Jesus, the Spirit Himself testifies with my spirit that I am God’s child. Now SINCE I am His child, then I am an heir--an heir of God and co-heirs with You, SINCE indeed I share in Your sufferings in order that I may also share in Your glory (Rom 8:16-17). If I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me, then I can’t hear His important messages. Help me allow Him to speak to me; but, help me not also listen to myself, the devil, or circumstance. Keep them from interfering with His vital messages. Teach me that the Holy Spirit is my direct contact with truth.

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit: Jesus, help me understand that my spirit is the real me; and, the Holy Spirit is my direct line to all God has to offer. Show me that everything FROM God and TO God passes through Him. If You have something to say to me, You speak it into my spirit through the Holy Spirit that lives inside me. If I want to say anything to God, He will hear it through the Holy Spirit. Make it clear to me that, that is why the Holy Spirit being in me is so important. Without Him, there is no contact with God. Jesus, teach me that You are inside me to give me Your life; You will be the One Who provides me with the power to succeed, win, change, and be transformed.

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children: Jesus, show me what an important message this is. Help me understand that without the Holy Spirit being inside me, I would pray Matthew 6:9-13 and obey Romans 10:8-10 and nothing would happen. Even if it did happen, I would never know that it did. Help me appreciate the fact that the reason I KNOW I am a child of God and a citizen in His Kingdom is because the Holy Spirit is confirming it to me as a spirit being. Make it where no matter what opposing thoughts come to me from myself, other people, Satan, and circumstance, let the Holy Spirit keep bringing me back to the honesty of the Bible and God; help me know that they are telling me the truth and these other voices aren’t.

Now IF we are children: Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been helping me keep my eyes on the honesty and integrity of God and His Word, the Bible. Every time anything has tried to tell me that I'm not a child of God, He has been helping me KNOW how honest the Bible and God are. And, He has also been helping me feel it in my heart. Now that it is my responsibility to change this “if” into the word “since,” help me confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that SINCE I AM a child of God, THEN the next words in Romans 8:17 apply to me.

Jesus, as I go through the Bible, I will be reading truths that are readily available to me. Teach me that they become mine, as I read them, as I allow You to explain them to me, as I confess with my mouth that they are true, and as I believe in my heart that they are TRUE OF ME. Then, once I have done that, I am ready to take faith-action and start living on the basis of the fact that the Holy Spirit, You, my heavenly Father, and the Bible have produced that truth in me. Teach me that, as I do this with each verse I read, then the previous verse transforms me and gets me ready for the next verse so it can add to what I already have.

Jesus, as I allow the truths of the Bible to transform my life through confessing with my mouth that each Scripture is true and believing in my heart that each verse is true OF ME, help me realize that I get more and more power to force my body to yield to the truths of God and His Word. Show me that all the “if’s” in the Bible become “since” for me, that all the promises in the Bible become true of me, that all the provisions of God flow into me through miraculous power, and that all of this spiritual growth empowers me to become a mature child of God.

Jesus, after Biblical truths are put into my life and I start going back through my Bible and reading the same books, chapters, and verses, I will be reading about truths that I already have. But, they will be talking to me as if this is my first time through the Bible. Show me that this is because every person must go through it for the first time. Help me understand that it must address these first time issues with each new or untrained Christian. But, since it isn’t my first time through, help me read it as things You have already done in my life. Let this time through the Bible be a time for me to read each verse and thank You for doing all these wonderful things in me and through me.

IF we are children, then we are heirs: Jesus, You left me a will or testament; that is why the Bible is divided into two testaments. Teach me about the Old Testament and the New Testament. Even though You will have to teach me the Old Will or Testament at another time, help me get ready to learn what it has to say. Teach me that the New Will or Testament is from You to me. When You died on the cross, You left a Will or Testament for me to learn what my inheritance is. As I read Your Will, help me be introduced into the fact that I have inherited some very important things.

Now IF we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God: Jesus, by me being born again, I was made a child of God; by being made a child of God, I was made a part of Your Will; by being made a part of Your Will, I inherited God as MY heavenly Father; by inheriting God as MY heavenly Father, I inherited direct access to Him; by inheriting direct access to Him, I can ask for everything in Your Will, the Bible. Teach me that all of the promises, blessings, miracles, gifts, and provisions are a part of my inheritance through You.

Now IF we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ: Jesus, there are times when I will read things in the Bible, pray for them, and God answers my prayer with a “no.” Teach me why this is. Since James 1:17 (NIV) says: “Every GOOD and PERFECT gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows,” Show me that the rules will never change; God will only give me those things that He knows are GOOD for me and those around me. Teach me that if it is in the Bible, I pray for it, I try to believe for it, but God sees it as either not being GOOD for me or someone around me, His answer will always be “no.” Help me understand that it is the same thing for every child He has; He loves us all the same.

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: Jesus, if I am studying for a career, trying to get an education, learning a trade, working on a marriage, leading a group, learning a sport, or doing just about anything in life, help me understand that I will have to do some suffering. If I am on a diet, trying to develop my muscles, trying to stay in shape, trying to eat healthy foods, or trying to recover from an illness, there will be physical pain. Help me see that this is the same with my spiritual growth and reaching out to help others.

Jesus, if the world hates me, help me keep in mind that it hated You first (John 15:18). Show me that you aren’t saying that everyone is going to hate me. You are only talking about a certain group of people; You aren’t talking about everyone. Teach me that there are people who don’t want to join You and don’t care what anyone else decides. BUT, there are some people who don’t want to join You, AND, they don’t want anyone else to join You either. These are the ones You are talking about.

Jesus, teach me that if I belonged to the world, it would love me as its own. As it is, I do not belong to the world, but You have chosen me out of the world. That is why the world hates me (John 15:19). These people You are calling “the world” are the ones who don’t want anyone to become a Christian. They will try to form a wall around all those who want You. They will try every kind of abuse, resistance, argument, reason, tactic, and persecution they can direct against me. ALL OF THEIR EFFORTS will be to try to discourage me and keep me from going past them to those who will accept my help. Help me be willing to press beyond their resistance and get to the people who want You.

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. Jesus, doctors, nurses, firemen, policemen, soldiers, emergency medical teams, hazardous waste personnel, and Christians put their lives in danger so they can help those in need. If these people refuse to face danger, then the weak, the innocent, the needy, the helpless, the hopeless, and lost won’t be helped. Help me be a Christian who is willing to suffer so I can get to the needy.