* Answered Prayer

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

An old friend of mine sent an article to me, with a note that he thought I’d be interested in the writings of the particular author. The article began by mentioning that one of the author’s readers told him she would pray for him. It then proceeded to be an heretical diatribe about prayer and my heavenly Father. The author’s viewpoint was that both are a waste of time. God forgive him…

There was a time in my life I would have gone into full battle mode and charged in with Scriptures flailing, and been caught up in vain arguments for days, but nowadays, I don’t have the time or energy for useless battles. I don’t know if my old friend is nearing the end of his life and now questions his own agnostic view of life or what. I have presented the Gospel to him two or three times, but he has always rejected it - albeit respectfully - but rejected it nonetheless. He and the author in question have bought a common lie and both use it as a reason to not believe in God. They call it unanswered prayers. Why pray to a God who won’t answer your prayers?

Have you ever noticed that satan loves to swoop in with questions like that to cause doubt in people’s lives? We've all attended funerals of friends and loved ones who died before they had a chance to be old. I know for certain there were many fervent prayers prayed asking for total healing, and yet God chose to take them Home. Some view that as unanswered prayer. That may seem like fact, but it’s certainly not the Truth.

I don't believe there is any such thing as unanswered prayer. The Truth of the matter is that our prayers ARE answered - ALL of them. They just aren't always answered with the answer we want… 

Sometimes the answer is no.

Prayer:

Father,

          Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts higher than our thoughts. Give us revelation, Father. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Looking for Blessings +

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord.  And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

I am always driven to these 2 verses when things happen or are happening that I can't understand. Used to be, I would rant and rail at God, explaining to Him all the reasons those things shouldn't be happening and touting what I believed would be a better plan. Oh, foolish, foolish person! Thank God, I've finally come to the place where I believe whatever God does is ultimately for our good. Whatever He allows to touch our lives is there to help us grow in faith and love and trust.

I've been sitting here, trying to find the right words to convey the depth of His love in these two verses, but all I keep hearing is Laura Story's new song called Blessings. So that's what I'm sending along. I've included the link, or you can copy and paste it. I've also included the lyrics.  Open your heart to the Lord and let this song wash over your spirit.

This is NOT a message of apologetics. It's about a God who doesn't have to explain Himself, but does anyway, because of His great love for us. The question is, can we understand Him?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ&feature=related

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not - this is not our home

Not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Prayer:

Father,

          We love You and we trust You. Use whatever it takes to get our attention and keep it on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Cloudy, with a Glimpse of Son

I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord. “In that day, I will answer,” says the Lord. “I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds. And the sky will answer the earth with rain. Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees."
Hosea 2:20-22a NLT

When I was a kid, I hated the rain. It got dark. You couldn't go outside. And if my mother saw even the slightest flash of lightning, the TV was unplugged and we couldn't talk on the phone, either... However, I loved rainbows! And you can't have a rainbow, unless there is some rain. Amen?

This morning, I took a detour to Sylvan Beach to watch the sunrise. The clouds were thick, yet they caught the glimmering pink of the sun before it peeked over the horizon. The dull grey of the water took on a pearlized beauty as it mirrored the coral color caught in the clouds... the same clouds that threatened rain at some point during the day. And as much as we need the rain, for the briefest of moments, I did not want to be rained on while doing the errands I had on my list for today.

As I watched the sun climb, the clouds thickened, and as they did, the sun continued its unhurried, yet constant ascent to break over the horizon, hurling its colors across those clouds. While the morning dawned on me physically, it also dawned on me that without the clouds, there would be nothing to reflect the light that causes the color to be so breathtaking. Some people may hate to see clouds in the sky, but no clouds equals no incredible colors sponged in streaks across the sky. And it was then I caught the parallel to our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

If our lives were perfect (no dark times), we could be a light that people might notice if we were gone, but rarely do people stop to look at a clear, cloudless sky. However, when the clouds of discouragement or distress bluster in and billow around us, if we will reflect the Son as HE lights our way, the breathtaking beauty of HIS reflection will cause those who witness it to pull over, stop and drink it all in.

