Surrendered Life

April Prayers

April 1: Love One Another Deeply, from the Heart

“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).

Most High, today I realize that in order to love one another deeply, I need a purified heart…a heart cleansed from rejection…released from abandonment…freed from disapproval. I understand that as long as my heart is occupied with rejection, abandonment and disapproval, I will have a tough time experiencing sincere love for others.

SANCTIFY THEM BY THE TRUTH; YOUR WORD IS TRUTH (John 17:17).

God of Light, I allow You to set me free from the power of past rejection…when I was ignored…when I had to carry all the blame…when I was pushed aside. May Your Divine Truth set me free.

God of Truth, I permit You to set me free from the power of past abandonment…when someone important in my life left…when I had to fend for myself…when I had to take care of myself, because there was nobody else. I know it is not the circumstances that caused the damage in my heart, but the conclusions I formed in my mind as a result of what happened.

God Almighty, I authorize You to free me from the power of past criticism and disapproval…when I could not please my dad…when I was not good enough for my mother…when I was not accepted for being me. Bring healing to my heart by replacing my conclusions about these events with Your Truth.

“BUT WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, COMES, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH. HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN; HE WILL SPEAK ONLY WHAT HE HEARS”
(John 16:13).

I honor You, God of Truth!

April 2: Christ Was Crucified in Weakness

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I bless you today not to despair during times of weakness, for it is during the times that you are powerless, helpless and hopeless that God has a chance to accomplish His Power in you.

“NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO IMMEASURABLY MORE THAN ALL WE ASK OR IMAGINE, ACCORDING TO HIS POWER THAT IS AT WORK WITHIN US, TO HIM BE GLORY” (Ephesians 3:20, 21).

I bless you to use your time of weakness to extinguish your own will…..to allow God to conform you to His divine Will in your thoughts, your purpose and your actions.

"NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, 'LORD, LORD,' WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT ONLY HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN” (Matthew 7:21).

I bless you to use your time of weakness to put an end to reliance on your own wisdom...confidence in your own mind…dependence on your own understanding, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.

“BUT THE WISDOM THAT COMES FROM HEAVEN IS FIRST OF ALL PURE; THEN PEACE-LOVING, CONSIDERATE, SUBMISSIVE, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUIT, IMPARTIAL AND SINCERE”
(James 3:17).

I bless you to use your time of weakness as an opportunity to live in God’s Power…to live in your Father’s Will…to live in the Wisdom that comes from Heaven.

“FOR THOUGH HE WAS CRUCIFIED IN WEAKNESS,
YET HE LIVES BY THE POWER OF GOD”
(2 Corinthians 13:4)

I bless you

April 3: Your Mind

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Dear God, work Your Righteousness in me. Keep me from relying on my mind to find answers to my problems…solutions to my unworthiness…explanations to my brokenness? Keep me from running to my mind when things go wrong…when someone insults me…when someone fails me.

“THE MIND OF SINFUL MAN IS DEATH” (Romans 8:6).

God, You preserve all those who live in your Truth. Keep me from living in the futility of my thinking, for my understanding is darkened by the beliefs of the father-of-lies. In fact, he uses my own darkened thoughts to separate me from Your abundant Life….from Your perfect Love…from Your sustaining Hope.

“SO I TELL YOU THIS, AND INSIST ON IT IN THE LORD, THAT YOU MUST NO LONGER LIVE AS THE GENTILES DO, IN THE FUTILITY OF THEIR THINKING. THEY ARE DARKENED IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND SEPARATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD” (Ephesians 4:17-18).

Most High, wash my eyes out to see the Truth. May I understand that my mind is a deathtrap to be used by the enemy, at any given moment in time. May I question every belief that lives in my mind. May I demolish every argument in my mind that sets itself up against Your knowledge.

Abba, I look to You for answers to my problems…solutions to my unworthiness…explanations to my brokenness?

I honor You, Most High!

