Phil 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet ALL your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Jesus, teach me that The Six Biblical Principles that lead me into getting all my needs met by You are: Desire, study, pray, believe, love, and take faith-action. During these last two weeks, You gently took me through them. Help me understand the purpose of these six things; help me see that they are to show me what You expect and require of me.

Jesus, help me get the meaning of this illustration: If I have never driven a car before, it is obvious that I can’t just get in a car and drive off. Just learning how to get it moving forward takes some training. If I didn’t have adequate training, the moment I moved out into traffic could mean the end of my life.

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 how important these studies and prayers are through this example: Help me imagine the rush hour traffic; all those drivers out there are operating based on some well defined rules. Even though they may be moving at a very fast speed, everyone expects all the other people to live by certain established rules. As long as everyone lives by those rules, traffic moves along without any accidents. But, if ANYONE ignores or breaks one of those rules during high traffic time, a tremendous amout of damage and loss of life can occur. Show me that this is the same with spiritual issues.

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.

Jesus, You are moving me into the spirit realm where things are very different. They aren’t like what is typically done in this human life. I have been living my entire life where people, the world in general, and Satan don’t really care that much about what I DESIRE. They have required me to STUDY things that operated on the basis of me being totally responsible for my success or failure. Never once did they lead me into PRAYING. When I was introduced into BELIEVING, I was taught to believe in myself. When LOVE was mentioned, it went from loving a new pair of shoes to making love being a sexual relationship. I wasn’t taught FAITH-ACTION; I was just taught action.

Rom 8:13-14 (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, BECAUSE those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Jesus, prior to me being born again and becoming a Christian, I was living according to the sinful nature, and I was dead (separated from God). NOW, if BY the Spirit I put to death the misdeeds of the body, I will live. So, make it clear to me that in order for me to win over my human issues with guilt and really start living, I need to cooperate with You and Your Holy Spirit.

If BY the Spirit YOU put to death the misdeeds of the body: Jesus, even though I don’t fully understand what this means, help me realize that You are ready to show me how to live in the spirit realm. Just like I didn’t know how to live as a human when I was born into this world, I have to learn how to live as a child of God. Jesus, help me see that when I live successfully as a child of God, I will experience supernatural power. I will experience supernatural knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. I will experience supernatural love.

Jesus, teach me that living as a child of God isn’t complicated; it is just different from what I am used to. Show me that it seems complicated like learning how to transport food from my plate to my mouth WITH A SPOON, when I was a baby. When I first tried that, there was a lot of food that landed on the floor. I found it to be a lot easier to just grab it with my hands and stuff it in my mouth. But, the rules of etiquette “forbid” that procedure as I moved into adulthood. So, teach me six rules of spiritual “etiquette.” Use them to help me succeed over things I need to be able to do but can’t do them yet.

1. DESIRE: Jesus, teach me that You honor my God-given free will all the time; You will only do what I DESIRE You to do. Search my heart and see if I am getting any “benefits” from my issues with guilt? Help me see that being set free for a problem that is bothering me the most can be complicated. If I were to write down the good and bad aspects of my struggles with guilt, would there be ANYTHING that I could put on the good side of the list? If there is, let me pray and ask You to help me give it up. Make it clear to me that as long as my DESIRE is contaminated with one reason for keeping my guilt issue, You will NOT help me get rid of it.


2. STUDY: Jesus, You will only use Bible principles I am familiar with; if I haven’t STUDIED and learned a Bible principle, You won’t use it. Help me see that this one is the one that takes time, effort, and patience. Help me understand that these studies are taking me as fast as is possible into the Biblical principles that I need. Plus, it isn’t just a matter of me knowing them; I must pray and get You to explain them, help me want them, teach me how to apply them, and empower me to live on the basis of them. Empower me to recall the Scriptures and Biblical principles I have learned so far that are helping me with my issues with guilt?


3. PRAY: Jesus, You won’t help me with anything I don’t PRAY and ask You to help me with; help me always keep in mind that I have to pray and invite You into my situation with guilt. As I have been going through these materials, I have been given prayers to pray. Make it clear to me that You have heard every one of them and have answered them. Just like I may not see any results from the food I ate in the past, I know that if I hadn’t eaten it, I would not be alive today. Teach me that prayer is my invitation for asking You to take what I studied on the first page and help me ingest it through those prayers on the second page.


4. BELIEVE: Jesus, help me realize that You must give me the faith I need so I can BELIEVE. Teach me that believing is required because it is my opinion about the honesty and integrity of God. As I study the Bible and Biblical concepts, help me not hurry through. Show me that if I don’t believe those things I am studying and praying about, You won’t cause them to transform me. You caused all the Bible words to be written; they are Your words. If I doubt them, they will not help me win over my struggles with guilt.


5. LOVE: Jesus, if I try to get You to help me with something that is selfish and only beneficial to me, help me understand that You won’t do it. It isn’t easy for me to have a problem as difficult and painful as guilt and not focus in on it. My struggles, battles, and suffering have a tendency to keep me thinking about me and my problem. But, help me see this journey into victory over it as a way to help others. I am learning awesome truths that will help me and help those around me. Show me that love is very important to me being helped and healed.


6. FAITH-ACTION: Jesus, teach me that I have to ACTUALLY do it! If I know it, understand it, and know how to apply it but don’t do it, I will fail to win over my issues with guilt. I must take FAITH-ACTION! Make it clear to me that all during these studies and prayers, I need to be trying to win. As I learn and ask You to install these things into my life, I need to believe and take as much action as possible. Help me understand that I will find myself failing; but, let me see that, that is part of the learning and growing process.
   
   Jesus, when I was learning to walk as a child, I fell A LOT. When I first tried to walk, my technique was really bad. But, that didn’t keep me from watching, learning, trying, and getting a little bit of success. Help me compare this with the fact that the more I study and pray, the more spiritual technique I will acquire. But, I must test that technique in real life. Teach me that these Biblical principles are perfect; I just have to trust them and doubt my application. Help me fully realize that when I fail, it wasn’t the truths I learned that failed. It was my application of those truths that failed.
   
   Luke 18:17 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Jesus, most children are very determined and committed to learning things. They will take things that are totally new to them and try to apply them to their lives. When they fail, most of them will keep trying until they win at it. Teach me that FAITH-ACTION is about me doing the same in my life. Help me understand that I am new at being a child of God; I need to apply a childlike approach to my studies and praying.