Jesus, help me see that my and everyone else’s original goal is to try to find happiness, have fun, and avoid pain. But, help me see that in the pursuit of having fun and being happy, we all discovered things that brough them a lot of pleasure. Teach me that some things make me happy and provide me with a mild to moderate amount of pleasure. But, I found that there are other things that create extreme pleasure and are a lot of fun. I, like many people, mistook this extreme pleasure for happiness and started pursuing it instead.

Jesus, help me understand what these places are all about where I can spend my money on things that don’t have anything to do with food, clothing, housing, and transportation. In addition to the basic needs of life help me see that there are things I can be drawn into, that will start to pull more and more of my finances away from those things I have to have. The world calls them entertainment, recreation, parties, times of relaxation, and places to unwind. And, help me see that there are GOOD types of entertainment, recreation, parties, times of relaxation, and places to unwind. But, also help me see that just because these places of extreme pleasure are given the same name doesn’t make them the same kind of places.

Jesus, in my pursuit of happiness, as I started to get involved in extreme pleasure, I discovered that this kind of “happiness” isn’t free. The more I headed in this direction, the more money it took. I wasn’t in the place where mild to moderate pleasure exists. I wasn’t in the place where normal life is. In the place where mild to moderate pleasure and normal life exists there is a mutual benifit of enjoying one another’s company. There is friendship, companionship, working together for mutual goals, and helping one another FOR FREE.

Jesus, in the normal areas of life where I am doing the things I am doing because I care about these people, I am not trying to exploit them. Money isn’t even involved as a motivation for why I, my spouse, my family, my relatives, my friends, and my associates help each other. But, when I leave this area of life and go into the extreme pleasure area, drug abuse, excessive alcohol, sex orgies, extreme parties, and fake friendship cost money. And as the addiction grows, it requires a lot more money.

Jesus, help me see that my need for money will accelerate the more I get involved with extreme pleasure. And, I will find myself having a hard time being willing to invest in the normal expenditures of life. Help me accept Your way to enhance normal life so that it becomes a tremendously enjoyable life. Show me that it involves love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). But, if that is too tame or boring to me, make it clear to me that Satan and the world are offering me sin.

Gal 5:19-21 (NIV) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures); idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Once your body experiences one or more of these things, you no longer are in charge of your life. Your body will do whatever it has to do to get you to give it as much as you can afford.

Jesus, teach me that some of the things that are fun, pleasurable, and make me happy, leave me feeling good about myself. But, there are other things, that God calls sins, that create extreme fun, are extremely pleasurable, and seem to make me very happy; but, they leave me feeling guilty afterwards. Those things that are mild to moderate pleasures will satisfy; but, those extreme pleasures, that God calls sins, will leave me with confusion and emptiness. Help me understand that typically some kind of sin is behind every problem I face.

Jesus, help me always be aware that not only does extreme pleasure not satisfy, it DEMANDS that I do it again and again. It addicts me so that I lose my ability to resist its demand. Teach me that those things the Bible lists as sins are like bait; they can give me extreme pleasure but have a “fish hook” inside the “benefits.” The end results leave me with emotional, relational, financial, and physical problems. They start to erode away my normal, healthy life and draw me into a dark way of life.

Jesus, look through my heart and life. As I go through this study today, see if there is ANYTHING that I need to repent of. As I discover that sin is a part of my problem, help me tell You I am sorry, help me always ask You to forgive me, and then help me ask You for the power to NEVER do it again. Show me that it is at the moment of repentance that things change in my life. Help me understand that I don’t ACTUALLY change until I WANT to change, ASK You to forgive me for hurting myself and other people, ASK You to empower me to change, BELIEVE You forgave me and have given me the power to change. Make it clear to me that from that moment on, I am ready to study and pray for those things You are giving me the training and power to change into.

