We should delight in the Lord that delights in us. We should sing songs of praise continually. Thanking the maker of heaven and earth for the lives we live. We are made to worship. But, what are we worshiping? If we are not spending our days prayerfully exalting the Lord, we are falling short of God’s glory. He deserves our praise. When praise does not rest on our tongues, our hearts become hardened. How are we living our faith? Are we resting on the idols of our every day or are we lifting the Lord in praise. Many of us spend our days finding worth in things other than our God. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life on the cross to change our crimson stained clothes to white. He took our sin. When we set idols in our midst…jobs, clothes, vanity (the list is endless)…we are taking the Lord’s sacrifice for granted. Tarnishing the Light of Christ should never be our desire…we should be boldly singing His praise and lifting Him high. We must spend each day entering into the realm of the Lord. When we do our lives are transformed and we are made new. He has created in us a spirit of worship…what will you chose to exalt?

Dear Lord,
Thank you for filling my mouth with praise. Thank you for putting a spirit of thanksgiving in my heart. Thank you for your Word and its power to heal and soothe and LOVE.
Please forgive me Father when I place objects and people on Your throne. Please forgive me when I spend time worshiping anything but you. Please remind me when I stray.
I praise you Lord for you are MIGHTY and STRONG. You are BEAUTIFUL and GENTLE. Thank you for loving me in spite of my stains…to You be the GLORY! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I am not great at submitting to my husband…he is very good at loving me. I tend to be extremely willful; this does not make for harmony. I like my ideas and opinions…I tend rest in them, even when they go against the opinions of my husband-the ones that perhaps at times I should yield to. When I am submissive our life has a cadence of righteousness…we are following God’s plan for marriage. I get embroiled in my own self-righteousness and have trouble following my husband’s lead. To be submissive is not letting your husband lead you into danger or harm or anything ungodly…but rather to yield to his God-given authority and dominion over the family. God created men and women so very different. He created us to be compliments to one another. Both lives play very important roles in the marriage. Just as Christ loves the church…so should a husband love his wife and a wife should yield and submit to the authority of her husband. When we go against the design, our married lives can become entangled in frustration and discontent. Today…this second day of lent, I will make a prayerful commitment to follow my husband’s lead, acting as his helpmate…loving him with God’s heart, for the Lord created us to love each other!
Dear God,
Thank you so much for your design to love and honor one another. Thank you for the gift of marriage.
I pray that you would forgive me as you forgave Eve. Forgive me when my heart is hardened to my husband’s desires. Forgive us both when we do not live up to Your word.
Thank you, Lord for my dear husband. Thank you for creating us for each other. Time of trial bring us closer together…allowing us to love with Your heart and not our own. I pray that I am able to be like Sarah and submit to You first and then to my husband. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Be joyful always…that’s a tall order. But joy is not happy. Happy is an emotion we feel; joy is a state of being. In Christ we can always be joyful. He took our sins and washed them clean away. He fills us with His joy. Pray continually…always without stopping. The name of my Savior should always be on my tongue. I should spend my day, in every circumstance, praising and thanking and asking my Savior to receive my prayers. I should be dwelling in Him as I walk through my day. But do I? My church (I call it mine, because it is home, if you are seeking ask the Lord to give you not just a church…but a church home.) is celebrating 40 days of prayer. Our hearts’ desire is to fill the alter with thousands of prayer requests from all over our community…my heart’s desire is to fill my mouth with prayer requests-to the Lord; continually. I need to speak to Him and listen to Him all day, every day. He asks me to do this…pray continually. I will oblige. I serve a God of compassion and forgiveness. In this big world we live in; under the stars and sky; amidst all He created-He desires to hear my heart-continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus…He wants us to thank Him, because He is ALWAYS present, in everything we do, God is with us!

