Sept 7 Recognition => Repentance

Father, in many prayers, a sense of Your amazing presence is followed by recognizing the need to repent of personal sin. Yesterday’s Psalm of Your glorious appearance is followed by today’s Psalm of asking for forgiveness.   It’s no wonder – when I focus on You and Your righteous character, I feel completely inadequate and unworthy.

But praise be to the Lord of Hosts that I have forgiveness in Your unfailing love!

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Father, I turn from my sin and confess to You, agreeing with You that it is sin.  Cleanse me from it, Father, blot it out according to Your mercy.  And show me Lord, when I start to go my own way instead of doing what You have shown me is right.

Even now, bring to mind anything I must confess and turn away from in any area of my life.

Father, I bring my thoughts before You: angry, selfish, envious, lustful, greedy, prideful, and any others that would lead me away from You.

I offer You my attitudes: critical, judgmental, argumentative, materialistic, lukewarm towards You.

I desire to align my speech with what will honor You, and ask forgiveness for words spoken that are crude, hurtful, hateful, grumbling, complaining, divisive, misleading, or lies.

Lord, in my relationships, forgive when I have been disrespectful, manipulative, unforgiving, dishonest, improper physically or emotionally.  I give You my relationships and ask that You would remove any that are ungodly.  Close the door on those that do not encourage godliness in me.

Father, forgive me for setting other things in priority over spending time with You, for not following through on all You have shown me to do, for continuing to do anything You have told me not to do.

Forgive me for allowing ungodly influences into my life by the things I watch or read or eat or drink or do that are not healthy for me, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Lord God, “cleanse me… and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow…Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”   On behalf of Your unending love and Your great compassion.  Amen

Psalm 51:1-10

Apr 12 I Confess and You Bless

O Almighty God!  O Lord who is omnipotent, all powerful, omnipresent, at all places at all times, and omniscient, knowing all things.  It’s hard to imagine the scope and depth of Your power and presence because it’s so far beyond anything humanly possible.

How foolish of me to think I can keep something hidden from You and go on like it never happened.  You knew that some of the Israelites held back plunder from the victory at Jericho.  And there were consequences for their disobedience.  It cost thirty-six men their lives in a battle, and ultimately, the lives of all those who hid their sin.

It is so human of me, and yet so wrong to think I can ask You to answer my prayers with blessing, when I am hiding sin. For instance, I cannot expect You to bless me in my marriage, if I am gossiping or spreading disunity among my friends.  Before I can ask for Your favor, there are things I need to confess.

Confession is not telling You something You don’t already know.  The Greek word for confess is “homologo.”  It means “same word.”  So I am simply ‘saying the same words’ agreeing with what You already know; and with Your assessment that my action or attitude is sinful.

You promise that when I confess my sin and turn from it, You are faithful, and will forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness and guilt.

Just like the Prodigal Son, when I return to You and confess my sin, You run to me, throw Your arms around me and celebrate my return to right relationship with You!

O Father, help me see sin for what it is and quickly turn from it.  And when I stray from You, bring me to my senses quickly and set my feet back on the path to You. I desire miraculous victories like the Battle of Jericho in my life.

Thank You for forgiving our sin and for dying on the cross to pay the price of our debt.  And thank You for returning from the grave to lead us into Your victory!  Amen

Joshua 7:1-15; Luke 15:11-24; I John 1:9  

Sept 7 Recognition -> Repentance

Father, in many prayers, a sense of Your amazing presence is followed by recognizing the need to repent of personal sin. Yesterday’s Psalm of Your glorious appearance is followed by today’s Psalm of asking for forgiveness.   It’s no wonder – when I focus on You and Your righteous character, I feel completely inadequate and unworthy.

But praise be to the Lord of Hosts that I have forgiveness in Your unfailing love!

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Father, I turn from my sin and confess to You, agreeing with You that it is sin.  Cleanse me from it, Father, blot it out according to Your mercy.  And show me Lord, when I start to go my own way instead of doing what You have shown me is right.  Even now, bring to mind anything I must confess and turn away from in any area of my life.

Father, I bring my thoughts before You: angry, selfish, envious, lustful, greedy, prideful, and any others that would lead me away from You.

I offer You my attitudes: critical, judgmental, argumentative, materialistic, lukewarm towards You.

I desire to align my speech with what will honor You, and ask forgiveness for words spoken that are crude, hurtful, hateful, grumbling, complaining, divisive, misleading, or lies.

Lord, in my relationships, forgive when I have been disrespectful, manipulative, unforgiving, dishonest, improper physically or emotionally.  I give You my relationships and ask that You would remove any that are ungodly.  Close the door on those that do not encourage godliness in me.

Father, forgive me for setting other things in priority over spending time with You, for not following through on all You have shown me to do, for continuing to do anything You have told me not to do.

