
Forgive me
Forgive me when my mind is pulled away from the “things” of the Spirit and twists toward the “things” of the flesh. (Do I really want to blog this week? Instead, I’ll spend more time on this other task. But this task is just too difficult. I’m taking a much-needed break. Ahhh.) I am learning that “things” of the flesh never work out in the end.
Prayer for others
Oh, that everyone would have the mind-set of Your Spirit! Everyone in the world. Everyone in my country. Everyone in my city. Everyone in my home. Including me.
More praise
Life: it’s what courses through my veins and spirit. Peace: it’s the undercurrent of Your presence that makes life worth living.
For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by, like a few hours of the night. Psalm 90:4
My words…
Praise
When I say I don’t know this or that, I feel stupid. (I don’t know how to fix my computer.) But when I say I don’t know how time is different for You compared to me, I don’t feel dumb. No one knows that answer. No one but You. (And You don’t count in this example.) Did You create time, or was it always just there? If You created time, then that movement from timelessness to time is, in itself, a succession of events, which usually means a passing of time. Yikes. So perhaps You co-exist with time? Maybe? If You live within time, then you can, as scripture says, foreknow something. Yes? Before my noodle is thoroughly baked, I have made the decision not to spend any more time of this matter! Here is what I know about You from what You have taught me over the decades: You are now. You are then. You are always. That pretty much wraps it up for me.
Prayer for me
I have spent my whole life on some sort of time schedule. Even as an infant I lived according to my mother’s schedule. Clocks, watches, sundials, all reminders that time moves along, and I can’t do a thing about it. But lately that fact has been draining my spirit of its joy. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but I swear I just made that turkey last month. But instead of fretting about how time flies, I need to discern the best way to spend each moment I have left. And that is why I look to You and ask for a measure of righteous wisdom.
Forgive me
Forgive me for the hours and days I diverted from what I should have done to what I wanted to do. I can’t get that time back. I don’t want to have to ask You to forgive me for this same sin again.
Prayer for others
Today I pray for those who have so little time left on earth. They are elderly and weak or terminally ill. They may not see their next birthday or live to attend their child’s wedding. For those who long to see Paradise, I pray they will find some joy in their last days. For those who have no hope, I pray You will send some their way.
Thank You
I am so grateful for the time You have given me on this earth. I have enjoyed decades of undeserved blessing. Thank You for holding me in Your hand.
More praise
People say that time is precious. It is. But even more precious is You in my life.
For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account. Hebrews 4:12-13
Remember Your word to Your servant; You have given me hope through it. This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life. Psalm 119:49-50
My words…
Praise
I am surrounded by life – people, animals, plants – all moving, growing, talking, chirping. In time, what surrounds me will die, or I will die first. Your word is alive, cutting, penetrating, separating, judging, exposing. Your words have been around before people, animals, and plants. You spoke us all into existence. But You didn’t stop the flow of living words. They streamed from Your prophets, priests, apostles, Son. Your words do not grow out of style. They do not lose their relevance. They remain alive on the page and on the lips of believers. They will remain alive forever, in this world and the next.
Prayer for me
Whenever I am near what is purely alive – a vine bursting with fruit, baby birds in a nest, a playground teeming with children – I feel more alive myself. When Your word fills my mind and heart, I am living most earnestly, most abundantly. Now, one would think that I would strive every moment to maintain that level of existence through a constant connection to Your word, wouldn’t one? We both know I don’t. I pray for a heart that holds a daily thirst which can only be quenched through Your word.
Forgive me
Forgive me during times of distress when I don’t remember Your promises – first. I eventually come around to them but not until I’ve tried my own feeble “remedies” (which usually include some form of sugar). Will you please forgive me, yet again? I know You will. I know You have.
Prayer for others
I drove through an intersection the other day and saw a well-dressed woman praying with a homeless man by the side of the road. His tattered cardboard sign hung at his side as she held his shoulders and prayed with eyes closed. Bless this servant of Yours! She was Jesus to that man at that moment.
Thank You
Your words are sharp enough to carve between what is carnal and what is spiritual. The blade isn’t dull. It hurts, but it’s the only way for me to be free of the stuff that leads to death. What’s left is Your glory. Thanks for cutting.
More praise
I see Your revelations, prophesies, instructions, and promises as invisible, charged particles zipping through my flesh and bones and mind and heart. They never stop moving; they are loaded with energy, spilling truth and wisdom. Never still. Never weakened. Alive forever and ever.
Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7
My words…
A prayer for my faith
After decades of living around and gazing upon trees, I know there is a difference between having roots and being rooted. A sapling can be pulled from the ground with a little tug. Not so a sixty foot oak. The oak is established. The sapling is not. I am not an established sixty foot oak like Abraham, David and Paul, but I am rooted. And there is only one way my roots will grow deeper and stronger: walking in You, Jesus. Not walking with You where there is space between us. No, walking in You where You can personally and directly strengthen my roots. Then, and only then, will they grown deeper and farther. They will not be ripped out by the surge of doubt, the gust of trials, or the gale of despair. Satan will not have the strength to pluck me from the ground.
And so I pray for You to continue to grow my roots so they are thick and strong and deep. I look to Your word as my fertilizer. Praying to You is like drinking cool water. Praising You is basking in the light of Your glory. You are everything I need.
For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1
My words…
Praise
Paul presents a good point here. If we are to exist in Your presence – walking with You, praising You, sharing You – the least we can do is clean up first. Just as I wouldn’t show up to a wedding wearing my sweaty gym clothes, so I shouldn’t come before You with an unclean spirit. You promised to be my God, to be a heavenly Father to me. There is no promise in all of creation more precious. It’s a promise worthy of a heartfelt response – a purification of my flesh and spirit.
Prayer for me
There are toxins at work in my spirit. Some I recognize as poisonous, like the fading joy of walking in Your way or the exasperation that accompanies waiting on an answer from You. But there are other toxins I don’t see (or don’t want to see). Shine a light on the places in need of a refreshing detox. And give me the desire to want to do so.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I recognize the gunk in my spirit and decide to leave it there. It’s the easy way out, but it’s also the most insulting to You. How dare I bring gunk in the presence of pure, perfect, and holy radiance?
Thank You
You seem to enjoy making promises – promises with backbone. They are life-giving and life-altering. And the best part? You never go back on a promise. You do what You say You’re going to do. Thank You because I fear I don’t make it easy for You.
More praise
As much as I strive to completely cleanse my spirit and flesh, I always miss a spot (or ten). But this I know: You don’t hold that against me. Jesus, You took care of that.
The Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to fight against Jehoshaphat. He was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. He stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem and said, “Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You. Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir. Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You. Then, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, and he said, “Listen carefully. This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Yahweh is with you.'” Selected verses from 2 Chronicles 20:1-17
My words…
Praise
You never stop battling. The Enemy never stops attacking. You battle because You have been sought out by someone in trouble, someone who knows of Your power and might. At first thought, I think: What a troubling existence. Constant battles. No peace. But on second thought, I believe I am missing the truth. Perhaps it is Your joy that rings across the battlefield. You say, “This is my battle, not yours.” And You are overjoyed when Your children say, “Fight for me!” and stand back and watch Your salvation. I wonder what a joyful battle sounds like!
Prayer for me
I was attacked last week, and I didn’t recognize the Enemy for the first few days. I wallowed in self pity and confusion over my life’s circumstances. I didn’t feel as if I were on a battlefield. It felt more like a boxing ring. Satan had me up against the ropes while I tried to lace up my gloves. I don’t even know how to box. Then, from deep within my soul, I heard You say, “This is my fight.” I scrambled from the ring and took a seat in the spectator section. I’m very good at spectating. But I am troubled that it took me so long to hear You. I could have saved myself some bludgeoning if my spirit had been more in tune with Yours. I know we’ll continue to work on that together.
Forgive me
When Jehoshaphat was under attack and afraid, he resolved to seek You and call on You for deliverance. He didn’t wallow. He didn’t pace with his head in his hands. He knew what to do and he did it. Forgive me for wasting time and tears by not emulating him.
Prayer for others
Lord, there is someone I love who is being bludgeoned by the Enemy as I write this. I don’t believe he is aware. He is burdened with grief, guilt, desperation, and weariness. I pray he will recognize his enemy and call on You to fight for him.
Thank You
How do I thank You for taking me out of the ring and, with joy, sending my Enemy fleeing? Perhaps if I were the most eloquent writer to ever exist, I could pen something to adequately express my gratitude. But I doubt it.
More praise
There are no more comforting words than “Yahweh is with you” – four words powerful enough to chase away my fear and despair. I celebrate a victory I didn’t fight or earn. And that’s how it goes with a God who loves me.
For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:9-11
My words…
Praise
I love the imagery of You as my foundation. In a world where rugs are pulled out from under me and guarantees are like ghosts, I know my foundation is unmovable. It is embedded with splinters from the cross, stained with Your blood, infused with hope. But it’s your love that holds it all together and makes it unbreakable. My foundation cannot be chipped, cracked, or broken. It is solid. A Rock of Ages. When I look very closely, I see you etched a heart in the corner!