April 4: May you Walk in the Light of the Truth

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“THIS IS THE MESSAGE WE HAVE HEARD FROM HIM AND DECLARE TO YOU: GOD IS LIGHT; IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. 6IF WE CLAIM TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM YET WALK IN THE DARKNESS, WE LIE AND DO NOT LIVE BY THE TRUTH. 7BUT IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT, AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT, WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS, HIS SON, PURIFIES US FROM ALL SIN” (1 John 1:5-7).

God of Light, help me to understand that to walk in the Light means to live by the Truth. The Light is the Truth. The Truth turns darkness into Light.

“BUT WHOEVER LIVES BY THE TRUTH COMES INTO THE LIGHT” (John 3:21).

May I expose the darkness in my mind to the Light. May I lay open the beliefs that cause me to despair, so You may bring to Light the interpretations I have made about myself…the assumptions I have made about my enemies…the beliefs I have formed about my friends. I want to live by the Truth, so I can walk in the Light.

“FOR THE FRUIT OF THE LIGHT CONSISTS IN ALL GOODNESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH” (Ephesians 5:9).

I surrender to Your Light!

April 5: What is Sin?

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Dear God, I am not a murderer. I am not a liar. I do not steal. I do not even kill a spider. So, when do I sin?

“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).

Everlasting Father, I am aware that sin is the opposite of obedience…not obedience to the Ten Commandments, but obedience to the guidance and counsel of Your Holy Spirit…obedience to remain in Your Presence when the pain of shame, condemnation or abandonment comes, instead of falling into my own rebellious behavior patterns of hiding, running and blaming.

“AND EVERYTHING THAT DOES NOT COME FROM FAITH IS SIN” (Romans 14:23).

Jesus, I have learned that I can turn to one of two ways when I feel that I do not matter…that I do not count…that I am not worthy to be loved. I can turn to my own rebellious ways of saving myself from the pain of these lies…and consequently sin----or I can turn to You, Jesus to save me from these belittling lies of the father-of-lies.

Thank you, God, that You do not expect me to save myself, but to follow Your counsel and guidance into the Truth. This You call obedience…the opposite of sin. And this is done in faith.

“MANY TIMES HE DELIVERED THEM, BUT THEY WERE BENT ON REBELLION AND THEY WASTED AWAY IN THEIR SIN” (Psalm 106:43).

I love You, God!

April 6: When You Go through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

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FOR THIS PEOPLE'S HEART HAS BECOME CALLOUSED; THEY HARDLY HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES. OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS AND TURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM”
(Matthew 13:15).

Perfect Father, whenever I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I feel so alone. I feel so unloved. I feel so unlovable. Most of the time, I do not even understand what is going on…just that there is something wrong with me…and that I need help…that I need a way out.

I praise You, Father, for Your words of comfort, “My child, you are not alone. I am right here with you. Can you see Me? Can you hear Me? Do you understand with your heart that I AM very close? I want to heal you!”

“EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME” (PSALM 23:4).

Thank you, Father, that You already know what I need and that You have already planned a way to provide for me and to heal my heart. Help me to be still. Give me the words to surrender my Valley-of-Death experience to You so my ears would hear Your answer, my eyes would see Your solution and my heart would understand Your Will for my situation.

Thank you, God, that You are here!

April 7: Forgive Them, for They Do Not Know What They Are Doing

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“WHEN THEY CAME TO THE PLACE CALLED THE SKULL, THERE THEY CRUCIFIED HIM, ALONG WITH THE CRIMINALS—ONE ON HIS RIGHT, THE OTHER ON HIS LEFT. JESUS SAID, "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING." AND THEY DIVIDED UP HIS CLOTHES BY CASTING LOTS” (Luke 23:33-34).

Jesus, may I be able to forgive as You did. May I be able to say to my perpetrator, “I forgive you, because you did not know what you were doing.”