Forgive me for allowing ungodly influences into my life by the things I watch or read or eat or drink or do that are not healthy for me, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Lord God, “cleanse me… and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow…Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”   On behalf of Your unending love and Your great compassion.  Amen

Psalm 51:1-10

Apr 12 I confess and You bless

O Almighty God!  O Lord who is omnipotent, all powerful, omnipresent, at all places at all times, and omniscient, knowing all things.  It’s hard to imagine the scope and depth of Your power and presence because it’s so far beyond anything humanly possible.

How foolish of me to think that I can keep something hidden from You and go on like it never happened.  You knew that some of the Israelites held back plunder from the victory at Jericho.  And there were consequences for their disobedience.  It cost thirty-six men their lives in a battle, and ultimately, the lives of all those who hid their sin.

It is so human of me, and yet so wrong, to think I can ask You to answer my prayers with blessing, when I am hiding sin. For instance, I cannot expect You to bless me in my marriage, if I am gossiping or spreading disunity among my friends.  Before I can ask for Your favor, there are things I need to confess.

Confession is not telling You something You don’t already know.  The Greek word for confess is “homologo.”  It means “same word.”  So I am simply agreeing with what You already know; and with Your assessment that my action or attitude is sinful.

You promise that when I confess my sin and turn from it, You are faithful, and will forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness and guilt.

Just like the Prodigal Son, when I return to You and confess my sin, You run to me, throw Your arms around me and celebrate my return to right relationship with You!

O Father, Help me see sin for what it is and turn from it.  And when I stray from You, bring me to my senses quickly and set my feet back on the path to You. I desire miraculous victories like the Battle of Jericho in my life.

Thank You for forgiving our sin and for dying on the cross to pay the price of our debt.  And thank You for returning from the grave to lead us into Your victory!  Amen

Sept 7 Recognition -> Repentance

Father, in many prayers, a sense of Your amazing presence is followed by recognizing the need to repent of personal sin. Yesterday’s Psalm of Your glorious appearance is followed by today’s Psalm of asking for forgiveness.   It’s no wonder – when I focus on You and Your righteous character, I feel completely inadequate and unworthy.

But praise be to the Lord of Hosts that I have forgiveness in Your unfailing love!

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Father, I turn from my sin and confess to You, agreeing with You that it is sin.  Cleanse me from it, Father, blot it out according to Your mercy.  And show me Lord, when I start to go my own way instead of doing what You have shown me is right.  Even now, bring to mind anything I must confess and turn away from in any area of my life.

Father, I bring my thoughts before You: angry, selfish, envious, lustful, greedy, prideful, and any others that would lead me away from You.

I offer You my attitudes: critical, judgmental, argumentative, materialistic, lukewarm towards You.

I desire to align my speech with what will honor You, and ask forgiveness for words spoken that are crude, hurtful, hateful, grumbling, complaining, divisive, misleading, or lies.

Lord, in my relationships, forgive when I have been disrespectful, manipulative, unforgiving, dishonest, improper physically or emotionally.  I give You my relationships and ask that You would remove any that are ungodly.  Close the door on those that do not encourage godliness in me.

Father, forgive me for setting other things in priority over spending time with You, for not following through on all You have shown me to do, for continuing to do anything You have told me not to do.

Forgive me for allowing ungodly influences into my life by the things I watch or read or eat or drink or do that are not healthy for me, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Lord God, “cleanse me… and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow…Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”   On behalf of Your unending love and Your great compassion.  Amen

Psalm 51:1-10

April 12 I confess and You bless

O Almighty God!  O Lord who is omnipotent, all powerful, omnipresent, at all places at all times, and omniscient, knowing all things.  It is hard to imagine the scope and depth of Your power and presence because it’s so far beyond anything humanly possible.

We feel so out of control of this virus plaguing the world right now.  It has stripped us of our confidence, our security and our freedom to move about our daily lives.

Like the Prodigal Son in the pig sty, we long for a sense of the freedoms and lives we had.

But just like the Prodigal Son, when I return to You and confess my sin, You run to me, throw Your arms around me and celebrate my return to right relationship with You!

You promise that when I confess my sin and turn from it, You are faithful, and will forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness and guilt.

Yet it is so human of me to think I can ask You to answer my prayers with blessing, when I am hiding sin.  Forgive me when I forget that You know all things, and try to hide my sin from You.

How foolish of me to think that I could keep something hidden from You and go on like it never happened.  You knew that some of the Israelites held back plunder from the victory at Jericho.  And there were consequences for their disobedience.  It cost thirty-six men their lives in a battle, and ultimately, the lives of all those who hid their sin.

Confession is not telling You something You don’t already know.  The Greek word for confess is “homologo.”  It means “same word.”  So I am simply agreeing with what You already know; and with Your assessment that my action or attitude is sinful.

