Father, we are abundantly blessed with foods of all kinds, both vegetable and fruit, meat and bread. Thank you for those who diligently work the land and reap the harvest that we might place food on our tables and be nurtured physically. You make the grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth. All we have needed Your hand hath provided. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Amen.

Father, I ask you to help me to be serious about dealing with everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles me. Help me not to play around with these matters that hold me captive and bring destruction. Put to death any desire or behavior which resurrects my earthly nature. I want to be separated from that which is evil and wholly consecrated to You. It is in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Father, You have taught us to be very careful how we live, not as unwise but as wise followers of Jesus, the very essence of Truth. In today’s society of noncommittal attitudes or “whatever rings your bell” way of thinking (or non-thinking) we choose to be committed, sober, and vigilant about the way we live our lives in accordance to what we believe. We walk as sensible, thinking people with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who don’t know or care about the meaning of life here or the life yet to come. We care deeply about the temporal and eternal destiny of our lives and therefore we seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness above all. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Father, we solemnly consider the catastrophic impact that terrorists have permanently etched in our painful memories from events of 9/11/01. Though we witnessed mayhem and saw evil at its worst, mercifully, we also witnessed acts of goodness at their best. We are not without hope, for we know that You are a God of hope that fills believers with all joy and peace as they trust in You, so that they may overflow with hope by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help us to spread the overflowing, enduring hope that does not diminish in the midst of evil, but instead it focuses our hearts on the holy city, the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem where Your presence is with Your people. Where You will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain, because all the old ways are gone, for You will make all things new. Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

Father, we pray for our fathers, grandfathers, husbands and sons that they will pursue godliness above any earthly pursuit. We pray that they will resist the temptation to fall into the devil’s trap where foolishness and harmful desires will plunge them to ruin resulting in disappointment, loss and heartache. Help them to flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Help them to lead their families in the good fight of faith as they take hold of eternal life. Make them strong in their faith so that they throw away anything that hinders their spiritual walk. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Father, the devil communicates with us daily by tempting us to do that which displeases you. It seems there are days when he talks non-stop. But You make a way of escape as we come to You in prayer, as we search and apply the Scriptures, and as we practice self-control. We can endure temptation by keeping our hearts pure and our eyes fixed upon the future rewards that come from obeying You and walking in Your ways. Amen.

Father, Your creation has unlimited visual stimuli that is seen by our eyes today, but according to Scripture even our heart and our mind can see. Many philosophies and principles come to us through our mind, but we want the eyes of our heart to embrace only that which will keep our hearts pure, that sorts truth from error, good from bad. May the eyes of our heart reject teachings that are inconsistent with our spiritual enlightenment. Help us to sharpen and narrow our heart’s vision to escape the broad way that leads to destruction. Keep our eyes open to the good things You want to reveal and shut our eyes to the “god of this age” whose goal it is to lead us to spiritual poverty and death. In Your name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Father, the greatest blessing in trusting You is the confidence we walk in as we look to You for everything that we have need of. Jeremiah draws the contrast of those who depend on humans for strength and have stopped trusting in You. They don’t know about the good things that You can give because they are unwilling to surrender their all to You. But we who have walked across the bridge of salvation chose to place our trust in You. We have found You to be faithful. In place of cringing fear we walk in confident faith because it is not in ourselves that we trust but in the Living God who is trustworthy in all areas of our lives. Now, we ask for grace to trust You even more. Amen.

Father, the world often bases a person’s success on his or her wealth, prestige, power, appearance, fame, youthfulness, education, etc. But we are often at conflict with the world since we are citizens of the heavenly kingdom. Obedience to Your Word, with its principles and commands, and the seeking of Your commendation will put us at odds with the view of a successful life here on earth. We don’t seek commendations from this world where our rewards gather dust, rust, break or lose prestige. Rather we follow after Jesus who grants to us the inheritance of the kingdom You have prepared from the foundation of the world. May that future promise bring great rejoicing with overflowing thankfulness from our hearts this day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Father, there is nothing we can do or say to merit salvation. It is a gift freely extended to all who believe because Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. He washed our sin stained garments with the blood He shed on Calvary’s tree. Thank You, Father, for accepting Christ’s blood as a complete payment for our crimson stains allowing us to stand before You in garments white as snow. What a relief and unspeakable blessing it is to know that we have a place in heaven reserved for all eternity because of Jesus. It is in His name that we give You praise and thanksgiving. Amen.