Dear Father God,
I am so grateful to you, you are the mighty KING! You reign over heaven and earth…yet, you see me. You hear me. You love me…greater than I can fathom.
Forgive me Father when I don’t offer to You my prayers and thanksgiving and praise. Forgive me when I feel that I can handle my life better than You can…Lord I am so fallen! Thank you for lifting me up and giving me strength…Your strength!
Today, Lord, I will walk hand in hand with You. I will seek Your face in all circumstances…singing songs of praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In the midst of our trials it is right to give thanks and praise to the Lord. He allows things to happen that are displeasing and unsettling. He does this to secure our faith in Him. When we are struck by affliction, we have to be prudent in our thanksgiving to the Lord. He will see us through every trial. He gives us a secure place to rest. He creates in us a spirit of calm and peace. Casting our cares on Him releases the burden from our heart allowing us to live fully in His promise to never harm us but to bring us HOPE. Cast your cares unto the Lord. Take His yoke…it is light. He wants us to rely completely on His sovereign grace. He is greater than the one in the world. He created time and space and He reigns over it all. He knows every obstacle you face…yesterday, today and tomorrow. You are His precious child; He will not let you suffer without Him. Turn your face to Him and bask in His greatness. Lean in close to hear His heart rejoicing in your songs of praise…even in the wilderness, be still and know that He is always with you.
Father,
To you goes the glory. You are mighty to protect your children. We praise you for the trials…they refine our character and bring us closer to You.
Please forgive me when I turn from you. Please forgive me when I forget that you are sovereign and perfect and You know my heart and what breaks it. Please forgive me when I try to rely on my own strength and not Yours.
Lord, thank you so much holding my heart in your hands…tenderly. Thank you for watching over me in the darkness, keeping me safe. Thank you for revealing Yourself to me in the midst of my heartache. I will rejoice in You always. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God is ever-present. He is always with me. There is no hiding place so secure that the Lord could not find me. He is in my heart, my mind, my home. He is in everything I do…everything. Each moment of the day I am able to call on the Lord. He is present in the midst of trial and triumph. I have found the best way for me to be present with the Lord is to remain firmly cemented in His word. His desire is for me to never turn my back on Him…but I do. All too often, I turn away in times of sin and shame. He remains. His hold on my heart is tighter than any chain of turmoil. He has a gentle grasp on my every emotion. He knows that I am incapable of navigating the waters of life on my own. He knows that without Him, I will crumble. He knows this so He stays…even as I stray. He gently whispers to me to come back to Him where I will be safe from harm. He will help me to sort through the array of discord and discontent, He will gently usher me back into His heart. He does this by GRACE. He loves me completely and wholly even when I am incapable of loving myself or Him wholly. He is always with me, welcoming me back into His arms by His mercy.

Dear Lord,
I praise you in the storm and under the rainbow. You are the great “I am”. You shelter me from harm and lift me high on wings like eagles. You are my sustenance. You complete me in ways no earthly being or object could. You alone deserve the praise for my life. It is by your mighty hand that I triumph over the trials of this world.
Please forgive me, Lord when I feel convicted by my own abilities…for they always fall short.
Thank you Lord for never leaving and always remaining in my heart. Thank you for rebuking me gently when I stray. Thank you for the life you have blessed me with…a life made to serve the living God.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I stumbled. In my efforts to follow a fast, I stumbled. As I was preparing that which caused me to fall short of my promise, I knew exactly what I was doing. I was consciously sinning. I was talking my way out of obedience and in to self-indulgence. My desires became more important than my efforts to keep my promise of fasting to the Lord. I repented as I continued to eat the delicious brownie sundae I had made. I do that often; succumb to my own desires instead of to the will of the Lord. I fall short…time and time again. I make lofty promises to the Lord. Imagine if He did that to me. I hold Him to the highest standard possible, because His word and His promises are true. He never falls short. He is always honest. I need to be like Him. How will the world know my Father if I am busy rebelling against Him? How will those who are without the Lord know how important He is to me if I am unfaithful to Him? How can I profess my obedience when I follow the desires of my heart and not His will?
I finished my sundae and repented. It’s not about the food. It’s about my word and how it was broken. After 12 days of obedience I decided I was deserving. Imagine if Jesus had thought that when tempted by the devil to turn rocks into bread as He fasted for 40 days. I shudder to think where we would be if Jesus fell into temptation. I praise the Lord for steady resolve and obedience. Our faith is not dictated by legalism, but by grace. Our path to Heaven is through the accepting of Jesus Christ on the cross not the amount of days we go without chocolate or the amount of money we put in the offering plate or the number of times we pray in a day. That’s the beauty of Christian faith, knowing that by grace-not works- we are saved.
I will continue to fast. I have nine days left of the promise I made to the Lord. He has blessed me in ways far greater than I could have ever imagined. I have heard Him in my soul. He has answered prayers. He has lavished me in His love in ways I never fathomed. He is the God of love and peace and joy. His desire for my life is to be fully immersed in Him. I denied myself that luxury last night…and all the other times I have willfully sinned against the one who washed me clean. I will bask in His mercy and grace today…for His mercies are new each day. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:23

