Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:4-5
Dear Lord Jesus, You are such a good God! You lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. You direct me in Your wisdom. You illuminate the safe path for me to take. You reveal the way I should go through Your Word, which I am so blessed to hold in my hands. Lord Jesus, You are the Word incarnate, and the Scriptures are my precious, invaluable guide on the narrow path with the narrow gate...the only way to eternal life is through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). I know that my faith in You isn’t proven just through mere words and verbal professions, but it is naturally proven through my actions and obedience to Your Word, which at times I stumble off Your path and take my own. Lord, I confess to You that at times I trust in my own ways, in my own will, or in Satan’s lies, and my faith fails in the moment of temptation or in my own pride or selfishness. I pray that You may give me the grace to always stand firm in You and be committed to Your righteousness and the Truth, no matter what. Help me to always take Your path, Lord because that's the only right path to take. And I know where to find Your path for me - it's found in Your Word, as Your law is written in my heart.
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (John 4:4). You have given me the power to resist the devil and flee temptation by gifting me with the Holy Spirit when I became Your child. I am no longer a slave to sin, as I once was, but now I am a slave to Christ; a slave to righteousness. I don't owe the devil anything, as I do not belong to him anymore. (Refer to Ephesians 2:1-10) As a child of God, I belong to You now, and so my faith and devotion is to You only, Lord. You have given me the power by the Holy Spirit to teach me Your paths and to do Your will, and I praise You for that! When I do Your will Lord, that’s when I experience the fullness of joy – that’s when my heart feels light and free, no matter what chaos or turmoil may be surrounding me in this fallen and deceptive world. The more I walk with You Lord, the more I grow aware of my own sinfulness, and the more I grow in awe, reverence, and respect for You. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). I know a person cannot be truly wise unless he first has a fear of the Lord. It's a level of wisdom that brings humility, and it's absolutely foundational to possessing true wisdom in order to grow spiritually. I thank You for the growing perspective I have of just how fallen I am in comparison to how holy and perfect You are. When I have a correct view of myself, a proper understanding of who You are and Your full range of attributes, is when I have a clear view of reality. And I praise You and thank You for teaching me all of that in the Bible, with the Holy Spirit as my guide. May You help me to continue to grow everyday in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. (2 Peter 3:18) I pray that you would pardon my guilt for Your name’s sake; not because of who I am, but because of who You are, Lord. You are so merciful, so gracious, so loving. Lord, help me when I fall, and help me to always put my trust in You and Your way for me on the narrow path to the narrow gate...which is eternal life with You and all the saints. Help me to always do Your will and grow my faith in You! That's where true joy is! And I love feeling joy! No other source of happiness in all of existence could ever come close to the joy that is found in Jesus Christ alone. Amen that I have been gifted that joy! AMEN! :)
All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ Name, I pray Amen.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14)
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Psalm 25
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12 Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. 14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.