Jesus, I understand that a perpetrator does not know the extent of the hurt he is causing me when he lashes out at me or someone else. He is only focused on his own pain and reacting to his own heartache. He does not get the full scope of the result of his offense. He does not know what he is doing.

"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING."

Jesus, I understand that when someone rejects me, the father-of-lies uses it as an open door to hurl all the rejection at me that has ever occurred during my life. I do not only perceive the pain of the one offense, but the pain of a lifetime. I realize that the father-of-lies is responsible for this…not my perpetrator.

Jesus, I also realize that it is not what someone said or did to me that causes all the pain in my heart…but what I came to believe about myself because of what others said or did. The father-of-lies is responsible for this…not my perpetrator.

"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING."

Jesus, may I let go and forgive as You did. I do not want the father-of-lies to have his way with me. I will surrender my beliefs that resulted from the offenses, to You, so that I will be able to say, “Father, forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing.”

I honor You, Father, by forgiving as Jesus did!

April 8: Forgiveness Is not Only a Decision

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“IN ANGER HIS MASTER TURNED HIM OVER TO THE JAILERS TO BE TORTURED, UNTIL HE SHOULD PAY BACK ALL HE OWED. THIS IS HOW MY HEAVENLY FATHER WILL TREAT EACH OF YOU UNLESS YOU FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART" (Matthew 18:34).

People often tell me, “Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a decision! Just disregard your feelings. Then it is easy to forgive.” I have tried that. It does not work. Deep inside, my heart still remembers the pain.

“FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART”

Most High, I discovered that the only way I can forgive from the heart…is to not disregard my feelings…to not ignore my heart…to not make forgiveness just a cold decision. I need to do the exact opposite. I need to focus on my heart. I need to find out what it believes. I need to face the pain.

Open my eyes to see that in order to forgive someone from my heart, I need a healed heart…and You, Jesus was broken so I can be healed!

God of the impossible, strengthen me so I would not be afraid to face any pain that is seated in my heart. Let Your Truth minister to my heart so it can be healed…and I will be able to forgive from the heart.

“FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART”

I love You, Father, by forgiving from my heart!

April 9: Forgive from the Heart

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God of the fatherless, in this life we have many accusers and many accusations hurled at us…and these hurt a lot. Sometimes, the accusations hurt so much that we do not even think we would ever be able to walk upright again from the burden that was placed on our shoulders. But, in spite of the burden of being accused, You want us to forgive…to forgive from our heart.”

Most High, I know that I cannot forgive from a broken heart. Therefore, I ask You to heal my heart from the burden of being accused. Work Your Power in me so that I can examine my heart carefully and detect all the other negative destructive beliefs underneath the accusations that cause my heart to be broken. Maybe I will find beliefs of loneliness, rejection and being unprotected and exposed to my perpetrators.

“FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART”

Jesus, work Your Truth in my heart so I may be able to forgive from my heart And when I cannot forgive, shine Your Light on me so I can find out what is really hindering me from forgiving I authorize You to bring me to the place in my heart that is hurting so much that it keeps me from forgiving. When I find that place, I will expose it to You, Jesus…so You could lead me into forgiveness.

Thank you, Jesus, for Your Power!

April 10: Bitterness…the Heart of Stone

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“MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH ALL MEN AND TO BE HOLY; WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD. 15SEE TO IT THAT NO ONE MISSES THE GRACE OF GOD AND THAT NO BITTER ROOT GROWS UP TO CAUSE TROUBLE AND DEFILE MANY” (Hebrews 12:14,15).

Dear Savior, oftentimes, we go through experiences where someone affronts and vexes us and causes a lot of injury to our heart. We become bitter. We bristle with resentment and animosity. We become hostile, harsh and sour.

Precious Jesus, shine Your Light in my heart so I can see the consequences of bitterness…that bitterness in my heart could destroy everything I have---my marriage…my friendships…my own life. Bring me to the place where I can ask, “Is this bitterness and resentment in my heart really what I want?”