O Father, keep me from temptation.  Help me quickly see sin for what it is and turn from it.  And when I stray from You, bring me to my senses and set my feet back on the path to You.  That is the path of blessing and victory!

I desire miraculous victories like the Battle of Jericho in my life.  We all need a victory over this virus.  Thank You for forgiving our sin and accepting the price You paid on the cross to pay our debt.  And thank You for returning from the grave to lead us into Your victory!  Amen

Joshua 7:1-15; Luke 15:11-24; I John 1:9   

Apr 12 I confess and You bless

O Almighty God!

O Lord who is omnipotent,

all powerful,

omnipresent,

at all places

at all times,

and omniscient,

knowing all things.  It is hard to imagine the scope and depth of Your power and presence because it is so far beyond anything that is humanly possible.

Forgive me when I forget that You know all things, and try to hide my sin from You.

How foolish of me to think that I can keep something hidden from You and go on like it never happened.  You knew that some of the Israelites held back plunder from the victory at Jericho.  And there were consequences for their disobedience.  It cost thirty-six men their lives in a battle, and ultimately, the lives of all those who hid their sin.

It is so human of me, and yet so wrong, to think I can ask You to answer my prayers with blessing, when I am hiding sin.  I cannot expect You to bless me in my marriage, for instance, if I am gossiping, spreading disunity among my friends.  Before I can ask for Your favor, there are things I need to confess.

It’s not that I am telling You something You don’t already know.  The Greek word for confess is “homologo.”  It means “same word.”  So I am simply agreeing with what You already know; and with Your assessment that my action or attitude is sinful.

And You promise that when I confess my sin and turn from it, You are faithful, and will forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness and guilt.

Just like the Prodigal Son, when I return to You and confess my sin, You run to me, throw Your arms around me and celebrate my return to right relationship with You!

O Father, I desire miraculous victories like the Battle of Jericho in my life.  Keep me from temptation.  Help me quickly see sin for what it is and turn from it.

And when I stray from You, bring me to my senses and set my feet back on the path to You.  That is the path of blessing and victory! Amen

Joshua 7:1-15; Luke 15:11-24; I John 1:9   

Mar 8 Only You

Thank You for having mercy on me O Lord.  Thank You for withholding from me the penalty that my sins deserve.

I praise You that Your mercies are new every morning; that You are not like a human, who would reach a limit of forgiveness or loving kindness.

I am so fortunate that I am not dependent on my own goodness or ability to “earn” any kind of favor from You, but that I am at the mercy of Your great, unfailing love and boundless compassion.

Because of this, Lord, You blot out my transgressions, wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin.  And because Your love for me is so great, You only show me what I can bear at any given time.  Your Holy Spirit convicts my heart, but does not condemn me.

I will be cleansed only when You cleanse me.  Only You have this power.   You can wash me whiter than the pure, sparkling snow.

You do not desire legalism or jumping through hoops to earn forgiveness; but desire my own recognition of my sin, and my true repentance.

Father, I ask You to do a work in me and purify my heart.  Renew a spirit in me that will not give way to these sins again.   That way, when I do sin, it will break my heart and make me aware immediately, so I can turn from it and return to You.

Return the joy of Your salvation to me Lord, and all that it means.

I am ever grateful for Your forgiveness, for Your cleansing, so I can again be in Your presence.  I open my mouth and declare that all blessing and honor are due You.  To You I give all glory, all praise, all thanks.  Yours is the power and strength forever. Amen

Psalm 51:1-19; Revelation 7:12

 

Mar 8 Only You

Thank You for having mercy on me O Lord. Thank You for withholding from me the penalty that my sins deserve. I praise You that Your mercies are new every morning; that You are not like a human, who would reach a limit of forgiveness or loving kindness.

I am so fortunate that I am not dependent on my own goodness or ability to ‘earn’ any kind of favor from You, but that I am at the mercy of Your great, unfailing love and boundless compassion.

Because of this, Lord, You blot out my transgressions, wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin. And because Your love for me is so great, You only show me what I can bear at any given time. Your Holy Spirit convicts my heart, but does not condemn me.

I will be cleansed only when You cleanse me. Only You have this power.   You can wash me whiter than the pure, sparkling snow.

You do not desire legalism or jumping through hoops to earn forgiveness; but desire my own recognition of my sin, and my true repentance.

Father, I ask You to do a work in me and purify my heart. Renew a spirit in me that will not give way to these sins again.  That way, when I do sin, it will break my heart and make me aware immediately, so I can turn from it and return to You. Return the joy of Your salvation to me Lord, and all that it means.

I am ever grateful for Your forgiveness, for Your cleansing, so I can again be in Your presence. I open my mouth and declare that all blessing and honor are due You. To You I give all glory, all praise, all thanks. Yours is the power and strength forever. Amen

Psalm 51:1-19; Revelation 7:12