Jesus, help me feel like this about my negative emotions: Rom 7:24 (NIV) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? When I gave this Christian life my very best and failed, it caused me a lot of negative emotions. When I exhausted all my training, understanding, skills, talents, and abilities and I still failed, I got very emotional about it. I experienced hopelessness, helplessness, frustration, anxiety, fear, anger, guilt, shame, and a whole lot of other emotions. So, help me take step one and come to You to be set free from thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds that I am STILL having trouble with.

Jesus, help me see that human effort and world training are failing me. Help me feel like this: 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. When I came to You, I didn’t expect to experience confusion. But, teach me that the problem I face with Christianity is, I have been living life for quite some time. Make it clear to me that as long as I wasn’t a Christian, I COULDN’T learn Biblical principles. 1 Cor 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. So, empower me to take step two; now that I have become a Christian, help me learn HOW to stop using human effort and world traing to live the Christian life.

Jesus, teach me how to consider your death as my death: John 12:24 (NIV) I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Help me see myself as a new, little peach tree; it started out as a peach pit. The peach “seed” had to be placed in the ground and be buried there. Teach me that, that is like me having to take the “seed” of my body and consider it crucified with You. Empower me to BELIEVE that I was buried with You in the GRAVE. Gal 2:20a (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live.... Empower me to BELIEVE that I died and was buried with You. Help me see that this is me taking my third step into submitting my emotions to You.

John 11:25 (NIV) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. Jesus, teach me that just like the peach pit or peach seed had to be buried in the ground in order to come alive as a new, little peach tree, so I had to be buried with You so I could come alive as a Christian. Gal 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Empower me to BELIEVE I am now alive through Your life. Show me that I have now taken my fourth step into submitting my emotions to You.

Jesus, help me see that I am now a new child of God: 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Teach me that the little peach tree is no longer a peach pit; the old has gone, the new has come! Help me see that as a peach pit, it couldn’t bear peaches; it didn’t even have the potential of bearing peaches. But now, it IS a peach tree and has the potential of bearing fruit. BUT, as a new, little peach tree, it hasn’t grown enough to start bearing peaches. It needs time to grow roots and branches; all the resources of the ground, water, and sunshine need to be absorbed into its roots so it can GROW. Teach me that, that is what I am doing; I am growing in spiritual things. Show me that I am currently taking the fifth step into submitting my emotions to You.

Jesus, empower me to devote myself to studying the Bible: 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. Teach me that as the little peach tree continues to grow, its potential for bearing peaches grows. But, if anything bad happens to the soil around its roots, or if it stops getting enough water, or if something gets in the way of it getting enough sun, it can wither and die. Teach me that the little peach tree doesn’t have any control over these things; but, I do! You said in 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.” Help me understand why You say: “If a man remains in Me”. Help me see that unlike the little peach tree, I have a God-given free will. I can DECIDE to not get enough spiritual nutrients, spiritual water, and spiritual sun. Empower me to take step six and keep growing spiritually!

Jesus, empower me to yield to the fruit of the Spirit: Gal 5:22 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Show me that IF THE little peach tree continues to get plenty of nutrients from the soil, water, sun, and protection, it WILL grow into a mature peach tree and bear peaches. The little peach tree doesn’t have to do anything special; it just has to ABSORB all these things into it and the peaches will come. Make it clear to me that as I continue to get the spiritual nutrients, spiritual water, spiritual sun, and protection from You, the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control will automatically grow out of me.

Jesus, If I remains in You and You in me, I will bear much fruit; apart from You I can do nothing: Teach me that just like it is natural for the little peach tree to bear peaches, just like it doesn’t have to “do its best,” “try real hard,” or “believe in itself,” apart from YOU i can do nothing. Empower me to BE so I can cooperate with You and then DO. Empower me to take step seven and yield to the fruit of the Spirit.