“I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART AND PUT A NEW SPIRIT IN YOU; I WILL REMOVE FROM YOU YOUR HEART OF STONE AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH.”
(Ezekiel 36:26).

Precious Savior, I realize it is not the stones people hurl at me that cause bitterness, but the stones that grow in my heart. I bring all bitterness in my heart to You. I know that I do not have the power to release my heart from bitterness. It is a God-sized job. Remove my heart of stone and give me a new heart. Put Your Spirit of Love in me. I am willing.

“SEE TO IT THAT NO…BITTER ROOT GROWS UP TO CAUSE TO…DEFILE MANY”

Thank you, God, for being my Savior!

April 11: But God Intended It for Good

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“YOU INTENDED TO HARM ME, BUT GOD INTENDED IT FOR GOOD TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT IS NOW BEING DONE, THE SAVING OF MANY LIVES.” (Genesis 50:20).

God of Light, I will not despair of any evil done against me…the injury…the depravity…the immorality. I understand that my perpetrators might have meant evil against me; BUT YOU, GOD will cancel the effects of evil done against me…if I yield it to Your Power and Control.

“YOU INTENDED TO HARM ME, BUT GOD INTENDED IT FOR GOOD…”

Therefore, I yield any evil done against me…to Your Power, so that You can turn it into good in my heart.

I bring You any abandonment I suffered and yield it to Your Love, so that You can turn it into belongingness in my heart. I bring you any unjust blame and yield all condemnation to Your Holiness, so that You can turn it into acceptance in my heart. I bring You any shame I had experienced at the hand of smooth criminals and yield it to Your Truth, so that You can turn it into glory.

Thank you, God, that You intend it for good!

April 12: Jesus Did Not Come to be Served….but to Serve

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“…..THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY” (Matthew 20:28).

Jesus, I celebrate that You have been raised from the dead…to become my Life.

Jesus, I marvel that ultimately You did not come to be served by me, but to serve me…to care for me…to minister to me. In the first place it is not about what I do for You...but what You do for me. It is not about how useful I am to You, but how valuable You are to me. You exchange Your life for mine so I can be unchained from sorrow…discharged from guilt…unyoked from the slavery of shameful habits.

“SO IT IS WRITTEN: "THE FIRST MAN ADAM BECAME A LIVING BEING"; THE LAST ADAM, A LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

Jesus, I also understand that it is not about what I have done in the past that was wrong….but about what You have done in the past…that was right. You died for me…and became alive for me…to offer Yourself, a life-giving Spirit…to me.

“THEN JESUS DECLARED, "I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. HE WHO COMES TO ME WILL NEVER GO HUNGRY, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME WILL NEVER BE THIRSTY”
(John 6:35).

Bread of Life, I receive You in my heart so my hunger for Hope can be stilled…so my longing for Righteousness can be satisfied…so my yearning for Wholeness can be fulfilled. I accept that it is only after I have received from You, that I can give back to You, because without You, I have no life and no light.

“IN HIM WAS LIFE, AND THAT LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN” (John 1:4).

I receive You, Jesus, as my Life!

April 13: Sometimes, You Have to Walk through the Mud

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“LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD. 3CONSIDER HIM WHO ENDURED SUCH OPPOSITION FROM SINFUL MEN, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT GROW WEARY AND LOSE HEART” (Hebrews 12:2, 3).

God of the impossible, sometimes I realize that I have to walk through the mud to get to the other side where the road is dry and smooth. Sometimes the mud lies across the width of my path and there is no way around it except to go through it.

God of Light, we all have “mud” in our lives…things like sexual abuse, injustice and shame. We might say that we do not want to walk through the mud, because it will contaminate us…corrupt and stain us. But these beliefs are already contaminating our mind, since it is not the circumstances that are causing the shame and stain, but what we came to believe about ourselves because of the circumstances.

