Victorious Christian
Living
Starting Your
Day With Jesus Lifestyle Series
By Mel D
Westbrook MBTh
The Book Introduction
Version: 25.10.7
Using The Truth/Prayer Pages
Jesus will be
teaching you a truth then lead you into praying for that truth. Each page has power truths and power
prayers. Today read about the purpose of
Power Truths. Then, tomorrow read about
the purpose of Power Prayers. From then
on, you will read three Truth/Prayer Pages each day for five days. Please read the purpose of Power Truths
today. NOTE: This is a five-day program;
you skip Saturday and Sunday.
The Purpose Of “Power Truths”
Week One Day One
What Is Your Original Purpose?
This introduction is
used in all the “Starting Your Day With Jesus Lifestyle Series” studies and
prayers. If you
have read this introduction before, it may seem repetitious. But, it is vital
that you stay aware of where Jesus is taking you and what you are doing to get
there.
What kinds of people
are you having to deal with every day?
Do you find that, as a Christian, it hard to do what Jesus wants your
relationships to be? With the kind of people you have to deal with, how does He expect you to
treat people with unity, truth, compassion, fairness, and love? How do these things work in business, dating,
marriage, a family, or with an enemy or adversary? How do you take what you learn in the Bible
and apply it to the way you live life?
How do you do it in such a way it actually empowers you to succeed in
life in a better way than ever before?
You and Jesus will be able to solve these issues together here.
Does The Bible Help With
Your Life?
Have you ever read a
requirement in the Bible, and wondered what would happen if you applied it to
your business or a relationship? What
would happen to your business or your friends if you went around just telling them
the truth? It can look like you would be
a lot more successful if you mainly concentrated on your needs, likes,
preferences, and interests. To start
loving others and concentrating on their needs, can appear to hurt your goals,
plans, and future; but, it actually enhances
them. Wisdom from Jesus will make the
difference.
What makes you win
in life? What causes people to want to
be around you? Why would someone want to
do business with you, marry you, be your friend, or stop being your enemy? What kind of a person would you need to be to
win at life and it make you and those around you happy. What is Jesus, the truths of the Bible, and
Christianity offering that would make your life so much better that you wish
you had lived that way all of your life?
Did You Know There Are Two Lifestyle?
There are two
approaches to life; one involves dishonesty and the other involves
honesty. One involves selfishness and
the other involves love. One involves
goals that end at death and the other wins now and in eternity. One involves loving things and using people
and the other involves loving people and using things. One involves following the teachings of the
world and the other involves following the teachings of Jesus. The thing about these two lifestyles is, one
abuses people and the other blesses, helps, befriends, and cares about
people.
Would You Like To Grow With Jesus?
What if you are
already too busy to add one more thing to your life? What if you already have a full
schedule? What if you are already doing
as much as possible trying to have a relationship with God? Why would you add something like this to your
busy schedule?
It’s true you can’t
just stop your life to let Jesus teach you.
But, would reading and praying over three pages a day really be that
hard? Rather than a simple “thought for
the day” or some self-help concept, what if Jesus took you into steady,
continued growth in your relationship with Him?
What if He took you into incredible principles and taught you how to
succeed at everything you do?
Studying a truth and then praying and asking Jesus to put it in your
life is a powerful way of making your life so much better than it has ever
been.
How Is The Bible
Relevant To Your Every Day Life?
What about your
life? Would you like Jesus to teach you
how to succeed in a business, a marriage, a family, a career, or your
life? Are you willing to let Him help
you grow in your relationship with Him?
Have you ever considered how wise Jesus is? What would happen if you included Him in all
the decisions of your day? He will help
you think of incredible things that will enhance your plans. You can simply read and pray through three
pages a day for five days a week and Jesus will help you learn how to walk and
talk with Him all day long.
What about your
happiness? Have you ever thought a
certain thing or person would make you happy and it didn’t? Have you ever got something that made you
happy for a while and then it gradually lost its excitement? How would you like Jesus to guide you into
those things that bring true happiness that lasts for a lifetime? How about starting your day with
happiness?
What Is Your System For Life?
What is life all
about? Jesus and the Bible are like
turning on the light in a dark room.
Most people are trying to “feel” their way through life. They are trying to imagine and guess what
life is all about. They find themselves
going down dead-end paths, running into obstacles, and falling over things they
weren’t able to see. Jesus is the light
of the world. He illuminates the issues
and circumstances you face so you can see and understand what you are dealing
with. This is called truth. On each page, you will be letting Jesus teach
you a truth and then empower you to pray and invite Him to put it into the
attitudes, character, and behavior of your life. That is worth the little time it takes to
read and pray three pages a day.
Do You Know What Causes You To Win Or Lose?
What about your
success? Did you know there are certain
areas of your attitudes and character that are causing you to win
or lose at life? These two things are
Jesus’ priority. He knows that if you
have bad attitudes, you will fail. How
is your character? You may feel like
your attitudes and character are pretty good.
Have you ever dealt with a person who seemed to be unaware of their
faults? Their people-skills were poor; but, they didn’t seem to know it. It is difficult for us to see our own
faults. Jesus will lovingly and gently
help you improve.
Who do you like? Do
you like those who are trying to use you to get what they want? Do you like those who lie to you so you will
meet their needs? Do you like those who
will cheat you, if they think they can get by with it? Do you like those who talk down to you
because they think they are superior to you?
Improving your attitudes and character are how Jesus helps you treat
people the way you like being treated.
When they find out that you are real and trustworthy, it becomes much
easier for them to be around you. Jesus
wants to teach you how. Win/win
relationships are all about doing to others what you want them doing to
you.
Your Team
Jesus’ people are
praying that you are blessed in a special way.
They are praying that you have a close relationship with Jesus.
People Are Praying This For
You:
Eph 1:16-17 (NIV) I have not stopped giving thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers. I
keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may
GIVE YOU the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may
know Him better.
Eph 1:18-19a (NIV) I pray also that the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope
to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in
the saints, and His incomparably great power
for us who believe.
Eph 1:19b-21 (NIV) That power is like the working
of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all
rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not
only in the present age but also in the one to come.
This concludes your reading and praying.
The Purpose Of “Power Prayers”
Week One Day Two
Living Life For
A Purpose
How Do You Turn
Information Into A Lifestyle?
If you were a
hoarder, you would fill your house with all kinds of things. They may be very useful; but,
you would have forgotten why you obtained them.
Working on your LIFEstyle is about using what you learn, and living
life as God gives it to you. This keeps
you from just “hoarding” a bunch of information.
Let’s say you got a
degree and was licensed as a professional.
What if you worked at a fast-food place, getting minimum wages, while
getting your education, degree, and license?
But, suppose you kept working as a fast-food worker after you paid the
price, learned the information, earned the degree, and were licensed to take
advantage of your training. You didn’t
make the changes in your lifestyle.
Jesus’ methods keep this from happening.
What Makes Jesus’ Truths Different?
Have you seen people
going on a strict diet, lose a lot of weight, but later gain it all back? They didn’t make dieting and exercise a part
of their lifestyle. Your lifestyle is permanently changed by you “doing what it takes”
to get where you need to go so you can continue living there. By exposing yourself to Jesus’ principles,
you develop a lifestyle.
How can Jesus take
three-page chapters and turn those principles into a new lifestyle for you? First, He
helps you understand His truths. Then He
helps you ask Him to put those truths into your life by providing you relevant
prayers based on those truths. Plus, He
helps you be thinking about what you studied and prayed about. All during your day, He helps you see how you
can use His principles in your daily life.
How Does Jesus’ Life Help Your Life?
A baby goes through
many stages in becoming an adult; they try to pattern their life after adults.
If they saw how much smaller, weaker, and untrained they were, they might get
discouraged and not try. You have been
born again; this time you were born into the family of God. You started out as a spiritual infant. As a
beginner child of God, you are to become a mature, trained, adult child of God. Jesus will help you grow into all these
things.
Jesus is your
pattern for adulthood; But, you must see Him as your
example. Jesus is the Creator of the
universe; He is God; of course He is able to do what He did. As a spiritual beginner, you may see how
small, weak, and untrained you are; you may not be willing to try. You may not know you are to be a spiritual
adult someday by following Jesus’ examples and training. Jesus can get you ready to live in God’s
Kingdom by helping you now.
What Is Jesus Trying To
Teach You?
If a baby doesn’t
innately know the reason they have a small version of an adult body,
they won’t develop properly. They must
desire to watch, practice, grow, and gradually learn how to live life as an
adult. You are never going to be God; but, you are a child of God; you are to watch Jesus,
practice, grow, and gradually learn how to live life as a spiritual adult. Jesus is God; but,
it is still His desire to show you how to live His adult,
Jesus-life as a child of God.
You were born as a
human so you could have a body and a life to be trained with. It is a limited life because your attitudes
and character haven’t been developed to a place where you can be trusted with
supernatural, God-sized power. If you
yield to Jesus’ training, your attitudes and character will be developed
properly. Then Jesus will gradually
give you opportunities to work together with Him. He and you will be able to train and help
those around you to experience Jesus’ power and truths in their life.
Are You Ready To
Learn How To Live The
Jesus-Life?
Ask Jesus to help you understand vital truth issues. Like in the rest of these things in this
book, spiritual understanding only comes from Jesus. If you read and understand these things, you
can be sure it is because Jesus is empowering you to understand. If you read and don’t understand, all you
have to do is ask Jesus to help you understand.
If you pray and still don’t understand, then ask Jesus to help you bring
it back up when He is ready to explain it to you.
1.
Be Born Into It
John 3:3 (NIV) In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the
truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” You know what human birth looks like; it is a small version of a human,
starting out for the first time on this planet.
They usually have all the physical equipment, but, don’t know how to use
it or take advantage of it. They have a
lot of growing to do physically, mentally, spirituality, and in
experiences. They have a long way to go
to be an adult human; but, they seem to have the
desire, hope, and determination to get the job done.
You were born again; your second
birth made you God’s child, a member of His family, and a citizen in His
Kingdom. Now you need to allow all of
this become a reality in your heart and mind.
You know you have been born into it. Now allow Jesus to help you know the other
things you need to know.
2.
Know You Are Born Again For Eternity
1 Pet 1:23 (NIV) For you have been born again, not of
perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and
enduring word of God. Being born again is different from being born
as a human. The human “seed” of your
parents produced a life that is perishable and heading for death. You do all that growing physically, mentally, and in experiences; but, if
you aren’t born again, you lose it all at death. Being born again through the “seed” of God is
imperishable; you live
forever. But like human birth, you have
some growing to do; you start from spiritual infancy and mature into an adult
child of God.
3.
Trade Your Human Life For Jesus’ Life
Gal 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me. If you want to, you can spend all your time
learning how to succeed as a human. If
you do, you will forfeit your eternal Jesus-training. As an untrained Christian, you will enter
into eternity with very little spiritual skills, abilities, experiences, or
training. Your opportunities will be
extremely limited. However, even if you
only give Jesus a few minutes of your time each day, He will use it to help you
succeed now and for eternity in many ways.
As a child of God, you have some
growing to do. Jesus will help you learn
to live in the spirit realm where your Father lives. As a new born-again beginner, you don’t know
much about this new realm. But, Jesus provides you examples through His life and
teaching. He will teach and show you
what an adult child of God looks like.
It will take a lifetime to learn; but all of it will work now and
last for eternity. Let Jesus show you
how to trade your life for His.
4. Trade
One Lifestyle For
Another
John 14:12 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith
in Me will do what I have been doing.
He will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father.
What if a young
child didn’t see their parents as someone they were to pattern after? What if they thought they could never be like
them? That is what happens to a lot of
Christians. They don’t understand the lifestyle Jesus is trying to give them. Yes, Jesus is God; but,
He lived His life as a human, spiritual adult.
He did it so you can accept His lifestyle as
yours.
5.
Trade One Inheritance For Another
Rom 8:17 (NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we
may also share in His glory. What if you see the Bible and Jesus’ life as
not have anything to do with your life now?
How would it affect your life if you knew your life now was influencing
your eternal inheritance? What if you
found out that you could be making investments in eternity by living a certain
way here? Did you know that your success
here affects your success in eternity?
6.
Appreciate Your New Birth And New Inheritance
Now if we are children, then we are heirs: What did you inherit when you became a child of
God? Dear friends, now we are
children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall
be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). Just like a human child will
automatically grow up looking a lot like their parents, there are parts of you
that are automatic in Christian growth. But, there are skills, knowledge, experiences, abilities,
and training your parents have that you didn’t get.
7.
Take Advantage Of Your New Birth And
New Inheritance
Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ: Not all of Christianity is automatic; a human baby
inherits their characteristics from their parents. But, what they do
with them is up to them. That is the way
Christianity is; you inherited God and His provisions. That is automatic; but,
what you do with all this is the next big issue.
You aren’t here just to learn how
to live as a human, you are mostly here to learn how to live as a spirit being. You are to
let Jesus use the things you learn about living as a human to teach you about
living as God’s child. You have applied
yourself to learning a lot about being human; and, you have applied yourself to
learning how to live as God’s child.
Now it is time to start living as a child of God.
If you need a drink,
you have learned how “to do what it takes” to get one. If you need to chew some food, you know how
to do it. If you need to pick something
up, you have learned the process of accomplishing that. But, do you know how to hunger and thirst
after righteousness? Do you know how to
“chew” spiritual truths? Do you know how
to move spiritual issues from one place to another? Learning how to walk in the Spirit, digest
God’s truth, have eyes and ears that can see and hear what Jesus is teaching,
is what you are dealing with now.
A
Prayer For You To Always Pray For Yourself And Others
Jesus’ people are
praying Ephesians 1:17-23 for you. It
contains such vital requests before God that it has converted into a prayer for
you and those around you. As others pray
it for you, please join them by praying this modified prayer for yourself and
your friends.
I keep asking that the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so
that I may know Him better.
I pray also that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in
order that I may know the hope to which He has called me, the
riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His
incomparably great power for me, who believes. Jesus, help me see, know, and understand the
hope, the riches, and this power.
That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He
exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and
dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but
also in the one to come. And God placed
all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the
church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills everything in every
way. Jesus, I ask that I would receive a
full revelation and vision into all this power that is available to me; and, I
ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
It would be good for
you to pray this prayer for yourself and those around you regularly.
This concludes your reading and praying.
The Victorious Christian Living
Truth/Prayer Pages
A Progressive Training In Romans 7:1-25
Version: 25.10.7
Chapter One
What Does It
Mean To Succeed?
Week One Day Three
Getting
A Good Start In Life
What if you live your whole life and then realize, you lived it all wrong? Just because you “feel” you are doing the right things, believing the right things, and setting your goals in the right direction doesn’t mean it’s true; but Jesus is your truth and leads you into the truth.
Jesus, help me realize that I
am living my life. Help me
think about the fact that I am experiencing those things I
choose. Help me consider the issue that I
am ending up at a destination I aimed at. Show me that my happiness, successes, pain,
and failures are based on what I picked as the right way for me. If I include You in the strategies of my goal
setting, my plans for reaching those goals, and my methods for implementing
those plans, my future will take me into real success. You alone know how real life works.
Choosing The Right Principles For
Success
If you went to a seminar and learned how to be
successful based on the beliefs and principles of the trainer, if you took down
extensive notes, if you memorized all their concepts, and if you rearranged
your life based on all of them, what if all the information and training were
wrong? It would mean you spent all that
money, effort, and time with principles that didn’t work.
Jesus, help me
not go into training, believe and trust what they are
teaching, and change my life on the basis of their training and information. Help me not base my trust on the “success” of
the person or group who is providing that training. What do You say is true success? Show me if I am rearranging my
life based on truth, or, what I believe to be
true.
Here’s what Jesus warns you about: Leave
them; they are blind guides. If a
blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit (Mat 15:14). What if an instructor doesn’t know what real
success is? What if they teach you
things
that made them “successful” but have the wrong definition. Everything they teach you will head you
in the
direction of what they call success.
But, you may not find out that they didn’t
teach you the truth until you have lived a
long time.
There are teachers who don’t even apply or practice
those things they teach: If you are convinced that you are a guide for the
blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a
teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and
truth--you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who
preach against stealing, do you steal (Rom 2:19-21)?
Jesus, help me
see that too many instructors are only successful in being instructors. They are succeeding and making money from
telling people how to do things they can’t or don’t do themselves. Help me also see that it isn’t just the
material that may not be valid, it can also be the instructor and the student
that lack the necessary qualifications for being a success. Help me see what You require of a teacher and
a student.
What if the world honored you and looked to you as the epitome of success but Jesus didn’t? What if you won all kinds of awards, recognition, fame, and notoriety but Jesus wasn’t pleased with you? How is it possible to have money, possessions, positions, power, prestige, popularity, pleasure, and accomplishments and still not be successful?
You who preach against stealing, do you
steal: Jesus, when I look at people that I consider a
success and want to be like them, show me that I may look at their
accomplishments and not their methods of accomplishment. I can identify with the “successful” person
and not the people they used to accomplish what they call success. Help me not only be
successful myself, help me succeed while helping others succeed.
Success Has To Do With How
I Got There
James
2:6 (NIV) But you have insulted the poor.
Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not
the ones who are dragging you into court?
You can look at a poor person and not want to
associate with them because of their current condition. You can look at a wealthy person and want to
hang around them. Why? Because you are looking at the outside of the
person. You can’t see what kind
of person they are on the inside. Did
they get where they are by lying to people, cheating some, misleading some, and
hurting some?
Jesus, help me
always keep in mind that You care much more about people than You do
things. You will sacrifice all kinds of things
so You can save people. Help me have
that same attitude. Help me see that
things are for me to use so I can help people.
Help me be financially successful so I can use them to make a difference
in people’s lives. Protect me from only
working on my career, my success, my future, and my wellbeing.
Success Has To Do With What Kind Of Person I
Am
James
2:7 (NIV) Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of Him
to Whom you belong? Can a person
get money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, power, pleasure, and a
lot of accomplishments without becoming a Christian? Yes!
Would they then be successful? No! Why?
James
1:11 (NIV) For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its
blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.
In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about
his business. Is this
because he is rich? No, it is because
of how he got rich and what he does with his riches.
Jesus, teach me
that a rich person is like a lake. A
wealthy person is like a river. Help me
be like a river: instead of me hoarding, being greedy, covetous, envious, and
selfish, teach me how to use things to help people. Teach me Your way for me getting a lot of
money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, power, pleasure, and
accomplishments. Then teach me how to
let them flow into me and then through me to help people with all of them.
Success
Has To Do With What I Do With My Money
1 Tim
6:10 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have
wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. It might seem like only the rich
love money; but, a poor person might love and covet it
even more. It isn’t a matter of how much
money you have or don’t have; it is a matter of what you would do with money,
possessions, positions, power, popularity, prestige, pleasure, and
accomplishments once you got them.
Jesus, help me
see that it isn’t how much money or possessions I have, it is what kind of
person I am. Help me understand that the
reason You are working on my character and attitudes is so I can have money,
possessions, positions, power, popularity, prestige, pleasure, and
accomplishments and still be righteous.
Help me be a righteous person in how I get them and how I use them after
I get them.
Jesus wants to show you how to help people with
those things you get and use. He wants
to help you with all those things you earn, are blessed with, and
accumulate. He wants to help you
accumulate a tremendous amount of things. He has a way for you to use things to show your
love for people rather than things.
He has a system where you use them so as to start creating win/win
situations for all involved.
Jesus, show me what
will happen when You bless me with money, possessions, positions, power,
popularity, prestige, pleasure, and accomplishments. Show me what I will do as I use all these things
to help the people around me. Show me
that if I don’t become a lake that makes me rich, I will become a river that
God can pour all these things into and then through me into others. Show me that I will never be poor; I will
always have a great quantity of things passing through my life. But, show me how You will help me use
them to keep making my life and the lives of other people so much better.
This concludes your
reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter Two
Should I Get To Give?
Week One Day Four
Mat 15:14 (NIV) Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. It matters where you get your information; it matters what you see and hear from spiritual training; and, it matters what you do with those things you learn. You are learning and growing in Bible knowledge. The thing that matters to Jesus is what you do with it. The Pharisees did a lot of learning and growing in Biblical knowledge and used it for evil.
Jesus, I want to be set free from
spiritual blindness; I know I have been greatly contaminated by the world’s motivations. I have been trained, been tutored, have
experienced, and even lived by these motivations of the world. Why I want to succeed, how I go about
succeeding, and what I call “success” need to be completely redefined in my
mind and heart. Help me see things the
way You see them. Open my eyes to the
way life really works so I can have the kind of success that You approve
of.
1.
Keep Me Moving Forward
If you are convinced
that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants: Jesus, there are times when I really feel like I
know how and why to do things. I feel
pride in my accomplishments and what I possess.
Help me realize that a lot of those things I accomplished had wrong
motives. Show me how much I need to be
instructed. Help me see where and why I
need to be given improvements and breakthroughs. Help me yield to Your training and
power.
If you are convinced that you are a guide
for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the
foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth: Jesus, as I learn Biblical principles and the longer
I am a Christian, I start to feel like my knowledge and length of time as a
Christian are my credentials and qualifications for instructing others. Help me always realize it isn’t what I know
but what I am living that are my qualifications. If You haven’t given me a breakthrough and a
victory in an area of my life, then show me that I do not qualify to
teach on that subject.
Jesus, help me
not get prideful about how long I have been saved. Help me realize it isn’t how old I am spiritually;
it is how much I am yielding to You.
Help me to be maturing and growing spiritually so I yield in a greater
way. Show me that my objective for
spiritual growth is to allow You to live Your life through me. That is success!
If you
are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in
the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have
in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--you, then, who teach
others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you
steal.
Jesus, as I read
and study the Bible, I learn a lot of things.
I see things I agree with, but aren’t living. There are also things that sometimes I live
them and other times I find myself failing in them. I thank You that You have given me a clean
record. But,
people don’t see me the same way You do.
When I fail in my relationships in these areas, I hurt them.
Jesus, people just
see my behavior; they know I am a Christian and think my failures represent the
weaknesses of Christianity. I hate it
when I give people the wrong impression about You and Your salvation. Help me explain to those around me about how
salvation and justification work. Give
me opportunities to teach them these principles so they will understand how it
works for me and how it will work for them.
What Is The Difference In Rich People And Blessed People?
James
2:6 (NIV) But you have insulted the poor.
Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not
the ones who are dragging you into court?
1. Stop
Networking And Start
Being Led
But you have insulted the poor: Jesus, the world has taught me to network. They want me to only associate with those who
help me reach my goals. They point me to
those they say are successes in life.
They teach that the quantity of money, possessions, positions, power, prestige,
popularity, pleasure, and accomplishments are the evidences of success. I have avoided the needy and poor and have
gravitated toward people I thought were successful.
Jesus, help me devote my time,
effort, and possessions with those You direct me to. Guide me to those You want me to spend time
with. You know the heart, character,
desires, and future of everyone. You decide
who I team up with and who I help.
2. Stop
Admiring The Wrong
People
But
you have insulted the poor. Is it not
the rich who are exploiting you: Jesus, I
still have a certain amount of admiration for “educated,” popular, prestigious,
and “powerful” people. I still tend to
listen and follow some of the things they represent. Help me see them for who they really are;
help me see people through Your eyes so I will only be influenced by those You
approve of.
Jesus, keep me
from being a lake; make me a river. Empower
me to only take those things I need for my life and send the rest on to others
who need them. Give me a heart for
loving and caring for those around me; empower me to share all I can with
others.
But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are
they not the ones who are dragging you into court: Jesus, I see that it’s wrong to allow greed,
covetousness, envy, and selfishness motivate me. I see how these drives destroy the person
having them and those around them. Set me
free from these attitudes and character traits.
Help me not have selfish desires to be rich.
If You want to entrust me with a lot of things, help me depend on You
completely. Protect me from them so I
don’t start looking to them for my success in life.
Jesus, help me see what people are
made of that exploit, sue, steal, cheat, underpay, and take advantage of the
people they employ. Help me see how evil
these kinds of people are who won’t involve themselves in win/win strategies
with those around them. Help me stay
totally aware of what it takes to become a rich person. And, help me constantly bring my heart before
You so You can examine my motives for everything I do.
4. Build
Your Relationship With Jesus
James 2:7 (NIV) Are they not the ones who are slandering
the noble name of Him to Whom you belong? Jesus, help me
see that when I follow the world’s training, philosophies, and goals, I pull
away from You. As I put my trust in
myself, the world, and human effort, I don’t establish and maintain a
relationship with You. Help me put my
trust in You so I can learn from You.
Help me be trained by You so I can experience Your goals, motivations,
and principles.
Mat 6:24 (NIV) No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Jesus, help me understand that the world doesn’t just
have a different system, they have a different god. Show me that they serve money and Satan. Help me see that as I keep looking to You for
everything, I am not only getting closer to You, I am getting farther away from
serving money.
6. Trade
World Wisdom For Jesus’ Wisdom
James 2:8 (NIV) If you really keep the royal law found in
Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
Jesus, move me into loving my neighbor as myself. Show me how to always create win/win
situations for everyone involved. Teach
me how to address all situations and be able to evaluate them and see how
win/win can be achieved. Help me see
that this is only possible through Your incredible wisdom.
James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask
God, Who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to him. Jesus, I ask You
right now to give me Your wisdom that is powerful enough to be able to design
all situations where they are all win/win situations for all involved.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Three
Do I Have A Love For Things Or A
Love For People?
Week One Day Five
Help Me See My True Resource
1 Tim 6:10 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil. Some people, eager
for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs. It is true that money isn’t the only thing
that gets people off track. There is also possessions, positions, popularity, prestige,
pleasure, and accomplishments; but, money is a root
of all kinds of evil.
Jesus, I get so involved with paying bills, buying
things, and saving money that I forget that it isn’t what takes care of
me. I see people with a lot of money
able to do things that others can’t because they don’t have enough money. I look at the things
money can do and concentrate on it. It’s
easy for me to get confused and think that money is the power to win at
life. This isn’t the attitude I want;
help me not make money my hope, supply, and power to do the things I want and
need to do.
Help Keep My Priorities Straight
Money doesn’t pay the bills. Jesus supplies the resources that make food,
clothing, housing, transportation, and life in general work. Money is only the vehicle Jesus uses at times
for supplying your needs. If Jesus gives
you a good job or career or protects your possessions and doesn’t allow bad
things to happen to them, then it was Jesus Who caused all that money to come
your way and be protected.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with many griefs: Jesus, protect me from wandering from the
faith. Jesus, help me not get lost in the cares of this world and wander around doing things that
don’t matter. Help me keep my focus on
You; help me keep realizing that You are my only answer for having a wonderful
life. Help me see that if I get too busy
earning a living, paying the bills, and saving up for retirement, I will make
money my goal. Protect me from setting
the wrong goals and making the wrong plans.
Jesus, I have already pierced myself with
many griefs. I have already bought
so many things that made me a slave to paying all my bills. Help me move into the standard of living that
You want for me. Show me the happiness
that comes from being free from spending most of my time working for someone
else. Set me free from the slavery of
money, the drive for things, and the grief of too many pressures. Give me Your way of life where I can spend
time and effort getting things, but, for the purposes of love for people. Teach me how to be busy doing those things
that bring happiness and joy now and an eternity of great blessings.
If success has to do with how you got to the place where you are, if it is dependent on what kind of a person you are, and if it is based on what you do with your success, then what do you do to get this kind of success?
Jesus, how do I get where I am successful by treating people a certain
way? Help me see that the only way I
will treat people right, is to be the right kind of person. Help me see that the only way I am going to
be the right kind of person, is to yield to Your life. And, help me understand that the only way I
am going to yield to You, is to apply The Three Keys To
All Of Christianity.
Teach me that I must ask You to help me; I must seek Your
truths to set me free; and I must do this while knocking on the doors of
opportunity to share with others.
What
Kind Of Person Should I Be?
In your journey toward winning at life, the way you treat people is dependent on what kind of person you are on the inside. You may be very personable, friendly, kind, understanding, and focused on people and their needs while not being a good person. How is that possible?
Jesus, help me understand that if I am personable, friendly, kind,
understanding, and focused on people and their needs so I can get them to do
what I want them to do, if I use all these techniques for gaining a
person’s trust so they will make the decisions I want them to make, on the outside
I would appear to be the right kind of person. But, help me see that on the inside I
would be the wrong kind of person.
Heal me from being the wrong kind of person.
Some people love money and use people; God wants you to love
people and use money. Phil
4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches
in Christ Jesus. Once you get your
priorities straight, you are able to
be blessed, prospered, and helped to be successful. Once you get to
the place where money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, pleasure,
and accomplishments don’t endanger you, God
demonstrates His generosity and support by allowing you to have them.
Jesus, help me see that You aren’t against any of
those things that would be a blessing and a support for me; You just make me
Your priority. You make sure all these things
are blessings and not curses to me. Mat
6:33 (NIV) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well. When I do the first part, it gets me
ready for the second part. Empower me to
seek first Your kingdom and Your
righteousness so You can use me to help people with things.
Working On What Kind Of A Person I Am
The only way for you to be
successful is to be able to treat yourself, other
people, and God the right way. And,
the only way for you to be able to do that is for you to know what the right
way is. So, God gave you instructions,
lists, and laws that make the right way clear.
He provided you with the Holy Spirit and the Bible to make His
instructions available to you.
Jesus, I thank You for providing salvation,
justification, and sanctification. I
thank You sending the Holy Spirit to explain the Bible. Help me see that He is helping everyone get
these lists, instructions, and laws. And,
He is speaking to everyone’s conscience who is old enough to be ready to know
the difference between right and wrong.
He is speaking to me and helping me to become that person who is ready
to handle powerful things.
The First Representatives Of God’s Instructions, Lists, And Laws
Many years ago, way back in Old
Testament times, God had His instructions, lists, and laws written out so
people could read them; but, only a small group of people had access to
them. God gave the Jews this information;
and they were supposed to share it with the rest of the world. But, they had a hard
time getting this job done; so, God solved this problem.
Jesus, I thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to speak
to my conscience; I am glad I don’t have to have someone else tell me what You
consider right and wrong. I also thank
You for the Bible; it is my only totally reliable source of directions for my
life. Help me listen to the Holy Spirit
in my conscience and to the perfect directions You put in the Bible. Empower me to allow the Holy Spirit to tell
me the meaning to every verse. Help me
not interfere with the truths His is telling me.
The Second Representative Of God’s Instructions, Lists, And Laws
John 16:7-8 (NIV) But I (Jesus) tell you the truth: It is
for your good that I am going away. Unless
I go away, the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I
will send Him to you. When He (the Holy
Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin
and righteousness and judgment.
Jesus, I thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to
make God’s instructions, lists, and laws clear to everyone by speaking to their
conscience. When I did something wrong
and felt bad about it, help me see that the only reason I felt this way
was because He was speaking to my conscience. Help me take full advantage of His work in
teaching me more and more about what is right and what is wrong. Empower me to obey everything He says.
The Human Conscience Can Be Hardened
Psychopaths and sociopaths have
stopped listening to their conscience.
They have done this for so long that their hearts have become hard and
their conscience has become dead. 1
Tim 4:2 (NIV) Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences
have been seared as with a hot iron.
Jesus, I know I am not perfect; but, help me see that it is actually
worse than that. Show me that it isn’t
just a matter that I make mistakes, there are times when my conscience tells me
I am doing something wrong, bad, or evil and I do
it anyway. Help me see that if I do
something accidently, God doesn’t call it sin. But, if I know something is wrong, bad, or
evil and I do it on purpose, that is a whole different matter.
This concludes your reading and praying for this week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter Four
Why Does God Make Certain Things A Sin?
Week Two Day One
The Road Blocks To
Life-Success
Winning
At Life Is Dependent On What Methods I Use
James 4:17 (NIV) Anyone, then, who knows the
good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. As you
can see here, sin isn’t just a matter of you not doing something wrong, bad, or
evil on purpose. You can sin against
yourself, other people, and God by refusing to do something you know is good. It was tough enough just asking Jesus to help
you stop mistreating yourself, other people, and God’s plan. Now you are faced with being responsible for
doing good to yourself, other people, and God’s plan.
Jesus, You have shown me that it’s a sin to
know something is the wrong, bad, or evil way to treat myself, other people,
and God’s wonderful plan and do it anyway.
Now You are showing me that if I know something
would be good for me, others, and God and I purposefully don’t do it,
that is also a sin. Help me see why You
don’t just want to empty me from wrong, bad, or evil, You
want to fill me with right, good, and righteousness.
My
Life-Methods Have To Do With People
Why does God care about wrong, bad, evil, right, good, and righteousness? Because God is totally focused on loving and caring about people. One of your main purposes for being on this planet is to learn what wrong, bad, evil, right, good, and righteousness are. Your right to enter into God’s eternal Kingdom is dependent on these issues.
Jesus, help me see the correlation between sin and success. Show me that sin has to do with the three
major aspects of success. Teach me that
success is dependent on my mind, motives, and methods. Your question is: Does my mind know the
truth? Were my motives ones of
love? Were my methods good ones or
sinful ones? Help me see that God cares
about people much more than He cares about what I have
accomplished. If I mistreated people on my
way to “success,” then He will declare me to be unsuccessful and a sinner.
Life-Success
Is Dependent On Who I Am
What if you wanted to be a singer but didn’t have an ear for tone? You could set your goal, make your plan, and put out a tremendous effort for reaching your goal. But, if you didn’t have the ability to hear the difference between certain tones, you would block off your own success. What if you wanted to be in a profession that took years of study and preparation? But, what if you refused to do what it took to get there? You would block off your own success. You have to have what it takes to be successful. More importantly, you have to be the kind of person necessary for you to be successful; you don’t want to act successful; you want to be successful.
Jesus, help me see that who I become, is dependent on me being willing
and able to change. I know I have to
expose myself to some kind of training for becoming a professional in any
field. I know I don’t automatically have
the ability to be successful at various things. I would have to pay a lot of money, devote a
lot of my life, and study a lot of things for a long time, just so I could learn
how to be a person who is qualified and trained.
Change
In The
Right Direction Is Dependent On Truth
Multitudes of people have devoted their entire lives to being trained by the world. They were taught how to be “successful” by being selfish. They were taught how to believe in themselves, that they deserved to be successful, that they just had to put their mind to it, that they had to have self-confidence and self-esteem, and that they had to do whatever it took to win.
Jesus, show me that once I have been trained in secular humanism, when I
go out into the world of marriage, business, friendships, and acquaintances, my
priority is myself. If my spouse doesn’t
do what it takes to help me reach my goals, they are in trouble. When I go into business and my partners,
employees, employers, or customers don’t help me reach my goals, they
too are in trouble. Help me see that as
far as I am concerned, all of life and all the people are there to serve me. Set me free from this type of philosophy and
training.
The Road To Life-Success
What kind of person do you want to have as a spouse? What kind of person do you want as your employer, employee, or business partner? Do you want someone who is only doing what it takes to make themselves successful? Do you want someone on your team who would be willing to sacrifice you just so they could win? Do you want someone who smiles, tells you what you want to hear, is very nice to you, and is only acting like they are your friend?
Jesus, empower me to become someone everyone can trust. Make me into someone a lot of people want to
do business with. Empower me to live
a life that causes a lot of people to want to be my friend. Train me so I can surround myself with people
I can trust. Help me not be a person who
appears to be loving and caring but on the inside
I am just doing it to gain people’s trust.
I wouldn’t want people joining me who are like that.
Setting The Rules For Living The
Truth
Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. You have seen times when you knew what the truth was; but, you didn’t live by it. Knowing what is the right, good, and righteous thing to do is different from you living it. Knowing and doing doesn’t necessarily have to be the same thing. You have a pretty clear picture of how you want to be treated. But, applying that knowledge to other people can be a whole different issue. Jesus wants you to use yourself as your first criteria for Him teaching you how to treat others.
Jesus, help me start off with the beginning step of using myself as my
measurement of how to treat others. Help
me at least take a look at how I would want to be treated. Even though, how I would want to be treated
may not be the same as others want to be treated, help me at least start
there. I typically have a clear picture
of how I want to be treated. So, let
that get me started heading in the direction of doing right, good, and
righteous things to others.
Making The Rules For Living The
Truth Fair
Rom 2:1 (NIV) You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. You don’t like being lied to; but, have you ever lied to anyone? You don’t like being cheated; but, have you ever done something to some one that was best for you but not for them? You don’t like being gossiped against; but, have you ever talked about someone negatively behind their back? Sure, everyone has. We all have one set of rules for how we want to be treated and another for how we go about treating those around us.
Jesus, set me free from having a double standard. Help me not give myself grace and hold the
law against everyone else. But, help me
get my own life healed and changed so I can see clearly how to help others get
their life healed and changed. Help me
not try to change myself by the law; and, help me not try to change others by
judging them. Help me get changed by
Your power. Then let me lead others into
allowing You to change them.
Seeing How To Apply The Rules
For Living The Truth
Luke 6:41-42 (NIV) Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
You are condemning yourself, because you who pass
judgment do the same things: Jesus, help me see that Romans 2:1 isn’t saying I shouldn’t be telling
people how to live. It is requiring me
to be taught by You how I am to apply The Three Keys To
All Of Christianity to my life first. You want me to learn how to start living
according to help of the Holy Spirit. He
is applying the Bible to my conscience and is explaining the meaning of each
Scripture. Help me learn and live it so
I can share it.
Applying The Rules For Living The
Truth
First take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye: Jesus is teaching you how to identify all planks in your eye. Then He is teaching you how to use The Three Keys, The Seven Biblical Principles, and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of God (The Beatitudes) to get the plank out of your eye. Once these three toolsets have set you free from your plank, you will see clearly how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter Five
How Do I Fulfill All The Law And Prophets?
Week Two Day Two
The
Foundational Rule For Successful Relationships
Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Help Me With Grace And
Mercy
Matthew 7:12 is setting you a rule that covers everything. It is a rule that fulfills the entire Old and
New Testaments. Once you understand the
meaning behind it, you will be able to apply The Three Keys, The Seven Biblical
Principles, and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of God (The
Beatitudes) to it and win at life and relationships.
So in everything: Jesus, there are
times when I don’t want to treat others the way I want to be treated. When it comes to me applying this rule to everything,
I find myself feeling resistive. I
am thankful that You and I have a relationship of grace and mercy. I am glad You are giving me good gifts even
though I don’t deserve them; this is how I want to be treated. But, I seem to
decide what I will do for others based on whether or not they deserve it. Help me stop making my decisions based on
whether or not people deserve good things from me.
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus explains what everyone will be
tested on. It will be your final exam on
where you will spend eternity. Jesus
explains in that passage that your eternal destiny has to do with
relationships. He considers the way you
treat others as being the way you are treating Him. That is why this verse in Matthew 7:12 is so
important.
So in everything, do to others:
Jesus, as You do
wonderful things for me, I see what good looks like. I am able to appreciate the way You treat me;
I love the way You forgave me, gave me a clean record, and started me out new;
help me share Your attitudes with others.
Jesus, I didn’t know how to love myself; I did things to myself that
were hurtful, damaging, demeaning, and wrong.
I thought I was my best friend until I found out about Your love and
wisdom. Your life has shown me what a
best friend looks like. Help me be that
kind of person with those around me. You
have made it much clearer what I like and want done to me. Now that I have experienced You, help me see
what kind of treatment I want to provide others. Empower me to provide it to them. Help me love others like You have loved
me.
Help Me Understand Me
You may be struggling with seeing yourself as a child of
God. You may not realize what it means
in Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! So, when you are instructed to love your
neighbor as yourself, or do to others what you would have them do to you, you
may have just thought about your human self.
Eph 2:10 (NIV) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So in everything, do to others what
you: Jesus,
help me have such a love relationship with You that I learn how to love and
appreciate who You have made me to be.
Show me that You are helping me cease to be a product of what I have
chosen to be. Help me realize that You
are making me into a new creation from You.
Help me love this new me so much that I can use it to love my neighbor
just like I love myself. Fill my heart
and mind with all Your principles so I can know how to create win/win
situations for myself that are compatible with those around me. I don’t know how to do this; but, I know You do.
Have you allowed Romans 7:15-25 help you separate your
desires, as a spirit person, from your body’s desires? As you consider what you would have done to
you, it is vital that you not confuse your body’s desires with yours. According to Romans 7:22, you a spirit being
delight in the law of God. That is how
you need to understand what you would have others do to you. That is how you would make your decisions as
to how you will be treating others.
So in everything, do to others what you would
have: Jesus,
I thought I knew what I wanted for me; I thought I knew what would make me
happy. I went after things that I was
sure would make me really enjoy life and make me successful. So, I filled my life with them and they only
gave me temporary happiness and feelings of accomplishment. I went after extreme pleasure, thinking it
was happiness; but, it only addicted me to things that
made me their slave. I could never get
enough to be satisfied; I had to keep going back and getting more and
more. Help me see that, that was my
body’s desires running my life rather than my spirit.
Help Me Understand Your Desires
As you keep moving into the Galatians 2:20 life of yielding
more and more to the desires of Jesus, that will greatly affect your decisions
about what you would have done to you. His
desires will enhance your desires for how you want to be treated. And, your treatment of others with also be
enhanced because of it.
Jesus, give me what You would have for me. Show me that You are the only One Who knows
what makes me happy and satisfied. Give
me Your peace, meaning, and purpose for my life. Help me want what You want so I can pursue it
with all my heart. Help me not worry
about the end results of what I pursue through You. I know it will be the very best for me. I believe in what You know; I believe in Your
love and plan for me; and, I believe in the results You bring into my life. Give me Your peace and joy, as I go about my
day.
Help Me Understand My
Relationships
This is a place where you can let your imagination go. You are moving into the realization that you
are a new creation as a child of God.
The more you can see what God can and will do for you, the more you will
see what you can help others with. They
will get treated in such wonderful ways that it will exceed their
expectations. The way you treat them
will be such a surprise that they may doubt your sincerity at first. But, they will soon
see you are real.
So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to you: Jesus before, my relationships were with hidden
agendas, sins, misleading information, mistakes, failures, shortcomings,
selfishness, and a lack of real love. As
I lived those things and did them to those around me, I caused them to want to
retaliate and respond to me in the same way.
I hurt people, made a lot of mistakes with them, set an example of
mistreatment, and created a pattern that made my relationships turn out
bad. Thank You for changing my heart and
mind and for showing me a much better way to treat people.
Jesus, help me keep in mind that a lot of the
people, I have relationships with, will be needing all these things You are
teaching and creating in me. Help me
understand that they will fail me, lie to me, cheat me, and do those things I
was doing to them. But,
I ask You to help me learn how to set them a new example. Empower me to give them forgiveness, mercy,
and grace so they can see the new way You are leading me into. Help me do to them what I would
have them do to me. Rather
than me going back into my old way of revenge, retaliation, getting even,
making sure I win over them, and all kinds of human reactions, empower me to
set a new pattern in my relationships.
Help Me Understand Your
Commandments
Once again, this is a command of Jesus. That means He spoke the power into you to do
this. That doesn’t mean He
demanded that you start living this way by means of your own efforts. But, it does
mean that you have to read this command with faith. You have to read it and accept its miraculous
power into you. You must believe that
you can now start treating people based on this command from Jesus.
So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, this is
what Your commandments are all about. I
don’t have to come up with a standard in my relationships. You are giving me
the power to set a new pattern for myself and others. You are making me a peacemaker. You are training and empowering me to
teach and set an example of love and forgiveness. Help me be able to take faith-action and live
on the basis of new laws, principles, and commandments.
Jesus, empower me live out all of Your commandments
and teachings. Help me establish a new
way of living with the people around me.
Let me be Your example of what You and Christianity are all about. Help me be a great influence in other
people’s lives so they can see a new way of living. Let them see a way that creates win/win goals
and plans that meet the needs of every person involved. Set me free from competition and fill my
heart with a desire to do to others what I would have them do
to me.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter Six
How Do I Stop Acting Victorious And Become Victorious?
Week Two Day Three
The Key To Life-Success
Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus taught you that there are three things you have to consider before you start applying the principle of Matthew 7:12:
·
Knowing how to do to others what you would have them do to you.
·
Acting like you are doing to
others what you would have them do to you.
· Being a person who is doing to others what you would have them do to you.
Success
In Life Comes From Being
Not Acting
What’s the difference between knowing how to be a pilot but never having flown a plane, acting like you are a pilot of a plane but aren’t one, and being a pilot who can and is flying planes. If you were in the air and the true pilot of the plane died, you would probably trust the person who knew how to be a pilot but had never flown a plane before. You would probably at least trust their knowledge and hope for the best. But, you wouldn’t want someone flying the plane you were in, if they were just acting like they knew how to fly a plane.
Jesus, there were so many times when I was with Christians that I acted
different than when I was by myself or with the unsaved. Help me see that, that isn’t Your
objective. Help me yield to Your life
and training. Let Matthew 7:12 take me
on a journey into me allowing You to guide me into not only knowing how I want
to be treated, but how I should be treating others. Help me look inside myself while You are
teaching me Your Word. Let me see what
kind of treatment You can put in my desire that will change me and my behavior
with others.
Jesus isn’t impressed with people who set themselves up as your guide to success in life but aren’t the person they claim to be. Here is how He sees people who claim to be successful but aren’t living out Matthew 7:12: Mark 7:6 (NIV) He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Luke 13:15-16 (NIV) The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
Jesus, I want to be loved and respected; so, I try
to impress people with my spiritual skills, knowledge, and behavior. I have learned enough about the Bible and
Christian things to be able to impress those around me. I convinced myself that I am a good
Christian because of my knowledge and abilities. I wanted to be good at things so people would
accept, like, and need me. Help me give
up this hypocrisy and open my heart to Your reality.
Why does a peach tree produce peaches? Because that is what it is! It isn’t trying to be a peach tree. It isn’t acting like it is a tree that produces peaches. The truth isn’t just learning information and then teaching it to others. The truth isn’t just something for you to try to act like you are. The truth has to have a special power from Jesus to turn you into someone you weren’t before. You can only be a Christian if Jesus makes you into one.
Jesus, help me just want to yield to You. Let people see how great You are. Help me see that living the victorious
Christian life isn’t something I do. Help
me understand that I can only do great things by allowing You to do great
things through me. Help me not want
people to think I am great. Help me
desire them to see You as great. Help me
see that if they think I am great, they will be looking to me to help them in
ways I lack the ability to perform. But,
if I show them Your greatness, they will look to You and You will exceed their
expectations.
Hypocrisy Is Thinking You Are Something Better Than You Are
A hypocrite is someone who is pretending or representing themselves as being something they aren’t. You aren’t looking for success in life that is only an illusion. You don’t want to think you are successful and are only fooling yourself. You don’t want to emulate or pattern your life after fakes, hypocrites, or experts in fields you don’t want to be in. You want to find out what is true, allow that truth to start influencing your life, and learn how to live it out by being it.
