SCRPITURE FOR TODAY
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:26-27 (N.I.V.)
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You in the name of Jesus for Your Word to us Your Children. I need You to please help me control my tongue and tone of voice. We both know I have a serious problem with what I say, and when. I tend to say things that are not appropriate or becoming of a true believer in You. I need You to help me with my over all self-control too.. I just can't seem to control my self when it comes to certain desires and habits. Please take these guilt feelings away from me by the power of the Holy Spirit that is in me. Take the wrong and destructive desires away from me and set me free from the guilt and condemnation associated with sin. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness and make me a new person. I love You Father God, I love You Jesus, I love You Holy Spirit! Thank You for loving me and for hearing my prayer. Help me to be the kind of person You would want me to be. Thank You for all my blessings and help me to hear Your voice clearly and share wisdom and knowledge and help orphans and widows and do all that the Holy Spirit prompts me to do because I know that He is my Guide, my Comforter, my Counselor and my Helper....Thank You...In the name of Jesus, Yeshua, make it so.....
IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE?
Is it even possible for some of us to control what we say and when we say it? I don't understand why I have such a keen interest and obsession with the Word of God, why I can't seem to get enough Biblical teaching, knowledge, and wisdom, and how I can go around and talk to people about God and the Bible and still have all these sin (strongholds) in my life. It's been years since I first believed and was saved, I don't know how many, but it's been plenty long enough that I should have been delivered from these things. I could name them off one by one but I am too ashamed to make these things public. These are the things only God and a few close friends know about that I struggle with daily...As much as I pray and ask God to deliver me from these things He doesn't seem to hear me, or He just doesn't want to help me (yet) with these things...
Maybe I'm suppose to be like this in order to let others see that we can be blessed and loved by God despite our sinful nature. That we don't need to clean ourselves up before we come to Him and that when we submit to Him our lives are now in His hands and it's up to Him to cleanse us. Does that even make sense? I mean, when I pray to God for other things He makes it happen, freedom, prosperity, peace, joy, love, abundance...But a clear conscience seems to elude me...Knowing that I am saved by Grace does not give me a license to sin but why then do I continue in it?
For example, God blesses me with financial blessings and I turn around and take it to the gambling hall. I know that's gotta be wrong but I can't seem to help myself. I justify it by telling myself that "I give my tithe who knows I might win and then be able to give more." Then I get with some friends and have a little too much wine and start talking about Jesus and the Bible. I can't seem to help myself not to talk about those things even when I'm drinking, not thinking that some people may get offended by that. And that's another thing I need help with. Nearly every fleshly sin you can think of I am guilty of. I confess daily, or almost daily all my sins and I know from His Word that "if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins." And, "His mercy is new every morning." Maybe it's the enemy working on me and bringing these "guilt and condemnation" thoughts into my head.
I've said the "Salvation Prayer" many times just to make sure I'm saved, but I still continue in these addictions. But He answers when I pray for family restoration, wisdom, to stop smoking tobacco, understanding in certain areas, but not understanding why I still do what I don't want to do. I remember the Apostle Paul talking about "the thorn in his side" and he said the same thing basically, that he was doing something that he didn't want to do even though he was closer to God than most of us. God still used him even though he sinned and I remember what God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you." OK, what should we do then about our own sin? Did God love Paul more than us because He used him to write most of the New Testament? I'd like to think that the Father loves us all the same, His Word says that "He is not a respecter of persons." "He is not partial."
I just need to vent these feelings and get them out in the open and be assured that the Lord loves me hears my prayers and that I am saved despite my sinful nature. Perhaps, I am still, after all this time a work in progress and I just haven't reached the point where these addictions fall away from me like water of a ducks back...I thank the Lord Jesus for His unfailing love, mercy and grace.
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:26-27 (N.I.V.)
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You in the name of Jesus for Your Word to us Your Children. I need You to please help me control my tongue and tone of voice. We both know I have a serious problem with what I say, and when. I tend to say things that are not appropriate or becoming of a true believer in You. I need You to help me with my over all self-control too.. I just can't seem to control my self when it comes to certain desires and habits. Please take these guilt feelings away from me by the power of the Holy Spirit that is in me. Take the wrong and destructive desires away from me and set me free from the guilt and condemnation associated with sin. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness and make me a new person. I love You Father God, I love You Jesus, I love You Holy Spirit! Thank You for loving me and for hearing my prayer. Help me to be the kind of person You would want me to be. Thank You for all my blessings and help me to hear Your voice clearly and share wisdom and knowledge and help orphans and widows and do all that the Holy Spirit prompts me to do because I know that He is my Guide, my Comforter, my Counselor and my Helper....Thank You...In the name of Jesus, Yeshua, make it so.....
IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE?
Is it even possible for some of us to control what we say and when we say it? I don't understand why I have such a keen interest and obsession with the Word of God, why I can't seem to get enough Biblical teaching, knowledge, and wisdom, and how I can go around and talk to people about God and the Bible and still have all these sin (strongholds) in my life. It's been years since I first believed and was saved, I don't know how many, but it's been plenty long enough that I should have been delivered from these things. I could name them off one by one but I am too ashamed to make these things public. These are the things only God and a few close friends know about that I struggle with daily...As much as I pray and ask God to deliver me from these things He doesn't seem to hear me, or He just doesn't want to help me (yet) with these things...
Maybe I'm suppose to be like this in order to let others see that we can be blessed and loved by God despite our sinful nature. That we don't need to clean ourselves up before we come to Him and that when we submit to Him our lives are now in His hands and it's up to Him to cleanse us. Does that even make sense? I mean, when I pray to God for other things He makes it happen, freedom, prosperity, peace, joy, love, abundance...But a clear conscience seems to elude me...Knowing that I am saved by Grace does not give me a license to sin but why then do I continue in it?
For example, God blesses me with financial blessings and I turn around and take it to the gambling hall. I know that's gotta be wrong but I can't seem to help myself. I justify it by telling myself that "I give my tithe who knows I might win and then be able to give more." Then I get with some friends and have a little too much wine and start talking about Jesus and the Bible. I can't seem to help myself not to talk about those things even when I'm drinking, not thinking that some people may get offended by that. And that's another thing I need help with. Nearly every fleshly sin you can think of I am guilty of. I confess daily, or almost daily all my sins and I know from His Word that "if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins." And, "His mercy is new every morning." Maybe it's the enemy working on me and bringing these "guilt and condemnation" thoughts into my head.
I've said the "Salvation Prayer" many times just to make sure I'm saved, but I still continue in these addictions. But He answers when I pray for family restoration, wisdom, to stop smoking tobacco, understanding in certain areas, but not understanding why I still do what I don't want to do. I remember the Apostle Paul talking about "the thorn in his side" and he said the same thing basically, that he was doing something that he didn't want to do even though he was closer to God than most of us. God still used him even though he sinned and I remember what God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you." OK, what should we do then about our own sin? Did God love Paul more than us because He used him to write most of the New Testament? I'd like to think that the Father loves us all the same, His Word says that "He is not a respecter of persons." "He is not partial."
I just need to vent these feelings and get them out in the open and be assured that the Lord loves me hears my prayers and that I am saved despite my sinful nature. Perhaps, I am still, after all this time a work in progress and I just haven't reached the point where these addictions fall away from me like water of a ducks back...I thank the Lord Jesus for His unfailing love, mercy and grace.
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