The sky pleads for clouds to answer the earth with rain to provide water for the thirsty cries of those living things that would die without the evidence of rain... His latter rain.

Prayer:

Father,
        You know what we need to make us grow in You and to effectively touch the lives of those around us. We trust You, Lord. Bring on the sun and the rain as You see fit. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* The Enabler

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12-14 NKJV

These days, being an enabler has a negative connotation. It implies allowing or helping an individual to do something that is detrimental to the individual's well-being. Well, once again, let's overcome facts with TRUTH.

God is the original Enabler. Have you ever read the book of Genesis?  And in the 2nd chapter of Genesis, verses 7 & 8, how God formed a man from dirt and breathed life into him? That dirt could not have become man - a living, breathing person - unless God enabled him.

Could David have been king without being enabled? Would Saul - persecutor of Christ - have become the Apostle Paul if God had not enabled him? Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15:10, But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. Does any of that sound detrimental to you?... No, not to me, either.

Throughout Scripture, every story of victory, and overcoming, and living life to the fullest, and growing in the nurture and admonition of the Lord - all are because the LORD enabled. He enables us to do the things He planned long ago for us to do. He gifts us with the talent and skills and knowledge... He puts people on our paths every day to help teach us, to work Godly character into the very fiber of our being. The Word says every good and perfect gift comes from the Father! (James 1:17)

How can this be? Mark 10:15, NLT reads, Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” Everything...EVERY thing is possible with God. He is such an Enabler!  Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer:

Father,

          Without You, we can do nothing. Without You, we are without hope. Thank You for enabling us to walk in Your footsteps. Help us to faithfully follow You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Can I Get a Volunteer? *

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Matthew 15:8 NLT

I heard a great analogy tonight involving the story of daredevil, Charles Blondin, the first man to walk across the Niagara Falls Gorge. In his very first attempt back in 1859, he drew thousands of people, and he made it all the way across with quite a bit of fanfare, too. It is reported that he actually laid back on the rope like he was reclining in a chair and finished the walk with a somersault. It was not his only time to cross the Falls.

On one trip the famous Frenchman walked the tightrope on stilts! On still another, he lowered himself to a steamer below and drank from a bottle, then climbed back up and finished his crossing. People loved him! They were enthralled by his antics and nonchalance on his crossings.

After another of his successful crossings, he polled the people, "Do you believe I could cross the Falls pushing someone in a wheelbarrow?" The crowd's uproar of affirmation was deafening... until he asked for a volunteer. No one. Not one person wanted to get in the wheelbarrow.

Is our faith in God like that? Oh, we see He sent Christ to take our sin. Oh, we believe He is God - just ask us, we'll tell you. 

How about when HE asks us to trust Him... to step out in faith? After we have seen everything He has done - What is our response?

Prayer:

Father,
         Forgive us when we don't immediately respond to Your call. Open our eyes to see those times. Change our hearts, O God! We want them to honor You and to be close to You at all times. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

I Got This! +

Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Deuteronomy 7:9-10 NLT Note: I wrote this over 3 years ago. I am posting part of it tonight, because I want to give testimony of what God has done and continues to do.  ***************************************************** God has promised all along that He would bring our children back to Himself. We push and we prod and we provoke our grown children... not necessarily to good works - and yet we don't see anything happening. "Where are You, God?" We're quick to call out when we don't see what we want to see in the span of time that WE have allotted for God to work. And when God doesn't operate in our timeframe, we're usually back to trying to do it ourselves...because after all, we're entering into the last days, right? Recently, I was reminding God yet again about one of my children. (My children are adults, not children to anyone but me... and God.) And I'm telling you, I heard God say, "I got this." And I barely paused in my litany of reasons why I needed Him to intervene quickly, etc, when I heard Him say again, "I've got this." The very next church service I attended, He confirmed His Word that He was covering this situation. So I made up my mind that I would start thanking Him in advance for giving me His word because I know He is bound by it. *****************************************************  Bringing it to today - I remember well the phone call I got from my child,  "God's got a hold of my heart and He won't let go! I can't sleep for thinking about those things I've failed to do - those things which I MUST do!"  Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations ... beginning with just our next generation. He's got this... Prayer: Father,          You are absolutely too amazing for me to comprehend. I don't know how You love me, or why You do. I just know You do because You ARE love.  Help us to trust You even more. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

The Perfect Gift +

The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened.