Jesus, help me keep looking to You for working in
and through me. Help me not be trying to
impress people. Help me only care what
they are thinking so I can help them.
You be my evaluation, my value, and my reality. Help me not go for the fake. Help me look to You for Your miraculous power
to accomplish in me those things that are presented in the Bible. Help me give myself over to You so You can
work miracles in my life. Make me into
the person You want me to be. Help me be
everything the Bible says I am.
Hypocrisy Is Acting Like You Are
Something You Aren’t
Most of the time you have a hidden agenda; there is something you are trying to get out of every kindness, every gift, every effort, and every deed. Your life is based on earning something from those things you put your time, effort, and money into. You may “feel” like you are pure in your motives for why you do what you do. But, you typically want something out of what you do and say. If you are nice to people, you want them to either be nice back or to at least appreciate it. If you do work, you expect something in return for your efforts. These are typical of all humans. Our heart is fooling us into thinking we have pure motives. But, it isn’t until you allow Jesus to bring reality and truth to your heart, will you become.
Being real requires that you not have any hidden agendas; it is a life where you are so honest, filled with integrity, and living by the truth that you don’t mind letting people know what you are “up to.” Being real means you are on the inside what you live on the outside.
Jesus, I want to have such a transformation in my
mind and heart that I don’t have anything to hide. Help me be so loving and truthful that I can
be open to everyone without hurting or misleading anyone. Give me such a transformed life that I don’t
have to worry about people finding out how I really feel about them. If I am in disagreement with someone over
some issue, help me have Your great wisdom for solving it without me acting
like it is solved.
Hypocrisy Is Acting Like You Think Things You Don’t
What if everyone could read your mind; what if everyone knew exactly what you were thinking, what you felt in your heart, and why you were doing everything you did? What if there were no secrets, you were an open book, and there was nothing you could hide from anyone? Would that be a problem with any of your relationships? That could literally destroy almost all of most people’s relationships with everyone they met.
Jesus, there are things I don’t like about even my very best
friends. There are fleeting negative thoughts
that pass through my mind while discussing things with people I like. They are thoughts that would be offensive to
them and could end the relationship.
But, because You designed us humans where we are able to have hidden
thoughts, feelings, motives, and attitudes, I keep the relationships but under
false pretenses. We are friends because
they don’t know everything I think and feel about them. Help me be healed and changed so I am real,
loving, and living in truth with those around me.
Needing
To Make A Change
What if you had a problem with your attitudes and character that was keeping you from reaching your goals and fulfilling your plans? But, what if you didn’t know about the problem or didn’t want to make the improvement? It hurts sometimes when people tell you things about you that are problems or mistakes. You can feel disappointment in yourself; and, you can feel hurt, angry, or resentment toward the person that told you the truth. But, it isn’t until you allow Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible to point out your faults that you will be able to live a victorious Christian life of reality and truth.
Jesus, I have lived a life of secrecy and private thoughts and feelings
all my life. I don’t know how to have my
thoughts and feelings brought into truth and sincerity. Help me have such a heart healing that I can
be open and honest without doing damage to those around me. Help me not just have friendships because
they have no idea how I really feel.
Help me have such Philippians 4:8 thoughts that as people find out what
I am thinking and feeling, they love and respect me more than they did
before.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Seven
What Kind Of Esteem And Confidence Do I Need?
Week Two Day Four
Mark 7:6 (NIV)
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites;
as it is written: “‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are
far from Me.
Fragile Esteem And Confidence
What causes you to need to make attitude and character changes but resent being told you need them? Shouldn’t you want to be successful in life enough that you are completely open to constructive criticism? You can be told you have a tumor and not get mad at the doctor. You can be told you need an education to become a professional and not get mad at the counselor. But, you can really take it personal when people point out errors in your attitudes or character.
Self-Esteem And Self-Confidence
Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites: The problem with self-confidence and self-esteem is that they can’t take constructive criticism. They require that you be able to see yourself as being valuable and successful. How are you going to be confident in yourself if you are actually doing a lot of things that are wrong?
Jesus, I wanted
to be loved and respected; so, I tried to impress people with my knowledge and
skills. Since the world evaluates me
based on my performance, I worked hard to know and be skilled enough to impress
them. I wanted to be good at things so people would accept and need me. I convinced myself that I was valuable
because of my knowledge and abilities.
God-Esteem
And God-Confidence
Jesus is teaching you how to get your confidence and
esteem from Him. He gives you love, acceptance,
respect, and value based on the fact that you are God’s child. The value and power that came from that is
huge. Who you are, what you can do, what
kind of potential, and what rights and privileges you have are
supernatural. However, you have a lot of
learning and growing to do because you are a young child of God. So, you need to accept some advice.
Jesus, help me
just want to be accepted by You; set me free from trying to impress people with
how great I am. Let me be satisfied and
happy with the fact that You accept me because I am God’s child. Give me an esteem and confidence in what You
and I are going to be doing together.
Allow me to have a new goal of convincing people how great You
are.
Jesus, help me
see that the price You paid for me, saved me from major devastation, pain, and
failure. The world’s system was going to
lead me into a way of life that was heading me in the wrong direction. I was in a system where I represented me and
everyone else represented themselves. We
were all selfish and couldn’t truly love anyone more than ourselves.
My Value Has Been In My
Accomplishments
These people
honor Me with their lips: You may have acknowledged Jesus in many
ways. But, if you examine how you got
where you are in life, you will probably find that you spent most of your time
running your own life. If you did
consult God, it was just those issues where they needed some supernatural
assistance. When the major portion of
your life is being done without consulting God, you are mostly just giving Him
lip-service.
Jesus, I had
self-esteem and self-confidence because I thought I was a self-made
person. I thought I was the reason for
all my training, knowledge, skills, talents, and abilities. I saw me as being the reason why I was ready
to be loved and accepted by those around me.
I felt that I deserved to take pride in who I was and what I was capable
of doing. I thought that I had done the
work and, therefore, deserved all the credit.
Jesus, I didn’t
realize or admit that You were the One Who actually made my existence
possible. You gave me my body, my brain,
my intelligence, my talents, and my opportunities. You controlled my circumstances; You made
sure I had all I needed to be able to know the things I knew and do the things
I did. You created the universe, this
world, and all the people around me. You
gave me all the resources that have made my life and successes possible. Help me realize that I am what You have made
possible for me.
My Value Has Been In
People’s Opinions Of Me
But their hearts
are far from Me: It was easy for you to want people’s
approval and acceptance because they controlled much of your life. They did business with you; they decided
whether or not they were your friend; they decided whether or not they would
give you a job; and they were the ones who would train you on how to be and do
better.
Jesus, I felt
that once people loved and respected me, I had achieved my goal of being
valuable. But,
I soon found out that people change with the wind. They may be impressed with me today but not
tomorrow. I never reached my goal; I had
to keep pushing myself to greater and greater knowledge and
accomplishments. Otherwise, I would lose
the love and respect of those I was trying to impress.
Jesus, I have
found this out about You: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever (Heb 13:8). Help me realize
that You accept me and love me because I am one of Your family members. Our relationship isn’t performance based or
on what I know or can do. Show me that I
don’t have to impress people; I am to love them. Heal me from needing human acceptance and
approval. Let me accept my value through
Your love. Settle and secure my heart
and mind in that relationship.
I Wanted To Reach
A Place Of Superiority
When
everything around you are based on competition, then the only way you can win
is to be better than those around you.
And, being better isn’t good enough, if you don’t realize you are
better. So, in that case, you would have
to have a superior attitude. That would
make you snobbish, prideful, and have a swelled ego. That tends to drive many people away from
you.
Jesus, I wanted
to be so well trained and experienced that I was an expert in my field. I wanted to be so good that people needed my
expertise and saw me as being the best at what I did. I needed them to feel I was superior at my
job, career, training, and experiences.
I wanted them to look up to me as being the authority on the
subject. I thought that would make me
important and special in their eyes. But, I found that I became the one to beat, the one to
outdo, and the one to bring down a notch or two. I became a target.
Jesus, give me a
better way of living life; help me received Your love and acceptance, so
I no longer need them from anyone else.
Empower me to go out and love and accept others through Your love. Rather than me joining them in a race for superiority,
help me join them in succeeding in life together. Let You and I help them reach their goals and
get their needs met. Help me assist them
as their equal and not as their superior.
I Want To Be
Completely Set Free From All Past Goals
Jesus has a way for you to live where
people don’t see you are a threat to their goals. You aren’t trying to be better than
them. You don’t feel a need to make them
dependent on you. You aren’t their
competitor. You are their friend and
fellow worker. You don’t have yourself
as your goal; you are including them in on all you want for yourself.
Jesus, I am now
moving into the most important information in all of creation. I am learning truths that are vital to every
human everywhere. Empower me to embrace
and share Your truths. Now, I don’t have
to be important; I and the people around me just have to believe in You. I don’t have to be great to do great and
wonderful things. Help me convince
people that we can work together with You and accomplish incredible
things.
I Want To Be
Real Through You
When
Jesus is training and empowering you to do great things, He isn’t making you
better than anyone else. He is helping
you be able to bring large quantities of people on board with you. He is helping you want to see everyone
succeed. You and all the people around
you are your goal. You want them to have
Jesus and all He has to offer. You have
Him and His provisions so that you can share.
Since there are no limits to Jesus and His supply, you don’t have to try
to be careful with how much or how many things you make available to
others.
Jesus, take Your
power and take Your truths and put them into the fabric of my life. Help me always look to You for showing me how
to live a life of success. Help me see
that I am going to be accompanied by many people as I learn how life really
works. Thank You for setting me free
from competition, selfishness, and pride.
Thank You for showing me how to love my neighbor as myself. Thank You for helping me do to others what I
would want them doing to me. Help me see
those around me as a part of who I am.
Help me make them and their life just as important to me as my life is
to me.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Eight
Why Can’t I Aways Tell The Truth?
Week Two Day Five
There
Are A Bunch Of
Things Wrong With Me
A person wanting to become a law enforcement officer realizes they don’t know a lot about it. They must join the training program with a humble attitude or they will fail. There are a lot of things they are currently doing wrong. There are many things they will have to unlearn. There are things they used to be allowed to do that they cannot do as a law enforcement officer.
What happens to you when Jesus starts requiring that you be real? How will you be able to go about your day, when you have to be totally sincere? How will you survive in your business, marriage, family, friends, and associates, if you have to always be honest? The difference between world success and God success, is the difference between truth and social “truth.”
I
Just Told A Little White Lie
Jesus taught you that knowing the truth and telling the truth are different things. The success God and the Bible are taking you into are all about truth, reality, honesty, and being. You know you can’t be a Christian and lie. Rev 21:8 (NIV) But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
Eph 4:15 (NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love,
we will in all things grow up into Him Who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Jesus, I know I have to be a real Christian. You helped me do what it took to become a real
Christian. I thank You for giving me
a perfect record with God. But, I find myself not being honest, truthful, and real with
those around me. I know that always
being truthful is impossible for me.
There are so many situations where I don’t feel like it is in my best
interest to tell the truth. Help me with
Your incredible wisdom and power to tell the truth with love.
Can Jesus Help You With The Impossible?
What if the Bible was just a bunch of laws, rules, and instructions on how you were to live the Christian life? What if all it did was tell you what to do and leave it at that? What kind of people would fill our meetings, churches, and Christian organizations? They would live one way with other Christians and another way out with their friends in the world. They would all look like hypocrites. No one would respect them because they weren’t living what they teach.
Jesus, I often feel like I am a failing Christian. I don’t always tell the truth. I find myself misleading people in what I am
telling them. Don’t always just tell a
bold lie. I just don’t help people with
all the facts. I let them believe things
that aren’t true. Help me see that I
can’t just allow myself to live like this.
According to Romans 7:15, I must want and hate.
Asking
About The Problem
With Instructions, Lists, And Laws
Rom 8:3 (NIV) For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man. You know you don’t always follow the instructions. You know you don’t always fulfill all the lists you make for yourself. You know you break the law from time to time. And, you wouldn’t want your Christian friends to know all the things you think, feel, say, and do. But, why are you that way? Why don’t you live like you know you should? Did you know that one of the reasons for this is because of a problem with the instructions, the lists, and the laws? Did you know they lack something you have to have?
Jesus, why am I not willing to let everyone know everything
I am thinking, feeling, and planning to do?
Why do I have hidden agendas? Why
do I have wrong, bad, and sometimes evil thoughts and feeling about
people? Why do I get jealous? Why do I covet and want other people’s things? Why do I get angry? Why do I want to get even with people? Why do I say and do things that hurt me and
those around me? Why can’t I just follow
the rules, fulfill the lists, obey the laws, and live out the instructions God
gives me in the Bible?
Learning
About The
Problem With Instructions, Lists, And Laws
All of your life you have been responsible for reading or hearing something, learning something, and then applying it. It has been your job to know things, understand them, know how to apply them and then live those things that you have learned. Other people told you about them, they wrote about them, they explained them, they demonstrated them, and they tried to help you learn and do them; but, it was your responsibility to carry them out.
Jesus, if I weren’t smart enough, skilled enough, talented enough, or
didn’t have the physical traits to do things, I was stuck with the problem. People would make the training available to me;
but, it was totally up to me to live it. Since that has been the system I have been
involved in all my life, that is all I know.
I have tried to always tell the truth.
I have accepted my responsibility for being honest. But, I have found
that I keep failing.
Discovering
That Instructions, Lists, And Laws Don’t Control Circumstances
Another controlling factor is your life; it decides how much you can grow, become, and accomplish; it has to offer you the opportunities before you can use your talents, skills, abilities, and intelligence. If you have enough influence, control, resources, and opportunities, then you can make sure you get the very best information, instructions, training, education, and help.
Jesus, a powerful, rich, and influential person can make sure they are
supported and supplied with the very best information, instructions, training,
and assistance available. So, if You had
made sure I was born with the best mental, emotional, and physical abilities,
and if I were born with or had developed the very best resources for myself,
then You would have given me the best chance of succeeding in life, right? No! Show me that none of that would have done
what Your methods and system are going to do for me.
Gifts,
Grace, Mercy, Faith, And Freedom
The right way to succeed in the Christian life has been provided for every person on this planet for free. If you don’t succeed in life, it is going to be totally your fault. If you want to take advantage of all God has provided, you can do so by simply having faith in God’s honesty and integrity. No matter what kind of mind, body, or circumstances you were born with, you can still get all you need for being a victorious Christian.
Jesus, since God has made all His provisions free to me, help me take
advantage of them. What would keep me
from realizing that You have all true knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding,
wisdom, and power? Since Who You are and
what You have is the very best of everything I need, why wouldn’t I accept Your
gifts? Why wouldn’t I take advantage of all
of them so I can succeed at the Christian life?
Help me stop wishing for a better human life and accept Your better
Christian life.
Faith
For Gifts, Grace, Mercy, And Freedom
· What if you don’t believe Jesus knows what is the very best for you?
· What if you don’t believe He understands exactly what you are going through and has the very best answer for it?
· What if you don’t believe He loves you more than you love yourself?
· What if you don’t trust Him with your past, present, and future?
· What if you think you are the best answer for all these things?
If any of this is true of you, then you can see why you don’t get what you need from God.
Jesus, help me always believe that You know what is the very best for
me. Help me believe that You understand
exactly what I am going through and have the very best answer for it. Help me believe You
love me more than I love myself. Help me
trust You with my past, present, and future. Help me not think I am the best answer for
all these things.
Living
The Instructions, Lists, And Laws
2 Cor 12:9 (NIV) But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. Faith in God’s gifts, grace, mercy, and freedom are your answer to being an honest, truthful, real Christian. As you pray and ask Him to help you with this issue, it gives you a problem to bring to Him. It is in your weaknesses that your relationship with Him develops.
Jesus, help me see that it is in all my weakness that I see my need of
You. It is when I am faced with being
totally honest, that I see the impossibility of me living that kind of
Christian life. When I see something is
impossible for me, I move away from my human effort and look to Your mighty power. Help me see these weaknesses in my Christian
life and bring them to You for miracles.
Show me that the more I turn to You, the more miracles I experience in
my life. Help me see that, that builds
my love and thankfulness with You.
This
concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter Nine
What’s Next In My Christian Life?
Week Three Day One
What Can GOD’S People
Do For Me?
Eph 1:15-16 (NIV) For this reason, ever since I heard about
your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not
stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. The
mature Christians know what new and untrained Christians are going to
experience. They personally went through
a life described in Romans 7:15-25. They
remember coming into Christianity with their world training being the only
system they had. They remember trying to
use it on their Christian life and finding that it had absolutely no positive
effect on it.
As the new and untrained
Christians give Christianity their very best efforts and fail, a lot of
confusion enters into their minds and hearts.
Are they failing because they didn’t really get saved; is it because Christianity
doesn’t work; are they supposed to just be happy with what they got; or, is
there some kind of change of approach supposed to be applied?
Jesus, help me realize that all new Christians come into Your family and
become citizens of Your Kingdom with world training being all they know. They literally know nothing about how the
spirit realm works. Help me, as Your
child, to come to You realizing that I am entering into a new realm with
totally different rules, laws, and instructions.
What Do I Need My Spiritual Leaders To Pray For?
1.
I Need Them To
Pray For Me To Get The Spirit Of Wisdom And Revelation
Eph 1:17 (NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation, so that you may know Him better.
You came into Christianity with
almost no knowledge or abilities for getting ready for living in the
Christian life. If the mature
Christians around you don’t know how to train you, you are going to go from new
Christian to an untrained Christian.
Your mind, your heart, your brain, and your conscience lack so many
things you need to have and know. Even
though you have been a human for a long time, in the spirit realm you are like
a new born infant who needs major improvements.
Your spiritual equipment needs spiritual health and spiritual
growth.
Jesus, help me realize
that I came into Christianity lacking the spiritual power and abilities
necessary for being able to learn and grow.
I need Your Spirit of wisdom and
revelation or
I am going to read the Bible, hear spiritual information, and try to think
spiritual thoughts without the necessary equipment for being able to process
it. Help me not get confused about how
old I am as Your child because of how old I am as a human.
The Spirit of wisdom and revelation: The Spirit of wisdom is the Holy Spirit empowering you to have the ability to apply the truths of the Bible to your life. The Spirit of revelation is the Holy Spirit empowering you to understand the truths of the Bible. Without these two things, you would read your Bible and not understand what it is saying or how to get it to change your life. John 8:32 (NIV) Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Revelation fulfills the first part of this Scripture, to know the truth. Wisdom fulfills the second part of this Scripture, to be set free by it.
Jesus, help me find a mature Christian who would be
willing to pray Ephesians 1:17-21 for me.
Help me always look to You for Your wisdom and revelation. I have a lot to learn; and, I need Your
supernatural abilities empowering me to know the truth, and the truth to set me free. Help me not try to learn Bible truths with my
human mind. Show me that I will come up
with totally wrong concepts, if I don’t have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
2.
I Need Them To Pray For The Eyes Of My Heart To Be Enlightened
Eph 1:18-19a (NIV) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened: You understand physical eyes; but, you need Jesus’ training on spiritual eyes. You know what eyes do; they give you a visual picture of what really exists outside your body. They make it possible for you to know what to expect before you get to that physical place. They provide you with information that is far superior to someone trying to explain with words what exists around you. That is a lot of what spiritual eyes do. They use the light of Jesus and inform your heart with spiritual truth.
Jesus, help me better understand why just reading the words in the Bible
aren’t enough. I need my spiritual eyes enlightened, so that I understand what they mean.
Help me pray for others that the eyes of their heart may be enlightened. Produce this in me so I will be able to
get the full picture of what Christianity is all about. Help me be able to see in the spirit realm
and recognize the truth about life and eternity.
3.
I Need Them To Pray For My Knowledge
About How The Spirit Realm Works
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know: All through
Romans 7:15-25 you will find that being a new or untrained Christians typically
causes a lot of confusion and frustration.
There is so much you don’t know about life and the spirit realm. The systems the world taught you appeared to
work; but, they only brought temporary results. Plus, they led you into “successes” that
failed you and all those around you.
Jesus, help me realize there is a tremendous number of things I need to
know but don’t know. Help me believe You are answering the prayers of my spiritual leaders. Help me believe You
have given me the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation and an enlightened heart. Then help me know those things I so desperately need to know.
4.
I Need Them To Pray For My Hope
To Which God Has Called Me
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you: This world isn’t all there is for you; as a matter of fact, this world is nothing in comparison to where you are being trained for. But, you can’t go there until you have completed your training here. This is your training camp, your life-classes, and your maturing system for getting ready for great power, opportunities, and supernatural living.
Jesus, set me free from the confusion of this life. Help me realize the purpose for why I am
here. Let me focus on the training, the
growing, and the maturing. Help me
realize that my eternal life is much more real than the human life I am living
now. Empower me to be able to get ready
to succeed here so I will be a great success in eternity. Show me that there is a way for me to do
things here that will cause my whole life to count for eternity.
5.
I Need Them To Pray For My
Understanding About The Riches
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints: This is like a financial training class; it is a training on how to use the riches God provides you. You are learning how to use money, possessions, positions, power, prestige, popularity, pleasure, and accomplishments as tools. They can help you store up incredible treasures in eternity.
Jesus, I have been trained a lot about money,
possessions, positions, power, prestige, popularity, pleasure, and
accomplishments from the world’s perspective.
Provide me with Your revelations helping me see things from Your
perspective. Transform me into a person
who can use all these things for everyone’s good.
6.
I Need Them To Pray For My Understanding
About Power
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe: God’s power is greatly needed in your life and in the lives of those around you. His supernatural power was used by Jesus to help so many people. Your circumstances, financial issues, physical challenges, emotional struggles, and relational difficulties can be supernaturally healed and blessed far beyond any natural solution is able to provide. It is true that you can get some relief naturally; but, it doesn’t compare with God’s solutions.
Jesus, help me see that I need to have the attitudes and character that
enable me to be trusted with Your incomparably great power. I need miracles in my own life; and my
friends need them in their life. But, we are in spiritual situations where You can’t always
provide us with what You have to offer.
Help me grow in You, so I can be pure enough for You to flow in and
through me to those who desperately need Your supernatural help.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter Ten
How Do I Get Vital Spiritual Growth?
Week Three Day Two
Phil 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. If God has all of the very best information, instructions, training, and provisions, if God has all the very best abilities, wisdom, and power to take you and make you capable of getting it all, and if God makes all His provisions free of charge, then success in life is now available to every person on this planet. All you have to do to be truly successful is to get them.
Jesus, show me what would happen if the wrong people got Your great
things. It is only through You they are
available. Help me see that just because
God is and has the best, doesn’t mean I can be trusted with it. Show me that God doesn’t allow just anyone to
have all He provides, just like we don’t trust children to take control over
powerful equipment. Teach me that there
are two main problems that have to be dealt with first.
Setting
Me Free From Ignorance
And Evil
Why do we have laws that govern who can operate on us? Why do we regulate what medicines can come on the market? Why do we require a driver’s licenses before we can drive? Why do we require a pilot’s license? Why do we have building inspectors, health inspectors, and quality control inspectors? Because people and things need to be qualified first!
Jesus, teach me why God requires me to be born again. Why do I have to become a Christian before I
can become a member of His family and a citizen in His eternal Kingdom? Show me that it is because He has to make
sure my attitudes and character qualify for these relationships. I must be free from ignorance and evil! I have to be free from winning while it hurts
me and other people. Help me qualify
through the Beatitudes for Your provisions.
Attitudes
And Character Have To Do With
Accidental And Premeditated
God doesn’t want you to be ignorant; He wants you to know how to treat yourself and other people. He doesn’t want you to be evil; He desires you to want to treat yourself and other people the right way. In other word, God wants you to know what the right things are; and, He wants you to be willing to do those things that are right.
Jesus, teach me that just because I know what all the right things are
for me to think, feel, say, and do, it isn’t just a matter of me doing them. Teach me that knowing how and being
willing, both play a very important part in my thinking, feeling, saying,
and doing the right things. But, show me
that they still aren’t me living them. The
questions You are asking me are: Did I treat myself and other people the right
way? If not, why not? Did I fail because I didn’t know any better; or,
did I fail because I didn’t want to do the right things?
My Motives Have To Do With Accidental And Premeditated
The laws of this world and the laws of God both deal with why a person did what they did.
True success has to do with your motives. Your motives have to do with whether or not you “do what it takes” to do the right things. Was the reason you didn’t do good things because you weren’t willing to “do what takes” to learn how? Did you fail because you didn’t desire, study, pray, believe, love, take faith-action, and then be thankful? God has a way to help you do the right things while getting the right things for yourself.
Jesus, help me have the right motives for why I do what I do. Help me not fail because I wasn’t willing to
let You teach me and empower me to do the right things. Help my failures never be because I wanted to
do the wrong things. Purify my heart and
motives so that, if I fail, it will always because You hadn’t taken me to that
level of spiritual growth yet.
Problems
With Me And The Law
You will be looking at Romans chapter seven; it lays out the problems with you being qualified to succeed through the wonderful and powerful things of God. Once you solve these problems, you will be trusted with the great provisions of God and ready for life-success through them.
Jesus, show me the problem: If a law can’t make me want to obey
it, then the law is weak. I will do bad
things and fail to do good things on purpose.
Teach me that laws have problems with enforcement; and, I have problems
with obedience. Let Romans chapter seven
show me Your solution to the problems the law has; and, let it deal with
the obedience problems I have. Teach me God’s
way for me to have great attitudes and character without the law.
If a law is a good law, then it is a law that is beneficial to all involved. A law has to be fair, just, good, and complete. It has to address the needs of the people under its control. It has to represent the solutions to relational problems that arise. It has to address typical problems people run into and be able to provide a fair and just solution to that problem. However, if people try to find ways around that law, then that law loses its effectiveness.
Jesus, when people come into court, they will lie, mislead, deny, accuse
falsely, give false testimony, misinterpret the situation, have greed, covet
others things, have bad motives, and all kinds of other things. Help me see that these kinds of attitudes and
character keep the court and the law from being able to produce a fair and just
solution. It takes courts a long time
just trying to find out what really happened.
But, show me that if the judge already knew all the truths and was only
responsible for giving out a fair judgment, then things would be totally
different in the justice system.
· God has perfection and is perfect; His love is perfect; His attitudes are perfect; and His character is perfect. He cannot be improved on; He never needs to change in any way; He is already everything He needs to be and everything we need Him to be.
· God is totally fair, just, and righteous; He never makes a mistake; He always judges every situation and provides a verdict correctly and perfectly.
· God’s laws are perfect; God has a perfect grasp of what is right or wrong, good or bad, evil or righteous. His laws perfectly represent all those things that hurt us humans and God’s perfect plan for us.
· God has all knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom; His ability to process all knowledge is perfect. His ability to understand what everything means is perfect. His ability to make wise decisions is perfect.
· God is love; He has a perfect, supernatural love that produces decisions, actions, and relationships that perfectly meet and care for all our needs.
· God holds all good in His possession; and, He provides all the good we will ever get. He is only involved in good; all good comes from Him; and, He will never do anything that isn’t the best for all involved.
· God is sacrificially generous; He shares everything we are capable and trustworthy enough to have and use. He gives the very best of Himself to all who are willing to yield to His love. He gave His Son, the only thing He only had one of.
Jesus, help me realize all of these powerful, pure, holy, righteous, and
godly character and attitude aspects of my heavenly Father. Help me know and believe that all of these
things are true. Let them fill my mind
and heart with a trust that is unlimited.
Help me understand that anything I think or feel that doesn’t accept
these truths is false. Keep me from
struggling with anything that is accusative, distrusting, or frustrating about
God.
Jesus, help me get to know all these characteristics about God. Help me learn them, embrace them, and base my
relationship with Him on them. Fill my
heart with the emotions that these truths can bring to it. Let it feel the security that can come
through knowing that if I have a problem with God, it is something within
me. Help me realize these facts so I
won’t waste my time trying to change Him.
Help me immediately start seeking His help in finding out what is
causing me to feel any negative things about Him.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Eleven
What Is God Making Available To Me
Week Three Day Three
Solving The
Ignorance Problem
2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and
is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so
that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1.
I Have the Truth Of God Available To
Me
All Scripture: If God didn’t provide you with the Bible, then you would be ignorant of Who He is and what He does. And, you would be ignorant because there wasn’t anything to read and study. But, if you do have all Scripture available, then you don’t have to be ignorant. If you are ignorant, then you are either a new Christian or you are a neglectful Christian.
Jesus, help me not neglect those resources that open the
door to all Your other provisions. The
Bible is my door into finding out what I should be desiring. It is my manual to study so I can be informed
as to who You are and what You are doing.
If it weren’t for Your Bible, I would be left to the mercy of other
people’s opinions about You. Thank You for
handpicking special people You trusted to just write what You wanted
written. Help me read and study it with
a great hunger and thirst for
righteousness.
2.
I
Have A Relationship With God Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed: What if the Bible was just a human work that was a
bunch of personal opinions? What if
these people wrote what they thought God was all about and left you with their
personal points of view? You may feel
like the Bible consists of opinions, suggestions, and helpful hints. But, the fact is, it
is filled with the very presence and power of God. When you read it, you experience the words
that give you Spirit and life. John
6:63 (NIV) The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit
and they are life.
Jesus, help me allow the Bible to direct and empower me
to grow into a deeper and closer relationship with You. Let me read it and accept it as the truth;
help me open my heart to it and allow it to give me Your Spirit and Your
life. I want to allow every word to
guide me into the path I need to go. I
want to learn it, accept it, and be transformed by it. Your words are Spirit and they are life to
me.
3.
I Have The Instructions Of
God Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful: You don’t have to be ignorant, confused, or without guidance. You can know all about Who God is and what He is trying to help you become. The Bible contains all the information for you to be guided into all the provisions and blessings of God. You just have to learn to respect it and submit to it and you will be empowered to be and get all your needs met.
Jesus, the information I need is right at my fingertips. I can get the great truths for all of life
and eternity simply by reading and studying Your Word. Help me understand that all I have to do is
give it the priority of my day and I will gain the success in life You have
provided. Help me spend the kind of time
in Your Word that will fill my mind and my heart with all of Your truths. Give me a full understanding of it so it
transforms my life.
4.
I Have The Teachings Of
God Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching: You have given a lot of people your time, efforts, and money so you could be trained in human philosophies and concepts. You have opened your heart and mind to world training for a lot of hours, days, and years. It is time for you to allow God’s Word the same kind of time and exposure to you. It has the real truth about how life really works; it contains all those things you need to be taught so you can live true life.
Jesus, I didn’t realize I was exposing myself to teaching that was
inadequate and, in many cases, false. I
gave it all my attention, respect, and time allowing it to control my life and
decisions. Un-train me and retrain me in
the truth of Your Word. Help me
realize that it will change my life by teaching me those things that are the
facts and the reality of life. I want to
give it all my respect, allegiance, and cooperation.
5.
I Have The Rebuking Of
God Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking: There is a characteristic in all of us to find out what the truth is and still ignore it. You can find something you think is best for you and become determined to get it. Your heart can desire things that the Bible tells you is wrong and your heart can push you and drive you in that direction anyway. However, the Bible has the power to rebuke you and make you face the truth. It won’t make you do what is the right thing; but, it will force you to face the fact that it is the right thing.
Jesus, my heart can fill me with a deep desire for something. I experience the pressure and drive it exerts
on me. Your Word trained me to stay open
and receptive to Your will for my life.
I know that I shouldn’t have my mind made up rather than bringing
everything to You for Your approval. But, there are times when my heart and mind are driving me
so hard that I need the power of Your rebuke.
Lead me into the right Scriptures during these times so they can so
rebuke me that I get healed from the pressure of my heart and mind.
6.
I Have The Correcting Of
God Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting: When you learn something that you believe to be true, you typically lock in on it and will own it. You will say things like, “this is what I believe” and say it with conviction and confidence. When you start allowing the truths of God to enter into your life through the Bible, it will say you are wrong in what you thought was true. But, there will be a battle that forms inside your mind and heart. There will be a resistance to giving up on that idea.
Jesus, I seem to be able to know certain truths in Your
Word and still not be able to yield to them.
There seems to be some kind of a rebellion in me that indicates that I
know better than You. Just because I
have a concept that I have chosen to believe, doesn’t mean I want it to run my
life. I know the Bible is the real
truth; I know I should give up anything that is different from what it
says. Help me accept Your Word over
anything that I have always believed.
Give me Your correction so it can empower me to give it all up.
7.
I Have The Training Of
God Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness: It’s such a privilege to have god’s Word available to train you. It’s a privilege to have God’s Word available for you to look at, read, study, and expose yourself to. It’s a tremendous blessing and miracle to be able to get His information laid out so you can be influenced by it. It’s a gift that is one of the greatest in all existence. But, it is up to you to allow appreciation and joy to fill your heart over the fact that He has made it available to you.
Jesus, I am sure I have not fully grasped how wonderful
it is to have the Bible available to me.
This is something I want You to change in my heart and mind. For me to be able to be trained by it is an
awesome gift and blessing. Please help
me to feel the magnitude of love that comes with such a gift. Open me to the greatness of this privilege;
help me realize how special and generous it is for me to have this information
available for my training.
8. I
Have The Results Of God
Available To Me
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the
man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Jesus,
I thank You for making all these powerful truths available to me. Thank You for working on all these people so
they would be able to just write those things You told them to write. I thank You that the Bible is so reliable and
true. I thank You that I can read and
study it and know that it is straight from You to me. Help me understand that it is making me into
a yielded person. You are moving Your
life and all these Bible truths into me so I can be a person who is thoroughly equipped for every good work.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twelve
When Does The Jurisdiction Of The
Law End?
Week Three Day Four
Twenty-Five
Truths That Can Change My Life
For you to start a career in any field, there would be hundreds if not thousands of things it would take for you to learn how to be successful in it. If you could just learn twenty-five things, you could reduce the time it took to become a professional by several years. There are twenty-five vital truths that will help you understand a lot about why things go wrong in your life. You will discover why you can’t just make up your mind and live the Christian life.
Jesus, my life and all my activities are based on rules, laws,
requirements, and guidelines. I am
required to follow instructions, assignments, schedules, deadlines, policies,
and regulations. If I don’t follow the
rules, I don’t get paid, I can’t get a marriage license, I can’t drive a car,
and I will not be certified for a profession.
Teach me that to be certified with God, I must be trained how to operate
my life based on the law of love. Show
me that along with my new life comes a new system for living it. Help me learn Your way of life.
How Would I Legally Break A Good Law?
Truth One: Rom 7:1 (NIV) Do you not know, brothers--for I am
speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only
as long as he lives?
What if you stole a lot of money and were convicted? What if you were sentenced to twenty-five years but died the next day? As you know, they wouldn’t go ahead and put your body in prison. All laws and law enforcement ended the moment you died. It doesn’t matter how great the crime or how strict the sentence, the law and the effects of its enforcement ends at death.
Jesus, help me see that law is only effective for as long as a person is
living under it. Help me see how the
limitations of this law issue were applied to me through legal things You did
to set me free from my sins. Give me the
ability to understand these legal issues so I can see how You were able to
offer me things I didn’t deserve or do anything to earn.
How Would A Marriage Law Be Broken
Illegally?
Mat 5:32 (NIV) But I (Jesus) tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. What if you married someone you loved with all your heart and then found out they were having affairs with other people? It would be too late for you to not care; you had already opened your heart to them; you had already put your complete trust in them; and you had already devoted your life and possessions to them. The pain and suffering that would come from that would be incredible. The marriage law was broken and so was your heart.
Jesus, I know that it’s against God’s law for me to have sex with someone
I am not married to. Since You know what
sex does to my heart and life, You have made a perfect
law that warns me of impending danger. Help
me see that it is like a sign that warns me that the road ahead is going to end
with a cliff and a deep valley below. I
can decide whether or not I will heed the warning; but,
the sign is a good sign with a very important message. Teach me that all of God’s laws are like
that. Help me see that You are trying to
save me from the damage.
Do you not know: Information,
instructions, lists, and laws from God are vital to know. Have you ever wished you had known something
prior to some major problem? Have there
ever been things that didn’t turn out like you thought they would? Have you ever looked back on something with
20/20 vision and wished you knew what you know now? Have you ever done something you knew the
Bible told you not to do and found out why God labelled it a sin?
Jesus, help me believe information, instructions,
lists, and laws from You are vital to know.
It isn’t fun learning things the hard way; I can’t succeed at life using
trial-and-error methods. I must have the
right information, instructions, lists, and laws. Teach me that You call the right information,
instructions, lists, and laws, truths.
Teach me that my only source of truths is from You; they are vital
for me to be aware of; and, these truths are written in Your Bible.
Special
Family Insider Information
Do you not know, brothers: Those people who are in God’s family, through
salvation and justification, get the truths of God made available to them. These truths are like keys on a key ring; you
carry keys because they make locked doors, drawers and cabinets only available
to you. God gives all the members of His
family truths that are like keys. You
study, learn, and use them to unlock and gain access to the mighty blessings
and healing of God.
Jesus, teach me that I am a member of God’s family, and
all Christians are my brothers and sisters.
I, like them, have all this family information and instruction for winning
at life. Through these truth-keys, the
doors are being unlocked; and, I am being set free. Since I am God’s child, You
are giving me all this special information,
instructions, lists, and laws that help me know what to do and say. You are using
them to help me grow as a child of God.
Thank You for providing them so I can live a successful life now and in
eternity.
Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know
the law: This is talking about God’s law;
it is discussing laws that are incredibly vital to not only your success in
life, but to your happiness in general.
Those who know and understand God’s laws are being addressed. Those who are willing to accept them as the
truth are getting this example and explanation.
Those who either don’t know or don’t agree with them may have some
problems getting this point. So, take a
look at the first main truth about God’s law.
Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know
the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives:
This makes complete sense; you can’t be expected to
obey laws after you die. Once you die
and leave this planet, the laws that God gave us humans will no longer have any
effect on you. That may not seem all
that important; but, this first truth is a vital principle for you to put your
faith in; it will make a huge difference.
Jesus, how can I take advantage of a principle that
only applies to me after I am dead? Help
me not just look at this truth and ignore or forget it. Help me not just see the simple and obvious
aspects of it and decide that it does help me.
Help me be wise and know that God didn’t put anything in His
Bible that isn’t a vital truth. Help
me understand that this principle must be very important to me or it wouldn’t
be in the Bible.
Understanding The Weakness Of Laws
You must understand this:
instructions, information, lists, and laws can’t make you live them. Therefore, even though they are vital to your
survival, as much as they are vital to your success, they lack the power to
“talk you into” obeying them or force you into obeying them. You can disagree with them, ignore them,
change their meaning, or just rebel against them. You
can even decide they apply to everyone else but you. But, like a highway sign warning you about a
life-threatening situation ahead, great disaster awaits you, if you don’t apply
it.
Jesus, help me understand that my first response to
this first truth in this passage is to accept it as true. But, also help me accept that I won’t be able
to follow this instruction, information, list, or law of God on my own. Also teach me that You don’t have to
punish me for ignoring or breaking them; the results of breaking the law will
automatically get the typical results of my actions. Since the law was for my protection and I
didn’t heed it, I got the results.
Better Understanding Truth
Number One
The law has authority over a man only as long as he lives: What
is being talked about here is death. The
main thing you need to understand is, death isn’t to cease to exist. When you die, your spirit is separated
from your body. This is a very important
principle for you to keep in mind. The
Bible is going to talk about death a lot.
If your definition isn’t that it means separation then it will be
very easy for you to misunderstand what Jesus is trying to say to you.
Jesus,
help me understand the concept of death.
Help me see that if a person is dead spiritually, that means they have
been separated from God. They still
exist; they just don’t have a relationship with God. Help me look at death from the perspective of
the spirit realm. Show me that spirits
don’t cease to exist. They will spend
eternity somewhere. Help me see
that this eternal existence must be comprehended or heaven and hell won’t be
properly understood. Help me see that
You took me, who was dead in my trespasses and sins, and made me alive in
You. You literally took me, who was
separated from God, and united me with Him as His child, a member of His
family, and a citizen of His eternal Kingdom.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirteen
What If I Break The Law?
Week Three Day Five
Truth One: Rom 7:1 (NIV) Do you not know, brothers--for I am
speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only
as long as he lives?
Do you not know: God
has had this marriage law in effect for thousands of years. Yet, husbands and wives ignore it and break
it all the time. We see Christians break
it as often as those who are unsaved. It
isn’t because they don’t know what God said; it isn’t because they didn’t
realize it was wrong for them to get a divorce.
It is because they don’t understand what this law is trying to do for them. Failing to understand the reasoning behind
God’s Word is causing a lot of Christians to not take advantage of hundreds of
Scriptures all over the Bible.
Jesus, there is so much I have read, studied, and learned in the
Bible. Yet, there is so much about each
verse that I don’t see the reason behind it.
I assume I know why You caused these things to be written. But, I am sure I
don’t have the full purpose of Your heart.
Help me experience and appreciate the depth of Your love for me. Let me see the true motivations of Your
heart. Empower me to understand why You
require those things You require. Then I
will be helped to get the necessary desires to cooperate with them. Help me realize that these laws, rules,
instructions, and truths are written because You love me. You don’t want me suffering because I didn’t
take advantage of them.
Taking Advantage Of Being A
Christian
Do you not know, brothers: You have been born again into a family and inherited great blessings and privileges. The great and wonderful things of God are yours. But, none of them benefit you until you know about them, appreciate them, and cooperate with them. Anything you fail to learn and desire will lay dormant in your Bible while you suffer because they are missing. Your perfect record keeps you from being separated from God. But, it doesn’t keep you from suffering from the lack of having that truth set you free.
Jesus, I can’t even imagine what all has been provided
for me. Things I still don’t know about
or understand. Give me a deep hunger and
thirst for finding out about all of them.
Help me have a tremendous spiritual curiosity about what all I am
missing out on. Set me free from being
satisfied with where I am and what I already have. Let me pursue You and Your provisions with
the intensity You and Your great provisions deserve.
Getting
To Know The Law
Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who
know the law: Many Christians haven’t bothered
to learn the laws of God. They assume
God’s laws have been done away with.
They don’t realize that the laws haven’t changed. Only the way for us to fulfill them has
changed. Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums
up the Law and the Prophets. God
didn’t make any mistakes in establishing His laws; they just needed Jesus’ life
and power to be made available to you.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19
(NIV): “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any
means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and
teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus, help me see the importance of Your laws; help me not
misunderstand their purpose. Give me an
appreciation for why You caused them to be written. Let me look to You for empowering me to
fulfill the purpose behind every one of Your laws. I don’t want to be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Help me live and teach in such a way that I
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven, and will gain all the
benefits of them.
Getting
To Appreciate The Law
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and
teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven: If you allow Jesus to help you fulfill the laws, then your
life with yourself, other people, and God’s plan will be much better. All these laws were written so as to help you
with your relationships. Once you allow
Jesus to empower you to live them, your treatment of yourself, others, and God
will be greatly enhanced. So, when you
enter into eternity, you will have lived a much better spiritual life and you will
be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus,
help me see that Your laws are so important that none of them can be ignored
without consequences. Show me that it
isn’t You punishing me for breaking some of them. It is just the automatic results that comes
from them being neglected. Help me
understand that even the smallest ones have negative effects on my
relationships when they are ignored.
Teach me that the reason You made me dead to them is so You could give
me a grace period to learn how to yield to Your life so You could live them
through me.
The Laws Of God
Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man: You are looking at the laws of God; these aren’t human laws. These laws have eternal consequences; they aren’t issues that you can ignore or neglect. It is vital for you to know what they are and what you are to do about them. If you break a human law, you might even be put to death for it. But, if you break the law of God, the consequences could be much worse. God’s law has authority over a man; you were born under them and cannot break them without major consequences. They are fair; but, they are strict, vital to your spiritual health, and can be eternally deadly.
Jesus, help me appreciate and revere Your laws. Help me see that they are good laws that must
be obeyed; but, help me also see that I can’t obey them. Empower me to completely put my trust in You;
You alone can fulfill all Your laws in and through me.
A Vital Truth
Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives: You know that human laws can’t be enforced on dead people. But, since the laws of God could pass on into eternity, this information might have a very important impact on you as an eternal being. It is good to know that these laws that God produced for how you are to live, only apply to you while you are still alive here on earth.
Jesus, help me not ignore or neglect anything the Bible says. Help me not read it and then feel like I
already have a full grasp of it. Let me
respect and honor everything You say to me through the Bible. Give me a full understanding of this vital
truth You are presenting here.
Jesus, help me understand that there is something very important You are
trying to get me to learn. Show me that
You have made the Bible very condensed and to the point. Make it clear that every word, phrase,
sentence, and paragraph hold eternally important information in them. Help me not only get a full understanding of
the current point You are making, get me ready for the next concept that is to
be tied to it.
This concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fourteen
What If I Break The Law On Purpose?
Week Four Day One
Truth Two: Rom 7:2 (NIV) For example, by law a married woman
is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies,
she is released from the law of marriage.
There are consequences for failing
to obey or follow laws of government and rules or policies in a company. If there is a company policy and you break
it, there are procedures for dealing with you, the offender. If you don’t follow social protocols, people
can be offended and shun you, gossip against you, mistreat you, or call you into
account.
Jesus, help me see that if I break God’s good
instructions, information, lists, and laws, then there will be automatic
consequences. No one has to punish me if
I ignore or break them. Since they were
vital information and rules, show me that they existed so as to protect me from
major consequences. But, help me see
that there are other rules, protocols, policies, and laws that must have
enforcement systems in place. These are
instructions, information, lists, and laws that protect other people from me and
me from them.
Up to this point you have been
looking at the problems you have with following the rules and obeying
the laws. But, take a look at the
frailty of rules, policies, protocols, and laws. Why does there have to be law enforcement
officers? Why don’t you just understand
the importance and the natural consequences of not following them and obey
them? Why can’t you just care enough to
do what you should do?
Jesus, even though a lot of rules, policies,
protocols, and laws aren’t suggestions, I sometimes I will break them anyway. Why don’t I just obey them because I know I wouldn’t
like being treated that way myself. Help
me understand that laws lack the power and inspiration to motivate me to want
to live by them. And, help me realize
that I lack the power to obey them, especially if they are spiritual laws that
take Your supernatural power.
The Law Of Marriage
For example: Take a
look at a law that is being broken a lot in our society. It is a law that Jesus gave His special
attention to; it is straight from the Creator of the universe. It is from the One Who demonstrated His love
for us by suffering and dying for us.
Yet, we find ourselves lacking the motivation, power, and will to obey
it. Our spouse can do things that make
it seem impossible for us to stay with them even though they didn’t have an
affair.
Mat 5:31-32 (NIV)
It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a
certificate of divorce.” But I (Jesus)
tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital
unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries
the divorced woman commits adultery. Jesus, help me
live my life by Your law of marriage. Help
me not try to justify, excuse, ignore, or break this law. Show me how to love and honor my spouse. Help me turn to You for the power to have a
successful marriage.
By law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he
is alive: A
bottle of poison can be labeled properly; instructions can be provided that
tell exactly how to handle and use it; and, it can be put into a container
where it can only be opened by adults.
But, if someone decides to ingest some of it, they do so at their own
peril.
Jesus, Your laws make sure I know what will hurt me and
what won’t. And, You
know I lack important things that would aid me in using that knowledge for my
own benefit. I get into things like
marital difficulties and end up breaking the laws that would have protected me. Even though You labeled everything clearly, I
use my God-given free will to do things that do great damage to me. So, show me what You provided so I can solve
this problem.
Being
Released From A Good Law
By law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he
is alive, but if her husband dies: When a spouse dies, there is no
need for there to be a law forcing the other person to remain unmarried. They no longer have to be faithful to
them. They are now free to get married
and establish a sexual relationship with another spouse. This situation illustrates a spiritual
concept that you need to understand about your new relationship with
Jesus.
Jesus,
help me pay attention to this illustration.
Help me see that Your cross and You dying in my
place is similar to my relationship with the laws of the Old Testament. When I was born, I was automatically
“married” to those laws. Teach me that
the Holy Spirit was making me aware of what was right and wrong by speaking to
my conscience. But,
now I am “married” to Your new laws that no longer require me to use my power
to fulfill them.
Understanding Why I Have Been
Released From A Good Law
By law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he
is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage:
Jesus told us clearly that: “anyone who divorces
his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an
adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”
All who break Jesus’ law, contract
the spiritual disease of sin. All who
contract the disease of sin, die or are separated from God, His family, and His
eternal Kingdom. Why? They are people who are willing to do things
that hurt themselves and those around them.
That attitude and character, in even one person, would contaminate and
destroy God’s eternal family and Kingdom.
It would spread like a plague throughout the entire Kingdom.
Jesus, what happens to me if I fail to live by God’s
law? How do I get God’s help to be
healed and empowered to do the right things with myself and others? How can I approach God, Who
requires that I be uninfected by sin?
What if I do get all my sins forgiven and I go out and sin again? Teach me that the old law, I died to,
required that I live it by my efforts.
Help me see that I now am “married” to Your new law that requires
that I look to You to empower me to live it. Teach me that You provided salvation and
justification for a perfect record with God.
And now you are providing sanctification for a new way of life.
But I (Jesus) tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery: There are Christians who didn’t know this rule existed. They broke it ignorantly because “everyone is doing it.” There are those who got a divorce, and there are those who married a divorced person ignorantly. However, there must be repentance once it is discovered that this rule has been broken.
Jesus, if I have broken this law, I ask You to forgive me for doing
something that You are against. I know You made this law for me and my new spouse’s
protection. Help us come before You and
allow You to heal us from all past relationships. If one of us divorced someone who hadn’t had
an affair, forgive us and cleanse us from that sin. Let us dedicate ourselves to obeying all Your
teachings from now on. Empower us to
never sin against You in this manner ever again. We love You and want to be obedient to You so
we can have a perfect record with You.
There are those who actually knew what Jesus said about divorce but got divorced and remarried even though their spouse didn’t commit adultery against them. If they are now sincerely sorry, then they can still come to Jesus and be forgiven. The issue they must deal with is whether or not they decided to sin and then get forgiveness. The issue they will have to work out with Jesus is, are they truly repentant? God searches hearts and knows whether or not a person is sorry for what they did. That will be between them and their God.
Jesus, I knew what I was doing was wrong. I knew I was sinning against my spouse,
against my family, against my new spouse, and against You. At that time, I was in a very unspiritual
condition and allowed my body to dictate my behavior. However, I have since started doing
devotions, praying regularly, reading my Bible, faithfully attending church,
listening to good Christian music, and avoiding exposing myself to those things
that I know are wrong for me to see, listen to, or be around.
Jesus, now that I am in a much better spiritual condition, help me not
think that I can just go on from here and live a better life. Help understand that I must
repent! I ask You to forgive me and my
new spouse of all our sins and empower us to never get involved in anything
like this ever again. Help us to be
totally obedient to everything You taught.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifteen
Why Am I Under A New Law?
Week Four Day Two
Truth Two: Rom 7:2 (NIV) For example, by law a married woman
is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies,
she is released from the law of marriage.
For example: This example is showing you a comparison of you being married to the Old Testament laws for as long as you remained unsaved. When you were born as a human, you automatically came under the laws for all humans. God established them with the Jews, who were to explain them to the rest of the human race. But, they not only didn’t do that, they failed to apply them to their own lives. That was because there was a problem with those laws and those people who were being required to use their own effort to live them.
Rom 3:23 (NIV) For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God. Jesus, teach me that I was born “married” to
the Old Testament laws. Show me that You
needed to set me free from those laws, because they required that I use my
human skills, talents, efforts, and wisdom to try to fulfill them. Show me that I failed like everyone
else.
The Way The Law Works
For example, by law: Once a law is put in place (the Old Testament Law), it stays in place until some power or authority removes it (Jesus’ death). As long as it is in place, everyone who is subject to it must obey it or pay the consequences (spiritual death). But, if for some reason it is removed or can be set aside, then it can’t create penalties against the offender (salvation). Since you were “married” to the old law and sinned against it, you became a law breaker and contracted the spiritual disease of sin (became a sinner).
Rom 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus, I thank You from dying in my place so I would be dead to the Old
Testament laws. I thank You that Your
new marriage law requires that I look to You for living Your life in and
through me so I can treat myself and others with good.
For example, by law a married woman: Just like a spouse is to be faithful to the person
they are married to, you were to be faithful to the Old Testament laws of God. When you had an “affair” with sin, all the
penalties of the Old Testament were logged against you and you became separated
from God, but, there was a way out. If you died, as a human, the law would lose
its power over you. But, if you died in
your sins, you would spend eternity separated from God. So, the death had to be done by Someone
Who was sinless.
James 2:10 (NIV) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet
stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
Jesus, I know I have been affected by world philosophy. I say things I don’t really mean; I commit to
things I don’t live up to; and I tell people things that are somewhat
misleading. I find myself unable to live
a perfect life. Therefore, I have no
hope of living under a law that requires me to not break even one of its
requirements.
The Way Being Bound To A Law Works
For example, by law a married woman is bound: God’s laws are binding; they don’t have “loopholes”
or options. They don’t need amending;
they are perfect and legal. The problem
with the Old Testament law and the way it binds you is, it can’t empower you or
force you to live it. However, Jesus’
New Testament law has the power and the methods of letting you live
it. But, Jesus’
laws won’t try to force you to live them. You are free to be empowered or not.
Jesus, when it comes to words like “bound,” “obey,” “commandments,”
“laws,” and “requirements,” I feel a rebellion and a resistance to them. I find my mind and heart wanting a freedom
that is more like anarchy or lawlessness.
I need a major change of attitude about what freedom really is. I want to be bound to the law of love;
but, there is something in me that doesn’t want to be
bound by anything. Heal me of this
rebellion and help me love and appreciate all Your laws and what they are
trying to do.
How Being Bound To A
Relationship Works
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her
husband: Once you were born as a human, you
were bound to the rules and regulations of all humans. Just like being born in a nation or kingdom bound you
to those rules and regulations, you came under Old Testament law. It explained how you were to treat
yourself, other people, and God.
But, once again, you were responsible for providing your own
motivations, determinations, and efforts of obedience.
Jesus, I often only see a way out that involves doing something that I
know You don’t approve of. It often seems to me that the easiest
solution is to bend the rules, take shortcuts, or reinterpret the meaning and
intent of Your laws. I know it would
have been a lot easier for You to have come up with a shortcut-plan of
salvation that didn’t involve Your suffering and death. But, I am so
thankful that You didn’t bend the rules or take shortcuts. Help me have the same attitudes You have
about Your laws and commandments.
Trying To Find A Solution
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as
long as he is alive: Obviously we
aren’t solving a marriage law by a wife murdering her husband. We can’t break the murder law to end a
marriage law. This is the natural
death of a husband freeing the wife from the marriage law. In this example, you are looking at a wife
who didn’t want to be “free” from her husband or the marriage. She wanted to treat him right, wanted to live
a righteous life with him, but lacked to ability to be faithful to him. All the pressure of her being faithful was on
her abilities, skills, commitments, determinations, and efforts.
Rom 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature. For I
have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Jesus, help me not have the wrong attitude about being free from Old
Testament laws. Keep me from wanting to
be free so I can sin and not feel bad about it.
Don’t let me be like a wife who is glad her husband died. Empower me to delight in Your laws; give me
the desire to fulfill them through Your power.
Show me that my problem isn’t with Your laws; it is with the sinful
nature in my body. Empower me to live a
righteous life with myself, other people, and You.
A Spouse Raised From The Dead
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies: What if a spouse died and then came back alive as a totally new person? Suppose Lazarus, that Jesus raised from the dead, was married and prior to death was extremely difficult to live with. But, after dying and being raised by Jesus, suppose he started following Jesus’ training and became the best husband possible. This is what is happening to the Old Testament law. It lacked the power to help you live a good life. It was pointing you in the right direct; but, it ended up making your life miserable as you tried to live it with your own power.
Jesus, even though I love You and understand that You only give me commandments
and laws that could really make my life better, I and Your laws don’t
seem to be able to get along with each other.
I am finding that I am having the same problems that I had with the old
laws. Help me see that I am still not
the answer to living these new laws.
Help me put my complete dependency on You to help me live these
wonderful laws that have been transformed by You.
The Same Is True Of The New Laws
You are going to find out that even the New Testament laws
can’t be lived by you. It is true that the
Old Testament laws, that required that you live them, couldn’t be
lived by your own efforts. It is also
true that the New Testament laws cannot be lived by your own efforts. But, you don’t have
to; you are required to look to Jesus for living the New Testament
laws. John 15:5 (NIV) I am the vine;
you are the branches. If a man remains
in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do
nothing.
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as
he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of
marriage: Jesus,
help me see that I
am now free; but, I lost something that was vital to
me. Help me not assume the law is gone;
I am still not allowed to have sex outside marriage; I am just ready to get
back into some kind of a law that will work better. Help me see that You have a wonderful plan for my new future. Help me not use my freedom to get involved in
the wrong way of life. Take me from here
into the right laws, the right power, and the right motivations for living
them.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Sixteen
How Is Jesus’ Death
Going To Help Me?
Week Four Day Three
1. Jesus’
Death Separates Me From The Law
Review Truth Number Two and
include it with Truth Number Three:
Truth Two: Rom 7:2 (NIV) For example, by law a married
woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband
dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
Truth Three: Rom 7:3 (NIV) So then, if she marries another
man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is
released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries
another man.
2. Jesus’
Death Handles The Problem Of A Continuing Sin
Mat 5:32 (NIV) But I tell you that anyone who divorces
his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an
adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. There are two
types of sins: If you lie, you can repent (make a U-turn), get forgiveness, and
quit doing it. But, if you divorce
someone without them being unfaithful to you and remarry, you stay in the
condition of the sin of divorce and remarriage.
Moment-by-moment and day-after-day, you keep committing adultery. Repentance means you made a U-turn and
stopped being divorced and remarried; but, that typically
isn’t possible. So, that would seem
to make breaking the law of marriage an unpardonable sin.
Jesus, if I got myself involved in a relationship or
some lifestyle that is an ongoing sin, help me find out how to get forgiveness
for it. If I am now married to someone
against the marriage law, help me get the issue solved. If I am having a sexual relationship with
someone and am not married to them, help me resolve the issue. If I have divorced someone that I wasn’t
allowed to divorce, show me how to make it right. Help me get any ongoing sin taken care of so
I can have a relationship with You.
So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress: The marriage law is different from most of God’s laws. Since it can involve a family, and since it represents the way you are married to Jesus, it is ridged and unyielding. If you illegally got divorced, you are continually breaking the law. You did it; you got divorced; and you can’t stop being divorced. It looks like you can’t repent (make a U-turn) because you can’t get un-divorced. So the law would seem to keep you bound to sin. It’s a good law; people shouldn’t get divorced for inappropriate reasons. Jesus’ death is your way into forgiveness for an illegal divorce or an illegal marriage. 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! You must ask for forgiveness! Don’t just go on with your life because of 2 Corinthians 5:17. Read 1 John 1:8-9.
3. Jesus’
Death Handles A Relentless Law
But if her husband dies: Death
becomes a vital issue with the law. When
you do something that can’t be undone, you must be sorry you did it; that is
important. Even though the law is
unresponsive to your desires, even though it requires that you pay for what you
did, even though it doesn’t care that you are sorry you did it, Jesus died in
your place for all your sins.
Jesus, I am really seeing the importance of this
study about a husband dying and ending a marriage law. There are things I am still doing that I wish
I had never started doing. There are
things I have done that I can’t undo. There
are relationships, commitments, contracts, and lifestyles that it is going to
take Your miracles to solve in my life.
Jesus, I repent right now of all the things that I
am stuck with because of the sins I have committed. Forgive me of all relationships, commitments,
contracts, and lifestyles that I am involved in that came about through me
sinning. Help me get started making all
of them right with You. But, help me not
make any changes until You lead me into Your solution to each one. Lead me into Your wisdom, grace, mercy, love,
and power to solve these things.
4. Jesus’
Death Is A Grace And
Mercy Substitution
But if her husband dies, she is released from that law:
The major problem with death is, it doesn’t allow you
to continue doing things on this planet.
So, even though death would help you escape punishment for committing a
crime, you dying before you are punishment doesn’t seem like a good solution to
your problem with the law. So, you need
someone to die in your place. You need
to have death credited to you and you still be able to remain on
earth.
Jesus, even if someone else tried to die in my
place, they would just end up dying for their own sins. They wouldn’t qualify for being my
substitute. Plus, no one would be willing
to die in my place in the first place.
And, most laws don’t allow someone else standing in for someone else’s
crime. I thank God, He is willing to
give me grace and mercy by accepting Your death as my death. I thank You for being willing to die in my
place. You were the only One Who
qualified to be my substitute.
5. Jesus
Death Produces Grace And Mercy
Through Credit
Rom 6:6-8 (NIV) For we know that our old self was
crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed
from sin. Now if we died with Christ,
we believe that we will also live with Him. Here you have
someone else dying in your place. Like the
husband dying and setting the wife free from the marriage law, Jesus died and
set you free from the Old Testament law.
Because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Jesus, help me see that You dying for me didn’t just
set me free from my past sins. Your
death is setting me free from my present and future sins. Show me that this is how you were able to
give me my perfect record with God.
Also, help me see that Your death is empowering me to be dead to the
influence of sin in my behavior.
6. Jesus’
Death Produces Freedom With
Responsibility
But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and
is not an adulteress: The Bible
isn’t saying that being released from the former marriage law allows this wife
to go out and have affairs. If she goes
out and commits fornication because she is no longer under that law of marriage,
she breaks another law. Many Christians
have thought that because they were no longer under Old Testament law, they
were free from all law.
Rom 6:15 (NIV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not
under law but under grace? By no means! Jesus, help me want
to live the Christian life. Help me
press forward toward victorious Christian living rather than seeing what I can
get by with. Help me “do what it takes”
to yield to You and Your way of life.
Protect me from trying to mix the things of the world, my body, and the
devil in with the principles of the Bible.
7. Jesus’
Death Frees You To Move
Forward In Righteousness
But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and
is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man: This woman is free from her first marriage; but, she isn’t without responsibility to the law of
marriage. She is free to establish a
new sexual relationship with another man; provided she marries him first. The freedom to do this was caused by the
death of her former husband. She is free
to marry another man and have a sexual relationship with him; but, she isn’t free to just go around having sex any time
she wants.
Rom 6:16 (NIV) Don’t you know that when you offer
yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you
obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to
obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Jesus, help me accept Your new law that is fulfilled through You living
Your life in and through me. Help me see
that the laws are the same, but the requirements for living them has
changed. Help me give up my efforts and
allow you to work in and through me.
8. Jesus’
Death Provides You With
Sanctification
You are studying a concept many Christians
misunderstand. Always keep in mind that sin
hurts people; the reason God labeled it sin was so you would know about its
deadly and damaging effects. God loves you
and isn’t going to provide you with a plan of salvation and justification that
makes it legal for you to go around hurting yourself and other people. He is setting you free so you can get greater
and greater results in doing good to yourself, other people, and His plan for
your life. He is providing you with
sanctification through spiritual growth.
Rom 6:19 (NIV) I put this in human terms because you are
weak in your natural selves. Just as you
used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to
ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to
righteousness leading to holiness. Jesus, help me
realize that salvation and justification are just the beginning of my Christian
life. You have set a whole world of righteousness
leading to holiness in front of me.
Help me see that my relationships with myself and other people are going
to be awesome. Give me great
anticipations for what You have planned for my future.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Seventeen
How Does The Marriage Law Teach Me About God’s Laws?
Week Four Day Four
The Rigidity Of The Law
Truth Three: Rom 7:3 (NIV) So then, if she marries another man while
her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is
released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries
another man.
Bound By The Law
So then, if she marries another man: How do you deal with a rigid law that doesn’t care
about your situation. What if your
spouse is abusing you? If your spouse
isn’t having an affair, the law would judge you, if you got divorced. The law is the law; it doesn’t bend, adjust,
forgive, or give you grace or mercy. It
judges people who damage each other by getting a divorce for any cause other
than unfaithfulness.
What about those who are abusive verbally or physically, unloving, selfish, who don’t care who they hurt, and those who only care about their own pleasures and wants. Don’t they deserve to be divorced? Shouldn’t there be many other reasons for a divorce? But, the law doesn’t bend, adjust, make allowances, or take other things into consideration; nor does it forgive you, if you break it. Since Jesus made this law, what was His reason for making it so strict?
Jesus, help me see that I have to have laws that point me in the right
direction. Help me also see that I have
to have someone to enforce those laws who knows everything, loves me, and wants
the very best for me. I want justice,
fairness, and equity for my life and relationships. But, I am not
qualified to be the judge and jury for any of the situations where I want the
law applied. Help me turn the issues of
justice over to You. You are the only
One Who is qualified to evaluate the situation and come up with the perfect
verdict.
So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive: We don’t know why a person would divorce a living partner who is faithful to them. They may or may not have good reasons for getting the divorce. The situation in the marriage may be so horrible that they didn’t feel they could take it anymore. Or, it could be a case where they are being driven by selfishness, sinful passions, and a lack of true love. But, here’s the law: But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery (Mat 5:32).
Jesus, there many of these types of things that are
laid out in the Bible. When I get into a
situation where I don’t like it or feel like it is fair, I really struggle with
obeying it. Help me see that things
aren’t like I see them. I don’t know why
You caused them to be written. But, help
me come to You with the issue to see how You want me to live on the basis of
that law. Help me not just disagree with
it and rebel. Help me not just disagree with
it and get mad. Help me not just try to
figure out how I want to handle it. Help
me turn to you with my situation and see how You want me to apply each
law.
Just because
it appears like a person is stuck with a spouse who can abuse, beat, slander,
demean, and neglect them, doesn’t make that true. Just because they didn’t have an affair,
doesn’t mean they stuck with them. There
are very important ways that the church must get involved in bad marital
situations. This law was written to help
husbands and wives get their marital issues solved rather than getting a
divorce. It was written to protect the
members of the family from instability and uncertainty. But, it isn’t just
up to the married couple to solve all their problems, the church must be
willing to do everything possible to protect, train, provide intervention,
love, and help until some sort of solution is achieved.
Jesus, help me see that You caused these laws to be written in such a
way that they are the very best laws.
Show me that You took everything into consideration before You
structured the wording in them. Help me
realize that no one could have done a better job of putting them together. And, help me with those times when it doesn’t
seem like they can bring fairness and equity to every possible situation. Keep me aware that You know what the problems
with these and all laws are. Let me
understand that You see their weaknesses and inadequacies better than I
do. Help me learn what Your solutions to
these laws must be requested.
So then, if she marries another man while her husband is
still alive, she is called an adulteress: Here is a person who may have had a spouse who was
abusive. The spouse may have beat,
slandered, demeaned, or neglected them; but, they
didn’t cheat on them. So, they decided
to solve their own problems, make the best of it, get divorced, and marry
someone else. It provided an easy,
simple solution to a difficult problem. But;
they are called an adulteress even though they are married. What did Jesus have in mind in the previous
marriage? If the church got involved, is
it possible that both of them could have been changed by Jesus? Could He have transformed hearts and healed
major wounds?
Jesus, help me know You are always fair and
just. Help me know You
are forgiving, loving, gracious, and merciful.
Help me always know You know what You are doing. Help me not just come up with my
solution. Let me come to You with these
impossible situations and see You take them and turn them into miracles. Help me be patient with You and let You take
something that may be hurting me deeply.
Give me Your wisdom and power to get these things before the church so they
can help me as well. Show me how to rely
on Your people to guide me into the very best possible solution to a very
difficult situation.
What if a major part of the marital problem of a bad marriage was caused by the person who applied for the divorce? What if a lot of their partner’s abuse was retaliation for the other types of abuse? If the church gets involved, they will see where all the problems are. Just because a person gets a divorce from an abusive marriage and marries someone else, doesn’t mean their next marriage will be a good one. They will typically bring all their problems with them. They will be marrying someone who has problems of their own. It is highly probable that they will also need to get the church involved in that new marriage’s difficulties.
Jesus, show me that my solutions, the world’s solutions, and the devil’s
solutions may look good, but aren’t.
Help me see that Your laws may look like You don’t understand all
possible marital and life situations, but You do. Help me come to You, when I feel like You are
being too strict or aren’t taking my situation into consideration. Give me an intense faith in Your knowledge,
foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom.
Being Released From Old Testament Law
BUT if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man: Your reaction to being released from the laws of the Old Testament will be dependent on how you feel your life is going.
· If you have been breaking the law and feeling good about it, then it won’t matter whether the law is in force or not.
· If your conscience is making you miserable and you want to be free from it so you can enjoy your sins, then you will glad that law isn’t in force.
· If your conscience has been making you miserable and you agree with it, then you are glad to find a way to meet the requirements of the law through Jesus.
Jesus, in some ways I have resented Your laws; there are times when I feel
they aren’t addressing my real needs.
The Holy Spirit speaks to my conscience and I try to make myself feel
good about breaking them. There were
other times when I see their benefit and try to live by them. But, my conscience
never seems to be powerful enough to help me have good relationships. Something always seemed to be missing between
me and my conscience. Help me get the
power and motivations that give me what I need to be able to live the way the
Holy Spirit and my conscience are leading me to live.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Eighteen
Where Is Jesus’ Sacrifice Taking Me?
Week Four Day Five
Jesus’ Sacrifice Made Me God’s
Child
Truth Four: Rom 7:4 (NIV) So, my brothers, you also died
to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him
Who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
So, my
brothers: Jesus, since
Christians belong to God’s family, help me see that they become one another’s
brothers and sisters. Help me understand
that this message, I am studying and praying about, is to those who have joined
You in salvation and justification and have become God’s children, members of His
family, and citizens of His eternal Kingdom.
Since I have prayed the Lord’s prayer or some similar “sinner’s prayer,”
You led me into salvation and justification.
And then, Romans 10:8-10 told me how to make it happen; and now, You are explaining to me what happened to me.
You
also died to the law: In the marriage law example, the
husband died and the wife remained alive; but, in one since she also died to the marriage law.
The thing to keep in mind is that death doesn’t mean to cease to
exist. When you die physically, your
spirit is separated from your body. When
a wife’s husband dies, she “dies” or is separated from that marriage law too. When Jesus died as your representative, that
made it possible for you to die to the law.
Jesus,
teach me that when I received salvation and justification, a death occurred in me. It had to do with me dying legally to
or being separated from a law that was governing and ruling over me. Show me that whether I agreed with these laws
or not, they were dealing with deadly, highly contagious, spiritual
diseases that are destroying my society and planet. Help me see that whether I think sin is wrong
and deadly or not, God knows it is. He
knows what is damaging, hurting, destroying, and killing us; and, He isn’t
going to let them into His eternal family or Kingdom.
Jesus’
Death Was A Gift To Me
You
also died to
the law through the body of Christ: The marriage illustration, wife
didn’t actually die; it was her husband that died. His death separated her from or caused her to
die to that marriage law. You didn’t actually
die; Jesus died and made it possible for you to die to the laws that
were binding you. In the case of the
wife who lost her husband, she didn’t get a choice in the matter. He died whether she wanted him to or
not. She was forced to be separated from
the law of that marriage. You didn’t get
a choice either; Jesus died whether you wanted Him to or not. He wanted you to have the option of being
totally set free from sin’s power.
Jesus,
You died for every person on this planet; we
didn’t get a choice about that. Your
death separated us all from the law and provided a clean record for
every person on the planet. Show me that
no one had a say in whether or not He could do that for them. But, because of our God-given free will, help
me realize that everyone has a say in whether or not they will accept
it. Teach me that only those who
“do what it takes” to receive your salvation, justification, and eventually
sanctification died to the law through
the body of Christ. Since You
have already provided it for everyone, make it clear to me that, that made it
available to anyone who is willing to “do what it takes” to get it working in
their life.
Dead
To A Law So
I Can Belong To Jesus
You
also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong
to another: In the previous chapter Jesus pointed out to you that a
widow isn’t free to have a sexual relationship with other men just because her
husband died. The general marriage law
is still in place. She is free from that
particular marriage law with that particular spouse. But, the law of fornication only allows her to
be free to marry another person, IF she wants to have a sexual relationship
with them.
Jesus,
help me keep in mind that the problem with the marriage law, as with all laws,
is that it doesn’t have the power or the authority to make me be
faithful to my spouse. The law may tell me, as a spouse, to stay together. But, it can’t
make me love them and treat them with respect.
Show me that I may obey the law of marriage, but I can be completely
miserable while doing it. Help me
understand that the law is a good one; but it lacks some important powers and
qualities to it. Help me see that I need
a new law that has the power and qualities to help me enjoy the marriage
relationship.
Jesus’
Resurrect Also Includes Me
You
also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to
another, to Him Who was raised from the dead: If a
wife was married to a husband that she loved very much and he died, it would be
a wonderful moment for the wife if he was raised up from the dead. Jesus didn’t just die for you; He also was
raised from the dead. You are getting
two benefits from Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Jesus’ death: Jesus,
help me understand that You released me from a law that I couldn’t live even
though it was a good law. Teach me that,
that law lacked the ability to empower and motivate me to obey it; so, I kept
breaking it. When I broke it, it
separated me from being God’s child, a member of His family, and a citizen of His
Kingdom. So, Your
death gave me the opportunity to die to that law so that I could join You
in a new law and a new way of life.
Jesus’ life: Jesus,
help me realize that You are giving me a new relationship that does have the ability
to empower me and inspire me to do good things to myself, other people, and
God’s wonderful plan for me.
You also died to the law through the body of Christ, that
you might belong to another, to Him Who was raised from the dead, in
order that we might bear fruit to God: Dying to the law has to have some
purpose besides just getting you free from those things that hurt you, others,
and God’s plan. Obviously, that is
tremendously important, but, it only leaves you
empty. Belonging to Jesus, Who raised from the dead is presenting you with what is
going to affect your future. You don’t
want to just be free from sin, as wonderful as that is. You want to have a new life that offers you
much more than your old life did.
Jesus, You have a wonderful
plan that is coming because You have helped me die to the old laws. Help me lift my eyes to what is ahead so I
can be excited about what I was saved to.
I am glad for what I was saved from; but, I am
even more excited about what you have provide me next. Show me what this new law is going to empower
me to be and do. Help me see the power
of transformation as I go forth in life while being influenced by these new
provisions.
In
Order That I Might Bear Fruit To God
“Bearing
fruit” is the term God uses to indicate the fact that your
attitudes and character are changing. It
is also indicating that you are sharing your breakthroughs with other. God’s object isn’t just trying to get you to
obey His laws, He wants you to “reap” the benefits from them. And He wants others to “reap” the benefits
as well. When His laws help that happen,
then He is pleased with the results.
Bearing
fruit to God is a system of life filled with God’s
knowledge, understanding, wisdom, love, grace, mercy, and power. What can God do in your life that you
can’t? What would it take to get God
involved in your marriage, your business, your career, your relationships, your
emotions, your finances, your circumstances, and your physical condition?
Jesus,
I am ready to yield to Your New Testament laws so I can bear fruit that
is beneficial to me, to others, and to You.
Help me yield to a law that is only waiting for me to allow it to
produce great results in me. Since there
is nothing wrong with Your new law, I can put my full trust in being obedient
to it and know that it is giving me the power and the inspiration to get great
things accomplished. Help me open my
heart to it so I can see how much different my life is as I give up trying to
use my effort and yield to all You have to offer me.
This concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Nineteen
Jesus, Why Didn’t You Come To Earth Sooner?
Week Five Day One
Truth Four: Rom 7:4
(NIV) So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ,
that you might belong to another, to Him Who was raised from the dead, in order
that we might bear fruit to God.
So, my brothers: God’s
family and Kingdom are wide open to those who are cured from sin. He doesn’t have any desire to keep anyone
out. 2 Pet 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not
slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone
to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. However,
He is not going to allow sin to get into His eternal family or
Kingdom. If a person refuses to be
separated from their sins, then they will be rejected because they are infected
with that highly contagious and deadly spiritual disease. So, “brothers” only applies to those
who have accepted Jesus’ cure.
Jesus, help me take advantage of all Your provisions;
Help me not just get the foundational benefits, I want it all. Help me take advantage of Your death and
life. Help me understand them so I can
cooperate with You in a complete way.
Help me get the full picture of how it all works, why it works, and what
I am to believe about it. I came into
this salvation with a small amount of knowledge as to what it was, how to get
it, and what it would do for me. Let me
cooperate with Your Word and learn all there is to know about it. Help me take advantage and totally appreciate
all You have done for me.
A
Death For A Life Through The Holy Spirit
So, my brothers, you also died: This happened when you accepted Jesus’ salvation; but, you had no idea that it did. You didn’t know that your relationship with the Holy Spirit changed drastically. You didn’t know He was no longer on the outside of you only speaking to your conscience. You didn’t know He moved inside your body and joined your spirit there. Rather than just dealing with the right and wrong aspects of the law, you didn’t know He came in so He could explain to you the wonderful truths of God. You didn’t know that when you read a verse of Scripture and understood it, that was the Holy Spirit inside you explaining it to you.
Jesus, I thank You for helping me die to the Old Testament law. I thank You that I no longer have to apply my
human efforts to trying to obey the law.
I thank You for the Bible that is presenting the new law. I thank You that I now have the Holy Spirit
inside me helping me understand what the Bible is saying, what it means, and
how to apply it to my life. I thank You
that I now have You living Your life in me so I can obey those things the Holy
Spirit is teaching me. You are my power
and my skills for living this new law that the Bible and the Holy Spirit are
installing in me.
A New Law That Doesn’t Create
Guilt
One of the greatest truths of God is: You are no longer available for the old law to make you guilty. The old law cannot point you in the right direction and then make you responsible for living it. Jesus died for all your past, present, and future failures of not doing the right thing according to the old law. The Holy Spirit is still speaking to your conscience; but, for a totally different reason. Before salvation, He spoke to you telling you what you were to do or not do. Now, He speaks to your conscience telling you to apply The Three Keys and The Seven Biblical Principles. These two toolsets don’t draw your attention to yourself and your abilities to fulfill the law. They draw your attention to Jesus for Him to empower you to live His life.
Jesus, help me ask You to empower me, when the Bible tells me
things I need to be living or getting out of my life. Empower me, when the Holy Spirit speaks to my
conscience and points out wrong things I am about to do. Empower me, when the Holy Spirit explains
what a verse of Scripture is saying, what it means, and how to apply it to my
life. Empower me to yield to You, as I
cooperate with You to start living that truth in and through me.
Separated
From A Good Thing
So, my brothers, you also died to the law: It’s hard to understand how the old law can be good and bad at the same time. If your body didn’t have a sinful nature, all that would have to happen was, you be given righteous instructions and you would willingly follow them. But, you do have a sinful nature in your body; it doesn’t allow you to obey the laws of God through your human efforts. You do need Jesus to give you His life to overcome the sinful nature of your body. But, Satan and the sinful nature try to keep you separated from Jesus’ life.
Jesus, when Satan and the sinful nature in my body try to keep me
from reading my Bible, empower me to ask You to help me apply the seek
Key to it and it give me a hunger and a thirst for its truths. Help me want to not only read the Bible so I
can live a victorious life, but help me love others enough to want to grow
spiritually so I can help them. Help me knock
on the doors of opportunity to share my breakthroughs with those around me as
You, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible empower me to live the new law.
United
For A Better Thing
So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ: Jesus’ human body was used to apply the principles of substitution. Since He didn’t break any laws of God, then He wasn’t guilty of any sin. If He had been put to death for some crime He didn’t commit, then the laws of God were broken; He was murdered. But, since God used His power to put every person’s sins on Jesus and He was willing to allow that to happen, then Jesus died for your sins. Jesus died for everyone’s sins; that actually happened. The procedures for taking advantage of that fact are set in place. Everyone is invited to accept Jesus’ provision through believing He actually did it. Now it is up to every person to decide whether or not they want to.
Jesus, I know salvation is real, because You empowered the gospel
message to give me faith. I know I am a
child of God, because the Holy Spirit is telling my spirit it is true. I know You paid the
price for me breaking the old law, because You gave me a new law. I know You took my
place and forgave me of all my past, present, and future sins, because the
Bible says so. Help me show my
appreciation for You doing all these things for me. Help me honor You by giving my life to You so
You can live in and through me.
Producing
A New Testament Life
So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another: Through Moses, the Old Testament laws, rules, and regulations laid out every kind of wrong, bad, and evil thing a person could do to themselves and other people. They made it clear what were right or wrong, good or bad, and righteous or evil deeds that a person could do to themselves, other people, and God’s plan. However, Jesus hadn’t come and provided forgiveness for their sins so the Holy Spirit could come inside them to empower them.
Heavenly Father, help me understand that all those things in the Old
Testament were done so You could keep developing humans spiritually. You kept developing them until one woman
qualified and was willing to allow You to put Your Son in her womb. She allowed You to put Your Son in her so He
could take on the likeness of a human.
Help me see that it took all those things in the Old Testament, all
those people, and all those experiences to produce Mary. Help me see that Jesus couldn’t come until
that miracle was accomplished.
Providing
A New Testament Life
Rom 8:3 (NIV) For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the SINFUL NATURE, God did by sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man. Once Jesus was able to come in the likeness of a human. His death provided forgiveness for your failure to obey those laws. Now, His life is offering you the opportunity to join Him in living life with Him. You have accepted His death; now it is time to take advantage of His life by belong to another--Jesus!
Jesus, I took advantage of You dying in my place. I accepted Your death as my death. Now help me accept Your life as my life. Help me join You in the spiritual marriage of
being one with You. Let our lives join
together; let me live this life through Your power. Help me remain dead to my old life and want
to be alive through Your life. Reveal
the full meaning of that; help me know You will lead
me into a wonderful relationship where I belong to You.
So, my brothers, you also died to
the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him
Who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God: Jesus, help me be ready and willing
to be empowered to live a life I was unable to live while under the old law. Help me be ready to see my relationships
change and take on the attitudes and character that You provide. Empower me to yield to Your life; help me
cooperate with Your thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds in all my
relationships.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty
What Is A Sinful Nature And What Does It Do?
Week Five Day Two
Truth Five: Rom 7:5 (NIV) For when we were controlled by the
sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in
our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.
For when we were: You
are used to the way “things have always been.”
You have lived life long enough to see a lot of patterns that keep
repeating themselves. You can settle
into accepting certain things as “just the way life works.” You can accept Jesus’ salvation and
justification with certain hopes and wishes; but, you
can be afraid to get your hopes too high.
And, you come into Christianity not knowing what to expect.
Jesus,
when I was unsaved, a lot of
things influenced me. I didn’t
understand why things were the way they were; but,
that was “the way they were!” I didn’t
see how I was going to be able to change the way things were; so, I did my best
to work around the way things were. The
laws of “nature” seemed to dominate me and control the way my life was going to
be for the rest of my life. Help me stop
accepting things the way they have always been.
Thinking I Am In Control
For when we were controlled: God allows you to make a lot of decisions. When you were new to this world, you didn’t
have any habits, addictions, behavior patterns, or character traits; you were
like a clean slate. You were born with a
God-given free will. You started out
using it to choose what you wanted to do, what kind of person you want to be,
and how you would react to various situations.
But, over time all that changed.
Jesus, show me that over time my heart developed
attitudes, reactions, defense mechanisms, preferences, likes and dislikes. And, a lot of demands were put on me. Certain chemicals I ate, breathed, or inject
into my body also start to have an influence on me. Certain relationships were developed; and,
people started to make decisions that were designed to make me do things they
wanted. Before I realized it, I had lost
control over most of my life.
The
Biggest Controller Of All
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature:
What happens to you, when you are influenced by a
person who is selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and only self-aware? What if they try to do business with
you? What if they want to marry you? What if they want to be your friend? Because of their character and attitudes, if
you allow them to build any of these relationships with you, you will be in
trouble. That is what your sinful nature is like.
Jesus, teach me that according to the Bible, I was
born with a sinful nature that has selfish,
self-centered, and egotistical attitudes and character. But, the world taught
me that I was born with good attitudes and character. They told me that I am actually a product
of my environment and that I am the way I am because of the way I was treated. However, the Bible is telling me that I am a
product of my reactions to my environment and experiences. You told me that I was responsible for
how I reacted and that I needed to repent; so I
did!
Born With A Passion
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the
sinful passions: You have always
known what you wanted; at birth your body told you all the things it had to
have. Plus, as you grew older, it became
clear to you what you thought would make you happy and satisfied. You looked life over and you made
choices based on what you thought.
Your God-given free will has been a lot more effective and assertive
than the world gives it credit for.
Jesus, it feels good for the world to tell me that
nothing I do out of selfishness is my fault.
It feels good to be told I deserve all the best things around me. It feels good to be taught that me winning is
most important. It feels good to be told
I can be anything I want to be. Help me
see that as long as the world made it acceptable for me to only care about myself,
I was able to ignore how I affected other people with what I thought, felt, said,
or did.
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the
sinful passions aroused by the law: You
have a conscience; it made you a sinner.
But, you weren’t able to turn yourself
into a sinner until a certain age. James
4:17 (NIV) Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and
doesn’t do it, sins. People
arrive at the knowledge of good, evil, right, and wrong at different ages; but,
if they live long enough, they all get there and become sinners.
Rom 3:23 (NIV) For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God. Jesus, help me see that my condition, as bad
as it was, was typical of all people. Show
me that You don’t grade sins or consider how many were committed. You saw me as a sinner who was in need of a
Savior. Help me keep in mind that You
died for everyone’s sins no matter how many or how bad. Help me realize that, that puts us all in a
situation were the only sin that can now be committed is the sin of rejecting
You. That was the sin You forgave me of at new birth.
Rom 5:18 (NIV) Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. The one and only sin that will not be forgiven, is for a person to reject the Holy Spirit’s conviction, in their conscience, telling them that they need to accept Jesus as their Savior. He is their door into accepting Jesus as their Savior. If they resist and blaspheme Him, they have cut off their only way into salvation. But, that only happens to those who want it to happen to them. No one accidently gets cut off from the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Your Romans 7:15 “want” and “hate” are your proof that you are a true Christian.
Rom 7:15 (NIV) I do not understand what
I do. For what I want to do I do
not do, but what I hate I do. Jesus, thank You for giving me these two
attitudes toward right and wrong. Thank
You for teaching me that these are two main things You look for in my attitudes
and character. Help me always want
to treat myself, others, and God’s plan with right, good, and
righteousness. Help me always hate
to treat myself, others, and God’s plan with wrong, bad, and evil. I believe You
are empowering and keeping me secure in You.
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the
sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies: There are human passions that hurt and damage you
and those around you. This is because
they push you in wrong directions; but, there are also
sinful passions. It isn’t a sin
to get a wrong job or career; but, it does head you down
a path that dominates your life. Sinful
passions are drives that break God’s law by doing bad or evil.
Jesus, make it clear to me that I am not ignorant or
innocent. The Holy Spirit makes sure I have
knowledge and understanding, feelings of right and wrong, and the power to know
I need God’s help. But, teach me that if
I don’t use The Three Keys and The Seven Biblical Principles to get Your help, I
will end up yielding to sinful passions.
Help me see that The Three Keys direct my attention to You. Then if The Three Keys fail to work for me, You will use The Seven Biblical Principles to help me find
out why they failed.
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the
sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we
bore fruit for death: What if you
planted a fruit tree and it bore poisonous fruit? What if the store had labeled it as an apple
tree? And, what if the fruit looked just
like apples? That is the way sin looks
to your body. Your body sees sin as
being something good for you. But, your conscience relabels it so you have a true warning
as to what the results are going to be.
Then you have to decide whether to believe the Holy Spirit, the Bible,
and God’s laws or what your body, the world, and the devil are telling you.
Jesus, if in this fruit tree illustration, I have a
neighbor who is an expert on trees and their fruit, if they looked at my tree
and told me the fruit from that tree was poisonous, I would be faced with a
dilemma! Evaluate me Jesus: Would I
trust the label? Would I trust the store that labeled it? Would I trust my eyes
and the way the fruit look? Or, would I
trust my expert neighbor? What kind of
person am I, Jesus? Help me see my
characteristics for how I handle my decisions concerning right and wrong, good
and bad, righteousness and evil.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-One
Where Is The Sinful Nature Located?
Week Five Day Three
Do You Remember When?
Truth Five: Rom 7:5 (NIV) For when we were controlled by
the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in
our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.
There
Was A Time
For when: Obviously, you haven’t always been a Christian. Do you remember a time when things were very different from how they are now? Do you remember a time when you didn’t know how to desire the things of God, study the Bible, pray, believe, love, take faith-action, and then be thankful? Do you remember a time when you weren’t influenced by God or His provisions? It is vital that you never forget when you were lost, unsaved, and outside God’s family and Kingdom.
Jesus, help me never forget all You have done for me. When I first came into Your family and became
a citizen of Your Kingdom, I didn’t know any of the things I know now. I couldn’t appreciate all You were doing for
me. But, now that I know, help me not
just take it all for granted. It would
be easy for me to get used to the way things are. It would be easy to learn all these things
and not compare them with where I was before.
Help me remember how it was and how far You have brought me. Help me spend a lot of time expressing my
appreciation for You taking me from where I was to where I am now.
For when we were controlled: It can be easy to forget all those things that were
bad. You can allow the pains from the
past to push you into wanting to never think about them ever again.
This verse of Scripture is explaining things about your past that you didn’t realize. You used to live there, experience it, and suffer from it; but, you didn’t have anyone to explain it to you. Now as you look back through the eyes of the Bible, you can better understand what was going on. Since you can better understand what was going on, it is a time for you to be thankful, appreciative, and filled with joy concerning how far God has taken you.
Jesus, help me spend time comparing my life now with my life
before. Help me evaluate the life I was
living but didn’t have any idea what was happening to me. Help me see what kind of person I would be
now, if You hadn’t given me Your salvation and justification. Give me a little peek at what all would have
happened to me if I had continued down the path I was taking. Show me what all You saved me from and what
all You saved me into.
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature: Since you have only known a life that was controlled by the sinful nature, that means you don’t know what to expect now. Just because you don’t know what a life looks like that is not controlled by the sinful nature, doesn’t mean Jesus can’t show it to you. Jesus lived and taught a life not controlled by the sinful nature so He could show you what it looks like. Then He raised from the dead so you could accept His life as your life. Since you have accepted His life as your life, you can allow Him to live a life in and through you not controlled by the sinful nature.
Jesus, show me how to yield to Your life that isn’t controlled by the sinful nature. Teach me how to cooperate with You. Help me open my heart and mind to You, so You
can show me what You will be doing in me, for me, with me, and through me. Take the controls of my life and give me a
living example of what it looks like, what is to be done to fulfill it, and how
I would go about yielding to it.
I Can Live A Different Life
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the
sinful passions: Your body
will always have the sinful nature and the sinful passions; it is animalistic. If you
misunderstand how this works, you will fight the wrong battle. Your job is to not be controlled by them. As you apply The Three Keys and The Seven
Biblical Principles to deal with these passions, you will be getting the
power and wisdom of God for how to break away from that control. Jesus is offering you His life so they
don’t drag you back under their control.
Jesus, since my body will always be pressured by the sinful nature and the sinful passions, show me that I will win by yielding to You. Teach me why I must be constantly yielding to
Your life as being my life. Your life
has the power to break the control of the sinful nature that
pressures my body. Fill my life with
Your life so we can take control over the way I live.
I Have To Apply Different Rules
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful
passions aroused by the law: The
Holy Spirit was applying the old law to your conscience until you were born
again. His purpose was to point you in
the right direction in several different ways.
He wanted you to know the difference between right and wrong, good and
bad, and righteousness and evil. And,
He wanted you to realize that you were never going to be able to head in the
right direction through your own power, skills, abilities, efforts, and
intellect. The more He caused you to try
to do the right things, the more you could tell that you were going to need
outside help.
Jesus, I don’t always know how to yield to You. Teach me how be totally cooperative with You;
and, empower me to do it. Just like I
applied myself to doing things in this temporary world, help me apply myself to
Your eternal realm. Help me have the
same commitment, the same determination, and the same desire. But empower me to do them through You. You give me Your supernatural
commitment, determination, and desire.
Let Your power flow into my emotions so I will fight my body’s
weaknesses and temptations with faith.
I Have To Have A
Different Source
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful
passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies: It is vital that you understand that the words, “WERE
at work in our bodies” doesn’t mean that the “were”
is saying that the sinful passions are
removed from it. They are still there! It is saying they were
at work.
You must believe that Jesus is giving you the power to keep them
from working in your body. You
must believe that He is empowering you to resist them and keep
their efforts from working. If you remain in Jesus (John 15:1-17),
you will keep from experiencing the fact that the sinful passions are
still there.
Jesus, I am glad I know I will never be able to
control my body. I am glad the old law
isn’t making me responsible for controlling it.
I am glad that I have a life with You that controls it. Help me always have my faith in Your
ability to empower me to live a life that is free from those things working
in my body. Help me realize
that every breakthrough, every moment of freedom, and every success I get,
comes from Your life working in my life.
I Have To Have A
Different Method
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful
passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore
fruit for death: With no sin
being allowed in God’s eternal family and Kingdom, and you being controlled
by the sinful nature, and with the sinful passions aroused by the law…at
work in our bodies, you were doing things that were heading you into
eternal separation from God. That was
not good! You needed some kind of
miracle to take place to get you out of that massive landslide of the fruit
for death.
Jesus, teach me how to take advantage of Your
salvation, justification, and sanctification.
Show me how to take The Three Keys and apply them to the
sinful nature and
the sinful passions…at work in my body.
I
ask You to join me with Your life of power. I seek the Scriptures in Your
Word. I knock on the doors of
opportunity to share each breakthrough You give me with those around me. And, if I don’t get the results I am asking,
seeking, and knocking for, take me through The Seven Biblical
Principles so I can know why.
My
Body Is An
Unreliable Source
The sinful passions aroused by the law were at work
in our bodies: God’s laws point out things that
are wrong so as to warn you about impending danger; but,
that law can have an opposite effect on you.
If someone tells you not to do something that you hadn’t really thought
about doing, that law brought that deed into your mind. Prior to being told not to do it, it wasn’t
an issue. But, from the moment you find
out about it, you have a decision to make.
Jesus, help me see that the things the Bible lists
as being wrong, I can use as warnings. Or,
I can use them as a list of things I want to learn how to do wrong. Teach me that rebellion is to do things I
know are wrong but do them just because they are wrong. Satan’s main goal is to get me to rebel. My body gravitates toward rebellion; it
actually enjoys pushing the limits, seeing what it can get by with, and setting
new heights for creative evil. Help me
yield to Your laws and Your power to break this chain of events.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Two
What Is The New Way Of The
Spirit?
Week Five Day Four
Truth Six: Rom 7:6 (NIV) But now, by dying to what once
bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in
the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
I Feel A Conflict When Making Spiritual
Decisions
In the previous chapter, a fruit tree illustration was used
that had a tree that looked like an apple tree; but,
the fruit were actually poisonous. The
label on the tree said it was an apple tree; you had bought a lot of things
from the store that put the label on it; the fruit on the tree looked like
apples to you; but, your tree-expert neighbor told you that the fruit is
poisonous.
Jesus,
what should I do about conflicting information? Who do You want me to trust? How do You want me to go about finding the
truth? And, once I get the truth, what do
You want me to do with that information?
Jesus, sometimes I find out that the fruit is actually poisonous and I still
want to eat it. What causes me to want
to do such a thing?
Salvation
And Justification Empowered Me To Die To The Old Law
“But now” means things have changed for you, as a Christian. Jesus’ salvation and justification provided
you with a perfect record with God. “But
now” that perfect record hasn’t change the way you treat yourself, other
people, and God’s plan. “But now”
you have direct access to Jesus because the Holy Spirit is living inside you
connecting you to Him. “But now”
you are using your toolsets to remain in Jesus so He can live His life in and
through you.
Jesus, I have ignorantly been eating from a
tree that is poisonous. I have powerlessly
been drawn into a life based on eating from the poisonous fruit of sin. The law has been warning me through the Holy
Spirit convicting my conscience and making me feel bad. But my animalistic body keeps drawing me back
to the tree because sin gives it pleasure.
I Died; But, I Struggle With
Life’s Decisions
But now, by dying to what once bound us: This is explaining how you got your perfect
record. Jesus explained to you that laws
don’t have power over a dead person. So,
you dying to what once bound you leaves you with nothing
accusing you of having sinned. And, if you remain in Jesus (John
15:1-17), you will remain dead to it for the rest of your life. Jesus is giving you the “want” and “hate” of Romans 7:15. They aren’t changing your behavior; but, they are changing your attitudes and
character. But now, Jesus is only
requiring you to have these two attitudes toward sin and righteousness. This gives you direct access to His
life.
Jesus, since I now have direct access to You, when
I face a decision, as I go through my day, help me apply the ask key and
ask You to show me what would be the right decision. Then help me apply the seek key and
mentally go over those Biblical principles You have taught me and seek the ones
that will guide my decision. Then help
me apply the knock key and love others enough to only want to come up
with win/win solutions for everyone involved.
I Died; But, I Don’t Know How To
Live
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law: The old law,
that you are being released from, had very important qualities and purposes to
it. But, it
couldn’t help you live the right way. It
made certain things sins, because they were things that hurt, damage, and
destroy you and others. Sin is like an
evil person who addicts a person to drugs and sex. The fact that what they are doing is illegal,
doesn’t help the prostitute to change.
They are bound to addictions that demand their obedience.
Jesus, my body is addicted to sin and I don’t have
the power to force it to quit. So, I ask
You to give me the power and provisions of Your life. But, I realize that
You and the Holy Spirit couldn’t come into me until I had a perfect record that
made me internally clean. Help me see
that, that was accomplished by You allowing me to join You in Your death. Teach me that, that was so I could die to
what once bound me. Now I believe that I have been
released from the law that made them to be sins, all the wrong I did, am
doing, and will do.
Released From An Old Law To Be
Bound To A New Law
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the
Spirit.
This is a vital truth that
a lot of Christians fail to understand.
All they know is, they have been released from the law. They don’t understand that it means they have
been released from the law so that they can serve
in the new way of the Spirit. They become lawless and free to sin rather
than being freed from sin.
That means they lose their Romans 7:15 attitude of “want” and “hate.” Since those
are the two things that prove they are a true Christian are the two
things Jesus is looking for, they lose their perfect record with God.
Jesus, help me learn how to stop eating poisonous
fruit through Your training in Romans chapter seven. Then help me learn how to eat good fruit in
Romans chapter eight. Help me be set
free from those things the old law could only point out were wrong. Help me serve in the new way of the Spirit as You empower me to quit those things the Holy Spirit is telling me are
wrong. Show me that You are taking me
step-by-step into a victorious Christian life.
The Old Law Is A Good Law; The New Law Is A Better Law
But NOW, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and
not in the old way of the written code.
Not serving in the old way of the
written code is what Romans chapter seven is dealing with. Since you have spent your entire life
learning how to live as a human, it has set you up for failure as a
Christian. Most of everything you
learned about using your human effort, human determination, human commitment,
human faith, human confidence and esteem, and human skills, talent, abilities,
and experiences all fail in Christianity. They are not what work for a child of
God. They are not what Jesus is
going to be teaching you as a spirit being.
Jesus,
help me see that this training, in Romans chapter seven, is taking me into the
successes of this life as training for my eternal life. Show me that, as I learn these principles and
use them to win now, I am practicing and getting good at those laws that work
in God’s eternal Kingdom. Give me the
desire to learn and practice these principles so I will be a skilled, trained,
experienced, mature, and adult child of God.
The
New And Better Law Creates A
Better Life
We serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not
in the old way of the written code: Now, let Jesus show you why you
have been put here as a human. Even
though your human effort, human determination, human commitment, human faith,
human confidence and esteem, and human skills, talent, abilities, and
experiences all fail in Christianity, they can be used as training
examples for you, as a child of God.
Your new training will be very similar to your world
training. Your old life won’t be a waste
of time, if you allow Jesus to use it to train you.
Jesus,
help me understand that even though I can’t use world training, I can see how
it works and can allow You to use what I learned as examples for what You are
now teaching me. Help me give that
training up as an actual procedure. But,
help me see how it worked in this world so I can see how my new procedures will
work in the spirit realm and in this world.
Show me how to translate the old into the new so all won’t be lost from
my past.
This Is Where I Am Heading
Rom 8:13 (NIV) For if you live according to the sinful
nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to
death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. The
old law couldn’t offer the opportunity for you to put to death the misdeeds
of the body. Letting
Jesus teach you how to serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in
the old way of the written code
will bring you to this procedure. This
is where you are headed; this is the truth you will soon be exposed to. But first, you have to learn that being released
from the law means that its requirements of you living it,
have been done away with. Once you learn
that, you will be ready to learn what
it means to serve in the new way of the Spirit.
We have been released from the law: Jesus, teach me that this old law was
pointing me in the right direction; but, it was
putting the responsibility on me.
At first that was fine with me.
World training was all about me believing in myself, me giving things my best efforts, me
trying to be all I could be, me trying to reach my full
potential, and me deciding what I wanted to be and becoming what I
decided to aim for. Help me see that all
those things, as good as they sound, will not prepare me as a child of God; I
need Your child of God training.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Three
How Do I Live The
New Way Of The Spirit?
Week Five Day Five
Truth Six: Rom 7:6 (NIV) But now, by dying to what once
bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in
the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
But now: Some only
believe the Bible within the realm of the Bible. They read it like a fictional book where
superman can fly. They accept the
“rules” of how things work in the Bible.
They believe Jesus walked on water in the Bible. They believe the Apostles healed the sick,
raised the dead, cast out demons, and cleansed the lepers in the Bible. So, if you were to ask them if they believe
the Bible is true, they would say yes.
That is because they believe those things really happened in
the Bible. But,
they aren’t ready to believe they happen now.
Jesus, help me move away from believing that
Your power and miracles only happen in the realm of the Bible; help me start
believing they will happen to me now.
Help me get involved in Your life of reality. Let the supernatural things in the Bible
become real to me now.
But now, by dying: Another problem Christians run into is “spiritualizing” the concepts of the Bible. They believe in the “theory” of accepting Jesus’ death as their death; but, they don’t “really” believe they are dead. 2 Tim 2:11 (NIV) Here is a trustworthy saying: IF we died with Him, we will also live with Him. This verse shows you how important it is that you really believe you died with Jesus. You knowing you died with Him is your door into knowing you are alive with Him. One truth is built on another. So, if a person’s belief in the Bible is like a fictional book, or a theoretical faith, then their whole Christian life, all their study and prayer, and all their applications of Biblical principles will be fictional or theoretical.
Jesus, help me not just live in the “theory” of the
Bible. Help me not just believe that it
all happened back in Bible times. Speak
faith into me so I know I am dead to the old law. Speak faith into me so I know that
when You died for my sins I died to my sins.
I now accept Your death as my death.
Make this truth real to me so I embrace it and live on the basis of its
reality. Help me know how to live on
the basis of the fact that Your death is now my death. Teach me all the Scriptures that explain what
has happened to me now that I am dead to the old law and now alive to the new way of the Spirit.
But now, by dying to what once bound us: Now, when the
Bible tells you something you are doing wrong, or, when it tells you something you
should be doing that is right, you know how to take your tool sets and use them
to look to Jesus for your changes.
Why? Because you know that The
Three Keys To All Of
Christianity and The Seven Biblical Principles are real spiritual tools
that really work. When you use
them, Jesus empowers them to give you results.
Jesus, help me realize that I am no longer operating
in the fictional realm. The Bible is no
longer just a theory to me. You are
empowering me to read it as Your Book.
It is the truth; it contains the facts; and it is telling me how life on
earth and in the spirit realm work. You
and Your Bible are producing in me all those things that You have been teaching
me.
I Have A Death That Set Me Free
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law: By accepting Jesus’ death as your death, you get all the rights and privileges that come with salvation, justification, and sanctification. Gal 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. Now, start applying your toolsets to your everyday life. Moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue you can either consult yourself (the way of the old law) or you can involve Jesus (the way of the new law).
Jesus, the thing that’s confusing is, I ask for
better attitudes and character and it doesn’t seem like You did it for me. Help me understand this moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue
aspect of Christianity. Teach me that I
can’t just pray and expect You to change my behavior. Your life isn’t going to be forced on
me. Help me see that You answered my
prayer. But,
You answered it by giving me the power to make a Biblical choice each moment on
each issue. I have to pray at that
moment over that issue to get Your influence.
I Have A Freedom That Gave Me A New
Relationship
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that: Another
problem Christians face besides reading the Bible as fiction or as a theory is,
they read it as if they can plug their old life into this new life. They keep their old goals, plans, systems, methods,
and motivations. When you make a
decision during your day, Jesus cares more about why you do things and how you
do them than what you. If you try to
maintain your old selfish, self-centered goals, plans, systems, methods, and
motivations, you are back to the old ways.
Jesus, help me realize that Your plans, Your provisions, and Your freedom were done with a
goal. Help me keep in mind that my
ideas, goals, and plans I made for my life didn’t produce the results I was
looking for. Help me not take salvation,
justification, and sanctification and use them for my purposes. Make it clear to me that You want me to start
producing win/win solutions for all who are involved. All during my day, as I make my decisions,
help me consult You for how I can produce win/win results. Help me not just go on living my life with my
needs at the top of my list. Help me
love others as I love myself.
I Have A Relationship That Is Built On Love
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit:
If you get released from the law and end up
with no laws, no rules, no commandments, and no requirements, you are free to
wander aimlessly. God’s laws told you what
was right and wrong, good and bad, righteous and evil. If all of a sudden
it’s all gone, you lose God’s knowledge, understanding, wisdom, foreknowledge
for the future, power, grace, mercy, and love. That would be horrible!
Jesus, I have seen what the world offered me. I tried all of my ideas, goals, and plans
that they pointed me to. I have seen the
wonderful, loving, and powerful way You have saved me from all of my
past decisions and training. Make it
clear to me that I need to serve in the new way of the Spirit. Even though I don’t fully know what that
means, help me believe You and the Bible will teach me. You have proven Yourself to me and have
filled my heart and mind with a great faith in You. Teach me how to serve
in the new way of the Spirit.
I Have A Relationship That Can’t Be Improved On
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been
released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit,
and not in the old way of the written code: You may like to mix concepts, philosophies, and
principles you think would best fit your life.
You may like to make your own decisions and ask Jesus to bless them. But, when you don’t consult Jesus, you are
trying to ride two horses that are going in opposite directions. The old law had to do with human effort and
human decisions; the new law has to do with you cooperating and working
together with Jesus. If you don’t
consult Jesus before you make a decision or you make your own decision and ask
Jesus to bless it, you will get human results.
Jesus, help me not try to make “improvements” on
Your plan. I am new to the training
about the spirit realm; but, I have a lot of training
and experiences with developing and following my own rules, guidelines,
strategies, steps, and procedures. Help
me give up the old law with all its assignments and guidelines that require
me to put my best efforts into them. I know it is going to take a lot of prayers
while making a lot of mistakes. But,
help me keep praying and not getting discouraged when I mess up. Help me know that You are teaching me how to yield
to Your life moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue all day long, every day.
This concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Four
Who Decides Whether I Live The New Way Of The Spirit?
Week Six Day One
Truth
Seven: Rom 7:7 (NIV) What shall we say,
then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would
not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting
really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
I
Decide What I Do After Salvation And
Justification
What shall we say, then: If
there is no law making anything you do a sin, then everything you do is
legal. If you decide to use that new
freedom from the law as an opportunity to do things that hurt you, others, and
God’s plan legally, then you have missed Jesus’ purpose for dying for you. But, if you decide to use that new freedom
from the law as an opportunity to gain direct access to Jesus for His help,
then you are taking advantage of Jesus’ purpose for dying for you.
Jesus, teach me that since I have
been released from the law, when I do something wrong, bad, or evil accidently
or against my will, God does not consider it sin. But, if I do something wrong, bad, or
evil because I want to, God does consider it to be sin. Help me understand that Romans chapter seven
is only talking about true Christians; it’s dealing with the
problems new and untrained Christians face.
It isn’t a “loophole” for legally sinning.
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin: Like in the illustration of the poisonous fruit
tree, your neighbor is an expert on trees and their fruit, if you go against
their advice and eat the poisonous fruit, you have “sinned.” You know they know what they are talking
about and are more credible than you are.
You know they are pointing out that the store you bought it from made a
mistake in labeling it; and, you know you must not eat the fruit. Just like you know your expert neighbor
isn’t sinning against you by telling you the truth about your fruit tree, you
know the law isn’t sin.
James 4:17 (NIV) Anyone, then, who knows the good
he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Jesus, help me see that the old law made it
possible for me to knowledgeably do something wrong; it didn’t cause or
make me do wrong. Show me that even
though its information made it possible for me to sin by breaking that law, it
was still pointing me in the right direction.
If I go ahead and sin, after it points me in the right direction, I then
know why I, those around me, and God’s plan are being hurt.
The
Law Creates The Possibility
Of Me Becoming A Sinner
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! People
on the highway are being killed by speeding, reckless drivers. When there is a speed limit sign making what
they are doing a crime, is the speed limit wrong? Certainly
not! It is doing the person speeding and everyone
else a favor by pointing out the danger.
But, the speed limit sign lacks the power to
force, inspire, or empower drivers to do what is right.
Jesus, God has given me a free will that makes it
possible for me to get great and wonderful information, instructions, lists,
and laws, and still be able to do anything I want with them. So, help me see that the first thing I need
to decide and accept as a fact after salvation and justification is, the
laws of God are good!
I Shouldn’t Just Learn A Good Thing
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was
except through the law: A speed limit
sign lets all those on the highway know what
is a safe speed for everyone to drive within.
Without that sign, it would be up to each person’s opinion as to what they
thought was a safe speed. The highway
department knows what is a safe speed and sets the limits based
on their expertise. Then when someone
speeds, they know they are endangering themselves and other people.
Jesus, teach me that those who accept God’s laws as
being good have learned a truth that gets them ready to develop a wonderful
attitude. But, show me that if I get mad
at God’s laws and decide they are wrong, if I decide they are just trying to
keep me from having fun, if I reject their expert information, then I end up worse
than I was before. I now know
what hurts me, those around me, and God’s plan; and, I know I am about to do it
knowledgeably.
I Decide Whether Or Not I See The
Good In God’s Laws
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through
the law. For I would not have known
what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet”: Here is a person who is opening their heart to the
good that the law serves. They aren’t
being offended by it; they aren’t feeling like it is just trying to keep them
from having fun; they aren’t wishing it didn’t exist so they could go on
running their business, their marriage, their career, their friendships, and
their life contrary to it.
Jesus, help me realize that as I learn this truth, I
become a person who is advancing into a life in You that brings true
success. I accept that the laws of God
don’t contain the power to make me, force me, or lure me into obeying them; but, I also accept that they are vital truths. As I move on into my training in God’s Word,
the Bible, let the old laws be rediscovered in a new and powerful format
that looks to Jesus for fulfillment. Let
the Bible and the Holy Spirit open doors of life-success that will bless me beyond
anything I have ever dreamed.
I Decide Whether Or Not I Hunt For
God’s Good Laws
Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law: Be willing to study the Bible looking for what is right and wrong, good and bad, and righteous or evil. But, don’t do it causally; do it with a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mat 5:6). First, ask Jesus to help you discover and live the Bible’s good laws. Use the seek key to intensely and hungeringly search the Scriptures for good things Use the knock key to ask Jesus to open up opportunities for you to share these truths with others, as you get breakthroughs in each area.
Jesus, after I have used The Three Keys to get your good laws into my
life, if it appears that I am not experience any major changes, help me use The
Seven Biblical Principles to diagnose my situation so I can find out why my
life isn’t changing.
Using The Seven Biblical
Principles For Diagnostics
The Seven Biblical Principles represent seven items that are mandatory for getting things from Jesus. So, if you find yourself praying for things presented in the Bible and you aren’t getting them, these seven principles are laid out for you so you can ask Jesus about each of them.
·
DESIRE: Jesus, help me with my desire to
identify all of the good things Your Bible presents that I should be living on
the basis of. Help me know if there is
anything lacking in my desire. Then
empower me to present it to You so You can intensify it to the level You want
me to have.
·
STUDY:
Jesus, if I am not properly applying myself to the study of Your Word, teach me
how to do a better job. Help me spend
time in it so You can show me what all Your good laws are wanting me to yield
to as I put my dependency in You.
·
PRAY:
Jesus, if I am not praying for the right things or am not praying with the
adequate intensity, help me pray for those things that are in the Bible that
present what Your good laws want me to live by.
And, help me pray for them with deep desire.
·
BELIEVE:
Jesus, if I have not adequately waited for You to speak faith in me so I am
able to believe You have given me those things I have been desiring, studying
about, and praying for, help me do what it takes to get Your faith so I can
know I have them.
·
LOVE:
Jesus, if I am being selfish and not really wanting to share every breakthrough
I get with others, help me yield to God’s love so I can start sharing with
others.
·
FAITH-ACTION:
Jesus, if You have given me faith so that I now believe I have the ability to
start living those good laws I am finding in the Bible, join me in living on
the basis of the fact that I am empowered to fulfill the requirements of Your
good laws.
·
THANKFUL:
Jesus, Thank You for empowering me to fulfill the requirements of Your good
laws.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Five
Why Am I Being Released From A Law I Need?
Week Six Day Two
Truth
Seven: Rom 7:7 (NIV) What shall we say,
then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would
not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting
really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
I Have A Say In The Matter
What shall we say, then: You
are used to dealing with human frailty. You
know you aren’t perfect; you know human laws aren’t perfect; and you know that
law enforcement isn’t perfect. If you decided
to break a human law, you would want to break it in such a way that you didn’t
get caught. If you did that, you would feel
you had succeeded. But,
you are now dealing with God’s laws.
God knows everything; you cannot break His laws without Him knowing
about it. However, He gave you the free
will to break them if you want to.
Jesus, help me not keep following my previous
patterns for life. Help me understand
that Your laws aren’t optional. You
didn’t bring them into existence without them serving a vital purpose. Give me a clear understanding of how
important every one of Your laws are.
I Want To See What Is Really Causing My Problems
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin: You must understand that God’s laws have to exist or
you won’t know when, where, or how you are hurting yourself, others, or God’s
plan. You would be experiencing major
damage, but not know why. However, the
moment you know why, is the moment you can move from doing damage ignorantly
to doing it on purpose. To
do something bad or to neglect to do something good while knowing it is wrong,
is sin.
Jesus, show me how much I need the laws of the Old
Testament. But, help me see that they
required that I live them by my own efforts.
Show me that still need them; but, You have placed
them in a format where You live them through me. Help me see that I had to be released from
the old laws so they couldn’t keep making me a sinner. Teach me how to yield to You so You can live
the old laws in and through me as my new laws.
I Know God Knows What He Is
Doing
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not:
You now know what is hurting you; you are being
warned about impending danger in certain thoughts, feelings, words, and
deeds. God is making it clear where all
the pitfalls, traps, and dead-end paths are.
God would be failing you, if He didn’t make it illegal for you to wander
into all these dangerous areas. But,
learning to embrace and appreciate God’s laws, doesn’t solve the problem of
living them.
Jesus, help me embrace, respect, and appreciate the
information Your laws provide. Help me
study them and get completely familiar with them so I can see clearly where all
the dangers are. Then let me join You in
taking advantage of them. Heal my heart
and mind so I feel the same way You do about what Your laws make illegal. Help me cooperate with Your life.
I Want To Know The
Truth
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was: Like most diseases, sin cannot be ignored or not be dealt
with. It can spread in the victim; it
can cause serious damage; and it can contaminate other people. It is eternally deadly, and takes people’s
freedom from them. You must know what it
is, what it looks like, what it does, and what it takes to get cured. So, the first thing you have to know is, what
it is.
Jesus, I have had attitudes and ideas that caused me
to minimize and reinterpret sin. Because
I didn’t see how deadly it was, I tried to make it be something desirable and
good. But, the more I beautified it and
justified it, the more it spread through my life like a cancer. I learned the hard way that You were
completely right about all those things You call sin. Help me start learning the right way; help me
know that You know the truth.
If It Is A Law, Then It Is Vital
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through
the law: Most people don’t like laws,
rules, commandments, or requirements; they only want suggestions,
recommendations, possibilities, and proposed ideas. However, the laws of God cannot be
suggestions; this would give you the wrong impression about what is hurting and
destroying you. Every law of God is
dealing with either eternal life or eternal damnation. You need them to be laws so you can properly
respect them.
Jesus, in the Bible, there are things You reason
with me about and other things You present as commands and laws. Help me see You are reasoning with me because
of my God-given free will. But, Your reasoning is still about things that are eternally
important.
I Need To Know What Is Right
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through
the law. For I would not have known
what coveting really was: The most
common human trait is to want things others have. We refine it by creating various systems of
commerce. But, most of the things you
want are possessed by someone else. Human
laws deal with legal and illegal ways of getting things from others. God’s laws deal with whether or not the
transaction created a win/win situation for all involved.
Jesus, there are times when I don’t know if I am
doing the right thing. Even with Your
laws in place, I face certain situations where the best answer and procedure
isn’t clear. Help me see that You are
looking for whether or not my thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds bring about
a mutually beneficial relational, emotional, financial, physical, and spiritual
result.
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through
the law. For I would not have known what
coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet:” When it comes to your needs, you need to be
very careful. God can consider a
transaction as coveting and you see it as you getting a good deal. Your ability to justify, explain away, make yourself
feel good about it, and get your friends excited about the deal you made, can
be very effective. However, God is still
looking at the transaction to see if it was actually just a good deal for you
and not for the other person.
Jesus, I cry out to You for Your life to enter into
my life. When You enter into my
thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds, I get set free from all the confusion
about legal and illegal. The
manipulating of my heart and the justifying of my mind keep me from seeing the
big picture. Help me live the kind of
life that brings win/win solutions to all involved. Help me not just represent myself, help me
care about others with the same concerns I have for me.
When you read the Bible, you may not see how to apply its
principles to life’s issues. You may
struggle finding the principle that applies to your situation. It is possible for you to do something that
you later find out was wrong or you could have handled better. While maintaining your Romans 7:15 “want”
and “hate,” you will have to rely on your perfect record. As Jesus exposes you to more and more
principles of God, you will need Him help you get ideas popping up in your mind
through His wisdom. The more you grow in
Jesus helping you, you will become much more dependent on His explanations. But, if you mess up, be sure to ask Jesus
what your motive was when you messed up.
Let Him tell you what caused it.
Jesus,
give me that middle place where I feel free to make mistakes but not get
careless. Help me want to always create
win/win situations but realize I am still learning. Help me come to You after I practice
producing a mutually beneficial situation so You can keep training me. Help me realize that I am getting better at
it; but, You always have more for me to learn. Help me also realize that a situation can
look the same as another one; but, you may have me
handle it in a totally different way.
Help me never feel like I don’t need Your help because it looks like I
am getting pretty good at win/win scenarios.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Six
What If I Can’t Live All Of God’s Laws?
Week Six Day Three
Truth Eight: Rom 7:8 (NIV) But sin, seizing the opportunity
afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.
God’s Laws
Makes Sin Identifiable
But sin: It is a real
battle to hate sin when it can generate extreme pleasure in you. You can have pride and think you are the best
person in the world. You can be selfish
and feel like no one matters but you.
You can run other people down and feel like you are the only one who
really knows what is going on. You can
use people and feel like they are all on this planet to make you happy. You can take things that belong to others and
feel like you deserved it.
Jesus, show me that the law can make me miserable if
I don’t care about people-relationships.
If all I care about is me and the things I experience and obtain, then
and my relationships with people won’t matter.
In that case, Your laws are making me feel bad
about how I get the things I want. But, since
I want to have good, loving relationships, help me obey Your laws. Let them guide me into seeing the changes I
need to allow You to make in me. Show me
that win/win procedures bring about the greatest and most enjoyable
relationships.
God’s Laws
Makes God’s Plan Identifiable
If you don’t understand what God
is trying to do, you will find yourself at odds with God. He takes personal every wrong, bad, and evil
thing you feel good about doing. If envy,
greed, or coveting are important to how you do business, God is against it. If they are helping you make a lot of money,
if they are motivating you to be “successful,” if they are teaching you how to beat
your competition, and if they are guiding you in how to become those things you
have always wanted to be, then God’s laws will hurt you rather than guide you
in the right direction.
Jesus, help me see sin for what it really is. So that through the commandment sin might become utterly
sinful (Rom 7:13). Through Your laws, show me how wrong world
training is. Show me how wrong typical
business procedures are. Help me
identify with You and the way You feel about these things. Show me how much they hurt me and the people
around me. Help me be glad Your laws are
mandatory so I can take them seriously.
Get me ready for the resistance of the world, as I allow You to change
me and the way I live life.
God’s Laws Reveals The Truth About Sin
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment: What if we were all psychopaths;
what if the Holy Spirit didn’t make anyone feel guilty about doing wrong, bad,
or evil? What if there were no laws that
pointed out when someone was cheated, treated unfairly, lied too, stolen from,
or murdered? Even though the laws of God
don’t stop any of these things from happening, they do point out what is
hurting and killing the people in your world.
Jesus, show me that God’s laws also identify people
around me who are wrong, bad, or evil.
Teach me that they also define who around me is doing wrong, bad, and
evil on purpose and who isn’t. Help
me see that they not only show me problems in my own life, they show me why I
shouldn’t join or associate with certain people. They help me understand why someone, who is
incredibly good at their profession, still wouldn’t be good for me to
hire. Show me that if they lack good
attitudes and character, the law will point out their defects.
God’s Laws Reveals The Truth About People
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire: When the world tells you it isn’t your fault you are
greedy, selfish, or covetous, it is to help you not feel bad about them. When they redefine greed into drive,
selfishness into self-confidence and esteem, or covetousness into strong goals,
it is designed to help you not care who you hurt. There are terms, definitions, words, and
phrases that can take all the list of sins in the Bible and turn them into “success”
tools. These terms “downgrade” the
purpose of God’s laws.
Jesus, help me reject those things that are trying
to “water-down” Your laws. Instead of me
having Your laws produce in me every kind of covetous desire, empower me to have them produce Your
righteousness in me. Let them show me
what righteousness is. And, then help me
want that way of life to be my way of doing business, having a marriage, being
with my family, establishing friendships, and living life.
God’s Laws Can Be Lived By Me Asking, Seeking, And Knocking
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead: Before you knew the difference between right and
wrong, you were innocent. Now that you
have a perfect record with God, you are innocent. You don’t need to “downgrade,” redefine,
minimize, or ignore God’s laws. Jesus is
giving you time to learn how to yield to Him through The Three Keys and The Seven
Biblical Principles. He will empower you
to do those things you weren’t able to do before.
Jesus, help me to believe that no matter how hard or
impossible a particular law is, I don’t have to try to live it. What I have to do is want to live
it. What I have to do is ask You to empower
me to live it. What I have to do is ask
You to help me seek the truths of Your Laws with intensity. What I have to do is knock on the
doors of opportunity to share my breakthroughs as You empower me to live Your
laws. Then what I have to do is praise
You, as I see my life changing, as You empower Your laws to transform my
behavior.
Jesus Changed My Relationship With God’s Law
For apart from law, sin is dead: You need the laws of God to keep helping you know
what is right and wrong, good and bad, and righteous and evil. But, if you are reading your Bible and it
tells you to do things that you know you can’t live, if you don’t know you are
dead to the old law that required you to live it, then you are going to feel great pressure from God’s law, feel inadequate to
live it, feel a desire to ignore it, want to “downgrade” it, want to redefine
it, or feel frustration about it.
Jesus, help me always remember to look to The Three
Keys To All Of
Christianity. Help me not revert back to
thinking that the Bible is telling me to use my efforts and abilities to do
what it says. Even help me, when I am
reading the Old Testament, to see it through the eyes of the New Testament and
The Three Keys. Help me know that my
perfect record with You is because I am dead to the old law and therefore sin
is dead. Help me know You
will empower me to live the new law by You giving me Your life.
Jesus’
Training On God’s
Laws
Mat 5:17 (NIV) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Jesus, as I ask and invite You into my
behavior on a moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue basis, as I face decisions
all day long, empower me to choose to be obedient to Your laws. Cause wise ideas to come up in my mind for
how I will be able to fulfill them while I am fulfilling my work
assignments.
Mat 5:18 (NIV) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means
disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Jesus, help me see how stable Your laws
are. Help me respect them, appreciate
them, honor them, and live on the basis of them. Help me see that they are my guide into how
to make each decision all during my day.
Help me understand that each decision, all day long, puts me at a fork
in the road where I decide to live by Your laws or decide to break them. Show me that, that is the way Christianity is
lived.
Mat 5:19 (NIV) Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus, help me be great in Your Kingdom by
putting Your commandments into practice and teaching others to put them into
practice. Teach me how to live them so I
can see how they are applied to each situation in my life. Open my heart and mind so I can see the purpose
for each principle in Your Word. Help me
see what they are asking of me so I can bring it to You for You to start living
in and through me.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Seven
What Causes Me To Want What I Don’t Have?
Week Six Day Four
Truth Eight: Rom 7:8 (NIV) But sin, seizing the opportunity
afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead.
Reevaluating Goals And Desires
But sin: What causes you
to want things other people have? What
causes you to feel like you would be happier if you got something “better” than
what you already have? What makes you “need”
more and more, better and better, and different from the way things are
now? How can new styles, new models, the
newest versions, and things that are more expensive inspire you to spend your
hard-earned money? What pushes you to
live above your means, get in debt, have an affair, become addicted, become a
workaholic, or join the rat race?
Jesus, help me not be driven by the animalistic
desires of my body. Let me learn how to
enjoy those things You have already given me.
Help me stop and reevaluate my life so I can see if I am being driven by
greed, covetousness, or envy. Help me
win over the motivations of my body by Your great power. Let it be done so that social pressure,
trends, popular thought, and animalistic desires don’t interfere with the
direction You are taking me.
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment: Satan gives you a spiritual
pressure that opposes anything God stands for.
If God says something is wrong then Satan tries to tempt you to get
involved in it. The sinful nature of your body is very receptive to satanic
temptations. It rebels against those
things God stands for. It will try to
get by with as much as is possible. It
will try to break the laws of God and not get caught. It is important for you to understand that
you are living in a body that takes the things of God as being challenges to do
the opposite.
Jesus, I don’t understand how the human body works;
I don’t know what makes it desire all the things it desires. I can feel the pressure of Satan and the sinful
nature
in my body; but, a lot of it doesn’t make sense to me. Help me accept the fact that it is prone to
rebellion. Let me be constantly aware
that it wants to go the opposite direction to anything You have as laws. Help me see why I am having so much trouble
accepting Your laws. Empower me to
resist this rebellious nature of my body.
A Temptation To Disobey God
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire: You can see how this works in Genesis 3:1-19. In Genesis 2:16-17 God made a law:
And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree
in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” This was the only law that Adam and Eve
had laid out for them. So, sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment gave Satan a law to see
if he could get Adam and Eve to break.
Jesus, help me realize there is a rebellion in the sinful
nature
of my body. I thought it just wanted
pleasure; I didn’t know that it, Satan, and the world get pleasure out of
breaking Your laws. Help me be aware of
this and see that this makes it even harder for me to live according to Your
laws. Empower me to delight in Your laws
so much that I constantly ask for Your help living them. Give me power over my body so I can make it
obey Your laws.
Gen 3:1 (NIV) Now the serpent was more
crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to
the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the
garden’?”
Where did Satan put the pressure?
He used the commandment from God for his first temptation. This is the same situation you face; Satan is
always trying to get you to break God’s laws.
If you don’t understand this satanic, world, and body rebellion, you won’t
understand why you are experiencing pressure to do things against God’s
laws.
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced
in me every kind of covetous desire. For
apart from law, sin is dead: Jesus, teach me that rebellion of my body is
why it resists me reading my Bible, doing my devotions and praying, going to
church, listening to good Christian music, reading good Christian books, and
attending small groups. My body, the
world, and the devil are rebelling against anything You want me to do.
Being Released From The Law
Apart from law, sin is dead: Since
you are dead to the law, there’s no law for you to sin against. That’s how Jesus gave you a perfect record
with God. You believed His death was
your death. Once you did that, there was
no law to break. Additionally, He
forgave you of all the sins you had already committed. So, you weren’t guilty of past sins through
forgiveness and salvation. And, all the
“sins” you are or will commit are forgiven because there is no law against
them. That is called justification. That gave you your perfect record with
God.
Jesus, help me realize that I must accept “apart
from law, sin is dead” as a truth from You.
But, protect me from thinking the wrong thing. You aren’t trying to make sin legal. You are giving me direct access to God so I
have the power to stop sinning.
Show me that I am still hurting myself and others. I am still doing wrong, bad, and evil things. I am just not doing anything illegal. Because of that, I have You and the Holy
Spirit inside me. Help me use my perfect record with God to learn how to start
winning over things that hurt me and others.
Gen 3:6 (NIV) When the woman saw that the fruit of
the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to
her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
You can think the law is wrong; you
can see God making laws that only matter to Him; you can feel like these laws
are just spiritual issues that come with Christianity. But, the commandment
God made to Adam and Eve was for their own good. They weren’t ready to know right from
wrong.
Jesus, teach me that God made the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil available to Adam and Eve. He gave them the privilege and
responsibility to decide whether or not they wanted to get that
information. He gave them their
free will so they could decide if they wanted to enter into the responsibility
of knowing right from wrong. If they
wanted to be responsible for their own righteousness, He gave them that
right. They decided to
rebel.
The Spread Of Sin From One Person To Another
When the woman saw: Sin, rebellion, and breaking God’s laws have lies
attached to them. Your body will see
them as making you happy, satisfied, and fulfilled.
Jesus, help me not talk, discuss, argue, or debate
the issues of the Bible with Satan. Help
me accept them as indisputable truths. Let me accept Your commands at face value and
not be willing to see if I can get around them.
Help me accept Your ways for making me happy.
She took: Satan couldn’t make Eve take and eat; he doesn’t have
the right or power to force you to sin, rebel, or break God’s laws. He has to tempt you, convince you, and
deceive you into doing these things yourself.
That is why you are held responsible for yielding to temptation.
Jesus, help me realize that if I have a discussion
with Satan, he can put desires in my heart and mind that cause me to take
wrong, bad, and evil actions. Help me
keep my mind and heart focused on You and Your Word. Show me that, that is how I keep from doing
wrong things.
She also gave: Sin is not only deadly, it is highly
contagious. You not only get
infected; you infect others. People have
acted like sin is a victimless crime. Since
a person appears to sin against themselves, it looks like they are just
exercising their own rights to their own decisions. But, you give and
share your sins with others.
Jesus, help me properly understand the issue of temptation. Let me see the lies, the deceptions, the
misleading, and the false benefits. Show
me how to not have my mind and heart open to temptation. Help me hear You, believe Your words, and
come to You to help me live them.
Protect me from the lies of my body, the world, and the devil. Empower me to resist every temptation and
help others to do the same. Let me
always be aware of the fact that Satan can’t make me do anything; and help me
share that principle with others. Teach
me that I have to listen to him before he can influence me into a decision or a
wrong relationship with others. Keep me
from doing damage to myself or other people.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Is My Body All That Bad?
Week Six Day Five
Truth Nine: Rom 7:9 (NIV) Once I was alive apart from law;
but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
Once I was alive apart from law: Babies and young children are free from the laws of
God because they are too young to understand the difference between right and
wrong. AND, they are too small to do
much damage to those around them. If
they become too bad, you can pick them up and put them in a room by
themselves. They are alive apart from
law; and that means they are doing things that are wrong and bad but are
still united with God.
Jesus, help me understand that when I try to teach a
young child not to do certain things, they don’t understand why they
shouldn’t. They may stop doing them
because of the consequences; but, they won’t
understand the concept of right or wrong.
Help me see that it is a foreign concept to them because the Holy Spirit
isn’t dealing with their conscience yet.
The Age Of Accountability
Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment
came: Some children are older than
others before the Holy Spirit starts speaking to their conscience. It is a decision that God makes as to when or
if a young child receives this information.
Some children fail to develop mentally and never grow up to hear from
their conscience. God assesses the
child’s mental abilities and decides when and whether or not to speak to their
conscience.
Jesus, teach me that as I got mentally capable
enough to hear from my conscience, the Holy Spirit started speaking to it. Show me that, that was when the
commandment came into my life. That
is when He started letting me know I did something right or wrong. He caused me to feel good about the things I
did good and bad about the things I did wrong, bad, or evil.
The Moment Of Death Or
Separation
Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment
came, sin sprang to life and I died: Two
things kept you from being able to obey your conscience and the Holy Spirit:
1.
The laws
didn’t have the power: When the
Holy Spirit spoke to your conscience He didn’t make, force, assist, motivate,
or lure you into doing the right things and stop you from doing the wrong
things.
2.
You
lacked the power: When the Holy Spirit spoke to
your conscience, you didn’t have the abilities, strength, or resolve to do good
or stop doing bad.
Jesus,
teach me that “I died” means I,
at the moment I knowledgeably sins, got separated or quarantined from God, His
family and His Kingdom. I, like everyone
else, sinned, became a lawbreaker, and became a threat to myself and those
around me. I contracted the deadly,
extremely contagious disease of sin and became a sinner.
The Battle Against The Sinful Nature
Everyone, except Jesus, went from being an innocent child to a sinner. You, as a spirit being, got saved but your body didn’t. Your perfect record returned you to innocence and direct access to God. Now, Jesus and the Holy Spirit live in you. But, your body is fighting you.
Jesus, teach me about the sinful nature in my body. I have been losing the battle against it from
the moment I got born again. Teach me
what I am dealing with, so I won’t try to handle it on my own. Let me take a look at what I need to allow
You to help me win over.
Rom 3:10 (NIV) As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. This is what the sinful nature looks like. It came from Adam and Eve to you. Jesus was put in Mary by the Holy Spirit rather than through Joseph, so He wouldn’t have this sinful nature in His body.
Jesus, help me understand that I will never be righteous in myself. My assignment is to allow You to be my
righteousness. If I get to thinking I am
righteous, my body’s sinful nature will turn it into a pride issue. It will cause me to start thinking I produced
that righteousness.
Rom 3:11 (NIV) There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. Your body’s sinful nature doesn’t seek God. It’s animalistic; and if you and the Holy Spirit, didn’t resist it, it would embrace illegal drugs, alcohol, sex, and wrong, bad, or evil things. It didn’t get saved.
Jesus, help me realize just how dangerous the sinful nature in my
body is. Because my body isn’t going to
get delivered from that sinful nature, help me see that You are going to
have to be my life and my abilities to win over it. Help me take this issue seriously.
Rom 3:12 (NIV) All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” This isn’t just talking about you; this is the condition that everyone is in because of the sinful nature that is in their body. It is devoted to sin.
Jesus, I knew I was having problems with doing wrong, bad, and evil
things. But, I
just assumed it was because I was surrounded by all those “opportunities.” The world told me that it was because of my
environment and wasn’t my fault. Now I
see another reason.
Rom 3:13 (NIV) Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. This is the full potential of the sinful nature. You may not have been a sinner long enough to go into its depths. But, except for the Holy Spirit speaking to your conscience and making you miserable, you would have fallen faster than you did.
Jesus, help me see that things were a lot worse that I thought. Show me that I did a lot more damage than I
realized. Show me this so I can realize
just how bad this sinful nature is that is infecting my body. Help me be able to hate it and all it stands
for.
Rom 3:14 (NIV) Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. The sinful nature of other people can cause you to feel bitterness against their treatment. The Holy Spirit helped you not get involved in too much cursing and going over and over what people did to you. He kept your mouth from being full of cursing and bitterness.
Jesus, help me see that, if left alone, the sinful nature in my
body would have taken me to the very depths of sin. Help me see how salvation and justification
saved me from not only those things I was involved in, they saved me from going
even deeper into evil things.
Rom 3:15 (NIV) Their feet are swift to shed blood. No one thinks they would ever be willing to be a murderer. But, if enough people were to oppress you through their sinful nature, and enough people had shown you how evil they had treated you, the sinful nature in your body would have accelerated the hardness of your heart and influenced the evil in your mind.
Jesus, help me see that it wasn’t me that kept me from being a
murderer. Heal me of the pride I have
had that can cause me to feel like I am better than those who fell into the
depths of sin. Show me that I could have
been one of them if it hadn’t been for You.
Rom 3:16 (NIV) Ruin and misery mark their ways. Your life may have been pretty miserable. But, the sinful nature in your body was heading you into a lot more ruin and misery. It is vital that you see just how damaging and deadly the sinful nature is.
Jesus, thank You for delivering me from all that ruin and misery. Thank You for helping me be healed from those
things my body’s sinful nature was heading me toward. I praise You for the love, joy, and peace You
have given me through Your Holy Spirit.
Rom 3:17 (NIV) And the way of peace they do not know. The fruit of the Spirit are taking you into a whole different life. They are taking you in the opposite direction.
Jesus, help me appreciate all the power and influence You have had on
me. Help me see all of the wonderful
things that I have been saved into. I
thank You for all You saved me from; and I thank You for all the things You
saved me into.
Rom 3:18 (NIV) There is no fear of God before their eyes. If you see how wonderful God is, you will fear Him more that you fear those who are trying to pressure you back into sin.
Jesus, people threaten the loss of friendship, my job, my career,
finance, my reputation, and so many things, if I don’t conform to their way of
thinking. They also threaten me if I
don’t stop telling them about how great You are. Help me fear losing You over my fear of
them.
This
concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Twenty-Nine
What Is Sanctification?
Week Seven Day One
Truth Ten: Rom 7:10 (NIV) I found that the very commandment
that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
I found: Rather than you
going through life not understanding how life works, you need to start
discovering the truths and principles you need to know. People are getting hurt and destroyed by
things that God has clearly labeled as sins.
People are being fooled by the philosophies of the world without being
given the truth. Truths one through ten are
laying out for you the reasons why your life, your body, and the world
are like they are.
Jesus, teach me that these truths, I have been
studying and praying about, are more important than the information for my
career. If I lack these truths, it is
like me building a big, beautiful house on sand. With it not having a foundation, all that
money, time, effort, and hope I invested in it would be lost. Help me not put large amounts of time,
effort, and money into my dreams, and then lose them all because I was missing
truths about how life really works.
Learning The Truth About The Law
I found that the very commandment: Truth started trying to come into your life, when
the Holy Spirit started speaking into your conscience. He shared all those things that bring great
success and happiness into your business, career, marriage, family,
friendships, and life. They are the most
important information you can ever get.
But, because these laws couldn’t go against your God-given free will, you
rejected them for ways of life you felt were better.
Jesus, later I discovered that the Holy Spirit was
right. Lying, cheating, gossiping, sex
sins, and going against my conscience caused me to fail. But I discovered that I didn’t have the power
to quit the worldly techniques. I
agreed; I just couldn’t do anything about it.
Show me that my weaknesses then are the same ones I have now. Just as much as I needed You then is how much
I need You now. Help me always realize
that, that need is never going to change.
Learning The Truth About Me
I found that the very commandment that was intended to
bring life: God’s intention for giving you His
laws was to bring
life to you. But, your body’s sinful nature kept the results from happening immediately. It did set you up for that result
later. But,
there was another step that had to be provided to you. You had to have this provision first before
you could be helped.
Jesus, teach me that God has to do things that don’t
bring me immediate results. But,
if I will just be patient, He will provide me other things that will bring that
immediate result.
Learning
The Truth About God
It is vital for you to know that God
and His laws are good. It is vital for you
to know that God created them and intended to bring life to you through
them. It is also vital for you to know
that they can bring life, if you accept their purpose and
allow them to do their job. They must
show you, prove to you, and help you accept the fact that your body’s sinful nature must be exposed to something other than salvation
and justification. It has to be
sanctified!
Jesus, help me see that my body’s sinful
nature
requires additional work. And, because
that is true, I end up going through things that are confusing, painful, and
frustrating to me. But, help me trust
that You know what You are doing and will bring healing and victory to me. Help me understand that Your laws have to be
structured in a new way because of all Your provisions. You made the old laws be conformed to You and
Your provisions for me.
Learning The
Truth About Sanctification
I Need Help
I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring
life actually brought death: When
God does something that was intended to bring life and
it actually brought death, you know you are dealing with something that
is very deadly. When God sends His Son
to earth to die on a cross, you know there is something going on that is
extremely bad. You have a sinful
nature in your body that is capable of causing you to spend eternity
without God. Rom 6:23 (NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Jesus, help me not underestimate the seriousness of
the sinful nature in my body.
Help me see that salvation and justification are the doors into the life
that I must live. Help me not
just yield to You so I can go through those doors and then neglect to take
advantage of what must happen to me next. Just like it would be for a baby to be born
and then be neglected, I must not be born again and then fail to understand the
vital necessity of staying alive.
Jesus
Has More To Offer
Me
Rom 6:1 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? This is representing two types of people. Some find out about God’s grace and go on sinning on purpose. They think grace is coving all the damage they are doing to themselves, the people around them, and God’s plan. The other group goes on struggling with sin because they haven’t been taught that Jesus has provided more that salvation and justification. Romans chapter seven is explaining why you are having problems living the Christian life. Romans chapter eight tells you how to solve those problems. That means they can be solved.
Jesus, at this point, a lot of my life consists of me failing in areas
where I am hurting myself and the people around me. Help me not just be glad that I have a
perfect record with You. Help me love
people enough that I am willing to “do what it takes” to start growing
spiritually and overcoming the sinful nature in my body.
More Information On Dying To Sin
Rom 6:2 (NIV) By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? One aspect of you dying to sin means that when you accidently sin, God doesn’t count it as a sin. Another aspect of dying to sin means that since you are dead to it, you are a dead person who can’t do things. If Jesus did that so you could go on sinning and it not be counted against you, then you are going to do a lot of damage to yourself and those around you. But, if you, the spirit being on the inside of your body is dead to sin, it no longer wants to sin; it is dead to it.
Jesus, help me not be trying to find a way to get by with sinning
legally. Help me yield to Your attitudes
of the true Christian of Romans 7:15. Help me have an intense “want” to do
the right things and a “hate” for doing the wrong things. And, help me be ready to take advantage of
that “want” and “hate,” as I yield to You to teach me how to overcome sin.
The First Step Into Sanctification
Rom 6:3-5 (NIV) Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.
At water baptism, you acted out your submersion into Jesus’ death. Then, when raised out of the water, you illustrated that you were raised with Him into a new life. That life isn’t you going around hurting yourself, other people, and God’s plan. It is a life of overcoming your sinful nature in your body through Jesus’ power-life.
Jesus, help me not stop off at salvation and
justification that are based on Your death.
Help me join You in sanctification that is based on Your resurrection
life. Give me an intense desire to win
over my body so I can have relationships that are representative of what You
can do in the life of a Christian. Help
me be a living example of what You want to do in the lives of everyone who will
come to You for salvation, justification, and sanctification.
Rom 6:12-13 (NIV) Therefore do not let sin
reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to
sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God,
as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts
of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
Jesus, help me yield to Your power-life so I can not let sin reign in my mortal body. Help me give you control over my body so I can not offer the parts of my
body to sin. Help me submit to You
so I can offer myself to God. Help me trade my life for Your life so I can offer
the parts of my body to You as instruments of righteousness.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty
What Does Spiritual Bait Look Like?
Week Seven Day Two
Truth Eleven: Rom 7:11 (NIV) For sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the
commandment put me to death.
Making It Possible To Sin
John 16:8 (NIV) When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. As long as you don’t know why you are hurting yourself, other people, and God’s plan, it isn’t obvious to you why you are being hurt and why others are retaliating against you. Without the Holy Spirit’s conviction, you would do things that seemed okay to you and end up getting very negative results because of your procedures. But, when the Holy Spirit points the wrongness of it out to you, you sin, if you do it anyway.
James 4:17 (NIV) Anyone, then, who knows the
good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Jesus, I see the dilemma: I must know what is hurting me; but, when the
Holy Spirit points it out to me and I don’t do it, I sin. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t point it out, I
can’t sin because I didn’t know it is wrong.
But, then I hurt myself and others
ignorantly. But, help me see that You
are solving this dilemma by empowering me to do what is right. Help me appreciate it that I have to be taken
through this dilemma so I can receive Your power-life.
I’m Not Just Struggling With My Body
For sin: This verse is
talking about sin seizing the opportunity like it is a being. It is
very important that you see the personalities and mechanisms behind sin. You aren’t sinning without enticements, temptations, false advertisements, and
deceptions. If these things weren’t
pulling you in, you would go about your life living in righteousness. When you enter into God’s eternal Kingdom,
none of these things will be there giving you trouble. If you don’t realize who and what all
you are up against, then you won’t know how to deal with sin.
Eph 6:12 (NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. Jesus, show me that my body and the sinful
nature are neutral, if there are no enticements, temptations, false advertisements,
and deceptions activating it. If I
expose myself to bad things, I will automatically activate them. Teach me that part of what You will be doing
is to help me bring my eyes and ears under Your control.
I Can Set My Body Up For Failure
Mat 6:22-23 (NIV) The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will
be full of light. But, if your eyes are
bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Jesus, help me yield my eyes and ears to Your
guidance. Help me understand how
important it is for me to not allow myself to be exposed to things that
activate the sinful nature in my
body. Instead, help me expose myself to
those things that will bring it under Your control. Help me submit my body to those things that
will change my attitudes and character.
And, let me share these breakthroughs with those around me.
I’m Not Fighting The Conviction Of
The Holy Spirit
For sin, seizing the opportunity: The Holy Spirit sees the actual damage and
deadly aspects of things you can think are okay. He sees the long-term results of
them. You could continue eating things
that are bad for you and fail to see the consequences until you are much
older. But, when you finally saw what it
was doing to your body, it would be too late; your body would be damaged permanently. That is the concept God’s laws are dealing
with; they are trying to help you with your long-term issues for your
future.
Jesus, help me see that, just like teenagers can go
against their parent’s rules because they don’t see anything wrong with what
they are doing, help me see that I can do that to You. Show me how teenager’s parents are looking
back on their lives and seeing the long-term effects of those actions. They are trying to help their child not make
the same mistakes. Help me see that You
are trying to save me from not only damaging my eternal issues, You are trying to protect and help me now.
How Does Sin “Seize The Opportunity?”
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment: Sin feels good! If you can get things you want without having
to pay for them, it is unlimited as to what you can possess. If you can mislead people, you can get them
to do what you want. If you can have sex
without having to commit to someone, then you can experience extreme pleasure
without having to support a family. If you
can cheat people, you will come out with the best deals. This is sin seizing
the opportunity.
Jesus,
teach me that sin seizes the opportunity by leading me into wrong, bad, and
evil. It does this by applying illegal
means to the good things God has provided.
Help me see that it causes me to feel good about lying, cheating,
stealing, gossiping, committing adultery and fornication, and all those things
God has labeled sins. It then gives me
extreme pleasure, all kinds of money and possessions, and “success” without
having to follow the rules.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, deceived me: You
won’t typically do things you see as being dangerous or bad for you. If you lie, you will be careful to
only say things people can’t prove wrong.
If you cause someone to do something that is best for you and not them, you
will try to make sure they don’t find out about it. You will try to cause people to see you as an
unselfish, caring, and loving person. But, it will mainly be so they will accept you and trust you
with their favor, kindness, money, and possessions.
Jesus, show me that when I do good so as to get by
with something wrong, bad, or evil, I am giving out bait. Help me keep in mind that the world uses bait
all the time. Show me how the
commercials say things their products can’t possibly produce. They show pictures of people being a lot
happier and excited than their products can possibly make them. Help me not try to “market” things based on promises
that don’t do what people hope they will.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death: God watches you and those around you; He sees the
long-term effects of what people “sell” you and what you “sell” them. He sees money being spent because someone
told them it would bring them results it couldn’t possibly bring. He sees people trusting people because they
are using “techniques” that manipulate them.
Mat 6:33 (NIV) But seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus, I am
working on a job, trying to get ahead, trying to pay my bills, and trying to
support a family. I have been trapped by
sales presentations that promised me success and happiness. Sometimes I can’t be with my spouse, family,
friends, and people who have needs. The
world convinced me that this kind of life would make me happy. People raise prices, change models of cars
and phones, change versions of software, change styles of clothing, and make me
feel inferior or left out if I don’t keep buying the latest things. Help me break free!
From Salvation To Sanctification
Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in everything, do to others what
you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. It is true
that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). It is true that people do things to you
and you do them to them. It is true that
you try not to feel all that bad about what you do to them; and, they try not
to feel bad about what they do to you.
It is also true that God sees how bad these things really are and
calls them sins. And, it is true that the
wages of sin is death.
But, it is also true that the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Jesus, show me how bad these things really
are. Help me reject my old life and
totally embrace my new one. Let it
empower me to really win at life.
Help me enter into a life that is truly success in life. Help me yield to You so I can live a life
that I would not be able to live without You.
As I look at all Your laws, help me not think I have to live them. Help me see that I just apply The Three Keys
to these laws and You will empower me to live them through Your
power-life. If The Three Keys don’t
bring the results they should. Help me
yield to You as You take me through The Seven Biblical Principles to show me
where I need to be changed. Then help me
apply The Three Keys to those needed changes.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-One
Week Seven Day Three
Truth Eleven: Rom 7:11 (NIV) For sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the
commandment put me to death.
Your major purpose for studying
the Bible and listening to the Holy Spirit is to focus on the things of
God. You should only spend a minimum of
time looking at Satan’s characteristics and motivations. If you get off track, you will be spending
your time studying evil rather than righteousness. But, you do need to
spend a little time seeing what Jesus said about your enemy.
For sin: There are two major aspects to Christianity. The first part is to submit, yield, cooperate, and commit to God. The other aspect is to resist, stand against, demolish, and render helpless the things of Satan. James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Submission to God makes the resistance against the devil possible. And, resistance against Satan brings you victory over the sinful nature of your body.
Jesus, help me see things the way You see them. I don’t always know when I am being lured into
a trap or a deception. There have been
and are things I see as good for me; but, I can’t see
into the future. Help me know what You
know, so I will be against things You are against. Help me see the true characteristics and end
results of things, so I won’t want them with a deep desire. Let me start seeing through Your eyes.
Satan’s Goals And Motivations
For sin, seizing the opportunity: Most people don’t realize Satan is the influence behind world philosophy, world principles, and world systems. 2 Cor 4:4 (NIV) The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. The unsaved don’t know the devil always takes the opposite position on everything God stands for. He isn’t an original thinker; he doesn’t make new laws; he just takes all of the things of God and tries to pervert them.
Jesus, teach me that Satan’s purpose is to destroy all You stand
for. I am Your creation; and, Satan is
trying to hurt and destroy me. Show me
that his procedures are to make it look like You are the evil one. Teach me that he is trying to get me to sin because
I am Your creation. He is trying to make
me a victim so he can damage Your reputation.
He, the world, and my body are always trying to take me in the opposite
direction from Your laws. Help me
realize this and understand how sin
seizes the opportunity by doing the opposite of Your laws.
I Have An Enemy
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment: Before you were born again, this situation took you into spiritual death. The commandment or law informed you of what was right and wrong. But, because you didn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit available, you failed. However, just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you always take advantage of His power. When that happens, sin seizes the opportunity in your life. Jesus told Peter, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Mat 26:41).” So, always be on guard and keep communicating with Jesus.
Jesus, help me be looking out for the temptations of Satan. Help me be listening to the Holy Spirit’s
warnings, as He puts a check in my heart.
When I feel something just isn’t quite right, help me back off and spend
some time with You seeing what You see and thinking what You think. Empower me to only want what You want.
John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. As you
go through your day, things may not look like they are an attempt to steal
and kill and destroy you and your life. And, Jesus doesn’t want you walking around in
fear. But, when you feel a check from
the Holy Spirit in your heart, let that warning help you take Him
seriously. You may want something really
bad that isn’t good.
Jesus, help me face these challenges against sin and Satan with this
truth: 1 John 4:4 (NIV) You, dear children, are from God and have overcome
them, because the One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the
world. Help me be on guard not through
fear but in receptiveness to You. Help
me be sensitive and ready to respond the moment I feel You
indicating something isn’t right. Help
me stay in touch with Your will at all times.
Satan’s Purpose For Deception
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, deceived me: You
may feel the need to tell a lie because you don’t want to hurt a friend’s
feelings. You may want to mislead
someone “a little bit” because you don’t want to lose a business deal. You may want to take a shortcut or bend the
rules “just this once.” But, the things that God calls sins are things that move you
into Satan’s realm. Don’t be
deceived!
There are only two spiritual
purposes and motivations in the spirit realm:
1. The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
2. I
have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). That’s
all!
Jesus, teach me how to live in the spirit realm. Prepare me for living into in eternity, as a
child of God. Use this temporary life as
a training school for getting me ready.
Even though Your training is different from world training, help me
believe You can use this life for teaching me spiritual
concepts. Help me understand the issue
of Satan, all heavenly concepts, and all spiritual principles. Get me ready for being successful here and in
eternity.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death: This
happened before you were born again.
Things are different now. Jesus
has given you a tremendous amount of training on how to yield to His knowledge,
foreknowledge about the future, understanding, wisdom, and power. You are now able to read the Bible, be
exposed to the laws, commandments, and rules of God and
live them.
Jesus,
show me how far You have brought me in my training. Help me see that I am a long way away from
who I was when this first happened to me.
Let me feel the victory, as I read the Bible and then use my three
toolsets to live the victorious Christian life.
I thank You and praise You for providing me with such powerful and
effective studies and prayers.
God Is My Friend; Satan Is My
Enemy
Jesus showed you in Genesis 3:1-19, how Satan took the commandment that God gave Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 and perverted it. You saw how he stole, killed, and destroyed Adam and Eve’s relationship with God; and, you saw what he did to the wonderful provisions of the Garden of Eden. You saw how we all ended up with the sinful nature as we inherited it from Adam and Eve. You saw all these things so you won’t be confused about the purpose and influence of sin on your life. Sin is the perversion of all God stands for.
Jesus, help me see how great Your purpose and motives are. Help me see that Satan’s motives and purposes
are an affront to You. Make it clear
that sin isn’t just an issue of it hurting me and the people around me, it is
also something that hurts You and what You are trying to do. Let me understand that this battle against
sin is bigger that I can fully see right now.
You have reasons of love that far exceed anything I can understand at
this point. Empower me to cooperate with
You and all that You are trying to do in the issue of righteousness.
I Am Ready For Battle
Eph 6:10-12 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The issue is to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. It isn’t to worry you, scare you, or make you feel weak. It is to help you understand that you are in a battle so you will become determined, on guard, vigilant, and ready for victory.
Jesus, help me be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Teach me that I am more than conquerors
through Him Who loved me (Rom 8:37).
Help me fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12 KJV). Teach me that the weapons I fight with are not the weapons
of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). Help me submit
myself, then, to God. So I can resist the devil, and he will flee from me (James
4:7). Help me always be aware that the
One Who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John
4:4).
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Two
What Does The
Process Of Sanctification Look Like?
Week Seven Day Four
Truth Twelve: Rom 7:12 (NIV) So then, the law is holy, and
the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
So then: Since the
Holy Spirit is telling you the truth, you can only benefit from that truth by
accepting it as truth; but, sometimes the truth hurts! It hurts to take a look at things you have
convinced yourself that aren’t all that bad and then see that they really
are. It hurts to see how right the Holy
Spirit has been, as He spoke truth into your conscience, and you went against
it; but, this is the road to your healing and great
life-success.
If you are basing your esteem and
confidence on who you think you are, who others say you are, or what kind of
accomplishments you have achieved, then you won’t be able to be told where you
are falling short of the commandment that is holy, righteous and
good. With these types of esteem and
confidence, anything that points to a wrong, bad, or evil thought, feeling,
word, or deed will damage them. But, if
you base them on God’s evaluation of you and know He values you with a perfect
record with Him, then you will be able to grow spiritually.
Jesus, help me see that I can go with
self-confidence and self-esteem and find myself fighting these truths. I can cater to my self-confidence and esteem
by trying to make myself feel good about what I say and do that is wrong, bad,
or evil. Show me that I can take the
things the Holy Spirit is speaking into my conscience and resist them by
telling myself they aren’t “all that bad.”
Or, I can go with God-confidence and God-esteem and be able to
face the truth.
So then, the law is holy: It takes a lot of talking with God before you can
take a real look at what you have said and done in the past. It takes special miracles for you to stop
blaming your past for all your behavior.
You must be able to see how wonderful your future is going to be, before
you will be willing to get to the place where the law is holy and you have
been wrong.
Jesus,
teach me that “The law is holy” means I accept it as telling me the perfect truth about life. Make
it clear to me that holiness is perfect righteousness; and, righteousness is
me only doing good to myself, other people, and God’s plan. Teach me that the Bible and the law that are
spoken into my conscience are telling me how to live, talk, and do only those
things that are perfectly good for me, other people, and God’s plan. Even though admitting this means I have to
face a lot of wrong in my life, it is the only way for me to take the
steps needed to move into life-success.
Making
A Power-Relationship Decision
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy:
Since Jesus has taught you that these holy laws and
commandments don’t have the power to make you, force you, lure you, or motivate
you to do the right, good, and righteous things, admitting it is holy
isn’t going to put pressure on you. Even
though it hurts to see yourself in the light of the truth of God, you aren’t
going to have to solve this problem.
You will have to use The Three Keys to get it solved; but,
you won’t have to solve it. That is why
it has been so important for you to also see that you aren’t the
solution to this problem any more than the law is.
Jesus, help me do some real soul searching here. Help me admit some things about myself that are
uncomfortable to admit. Show me that I
am going to have to give up some worldly techniques that made me feel good
about myself. But, help me see that I am
stepping aside and allowing You to show me a way to feel good about myself
without me fooling myself.
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous
and good: Have you ever been mistreated by a
person who didn’t feel bad about what they were doing to you? Have you ever been cheated by a person who
benefited by cheating you? Have you ever
been lied to by a person who got by with it?
Has anyone gossiped against you and ended up getting more friends by
doing it? Once you have experienced
these things, it helps you see how to treat others. Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in everything,
do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus, help me see that the law is holy, and the
commandment is holy, righteous and good so I can stop being the kind of
person who uses illegal techniques. Help
me look back on how bad I was so I can accept the fact that God is healing me
from being that now and in my future. Help
me spend enough time to see how bad sin has been in my life. Then help me move into seeing how wonderful
it is being delivered from it. Let that
help me appreciate salvation, justification, and desire the benefits of
sanctification.
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy,
righteous and good: God isn’t
trying to hurt your feelings; He isn’t trying to destroy your confidence and
esteem; He is just trying to help you see what your current way of
speaking and acting are doing to you and those around you. Then when you see the truth about sin, you will
be on the same page with God. Your
attitudes about sin will help you see just how holy, righteous and good the
law and the commandments are. But
remember, because of your perfect record, these “sins” aren’t sins.
Jesus, help me accept that all of God’s laws,
commandments, lists, instructions, and illustrations are about good. Help me be headed into a life that totally
embraces good. Help me see that it isn’t
enough for me to receive good. I
must think, feel, say, and do only good things for others. Let my relationships be good relationships so
I can get the good God is trying to give me.
Help me grow spiritually, as You gradually show me where to
change.
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy,
righteous and good: What if
people never did anything that was bad for you?
What if they only did things that were win/win situations for you and
them? What if you and the people around
you did what it took to find out what was best for you and them and only did
that? How would your life be, if the
whole world was like this? As you grow
in this direction, and as you share these principles with others, you are
changing the world one person at a time.
Jesus, teach me that God’s laws and commandments are
setting the standard. Help me see that they
are giving an example of the way His family and eternal Kingdom are going to be. Help
me understand that the laws and commandments of God are pointing out things I
do and say that are wrong, bad, or evil so He can clean them out. Even though my perfect record with God is
keeping them from being sins, they are still hurting me and others. I want my record with myself and others to
become better and better as You sanctify my behavior.
The
Process Of
Sanctification
ASK: Jesus, help me find those things that I think,
feel, say, and do that are hurting me and those around me. Help me bring them to You, as You show them
to me. Let me use this ask Key to
ask You to remove it from my behavior.
Then help me praise and thank You for improving my record with myself
and others.
SEEK: Jesus, help me continue to seek the truths of
the Bible. As I do these devotions, as I
read the Bible, and as the Holy Spirit speaks to my conscience, help me bring
to You those things they are telling me are wrong. Help me ask for Your forgiveness, ask for You
to set me free from ever doing it again, and go and make it right with those I
have hurt.
KNOCK: Jesus, as I get set free from things I am
thinking, feeling, saying, and doing, help me reach out to my friends and help
them grow in those areas of their lives.
Open doors of opportunity for me to share my breakthroughs with those
who want to be helped by You. Let me
find people who want Your help so that I won’t be trying to help someone who
doesn’t want Your help. Give me a love
for them so I will be patient and kind, as I help them grow.
Desire, Study, Pray, Believe, Love,
take Faith-Action, and be Thankful:
Jesus, if You show me something that needs to be
changed and it doesn’t seem to go away,
1.
help me find out if it is a lack of desire,
2.
a lack of me studying and knowing a truth
from the Bible that would set me free,
3.
a lack of me praying and asking You to help
me all during my day to not yield to it,
4.
a lack of faith where I haven’t looked to You to
speak it into my heart so I can believe I have the deliverance,
5.
a lack of love where I am not willing to
share that breakthrough with others,
6.
a lack of me taking faith-action and being
willing to live on the basis of the fact that I have Your power to stop
living that way,
7.
or, is because You have already blessed me in areas
where I didn’t express my thanks.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Three
Week Seven Day Five
I Am Growing In Holiness
Truth Twelve: Rom 7:12 (NIV) So then, the law is holy, and
the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
So then (so far):
·
Jesus taught
you that the law only affects you while you are alive.
·
Jesus taught
you that you were allowed to accept His death as your death.
· Jesus taught you that you are now dead to the Old Testament laws so you can be alive to His New Testament laws, which are you serving in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
·
Jesus taught
you that you need His laws so they can point you in the right direction. But, He also taught
you that they can’t force, lure, entice, or draw you into fulfilling them.
·
Jesus taught
you that you had to know right from wrong but in doing so it gave you the
potential of sin, which you did.
·
Jesus taught
you that, as a young child, you started out innocent until you got mature
enough to be responsible for knowing the difference between right and
wrong.
·
Jesus taught
you that sin, seizing the opportunity involves you in a struggle against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
·
Jesus taught
you that the law or commandment is holy, righteous, and good. And, He also taught you that He is gradually
bringing that holiness, righteousness, and goodness into your life and
replacing those things that aren’t that way.
·
Jesus taught
you that this process of trading wrong, bad and evil for holiness,
righteousness, and goodness is called sanctification. It is the process of spiritual growth.
·
Jesus taught
you how to use The Three Keys and The Seven Biblical Principles to yield to His
teachings and His sanctifying work.
Jesus is teaching you about God, His laws, and His goals that are regulating your life here and in eternity. They are like the laws of food; they are vital for your survival. If you don’t know what you can or cannot eat, your life will be in constant danger. You must know the difference between sin and righteousness so you can’t be misled, lied to, manipulated, or deceived. Jesus is setting you free from ignorance, mistakes, misconceptions, and false assumptions.
Jesus, this seems quite complicated; but, I
have spent years learning how to live as a human. And, I am still having to learn more and more
as I continue to live this life. Help me
see that You are training me how to live as a child of God for eternity in the
spirit realm. Help me understand that
this is much more important than all I have learned about being a human.
Accepting The Perfection Of God
So then, the law is holy: Even though you don’t understand perfection much,
even though everything you deal with, as a human, has some kind of flaws in it,
God is taking you into a perfect relationship.
When you face God and His laws’ perfection, you may not see them as holy
or perfect righteousness. Since they
lack the power to make you obey them, you can feel there is something
wrong with them; but, the truth of the matter is, they are perfect.
You have a God-given free will. You must not be forced into holiness, righteousness, or godliness. So, God’s laws do exactly what He created them to do. And, He created them to do exactly what you needed them to do. But, if you can’t believe this, then they don’t do exactly what God created them to do. You fail to see that you must accept them because you want to.
Jesus, my way of looking at things causes me a lot of problems. I get ideas and impressions about You that
are wrong; so, what I think You are doing doesn’t make
sense to me. On one hand, I see You as
perfect; but, on the other hand I find myself doubting that You are doing the
right thing with me. Help me be set free
from human reasoning; set me free from satanic thoughts. Help me know You are
perfect and accept that everything You do is perfect. Help me base my life on Your perfection so I
won’t reject anything You are trying to do in me.
Accepting The Perfect Life Of Jesus
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy:
The laws the Holy Spirit has been speaking into your
conscience, were the same ones Moses wrote down in the
Old Testament. Now, Jesus is providing you
with New Testament laws that are the same ones from the Old Testament. But, they are for
Him to live in and through you. And, He
is also giving you a new commandment that fulfills all holiness. Mat 7:12 (NIV) So in everything, do
to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and
the Prophets.
Jesus, I can’t even hope that I will be able to live a perfect
life. It is so foreign to me that I find
myself not even making it a goal. I am
so sure that perfection is impossible that I don’t even allow it to start
heading me in its direction. Help me
accept Your perfection as something I want.
Help me allow as much of Your perfection, as is possible, to enter into
my life. Empower me to pursue it with
all my heart so I won’t just ignore the importance of it.
Giving Up On The Idea Of Perfection
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good: You can see how God has credited you as having a perfect record with Him through grace. You can accept that, through grace, He can help you do some good to yourself and other people. You can believe that He is able to work with your weaknesses and make a few changes in you. But, holiness, which is perfect righteousness, is just too far out there for you to even consider. So, since you will never be perfect in this life, you may just give up on the whole issue. Take a look at a few things Jesus is trying to make perfect in you.
Finding The Source Of Perfection
Heb 12:2a (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and
perfecter of our faith. Can you give up Your imperfect faith and accept
Jesus’ perfect faith? Yes!
Rom 5:5b (NIV) God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Can you yield to God’s love and it be a perfect love for you and those around you? Yes!
Phil 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through Him Who gives me
strength. Can you give up your imperfect life and allow Jesus
to live His life through you? Yes!
2 Cor 12:9 (NIV) But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient
for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. Is it
possible for Jesus to deal with the imperfections of your weaknesses and use
them to pour His power into them? Yes!
Jesus, I can see that You aren’t trying to make me perfect; You are
trying to get me to understand and see the benefits of my weaknesses. If I give You my weaknesses, then I am not
trying to come to You with my strengths.
Help me see that all those things I consider to be my strengths are
areas where I don’t see any need for Your perfect work. If I don’t see my need for You in an area of my
life, You won’t force Your way into it; please heal me
of it.
Pursuing Holiness,
Righteousness, And Goodness
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous
and good: There is a righteousness that God
is currently working into your life that is progressive growth. Where you haven’t yet learned to yield to
Jesus’ life, your perfect record with God credits it to you as holiness, righteousness,
and goodness. Where you are yielding to
Jesus, His holy, righteous, and good life is being lived in and through
you. In those places where Jesus is
living through you, you are living holy, righteously, and good with yourself,
other people, and God’s plan.
Jesus, help me yield more and more to Your
life. Help me want to live as perfectly
as is possible. Help me see how much
differently my life and the lives of those around me will benefit from me
yielding to Your life. Help me allow
Your holy, righteous, and good laws point me in directions where I need to
yield to You more and more.
Jesus, help me not see Your holiness, righteousness,
and goodness as unattainable and, therefore, give up even pursuing them. Also, help me not think I have reached a
place where I am righteous and good enough.
Help me have a relationship with You that is involved in moving
forward. Show me that spiritual growth
must be looked at as something I will always be pursuing with all my heart
by learning how to yield to Your life more and more.
This concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Four
How Can My Behavior Not Represent Me?
Week Eight Day One
Truth Thirteen: Rom 7:13 (NIV) Did that which is good, then,
become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as
sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the
commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
Being A Psychopath Or Being A Christian
What happens to a person who gets
released from the law but doesn’t think sin is all that bad? If the Holy Spirit has been making them feel
bad about these sin issues and all of a sudden, they don’t feel bad about them
anymore, what happens to their words and deed?
This condition would give them the “freedom” to do wrong, bad, and evil
things while feeling good about it.
If they don’t agree with God that these things are all that bad, if the
Holy Spirit’s speaking to their conscience was blocked off, they would become a
person without a conscience.
Eph 4:30 (NIV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Jesus, when I do
bad things, I need to feel bad about them; but,
I don’t like feeling bad! If I don’t
want to feel bad about doing wrong things, help me see that I have to resist
the Holy Spirit. Show me that this is
how the psychopath solves this problem; they harden their conscience. Help me see that You have a much better
approach for me.
Did that which is good: If you
accept the laws and commandments of God as being good, then when you do
something bad, does that mean you are a bad person? No!
Even though you were a bad person doing bad things prior to salvation,
it isn’t true of you now. Jesus has
separated you from the deeds of your body.
He is evaluating you based on whether you did something bad because of
the pressure of your body or because you, as a spirit being, wanted to. Rom 7:20 (NIV) Now if I do what
I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in
me that does it.
Jesus, help me always keep in mind that I have been
born again and became a totally new and different person. Teach me that the reason I am not just acting
like a Christian is because salvation and justification transformed me
into a new being! 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old
has gone, the new has come! This
opened the door for me to start thinking, feeling, talking, and doing things I
couldn’t do before; but, help me understand that it’s just an open door.
Did that which is good, then, become death to me: Death
means you sinned without Jesus’ salvation or justification. But, your condition
is doing wrong, bad, or evil while being in Jesus. Rom 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing
good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot
carry it out. Rather than you resisting the Holy Spirit and the
Bible as they speak God’s laws to you, Jesus is teaching you a way to accept
them without it destroying your confidence and esteem. This heads you from the Romans chapter seven
life to the Romans chapter eight life.
Rom 7:17 (NIV) As it is, it is
no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
Jesus, help me be able to face the truth
about sin. Teach me a way to look at any
bad thing I said and did and it not damage my esteem or confidence. Teach these things to me so I can deal with my
failures and learn how to better yield to You.
But, help me see that the only way I am going to be able to do this is
to see the difference between my deeds and myself. Teach me that God sees a difference between my
deeds and me, the doer of those deeds.
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no
means! You are a new creation; but, you will still do non-Christian things. If you are able to see the difference
between the deeds of your body and the desires of your spirit, your esteem and
confidence will stay intact. In other
words, that which is good, then, will not become death to you;
it will become death to your deeds!
You will put to death the misdeeds of your
body (Rom 8:13).
Jesus, help me not live according to the sinful nature so I won’t
die; but help me, by the Spirit, to put to
death the misdeeds of my body so I will live, because those who
are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom 8:13-14).
God-Esteem And God-Confidence
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no
means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin: Sin is a deed; and self-esteem and
confidence tie you to your deeds.
If you do good things, you and society see you as being a good
person. If you do bad things, you and
society see you as being a bad person.
So, every time you do something wrong, bad, or evil, if you wanted to
protect your esteem and confidence, you would have to prove it
wasn’t all that bad so you wouldn’t see yourself as all that bad. That causes you to fight God’s good laws. That causes you to claim you didn’t really
sin; but, God’s laws said you did.
Jesus, help me understand that my deeds aren’t me. Help me join You in seeing my behavior as
being bad while I am still a good person. Help me join You against my bad
behavior and go to work on it. Help
me accept the fact that I am a new creation.
Help me accept the fact that the
old has gone, the new has come. Help
me start believing that it makes me a good person that wants to
start learning how to do all the right, good, and righteous deeds.
Fighting Sin Rather Than Myself
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no
means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in
me through what was good: This
death, if properly seen, will be found in your body. In other words, you are alive and in a
relationship with God in your spirit but your body is separated from God. But if Christ is in you, your body
is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness (Rom 8:10).
Jesus,
help me see that my body not getting saved left it in a dead condition. Help me see that, that means I have to deal
with it through the sanctification process.
It has to be forced to do those things that Your laws require me and it
to do. It is obvious to me that I can’t
do any deeds without working through my body.
So, help me learn how to force my body to do those things my spirit
wants to do. Help me yield to You so I
have the power to make it do what is right, good, and righteous.
I Am Alive But My Body Is Dead
Your body is dead: That means it is separated from God because death means separation. Your spirit is alive: That means it is connected to God because alive means connected. John 15:4 (NIV) Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. Remain means you are to stay permanently connected to Jesus. Take mercy for example.
Mat 5:7 (NIV) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown mercy. Jesus, teach me that the only way I can show
someone mercy is to do good to them when they don’t deserve it. But, help me see that my body doesn’t want to
do good to someone who doesn’t deserve it.
So, empower me to do good to them by forcing my body to be merciful to
them. Help me understand that, that
keeps Your mercy flowing into my life.
I Must See The Deeds Of My
Body As Utterly Sinful
So that through the commandment sin might become utterly
sinful: The objective is for you to get to a place where you can
see the deeds of your body as utterly sinful without you thinking you
are an utterly sinful person.
What Jesus is doing is teaching you how to see the misdeeds of your body
as being the misdeeds of your body and not your misdeeds. This can be hard for you to process. As long as you see your body as being a major
part of who you are, it will be impossible for you to look at you and your body
the way Jesus sees it.
Jesus,
help me be able to see the misdeeds of my body as being utterly sinful
without it evaluating me. Help me
understand that I must see them as utterly sinful, or I won’t be in
agreement with God’s laws. Help me see
them as being utterly sinful, but me having a perfect record with
You. Help me be able to join You against
these utterly sinful deeds of my body.
Help me see the deeds of my body as separate from me so I can attack
them and not feel like I am attacking me.
Help me cooperate with You as we attack them together.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Five
How Do I Start Treating
Everyone Better?
Week Eight Day Two
Truth Thirteen: Rom 7:13 (NIV) Did that which is good, then,
become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as
sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the
commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
Jesus Is Teaching Me How To Live The Righteous Life
So that through the commandment sin might become utterly
sinful: How do you start seeing the things you
are doing that are wrong, bad, or evil as utterly sinful without it indicating that you are an utterly
sinful person? So then, the law is holy, and
the commandment is holy, righteous and good. How do you see this and it not seem
impossible for you to live it?
Jesus, help me get started working with You against the misdeeds of my
body. Help me get started living your
righteousness through the desires of my spirit.
Rom 6:11 (NIV) In the same way, count
yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus, teach me that this is talking about me, as a spirit being and not
my body.
Rom 7:15 (NIV) I do not understand what I
do. For what I want to do I do
not do, but what I hate I do. Jesus, help me see that the “want” and “hate”
are coming from my spirit and the “I do not do” and the “I do,” are coming from my body.
Rom 8:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ
Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the
law of sin and death. Jesus, teach me that me, a
spirit being, now has a perfect record with You so we can work together against
the misdeeds of my body.
Rom 7:12 (NIV) So then, the law is holy, and
the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Jesus, help me
see that this is the attitude of my spirit but not my body. Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being
I delight in God’s law.
Rom 7:13 (NIV) Did that which is good, then,
become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as
sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the
commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
Jesus, help me have this attitude in my spirit against the misdeeds of
my body. Help me see that I can’t grow; I
can’t improve; I can’t start treating myself and other people better, if I
can’t start agreeing that God’s laws are good.
I can’t start treating myself and other people better, if I can’t start
agreeing that sin is utterly sinful.
Feeling Good About Myself While
Making Improvements
You are now ready to live on the basis of the right attitudes about sin and about the laws of God. You are now ready to keep joining Jesus against the misdeeds of your body while not feeling any guilt in yourself. To you, the laws of God are holy, righteous and good. And, that doesn’t make you feel like they are impossible for you to live. This is because you know Jesus is living them in and through you. To you, sin is utterly sinful. And, that doesn’t scare you because you know sin doesn’t represent who you are. And, you know that you and Jesus are going to win over sin.
Phil 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through Him (Jesus)
Who gives me strength. Jesus, help me join You in
dealing with the misdeeds of my body as I go through my day. Help me come to a moment of decision and
choose to do things according to the laws of God. Help me immediately ask You to empower
me to make the righteous decision and not a decision according to the desires of
my body, the training of the world, or the temptations of the devil.
Learning How To Live Out God-Esteem And
God-Confidence
You are learning how to face bad things
you are doing or have done and joining Jesus in dealing with them. You, as a spirit, already delight
in God’s law (Rom 7:22).
For as long as you, a spirit being, don’t sin on purpose, you have a
perfect record with God. So, you will be
dealing with your body’s deeds. You
aren’t going to be trying to improve you, a spirit being.
Jesus, make it clear to me that You are going to be teaching
me how to join You and the Holy Spirit in improving the way my body thinks,
the way it feels, the way it talks to people, and the way it treats
me and other people. Rom 7:20 (NIV) Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no
longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Teach me that those things I do that are good, are things You are doing
in and through me as I yield to You.
Those things I do that are wrong, bad, or evil are being done by my
body.
Learning How To Live The
Romans Chapter Seven Life
You and Jesus must immediately deal with any wrong, bad, or evil thing your body causes you to do. You must deal with them through repentance, getting forgiveness, getting the power to never do them again, and to go make it right with the person or group you hurt. You must never think you aren’t responsible for your body’s deeds. You must be learning how to force your body to live a righteous life. Just because it fights you and causes you to do things you don’t want to do, doesn’t excuse you from “doing what it takes” to get it under your control.
Jesus, help me understand that even though my body
gets out of my control, I must accept the responsibility to apply The Three
Keys, The Eight Power Attitudes (The Beatitudes), and The Seven Biblical
Principles to the situation. I must get
Your help dealing with every misdeed it does.
Help me not ignore them, justify them, explain them away, or try to make
myself feel better because it was my body that did it and not me, a spirit
being. Empower me to immediately ask You
to help me repent, get forgiveness, ask for Your power to never do it
again, and go make it right with those I (my body) hurt.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Living The Romans Chapter Seven Life
Through The Eight Power-Attitudes Of
God
The
Beatitudes In Matthew 5:3-12
Sometimes it isn’t a problem with The Three Keys or The Seven
Biblical Principles. It can have to do
with a foundational spiritual problem between you and God or you and other
people. The Eight Power-Attitudes Of God deal with you being able to grow in spiritual
things. If one of the doors to The Eight
Power-Attitudes of God is closed, that can keep The Three Keys and The Seven
Biblical Principles from working. These
doors should already be open; but, it never hurts to
see if your spiritual foundation has a crack in it.
Doors
To My Relationship With God
Poor in spirit: Jesus, have I lost my openness to
Your truth where I am no longer considering the Bible and God as the only
truth. Have I stopped being open to Your
teaching and am mixing my body’s desires, the world’s training, or Satan’s
temptations with them? Help me only be
teachable as it relates to Your truths.
Mourn: Jesus, have I lost my hatred for
sin? Do I no longer have the attitudes
of Romans 7:15 where I “want” to always do the right things and “hate” doing
the wrong things? Help me be deeply emotional
about my “want” to only do good to myself, others, and God’s plan.
Meek: Jesus, have I lost my awe, fear,
and respect for God? Have I ceased to
consider Him as my final authority on all truth? Help me humble myself before Him and consider
His knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom as being
the only truth.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness: Jesus, have I lost my intensity, passion, and deep desire
to grow in Your righteousness? Are You
and my relationship with You my top priority?
Do I have a great hunger and thirst for only doing good with You,
myself, other people, and God’s plan?
Help me to make this the major desire of my heart.
Doors
To My Relationship With People
Merciful: Jesus, is there someone that I have
refused to help because they weren’t worthy or didn’t deserve it? Help me be willing to ignore people’s
worthiness.
Pure in heart: Jesus, is there anyone that I have
had selfish or hurtful motives against.
Have I failed to only have win/win relationships? Help me be motivated by Your love for people.
Peacemakers: Jesus, have I failed to get along
with people or failed to help them get along with one another? Help me represent a peace that only You can
give to relationships.
Persecuted: Jesus, have I avoided saying or
doing something for You because I didn’t want to have trouble? Help me be willing to say or do anything You
want me to do or say no matter what the consequences are.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Six
How Do My Spirit And
Body Work?
Week Eight Day Three
Truth Fourteen: Rom 7:14 (NIV) We know that the law is
spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Exempting
Myself From
Biblical Truth
As Jesus trains you about your spirit/body relationship, you
will find out that the Holy Spirit and the Bible are separating you from your
deeds. If you misunderstand, you will fail
to use God’s system and try to use the world’s system. You will decide that your body’s failures aren’t
your fault. You will go into forgiving your
spirit, justifying it, and making yourself feel good that you aren’t your body. But, that isn’t
where God’s law and the Spirit are taking you.
Jesus, help me not use the world’s
process of justifying myself, forgiving myself, explaining away my misbehavior,
and blaming all my failures on my body. Help
me see that Your plan is to deal with these body issues rather
than excusing them. Help me
learn how to put to death the misdeeds of the body (Rom 8:13). Show me that You are helping me with my
failures with myself, other people, and God’s plan. Show me that, that is the right way.
Resisting Spiritual Growth
(Sanctification)
We know that the law is spiritual: When the Holy Spirit speaks to your conscience and
the Bible gives you corrective Scriptures, if you get to a place where you are
blaming your body and don’t think they apply to you, you will stop growing
spiritually. If you only read those
Scriptures that are positive and encouraging, if you only memorize and quote
all those that make you feel good about yourself, you will stop growing
spiritually.
Jesus, if the
Bible presents anything that makes me feel uncomfortable, help me not ignore it
or try to change its meaning. Help me
not just try to expose myself to those parts of the Bible that say what I want
to hear. Help me be willing to hear from
the Holy Spirit, as He shows me those areas where I need Your help to change my
behavior. Help me start improving my
record with myself and other people.
Wanting To Have Success In Life
It hurts for an athlete to train
for having special skills and strength; they realize that if there is no
physical pain there will be no professional or physical gain. It hurts people who spend long hours studying
for becoming an expert in a certain field.
They realize there will be no educational and professional growth, if
they don’t push themselves into accepting that responsibility. It takes a lot of time, effort, and
money. But,
they want to be successful; so, they “pay the price.”
Jesus, show me that I can be a plumber
that is extremely good at my profession and still be a bad plumber. If I do a great job on a plumbing assignment
but cheat the people I did it for, I have failed at
being a good plumber in God’s eyes.
People need to be able to trust me; and yet, there are times when I
think, feel, say, or do things aren’t trustworthy. From a spiritual perspective, if everyone
knew everything I was thinking and feeling, I would lose a lot of friends and
clients. Help me change that way of life
so I am completely trustworthy.
We know that the law is
spiritual: Jesus, help me want to really be
a good plumber, accountant, spouse, friend, or anything You want me to be. Let me accept spiritual information that
helps me get there. Help me listen to
the Holy Spirit and the Bible no matter how tough the corrective information is. If it causes me some pain, let it create a
spiritual foundation in me that makes me truly successful. Show me that it’s worth all the effort,
training, yielding, and growing so I can become a godly person.
Learning More About My Body And My Spirit’s Differences
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,
sold as a slave to sin: You are
heading into Biblical information that can make you feel bad about yourself; but, it won’t last long. As the Bible and the Holy Spirit continue to
explain the difference between you, your spirit, and your body, you will
identify more and more with your spirit.
The real “you” is your spirit; your body is just a place where you live. As long as you are living on this planet, you
have to have a body so you can manipulate the physical realm.
Jesus, teach
me that my body, in its current condition, isn’t a part of Your eternal plan. Teach me that, in eternity, it is going to
get changed through a process called, glorification. Help me see that, that will happen at the
moment I go to be with You. Even though
glorification is a whole new and wonderful study that can’t be gone into right
now, help me look forward to it.
My Body Is An Extension Of
Me
I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin: How can the Bible say this about a person who is
born again, been made into a new creation, and is now a member of God’s family
and a citizen of His Kingdom? You are
getting ready to learn something about you and your body that takes away some
of your responsibility to it. However, you
have the same problem with being separated from responsibility to your body as you
have from being released from the law.
Jesus, help
me not be a person who excuses all my bad behavior because I am free from the
law or because my body is out of control.
Help me not think like a person hitting someone with their car and
saying they didn’t do it--their car did.
Show me that just like my car becomes an extension of me, so does my
body’s failures and me breaking Your laws.
Help me realize that You have given me all the necessary provisions for
bringing my body under the control of the Holy Spirit. Help me see that, that will empower me to
live Your laws.
Identifying The Two Parts Of Me
In Romans 7:14-25, there are 27
mentions of the personal pronoun “I;” but, sometimes it is referring to your
body and other times it is referring to your spirit. There are two “myself” references, six “me”
references, and six “my” references that are referring to your spirit or your
body; and you have to be able to tell the difference between which one the
Bible is talking about. As a matter of
fact, this is the main purpose of Romans chapter seven and this study. If you don’t let Jesus teach you the difference,
you can’t cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, teach
me the difference between my body and me, a spirit. Help me be able to distinguish their
differences so I can isolate which one I am dealing with. Show me how to know when the desires, wishes,
and wants are me, as a spirit being.
And, help me know when they are coming from the drives, passions, and
lusts of my animalistic body.
My Spiritual
Condition Is My Responsibility
“I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin” is talking about your body. But, the word “I” is used, which can cause
confusion. You are responsible for these
two parts that make up you as a human. You
are responsible for these two different problems and issues. So, in order for you to be successful in
life, you have to know how to deal with each part of you differently. First, you must believe that your spirit
agrees with and wants to cooperate with the laws of God. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law (Rom 7:22). Second, you must see another law at work
in the members of your body, waging war against the law of your
mind and making you a prisoner of the law of sin at work within your
members.
Jesus, teach
me these things so I can know where thoughts, feelings, wants, drives, needs,
and tendencies are coming from. Help me
be able to identify my spirit, when it is influencing my mind and heart. And, help me identify my body, when its
lusts, cravings, and passions are trying to influence me. Show me how to tell which is which, as I go
through this segment of the Bible. Train
me so I can yield to my spirit and resist the influences of my body.
My Body
Is Winning Over My Spirit
You, the spirit person, can see what
is good and beneficial to you. But your
body does not agree with the laws of God; it wants to do things that go
against it. And, at this point in your
spiritual level, your body is winning over you.
As you start looking at the next sets of verses, it is important for you
to be aware that your body is what is causing all your problems with winning in
the Christian life. The purpose of this
next part of the study/prayer section is to help you see that your body is
dominate. And, it is to help you see why
you need the power of the Holy Spirit to help you take control over your body.
Jesus, help
me see that my body has been winning over my spirit. Help me understand that I have to learn the
principles in Romans chapter eight in order to win over my body. Teach me these Romans chapter seven truths so
I am ready to have the Romans chapter eight principles built on top of
them. Help me be a diligent and eager
student so my next studies and prayers will be built on a solid foundation of
spiritual truths.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Who Is The Real Me?
Week Eight Day Four
Truth Fourteen: Rom 7:14 (NIV) We know that the law is
spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
We know: You are now
looking at truth number fourteen; if you have accepted the first thirteen
truths, then there are vital pieces of information that you now know. If you now know and accept them as
truth, then you are ready for truth number fourteen. If, somewhere back in the study, you have
ignored, rejected, or misunderstood one of the first thirteen truths, then
there may be some difficulty knowing this one.
But, if you have been sincerely praying the prayers after each of the
truths, you can trust Jesus to make sure the “we know” applies to you.
Jesus, help me know and accept as total truth every one of these
things I have studied so far. Help me
not read the Bible and move on; help me stop and pray over each truth so I will
be ready to know the next one.
I tried to use my mind to know and accept in faith these things I read. I treated the Bible like I would any human
book. Empower me to use The Three Keys
and The Seven Biblical Principles on the Bible.
Help me respond to it as being Your Book.
Learning More About The Law
We know that the law: Jesus has taught you a lot of truths about the
law. He has helped you see it in a
totally different light. He has been
helping you not put any dependency on your power, skills, or world training to
live it on your own. Also, these truths
have pointed you to your need for Jesus’ help.
They have helped you look to Him for handling your weaknesses and the
law’s weaknesses. Now, Jesus is helping
you accept one more truth about the law and you. He will fill you with His faith concerning
another wonderful truth.
Jesus, I look to You for giving me the faith to
believe this and all Your truths. Your
Holy Spirit is exposing me to them and what they mean. Help me go beyond just knowing the
information. Give me Your faith so I can
believe them as truth and then live them.
Accepting The Spirituality Of The Law
We know that the law is spiritual: Jesus is teaching you how to live in the spirit realm;
the spirit realm is where reality exists.
This world and all of creation is a shadow of the spiritual. Even though a spirit person is like the wind
to you, in the spirit realm, they are much more tangible and solid than
anything you experience here. The
spiritual is solid, durable, tangible, and eternal; it is what this creation is
representing. It is the real and this
world is the illustration, projection, or example of it. God’s laws exist in the spiritual; you exist
in the temporary realm. God’s laws exist
in Him; you are being led into Him and His things.
Jesus, I typically see the spirit realm and what I
consider the physical realm as being the opposite of what they really are. I see the spiritual realm as being invisible
and intangible. But,
it is this world and my body that are passing away, unreliable, and like the
wind. Help me realize that this world
and all it has turned into is not what I want to put my faith in. Help me realize that even though it is
tangible to me right now, the realm where You are is much more tangible,
indestructible, and real. It will last
forever and so will I.
Is It
Talking About My Body Or My
Spirit?
We know that the law is
spiritual; but I am: The words “I
am” are addressing you, a two-part being.
Actually, you have three parts; but, Romans
chapter 7 and 8 are only addressing two of them for the moment. Jesus is teaching you these things one step
at a time so you can grow and not get confused.
So, the “I am” is either dealing with your body or your
spirit.
Jesus, help me not look at this issue like it is
some kind of fiction or illustration.
Help me with vital truths that if misunderstood or ignored will keep me
from succeeding in life. Help me be
trained in the truths about my body and my spirit. Let me know what they are like, what they do,
and how to cooperate with You. Empower
me to get them doing what You want them to do.
Help me accept these truths as the way life really works.
Learning The Truth About The
Spirit Realm
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual:
It doesn’t seem possible that your spirit could be unspiritual. However, the spirit realm has two parts
to it. Your spirit can be located in the
ungodly part of the spirit realm. Your
body is automatically a part of the unspiritual; but, your spirit,
thanks to Jesus, can be brought into the spiritual. In the spirit realm, there is the area of
God and the area outside God. There
are those things that God has included as a part of Him and those things He has
excluded from Himself. What you do with
Jesus’ salvation determines where you (your body and your spirit) will be
located in eternity.
Jesus, help me
remain in the spiritual realm.
Even though my body is currently in unspiritual realm, keep me
inside You and the spiritual realm.
I know I can be unspiritual as a spirit being. I know that if I don’t remain in You I will die and become unspiritual (John 15:1-17).
Help me accept the fact that I and my body are immediately unspiritual the moment I am
separated from You; help me always remain in You.
Accepting The Truth About My
Body
We know that the law is
spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin: It is vital for you to see who you are outside
salvation. You must accept the fact that
it is only because of salvation that you are spiritual. You must see that without Jesus you are unspiritual. Outside of Jesus you are unspiritual, sold
as a slave to sin. The law and the
gospel message set you free from being unspiritual, sold
as a slave to sin.
But, your body is still unspiritual, sold as
a slave to sin. This is why you need
to allow Jesus to help you see why you, as a Christian, are still
struggling. His training is going to
help you see what is going on and how to fix it.
Jesus, help me see that I am in an eternally evil
condition, if outside You. I don’t like
to think this about myself; I have world training that teaches me the opposite
about me. I liked being told I was
basically a good person who was just suffering from a bad environment. Set me free from accepting the world’s
evaluation and training over the bad news I am getting about my body. Help me accept this truth even though it is
somewhat painful. Help me grow in
spiritual training and accept this truth as the truth I believe in.
Accepting The Truth About My
Spirit
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold
as a slave to sin: The moment you
accepted Jesus’ salvation and justification, your spirit became spiritual. But, since
your body didn’t get saved, it remained unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. So, it is vital that you understand that the
“I am” in this verse only refers to your body now. Your spiritual spirit and your unspiritual
body are in a spiritual struggle.
Your body wants you to go back to being unspiritual so
you will give it all those things in got through sin. Your
spirit wants your body to start doing spiritual things. That creates a spiritual battle
between you (your spirit) and your body.
Rom 7:22-23 (NIV) For in my inner being I delight in
God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging
war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law
of sin at work within my members. Jesus, help me
accept this truth as the explanation for why I am struggling with living the
kind of life I want to live. Teach me
how to yield to You so I can stop being made a prisoner to my body. Empower me to live successfully in doing
those things the Bible and the Holy Spirt are leading me into.
Who Is On My Side?
The law is spiritual, you as a spirit inner
being, delight in God’s law, which is spiritual, the law
of your mind is spiritual, the Bible is spiritual, and your heavenly Father is spiritual. You
have great spiritual
support; but, you also have
enemies. What Jesus is doing is getting
you into a spiritual condition where you can defeat all your
enemies.
Once you gain the victory over
your body, you will have closed the door to the world and the devil. Your body with its sinful nature is receptive and vulnerable to the world and the
temptations of the devil. Jesus is
teaching you some very important truths that will help you close this
door in your body that is letting unspiritual things try to influence you.
Jesus, help me be ready to learn about this
situation concerning my spirit and my body.
Help me have an open and receptive mind; give me Your mind so I will be
able to easily grasp the meaning of these spiritual things. I want to be thoroughly trained and skilled
in living in the spiritual world. Show
me how it all works, so I can know where You are taking me. I want to be totally cooperative with You, as
You lead me into things that are very new to me.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Eight
Why Can’t I Live The Christian Life?
Week Eight Day Five
Truth Fifteen: Rom 7:15 (NIV) I do not understand
what I do. For what I want to do I do
not do, but what I hate I do.
The Journey Of The New and
Untrained Christian
Jesus is now taking you on a
journey into the life of the new and untrained Christian. We are all trained by the world on how to
succeed by being self-dependent. It
pushed you into seeing yourself as being the main source of hope, faith,
esteem, confidence, and winning at life.
So, when you were born again and entered into a new relationship with your
heavenly Father, you entered into His realm.
But, you did it while still using world principles to run your
life.
Jesus, teach me Your way of running my life. Show me that when I try to live life using my
plans, my strategies, my efforts, and my methods, I fail. Help me see that now that I am living in the
spirit realm, I must apply your plans, strategies, power, and methods. Teach me that I am no longer living just as a
human. You are training me on how to
live as a child of God in the spiritual realm.
Show me the difficulties of a person who doesn’t understand that.
Things
That Seemed To Work
Before Aren’t Working Now
I do
not understand what I do: In Romans
7:15-25, you will see this person use 26 “I’s,” as they tell you about their
struggle as a new or untrained Christian.
Things are going wrong for them; all these “I’s” show they are using their
wisdom, their skills, their talents, their determination, and their world
training. All they know is what the
world taught them. They don’t know how
to use Jesus’ Biblical system. They are
now learning that the world system does not work in Christianity. And, they are learning that their body is
their main problem.
Jesus,
teach me that as a new or untrained Christian entering into a world where God
lives, the systems are different, the rules and laws are different, the way to
change and move things are different, and the power to get things done is
different. Since the world’s system
never really worked in the first place, help me already be looking for new ways
of doing things. Show me I was never
going to experience true success with those principles.
I Need To Learn God’s System Fast
Suppose you were flying with a pilot friend in the cockpit
of a plane. What if your pilot friend
passed out? There would be all these
devices in front of you, beside you, and above you that you didn’t know how to
use. But, if you were going to stay
alive, you were going to have to learn how to use them…fast! Your desire to learn new things would be at
the peak of intensity. This is the kind
of intense desire you need for learning the things of God. Your life is moving forward; all kinds of
dangers need to be avoided; you need help…fast!
Learning
A Whole New Way Of Life
For what I want to
do I do not do:
·
Jesus,
the world taught me to lie a little bit so as to not hurt people’s feelings.
·
You
only want me to have a truth-relationship with myself and those around me.
·
Jesus,
the world taught me to be selfish.
·
You want
me to love my neighbor as myself.
·
Jesus,
the world taught me to defeat other people in order to win myself.
·
You want
me to only be involved in win/win situations.
·
Jesus,
the world taught me to defend and protect myself.
·
You want
me to do what it takes to be a peacemaker with others.
·
Jesus,
the world taught me to have faith in myself.
·
You expect me to have faith in You.
·
Jesus,
the world taught me to believe all
things are possible.
·
You expect me to believe that all things are possible through You.
·
Jesus,
the world taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to.
·
You expect me to believe I can do everything through Him (Jesus) Who
gives me strength (Phil 4:13).
I Used
To Be
Good At This
What I
hate I do: Since the world’s training is all you
have known, you immediately start using its principles and training to try to
live the Christian life. But, it is like walking out onto a football field for the
first time. If you went out to be
trained to be a football player, there would have to be coaches there to get you
ready for being able to play the game.
If you were playing chess for the first time, someone would have to help
you know how to move the pieces.
You may be great at math; but that
doesn’t make you great at biology. Rules
for being a pilot are different from being a surgeon. Rules for being a salesperson are different
from being a counselor. You can’t use
the rules for tearing down houses for being a contractor. Most things in life have different sets of
rules for succeeding in them; and, this is really true in
Christianity.
Jesus, help me have patience, but also have a deep
desire to learn from You. Help me have
faith, but also be ready to take action as I grow in You. Help me experience Your love, but also
experience Your discipline, as I make mistakes while living this Christian
life. Help me receive Your training, but
also be untrained in world knowledge. Give
me Your confidence and esteem but also remove my self-confidence and esteem, as
You lead me into these truths.
I do
not understand what I do. For what I
want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do: Can
people who don’t know how to dive off of a diving board, go to the highest
diving board and expect to do what professional divers do? Can a person who has never skied before, ski
down a professional slope? All
professionals started off being novices; there was a time when a person who is
now the best professional skier in the world was learning how to ski down the
“bunny” slope.
James 4:10 (NIV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and
He will lift you up. Jesus, help me not get confused about my age
as a human and my age as a child of God.
Help me see that my new life as a child of God started later than my
life as a human. Teach me that just like
I had to learn all the things for being a human, I have to learn all the things
for being a child of God. Help me be
humble before the Lord so He can lift me up.
What’s
Wrong With Me?
For
what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do:
It
is frustrating being a novice; it is especially frustrating for someone who has
been good at a lot of other things. You
may have been great at making friends; but, now you
are trying to learn how to treat these friends the right way. Previously, you may have used bragging or
telling people what they wanted to hear.
You may have been successful at sales by telling people your product
would do more than it really could; but, now you are
trying to tell everyone the truth.
Jesus,
help me not get discouraged as I give up world procedures that seemed to help
me succeed at life. Set me free from
lying, misleading people, cheating people, bragging on myself, being involved
in wrong sexual relationships, or being selfish. Help me realize that I can’t set myself free;
but, I have a responsibility to apply The Three Keys,
The Seven Biblical Principles, and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of
God to these situations.
I Am Starting To Make The
Change
Rom 10:8 (NIV) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming. This is the system you used for being saved and justified (Rom 10:9-10). You applied the two verses below this one and they instantly made you a child of God, a member of His family, and a citizen of His Kingdom. Use this system for making truths fifteen to twenty-five a part of your life. Start taking the remaining truths and mix faith with them by confessing them with your mouth and believing them in your heart.
Jesus, I accept this truth as my truth; I admit that:
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but
what I hate I do.” I admit that I have been applying world training, human effort, and human
wisdom to my Christian life. I admit
that it is not working for me and want to change my system. Help me learn why I have not been
doing what I want to do and why I have been doing what I hate. Show me that, as I admit these things, You will honor my honesty and change my systems and
behavior.
This concludes your reading
and praying for this week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Thirty-Nine
What’s Wrong With Human Effort?
Week Nine Day One
Truth Fifteen: Rom
7:15 (NIV) I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
I do not understand: If a person learned how to do things the totally wrong way, life would be very confusing for them. That is what is happening to the people of the world. They are told what success is--and it isn’t. They are told how to live life--and it’s wrong. They are told how to build relationships--and the information is incorrect. They are told what their goals should be--and they are misinformed. Then when this person, with all this fake training, comes into Christianity, they actually think it works in the real world--but it doesn’t.
Jesus, this helps me see why Christianity seems so confusing. I listened to all Your promises and joined
Christianity with great hopes and expectations.
Then I seemed to not be getting all those things other Christians
got. I tried to act like I was getting
them; but, deep down inside I knew I wasn’t living like I should or getting the
results the Bible talks about. From that
point on, I had to either accept Your salvation as being something I had to
pretend to be living, or, find out what my problem is. Help me to be able to face the fact that if
something in the Bible isn’t working for me, then there is something I need to
change. The Bible works!
I do not understand what I do: The Bible, God, and Christianity are all true and do what God says they will do. If you are experiencing something else, then there is something wrong with the way you are trying to live it. The most important word in this verse is “do.” Christianity is all about getting results in the words and deeds of your life. But, because new and untrained Christians are trying to use the only system they know--world training, they aren’t getting the type of results they should.
Jesus, keep reminding me that this is where justification comes in. It gives me time to learn how to apply
spiritual principles to me Christian life.
Help me keep in mind that God knows it is going to take me some time
learning them. Therefore, He gave me a
clean record so I can be considered righteous, good, and holy while
I am being trained. However, as new or
untrained Christian, I notice that I am not getting a lot of changes in my
behavior with myself and other people. Teach
me that sanctification is just as vital as salvation and justification.
Many older Christians don’t know how to solve this Romans chapter seven problem either. That is why they have been a Christian for quite some time and are still untrained Christians. They don’t know how to teach new and younger untrained Christians the way to get the behavioral changes God wants to provide them. So, many new Christians become untrained Christians, who also can’t help new Christians grow in Jesus.
Jesus, help me learn how to trade my training from the world for
training from You. I invite You into my
life so You can show me how to yield to Your way of life. Help me listen to the Holy Spirit, as He
gives me the interpretations to the verses in the Bible. Help me have an open heart and mind so I am
not resistive to any new concepts. Let
me allow You to make any changes in the way I live my life. Help me unlearn world training and learn
spiritual training from You as You work through Your Holy Spirit.
I
Thought I Was A Pretty Good Person
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do: This is a very confusing thing for new and untrained Christians. As an unsaved person, they and their body were on the same page. They were used to seeing themselves as a living body that was able to think, feel, and carry out ideas and plans. They didn’t know they were a spirit living in a body.
When your body wanted to do something, you probably assumed that was what you wanted. The only indication that there were some disagreements between you and your body was your conscience. You may have even assumed that your conscience was you feeling bad about some of the things you were doing. You may have assumed that you were a good person who was just having problems doing good things. You didn’t know that your body had a sinful nature that you were cooperating with. It was the Holy Spirit speaking to your conscience.
Jesus, teach me more about me, as a spirit being. Teach me that I never was a good person. I always had a sinful nature in my
body as was cooperating with it. Help me
see that my conscience wasn’t me with a good desire; it was the Holy Spirit
speaking to my conscience. Don’t let my
world training that told me I was basically a good person, contaminate my true
view of who I really was. Let this truth
help me appreciate what you saved me from.
It’s
All About Me Listening To My
Conscience
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do: Now that you are a new or untrained Christian, Jesus gave you a want or desire to do the right things. You now desire to do what the Holy Spirit is telling your conscience. Rather than dealing with your conscience like you have always done, you have stopped arguing with it, ignoring it, and trying to make yourself feel better about going ahead and doing things against it.
Jesus, thank You for giving me the want to do everything the Holy
Spirit speaks into my conscience. But,
because I am still being trained, I don’t know how to make my body do it. Show me that this what is creating the “I do not understand what I do” situation.
It’s All About Me Being Trained By Jesus
Now that you are going through these studies and prayers, Jesus is teaching you why you and your body are at odds with each other. He is working on this confusion you are experiencing.
Jesus, it really helps me to know why I am having problems with my
body. It has been a very confusing thing
for me to desire one thing and end up doing something else. I have finally come to the place where I
really want to do what the Holy Spirit is telling my conscience. Empower me to stop excusing, forgiving,
justifying, and trying to make myself feel better about going against my conscience. Train me in the truths about how to live a
successful life. Help me learn how to
take control over my body.
Ask
God What To Do Next
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate: As a true new and untrained Christian, you get a hate for doing those things the Holy Spirit tells your conscience is wrong. Because you are using your world training, you are still going against your conscience and doing them anyway; but, you hate that fact. This can leave you with no tools for living Christianity. This kind of confusion can create all kinds of ideas and decisions in you. You can start trying to find the answers through God and the Bible, you can try to figure it out for yourself, or you can listen to other Christians who are untrained.
Jesus, help me always realize that I have to come to You for all
training on how to live the Christian life.
Help me go through the Bible asking You questions about how to apply
each principle and truth. Let me not try
to figure it out myself or listen to untrained Christians. Lead me into those Scriptures that teach me
Your system.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do: Wanting to do good things and not getting around to doing them is one issue; the tough one is hating doing wrong, bad, and evil things and finding yourself doing them anyway. You know you aren’t perfect; but, to keep on doing things you hate is your indication that your system for living the Christian life needs work. You have a perfect record with God for as long as you “want” to do the right things and “hate” doing the wrong things. So, the way to grow is to allow the Holy Spirit to pick one of your smaller issues and start helping you win over it.
Jesus, help me start growing by allowing You to start me off small. Help me realize that if I am being pushed to
make major changes, that is Satan. Show
me that You will typically only work on one or two things. Help me not try to work on my biggest,
hardest issue in the beginning. Help me
trust You with my perfect record with God and know You
will increase the hardness of my assignments as I grow in You.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty
Why Can’t I Just Want To Do Good?
Week Nine Day Two
Truth Sixteen: Rom 7:16 (NIV) And if I do what I do not want
to do, I agree that the law is good.
Training And Living Are Two
Different Things
And if I do what I do not want to do: What if a baby saw its parents walking and decided
to try to walk? So, they worked their
way into a vertical position and tried to take a step. But, even though
they wanted to do the right thing, their legs wouldn’t cooperate. Instead of walking, they fell down. What if that baby decided that the rules for
walking were all wrong and crawled for the rest of their life? You may want to ride a bike for the
first time; but, wanting and doing are two different things. It is so much easier to learn how to ride a
bike with someone helping you learn.
Jesus, help me know You
have given me good attitudes about doing the right things and not doing the
wrong things. But,
I quickly learned that wanting and doing are two different things, especially
in Christianity. Show me that as You
teach me, I need to start practicing on some small assignments. Help me be willing to fail, ask You
why I failed, seek Scriptures that help me do better, and then get
started practicing again. Help me never
give up.
How does God feel about you, as
new or untrained Christian, that does what you do not want to do? He feels the same way you would feel
about a baby trying and failing to walk for the first or twentieth time. As long as the baby keeps on wanting
to walk, you are good with their failures.
But, it is a real problem if a baby doesn’t
ever want to walk. You, as a new
or untrained Christian haven’t failed God by doing what you do not want
to do; God considers it to be a failure when you lack or lose the desire
to do the right thing.
Jesus,
teach me that IF I do what I do not want to do then I am actually a true
Christian. Teach me that it is a natural
thing for me, as a new or untrained Christian, to do what
I do not want to do. Just like it is a totally natural thing for a
beginner bicycle rider to do what they do not want
to do. Help me see that
just like it isn’t fun falling off of a bike; falling on ice while learning how
to skate, or landing on water the wrong way while learning how to dive, it
isn’t fun failing as a Christian. But, make
it clear to me that if I want to learn how to do these Christian things,
I have to be willing to accept the pain and failures along with the
successes.
What Makes Great Professionals?
How does a person grow from being
a novice into being a professional? You
know that one of those things is training; but, what
causes a person to “do what it takes” to be good or professional at it? What causes a person to submit to a trainer
who makes them do things that are hard and sometimes painful? Why would a person expose themselves to a
person who forces them to do hard, difficult, and even painful things? What causes a person to keep failing and
failing and still get up and try again? Take
a look at some possible thoughts and concerns as you decide whether to keep on
practicing doing the right things.
Thoughts That Come With A “Want or desire”
That Faces Adversity:
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then I
must be a bad person.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then I
must be failing God.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then God
must be disappointed in me.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then I
should feel disappointed in myself.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then I
have not only failed myself but other people.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then I
am not good enough be called a Christian.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then I
must be inadequate for the assignment.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then
my “want” must not be powerful enough.
·
If F I
do what I do not want to do, then I
am not committed or trying hard enough.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then
maybe Christianity doesn’t work for me.
·
If I do
what I do not want to do, then
maybe I should give up trying to do the right thing and just accept that this
is the way Christianity is.
Jesus,
set me free from all these satanic thoughts that are contrary to the truth
about new and untrained Christians. Help
me resist these lies of the devil. Show
me that I must take any thought that is like these thoughts and bring them to
You so you can set me free from them.
Help me know that You are teaching me the truth about this Romans
chapter seven life. Help me see that all
new and untrained Christians suffer from this situation. Help me keep my eyes on You and have faith in
Your power to help me move from only living on the basis of my perfect record
with God, to actually living in the Romans chapter eight life.
What Really Makes Great Professionals?
When a person wants something
really bad, they put something into it that other people may not. When you see people fail over and over again
and still keep trying, you see something in them that you admire. You don’t see them as a failure because they
have this something that makes them different. This something is the fact that they
never give up trying to succeed.
Jesus, show me that even if I have never had a
strong resolve, You will give it to me. Even if I lack determination but would still
like to succeed at life, You will give it to me. Even if I have been beat down, run down,
criticized, abused, and mistreated for so long that I have lost all confidence,
all esteem, and all hope, You will heal me. Help me see that I don’t have to have any of
these things. What I am responsible for
is to want Your help and ask You for it.
If I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is
good: What if someone kept trying to be
the best criminal they could be? What if
they kept trying and failing but never gave up?
What if someone kept trying to learn how to lie while looking sincere
and believable? What if someone devoted
their whole life to learning how to cheat people and get away with it. Their “want,” determination, resolve,
commitment, and dedication were there; but, their
goals were bad. Human want,
determination, resolve, commitment, and dedication aren’t the answer.
Jesus, give me Your want,
determination, resolve, commitment, and dedication that are good. Help me see
that You gave me, at my new birth, a desire that is not only strong,
consistent, and determined, it is aimed at Your good laws. Help me see that when I read a self-help book,
it doesn’t teach me to have good character and attitudes, it is willing to
share these principles with me even if I am the worst criminal in the
world. Teach me that God only gives out His
principles, training, and a power-relationship after the person has been
born again. And, even after that,
He is still holding some things back until I get better attitudes and
character.
The law is good: God’s laws, even though they
can’t force you, entice you, lure you, or overwhelm you, they point you toward
the attitudes and character that God is looking for. All God’s provisions are awesome; but, there are so many that only come when you are the
person you need to be. You must be a
person God can trust with some of His great knowledge, foreknowledge of the
future, understanding, wisdom, and power.
Some truths work on your attitudes and character so you are properly
prepared for other truths that only come to those who have that quality of
attitudes and character.
Jesus, help me see that the Scriptures You are
taking me through are the ones that are dealing with my attitudes and
character. Help me appreciate these
truths because they are getting me ready for many other truths that You can’t
yet trust me with. Help me see that You
are very careful who You put certain truths into. But, You are helping
me be exposed to those foundational truths that eventually open the doors to
all Your truths.
I Am Starting Learn How To Make The Change
Rom 10:8 (NIV) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming. You have already used this system for being saved and justified (Rom 10:9-10) and with truth number fifteen.
Jesus, I accept this truth as my truth; I admit that:
“If I do what I do not want to do, I
agree that the law is good.” I admit that I have been applying world training, human effort, and human
wisdom to my Christian life. I admit
that it is not working for me and want to change my system. Help me learn that if I do what I do not want to do, I
agree that the law is good. Show me that, as I admit
these things, You will honor my honesty and change my
systems and behavior. I thank You that I
now agree that the law is good.
This concludes your reading
and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-One
How Is This A Major Breakthrough For Me?
Week Nine Day Three
Truth Sixteen: Rom 7:16 (NIV) And if I do what I do not want
to do, I agree that the law is good.
And if I do: Everything you have ever become good at, has had a beginning. Before you learned how it really worked, you started out with little or no information or training about it. Some things were easy for you to learn; while other things took a lot more time, effort, and money to learn. You accept this fact in the world; but, most Christians expect God to put His truths into their lives immediately. When you hear words like transformation, healing, miracles, blessings, and being a new creation, you can get the erroneous concept that God does it all without much cooperation from you. God is willing to work with you and help you succeed at life; He just isn’t willing to take over.
Jesus, I suffer from a lot of assumptions I have made about You, Your provisions, how Christianity works, and what our
relationship should be. I have also had
other Christians give me their opinions about what they think Christianity
should be like. Help me bring all my
opinions and the opinions of others for You to examine. Let me learn what my relationship with You
should really be like. Help me be
willing to be retrained by You.
Mistakes, Errors, Failures, And
Misunderstandings
And if I do what I do not want to do: We all make mistakes and experience failures while
giving something our very best efforts.
We have all misunderstood training information and instructions. You have accepted all these things as normal
for having to learn something new. But, there are some things that you don’t have much
tolerance for failing at. If you feel a
failure is your fault, if it indicates that you are inferior, if it indicates
that you are a bad person, then that is when you can’t tolerate failure. But, Jesus is
teaching you that you are experiencing body failure. Because of your “want” and “hate,” you are no longer the cause of the failure.
Jesus, I have always cared about my and other’s evaluations as to what
kind of person I am. I don’t like people
thinking that I am inferior, inadequate, incapable, or ignorant. Help me understand where my sins, failures,
faults, mistakes, shortcoming, and errors are coming from. Let me be able to have You point them out so
we can work together to eliminate them.
Help me not take them personally; help me see them as things You and I
need to work on together. Teach me how
to bring my body under Your control so I can obey all Your laws.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree:
Doing what you do not want to do is a major
breakthrough.
It may not seem like a breakthrough to you. But, when Jesus was finally able to get you to
the place where you agree with the Holy Spirit and the Bible, was a
breakthrough. Your “want” and your “hate” have moved you into the area where you disagree
with the desires and drives of your body.
Before, when the Holy Spirit spoke to your conscience, you frequently
disagreed with it. Instead of wanting to
do what your conscience was pushing you toward, you would try to figure out a
way to work around it. You would sin
against it and try to make yourself feel good about it.
Jesus, You and Your salvation gave me the desire to do what the Holy
Spirit has been speaking to my conscience.
Help me see that this is a wonderful miracle of me coming into agreement
with You and the Bible. Give me a great
appreciation for every moment where I disagree with the animalistic desires of
my body. Help me see that this has put
me in a place where You and I can work together to put to death the misdeeds
of my body (Rom 8:13).
My Conscience Is A Law
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the
law: 1 Corinthians 8:10-12 says: “For if anyone
with a weak conscience sees you, who have this knowledge eating in an
idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So, this weak brother, for whom Christ died,
is destroyed by your knowledge. When you
sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience,
you sin against Christ.”
Even if the Bible
gives you permission to do some things, if your conscience makes you feel
guilty about it, you are still sinning against a law from God. We all have to be trained by the Holy Spirit
in power; He has to bring you to the place where you don’t just know the Bible
says something is okay, He has to allow you to feel good about it. Until the Holy Spirit allows you to feel good
about something, then He is not giving you permission to do it.
Jesus, help me not just do what I see other Christians doing. If Your Holy Spirit doesn’t want me doing it,
then I want to obey Him. Help me not sin
against my conscience just so I can prove to myself and others that I have a
strong conscience. You know things about
me that I don’t know about myself. You
know when I am ready to do things that would have hurt me before. Heal me from trying to live my life based on
pride. Let me live it based on a total
humility and submission to You.
The Natural Results From God’s Laws
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is
good: You may see the law as being good
for God; you may think that if God wants you to obey it, that is the only
reason you should agree with it. You must
see why God has decided His laws are good laws.
He decided to make each law a law because it was good for you. You will finally get to the place where you decide
the law is good, when you learn why it is good.
You may obey God’s laws because you trust Him,
and that is great. But, you will still have to explain why they are good to
others.
Jesus, help me see that You are doing the things You
do because they are good for me and those around me. Make it clear to me how each one of Your laws
is designed to make my life better. Let
me learn that Your blessings come through the natural flow of me following the
dictates of my conscience. Help me
realize that there is no difference between the results of doing the right
thing and Your blessings. Your laws are
so designed to bring automatic good results just from them being followed. Then, in addition to those automatic
blessings, You give me even more blessings because of
my obedience.
The Law In My Conscience Is Good
The law is good: The
written laws in the Bible and the commandments of Jesus written in the gospels are
laws that speak to you in a general way.
Your conscience is a law that speaks to you in a personal way. When you feel bad about doing something that you
don’t see anything in the Bible speaking against, if you go ahead and do it, it
will damage you. The Holy Spirit knows
and speaks to your conscience on a personal, unique basis. You may be the only Christian you know that
feels bad about doing it; but, it is important that you
understand your relationship with the Holy Spirit. He “custom designs” your conscience so
as to fit you.
Jesus, I am unique in a lot of ways; I am strong in
one area and weak in another. Help me
realize that the Holy Spirit knows these strengths and weaknesses. Help me honor the things He is telling my
conscience. Show me that I am not a
better Christian than someone who can’t do those things I do. And, show me that they aren’t better than me
because they don’t do them. Help it not
be a competition of doing or not doing; help it be a matter of me realizing
Your love. Your Spirit knows where I am
most likely to have problems. It is His
desire for me to allow Him to keep me humble enough to trust His decisions for
me. Help me accept that He is
speaking to my conscience out of pure love for me.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good:
Be constantly alert concerning your “want” and “hate.” “If you do what you do not want to do” is the major issue. Allow Jesus and the Holy Spirit to warn you about each issue you face during your day. However, you also need to be aware of two wants. Don’t get confused about your body’s wants and your spirit’s wants. Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. This is telling you what salvation and justification created in you, as a spirit being. So, if you will believe this about your spirit, then you will know where any wrong, bad, or evil desires are coming from.
Rom 7:23 (NIV) But I see another law at work in the
members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a
prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
Jesus, help me understand, all during my day, where these drives,
desires, and passions come from. Help me
believe that Romans 7:22 represents my spirit’s desires all during my day. Show me that the battle is for me to believe
this truth. Help me never get confused
as to which type of desire is coming frow which part of me. I believe that You have put the Romans 7:22
desire in me, as a spirit being.
This concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Two
Week Nine Day Four
Truth Seventeen: Rom 7:17 (NIV) As it is, it is no longer I
myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
As it is: You know you
aren’t perfect; and you know you say and do things to yourself and other people
that you shouldn’t; but, do you know why?
Do you do wrong, bad, and sometimes evil things because you are a bad
person? Did you go through the salvation
plan and it fail to work in your case?
Are you just different than typical Christians? Do you have problems and issues that are
keeping you from living like most Christians?
Jesus, I have done or thought things during the week
that I wouldn’t want my fellow Christians knowing about. I get together with them and act like I
lived a perfect Christian life that week.
But, help me see that, that is what many of the other Christians
are doing. They made mistakes,
mistreated themselves and other people; but, when they get together with me,
they act like they have lived the perfect Christian life. Teach me that what this does is, it makes
Romans chapter seven not look like it is true of new and untrained
Christians.
As it is, it is no longer: Now that you and your friends are Christians,
shouldn’t you be able to stop acting like Christians and actually be
one? Shouldn’t you all be honest with
one another so you can work together with Jesus? Just like some fruit trees have to be that
kind of tree for several years before they actually bear fruit; this certainly
is true of you and your friends as Christians.
New and untrained Christians have been transformed from one thing
to another; but, it takes a while to make the
transition. You and your Christian
friends need to admit that.
James 5:16 (NIV) Therefore confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and
effective. Jesus, teach me that since You transformed my
Christian friends and I into new creations, we have to learn how to live as new
creations. Show me that salvation turned
my friends and I into Christians.
But, God uses justification to give us I a certain amount of time to learn how to take advantage of
that transformation. We used to be sinners;
so, we don’t know how to yield to the behavior of a Christian. Help us see that we must yield to the process
sanctification. Help us get together and
admit that these truths in Romans 7:15-25 are true of us. Help us do what James 5:16 tells us to do so
we can get the results of Romans chapter eight.
As it is, it is no longer I myself: You and your Christian friends decided you
wanted to be saved and be transformed into Christians. But, you didn’t have
any idea what that meant. So, God gave all
of you a clean record (justification) so you could decide whether or not you
wanted to move on into the way Christians live. If you get together and sincerely admit that
Romans 7:15-25 are true of you, then you will all obey James 5:16 and start
getting Jesus’ help with living the Christian life.
Jesus, help my friends and I decide we want to keep
the Christian life. Help us see that the
reason we are struggling is because we need to get together, confess our
mistakes, sins, and failures to each other so we can pray for one another. Help us see that just because we are going
through this Romans chapter seven struggle doesn’t mean we will be living like
this for the rest of our lives. Help us
see that You are teaching us truths that will work miracles.
As it is, it is no longer I myself: What if you and your friends became
Christians and God not only transformed you into Christians but also took away
all your memory of your life before Christianity? Being born again changed you and your
Christian friend’s spirits but your bodies stayed the same. You can still remember everything you did
prior to salvation. This is so all of
you are able to compare your old lives with your new ones. Justification is giving you and your
Christian friends, as new or untrained Christians, time to decide
whether or not you want to continue being Christians. If you do, then you all need to keep doing
these devotions.
Jesus, as for me, I want to totally reject my old
life and be completely dedicated to my new one.
Show me the pain and failure of my old life and totally give it all
up. Help me stay involved in these
devotions so I can learn how to live Your life, as You lead me into it. Show me how to join Christian friends who are
willing to be honest about these Romans chapter seven truths. Help us support one another in humility,
love, and prayer. Help us be totally honest
with one another so You can deal with every weakness, mistake, failure, and
sin.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it: This truth is saying you are no longer sinning, it
is your body sinning. It isn’t
taking the responsibility away from you concerning your body’s sins. But, it is taking
the guilt away from you. You are still
responsible to “do what it takes” to get your body fixed. But, you no longer
need to be confused as to why you aren’t living the Christian life the way you,
as a spirit being, want to. Once you
learn how to deal with your body, your spirit will
start having great success with living the Jesus-life.
Jesus, I agree with this part of this Scripture, I
am saying that I no longer desire to stay in my old life or want to go back to
it. The “myself” here is my
spirit making a decision that I am no longer in agreement with the way I
used to live and to some degree how I am still living. I am saying that I want to grow spiritually
(sanctification) and learn how to live this new life. Help me make this personal decision and keep
it being accomplished through You.
A Separation From My Old Life
Look at this concept some more: “As
it is, it is no longer I myself who do it.”
This is you with a God-given
free will. When you were transformed, you
had to be given the right to understand what that transformation meant. Once you saw what
salvation really is, it was only then that you could make a knowledgeable
decision. You had to decide what you wanted
to do about it. So, God took you slowly
into your Christian life. Step-by-step, you
were given time to analyze it, understand it, and then decide whether or
not you wanted to keep yielding to it.
Jesus, teach me that my spirit is showing me what
the Christian life is like. But, my body is being allowed to invite me back into the old
life. Help me see that I now stand in
between the way I feel in my spirit and the way I feel in my body. If I want what I feel in my spirit and hate what I feel in my
body, I will be willing to say: “As it is, it is no longer I myself
who do it.” Jesus, I now put my stamp of approval on what my spirit wants. I am ready to learn what it is going to take
to fully commit to You and all You have to offer.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is
sin living in me: Since you
have a spirit that is experiencing all the wonderful potential of
Christianity, and since you have a body that is keeping the door open for you to
go back into your old way of life, all you have to do is allow Jesus to help
you close that door. Then you
will be truly free! Your
God-given free will is still intact.
You are still in control over your life and the decisions you make for
it. If you choose to proceed on into the
next step of Christianity, then you are ready to make this statement: “As it
is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”
Jesus,
help me see what it is I have just confessed.
Help me start living on the basis of the fact that I must join You in
empowering me to put a stop to those things my body is trying to lure me back
into. Help me resist the memories in my
mind that would try to cause me to yield to my body. When a memory tries to gain my attention,
help me immediately run to You for thoughts and Scriptures that give me power
to reject those memories. Give me a
strong commitment to my new way of life.
Give me a hatred for my old way of life.
Keep in mind that this commitment sets a general decision for your life. It is the moments in your day that are the real commitments. You are faced with decisions all day long that will challenge your commitment to Jesus. You must immediately turn to Jesus and ask Him to empower you to do the right, good, and righteous thing. If you forget to ask Him to help you make a decision, just ask Him to help you remember the next time.
Jesus, let this commitment I made to truth seventeen in Romans 7:17
influence my day-to-day decisions. Empower
me to turn to You in my mind while realizing my body is trying to get me to do
wrong, bad, and sometimes even evil things.
Help me ask You for Your power in my spirit to force my body to
obey those things You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are telling me to
do. Help me yield to You based on my
confessions with my mouth.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Three
Why Can’t I Just Make A
Business Decision?
Week Nine Day Five
Truth Seventeen: Rom 7:17 (NIV) As it is, it is no longer I
myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
The Self-Forgiven,
Self-Justified, And Self-Righteous Christian
As it is: When you do
wrong things as a new or untrained Christian, you will typically apply your old
way of dealing with it. The reason you can
go to church or some Christian group meeting and not feel all that bad about
some of the things you did that week, is because you used world-provided
training on them. You did things, that
if you could see the real damage they did to you and those around you, it would
devastate you. But,
you won’t be able to apply the principles of God to them because you have already
“handled” them with world systems.
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no
means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced
death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might
become utterly sinful (Rom 7:13). Jesus,
help me allow the sins of my past-life to become utterly sinful. Set me free from forgiving myself,
justifying myself, and making myself feel good about the wrong, bad, or evil
things I do. Let sin…be recognized as
sin. Let sin…become
utterly sinful to me.
Sin
Never Did Become Utterly Sinful
Many a person
decided that their old life wasn’t all that bad and went back. Many a Christian has decided that “many
things” in their old life weren’t all that bad and decided to keep them. Many a Christian became a new or untrained
Christian, learned the principles of Romans chapter seven, and decided to not
progress into the life of Romans chapter eight.
Jesus, I now see the importance of allowing Your
Holy Spirit to teach me Your commandments.
He is speaking to my conscience so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. Help me understand that if I
allow this to happen to me, it will empower my desires to push forward in
You. Show me what they are, what they
look like, and how bad they are for me and those around me. Then show me what righteousness is, what it
looks like, and how awesome it is for me and those around me.
Learning What Changed And How To Deal With It
As it is, it is no longer: “No longer” means things have changed; but, what should you do
about it? That is what Jesus is teaching
you. As He uses Romans chapter seven to
explain what is going on in your life as a new or untrained Christian, He is
helping you see what the problem is and what to do about. Christianity did wonderful things in you; but, it is easy for you to make assumptions that aren’t
true. Then when they don’t happen, you
think it failed you.
Jesus, help me put the priority on learning Your
commands and principles. Let me be
taught by You; teach me what Christianity is all about. Help me take advantage of every provision You
have for me. Deliver me from ignorance,
misunderstands, assumptions, and missing truths. Fill my heart and mind with everything I need
so I can succeed in this life and to be totally ready for eternity.
As it is, it is no longer I myself: You have learned so many things that dealt with the
world around you. But,
most people have little knowledge of themselves. They may know what they like and don’t like; they
may have some experiences that have proven or disproven some of their
theories. But,
few know about the spirit/body relationship.
When they use words like “I,” “me,” “my,” and “myself,” very few people
realize those words include an animalistic body. They may have “civilized” these animalistic feelings
and desires of their body. But, they have no idea how to let Jesus empower them to take
control over it.
Jesus, since You constructed me and made me the way I am. Help me know what actually makes the real me;
let me know the truth about me. I have
felt the battle between my body and my spirit.
I have experienced feelings that were pushing me one way while having
desires that opposed those desires and drives.
Jesus, the world taught me to trust my heart; but, sometimes my “heart”
seems to want two different things at the same time. There is a desire to do things that feet
good; and, there is a desire to do things that make sense. There is a desire to do what is best for me;
and, there is a desire to provide win/win situations for all involved. There are desires that don’t seem to care
about right and wrong; and, there are desires to be a good person who does the
right things. Help me understand me
so I can identify my spirit from my body.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it: Once you realize that it is your body with
its sinful nature that is causing you all your problems with
wrong, bad, and evil, you might assume that, that was all you had to know. But, as you go about your day, things aren’t
all that clear. What really is
wrong, bad, or evil? As you are about to
make a decision, is it right or wrong, is it good or bad, is it righteous or
evil? There will appear to be decisions
that don’t seem to fit into any of these categories. If you are keeping your heart and mind open to
Jesus, He will help you with every decision you will face all during your
day.
Jesus, it is very confusing having to face desires and deeds that I
don’t feel good about. I don’t
understand why I have conflicting desires in me. I didn’t know the Holy Spirit was the
influence on my conscience. I had things
my mind wanted to do that made sense; I had things my heart seemed to want to
do that offered pleasure; and I had things that my conscience wanted me to do
that were right, but hard to do. Help me
learn more about these influences that exist inside me; help me learn where
each one comes from. And, help me look
to You for getting Your solutions for them.
Where Is Sin Living In Me?
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me: Your body is in a condition that you do not have the power to deal with. No matter how hard you try, you will lose the battle with your body. But, getting help from Jesus is a learned skill. As you are going through your day, if you wait until some crisis comes up, your getting-help-with-Jesus’ skill will be weak. But, if all day long you are inviting Jesus into even the smallest issues, you will be growing in hearing Jesus, feeling His influence on your heart, and feeling His power help you be able to do the right things. It is best to practice all day long at listening to Jesus.
Jesus, help me accept the truth that there is a condition in my body
that I cannot control. Teach me how to
invite You into helping me with it. Help
me understand that there will be two types of choices all day long. There will be right, good, and righteous
choices. And, there will be wrong, bad,
and evil choice. So, in the midst of the
all the choices I have to make, help me be able to choose what to do based on
honesty, love, win/win, and wisdom.
My Spirit Makes The Decision
It is no longer I myself who do it:
· The right to choose what to do all during your day is in your spirit.
· The power to fulfill that choice, if it is a right, good, or righteous choice, comes from Jesus.
· The way to get that power, comes from you applying The Three Keys To All Christianity, The Seven Biblical Principles, and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of God.
· The opportunity for you to apply those three toolsets is coming by Jesus training you on what they are, what they do, how to use them, and what to apply them to.
· The skills, talents, experiences, and abilities to apply the three toolsets comes from you working with Jesus day-by-day. Practice, practice, practice is the answer.
Jesus, as I do my devotions each day, You expose
me to more and more truths. Then You
expose me to more and more prayers. Teach
me these truths and these prayers so I can learn what is true, what it looks
like, how it works, how it would enhance my life, how I would go about applying
it to my life, and then help me pray and ask You to install it in my life.
My Body Resists The Decision
But it is sin living in me: Jesus, as my spirit is making the
decision on what to think, how to feel, what to say, and what to do about a
certain issue during my day, You always empower me to base
them on what is right, good, and righteous.
If a decision wouldn’t be fair, just, or moral, You
help me look for a way to make a decision that would fit these criteria. But, help me understand that the thing that
causes me to also get opposing selfish, prideful,
immoral, or revengeful ideas, feelings, words, and deeds comes from my
body. Help me realize that it is open to
the world’s training and the devil’s temptations all during that decision
making process. Use these devotions to
help me win over that situation.
This
concludes your reading and praying for the week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Four
Week Ten Day One
Truth Eighteen: Rom 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing good
lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Learning The Principles Of Life
Success
I know: A major part
of winning has to do with learning how you and life work. If struggles are inside you, then it is hard
to approach life with strength and unity.
You will be experiencing internal changes that bring happiness one
minute and regret the next. During one
period of your day, you will be empty and sad.
At another point you will be happy and having fun.
Jesus, show me what really makes me happy. Show me what really makes me a true success. Show
me what gives me a true purpose for living. And, show me what will provide me with a
feeling of fulfillment. Help me
understand that I have to know not only how life works, I have to know
how I work. If I don’t know how
I and life work, then I will be using trial and error methods for the rest of my
life.
Learning The Principles Of Good
I know that nothing good: What is good?
Is it something that makes you happy?
Is it a relationship that you can have that gives you a peace and
satisfaction? Is it something you can
accomplish and it fulfill you? Is it
something you decide is good? Is it
something you can buy? Or, is it
something that has already been decided?
Who decides what good is?
Jesus, You have a complete
presentation on what right and wrong are, what good and bad are, and what
righteousness and evil are. Based on Your
supernatural knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom,
help me believe and accept that You are the only One Who is qualified to
establish what is good for me and those around me. Show me that, that is what the Holy Spirit
has been telling me for a long time. Now
that I am a Christian, I also have the Bible and You teaching me additional information
on what good is.
Learning The Truth About Me As A Human
I know that nothing good lives in me: If the Holy Spirit hadn’t been constantly speaking
to your conscience the moment you were old enough to be responsible for right
and wrong, you would have been free to hurt yourself and other people and not
experience one moment of guilt or regret.
The only ability you had, as an unsaved person, to know what was
right or wrong, good or bad, righteous or evil all came from the Holy Spirit
speaking to your conscience. He saved
you from doing many things that you would have regretted for the rest of your
life.
Jesus, help me accept that nothing good lives in
me, as it relates to my body. Help me see that I must have supernatural
help or it is going to keep getting worse.
Show me that it isn’t just hurting me; it is hurting those around
me. Help me understand that it is not
only causing me to get cheated out of much of what You have to offer; it is
keeping these things from flowing through me to them. Help me see how much I need You to help me
with my body.
Learning The Truth About The Sinful Nature
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my
sinful nature: The sinful nature is in your body. When the Bible talks about the sinful
nature, you can always know it is also talking about your body and not your
spirit. So, it is saying that nothing
good lives in your body. It is
animalistic, conscienceless, and immoral.
If it weren’t for you being a spirit that is living in it, it would do
what all those evil, wicked people do that you have heard about.
Rom 2:5 (NIV) But because of your stubbornness and your
unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of
God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be
revealed. Jesus, I know I have to believe what You are telling
me. Help me see what a powerful part the
Holy Spirit played helping me fight my body all these years. Show me that if I had done what others did, I
would have resisted the Holy Spirit’s voice in my conscience with such
determination that I would have hardened it against Him. I thank You for helping me continue to listen
to Him even though it was making me miserable.
Learning
The Truth About My Heart
Prior to salvation, you tried to
cooperate with your conscience; but, you failed. You felt you needed to fight for your rights,
make sure you got what you wanted, and make sure you weren’t taken advantage
of. You thought, felt, said, and did
things to other people that you thought was necessary for protecting yourself and
getting results; that was who you were. But, there was never a time when you decided to shut your
conscience up and totally give in to evil.
Rom 1:18 (NIV) The wrath of God is being revealed from
heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth
by their wickedness. Jesus, I thank You for helping me, even
before I came to You. Thank You for not
allowing so much evil to come my way that I joined it. Thank You for my God-given free will that
chose to at least try to be a good person.
Thank You for showing me that even though I couldn’t live it, it was
the right way to live. And now, I thank
You for empowering me to start heading into a life where I will be able to
fulfill those things the Holy Spirit is speaking into my conscience.
Learning The Truth About My Free
Will
2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he IS a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! As to your God-given free will, nothing from
God will take it away. As awesome as
this blessing and transformation is, it still hasn’t overwhelmed you in such a
way that you can’t get out of it, if you want.
You were created in God’s image; and He has no intentions of removing
any of it from you. So, there will
always be responsibilities that you will have.
Your body, with its sinful nature, will always provide you a door
out, if you want it.
Jesus,
help me realize that I have certain responsibilities placed on me. Help me not get the impression that just
because I don’t have the power to live the Christian life, and have to have
Your power to live it, that I have given up my God-given free will. Help me see that I have three toolsets that
require me to use them. They are my
responsibility to learn what they are, what they do, when and where to use
them, how to use them, and to get good at using them.
Learning The Truth About My
Desire
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature. For I have the desire to
do what is good: All of
Christianity is built on this desire; if you don’t desire something, then God
honors your right to be free to choose.
If you have the desire to do what is good, then Jesus is ready to
help you fulfill it; if you don’t, then He won’t.
Jesus, there have been times when I didn’t
understand why You didn’t take over my life like sin did. I saw how powerful You are; so, I expected
You to make me do the right things.
I didn’t understand my God-given free will. I didn’t understand what it meant to be made
in Your image. Help me see that You want
me to be free to make my own decisions. You
want me to have a relationship with You that is based on love not force.
Learning The Truth About My Power
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature. For I have the desire to do what
is good, but I cannot carry it out: This is very
confusing to the new and untrained Christian!
The world taught you that you could be anything you wanted to be, you
could accomplish anything you put your mind to, and if you failed at anything, just
get up and try it again. You must
never, never give up! And,
it is true that giving up isn’t the answer; but,
neither is keeping on doing the same things over and over again and expecting a
different result.
Jesus, show me that by never giving up on world
training caused me to not be open to Your training. Show me that the 26 “I’s” in Romans chapter
seven was an all-out human effort to live the Christian life. Help me believe that the oldest, most
trained, most mature Christian in the world cannot carry it out
themselves.
Rom 10:8 (NIV) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming. You have already used this system for being saved and justified (Rom 10:9-10) and with truth number seventeen; now use it on truth eighteen.
Jesus, I accept this truth as my truth; I admit that:
“I know that nothing good lives in me, that
is, in my sinful nature. For I have the
desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” I admit that I have been applying
world training, human effort, and human wisdom to my Christian life. I admit that it is not working for me and
want to change my system. Help me learn
that as long as I have the desire to do
what is good, You will empower me to carry it out. Show me that, as I admit
these things, You will honor my honesty and change my
systems and behavior. I thank You that I
can now carry it out.
This concludes your reading
and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Five
How Am I Going To
Feel Good About Myself?
Week Ten Day Two
Truth Eighteen: Rom 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing good
lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
I know: What do you
know? Do you know the twenty-five truths
of Romans chapter seven? Do you know
that all of the moral issues the world taught you are wrong? Do you know that you need to start all over
and allow God to tell you the truth about life?
Or, do you know you already have a lot of the answers and don’t need all
that much training?
Jesus, help me understand that even the neutral things of math, science,
language, music, and art have been contaminated by the world. They have tried to teach me why I do them,
what to apply them to, how to express their philosophies through them, and what
kind of goals I should set around them.
Help me see that they have added moral implications concerning what they
think are right and wrong. While they
were teaching me those neutral subjects, they were interjecting their world and
satanic philosophies into them.
I know that nothing good: Are you a good person because you are nice to
people, because you help some needy people, because you don’t typically hurt
people, or because you are self-sacrificing?
If God sees a problem with these systems that you are using to help you
feel good about yourself, you will have a hard time letting them go.
Jesus, I know You want me to feel good about
myself. But, I
also know You don’t want me to feel good about the wrong things. Help me realize that I don’t just have a lot
of problems; nothing good is in my body.
Help me see that, in my body, that sinful nature is totally
bad. Help me understand that, if my body
were left to its own desires, drives, and passions, it would be just as evil as
the worst person I have ever heard about.
Show me that if I don’t embrace this truth, I won’t allow You to do what
needs to be done to solve its problems.
How Can I Feel Good About Myself?
I know that nothing good lives in me: If you could see your body through God’s eyes of perfection, it would destroy you. If you could even see the spiritual difference between where you are now, because of your body, and where Jesus is taking you, it would depress you concerning your current condition. But, because Jesus is only showing You one or two things that need fixing, it is keeping you from feeling hopeless. However, if you don’t see your need, you won’t cooperate with the journey. It is vital that you believe this about your body. Jesus is showing you this so you will join Him in subjecting it to the sanctification process.
Jesus, help me realize that the way for me to feel good about myself
isn’t based on the condition of my body and that it isn’t all that bad. It is based on my spirit and the incredible
transformation You have worked in it. Help me face all those things that are keeping
me from being the very best in You. Let
me see that You are going to have to help me face a lot of weaknesses while
still feeling good about myself. Lead me
into it all without me being damaged or condemned. Take me into Your way of helping me grow into
Your very best.
How Did I Get Good In Me?
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is: Do you know that the Holy Spirit lives in you? 1 Cor 6:19 (NIV) Do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who
is in you, Whom you have received from God? You
are not your own. Do you know that
Jesus lives in you through the Holy Spirit.
Rom 8:9 (NIV) You,
however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
If your objective is to become a good person, you face an impossible assignment. But, if you will accept Jesus as the good Who lives in you, you can feel good about yourself. He is resident in your body so you are and will be good. Good only lives in the Spirit and Jesus, Who lives in you; you will never be good in yourself. It would generate pride, which would destroy you.
Jesus, help me see that, even as a new creation, there isn’t any good in
me. Show me that if You are removed from
all that I am, I immediately cease to have good living in me. Teach me that the good is living in You; and,
You are living in me.
Help me accept that the good will always stay in You. Help me realize that nothing good lives in me
except through remaining in You. Teach
me how to allow Your good to flow through my behavior.
What About My Body, Can It Get
Good In It?
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my
sinful nature: It is important
for you to know that Jesus didn’t enter into your sinful nature. There is a place in the fabric of your
body where you, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus do not live. Your spirit, the Holy
Spirit, and Jesus live inside your body like you live inside a house. You don’t live inside the walls of the house;
you live in the cavity formed by the house.
Just like bugs, spiders, and termites live in the structure that makes
up your house, your sinful nature lives inside the material that makes
up your body.
Jesus, teach me that those things that are
physical, earthly, and mortal can house spiritual things. Show me that the temple built in the
wilderness and the temple Solomon built were made up of these physical
things. But,
You were able to move into the cavity formed by these physical structures with Your
Spirit presence. But, help me see that none
of the walls or physical materials ever become a part of You nor do You occupy
them.
Jesus, show me that these concepts go beyond
what I can figure out. Teach me that
these words used are expressing spiritual truths through earthly terms. And, You are
presenting them to a very weak, limited human.
Teach me through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
1 Cor 15:53-54 (NIV) For the perishable must clothe
itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written
will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” This
is a wonderful Scripture that uses human words to try to describe eternal
concepts. It helps to see what is still
in your future; but, you will only get a glimpse into
what all this means. So, just
accept the study of your body and your spirit on a limited level. The Holy Spirit will help you gradually
understand more and more.
Jesus, I am excited about all the wonderful things You are teaching me;
but, help me not get off track. Help me
see just enough so I can cooperate with You in dealing with my body. Help me understand what I need to know and
wait on what You will explain to me in eternity.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire: All you need to learn is that there is a sinful nature in the physical make up of your body. Nothing good lives in that part of your physical make up. But, there is your human spirit inside the housing of your body, there is a Holy Spirit also inside the housing of your body, and there is your Savior, Jesus, living in there too. Exactly how it all takes place isn’t something you need to spend much time on at this point. You just need to quickly learn that, that is the way it is, and then, find out what your responsibility is for taking advantage of it.
Jesus, show me that my body has a sinful nature in its
fabric. Help me also accept the fact
that my body houses my spirit, the Holy Spirit, and You inside it. Help me to just accept them as truths that
You will make clearer as I need it. Help
me only study those things that help me grow spiritually. Help me trust You to
expand my training when You decide it is time.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out: This is a very important truth; none of us are able to carry out the good we desire to do because the good is inside Jesus. You found out that there is no good in you without Jesus living in you. The Holy Spirit has been directing you toward good (Jesus) by speaking to your conscience. The Bible has been identifying, describing, and instructing you on what good is--Jesus; but without Jesus, you cannot carry it out. If you think you are a pretty good person, you will have a point of contention with this truth. But, if you trust God and His Word, you will accept this truth and be ready for the next truth.
Jesus, the world taught me to have faith in myself. You are teaching me to have faith in
You. Help me realize that the reason I
cannot carry good out
is because of my faith in myself. But, I can do everything through Him (You, Jesus)
Who gives me strength (Phil 4:13). This is because You are empowering me to have
faith in You. Teach me how to give up
faith in myself and accept complete faith in You. Let me learn how to live this kind of life so
I can have success in life. Give me the
Jesus-life that brings true success.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Six
Why Do I Need A Shepherd?
Week Ten Day Three
Truth Nineteen: Rom 7:19 (NIV) For what I do is not the good
I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
Back To The Deeds And The Doer
For what I do: You
are now ready to start dealing with your deeds; if you have allowed God to show
you what good is, and if you are ready to allow Him to show you how bad your
deeds have been and still are, then you have accepted the first part of God’s
truth. You now know you weren’t and
aren’t living the right way; but, you want
to. You want to find out how to live the successful Christian
life. This desire is your first step
into living as a mature, adult Christian.
Jesus, teach me that the next truth I have been
looking at is, my deeds and I are not the same.
I am a spirit that wants to do those things God calls good. But, help me never forget that I have a body
that has a sinful nature in its fabric. You taught me that God allowed it to stay
in that condition so my God-given free will isn’t forced by salvation. But, I am not
being forced; I want all the provisions
and benefits of salvation. Show me
that, that means I am ready and willing to move on into these truths.
I Can’t But Jesus Can
For what I do is not the good: The good that the Holy Spirit has been speaking into your conscience all these years, is a supernatural good. It is like asking you to fly without wings. It is asking you to live like you don’t have a body with a sinful nature in it. Mat 5:48 (NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. It is like asking you to be perfect, when you are struggling with trying to do something good.
Mat 10:16 (NIV) I am sending you out like sheep among
wolves. Therefore
be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Jesus, show me that my Christian life is like sheep trying to survive around wolves
without a shepherd. Help me see that I can’t
live a life of good without You. Even if
I did live a good life, people would take advantage of my good. Help me realize that good without You is
impossible around people who aren’t always honest.
It Takes A Shepherd
For what I do is not the good I want to do: If you don’t know how to stop protecting yourself,
if you don’t know how to keep people from taking advantage of you without you
making sure they don’t, then you will go right on running your own life. You will leave Jesus out of our day-to-day
activities and only have a relationship with Him during times of worship and
devotions. But,
it doesn’t keep the wolves away; you will still be out there trying to be the
top wolf. You will still be out there
trying to handle a wolf-eat-wolf world.
Jesus, teach me that when I was born again, I was
made into a new creator that doesn’t have wolves’ teeth, wolves’ skills,
wolves’ attitudes, and wolves’ hungers. I
am now a child of God who doesn’t use those things the world uses. I have to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
If I am not shrewd enough to understand that I need You, as my
shepherd, I will get badly damaged. And,
if I am not innocent, I am not living the Christian life. As my Shepherd, help me see that You are my
only hope for survival.
According To Jesus, What Does
Good Look Like?
This is Jesus taking all your wolves’ teeth, wolves’ claws,
and wolf aggression away from you. This
is Him teaching you how to be a sheep that has a Shepherd:
Luke 6:31 (NIV) Do to others as you would have them
do to you.
Luke 6:32-34 (NIV):
·
If you love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.
·
If you do good to those who are good to
you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that.
·
If you lend to those from whom you
expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’
expecting to be repaid in full.
Luke 6:35 (NIV) But:
·
Love
your enemies: Jesus, help me love my
enemies through Your power. I lack the
power to love people who are pretty nice to me.
Work a miracle in my attitudes and character. Help me live this life of Christianity with
Your great love and power.
·
Do
good to them: Jesus, help me do good
to my enemies. Just doing good in
general has been impossible for me. I
didn’t feel like I could afford to do good or people would take advantage of
me. Help me see that this good from You
extends even to my enemies.
·
Lend
to them without expecting to get anything back: Jesus, I see that enemies are not usually
honest people. But, help me also see
that if they do cheat me, take advantage of me, or steel from me, I can get
away from them. Show me that these are
instances where I accidently encountered an evil person. Help me not worry about what evil they did
before I found out who they are. Help me
see that my God will
meet all my
needs according to His glorious riches in You, my Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). Then your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind
to the ungrateful and wicked.
·
Luke
6:36 (NIV) Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful: Jesus, help me be merciful so that I can
receive mercy from You.
No Power-Relationship With
Jesus
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil
I do not want to do--this I keep on doing: What if you tried to obey the Scriptures in Luke
6:31-36 without Jesus? Your
companies, corporations, marriages, jobs, friendships, families, and
associations would all collapse and fail.
But, with Jesus, as your Shepherd, and your heavenly Father taking care
of all your circumstances you get this:
·
Rom 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in
all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have
been called according to His purpose.
·
Phil 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet
all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Mat 10:16 (NIV) I (Jesus) am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as
shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Jesus,
I am now faced with a choice; I am not choosing to join You and be defeated,
cheated, used, abused, and destroyed. I
am choosing Your Jesus-method to use so I can win at life. Help me put my life in Your hands. I know You will do
the best job of helping me be successful.
Take control of my circumstances.
Be my source for all my needs being met.
I trust You and Your way of life for me.
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing: If you don’t protect yourself, who will? If you don’t see to it your rights are
preserved, who’s going to do it? If you just
go around loving, forgiving, giving, sharing, loaning, and being nice to
people, who is going to make sure people don’t take advantage of you? Aren’t you being a little naive; aren’t you being
gullible; aren’t you setting yourself up for abuse, failure, theft, being
cheated, being misled, and taken advantage of?
Jesus, since this is Christianity, teach me how I am
going to go out into the “real” world and expect to win at life. Teach me how I am going to be able to have
success in life, since this is the way You expect me
to live. Help me to fully trust you to
be my Shepherd and take care of all my needs.
Help me to put my total trust in Your abilities to watch over me,
protect me, and make sure that I am safe.
I lay my life in Your hands so I can live the Christian life.
Welcome To The Jesus-Life
Jesus, help me always remember that salvation gave
me my relationship with God. And,
justification took me into a life where what I
do is not the good I want to do;
no, the evil I do not want to
do--this I keep on doing; but I have a perfect
record with God. Show me that, to the
world, I haven’t changed; I still do business like I did before; I treat my
spouse like I like I did before; I interact with my family like I didn’t become
a Christian. But, show me that this is
just a temporary situation; I will learn how to get a power-relationship
with You.
Jesus, I agree with truth number nineteen, and now
say: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want
to do--this I keep on doing.” I have confessed this with my mouth and I
believe this with my heart (Rom 10:8).
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Seven
Why Isn’t This Working The Way I Expected?
Week Ten Day Four
Truth Nineteen: Rom 7:19 (NIV) For what I do is not the good
I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
A Life Without Spiritual Growth
What
Happened?
For what I do: We all
come into Christianity with great expectations.
You knew that it had to do with you being a better, nicer, and more
loving person. So, when you got saved,
you went out and faced the day and even felt lighter, happier, and free. But, soon you found
out that your attitudes and character hadn’t changed all that much--why?
Jesus, I thank You for the feelings of freedom, the
lightness of being forgiven of all my sins, and the perfect record with
God. I thank You that You gave me a hope
and a future that has changed my emotions, faith, and expectations. I now see how wonderful You are. I see how much You love me and are incredibly
gracious and merciful to me. Salvation and
justification have done so many incredible things for me. Help me see all these wonderful things; let
me allow them to help me trust You with my next assignment to yield to the sanctification
system.
For what I do is not: You had an expectation, a hope, a desire for Christianity to make you a better person. You probably thought God would take the fact that you had been born again and made into a new creation, and cause it to take over your life; but, He didn’t. You still have the same memories, the same drives and temptations, and you are still struggling with the way you think, feel, talk, and act. What is the problem? Is it you? Is it that salvation doesn’t work? Is it because you really didn’t get saved? Or is it because you still have some things to learn?
Jesus, I had my own reasons for excepting salvation. I looked at other Christians, listened to
what they said about You and Your salvation, and then I formed my own opinion
about how I thought my new life was going to be. I based my studies, prayers, training, and
efforts into trying to bring my goal into reality. Help me realize that I lack the knowledge,
foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom You have. Help me drop my opinions about what I think
Christianity should be like and accept how You structured Christianity.
For what I do is not the good: We all experience some disappointment in salvation
and Christianity at some point in our life, because it isn’t exactly like we
envisioned it to be. But,
not everyone experiences it the same way.
You may have been disappointed in yourself; you may have been
disappointed in the experience; you may have been disappointed in God.
Jesus, when what I do is not what I thought would happen,
naturally I wondered why. But now that I
am being trained by You through Your Word, it is much different than what I
thought it would be. However, I trust You
with my beliefs, opinions, and philosophies. You are trustworthy, honest, loving, and
good. Help me accept Your explanations
for why I am struggling with my Christian experience the way I am. Help me relax and allow You to influence the
way I live my life. Help me give You the
trust and authority You deserve.
How Am I Going To Do This?
For what I do is not the good: Almost from birth, you thought you knew what was
good for you. You have been deciding
what you think is best for you for a long time.
You have been listening to others try to convince you of what they
thought was best. But,
you have always reserved the right to make the final decision. Even if you were forced to accept something you
didn’t think was best for you, you held your own opinion on the inside.
Jesus, now that I am faced with You, Who knows You know what is good and best for me, this brings
me face to face with a lifelong habit, behavior, and lifestyle that I have never
given over to anyone else. I know You
aren’t flexible about what is good; I know You are the
authority on what it really is. I know You are the only One Who qualifies for making this
decision. Help me trust You and be meek before You. Empower me to give this big issue over to
You. Help me not just mentally give it
over. Help me give it over in my heart
as well.
For what I do is not the good I want to do: At the moment of salvation is the first time you and the Holy Spirit got on the same page. Even though He made your conscience feel bad about your deeds, you still felt you needed to do things differently. You could literally not see any way to succeed in life without saying misleading things. You felt you had to focus on yourself. You didn’t see how you were going to be protected from mistreatment without being your own defender. You didn’t think His way would work in the “real” world. But, your heart’s desire changed and your mind got a special wisdom at the moment of salvation.
Jesus, I like being in agreement with my conscience; I appreciate
salvation transforming the way I feel about things. I appreciate the fact that the Holy Spirit
has for years been exposing me to what good is.
I am glad I now accept the work of the Holy Spirit in my
conscience. It is great that He and I
are in agreement on what good is. Help
me face my own weaknesses. I always
thought that the only reason I didn’t do the right things was because I
didn’t want to. I didn’t realize that I
couldn’t just decide to change my behavior and it happen. Help me accept the fact that I lack the power
for doing those things You have established as good.
Are Things Really All That Bad?
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil: It takes a little longer for you to get to the place where you allow the Holy Spirit to show you how evil your behavior has been and still is. As was said before, your self-forgiveness, self-justification, and self-righteousness kept you from seeing how much you and others were being hurt by your behavior. It took a special work of God to bring you to the place where you saw things through His eyes. It is a work that keeps taking place in you for quite a while. However, if you don’t see it for what it really is, you will not be able to accept this vital life-principle; Jesus is talking to you through the Bible.
Jesus, I am learning that I and my deeds aren’t the same. You are helping me see that bad deeds come
from my body. You are helping me not
base my value on my deeds. You are
helping me see that there are things I allowed to enter into my life that are
evil. You are empowering me hate
them and want them to be removed.
Even though I can’t remove them, You are using
my hating and wanting to set me free from them. Empower me to keep hating them and
“doing what it takes” for them to be removed from me.
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do: Now that you are no longer refusing to see these things as being “all that bad,” you are facing a new problem. You are still not free from the evil you do not want to do. You weren’t free before, because you didn’t want to be free. Now you want to be free and you don’t have the power to free yourself. This gets confusing and frustrating. But, it is important that you not get frustrated. Jesus is using this situation to train you concerning eternal principles. Just like your body, as a baby, didn’t function like you wanted it to, so your spirit hasn’t learned how to make your physical body function like you want it to. But, Jesus is teaching you how!
Jesus, help me not get discouraged, frustrated, or confused. Help me see that this is new to me and that
You need to use this situation with my body to teach me spiritual
principles. Fill me with patience and
faith so I can trust You with an issue that I don’t totally understand. Show me that this is normal for new and
untrained Christians. Help me see that
the reason many new and untrained Christians don’t look like they are having
this problem is because they are acting victorious around other Christians. Help me believe this is normal for me.
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil
I do not want to do--this I keep on doing: First you must want to do good and not do evil; then you must face
the fact that you can’t make yourself do good and quit doing evil. After that you apply The Three Keys and The Seven
Biblical Principles for getting the help from Jesus you need. That brings you to the place where you can
start getting actual, physical results in your behavior!
Jesus, You have taken me step-by-step into the
truths that give me results. You have
helped me see why I need to do what I need to do. Empower me to cooperate with these truths and
accept them as truths. Help me be able
to live the way Your Holy Spirit is leading me.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Eight
Why Is God So Strict?
Week Ten Day Five
Truth Twenty: Rom 7:20 (NIV) Now if I do what I do not want
to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Now if I do: Why
would God give you a salvation that brought you into a relationship with Him,
give you a perfect record with Him through justification, and then you end up
with a life where what you do to yourself and other people is
not the good you want to do; no, the evil you do not want to
do--this you keep on doing?
Why would He give you a perfect record with Him but not make you
change your words and deeds with yourself and other people?
Jesus, when I go out into the world and my words and
deeds haven’t changed, let it help me want to learn how to change. When people like my spouse, my family, my business
associates, my boss, my employees, my clients, my customers, my friends, and
everyone else can’t really see I got saved and became a Christian, let that
help me pursue You and your training with all my
heart. Show me that I am the one who has
to allow You to train me.
This Is Just A Temporary Situation
Now if I do what I do not want to do: This situation in your life must help
you pursue Jesus. He is teaching you how
to get a power-relationship with Him as you learn to want it
and learn to hate evil. If you
see your life as being “pretty good” and your deeds as being “not all that
bad,” you will only allow Jesus to help you a little bit. Because, Jesus only helps you in those areas
where you allow Him to. If you aren’t
growing spiritually very much, make sure you want
righteousness with all your heart, and that you hate evil
with all your heart, by using The Seven Biblical Principles, and The Eight
Power-Attitudes of God to diagnose your situation.
Jesus, sometimes I forget that You only do those
things I allow You to do. If I don’t
allow my hatred for
sin to help me see my need of You, I won’t allow You to help me in that
area. If I don’t love righteousness with
all my heart, I won’t open my heart to You and Your righteousness. And, when that happens, You
wait for me to invite You into those situations. Even though I don’t completely understand why
I am studying and praying about some of these things, help me trust You and cooperate with You.
Show me that You will help me understand them as I keep trusting You to
lead me into them.
Having
But Not Taking Advantage Of Jesus
You, as a new or untrained
Christian, start out with no real understanding of what Jesus has provided or
why He provided it. You are looking
through the lens of the world and see sin and righteousness from that
perspective. When you compare your life
with some of the other sinners in the world, you can readily see that you
“aren’t that bad.” When you compare
your benevolence with some of the greedy people in this world, you can clearly
see how generous you are. But, when you
compare your life with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), you can
clearly see that you have some spiritual growing to do.
Mat 5:48 (NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect. Jesus, I thank You that I start out perfect
with God because of my perfect record with Him.
But, help me see that I need to allow you to take me through Your Sermon
on the Mount so I can see sin and righteousness through Your eyes. Help me see them so clearly that I allow You
to work on my attitudes and character in a complete way. Help me not seek You based on my comparison
of myself with various people in the world.
Help me see that the world’s standard is far below where You want to
take me.
Putting The Blame In The Wrong
Place
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no
longer I who do it: Was the world
right in saying it isn’t your fault that you do wrong, bad, and evil things to yourself
and other people? It’s true that it
isn’t your fault, as a new or untrained Christian. But, it isn’t
because of your parents, society, or circumstances. Jesus isn’t teaching you that you are a product
of your environment. He holds you accountable
for being a reaction to your environment. Your parents, society, and circumstances did
things to you and you reacted to them.
1 John 1:10 (NIV) If we claim we have not sinned, we make
Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.
Jesus, help me
understand that You are holding me accountable for what I and my body do. Show me that nothing and no one are to blame
for the way I reacted to them. Help me
accept the fact that I sinned because I chose to. Help me realize that I didn’t see those sins
as being all that bad because I compared my words and deeds with people in the
world. Help me see that You are right in
setting the standard for my life and will empower me to live it.
The Importance Of Putting The
Blame Where It Belongs
It is no longer I who do it: If it is no longer you
who is doing wrong, bad, and evil, then “who” is doing them? You have a perfect record with God through
Jesus’ justification; but, your record with yourself and other people isn’t all
that good. You need to find out “who” is
doing these things you are saying and doing.
And, you need to find out what to do about it and get it fixed
quick. If you are going to have a good marriage, a productive business, beneficial
friendships, meaningful family relationships, and a successful
life, then you need to use your perfect record in such a way that you learn
how to get sanctification (spiritual growth) working in your life; or, you are
going to keep on having people problems.
Jesus,
help me get a good marriage, a productive
business, beneficial friendships, meaningful family
relationships, and a successful life.
Help me solve this problem with my relationships with myself and
others. I thank You for making it
possible for me to take advantage of sanctification and experience major
changes in my behavior. Help me “do what
it takes” to allow You to change my words and deeds so I can keep
getting a better record with myself and those around me.
Where Does The Blame Belong?
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who
do it, but it is sin living in me that does it: As you have seen, your body has a sinful nature that
is causing you to treat yourself and other people in ways that are
harmful. But, now that you know it is
your body and not you, you can’t just relax and start living a life of
“freedom.” You can’t just allow your
body to go around doing all this damage to you and other people. If you know your car is having steering
problems, it is your responsibility to get it fixed. You can’t just go around hitting people and
saying: “Sorry, my car has steering problems; it’s not my fault.” Even if you have no idea how to fix
cars, you do know where to go to get it fixed.
Jesus, it’s true I know that nothing good lives
in me, that is, in my sinful nature that exists in my
body. It’s true that I
have the desire to do what is good, and it’s true
that I cannot carry it out (Rom 7:18). But, help me always keep in mind that I know
Who to go to, to get it fixed. You are
teaching me how to come to You and let You fix my relationships with myself and
other people. As my Shepherd, You know how to protect me, provide for me, and heal my
relationships. But, with my God-given
free will, teach me how to yield to You so You can do all of these things.
But it is sin living in me that does it: The
reason the sinful nature is call that is because there is sin living
in it that is living in your body that belongs to you. “Sin living in me” is talking about
your body that is a part of you. Just
like you driving a car make that car be an extension of you, so is your body an
extension of you. When you hit someone with
your car, they don’t blame your car, they blame you. They say, you hit this person with your car.
Jesus, help me always remember that salvation gave
me my relationship with God. And,
justification took me into a life where now if I do what I do not want to
do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it; but
I have a perfect record with God. Show
me that, to the world, I haven’t changed; I still do business like I did
before; I treat my spouse like I did before; I interact with my family like I
didn’t become a Christian. But, show me
that this is just a temporary situation; I will learn how to get a
power-relationship with You.
Jesus, I agree with truth number twenty, and say: “Now
if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin
living in me that does it.” I have confessed this with my mouth and I
believe this with my heart (Rom 10:8).
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Forty-Nine
Where Is This Sin In Me?
Week Eleven Day One
Truth Twenty: Rom 7:20 (NIV) Now if I do what I do not want
to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Getting My Body-Problem Solved
1.
Find Out Why
Now if: If you are
still having behavioral problems, which we all do, after you became a
Christian, you need to find out why. You
must not live different from what the Bible says. Live in harmony with one
another. Do not be proud, but be willing
to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited. Do not repay
anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do
what is right in the eyes of everybody. If
it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Rom
12:16-18). When you read things like this and you find you can’t do it, you can’t just throw in the towel and give up; you can’t
just not do it or ignore it. You must
find out what is causing you to fail to live according to the words of the
Bible.
Jesus, at times it feels like the truths of the Bible are too
complicated or too hard. I know I had a
lot to learn and am still learning to live as a human. But, sometimes it
gets discouraging to have the up’s and down’s of
Christianity. Help me be willing to
spend the same kind of time I have spent learning how to do things as a human. Show me my investments in my eternal life
will provide me with a lot more benefits.
Help me not lose my priorities; let me keep my goals straight; give me a
proper perspective on what is most important.
2. Notice
How And Why You Do It
Now if I do: The whole issue about Christianity and a relationship with God has to do with your behavior. It’s true there are a tremendous amount of provisions that keep you safe while you work on it. Salvation and justification are your “safety net” for practicing living the right and good way. The main issue with God is you doing good to yourself and other people. If you only accept the verses that talk about you being released from the law, and don’t see them as your “safety net,” to protect you as you work on what you do, then you have missed the point.
Jesus, I am not used to watching how my words and deeds affect
others. I usually just concentrate on
what it is I am trying to accomplish. I
try to not be too blunt or business oriented; but, I am
usually more concerned with the goal rather than the process. I know You care more
about my attitudes and character traits I used for reaching the goal. Help me stop caring more about just getting
the job done. Help me focus more on the
methods I use for reaching my goals.
Help me see things through Your eyes and Your heart. Let me live life the way You do; let me care
about people the way You do.
3. Evaluate
The Why Concerning The What
Now if I do what: Things are really
important to you; you typically spend a lifetime accumulating things. You can spend a lot more hours accumulating
things than anything else. Your goals,
plans, dreams, and strategies usually have to do with using the things you accumulated. A lot of your relationships can involve
working together to accomplish things that are temporary. If you were to talk to a time management
expert, they would tell you to get your priorities straight. Looking back on your priorities and evaluating
what was really important to you, would your daily activities represent what you
really think is important?
Jesus, You are trying
to help me approach life with a better perspective. You are teaching me things that are different
from what the world taught me. But, much
of my life, goals, principles, and methods for life haven’t changed that
much. It looks like I am not really
taking advantage of those things You have to offer. Help me believe that Your way of life is
better. Help me stop and spend time with
You. Structure my life in such a way
that I won’t look back on it with regrets.
Help me believe You can make my life
better.
Now if I do what I do not want to do: When you get up in the morning, you have some things you want to get done. They are things that you feel are so important that you are willing to devote time, effort, and money on them. But, what if you spend a whole day doing something you really shouldn’t want to do? Your life is out of control, if you do what you do not want to do. Your activities need help from Jesus so you are able to do what you do want to do.
Jesus, help my life count for something; I don’t want to waste it. Help it have meaning and purpose. Help me not be pushed, controlled, and driven
by things that don’t matter. Help me not
just do what I have always done. Help me
not get stuck in a rut; deliver me from activities that don’t assist me in
reaching my temporary and eternal goals.
5. Take
Advantage Of The Change
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer: Your desires, attitudes about life, and goals are changing. Jesus is focusing your attention on your motives for why you do what you do. He is helping you care about the affect you have on people. You are noticing the way you say and do things; you don’t just try to get the job done; you are trying to get it done the right way. A job well done isn’t just a quality product or service; you are evaluating the way you are treating the people involved. Your life is no longer the same; you may not always be treating people the way you should; but, you want to!
Jesus, You have worked a miracle in me; I am
starting to really care about my treatment of people. Before, I had a lot of difficulties with
people getting in my way. I had
struggles with those people who didn’t treat me the way I wanted to be
treated. I got frustrated with people
who didn’t do what I wanted. My
priorities were on me and my goals. Help
me keep growing in this area with people; Let me learn how to make them my
priority and goal. Help me use things to
help people rather than using people to obtain things.
6. Get
Excited About The Solution
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it: Jesus is teaching you what your real problem is; He is helping you see it so you can live your life with excitement. The more you see where your relational problems are coming from, the closer you get to finding a solution. Since you really want to have wonderful relationships with yourself and those around you, that is bring you closer to finding a solution, and the more you can get excited about it.
Jesus, help me have a very intense desire to have great
relationships. Help my relationship with
You, myself, and other people be the very best.
As You take me though these twenty- five truths, help me embrace them
one by one. I want to, because of the
wonderful results they bring into my life.
Help me have the kind of goal where the quality of my relationships are the most important thing to me.
7. Agree
With The Problem To Get The Right Solution
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it: If you got up in the morning and felt more fatigued than when you went to bed, you would realize you had a problem. But, even if you came up with a lot of possibilities, if you didn’t come up with the real problem, you would be no closer to a cure. The world taught you all kinds of techniques for dealing with the animalistic drives, weaknesses, and selfish demands of your body. But, their cures are based on false assumptions.
Jesus, You are teaching me those
things that will lead me into the perfect solution. Once You use Romans chapter seven to help me
see what the problem is, You and I will be able to work together on the right
solution. Help me accept Your diagnosis
of my body’s problems so I can get Your powerful solution. Help me agree with each verse in this chapter
so I will be able to get the right solutions applied to the right
problems.
8.
Know That It Isn’t Your Spirit Doing It
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it: Your spirit got saved but your body didn’t. Your spirit is free from sin but your body isn’t. Your spirit wants to do good and hates doing bad but your body doesn’t (Rom 7:15, 19). It’s no longer your spirit sinning, it’s your body doing it (Rom 7:17, 20). Everything good lives in your spirit but nothing good lives in your body (Rom 7:18). Your spirit has Jesus’ nature in it but your body has the sinful nature in it (Rom 7:18). When your spirit wants to do good, the evil in your body is right there with you (Rom 7:21). Your spirit delights in the laws of God (Rom 7:22) but your body doesn’t (Rom 7:23).
Jesus, help me accept all these truths as the truth about me as a spirit
and me as living in a body. Help me
accept them so You can take these truths and empower my spirit to start winning
over my body. Let the truths of Romans
chapter seven get me ready for the truths of Romans chapter eight. Teach me these chapter seven truths with such
great reality that I completely understand them and properly apply them to my
body through my spirit.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty
Why Is Evil Right There With Me?
Week Eleven Day Two
Truth Twenty-One: Rom 7:21 (NIV) So I find this law at work:
When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
So I
find: What you see here, is how you, as
a child of God, work and how life works.
You are discovering the truths of God and starting to understand what’s
going on! If you are playing a board
game and don’t have the rules, then the person who knows the rules will keep
telling you that you are trying to do something “illegal.” It gets frustrating trying one thing after
another and continuing to fail. If
someone will just give you all the rules, you can learn them and things
will start working for you.
Jesus, I have had people tell me that they knew all
the rules to life. So, I went to their
classes and studied hard. And, when I
applied their principles, they “seemed” to work. I developed great skills using them and became
“successful.” But, when I applied them
to everything, I discovered that their life-system had flaws in it. People around me had trouble with me, my
marriage was struggling, my business kept having difficulties, my friendships
deteriorated, and my life in general revealed holes in it.
I Have Found The Problem
So I
find this law at work: It wouldn’t
do you any good to tell people you don’t believe gravity exists. But, people do this
with the Bible and God’s truths.
Sometimes you can try to “shape” the Bible to fit your belief
system. You can say things like, I don’t
think that Scripture means that. Or, you
can say something like, that’s not what I believe. You can act like you are the one who is
creating the rules and laws of life. You
can act like you are the one who decides with rules and laws apply to you. It hurts you, when you believe something that
isn’t true. It needs to be your primary
goal to find the truth. You need to give
up your opinions and let God tell you how you work and how life works.
Jesus, help me find this law at work and help me find
all Your other laws that are controlling me and life in general. Help me see that if I decide I don’t
like something in the Bible, don’t want to believe it, hope it isn’t true, or am
biased against it, I am the one who gets cheated out of truths that would have
set me free. Help me remember that God
only gives good thing and all good comes from Him. Help me always realize that, if I am going to
get anything good, I have to get it from Him.
And, help me keep in mind that the way to get His good things is to obey
His rules and laws. Empower me to obey
His rules and laws.
Taking Advantage Of Other Laws
“So I find this law at work” is telling you the truth about your life and your
body. It is a truth that looks bad at
first; but, it is actually helping you be set
free. Just like you can’t ignore the law
of gravity, you can’t ignore this spiritual law and win over your body and
succeed in life. Just like ignoring the
law of gravity gets you hurt, ignoring this law gets you hurt. Just like you can use the law of aeronautics
to “defeat” the law of gravity, you can use the law of the Spirit of
life and defeat this one (Rom 8:2).
Jesus, help me see that by understanding the
spiritual laws that appear to be bad news, You are
teaching me other laws that defeat those laws of sin. Help me see that just like understanding the
law of gravity helps me be able to apply the law of aeronautics, so it is by
understanding the
law of sin and death
helps me know what to do to apply the law of the Spirit of life. Show me that even though the law of sin
and death was impossible for me to defeat, You are
empowering me to be able to apply the law of the Spirit of life.
So I
find this law at work: When I want to do good: Here is the situation; you, as a Christian, have had
a change in your spirit. It is a change
that is supernatural, miraculous, and extremely exciting! Just like you, as unsaved person, thought it
was you feeling bad about those things the Holy Spirit was speaking into your
conscience, you might give yourself credit for these good desires too. If the Holy Spirit wasn’t helping you want
to do good, you would lose your conscience and become totally insensitive
to the needs of others.
Jesus,
teach me that “When I want to do good” isn’t a good attitude coming from me. Help me see that it isn’t a desire I had
prior to salvation and justification. As
an unsaved person, I wanted to do whatever made me feel good. I was motivated by the desires of my
body. But, help me see that at salvation
and justification, I started to see beyond myself. I gained a love from God that opened my eyes
to how my words and deeds affect other people.
Help me see that this is a totally new and totally wonderful gift!
The next thing that happened to you
at salvation and justification was, your definition of good changed. Prior to Jesus’ salvation and justification, you
made your own rules as to what was good.
If you thought something was good, okay, the right thing, or
justifiable, then that was “the rule.”
But you, as a Christian, started getting your definitions from the Holy
Spirit and the Bible. You started
allowing Him to tell you what is really a good thing.
Jesus, help me accept that God is the only One Who
is qualified to decide what is right or wrong, good or bad, righteous or
evil. Help me believe that He alone
knows what the end result will be in any situation. Empower me to yield to You for everything so
that only the right things, the good things, and the righteous things will come
my way. And, help me see that I
will start doing those right, good, and righteous things to the people around me. Also help me understand that, that will help
others start following my example.
So I
find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me:
This isn’t something most Christians realize or
believe. They are basing their Christian
experience and their life on other laws, rules, and beliefs. Since they don’t realize this, they leave a
door wide open to the world, the devil, and their body. It isn’t until you allow these twenty-five
truths be truths to you, that you will understand your body, your spirit,
salvation, and the laws of God. They are
the laws that govern everyone, everywhere.
When one of them gets broken or ignored, there is an automatic result
that comes from it.
Jesus, help me realize that just like there are
things I have to do to survive in this natural world, there are things I have
to do to survive in this spiritual world.
Help me understand that most of the circumstantial
challenges, relationship breakdowns, financial issues, emotional difficulties,
and physical problems come from me not understanding the principles behind
these laws. Help me see that even though
I don’t have to memorize them, I still must get the general implications about
them. Teach me the main principles that
they represent.
When I want to do good, evil
is right there with me: Wanting and doing are two different things. Your goal isn’t just to want to do
good. Jesus is teaching you how to do
good. He isn’t trying to teach you how
to act good; He is teaching you how to be good. But, your first step into yielding to the
good that flows from Jesus through you is to want to do good. Then the next issue is to learn how to deal
with the evil that is right there with you.
John 15:5 (NIV) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
Jesus, since the evil of the sinful
nature, resident in my body, is going to always be right there with me,
help me always be aware that it is going to be a constant battle. I will have to be in constant contact with
You. Show me that there will never be a
time when I can let my guard down and detach myself from You. Empower me to always remain in You.
Agreeing
With The Bible
Jesus, help me always remember that salvation gave
me my relationship with God. And,
justification took me into a life where I find this law at work: When I want
to do good, evil is right there with me; but I have a perfect record with
God. Show me that because of this, to
the world, I haven’t changed; I still do business like I did before; I treat my
spouse like I did before; I interact with my family like I didn’t become a
Christian. But, help me see that this is
just a temporary situation; I will learn how to get a power-relationship
with You.
Jesus, I agree with truth number twenty-one, and
say: “I find this law at work: When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me.” I have confessed this with my
mouth and I believe this with my heart (Rom 10:8) that this is a truth in my
life.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-One
Why Must I Believe I Have The Potential To Do Evil?
Week Eleven Day Three
Truth Twenty-One: Rom 7:21 (NIV) So I find this law at work:
When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
How Do I Learn Spiritual Things?
So I find: It is vital that you learn this principle about how you comprehend the things of God. 1 John 2:27 (NIV) As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about ALL things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in Him. These studies can present words to you that help you focus in on certain truths. But, those words will have no meaning to you, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t empower you to understand them. These human words aren’t teaching and training you. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is taking these words and making them real to you. Without that, you would remain untrained.
Jesus, help me understand that what I read in these studies and prayers
have to be anointed by You. You have to
take them and make them real to me. Help
me be receptive to the meaning that You want me to obtain. Help me trust You to
make these things clear so I find truths that open my heart and mind so
I can be set free. Awaken my mind and
heart to those things you want me to find. Empower me to not only learn them, empower me
to start living them.
Basing Your Relationships On This Law
So I find this law:
If you think you are basically a
good person, then you will start from that premise. If you think that all humans are basically
good and if treated the right way will do good, then you will open your heart
to them in that way. But, if you accept
God’s view of yourself and other people, then you will approach life from that
perspective. You are currently looking
at a law that is true of everyone. The
issue is, how is each person you are establishing a relationship with dealing
with it?
Jesus, I have established relationships with
people based on trust. But later, I
found out they weren’t actually trustworthy.
Help me see that there are people who have to be held into
honesty and integrity by contracts, laws, and rules. If I don’t bind them to these things,
they won’t be able to honor the relationship.
Help me not put my trust in me or them without knowing where my and
their faith is. This is truth; teach me
how to navigate life based on this important fact. Help me see that it is vital for every
relationship I have.
This Is The Law That Has Been In
Effect
So I find this law at
work: The world has been
teaching you that humans are basically good.
They told you that the only reason some are bad or evil is because of
the way they have been abused. Jesus is
telling you that you and everyone else starts of with wrong, bad, and evil
resident in them. The difference between
you, as a Christian, and you, as a sinner, is that your spirit has had a change
of “want” and “hate” (Rom 7:15). There is another law in your body and in the
bodies of every person you meet. Just because a person is a Christian doesn’t
mean they are allowing Jesus to deal with that law in their body.
