Talk Tuesday-A Prayer For You

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5

"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." 1 John 4:15

"If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17

Today as I did my devotions, I considered the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ. I thought about where we came from, what He has taken us through and where He has brought us to. I began to weep and praise Him, as my heart was overcome by awe and gratitude. It was such a big step to commit our lives to Christ-such a drastic change to turn away from worldly living. We lost many things in the process, but as impurities are removed in the refining process, the LORD was stripping away from our lives those things that would cause us to stumble on our journey of faith. It was very painful at times, and still is. We grieve and pray for those who don't know Christ, those who don't acknowledge Him as personal Lord and Saviour, and those who don't choose to live for Him. We mourn for a world that is blindly lost without Him, while persevering in faithful prayer for its salvation. It is the burden-the cross-that every believer carries.

Today I want to encourage us all to pray for one another, to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for their faith, and to pray for our unsaved loved ones. I pray that we would set our eyes on Jesus, and experience a renewed passion to spread the gospel and share our faith in love. I pray that we would not be overcome by the pressures of this world to conform, but that we would remember who we are: 'we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us' (Romans 8:37).

LORD Jesus,

Make us bold and compassionate, faithful and obedient, loving and merciful, that we may do as You taught us to do while You walked on this earth. Help us to overcome the temptation of the flesh, and to live our lives as a pleasing sacrifice for Your Name's sake, Your honour and Your glory. Let us remember Your Word, and abide in it at all times. Help us to walk by faith, and not by sight. Grant us the strength to get up when we stumble, and the grace to accept Your forgiveness when we sin. Grant us the grace to freely offer that forgiveness to others who sin against us. Help us to remain humble servants, understanding the power of the cross. Let us live our lives in the reality of who You are, as the Son of God. All these things we ask and pray in Your precious name, Lord Jesus...amen.