Dear Father God,
Thank you for Your forgiveness and mercy and grace…they sustain me. I offer praise to you O Lord for Your compassion and love. You lavish me in Your will, keeping in me a tender conscience and a desire to please You. I am reminded of my inability to maintain a sinless life, but I am grateful for the grace you pour into me…as undeserving as I am.
Lord, I humbly ask Your forgiveness for my broken promise is a lie told to Your ear. You gently rebuke me in my Spirit; You bring to mind my need for a Savior to wash me clean of my sin-nature.
Thank you sweet and gracious, God. Thank you for loving me and training me and keeping me firmly planted in Your word. You are the creator of Heaven and Earth, yet Your greatest desire is my heart. I am humbled, I am Yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I was asked by a friend, who recently accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, if the words of the Old Testament are accurate and true? She went on to explain that a friend of hers, who is a Christian, said that the Old Testament was not true because it was written so long ago, to which I replied “The entire Bible is the Word of God.” It’s true, the entire Bible is true. As Christians the Bible is our handbook; our guide. It is imperative that we not take liberty with the Word. We mustn’t be “New Testament” believers. If we are to believe in the sovereignty of God through the blood of Jesus, then we must trust the sovereignty of the God of Abraham and Moses, David and Daniel, Ruth and Esther. The Word is truth. When we share the truth of God it is essential that we seek the Holy Spirit…for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. We have to rely on God and not on ourselves. We tend to add to and take away from the Truth. We tend to make the Word fit our lives as opposed to letting our lives fit the Word. When we live in the Word…seeking the Truth…submitting to the grace and mercy of the Lord, then and only then, will we be appropriate stewards of God’s heart.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the creator and perfector of our faith. Your word is sovereign and real and true. The ultimate TRUTH. I praise You that I do not have to rely on my own understanding or knowledge, and that You have so graciously put into words the blueprint for my life.
Please forgive me when I turn away from Your Truth, when I feel convicted by the lies of my heart.

Lord, please forgive me when I take liberty with Your heart…Your Word. Please forgive me when I am not bold enough to rebuke those around me who take liberty with the Truth.

Lord, You are perfect in all ways. You spell out, so understandably, the path you desire for our lives. Thank you, O gracious and loving God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Praising God is essential to our faith. He works for the good in all He does. His promises are true. Are we true in trusting Him? When I say I trust the Lord, do I mean it? With my whole heart? Am I capable of putting all my faith and trust in the Lord, especially in times of trial? Am I honest with myself when I profess my unconditional assurance of the good the Lord has in store for me? My answer would have to be a resounding NO! I am not always honest and truly trusting. In my effort to put my heart in His hands I fall short. I find myself relying on my own convictions…the same convictions that deceive me into believing that my plan is far greater than the Lord’s. Foolish! I must repent of my self-confidence. My plans have always failed and left me longing for the guidance of the Lord. Again, His mercy is so underserving yet it flows so freely…giving me life. I must trust, with complete honesty, His perfect plan for my life. I must trust that what my heart desires may not be what He desires for me. His heart is pure and good. So, be it as it may; my prayers may be answered with a “NO” or a “BE PATIENT”, and I must rest in His decisions because He knows what lies ahead. With every answer He gives, He offers it to perfect the plan he has already designed for my life. I will, in earnest, trust the Lord…honestly. I will praise Him, always.

Dear Lord,
I praise You for the perfect plan You have for my life. While I am not perfect and I do not profess to be…You are and so is Your design for my life. I give You the glory for the trials and victories. I praise You in the storm and under the rainbow. I praise You for Your never wavering, always honest life-giving promise to never forsake me.

Thank You for forgiving me and my shortcomings. Thank You for Your renewed mercies and grace. I am undeserving and I fall short each day…but You pick me up and You love me all the same. I am grateful.

Lord, I pray that Your gentle whisper would fill my ears with encouragement to always and honestly trust Your will. I am blessed by You, always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The knowledge of my family tree ends round about my great-grandparents. I am sure I would be intrigued by the accomplishments of my ancestors, but I have never had the inclination or taken the time to find out who or what they did. However, when I read Genesis in a Bible study last year I realized I am part of a spiritual family tree. I became intrigued…and humbled. I am an heir to the throne of God through my father Abraham. I am part of the greatest family ever created; the family of Christ. To think that I am a daughter of the King. I never thought of myself as royalty (yet my husband would disagree!). How did I get such privilege? Really quite easy…I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I didn’t have to learn to curtsy or what fork was used for what course, I just had to repent of my sins and accept that Jesus washed them all away on the Cross. I am part of a family rooted in LOVE. What more could my heart desire? I am part of a forgiving, loving, righteous family. God is so good!

Dear Father God,
So many of my days were spent mourning the loss of parents, long before I was awakened to the realization that I have a father in Heaven who walks each step with me…guiding me through the paths of life. I praise you Lord that You watch over each of Your children as if each of us were the only one in Your midst. You delight in each of us, thank you Father.

As any child, I am prone to stray. Thank you for forgiving me and showering me in your grace and mercy. Lord, your forgiveness keeps my heart planted in your Word. My desire is to please You. I know that I fall short of Your glory, but you tenderly bring me back, rebuking me and correcting me. You care for me in good and perfect ways.

Lord, I ask that I may always encourage those who are lost to accept You as their Holy Father. You are greater and more abundant than any earthly parent. Lord, I pray that I am able to shine Your examples of LOVE and GRACE upon my own children…that I would be the loving mother you desire for the children you have trusted me with; the children I am to usher through this world. Thank you Lord for that amazing privilege! In Jesus’ name, Amen.