Good morning, Lord. Thank You for watching over me as I slept last night, as I worked yesterday, and as I shopped, chatted with friends, cooked and cleaned. You never lose sight of me, but I sometimes lose sight of You. Forgive my wandering thoughts, and keep me focused on You no matter what, no matter where.
It’s comforting to know God’s got His eye on me. Nothing that happens to me will be a surprise to Him.
Psalm 31:15 (ESV)
My times are in Your hand.
I am safe.
Good morning, Lord. Every day I have choices. I can choose to listen to the enemy’s lies and give in to temptation, or I can choose to resist evil and listen to Your Word. When I make poor choices, O God, help me accept the consequences without excuse. Let me learn from my mistakes.
Teach me to choose well. Guide me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).
I believe in God, and I believe He has ultimate control. But this belief doesn’t turn me into some sort of puppet, someone with no control. I have free will.
The Bible tells me so.
Joshua 25:15 (MSG)
If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today.
I have choices. I am free to choose (and free to live with the consequences).
I choose God.
Good morning, Lord. I thank You for all that’s right with the world: the stars above and the flowers below, the happy sound of children at play, a hug from a friend and a smile from a stranger, the fragrance of fresh bread and roast turkey, my warm bed and hot coffee.
As I ponder and pray over the problems of this world, may I forget not all my blessings.
We say, “The world’s out of control!”
Ponder this: the sun still rises and sets, the tides rise and fall, the moon waxes and wanes, the seasons come and go. Seems to me, God still has our little planet under control.
Psalm 104:1-2, 19 (CEV)
I praise you, Lord God, with all my heart.
You are glorious and majestic,
dressed in royal robes and surrounded by light.
You spread out the sky like a tent …
You created the moon to tell us the seasons.
The sun knows when to set.
Sometimes it feels like we’re losing the battle. We wonder if we’re victims of circumstances beyond our control.
Romans 8:37 (ESV)
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
“More than conquerors.” Victors, not victims.
The war was won on Calvary’s hill. Final victory is only a matter of time.
Good morning, Lord. When things are going well–for me!–I forget that we’re in a spiritual battle. When I forget about the enemy, I’m open to his attack. Teach me to “keep watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41), teach me to avoid temptation and get in front of the enemy’s schemes to harm me and those I love.
When things are going well for me, may I be faithful to pray for the wellbeing of others–in the power of Jesus’ name.
Ephesians 6:12 (MSG)
This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
We’re in a spiritual war. Don’t limit it to defending your ground for the short-term. Take the offense, step into the thick of the battle, head for the front line–be a prayer warrior. Fight from your knees.
Remember: we’re on the winning side.
Good morning, Lord. The Beatitudes (the “blessed are you” part of Matthew 5) seem backwards to me. We’re blessed for being poor in spirit, meek and insulted. Our culture says, “be strong, stand up for yourself, step away from toxic people.”
I know Your ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9), but this is hard to understand. Teach me to make Your ways my ways, in Jesus’ name.