Therefore, I will walk through the mud since I have already been spoken clean by Your Words “It is finished.” I will face the childhood abuse. I will look the sexual offenses in the eye. I will confront the shame…the mistreatments …the foulness. I will not be afraid to follow You through the mud to the other side, because when I walk through the mud I offer You the chance to erase the stain from my mind.

“YOU ARE ALREADY CLEAN BECAUSE OF THE WORD I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU.”
(JOHN 15:3). "IT IS FINISHED” (John 19:30).

Thank you, Jesus, that I have been spoken clean!

April 23: Work out Your Own Salvation

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THEREFORE, MY BELOVED, AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS OBEYED, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, BUT NOW MUCH MORE IN MY ABSENCE, WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING” (Philippians 2:12).

Perfect Father, I draw near to You to work out my own salvation with serious caution…taking ownership and responsibility for my own pain and weaknesses. I realize that it is my obligation to submit my own load of shame, abandonment and condemnation to You for deliverance, instead of falling into anger and jealousy, blaming others for my own heartache. I heed the warning that I will have to give account for every careless word I have spoken in anger, jealousy and hatred.

“BUT I TELL YOU THAT MEN WILL HAVE TO GIVE ACCOUNT ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT FOR EVERY CARELESS WORD THEY HAVE SPOKEN. 37FOR BY YOUR WORDS YOU WILL BE ACQUITTED, AND BY YOUR WORDS YOU WILL BE CONDEMNED” (Matthew 12:36).

Everlasting Father, I realize that You have sent Your son, Jesus, to be my Savior, but it is my responsibility to accept Your Grace. You have sent the Spirit of Truth to guide me into all Truth, but it is my obligation to turn in the negative destructive beliefs of my mind, so I could be set free by the Truth. You have sent Jesus to be the Light of the World, but it is my responsibility to bring my darkness to Him. Christ’s Power is made perfect in weakness, but it is my obligation to recognize and accept my weakness, so that Christ’s Power may rest on me.

I honor You!

April 24: Jealousy...the Plank in Your Eye

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"WHY DO YOU LOOK AT THE SPECK OF SAWDUST IN YOUR BROTHER'S EYE AND PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE PLANK IN YOUR OWN EYE? (Matthew 7:3).

Jesus, help me to be wary when jealousy bursts forth in my life, because jealousy is usually a sign that I have a plank in my own eye.

HOW CAN YOU SAY TO YOUR BROTHER, 'LET ME TAKE THE SPECK OUT OF YOUR EYE,' WHEN ALL THE TIME THERE IS A PLANK IN YOUR OWN EYE? (Matthew 7:4).

Jesus, I understand that this plank can come in many forms. There is the plank of feeling that I fall short compared to the other person…the plank of feeling I am not special compared to the other person…the plank of feeling that I am not as good as the other person, and all these will cause me to be jealous. I recognize that when I am consumed with jealousy, it is not a good time to focus my gaze on the speck in my brother’s eye. Looking through my plank at my brother, I will not have a clear view of the truth. His speck will not look like a smidgen anymore, but like an ugly blemish…a stain…a flaw.

YOU HYPOCRITE, FIRST TAKE THE PLANK OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE, AND THEN YOU WILL SEE CLEARLY TO REMOVE THE SPECK FROM YOUR BROTHER'S EYE”
(Matthew 7:5).

Jesus, make me alert during bouts of jealousy so I would know that during jealousy my perception of my brother will be obscured… indiscernible…and dark. May I be determined to first clear up my own feelings of shame…my own feelings of unworthiness…my own feelings of rejection. Then I will notice that the speck in my brother’s eye is just that…a speck.

I honor You!

April 25: Live in the Present

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“FROM THE FULLNESS OF HIS GRACE WE HAVE ALL RECEIVED ONE BLESSING AFTER ANOTHER” (John 1:16).

Jesus, teach me to live in the fullness of Your Grace…to live in the abundance of each blessing that is available to me here in this place, this very moment. Let me realize each day that Your Grace is enough for me for right now…if I do not invite the past and the future to participate in the present. From the fullness of Your Grace, You will provide tomorrow’s blessings when tomorrow comes.

“THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, FOR TOMORROW WILL WORRY ABOUT ITSELF. EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE OF ITS OWN” (Matthew 6:34).

Jesus, may I live in the blessing of Hope that is available to me now, at this moment in time, through Your Grace. May I take pleasure in the now…make good use of it…have a good time. Teach me to not anticipate the hopelessness of tomorrow or waste away in the failures of yesterday, because You, the God of Hope, stands ready to fill me with Your Joy and Peace now, in the present, as I trust in You to fill me with Hope through the power of Your Holy Spirit.

“GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD” (Matthew 6:11).

Jesus, lift me with everlasting arms to flourish in the blessing of Peace that is available to me through You, the Lord of Peace, right now, this very hour. May I make each moment count…rejoice in it…make the most of it, so I would not melt away in the anxiety of the past or lose strength in the expectations of the future. Thank you, Lord of Peace, that You stand ready to give me Your Peace at this moment in time for my immediate circumstances.

Thank you, God, for my daily bread!

April 26: Do This in Order to Have Fellowship with God

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Perfect Father, this is the message I have heard from You…that You are Light…and in You there is no darkness at all…and if I claim to have fellowship with You, yet walk in the darkness, I lie, and do not live by the Truth.

Thank you Jesus, that fellowship with You takes the darkness away, because real fellowship with You brings everlasting Truth…and Your Truth sets me free from all darkness.

I bring You the darkness that is the result of the falseness that lives in my mind. May I refrain from always relying on my own opinion...just to win an argument. Instead, may I humble myself when You tug at my heart and whisper to me that I have a false belief in my mind. May I confess that I am wrong and surrender that belief to You, because it is more important for me to live by the Truth and have fellowship with You, God, than to win an argument.

Jesus, strengthen me with Your Grace to forgive my spouse, my friend…my enemy…not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because I yearn to walk in the Light and enjoy intimate fellowship with You.

Thank You God, for being my Light!

April 27: The Birth of Sin

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“WHEN TEMPTED, NO ONE SHOULD SAY, "GOD IS TEMPTING ME." FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED BY EVIL, NOR DOES HE TEMPT ANYONE” (James 1:13).

Thank you, God, that You do not tempt anyone. How good to know that my temptations do not come from You, but from the father-of-lies who has no hold on You…but instead has been conquered by You.

“BUT EACH ONE IS TEMPTED WHEN, BY HIS OWN EVIL DESIRE, HE IS DRAGGED AWAY AND ENTICED” (James 1:14).

Thank you, God, for defining temptation… that I am tempted if I am dragged away by the lie of shame…I fall short…the father-of-lies had embedded in my mind long ago…that I am tempted if I am enticed by the lie of condemnation…I am deemed bad… the father-of-lies had infused in my mind as a child…that I am tempted if I am removed from your Presence by the lie of abandonment…I have been left… the father-of-lies had lodged in my mind in the past.

“THEN, AFTER DESIRE HAS CONCEIVED, IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN; AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FULL-GROWN, GIVES BIRTH TO DEATH” (James 1:15).

God, I understand that if I accept and believe the lies of shame, condemnation and abandonment that the father-of-lies had injected in my mind as a child, I will react to these lies and give birth to sin, because I will fabricate my own set of sinful behavior patterns to cover the pain of the enemy’s lies. This leads to death…every day of my life here on earth.

“BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO PERSEVERES UNDER TRIAL, BECAUSE WHEN HE HAS STOOD THE TEST, HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE THAT GOD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM” (James 1:12).

May I stay in Your Truth, Love and Hope, because when I have stood the temptation instead of being dragged away by the negative destructive beliefs of the father-of-lies, I will have Life…every day here on this earth.

Thank you, God, for the crown of Life!

