Monday
The Blood Cleanses
And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many (Mark 14:23-24 NLT).
Jesus poured out His blood to cover the sin of the world. Not just the sin of the time that He lived, but the sin of all time; the past, present, and future. He shed His blood for the sin that destroys our families. He bled and died for each of us.
How are you living your life? How are you showing that you believe that Christ died for you? What are you doing with your life to glorify His name? Is it evident by your “fruit” that you come from the Good Tree?
Lord God, forgive us for not living a life that glorifies You. We are broken people, living in a broken world. We can't get through this life without You. Save us from ourselves, Lord. Pull us back into your grasp. Forgive us, Lord. We are sinners. Amen.
Folks, we are saved only by the grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. We can only be saved through this grace by our faith in Christ and what He did on the cross. Thanks be to our heavenly Father for rolling the rock away from the tomb and raising Jesus to new life. Through Christ's death, burial and resurrection, we are able to walk as He did, from this life to everlasting life with You, Father God.
Thanks be to You, Father. We praise Your Holy Name. Amen.
Tuesday
Petition His Help
Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy (Psalms 28:6 NLT).
It seems that more and more people are struggling with life issues right now. Many people are in need of God's grace, mercy, and love. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I can't remember seeing so many people hurting.
If you are one of many that are experiencing a hard time or situation, I have a simple question for you. Have you asked and prayed to God for His mercy and help, in the trial that you are going through? If not, He might be waiting on your petition for His help.
Father God, we praise Your holy name. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace. We ask that you act mightily in the lives of those that come to Your throne for help. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Wednesday
Prayerfully Yours, Lord
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations (Psalm 119:105-106 NLT).
Join me today in prayer. I pray that God will use our petitions of prayer to do amazing things in our lives and in our nation.
Let us pray together.
Lord, we come humbly before Your throne to ask that You guide our path, today and forever. We ask this for ourselves and for all those that read these words. We have all stumbled and continue to struggle with life. We need You Lord and Your direction for our lives.
Lord, we ask specifically that you will give us discernment for Your will. We also intercede, for all those that are reading this, that You will provide them with a clear vision of what you would have them to do. Lord, lead us and direct us in Your perfect ways.
Father God, We also pray for our nation. Our nation is struggling with sin. We have removed You and Your instructions from our lives, our government, and our people. We are struggling as a nation with hate.
Lord, We lay these requests at the foot of the cross. We give you total control and ask that you meet our needs and Your mighty name be glorified. I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Thursday
Prayer Time
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter (Psalm 24:9 NLT).
What does your prayer life look like? Are you getting quality time with God? Are you getting some "alone time" with Him? Are you coming to Him with praise or just your wish list? Are you spending time listening for Him to speak? If so, when God speaks, do you act in obedience?
These are all valid questions that every follower of Christ should ask themselves. We should spend time each day with a devotion and prayer. Being a Christian is so much more than going to church on Sundays and Bible study on Wednesdays. We must develop that personal relationship with God. This relationship is founded by speaking and listening to God. He does hear our prayers. His timing is perfect and might not line up with our timetable. By waiting on His timetable, we will be challenged to rely on our faith. By our wait, our faith will grow.
If we want to grow deep in Jesus, we need to begin or extend your personal prayer time. Bring Him all your needs, no matter how small and be sure to praise Him for answered and also unanswered prayer. It's been said that unanswered prayer is sometimes the best answer that we can receive. God knows the big picture, we don't. Trust in Him.
Father God, help us to realize that we need our prayer time, daily, if not more often. Help us to be still and listen for Your instructions. Help us, Father, to understand that we can bring You any request, whether it be tiny or huge. Lord, help us to pray in Your will and not necessarily our wants. Father, thank You for loving us and hearing our pleas. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
Friday
Hope
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying (Romans 12:12 NLT).
Our hope is not in this world but in God. We will have trouble and trials as we walk on this earth, but God provides us the strength to endure. Stay strong and pray.
Dear Lord, thank You for your unfailing love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Saturday
God's Light, Not Ours
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16 NLT).
Serve others, love others, work for the betterment of others and shine Christ's Light for all to see.
Take no credit, but give God all the glory because we can do nothing without Him. With Jesus, all things are possible.
Thank You, Lord, for Your continual hand of guidance. We also thank You for Your rod of correction when we go astray. Lead us and direct us so that we might do Your work. Help us to see Your plan for our lives and let us strive to abide in You and share Your love, mercy, and grace with this lost and dying world. We pray in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. Amen.
Sunday
All Are Sinners
Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise you.
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the
right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar (Psalm 51 1-19).
None of us can escape the fact that we are broken. We are sinners from the beginning to the end of our lives. We seek things of this world. We seek things of pleasure. We seek everything but what we need. We need You, Lord.
Even when we turn from You Lord, You never leave us or deny us. The denial is only on our end. You are ever forgiving, full of grace and mercy, we are the insubordinate, spoiled child.
Forgive us, Lord. We have sinned. We have sinned against You and have chosen our path, rather than Yours. Dear Lord, lead us back to You and Your path for our lives. Through the saving grace of our Lord and Savior, we pray these things. Amen.
