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Prayer Journal: Day 294
Day 294
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue… – 2 Peter 1:3 NKJV
Jesus gives us everything we need to live a godly life. He calls to us, even at 3:20 AM. He gives us peace, but we have to let Him in.
The world is full of wrongs. When we give in to our negative thoughts, past betrayals, and anger, we forget the knowledge that God ahs given us to replace the things the devil places in our minds to distract us. Yes, we may have had instances in the past where people wronged us, but when we constantly revisit those bad experiences, we shade our eyes from the glory God has in store for us. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 271
Day 271
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. – Hebrews 8:12 NIV
Forgiveness is a practice. We often remember the wrongs done to us and hold resentment for years. God does not remember our mistakes forever. He forgives us and is merciful.
We need to be more like Him, so when we find ourselves remembering old wrongs, we can remind ourselves that God forgave us and expects us to forgive others.
We learn from our mistakes. If we were without sin and perfect, there would be no need for salvation. We are imperfect, so we need God. We need Him to transform our resentment into love. We can love the lessons He taught us. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 269
Day 269
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. – Matthew 6:14 NIV
Sometimes we are in a funk. We feel down and we recall old resentments and wrongs. When that happens, we can remind ourselves that the devil puts those thoughts into our heads, and we can ask God to remove them.
The fruit of the spirit is not resentment or anger. It is love. When we forgive and move forward in love, we can start to feel a little better. We can put on some happy music and move a little till our bad move lifts. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 265
Day 265
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. – 1 John 4:11-12 NIV
When we take a day to rest and honor God, the busy pace of our lives slows down. We can savor our time with our friends and family. God’s love is reflected in our behavior.
When we catch ourselves saying or thinking something that isn’t kind, we can ask ourselves what Jesus would say or think.
He cares about us, and He left us with the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us. We may have moments that we struggle with, but those moments pass. We can be thankful that God is always there for us, showing us an example of what love is. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 262
Day 262
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. – Psalms 73:23-24 NIV
Sometimes when we are walking in a parking lot, my toddler refuses to hold my hand. I let him walk on his own, but I stay close by.
The Lord teaches us. He sometimes lets us experience difficulties because He knows we will learn more about forgiveness after someone has wronged us than if we had not experienced the hardship at all.
We make things harder on ourselves when we refuse to hold the Lord by His hand. He offers protection and safety as well as comfort. We sometimes have to learn our lessons the hard way. We can always put our trust in the Lord. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 204
Day 204
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. And He spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? – Luke 6:38-39 KJV
When we give our talents and knowledge for the benefit of others, abundance returns to us. We give not from a place of greed, but because Jesus has given so much to us.
We have to be careful if we find ourselves judging others with a harsh measuring stick. If we turned the tables on ourselves, would we want the Lord to judge us with that same ruler? Luckily for us, judgment is up to God and that is not a job we need to take from Him, because He does it better than we ever could.
When we think we know it all and can see clearly, we are in trouble, because we are blind. We don’t see other people’s thoughts. We can only make assumptions. The Lord can see everything. He knows everything. He leads us, and we do not need to stumble through life without His guidance. He is there to help us every step of the way. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 197
Day 197
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. – Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
Everyone processes change in a different way. It takes a godly level of patience and compassion to deal with those who don’t treat us nicely. We can try not to take things personally and pray when we do.
Jesus asks us to forgive the way God forgave us. This can be incredibly challenging. Instead of rehashing what went wrong and retelling it, what Jesus calls us to do instead is to love other people. It is not easy, but love can overshadow any challenging situation.
We can be grateful for the abundant blessings that our Heavenly Father has provided us. He is a wonderful provider and gives us more than we ask or think!
We can not let one person spoil the blessings that God has given us. Instead of focusing on their attitude, we can turn our eyes upon Jesus and thank Him for His incredible gifts. He gives us a place to live, a beautiful family, and work with purpose.
The moment we find ourselves complaining, we can pray and ask God to redirect our thoughts for His purpose for us. He always responds. He is the best counselor we could have. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 182
Day 182
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. – Luke 6:37 NKJV
Sometimes we can be a harsh judge of other people who we believe have wronged us in the past. We replay what they did in our minds and condemn them for what they did wrong.
Forgiveness does not make what they did right, but forgiveness is a prescription for healing. Jesus teaches us to forgive, and whenever we remember those old wrongs and start to feel angry and resentful all over again, we can remind ourselves that forgiveness heals us and allows us to become more like Jesus.
God sometimes allows difficult situations to enter into our lives to teach us. Whenever we feel angry, we can remind ourselves to forgive 70×7. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 170
Day 170
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, and you said,”No, for we will flee on horses” — Therefore you shall flee! And “We will ride on swift horses” — Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! – Isaiah 30:15-16 NKJV
It must have pained our Heavenly Father when His children rebelled against Him. Instead of accepting His grace and mercy, as well as the consequences of their rebellion, they chose to run from their problems.
The Lord is a God of justice, and He did not let the children of Israel get off scot free without teaching them what they had done wrong, but He also showed them mercy and forgiveness, and even salvation. They may not have deserved forgiveness, but God makes sure that love wins over all else. Amen.
Prayer Journal: Day 144
Day 144
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” – Jeremiah 29:11-12 NIV
The Lord has good plans for our lives. He wants us to have a future. He wants us to prosper. He wants to hear our prayers. He does listen.
Things weren’t always going well for God’s people. When they didn’t honor their covenant with the Lord, they were carried off as captives to Babylon. But the Lord didn’t stay angry with them forever. He promised to bring them back.
His love for us transcends that of any parent on Earth. We are lucky to have a gracious and forgiving Heavenly Father.
When things don’t seem to be going well for us, whether it is financially, spiritually, or physically, we know we can always return to our God, and He will listen to us. Amen.
