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John 17: His Prayer for Me

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“I am in them You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent Me and that You love them as much as you love Me.” John 17:23. (NLT)

This chapter is a prayer from Jesus. He knows the time has come for Him to fulfill His purpose. He prays for His disciples and in verse 20 He says,, “I am praying not only for these disciples, but also for all who will ever believe in Me.” Which means He is praying for me in this chapter. His words to His Father are for me! For my life! Today! Right now! In this moment! His words are for me!

In verse 23 He says He is in Me. His presence and power fills me today. It’s His presence that strengthens me and holds me. I am so very grateful for the assurance I have that He is in me.

He prays that we, those who believe He is who He says He is, will experience “such perfect unity”. SO THAT, “the world will know that You sent Me and that you love them as much as You love Me.” Our unity as believers will show the world Jesus and the greatness of His love!

There is and has been, such a need for the peace, hope and joy that Jesus brings. i believe He truly is the answer to all we need. Jesus prays for perfect unity and when I look around me I see a lot of disunity. I see the division among believers, those who believe and know the presence and power of Jesus. How different would our world look if we could be in “perfect unity?”

I pray today for the presence of Jesus to be greater in my life. I pray that I will be slow to speak and quick to listen. I pray for His peace to be in me, with Me and that it will be evident where I go. I pray that as much as possible, that I live peaceably with everyone (romans 12:18). And I pray for His presence to strengthen me. I want to be a woman who is lead by the Spirit, who speaks and responds by the leading of the Spirit. I pray He is greater and I am less. Amen.

What is God speaking to you today in chapter 17 of John? Share in the comment section below.

Day 20: Double Standard – Proverbs 20

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Day 20 pic of birds over sunset

“False weights and unequal measures; the Lord detests double standards of every kind.” Proverbs 20:10 (NLT)

“The Lord detests double standards; He is not pleased by dishonest scales.” Proverbs 20:23 (NLT)

It can be so easy to read the Word and pick the parts of Scripture that are about love, grace and forgiveness. I think it’s just my human nature to want to feel all warm and fuzzy all the time. Journaling about how good God is and all He is done for me is so important and has great value. But I can’t overlook the parts of Scripture that challenge me or convict me of sin. It’s the moments of repentance that I experience true transformation. If my true desire is to become more like Him, then I have to be willing to allow His Word to penetrate deep into all the corners of my heart.

As I read through Proverbs 20 the statement “the Lord detests double standards,” jumped out at me TWICE! And in all honesty, I didn’t want to journal on that today. I reread the chapter a couple more times trying to pick something different. But, “double standard” are the words that were speaking to me today.

I want to just say, “I’m good, no double standards here!” And though nothing may come to my mind in this moment, I feel challenged to search my heart and to allow the Lord to draw out the inconsistencies in my life. Where have I compromised my values and beliefs? Where have I allowed myself to accept less than what He has for me? Where have I allowed myself to sin, simply because it’s socially acceptable? Where in my life do, I walk out a double standard, saying I believe and have faith, but my actions, attitude, thoughts or my heart don’t reflect the same.

Lord, I’m praying today and asking you to search my heart and reveal areas of my life where I hold a double standard. I desire those things to be brought to the surface and for healing to come into my life. I pray for courage to face those inconsistencies allowing you to break strongholds and bring freedom. And I thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Amen.

What is God speaking to you today in Proverbs 20? Share in the comments below or join the conversation on our Journaling Through Proverbs Facebook Group.

Day 11: Give Freely – Proverbs 11

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Day 11 picture of little bird on a limb

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need. If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil it will find you. Trust in your money and down you go! But the Godly flourish like leaves in spring.”  Proverbs 11:24-28  (NLT)

You just cannot out give God!  Generosity reaps favor, blessing and refreshing to the giver. Give and more will be given to you.  Prosperity is the fruit of generosity. When you give to others, you will receive refreshing. Blessing, favor and will flourish.

I once prayed that God would bless us with more so we could be givers. I didn’t think we had enough to give, our income was just enough to meet our own needs. I didn’t see how I could give, especially in those months when there were more days than $$$ in the bank account! It was during this time that my Pastor challenged us to give out of our own needs. He said to us over and over, you just can’t out give God!

And so, we did it, we began to give. It didn’t seem like a lot, but we gave out of what we had. I can remember one time a homeless man showed up to the church office. He was just looking for something to eat. We bought him dinner and David saw that he didn’t have a coat or gloves, it was winter and cold. David took him to the store and bought him a pair of boots, new socks, a coat, gloves and a hat.  This was at a time when our finances were limited, we had just enough to care for our families needs. Once the purchase was complete, David got back in the car and told me we couldn’t spend anything until payday, he just spent our last $100. There were still quite a few days left in the month. But you know what, we had everything we needed. Our bank account never went into the negative and all our needs were met.

One of my favorite moments of giving was at the check-out in Walmart. We were purchasing costumes for our boys for the fall festival. The cashier was a young girl who was so excited for our boys. We asked her if she had any kids and if they would be getting a costume. She said she did have a daughter and she had her heart set on a ballerina costume.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t buy it until payday, so she was hoping it would still be available in her daughters’ size. We asked her what her daughters age and size was, went back into the store and purchased the costume. When we gave it to her she got tears in her eyes, no one had ever done anything like that for her. This time giving didn’t cost us much, but her response blessed us so much, I wanted to go buy all the costumes and give them all away!!!

Giving has become a part of who we are and how we live our life. When we see a need we can meet, we often just do it. We pray for wisdom, so that when the moment to give happens, we don’t hesitate and miss it. We have given out of our own need and we have given out of our abundance. We trust that in all things God is our provider. He takes care of us!  Our needs are met and then some. His blessings and favor are gift and sharing them is joy to my soul

I pray today for more opportunities to give. I pray for an increase in my faith to trust God for everything I have need of. I pray for wisdom now and in the moment of opportunity.  Amen.

How has God prompted you to give? What is God speaking to you today in Proverbs 11? Share in the comments below or join the conversation on our Journaling Through Proverbs Facebook Group.

 

Day 4: Guard Your Heart – Proverbs 4

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Picture of flowers for day 4

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23

My heart will determine the course of my life. Those things I love, long for and desire will give direction to my life. It’s so easy for my heart to fall for and desire things that are not good for me. Sometimes there are things around me that draw me to them, they can easily become something I long for and crave. Sometimes they are simple things like books and TV that keep me distracted and use up my time. If I allow the longing to lead me, then I may miss out on something God has for me.

I think that “guarding my heart” may be one of the most important things I do in life. Being a guard of something isn’t a passive responsibility. A guard is constantly on the watch for danger. They are continuously watching, looking and preparing for the potential and likely infiltration of the enemy. And typically, a guard is needed because there is someone or something of great value that has the potential to be harmed, stolen or destroyed.

What does it look like practically to guard my heart? What can I do to keep it protected?  For me it starts with what I allow myself to listen to, read, watch and interact with.  I recently had this very conversation with my 17-year-old son concerning a kind of music he likes to listen to. He was surprised that I knew some of the songs on his favorite station. He hadn’t realized we had some of the same interests in music. I cautioned him to be aware of how the songs affected his thinking and actions, being aware of their influence and knowing when you’ve had enough.

I’m also aware that stuff will creep in subtly a little bit here and a little bit more there until my heart’s desire begins to shift.  That shift will then begin to affect the course of my life. I cannot let my guard down. There is an enemy who is out to infect my heart through comparison, discontentment and unrealistic expectations and their seeds are planted in my heart through what I listen to, watch, read, look at and give my time to.

Today’s wisdom is that “above all else,” I must ‘guard my heart.” I must be aware and continuously be alert to those things that want to alter my course. Thank you, Lord, for wisdom and understanding. I pray today for an increase in my ability to sense danger. To recognize the subtle attempts to breach the perimeter of my heart. I pray today for more awareness in my life of those things that try to entice my heart to get me off course. Amen.

Join the conversation here in the Journaling Through Proverbs Facebook Group.