Mat 7:6 (NIV) Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not
throw your pearls to pigs. If you do,
they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus, help me not only learn
how to deal with the laws in my body, help me learn how to deal with the laws
in the bodies of other people. Help me
see that people treating me good won’t bring out the best in me and it won’t
them either. Help me believe that we
must all be born again and must be trained by You. Show me that we must all yield to the truths
of these studies and prayers, or none of us will ever be trustworthy.
“Wants” Based On False Information
So I find this law at
work: When I want: Just
because you, as a Christian, have started wanting Biblical things doesn’t mean
you are getting them. And, it doesn’t
mean those Christians around you are either.
You may have been taught that you and all the other Christians are still
in “progress” or “process.” But, that is only true of those who are applying themselves
to the studies and prayers about these principles.
2 Tim 2:15 (AKJV) Study to show
yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth. Jesus,
help me see that the power and benefits of Christianity won’t just come on
me. If I don’t apply The Three Keys, The
Seven Biblical Principles, and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of
God, they will not come into my life.
Help me see that, that is the reason I have been mistreated by
Christians who have been saved for many years.
Help me realize that, that is the reason I am still struggling.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good: It is frustrating to want to do good and not do it. It can become so frustrating that some of the Christians you meet have totally given up on the idea. Either no one has taught them how or they have refused to apply the training. They are dangerous to you and to themselves.
Jesus, help me not give up on growing in
You. Help me see that You are leading me
into the training and the power to live a different life. As I get breakthroughs through the three toolsets
You are teaching me how to use, help me share them with the Christians around
me. Help me get major breakthroughs so I
can use them as proof that the Bible has truths that will set all Christians
free. Help me not allow any wrong, bad,
or evil remain in the way I treat myself and those around me. Help me never give up until it is removed
from my behavior.
So I find this law at
work: When I want to do good, evil: Just like good isn’t a thing, a person, or a concept, neither is evil;
evil is a deed. A person isn’t evil
until they do something evil. Just
because evil is in the sinful
nature of your body doesn’t make
you evil. This evil, that the Bible is
presenting to you, is a potential for evil.
If you don’t accept that, that potential is there, you won’t give it the
proper treatment such a horrible potential need.
Jesus, I am glad You have placed the Holy
Spirit inside me. I am so glad He is in
charge of my conscience. Over the years,
I have become quite skilled at making myself feel good about most of those
things I do and say.
Help me see how bad this evil potential is that lives in the sinful nature of my body.
Show me that I must give myself over to the total training that You want
to put me through. Help me not undermine
it, ignore it, excuse it, or fail to believe You concerning it. Teach me and empower me to win over it.
I Have The Potential To Do
Evil
So I find this law at
work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me: This is where you find out the truth about your
body; this is where its animalistic drives, passions, lust, characteristics,
tendencies, and nature are revealed. It
has a sinful nature resident in the very fabric of its makeup. If you don’t realize this, you won’t know why
all your efforts to yield to Jesus’ good are failing. You won’t be able yield to the Scriptures Jesus
is teaching you so you can deal with it.
And, you won’t be able to yield to Jesus’ power to resist it.
Jesus, I never thought it was
possible for evil to
be right there with me. Help me with this new concept; show me that I
am made up of two major parts. Prove to
me that evil is right there with me.
None of my world training ever mentioned anything like that. I have been spending my time trying to
convince myself that I am a good person.
When I thought those things, I included my body in that evaluation. I thought my body was like a machine that
just did what I decided it should do. Help
me learn this truth and learn how to deal with it through Your life and
training.
Taking Advantage Of My Training
Evil is right there with me: You are facing a very different evaluation of your body. It is vital that you allow Jesus to convince you that it isn’t as beneficial as you have always thought. If you saw it as a tool that obeyed your demands, if you saw it an asset that needed to be provided for by you working long hours to see to it that its needs were taken care of, or if you saw it as a liability that was always making demands of you, you probably never thought that it had a sinful nature or was the home of evil. You probably didn’t realize it was animalistic.
Jesus, help me not just learn some bad things about my body. Help me realize that You are taking all this
“bad” news and will turn it into good news.
Help me see that You are preparing me for making my body serve You by
exposing me to these truths. You have
special plans for me and my body. It and
I are going to be able to do supernatural things as You flow through it and
me. Help me yield to these truths so I
will be able to be used by You in a mighty way.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Two
What Has Jesus Taught Me So Far?
Week Eleven Day Four
Truth Twenty-Two: Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I
delight in God’s law.
I Am A Spirit Being
For in my inner being: This is you! You just live in your body and use it to interact with the physical world around you. You, as a spirit, prior to salvation and justification, was mostly one with your body. It was basically a slave to whatever your body wanted. Rom 6:19 (NIV) I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Jesus, help me see that if it weren’t for the Holy
Spirit speaking to my conscience and dealing with right and wrong, I would have
been a total slave to my body. I would
still be selfish, self-centered, egocentric, and only self-aware. And, I would
only be able to meet those needs and wants with methods that were totally
animalistic. Help me see that my spirit
was a slave to my body; but, the Holy Spirit was
helping me feel bad about it.
“For in my inner being” is
introducing you to the transformation that has taken place in you, as a spirit,
after salvation and justification. Human
spirits can be saved, justified, and taken into the process of
sanctification. As these things happen
to you, as a spirit, you get attitudes that cause you to rebel against the
drives, motivations, and demands of your body.
Take a look at the activities of your spirit in the verses you have studied
and prayed about so far.
My Spirit’s Biblical Training About My Body
Rom 7:14 (NIV) We know that the law
is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. Jesus, through Your salvation and
justification, my spirit realized some important things about my body and the
way I, as a spirit, have been living.
You showed me that I am still not living a spiritual life even though I
have been born again.
My Spirit’s
Confusion
Rom
7:15 (NIV) I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but
what I hate I do. Jesus, I thank You that all of a sudden,
salvation caused me to want a different way of life, a life that wasn’t
compatible with the way my body was taking me.
You helped me want to go God’s way; but, I
immediately discovered that I couldn’t control my body; this caused me confusion. I, as
a spirit, wanted to do good, but didn’t do it.
I wanted to stop doing bad, but kept doing it.
This Is The Desire Of My Spirit
Rom 7:16 (NIV) And if I do what I do not want
to do, I agree that the law is good.
Jesus,
You are making it easily for me to see which part of me
is my body and which part is my spirit. My
body was making me do things I no longer wanted to do. You taught me that I am a spirit being; but, I still live in my body. You showed me that for the first time in my
life, I came into agreement with my conscience.
The things the Holy Spirit is saying to me and the things I am reading
in my Bible have become my spirit’s desires.
The Separation Of My Spirit From My Body
Rom 7:17 (NIV) As it is, it is no longer I
myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. Jesus, I thank You for this moment when, I, a
spirit, learned that it is no longer me myself who do it (sin).
I thank You for this moment when
I, a spirit, realized that the deeds of my body are not in cooperation with my
desires. And, I thank You for the
moment when I realized that I am separate from my body. And, You explained to
me that I am to no longer accept these deeds as my
deeds.
Comparing My Spirit’s Desires With My
Body’s Desires
Rom 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing good lives in
me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out. Jesus, this is where You taught me that when
this says, “nothing good lives in me”, it is always talking
about my body. And You taught me that when
it says “I have the desire to do what is good”, it is always talking about me, a spirit. You taught me that if I feel a wrong, bad, or
evil desire, it is always my body. If I
feel right, good, or righteous desires, it’s always me, the inner being.
My Spirit’s Defeat Because Of My Body
Rom 7:19 (NIV) For what I do is not the good I
want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on
doing. Jesus, You taught me this truth to help me enter into a battle with
my body. I, a spirit, am trying to exert
myself against my body, but losing. You
showed me that it is because of the 26 “I’s” in Romans 7:15-25. You showed me that, that means I have been
using human effort. Since my spirit only
knew world training, I discovered that self-help, self-confidence, and
self-esteem don’t work on my body or in Christianity. I hadn’t learned how to get Your help with
this problem. But I at least wanted
to do good!
My Spirit’s Rejection Of My Body’s
Deeds
Rom 7:20 (NIV) Now if I do
what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin
living in me that does it. Jesus, I thank You for teaching
me more about how to identify and
separate myself, as a spirit, from my body.
You helped me accept as fact that my good desires are me, a spirit, and my
bad desires and actions are my body.
You helped the confusion in Romans 7:15 to be disappearing. You taught me how I, a spirit with a body
works, and how life works. You taught me
where my problems are and where my good attitudes are.
My Spirit’s Acceptance Of A Law
Rom 7:21 (NIV) So I find this law at work:
When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. Jesus, You helped me
face the potential evil in the sinful nature in my body. And, You taught me
that evil is a deed; so, this evil You are talking about, is just potential
evil. You showed me that I have to yield
to that evil in order for it to be held against me. But, You taught me
that I can’t win over that evil by means of my own power. I have to bring my want to do good, that is in my spirit, so You can use it
against the evil that is right there with me that is in the sinful
nature that is in my body.
My Spirit’s Attitudes Are Identified
Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. Jesus, here You taught me that not only is this
the real me, this is how I, as a spirit being and a Christian, really
feel. All desires to the contrary are always
from my body and are not from me, my spirit. I ask You to empower me to desire,
study, pray, believe, love, take faith-action on the basis of the fact
that two statements are true of me.
I thank You that these two statements are true of me.
CONFESSION ONE: Jesus, help me always be aware that
my body will always represent wrong, bad, and evil; this is because I
know evil is right there with me.
CONFESSION TWO: Jesus, help me always be aware that
I, my spirit, will always desire right, good, and righteousness; this is
because in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
My
Confusion About My Spirit And My
Body Are Alleviated
Once You are able to separate
these two different attitudes and desires, you will never
be confused as to which one is representing your desires. As long as you allow the Holy Spirit to
identify what is right and wrong, good and bad, righteous and evil, all you
will have to do from there is decide which one you are feeling. If you are feeling your body, you will know
it. If you are feeling your spirit, you
will know that.
Agreeing
With The Bible
Jesus, help me always remember that salvation gave
me my relationship with God. And,
justification took me into a life where in my inner being I delight in God’s
law; and I have a perfect record with God.
Show me that because the world, my business, my spouse, and my family
can’t see the changes in my inner being, they don’t see
much change in my behavior. But, help me
see that this is just a temporary situation; I will learn how to get a
power-relationship with You.
Jesus, I agree with truth number twenty-two, and
say: “In my inner being I delight in God’s law.” I
have confessed this with my mouth and I believe this with my heart (Rom 10:8)
that this is a truth in my life.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Three
What Is Romans Chapter Seven Teaching Me?
Week Eleven Day Five
My Spirit’s Training Concerning My Body
Truth Twenty-Two: Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I
delight in God’s law.
Rom 10:8-9 (NIV) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. This is how you got saved and justified; and, this is how you get sanctified (grow spiritually). After you have applied your three toolsets to any issue, this establishes the fact in your heart and life. Through confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart, you get ready for taking faith-action. Grow spiritually by applying them to these Scriptures.
1.
Accept That You Have A Perfect Record
Rom 7:14 (NIV) We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. There was a lot you didn’t understand, when you got your perfect record at salvation and justification. So, to protect you from your body’s slavery to sin, Jesus is reestablishing the fact by speaking a perfect record into you: Mat 5:48 (NIV) BE perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. You are ready to embrace His creative words spoken into you.
Jesus, I know You gave me a perfect record at
salvation and justification. But, I need a Scripture to base my life on. I now confess with my mouth and believe in my
heart that I am perfect, therefore, as my heavenly Father is perfect
according to my record with Him. Even
though my unspiritual body is still doing wrong, bad, and sometimes evil
things, I know I am completely protected by this perfect record You spoke into
me. If Satan comes and tries to accuse
me of sin, empower me to use Matthew 5:48 as my attack against him.
2.
Accept That You Have A “Want” And
“Hate”
Rom
7:15 (NIV) I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but
what I hate I do. From this moment on, be set free from
confusion by knowing that this Scripture says you have a powerful “want” and an appropriate “hate” that proves you are a true Christian. Rom
8:5 (NIV) Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set
on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with
the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Always keep track of this “want” and “hate.” If you ever find yourself wanting to do
wrong, bad, or evil because there is something you think will make you happy,
use your three toolsets to get you back in line. Then confess with your mouth and believe in
your heart that your “want” and “hate” are back
intact.
Jesus, You
gave me a “want” that is in line
with the desires of the Holy Spirit. He
has been speaking to my conscience most of my life trying to get me to want
to do good. I now confess with my mouth
and believe in my heart that I have my mind set on what the Spirit desires. Therefore, I also “hate” it when
my body does wrong, bad, or evil things.
So, when Satan comes to accuse me of sin, empower me
to attack him with Romans 8:5.
3.
Accept That You Must Repent And Make It Right
Rom 7:16 (NIV) And if I do what I do not want to
do, I agree that the law is good.
When your body does something against your “want” and “hate,”
it is vital that you not confuse that with the desires of you, a spirit
being. But, because it was your
body that did it, you must repent, ask for forgiveness, ask Jesus to empower
you to overcome your body’s deeds. Ask
Him to empower you to never do anything like that ever again. Then go make it right with the person or
group you hurt.
1 John 1:8 (NIV) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Don’t just blame it on your body. You would be right; but, you must accept responsibility for its deeds. You are getting it fixed; but, you still must repent, get forgiveness, get empowered to stop doing it, and make it right. This is your Romans chapter seven life until you can move into your Romans chapter eight life. But be patient, you need this training first.
Jesus,
empower me to take responsibility for my body’s deeds. Help me to always repent, get forgiveness, get empowered to
stop doing it, and make it right. I now
confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that since I confessed my
sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive me my sins and purify me
from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
So, when Satan comes to accuse me of sin, empower me to attack him with
1 John 1:9.
4.
Accept That Your Spirit Is Different From Your Body
Rom 7:17 (NIV) As it is, it is no longer I myself who do
it, but it is sin living in me.
Rom 7:20 (NIV) Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no
longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Embrace this truth and be free from the
misdeeds of your body. This enables you
to stand on one side of the line with Jesus.
Then you see your body and its deeds on the other side of the line. You won’t take it personal, when Jesus starts
to deal with your body’s wrong, bad, or evil deeds. You will join Him in resisting all its
misbehavior.
Jesus, I confess with my mouth and believe in my
heart that it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I
embrace this truth and join You on the opposite side of my body and its
deeds. I will not longer take it
personal, when I join You in resisting those things my body is doing against
me, others, and Your plan.
5.
Accept The Spiritual Difference Between
You And Your Body
Rom 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing good lives in me, that
is, in my sinful nature. For I have
the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Your body has a sinful nature; you have
the desire to do what is good.
Believe this is true of you and your body.
Jesus,
I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that I have the desire to
do what is good. I also confess with my mouth and believe with
my heart that there is nothing good that lives in me, that is, in my
sinful nature that is in my body.
So, I join You in being taught and being empowered to bring my body
under Your control.
6.
Accept That Your Spirit Isn’t Able To Control Your Body
Rom 7:19 (NIV) For what I do is not the good I want to do;
no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. This is where you accept the fact that it is
going to take Jesus to overcome your body and its deeds. You accept that the reason you have been
failing as a Christian is because you haven’t “done what it takes” to get
Jesus’ help.
Jesus, help me use The Three Keys To
All Of Christianity, The Seven Biblical Principles,
and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of God to help me “do
what it takes” to win over my body. Once
You and I have done that, help me confess with my mouth and believe in my heart
that we are moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue winning over my body all during
my day.
7.
Accept How Bad Your Body Really Is
Rom 7:21 (NIV) So I find this law at work: When I
want to do good, evil is right there with me.
You must believe that the sinful nature in your body is evil.
Jesus,
I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that this law is at work between my body and my spirit. I
confess and believe that evil is right there with me in the sinful
nature in my body. I confess and believe that I, a spirit, have
joined You to defeat this evil.
8.
Accept How You, A Spirit Being, Feel
About God’s Law
Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. When Satan comes to you trying to convince you that what your body is forcing you to do is you sinning against God, use this verse to attack him. This attitude was given to you at salvation and justification. It is the attitude that will carry you all through the sanctification (spiritual growth) process.
Jesus, it is good news to find
out that there is a part of me that delights in God’s law. With the battle
between me and my body, it would be easy for me to think there was no part of
me that felt that way. With me being so
under the control of the dictates of my body, many parts of my thoughts,
feelings, words, and deeds are indicating that this isn’t true. Most of my behavior is telling me the
opposite of this. I am so glad that You
have made sure I found out about this special delight in my spirit and
that this is the real me. Teach me how
to use these truths to bring my body under the control of Your law.
Jesus, I confess with my mouth and believe in my
heart that in my inner being, I delight in God’s law. I thank You that I, as a spirit being, can
stand on one side with You and work on my body on the other side. I thank You for helping me see all these
truths about me and my body. It is good
news to find out that I am not my body or its deeds.
This
concludes your reading and praying for this week.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Four
Does Jesus Want My Obedience?
Week Twelve Day One
Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
Truth Twenty-Three: Rom 7:23 (NIV) But I see another
law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law
of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin
at work within my members.
The Weakness Of The Law And The Weakness Of
My Will
I delight in God’s law: This
is a good attitude and “want;” but, it isn’t power. As Jesus taught you, God’s law is good
in that it points out what is really right or wrong, good or bad, and
righteous or evil; but, it can’t empower you to do
right, good, or righteous things. It
can’t give you the power to stop doing wrong, bad, or evil things. And your delight doesn’t have the
power by itself to do right, good, or righteousness or stop doing wrong, bad,
or evil things.
Jesus, help me see that you gave me this delight
in my inner being
for God’s law
so my God-given free will would be open to You.
Help me see that it isn’t power; it is an open door to me getting Your
power. Since, in my inner being I
delight in God’s law, help me see that I can now ask You to empower
me to start winning over my body. Help
me see what my problems are with it so I can cooperate and yield to You for the
solutions.
I Am Starting To See Truth
But I see: If you
have a problem but you don’t know what it is, then it is a lot bigger because
it is hidden from you. If you have
someone trying to sabotage your life but you don’t know who they are, you might
be stabbed in the back by someone you are sharing all your secrets with. Studying truths that sound bad don’t make
them bad.
Jesus, help me aways be aware that God and the Bible
are my friend. I may not like certain of
His laws; but, help me see that, that doesn’t make them bad. Since I am trying to succeed in life and my
body has abilities, drives, pressures, and weaknesses that I will not be
able to deal with on my own, help me keep learning what they are so You and I
can win over with them.
A Law
I Have To Be
Aware Of
But I see another law: Most of God’s laws must be obeyed because they are
directing you into great victories and successes. However, this law is one you need to be aware
of. It is one that helps you see why you
are having such a problem with your body.
It is like the law of gravity; you can’t obey it; but,
you had better respect and cooperate with.
If you ignore this law between your spirit and your body, you will live
this Romans chapter seven life for the rest of your life. It is a law that is making it impossible for
you to use human effort in Christianity.
Jesus, thank You for bringing this law to my
attention. Help me learn how to live on
the basis of it so I will give up human effort, world training, and satanic
principles. Help me accept that it
exists, see how rigid it is, and see that it cannot be ignored, worked around,
or forced through. Since I want to be
able to move on into the Romans chapter eight life, help me look to You to
bring the solution to this law.
My Body, The World, And The Devil Don’t
Honor My Desires
But I see another law at work in the
members of my body: Wrong, bad,
and evil are things that take your God-given freedom of will away from you. They addict you, form habits in you, drive you,
force you, enslave you, and control you.
Right, good, and righteousness honor your God-given free will. This is what you are having to deal with,
with your body. Jesus is helping you see
this so You will only trust Him and give all these other things up.
Jesus, help me see that You are honoring my
God-given free will. For as long as I
don’t yield to my body, the world, or the devil, my free will is constantly
being honored. Make it clear to me that
the moment I open the door to my body, world systems, and the devil, my
God-given free will is immediately ignored.
Help me never trust them again.
But I see another law at work in the members
of my body, waging war against the law of my mind: This
is a battle you can’t win; you don’t want to get caught in the middle of
it. Jesus is offering you a life where you don’t have to protect yourself. He is trying to convince you that He can join
you in your life and make it a lot better. But, you have
to choose which way you want to go.
Jesus is honoring your God-given free will and is waiting on
you.
Jesus, teach me that when I join You in the battle
with my body, I am giving You a chance to show me what my new life can look
like. Your salvation and justification
have shown me what You did with my sins.
Now, help me yield to You so You can show me what You can do to help me
win over my body. And, let me see what
You can do to help me succeed in life.
But I see another law at work in the members
of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a
prisoner: Just like salvation and
justification were you accepting something Jesus has already provided,
so is sanctification. You, as a new or
untrained Christian, do not have to continue to be a prisoner to
your body; Jesus took care of that
too. It isn’t because Christianity isn’t
working. It is because you haven’t
learned how it works. You gave it your
best efforts; now let Jesus show you what He can do.
Jesus, I am ready to let You join me in this battle
with my body. I tried everything I knew
to get it to obey me. Now I ask You to
show me how to win over it by yielding to Your training, Your guidance, and
Your leadership. Help me let You tell me
what to think, feel, say, and do. Show
me that it is going to take me fully trusting You. As You lead me through my day, help me do
what You tell me even if it doesn’t make any sense to me.
Letting Jesus Take You Into Great
Provisions
But I see another law at work in the members
of my body, waging war against the LAW of my mind and making me a prisoner of
the law of sin at work within my members: You can’t use your God-given free will against the law
at work in the members of your body.
You have to use your God-given free will to look to Jesus for your
help. The power over your body is
already in place through the life of Jesus; He has the power over your
body. He has a training method that
involves Him living life in and through you.
Gal 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who
loved me and gave Himself for me. Jesus, help me
have such faith in You that I trust You with my life
and body. Help me trust You with my decisions, my goals, and my plans. Show me how to use my body to its greatest
potential. Show me how to not only be
rid of its mistakes, failures, sins, and misdeeds, show me how to get actively
involved to all those wonderful things You offer.
Obeying Jesus’ Commands
Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Mat
28:19-20). Your body was taking
you into as many wrong, bad, and evil things as it could. Now that you are allowing Jesus to live His
life in and through you, there is a whole new life for you to start
experiencing. Jesus is spending time teaching you to obey
everything He commanded.
Jesus, I am ready for You to show me what all Your
commandments have to offer. I want to
experience this new life, as You show me what You are capable of. I thank You for setting me free from being a
prisoner to my body. Now I ask You to
help me be a trainee with You. Make me a
student of all those things that bring the happiness and joy that I was trying
to get through my body, the world, and the temptations of the devil.
But I see another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within my members.
Do you believe this is true of you and your body? Or, are you unconvinced that your body is all
that bad. If there is any area where you
still trust your body, want to keep one of its sins, just want Jesus to remove
those that you don’t like, or still feel like there are areas you can handle
yourself, then you are trying to work around a law that won’t allow you to bend
it.
Jesus, I accept and believe truth number twenty-three. I confess with my mouth and believe in my
heart that I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war
against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work
within my members. Since that is true, I give myself over to
You. I acknowledge that I can’t handle
this situation. I open my heart to You
so You can handle this impossible law that is governing my life. Help me give up all my human efforts and
yield to You and Your power.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Five
Can My Body Really Imprison Me?
Week Twelve Day Two
Obeying Jesus
Truth Twenty-Three: Rom 7:23 (NIV) But I see another law
at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind
and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
1. Learn
How To Obey Jesus
But I see: If
you are going to teach all Christians to obey everything Jesus commanded us, then you have
to teach how to obey.
Since Jesus taught us to love each other as I (Jesus) have
loved you (John 15:12), and since a
law is at work in the members of your body, waging war against
the law of your mind and
making you a prisoner of the law of sin at work within your members,
you have to know how to handle it. If you don’t know how to
overcome the law at work in the members of your body, then you can’t obey
everything Jesus commanded you to do.
Jesus, help me learn all those things that are
showing me why I am having trouble obeying everything You commanded me to
do. Let me know what they are and what
they mean so I will know how to accept Your help. Help me know the difference between the law
of my body and the law of my mind.
Empower me to join You in dealing with these two laws. Show me that Your life is the answer to my
success, just like Your death was my first step into life success.
2. Learn
Why Your Body Doesn’t Want To
Obey
But I see another law: Your body is still subject to the law of
sin and death (Rom 8:2); it is a
part of this perishable world. 1 Cor
15:50 (NIV) I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Your body has not yet been changed
through the process of glorification into a heavenly, imperishable body. So, as long as you live in
this perishable body, it has to be treated with another
process rather than salvation and justification. Jesus is teaching you how to use the sanctification
process that helps you obey everything He taught.
Jesus, I consider it well worth it to “do what
it takes” to learn what You taught and how to obey it. Those things You taught were presented so I
would be able to live a successful life here and in eternity. I know that if I obey them, my life and
relationships will be transformed into win/win methods that will be a blessing
to all involved. Thank You for teaching
me that my spiritual problems are because of the sinful nature in my
body. Help me to learn how to deal with
it so I can obey everything You taught.
3. Learn
About The Future For Your
Body
But I see another law at work in the members of my
body: Jesus is dealing with things
you don’t understand. He is taking
wonderful future things into consideration.
Since, there is a lot you don’t know, you can find yourself struggling
with various things in Jesus’ teachings.
Here is just a small glimpse at one of the things waiting in your future
that Jesus is working on:
1 Cor 15:51-53 (NIV) Listen, I tell you a mystery: We
will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed. For the
perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with
immortality.
1 John 3:2 (NIV) Dear friends, now we are children of
God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He (Jesus) appears, we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. These
two verses are describing the glorification of your body.
Jesus, I see that my mortal
body doesn’t belong to Your Kingdom in its current condition. Since it hasn’t been changed or glorified, it
is tied to all the things of this earth.
It is still suffering from its sinful nature. It has to be forced to do spiritual things. I have to be convinced that it has evil in
that sinful nature. You are helping me be detached from it so I
won’t feel like salvation and justification didn’t work with me. Help me accept these truths even though they
are difficult to see. Help me see that
You have a powerful plan of victory.
4. Yield
To The Plan And
Purpose Of Jesus
But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging
war against the law of my mind: Jesus
is trying to teach you how to obey everything He commanded you to do. These twenty-five truths, He is teaching you,
are spiritual principles that are at work in the spirit realm. If you don’t learn them, Satan will convince
you that Christianity didn’t work for you.
Let yourself get excited about His truths and allow them to motivate you into
total obedience. Your body is in bad
shape; but, once you accept these truths, you will see what to do. You will see why you are having so much
trouble obeying everything Jesus commanded. You will see why Jesus took you through
Romans chapter seven.
Jesus, help me see that my body has to stay in its
current condition so I am not forced to remain a Christian; it is my way out,
if I want it. Help me see that my body
has to remain in this condition because I need it to do earthly things. Help me see that it has to remain in this
condition because I am not trained to live in such a supernatural body. Help me accept that it must remain in this
condition because my attitudes and character cannot be trusted with such
heavenly power. Help me accept these twenty-five
truths so I can handle my current body.
5. Understand
How To Win
Rom 8:2 (NIV) Because through Christ Jesus the law of
the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Here
are two laws at war with each other. But
I see another law at work in the members of my body. This is the law of sin and
death. The law of the Spirit of life
is in your mind. You are
currently losing to the law of sin and death in your body because you aren’t
fighting it through Christ Jesus.
Here’s how you are going to win: “through Christ
Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin
and death.”
Jesus, set me free from all human effort. Deliver me from all my training through the
world. Teach me how to stop being a
prisoner to my body. Help me take
advantage of everything You are teaching me.
Help me obey Your every command by allowing You to live in and through
me. As I make every decision and take
every action during my day, help me apply more and more of Your Biblical
commands to my life. Teach me the
Bible!
6. See
The Truth About Your Imprisonment
But I see another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner: You probably didn’t realize how much you were
a prisoner to your body. Since all you have
ever know is being a human, you didn’t know any other way of life. Jesus wants to help you see how imprisoned you
are. This will help you realize you must
give up human effort and completely turn your life over to Him.
Jesus, teach me Your plan for setting me free
from being a prisoner to my body. I knew
I was supposed to read, study, and pray over my Bible. I knew the Holy Spirit was supposed to lead
me into all truths. And I knew I was
supposed to be living much better than I was.
But, I didn’t know how to get these
things. Help me to keep applying The
Three Keys, The Seven Biblical Principles, and The Eight Power-Attitudes Of God to every Bible principle You teach me. Help me use them to bring this freedom from imprisonment
into my life with You.
But I see another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within my members: Jesus
has already taught you the reason you can still remember the experiences of your
past. Your new birth didn’t take away your
memory of the pleasures of sin. You can
still feel the temptations coming from the world, your body, and the
devil. Why? So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). This is a freedom like no freedom you
have ever heard of or experienced. Jesus
gave you your God-given free will back. You
are now free to make a knowledgeable decision all day long, as you go
about your day.
Jesus, I appreciate that You gave me back my God-give
free will. I am glad I am in a place
where I am serving You because I love You.
I am glad You are talking to me, reasoning with me, teaching me, and
then allowing me to come to You because I see all Your greatness, love, and
perfect relationship. I would want to be
a part of You no matter what; but, it is really great
that You allow me to do these things from my heart and mind.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Six
Who Will Rescue Me From This Body Of Death?
Week Twelve Day Three
Truth Twenty-Four: Rom 7:24 (NIV) What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Coming To The End Of Yourself
What a wretched man: When
do you improve? You can only
improve when you see you need improvement.
What keeps you from seeing you need improvement? Self-esteem and self-confidence can be your
major problem. If you believe in yourself,
you believe you are already what you need to be. If you believe you can do anything you put your
mind to, then all you have to do is make up your mind. This keeps you from looking to Jesus for improvement.
Jesus, teach me how to be a wretched person
and not get crushed by it. Teach me how
I can, in my
inner being, delight in God’s law (Rom 7:22) and be a wretched
person at the same time. You
have already taught me the difference between my body’s deeds and me, a spirit. You taught me that even though my body is
doing wretched deeds, that doesn’t make me a wretched person. But, this statement
doesn’t sound like that. It says: “What
a wretched man I am.” It
looks like it is saying I am a wretched person.
Except The Right Kind Of Responsibility
What a wretched man I am: Do you remember the car illustration where you hit
someone with your car and then tried to escape punishment by blaming it on your
car? God separates you, as a spirit,
from your body’s deeds, for as long as you have the Romans 7:15 “want” and “hate.” You, a
spirit, are a wretched person and a sinner, only if you want
to be one. But, if you believe in Jesus,
His salvation and justification, then you have been separated from your wretched
deeds; but, your body is still wretched.
Jesus, help me feel this wretchedness about my
body. Help me care that my body is
making me a prisoner to things that are hurting me and those around me. Help me not use this separation of me from my
body as an excuse to no care what my body is forcing me to do. Give me such a “want” and a “hate” that I cry
out because of my wretchedness. Help me care about what I am being forced to
do to myself, others, and Your plans.
Always Except The
Right Kind Of Responsibility
In the car illustration, if, all
of a sudden, your steering goes out and you hit someone else’s car, it was an
accident. But, if you keep going around
hitting cars, it becomes your fault. You
know where to go to get it fixed. A perfect
record separates you from your deeds; but, your body
is still doing things against the desires of your spirit and is still
hurting you and other people. However, your
record stays perfect as long as you are “doing what it takes” to get it
fixed.
Jesus, help me see that this truth of
crying out for help is a part of my healing.
You have been trying to bring me to this realization of how bad my body
is. You have been trying to help me see
how much I need to get it fixed. You
have been trying to help me see how much my body is hurting me, other people,
and Your plan. Help me feel bad about
what I am doing.
A Step In The Right
Direction
What a wretched man I am! Who: Remember the twenty-six “I’s” in Romans
7:15-25? Well, the person’s approach
changes here! They have moved from “I”
to “who.” Salvation, justification,
and sanctification aren’t just about the acceptance of a belief system, a
lifestyle, a philosophy, a set of behaviors, or a change in desires, it is
all about what you do with Jesus.
Jesus, show me that when I start looking outside of myself,
that is the moment when I stand a chance of moving into winning over my
body. Help me look outside myself for this help; but, teach me not to try to
get it through people who don’t present Biblical truths. Teach me that the word “who” doesn’t necessarily
mean I turn to You for empowering me. Help
me only turn to those who lead me into Biblical principles.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me: You
are heading in the right direction; but, you aren’t
there yet. Those who mix the world’s systems, philosophies, techniques, rules, and
solutions with those of Jesus and the Bible will answer this “who” question wrong. People can give you things that “sound” Biblical and Christian
but aren’t. You will notice that they
sound an awful lot like the teachings and principles you had before.
If they have advice that isn’t based on the Bible, you still haven’t
solved this “who” problem.
Jesus, I based my way into salvation and
justification on what You say in Your Bible.
I got my start in Christianity from Your Word. Now, help me keep heading in the right
direction by listening to what You and Your Word have to say is next. You have taken me verse by verse looking at twenty-five
truths that are helping me find what my problem is. Help me not leave the Bible to get my answers
to my body problems from somewhere else.
Trusting The One Who Transformed
Your Spirit
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from
this body of death: Who is able?
who has the power? Who loves you enough to make sure you get
rescued? Who do you trust with your
temporary and eternal life? Being
confident of this, that He Who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6). Jesus gave you salvation and
justification; and it is Jesus Who will take you through sanctification.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Rom 7:15). Jesus, You
have taught me so much about my spirit and my body. Now help me be rescued from this body of death. Help see you aren’t teaching me how to free myself from this body of death. You are teaching me how to yield to You. Then I can start forcing my body to do
spiritual things through me yielding to You.
Get Used To Commands
1 Cor 6:19-20 (NIV) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is IN you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Jesus has been teaching you how impossible it is for you do make your body do anything by means of your own effort. But then, you will be seeing Scriptures like this all through the Bible. If you don’t understand that this Scripture can’t be fulfilled unless you use The Three Keys To All Of Christianity, you will be back to human effort and will remain in the Romans chapter seven life.
Mat 7:7 (NIV) Ask and it will be given
to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will
be opened to you. Jesus, help me see that I have been asking
for all kinds of things that wouldn’t help me grow spiritually. As a new or untrained Christian, I didn’t
know what to pray for. So, I prayed for
a lot of things You weren’t willing to give me.
But, now that You have been teaching me from the Bible, I am starting to
ask for a lot of things that Your Bible is trying to get me to pray
for. Help me see that this is what the
main purpose of The Three Keys are for.
Get Used To Spiritual Procedures
Rom 6:13 (NIV) Do not offer the parts of
your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer
yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer
the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. Since you know that “offer” isn’t
talking about human effort, you know that it is talking about you using your
three toolsets to fulfill this assignment.
Mat 7:11 (NIV) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
good gifts to those who ask Him!
Jesus, help me be convinced that the main reason I
would remain in the Romans chapter seven life is because I am using world
training and human effort. Since I am
ready to offer the parts of my body to God as
instruments of righteousness, help me be ready to go about it with Biblical
procedures. Let all these explanations
about how bad my body is, help me believe that asking You for Your help
is my only option.
Get Used To Yielding To
Jesus
Gal 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. It is obvious that your body isn’t so bad
that Jesus can’t control it. Now that
you know it is going to take Jesus living in you, the next thing that
you must learn is how to yield to Him and His life. That will be your
assignment for the rest of your human life.
Jesus, I accept and believe truth number Twenty-Four. I cry out to You: “What
a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” I acknowledge that I can’t handle this
situation. I open my heart to You so You
can handle my impossible body that is governing my life. Help me give up all my human efforts and
yield to You and Your power.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Seven
How Will Jesus Start Guiding Me?
Week Twelve Day Four
Rom 7:24b Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Truth Twenty-Five:
Rom 7:25 (NIV) Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I
myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to
the law of sin.
Thanks: You probably don’t often thank anyone for telling you something that hurts your feelings. Even if you know it was something you needed to hear, it’s hard to thank them for being so honest with you. You can struggle with those who are your closest friends, when they tell you the truth and it hurts to hear it. But, appreciation is very important, if you are going to grow into great success in life with God.
Jesus, help me love the truth so much that I appreciate it no matter
what. Even if it is hard to hear, help
me be totally thankful for it. If You
have to use people that I don’t like to give it to me, help me accept it and be
able to grow through it. These twenty-five
truths have been pretty difficult to face; but, help me hear them, learn them,
and accept them as being true of me. I
thank You for loving me enough to make sure I got them into my heart and mind.
God
Sent You A Rescuer
Thanks be to God:
“Who will rescue me from this body of
death?” The
answer has been provided by God Himself; John 3:16 (NIV) For God so
loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life. First, He made sure you had salvation and
justification; then Jesus went to work on sanctification.
Heavenly Father, what the law was powerless
to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, You
did by sending Your Own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin
offering. And so
You condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous
requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live
according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:3). Thank You for making it be fully met
in me by justification crediting it to my record; now please make it
be fully met in my behavior.
Jesus Is Working On Your Behavior
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord: Sanctification has to do with your record with yourself and other people. You and they aren’t so forgiving and gracious as God is. When you do things that hurt you and other people, you don’t like it. You want the righteous requirements of the law to be fully met in you, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Jesus is now taking you to the place where your record is clean with yourself and those around you as well as with God.
Jesus, I thank You for working on my relationships. Most of my day has to do with
relationships. Help me believe that You
are helping me with my ability to start treating myself and other people in
ways that make my relationships stronger and more enjoyable. Help me go about my day being aware that you are
directing my thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. Show me how to be looking for Your direction
in my thoughts and feelings. Make me
mindful of Your presence and influence on how I can better treat myself and
others.
Jesus
Is Speaking To Your Mind And Influencing You Heart
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then: Thank God for Jesus; your body of death was crucified with Him. You accepted Jesus’ death as your death. Which brought salvation to your spirit. But, your body remained dead or separated from God. Jesus’ resurrection made your spirit alive. Now Jesus and the Holy Spirit live inside you. You are now ready to be looking for Jesus’ Biblical thoughts and feelings to influence your thoughts and feeling as you make decisions and react to the issues of your day.
Jesus, help me start listening for what You are saying to me all day
long. Help me feel the feelings that
help guide the direction I head moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue all day
long. Help me see that it is by me
actively listening and checking my feelings that I start noticing Your
influence on me. Teach me how to
recognize Your thoughts, my thoughts, world training thoughts from my brain,
and satanic thoughts. Help me not react too
quickly to those things that happen.
Help me pray in my mind and then check for Your influences.
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind: Your mind is where Jesus will be speaking to you. Thoughts will pop up in it that are Biblical ways to handle situations. But, how you typically handle things will automatically pop up in your mind too. Pray and ask Jesus to empower you to yield to His ideas. It will be a battle all day long; Jesus has made it clear what kind of condition your body is in. It will still be an open door to world training and Satan’s temptations to react in a selfish or retaliatory way.
Jesus, help me stop and ask You to protect me from my body’s
typical animalistic reactions to the issues of my day. Help me recognize Your thoughts and feelings,
that will be one of the choices I will be given. Empower me to reject my body’s influence that
I typically would yield to. Then help me
yield to Your thoughts and feelings that I know are the right way.
The Bible Is The Truth For You
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law: All you have to do is simply agree with this statement. You don’t have to see, feel, or have any additional proof. The Bible says it and that is the truth for you.
Jesus, I am learning to accept what Your Word says as
being true about me. Even if that truth
just happens at the moment I read it, help me confess
it as being true of me from that moment on.
Even if my body or circumstances show evidences to the contrary, help me
reject them and accept the truth of Your Word.
Help me stay in this realm of faith; help me keep knowing that the deeds
of my body are not my deeds; and, help me move on from here.
What
Are You Believing So Far?
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature: You must still believe that your body and the sinful nature in it are not representative of your spirit. Since you, yourself, want to do what is right, good, and righteous, God is crediting it to your record. Since you have accepted each verse as being true, you have learned how to live the Word of God by faith. That becomes one of the most important things you learn as a Christian.
Jesus, I have lived my life only believing those things I
could prove by my five senses. I have
based years of experience on this system.
But, now You are leading me into a new way of
life. Help me learn how to live by
faith; let me learn how to live the way You require me to live in the spirit
realm. Help me believe the Bible no
matter how difficult it may be.
Two
Seemingly Conflictive Truths
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin: It is hard for you to believe that your body is all that bad; but, it is even harder to believe that you, as a spirit being, are all that good. As you allow Jesus to speak faith into you through His Word, you will accept each verse of Scripture as being true, that will transform your life and behavior.
As you keep on reading, praying, and believing, that bad thing which was true of you one second isn’t true of you the next. And, that good thing which wasn’t true of you one second is true of you the next. Soon, Romans 8:10 will tell you your body is dead and then Romans 8:11 will tell you it is alive. In that case, your body was dead at that moment and you will accept it as truth. Then you will read the next verse and believe it was just brought to life in Jesus.
Jesus, help me progress in Your Word; help me accept the first truth so
You can apply the second truth. If the
second truth makes the first truth no longer true of me, then help me start
living on the basis of the second truth.
Help me read the Bible based on what You have done in my life so
far. Help me keep moving forward as I
learn the Romans chapter seven way of life.
Do that so I can progress into the Romans chapter eight life. Show me that the Romans chapter eight life
will make the Romans chapter seven life obsolete.
This
concludes your reading and praying.
Truth/Prayer Pages Chapter
Fifty-Eight
How Do I Live The
Jesus-Life?
Week Twelve Day Five
Mat 7:7-8 (NIV) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. This is the truth about prayer!
Mat 7:9-10 (NIV) Which of you, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone? Or if he asks for
a fish, will give him a snake?
Mat 7:11 (NIV) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! This is the truth about the prayers you pray that are based on the Bible!
1. Live
On The Basis Of The Facts
The prayers after
each Biblical truth, took you into the process of applying Matthew 7:7-11. These Three Keys To
All Of Christianity are mandatory procedures for
getting those things the Bible tells you to live. Since you applied these keys to each verse in
Romans chapter seven, you need to start living on the basis of them
(faith-action). Jesus has answered your
prayers and has given them to you as good gifts. The Seven Biblical Principles will help
you live on the basis of all of them. If
you struggle with any of the truths you learned let The Seven Biblical
Principles help you find out where you may have a weakness.
Jesus, even if I don’t remember all the
prayers I prayed, help me know that You do! You are producing them in my heart, mind, and
life just like I prayed them. As my relationships,
thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds improve, help me understand that it is very
important for me to notice them and give God my praise, worship, thanks, love,
and appreciation. As I experience each
success, breakthrough, improvement, and miracle, show me that they are coming
in direct response to all the prayers I have prayed.
2. Trade
World Systems For God Systems
James 4:1-3 (NIV) What causes fights and quarrels among
you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what
you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask
God. When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you
get on your pleasures.
When you do not receive, this is where you use The Seven Biblical Principles to help you find out why. Is it because of your desire, study, prayer, believing, love, a lack of faith-action, or a lack of thankfulness?
Jesus, help me see that these studies and prayers have moved me from
trying to get things through my human effort.
Instead, You are empowering me to apply The
Three Keys and The Seven Biblical Principles to get them. You led me into praying prayers that dealt
with those things God wanted me to pray about.
Rather than me spending all my time asking with wrong motives, that I may spend what I get on my
own pleasures, I spent my time praying for those things that would help me
treat myself and others in a better way!
3. Trade
World Goals For Eternal Goals
Phil 3:10-11 (NIV) I want to know Christ
and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing
in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to
attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Phil 3:12-14 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all
this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of
that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Jesus, help me forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. Help me let the past way of living be
forgotten; and help me allow what You have taught me so far to be my new goal
forward. Help me press on toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Help me see that You have a wonderful life
ahead of me. Show me that it is far
superior to the life I had in the past.
4. Trade Human Effort For God’s Power
Jesus is giving you the kind of attitudes that brings true
life success. They are the motivations
that get you up in the morning and take you through your day. You are no longer just trying to “get by,”
“hang in there,” “gut it out,” “get through the day,” or “survive.” Jesus is teaching you how to be more than
conquerors through Him Who loved you (Rom 8:37). You
are “doing what it takes” to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph
6:10). Jesus is teaching you that the
weapons you fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds (2 Cor 10:4).
2 Cor 12:9 (NIV) But He said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore,
I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s
power may rest on me. Jesus, help me realize that You
used Romans chapter seven to help me
see my weaknesses; but, You did it so that Your
power may rest on me. Help me keep accepting all the weaknesses
presented to me in Romans chapter seven.
Get me ready to learn how to get Your power resting on me. Show me that, that is when I start getting
true success in every moment of my daily routine.
5. Trade Human Faith For Jesus’ Faith
Heb 12:2 (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the
Author and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God. From now on, fix your eyes
on Jesus; focus on Him and all He
has to offer. Allow Him and His life be your
life; get ready Jesus to teach you how to get to the place where you
can do everything through Him Who gives you strength
(Phil 4:13).
Jesus, keep me from letting all these things You
taught me about my limitations from discouraging me. Teach me that the more I accept my
weaknesses, the more I will win in life.
Show me that the more I realize how much I need Your help, the more I
will reach out to You and get it. Help
me see that You and I will be working together to accomplish incredible
things. I will be able to do
everything through You
Who give me strength.
How Do I Trade My Life For
Jesus’ Life
Gal 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who
loved me and gave Himself for me.
1. Live
On The Basis Of The Fact That You Died
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live: This doesn’t take your God-given free will away. If you don’t want to take advantage of this, you don’t have to. But, if during your day, you keep consistently choosing to think and feel those things Jesus is showing you in the Bible, the more it is no longer you living.
Jesus, show me that every time I reject my way of doing things, I am no
longer living my way of life. Teach
me what my way looks like so I can more consistently resist it. Help me want to give up my way of life
and hate it when I yield to it.
2. Live
On The Basis Of The Fact That Jesus Lives In You
But Christ lives in me: As you keep studying and praying, you will learn and get so many more truths. Because you didn’t just learn them and go on, you got them inside you through asking Jesus to put them in your behavior; and, He did!
Jesus, help me never forget that You always honor my God-given free
will. Help me see that I learned these
truths and You gave them to me through me asking You. But, help me understand that the big issue
then becomes what I do with them all during my day. I know them and have them; but,
I must also yield to them.
3. Live
On The Basis Of Faith
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of God: Jesus, my
next book is called:
Committing To The Christian Life. Jesus, get me ready for You to
make my life with You permanent. Let my study and prayer be mixed with
faith in You. Help me live a faith-life
that is secure in You. Show me
how to put my total trust in You for now and in eternity.