Father, You know the true content of my heart though others may be fooled by my words and actions. So it is with You that I must keep a short account and pray from a genuine heart that I will act in accordance to Your revealed will and think upon those things which are honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. Thoughts form in my mind before they are spoken from my mouth, so I pray that You would purify my mind, keep my tongue from evil, and enable me to stand for that which is honorable in Your sight so that I pass the tests of life and hear you say, “I am pleased with your integrity.” In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Father, it’s been said that “courage is fear that said its prayers”. And it’s true that You can change our hearts and outlook even when the circumstances have not changed. But it requires our dependency on You through persevering in prayer which results in absolute trust. We can be assured of Your eternal encouragement and good hope as it encourages our hearts and strengthens us in every good deed and word. It is through Christ Jesus our Lord that we pray in faith believing that You turn tragedy into triumph, as You work out all things together for our good. Amen.

Father, we ask You to not only open our eyes to that which is around us, but we ask You to open the eyes of our hearts so that we might envision that which is true and that which is false on a spiritual level. When we hide Your Word in our hearts we more quickly discern that which masquerades as good, but its source is from one of Satan’s servants “masquerading as a servant of righteousness.” Because Your Spirit reigns in our hearts and knowledge from Scripture fills our minds, we affirm that which is Scriptural and reject that which is heresy. May we ever be vigilant in attaining Scriptural knowledge and fervent in prayer as we encounter the gods of this age. In the matchless and true name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Father, it is not by mistake but by Your design that we experience the detours of life that give us perspective in a way that nothing else does. Though we see others who travail in difficulty, it is particularly difficult when we ourselves experience tough terrain that we seek to understand Your purpose for the trial we are enduring. Help us to persevere in the midst of uncertainty and unfamiliar landscape. May we find joy in the simple pleasures we overlooked when life’s journey was routine and uninterrupted by the surprise bends in the road or difficult detours that bring about delay or a change of plans. May the testing of our faith bring about maturity and give us a new perspective that makes us stronger in our faith and more effective in our witness to those around us. May they see a grateful spirit in us even as we undergo difficulty so that we glorify Your name rather magnify our problems. Amen.

Father, You are the Divine cardiologist who knows the very inmost part of my spiritual heart. People see only the outward person when I am proficient at presenting myself differently than the person I really am inside, but I cannot hide from You that which comes from my inward parts. You liken the heart to that which is the most central part of our emotions and character. I invite You to not only search my heart, but I ask You to remove the offensive contaminants such as jealousy, bitterness, disobedience, rage, or any other impurity that destroys my soul, for no one but You can heal all my soul’s diseases. *I praise You, Lord, for cleansing me from sin. Fulfill Your word and make me pure within. Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame; grant my desire to magnify Your name. Amen.

Father, there is nothing on earth that compares with the joy and peace that wells up within our hearts when our sins are forgiven and we begin our journey on the straight and narrow path that leads to righteousness. There are many other messages out there attempting to detour us from the straight and narrow path. Certainly there are testings and trials that will weigh us down or attempt to sidetrack us. But we believe these testings will become a testimony in our lives of the Good News that Jesus who is the Christ has forever changed us. It spurs us on to share this good news with others to equip for them for here and now, and prepare them for eternity in heaven. May we be faithful in sowing the seeds. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Father, all that we have is a gift from You, including that which comes to us through the work of our hands. You provide for us as you see beforehand all that we have need of. We’re confident that You bless people who work by the sweat of their brow, responsibly caring for those in their charge. For some who have lost their jobs and fear that their home or life savings is in jeopardy we pray that You would open a door of gainful employment. Until then it is reassuring to know that Your daily provisions come in the most unexpected ways when it is not within our own ability to earn an income. Help us to remember that no matter what our circumstance we are entirely reliant on Your benevolent kindness to us. Amen.

Father, we want to thank You for diversity in the body of Christ. There is so much incredible variety in personalities, giftings, ethnicity, and varied interests. As we dwell together in unity You help us to become like minded, having the same love, being of one accord. Your work goes forward when we set aside our personal agenda, and for the sake of the body, focus on that which we have in common with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord, as much as it is possible, help us to be at peace with our church family, our immediate and extended family as well that You have blessed us with. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Father, we marvel at the miracles Jesus performed, as recorded in the New Testament. Taking a young boy’s small lunch and feeding 5,000 men along with their wives and families is beyond our imagination. And then to have leftovers from such a setting is amazing. Just as the disciples and the crowd learned so much about Jesus through His feeding of the crowd we too learn that nothing is impossible with You. We also learn from this story that You are a resourceful God when Jesus instructed that the leftovers be collected rather than tossed. Help us to be good stewards of all that You provide for us showing us how to be creative and generous toward others as well. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Father, the light and power of Your glory now shines within our perishable containers, that is, in our weak and aging bodies. You plan it this way so that all can see that any glorious power seen in us is not our own but from You. In the midst of our ups and downs, we pray that our bodies constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in us. That is why we never give up. Though our mortal bodies may be perishing, our spirits can be renewed daily. Though we suffer unending discomfort and troubles the time is short when compared to the time of eternity, and on the up-side they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! As we grow older we seek to be stalwarts of the faith in our homes, churches and communities. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.