Lord, You Are My Treasure

Deuteronomy 14:2

"You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure."

Lord, one of the reasons you chose the nation of Israel and set them apart as holy was so they could be an example to us Gentiles of your love and grace and mercy. I am not that example to unbelievers.

Jesus, you are our ultimate example. Please help me to follow your example. You know that my sinful nature is constantly trying to get me to do what it wants instead. My sinful nature is always hostile to you, God. It never did obey your laws and it never will. (Romans 8:7) That's why I need to be so careful to listen only to your voice, Lord.

Lord, others are constantly watching me. They need to see something different in me.

They need to see the hope and joy I have in serving you.

Please help me to show that as I go about my day. Help me to be in constant conversation with you so that you can tell me what to say and how to say it. (John 12:49-50) Help me to be your ambassador to bring others to you!

Lord, I thank you and praise you for what you are doing in MyHero's life. I'm so thrilled to see him spending time in your word, praying, journaling, and memorizing scripture. I pray that you would use this to make him into the man YOU want him to be. I pray that our kids would see both of us doing this and how it is changing us and decide to try it as well.

I love you, Lord!! You are my special treasure! I love that by making me your treasure, you have become my Treasure! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5

Lord, I Cling to YOU

Deuteronomy 13:3-4 

"Do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him."

Deuteronomy 13:6-8

"Suppose someone secretly entices you - even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend - and says, 'Let us go worship other gods' - gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. But do not give in or listen."

Lord, help me to stand strong even when my immediate family doesn't share my convictions. Please help me to listen to your voice and cling to you. I want to love only you with all my heart and soul.

I confess that I almost gave in last night to watching that last movie. I'm not sure that there is anything inherently evil about those movies in themselves. 

The point is that you have told ME not to watch them. 

It is becoming clear from your word this morning that you are testing me to see if I truly love you with all my heart and soul. I very much want to pass this test.

Lord, I'm so glad that you love me enough to discipline and train me like this. It shows me that I am without a doubt one of your kids. Thank you for being my daddy! I love you SO much!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5

Curiosity Killed the Cat

Deuteronomy 12:29-30

"When the Lord your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land, do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods.  Do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.' "

In the commentary at the bottom of the page in my Bible it says, "God did not want the Israelites even to ask about the pagan religions surrounding them. Idolatry completely permeated the land of Canaan. It was too easy to get drawn into the subtle temptations of seemingly harmless practices. Sometimes curiosity can cause us to stumble. Knowledge of evil is harmful if the evil becomes too tempting to resist. To resist curiosity about harmful practices shows discretion and obedience." (Life Application Study Bible NLT, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Carol Stream, IL, Copyright 1988)

Lord, have I fallen into the trap of my own curiosity? Have I allowed peer pressure to sway me? MyHero and I caved and let our kids watch the Harry Potter movies with their cousins while we were in Arkansas. I've been feeling convicted ever since. We've also been binge watching these movies as a family since we got home from vacation. I'm feeling like we should never have opened this door.

I was thinking that if friends who I love and respect and feel are strong in the Lord allow their kids to watch these movies and read the books, then maybe we're being too strict. Now I'm realizing that we should have stood our ground. 

Perhaps this is something my friends have not been convicted about.

Romans 14:1-4

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think it right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it's all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't. And those who don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord's help, they will stand and receive his approval.

Lord, I obviously have a sensitive conscience in this matter. I have sinned by engaging in this. Please forgive me!

Romans 14:23

But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Please give MyHero and me wisdom on whether or not to allow our kids to watch these anymore. I am convinced that they should NOT read the books. However, if MyHero has a different conviction about that, then I will submit to his leading.

I praise you, Lord, for how you have spoken to me this morning. Please give me the strength to be obedient! We are down to the very last movie and the last one was a cliff hanger. It will be extremely tempting for me to want to give in and watch the last one should MyHero decide to allow the kids to watch it. Please help me to stand strong on my conviction that I at least should not watch it. 

Thank you for giving me a new understanding of Romans 14. Help me to live a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Let me aim for harmony in the church and try to build my fellow believers up.

I praise you, Lord God, because you are Holy. Help me to be holy because you are Holy. In Jesus' name, amen.

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5

A Blessing or A Curse?

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

"Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before."

Lord, I have this same choice everyday. I can choose to listen to your voice and receive a blessing or I can choose to listen to the other voices and be cursed. Those other voices tell me lies most of the time. They only want to steal and kill and destroy. But you want to give me life and abundance.

It would seem obvious to always choose your voice and the path of blessing over the path of death. 

And yet, I so often forget to remember and make the wrong choice.

Lord, please help me today. Show me today if I'm listening to any voice other than yours. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5

Keep It Simple Sweetie

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good."

Micah 6:8

No, O People, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Lord, as someone entrusted with the sacred duty of discipling others, help me to remember not to complicate your requirements for us. You always keep it simple so that even a child can understand. 

In fact, the entire gospel can be summed up in three words: Come to me! 

We humans are the ones who tend to complicate everything, especially when it comes to "religion". You hate religion and are repulsed by it. You are all about relationship.

Please help me to live by your requirements and not man-made rules and traditions. Help me to remember to keep things simple because that is what you do. You K.I.S.S. us everyday! I love you, Lord! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5

Prayer for America

Deuteronomy 9:6

"You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not - you are a stubborn people."

Lord, we don't occupy this good land of America because we are good, for we are not - we are a stubborn people. I can be one of the most stubborn of the lot. Please forgive our lack of trust and obedience. 

We are tempted to think You are… Distracted…disengaged…disinterested, Inattentive…inactive…impotent, Out-maneuvered…out-moded…out-classed, Unable…unaffected…and even unaware… of our fear… our helplessness…our confusion…our outrage. Why do You seem so small while our problems, disasters, and enemies seem so large? (from Anne Graham Lotz preprayer for 2016)

We confess that we are the ones who have been distracted, disengaged, disinterested, inattentive, inactive, impotent, out-maneuvered, out-moded, out-classed, unable, unaffected, and even unaware.

Help us to turn to you with our whole hearts. Send a revival to America. Soften hard hearts and remove the blindness from people's minds. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Give Americans hearts that recognize you as the Lord. Let us be your people and be our God when we return to you wholeheartedly. (Jeremiah 24:7)

Lord you said: "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV

Lord, Christians all over America are humbling themselves and praying and seeking your face and turning from their wicked ways. Please be attentive to these prayers.

Lord, I know that things that have been prophesied WILL happen. There seems to be no mention of America in Biblical end time prophecy. But that doesn't mean that you can't send a revival and bring as many people as possible into your flock before it is too late. I believe that is the whole purpose of the tribulation anyway; to give humanity one last chance to repent and turn from our wicked ways.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Anne Graham Lotz Prayer for the New Year

In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5

You Are My Daily Bread

Deuteronomy 8:3

"Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Lord, help me to savor every word that comes from your mouth to me. I want to be like a baby bird with it's beak open wide, eager to receive what you have for me.

It's in my very nature to live only to satisfy my appetites; the appetites of my eyes, my stomach, and my pride. Lord, it is only with your help that I can ever learn to deny these fleshly desires.

Help me to feast on your word instead! It is the only thing that can ever truly satisfy the deepest longings of my soul.

Please help me to make this a year of feasting on your word. It is the one thing in this world that we can NEVER overindulge in.

I praise your glorious name! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE

Matthew 4:4

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Matthew 4:4

YEAR VERSE

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:3-5