Acts 3:5-7 NLT

How many times have you been somewhere and saw something you just knew that 'so-and-so' would love to have? Then, for whatever reason, you didn't get it. Not the right time. No room in the car. Not enough money. Whatever...

Or how many times have you heard of a great need and prayed for an equally great idea for a fundraiser to help meet the need? Sometimes that happens, but not often enough in my life.

Today, I was convicted that if I spent as much time praying earnestly for the person as I did/do looking for the perfect gift, I would actually be giving them The Perfect Gift. Selah...

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive me for still trying to live life in my own strength. Help us to always - ALWAYS - remember Christ's body broken for ours so that we might live IN YOU. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Shocking Truth Revealed!! +

But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.

1^st Corinthians 8:6 NLT

The Truth revealed! Uncovered after all this time!! Did you know that? Can you believe it?!? Isn’t that shocking?!? What will the neighbors think when they find out? Will they find out?

You mean to say that God is not there to do our bidding, to answer our requests the way we see fit for them to be answered? If that’s true, then we haven’t any reason to be mad at Him for not doing what we wanted Him to do…

Need more proof?

Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. Psalm 100:3 NLT

Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them. Isaiah 43:7 NLT

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT

In case you have any doubt left… Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,  for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-17 NLT

And finally, in Revelation 4:11,

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

Prayer:

O Father,

            Forgive us, we pray, for treating Your omnipotence as a magic genie. Your holiness as our good luck talisman. Father, we fall to our knees in repentance, recognizing and acknowledging You as our Creator and we are subject to You, according to Your Word in Romans 11:36, For everything comes from You and exists by Your power and is intended for Your glory. Reveal Yourself, O God, in all Your glory. In Jesus’ Name we pray. All glory to You forever! Amen.

With Christ *

[Paul speaking] I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.  Colossians 2:1-4 The Message

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.  Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.  So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 2:5-3:17 The Message

Prayer:

Father,

         Let Your Word come alive in us, changing our hearts and lives for Your glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* The Great Pretender

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13 NLT

Have you ever been a fan of a certain TV show that after so many years decided to call it quits because the actors were tired of playing the role? Was it disappointing because that had become part of your own routine? Or have you ever faithfully watched a show for a couple years, enjoying great character acting and then all of a sudden the next season begs the question, "Who are you and what have you done with the actors I know and like?" People playing a part - pretending to be someone they are not. After a while, it gets old. They don't want to do it anymore - don't want to be that person or character - they don't want to get type-cast... but some get in a niche and play it for decades.

How many times in "real" life have we pretended to be something we're not? Or pretended NOT to be something we really are? Why? To make someone like us? Or because we're afraid if they found out who we really are (or aren't), we would be judged and found wanting? How many times have you heard an exuberant, "Oh, I am too blessed to be stressed!" but if you take the time to look into their eyes, you see fear and dread...or worse - hopelessness. Do we allow the Great Pretender to carry on pretending under the guise of preserving their "dignity" or will we love enough to clasp their hand in ours and reply, "I'll agree with your confession of faith. Let me pray with you" and let the Holy Spirit guide our words?

Even those who are trained to act can only sustain a role for so long... Our Maker did not create us to be fakers. We are called to Truth - nothing fake about Truth. No pretending about Truth. And even if we were GREAT pretenders, we could not play the role forever because Truth always wins out.

