Our Heavenly Prize

Help me be peaceful, rejoicing always in your goodness, love, mercy, and grace. Help me set my mind on the things above, your heavenly gifts, all that You are. Teach me in your ways, cause me to walk in them.

Help me to be useful, fruitful, a blessing to all those whom you put before me.

Help me to always pray, to think of You and others before thinking of myself.

Help me to seek you in every circumstance in my life, whether joyful, sad, disappointed or anxious. Let me find You, your peace and rest, trusting in your Sovereignty. You have saved my life! You give life and my purpose comes only from You. It is your will, plan, and purpose that I am after. Lead me on your path, be a lamp to my feet, and when I become disoriented and even rebellious, come quickly, convict, and correct. All of this for your honor, glory, and praise.

Renew my thoughts, my mind, protect me from the enemy and his evil schemes. Let him not lead me astray, weaken my knees nor create confusion in this mission that you have so marvelously and wonderfully given me. How grateful I am for your attentive and tender care; you have molded me to a greater likeness to your Son Jesus Christ.

Oh, my heavenly Father, continue this miraculous transformation in my heart, strip away the awful things within me, those things that are callous and ignorant of your Holiness. How I despise those sinful desires to which I was born into. Soften my heart so that it is finely tuned and supernaturally sensitive to your Presence. Everything that I see and feel, let it be all You, from You, and for You. Let me be pleasing in your sight, set apart for your holy work in this world. Let me operate daily under the power of the Holy Spirit who is my Guide in this life; He is my Intercessor, Sanctifier, Protector, Comforter, and so much more. How blessed I am to be in the Kingdom of God! Thank you for choosing me!

I walk not by the flesh but by the Spirit and I am grateful to You for your precious gifts! I am one with Jesus Christ, I in Him and He in me; I am righteous and with great authority because of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of my Lord and Savior. Because of His work on the Cross, I have obtained an inheritance, predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. In Christ, I heard the word of truth, the gospel of my salvation. I believed in Him, and I am sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, who is my guarantee of my inheritance until I acquire possession of it, and all of this to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:11-16, ESV).

I am alive in Christ, taken from darkness and by the hand of God, placed in His light, because I have been given spiritual insight; I cannot help but desire more wisdom, understanding, and deeper knowledge of God. No longer as invested in this world as I once was, longing for the day when I meet my God face to face, mysterious as it all sounds, and unable to comprehend the full beauty of this treasure, I pray for further enlightenment so that I am able to praise and worship as reverently as He so deserves.

It is through the power of your Word, the Holy Scriptures, that transformation begins. You tell us in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our mind, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I met You through the power of your Word, I am drawn close to you by the power of your Word, my worldly ways diminish beneath the power of your Word and I am extremely blessed by the power of your Word.

By the blood of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, by the free gift of grace bestowed upon me by Almighty God, by faith alone and my belief in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my confession and repentance of sin, I am forgiven. In Christ, I enter into God’s holy space, and am reconciled, welcomed, and secured today, tomorrow and forever. Hallelujah!

Almighty God, teach me what “forever” means. I know I cannot be privy to all your hidden treasures in this body and maybe I will never know, but help me embrace and be joyful in forever with you. Let this not be a weapon from my foe. Let this gift of forever continue to grow in my heart. Change my fear into exuberant expectation, like a small child awaiting Christmas day. All that is seen in the eyes of the little one is colorful packages under the tree and just as this child, let me only see You in this great big world of trials and tribulations, chaos and hate, sickness and death, YOU and only YOU!

No sooner have I prayed all of these things, your answer comes to me and for this I am ever so grateful. Thank you for hearing my prayers and thank you for answering. Your Word to me, your peace, solace, and truth comes from Psalm 91. Oh, Father, how I love your inspired, infallible, inerrant Word.

“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Ps. 91:5-6, NIV). “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ” (Ps. 91:1).

I find my rest in Jesus Christ; I escape terror and am sung back to sleep by Jesus Christ. The dreams were terrifying last night; the angry, big-teethed alligators and slithery, plump, green snakes were everywhere, striking at all those who were close by. All were on the attack, some succeeding in swallowing people whole, others missing their mark. I woke short of breath, in a panic, and once again, fearful of death.

My trust in God is not where it should be. Father, mature this little faith of mine. Grant me greater faith and trust in You. By Providence, I dwell in the shelter of the Most High. Lord, you are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Father, deliver me from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. Cover me with your pinions, it is under your wings, I find refuge. Your faithfulness is my shield and buckler. Because you hold fast to me in love, I will deliver you. I will protect you, because you know my Name. When you call to Me, I will answer you. I will be with you in time of trouble. I will rescue you and honor you with long life. I will satisfy you and show you my salvation

Praise be to God. You surely hear my prayers and answer. Thank you!! I call out to you, and you hear me. I am peaceful, I sleep well. I hold fast to God in love, I am delivered!

Love is all I have, Father; love is all I need. You require nothing more than my love and I love because you loved me first. In all my evil ways, you loved and now the love you have so freely given to me, I now give back to you and to others. Help me love as you love, pure and genuine, honest and true, deep and strong, faithful and fierce, let me love.

Thank you, Almighty and Everlasting God for Psalm 91! This surely is confirmation that You are my refuge, my deliverer, my place of rest, my peace, and comfort.