April 28: Meditate on These Things

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“FINALLY, BRETHREN, WHATEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE NOBLE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, WHATEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT, IF THERE IS ANY VIRTUE AND IF THERE IS ANYTHING PRAISEWORTHY—MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS”
(Philippians 4:8).

Perfect Father, I will meditate on thoughts that rejoice with the Truth, because the Truth sets me free…the Truth sanctifies…the Truth preserves me. Your Truth endures to all generations. Through Truth iniquity is purged.

“THE LORD DETESTS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WICKED, BUT THOSE OF THE PURE ARE PLEASING TO HIM” (Proverbs 15:26).

Everlasting Father, let me meditate on Your Love that keeps me whole. Let me ponder Your Peace that transcends all understanding. Let me dwell on Your Hope that quells all hopelessness. Let me reflect on Your Power that is at work within me. Let me contemplate the Wisdom that comes from Heaven and is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Abba Father, may I celebrate You, with whom all things are possible. Jesus, may I proclaim You, without whom I am nothing. Holy Spirit, may I exalt You, whom the Father sent to be my Comforter.

“BUT THE WISDOM THAT COMES FROM HEAVEN IS FIRST OF ALL PURE; THEN PEACE-LOVING, CONSIDERATE, SUBMISSIVE, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUIT, IMPARTIAL AND SINCERE”
(James 3:17).

Mighty God, I meditate on You!

April 29: Allow Jesus to Forgive through You

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“JESUS SAID, "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus, You are the perfect Forgiver. Even though Your offenders nailed You to the cross to die, You did not blame them. You did not repay evil with evil. You did not keep a record of their wrongs. You forgave.

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

Abba Father, today I realize that the Spirit of the same Jesus who forgives perfectly, resides in my heart… for You sent the spirit of Your Son into my heart.

Therefore, I surrender the person I am unable to forgive…to You, Jesus, the perfect Forgiver, whose Spirit lives in my heart. Jesus, You know how to give up resentment of something done against You. If the abomination is too big…I release it to You, Jesus, the perfect Forgiver, whose Spirit lives in my heart. You know how to forgive a debt. If the wrongs are too many…I release them to You, Jesus, the perfect Forgiver, whose Spirit lives in my heart. You know how to forgive an enemy. If the judging against me was just too unfair…I release it to You, Jesus, the perfect Forgiver, whose Spirit lives in my heart. You know how to grant forgiveness to an offender.

Thank you, Jesus, that You will do what I am unable to do…You will forgive.

I praise You for being in my heart!

April 30: Inherit Your Blessing

“FINALLY, ALL OF YOU, LIVE IN HARMONY WITH ONE ANOTHER; BE SYMPATHETIC, LOVE AS BROTHERS, BE COMPASSIONATE AND HUMBLE. 9DO NOT REPAY EVIL WITH EVIL OR INSULT WITH INSULT, BUT WITH BLESSING, BECAUSE TO THIS YOU WERE CALLED SO THAT YOU MAY INHERIT A BLESSING. 11HE MUST TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD” (1 Peter 3:8-11).

God, as I do not repay evil with evil, but forgive, let me not look for a blessing from the person I had to forgive…but expect and inherit my blessing from You.

Most High, I know that You took notice of my forgivingness. I know You paid attention when I did not repay insult with insult, even though I knew my offender was wrong and I had many reasons to pay him back with insult. I know You were a witness when I took my offender’s evil upon myself. May I inherit Your perfect blessing for not repaying evil with evil, even though I knew the truth and could have gotten myself off the hook.

Father, I look forward to Your blessing that You have for me because I was sympathetic, compassionate and humble. To this I was called so that I may inherit a blessing from You, the Father of Compassion and all Comfort.

DO NOT REPAY EVIL WITH EVIL OR INSULT WITH INSULT, BUT WITH BLESSING, BECAUSE TO THIS YOU WERE CALLED SO THAT YOU MAY INHERIT A BLESSING.

God, to You I look for a blessing!