Father, You’ve called us all to a life of obedience. This includes the command that we are to raise our families in such a way that they will come to know You and grow in godliness in accordance to their individual faith. We also have opportunity to influence others for Jesus as we follow the great commission in reaching out to those who don’t know Him, whether it’s our neighbor, co-worker, team member or the homeless living on the streets. We want to make a difference in our world, one person at a time, since You touch individual hearts for the kingdom one at a time. We want to faithfully do our part through Christ Jesus our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen.

Father, we want to show our love to friends in regular conversation and in tangible ways as we reach out to them and express personal interest in their lives. Proverbs 17:17 teaches us that “Friends always show their love”, not only in the good times but we share together in times of trouble upholding, supporting, and bearing their burdens with them on their life’s journey. As we mutually bear our burdens we are strengthened and encouraged together. Our lives are greatly enriched by the friendships we establish and grow from day to day. Amen.

Father, we know that without a fresh manifestation of Your Holy Spirit power in our lives, our faith will not prevail in the midst of the evil that abounds in our day. Just as Habakkuk pleaded for You to manifest Yourself to Him, we also pray for renewal in our spirit so that we remain a part of the faithful remnant fully committed to You. We choose to rejoice in the Lord our God who enables us to hold tightly to our godly faith in the midst of enemy invasion. We pray for deliverance and sustaining power so that we emerge victorious during the battle even as Job declared, “Though God slay me yet I’ll trust Him”. Amen.

Father, much like Barnabas the encourager, we want to be uplifting to our brothers and sisters, our family members, and others we see from day to day. There are those who’ve left us with stinging reminders of their hurtful words often accompanied by painful actions. Gratefully, there are others who have brought us strength and encouragement through their words of affirmation, hope, challenge, and helpful instruction. They remained supportive of us when others gave up. Help us to be numbered among the encouragers as we live in these perilous days where confusion abounds and deceitfulness is rampant. May we encourage others not only by our words but also by our steady, consistent, Christian lifestyle. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Father, we consider the greatest proof of genuine love is when one lays down his life for another. We are grateful recipients of Christ’s substitutionary death for us – the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Thank You for proving Your genuine love as You endured the greatest test of love and presented the greatest gift to humankind – forgiveness for our sins. We’re eternally grateful and, though we have not seen, by faith we do believe. Amen.