Prayer for others
I pray for those who have built their lives on a foundation other than You. The most popular foundation I see is the Personal Accomplishment Foundation. Then there’s the Life Isn’t Fair Foundation. And let’s not forget the Foundations Are Overrated Foundation. They buckle and crumble, and those who have built their lives there are not safe. But You can save them.
Thank You
I drove by an old wooden barn the other day. The boards were weathered, dry, and splintered. The roof sagged; the door hung crooked on its hinges. Yet it stood – after decades of being rattled by wind, pounded by rain, and scorched by sun. A smart farmer built that barn on a solid foundation; otherwise, it would have fallen years ago. I am that barn. I have relied on You to keep me upright. I have built my life on You, board by board. When I lost a child, I kicked a hole in my wall. But I patched it. I sway at times, but I am still standing, and it’s only because of You.
More praise
I praise and exalt You as the Solid Rock on which I stand. I know that all other ground is nothing more than sinking sand.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
My words…
Praise
Who is seeking whom here? I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking You are stationary. I do the searching, and when I find the right path which leads to Your throne, the game of hide and seek is over. Yay! I win! But the fact that You seek me – well, that changes everything. As C. S. Lewis expounds, “But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband – that is quite another matter.” What does that say about You? What kind of God would take it upon Himself to do the seeking? And then I think about the parents who search for their missing child for years, devoting all of their life savings, chasing down every lead in hopes of saving their precious loved one. Yet Your love is of a purer variety, perfect and limitless. And so You seek because when You seek, You save. So seek. Seek every day. Seek perfectly.
Prayer for others
The exciting thing about believing in You is learning more deeply how You work. You are never idle. You are always moving, always seeking to draw another soul to You. You don’t like separation. I pray for that soul You have been seeking for years and years. I pray that person will turn her eyes toward You because when she does, she will bump right into You.
More praise
If You didn’t love, You wouldn’t seek. But it’s not just that You love. You are Love. I can’t grasp it. I can’t explain it. I only know it’s true. It’s the hook on which I hang my belief (if it were a coat). I was sought by You – the hunter, king, husband – because You love me. There is no greater title that I can wear: One sought by God.
Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13
My words…
Praise
In a world rife with political turmoil, social dissension, cultural shift, economic fluctuation, and personal anxiety, You are the One who brings order to chaos. You are the lifeline. There is no storm You cannot calm, no heart You cannot soften, no soul You cannot save. You keep diligent watch. It’s serious business – You don’t take it lightly. And for this, I praise You!
Prayer for me
You (and Peter) counsel me to be serious about where I place my hope. My complete hope. Then I wonder, how serious am I? Is my mind ready for action – to combat doubt, to uphold Your truth, to share Your love? The answer: Sometimes. “Serious” and “sometimes” don’t go together. I pray for Your hand to lead me from sometimes toward every time.
Forgive me
Being mentally and spiritually serious sounds like a worrisome, wearisome state in which to live daily. But I have it wrong, don’t I? I really need to think of “serious” as “sincere.” Living sincerely in Your hope, I should be joy-filled, delighted to be called Your child. But some days…well, You know. Forgive me.
Prayer for others
Lord, protect and sustain the fragile spirits of those who have recently turned to You and said, “Save me, Lord.” They haven’t much practice in being ready for action or being serious in placing their hope completely on Your grace. I realize I am praying for something You are already doing. So if you need me, use me.
Thank You
Thank You for providing me a place to set my hope. I cherish my hope, and having it secured and protected in You affords me a life of peace. And for that, I am so grateful. Seriously.
God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate and without water. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life. So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:1-4
My words…
Who can write like David? Not me. His prayers and songs to You have freed the shackled hearts of people for centuries. I just listened to the story of man, worldly in every way, who, upon hearing one sentence from one hymn, found You. And he didn’t even know he was seeking. Just one phrase of a song brought tears to his eyes and his spirit to its knees. I know how he feels! There have been so many psalmists besides David who have drawn words from deep within their souls, like water from a well, and recorded them for You and for others. As much as I would love to write a psalm worthy of David’s, my well is not as deep. So I offer to You, my favorite psalms, written by others, strung together in one song of praise and reflection. Your angels can put it to music:
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die.
You didn’t want heaven without us, so, Jesus, You brought heaven down.
The waves and wind still know Your name.
Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men?
Unheard by mortals are the strains that sweetly soothe the Savior’s woe.
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
But this I know with all my heart; His wounds have paid my ransom.
I can only imagine.
The heavens are roaring the praise of Your glory, for You are raised to life again.
Bread of heaven, feed me til I want no more.
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well with my soul.
Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart.
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.
God, who called me here below, shall be forever mine.
God has made His saints victorious; sin and death shall not prevail.
Lift your voice; it’s the year of Jubilee. And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be. Lord let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