Jesus, doing the right thing the wrong way or for the wrong reason, has created a lot of confusion in me. Doing my best and it turning out with bad results is frustrating to me. Sincerely applying myself to an issue but it not ending up well, has been discouraging to me. When I got involved in things like extreme pleasure, I did it with honest, sincere motives; but, it hasn’t turned out well for me; I didn’t find the happiness I was seeking.

Jesus, when I followed my friends, patterned my life after those I thought were experts, and did what I saw “everyone else” doing, I got taught wrong methods for living life; and, it set me up for failure. When I tried a lot of wrong cure procedures I got through world training, it causes me to be discouraged and frustrated. Help me see how important it is to be trained in the right way of living life. If that doesn’t happen, I can’t expect to win at it because my methods are faulty. Teach me that my job is to prepare myself for a successful life.

Jesus, teach and empower me to have a successful life by me being a successful person. Show me that once that STARTS to happen, I can pass my successes on to those I care about. However, teach me that I don’t have to wait until I am TOTALLY successful. Make it clear to me that I am qualified to share each, individual breakthrough no matter how small it may be. BUT, help me not try to pass on something I have learned but am not living yet.

Jesus, help me understand that I can tell my methods are faulty by the results or lack of results I am getting from them. Teach me that the consequences of faulty methods are, I don’t get the kind of results I was looking for. Jesus, provide me with methods that are NOT faulty. Let me see that they produce results that are win/win for everyone involved.

Jesus, if I were driving a car the way I was taught; but, I was having a lot of wrecks. I could blame all the other drivers; I could blame my car; and, I could blame it all on bad luck. But, if I kept on having wrecks, I should question the way I was taught. Let my experiences in my past help me see I need Your help. You are an expert in training me with methods that bring great experiences and great results. Show me that this happens because Your methods are based on truth, based on me treating myself and others with respect and love, and based on me being connected to Your supernatural provisions.

Jesus, I picked my philosophies for life which decided what I believed to be true. I have believed things with all my heart and found out I was wrong. How did I react to that discovery? Was I able to admit it was wrong; or, did I try to justify my mistake, explain it away, try to make it look right, or, just ignore it? Help me see that if I just explain it away, I am not going to evaluate my belief system. I will never improve, succeed, get solutions to my problems, and change, if I can’t see where I am wrong. Jesus, help me make wonderful changes; make sure I am changed in the RIGHT way.

Jesus, show me that I can’t be changed, trained, and helped in the RIGHT way, if I am not teachable. If my mind is made up, if I am too prideful to be taught, or I am not willing to be made aware of my areas of ignorance, I will be stuck. But, how can I be sure I am getting the RIGHT answers and know I am unlearning WRONG things? Help me see that You teach me ways of living life and treating people with those things I want for myself. 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. Instead of me going around trying to make everyone treat me the way I want to be treated, empower me to go around treating everyone the way I want to be treated; I will set them an example for how to treat everyone.

Jesus, since this isn’t my first day on this planet, my issue with marriage isn’t something I haven’t tried to solve a lot of different ways. Help me see whether or not I have come to a place where I am looking outside of myself for help. I am convinced that I am not my own answer to this problem. I am willing to allow You to show me where I am going wrong. Teach me that before You can untrain me, redirect me, and help me make a U-turn, I have to be convinced that I need to make that change. If I am sure there is nothing wrong with me and my methods; or, I think they just need some minor adjustments, I will be stuck.

Jesus, sometimes I am a person who typically has a lot of self-esteem and confidence; and, sometimes I am a person who has a lot of self-doubt and insecurity. Make it clear to me that if I am a person that feels I deserve Your help, You won’t help me. If I am a person who feels that I don’t deserve Your help, You won’t help me either. Teach me that grace and mercy remove the issue of what I deserve. You only respond to me through grace (getting gifts I don’t deserve) and mercy (not getting punishment and consequences I do deserve). Show me that You only help me through the process of gifts. You will only help me, if I am willing to establish a grace and mercy relationship with You. I am ready to start being helped through FREE gifts from You. Help me give up the issue of whether or not I deserve Your gifts.