We are called to love... not to pretend to love. Pretend love barely lasts till the person walks out of the room.

If we can be loved without the complication of trying to remember what role we are playing, then we will be free to love in return. It starts with Christ. To love as Christ loved and gave Himself for us - that lasts forever and will sustain us through eternity - and will also sustain those around us so they can stop being Great Pretenders.

Prayer:

Father,

        You have called us to be in relationship with You. You who knows all and sees all. There is no hiding from You. Help us to be who You have created us to be - nothing fake. Nothing pretend. According to Your Word in Psalm 51, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make us to know wisdom. Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean; wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* One of These Days

You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.
Romans 13:11 God's Word Translation

How many times have you said, "One of these days, I'm going to..." 

Think about that for a moment. Then answer this question: Have you done whatever it was that you were going to do "one of these days"? 

There's been much talk in the last week about how quickly the year ended and how much didn't get done because there seemed to be no time to do it. Almost as if someone pulled a month or so out of the calendar year to shorten it. Of course, we know that didn't happen, but it seems to have passed very quickly... and here we are at Day 2 of another new year. 

Did you come up with a resolution for the year? Is it short term or long term? Is it eternal? It may seem a bit premature to ask, but how are you doing with it? 

Losing weight/getting healthy is the number one New Year resolution, followed closely by getting organized. According to the University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology, "People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions."  You know, people who are resolute in their resolutions.

If you look up the word 'resolute', it is defined as "admirably purposeful, determined, unwavering, steadfast, unshakable." Do any of those describe the intent behind your resolution?

Nothing will ever just happen "one of these days" - and nothing will ever just change "one of these days" unless we are admirably purposeful and determined. 

There are 2 times that it scares me most to hear "one of these days." One is when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the person's response is "One of these days, I'll do that, but before then, I need to..." or "I want to..." The other is when we get a nudge in our heart to share the Gospel or reach out to someone and we ignore it thinking that we will do it one of these days and it turns out that the person didn't have many more days... 

We know the times in which we are living. It’s time for us to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Prayer:

Father,
         Help us to walk out Your Word in 1st Corinthians 15:58 - to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labor is not in vain. Help us to live our lives admirably purposeful all of our days. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Today, I Choose

...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
Joshua 24:15b NKJV

New Year's Day marks the anniversary of the first Promise for Today that I sent to a handful of friends and family members in 1996. When I first started sending out the Promise, I used other people's devotions from books I had and then later, I purchased more. We went through quite a few over the years. Sometimes, I'd take them directly from a book, but I always let people know what book we were using. And sometimes I would elaborate and add my own comments. Those of you who know me know that written words are my passion... but I started with the works of others. 

Then in 2007, my beloved former pastor, Doc (Dr. Howard O. Jameson) challenged me to step up, to make it personal and write from my heart about how God's Word affects me, rather than from someone else's heart and perspective. It has been the most challenged commitment of my life. 

My slogan for this new year is "I need God more in 2-0-1-4." More of God, less (and less and less) of me. By God's grace and with His direction, my life will be changed according to the choices I make in obedience to Christ. As always, it's all about the choices.

The Promise started with the following excerpt from Max Lucado's book, When God Whispers Your Name. Every year, I send it out as the first Promise of the New Year to remind us of our choices.

Max Lucado writes:
It's quiet. It's early. The coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose. And so I choose.

I Choose Love ... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I Choose Joy ... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical ... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I Choose Peace ... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I Choose Patience ... I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I Choose Kindness ... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I Choose Goodness ... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I Choose Faithfulness ... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I Choose Gentleness ... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. 

I Choose Self-Control ... I am a spiritual being ... After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Prayer:

Father,
          We choose You. Thank You for the power of Your Word to change our lives and our choices for how we live the life You have given us. Give us the courage to walk in the conviction of Your Word. Father, we ask that You guide us in EACH step of life. I pray Your provision and protection over those You have allowed me to touch with Your Word. Let us be ever mindful of You, Lord, the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen