John 15:1 (NIV) I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Jesus, as You use this spiritual illustration (parable), help me see how Christianity works. Show me that just like a grape branch is TOTALLY dependent on the vine that it is connected to, so am I TOTALLY dependent on being connected to You.

John 15:2 (NIV) He cuts off every branch IN ME that bears no fruit, while every branch that DOES bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Jesus, teach me that this FRUIT You are talking about has two parts to it; help me understand that the first part has to do with spiritual growth. Make me spiritually healthy by giving me God’s power attitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12. Let that help me start bearing one aspect of spiritual fruit. Teach me that the other has to do with sharing; empower me to take every spiritual breakthrough I experience and share it with others. Let that be me bearing the kind of fruit You are talking about.

John 15:3 (NIV) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Jesus, I thank You for leading me into experiencing salvation and justification. If I hadn’t been born again, then I would have already been cut off. But, thanks to You I now have a perfect record with God. Teach me that, that makes me be connected to You so I can receive spiritual food and power to grow spirituallly. Teach me that, that also qualifies me for the next aspects of Your training.

John 15:4 (NIV) REMAIN in Me, and I will REMAIN in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must REMAIN in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you REMAIN in Me. Jesus, make it clear to me that from the experience of salvation and justification on, I will constantly be given assignments from the Bible. Help me see that the first Bible assignment I read or heard was IMMEDIATELY responded to by me living the Romans 7:15-24 type of Christian life. Because human effort and world training was all I knew, I tried to use them in Christianity. Help me see that, that brought me into the Romans 7:15 confusion: 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.

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. Jesus, thank You for seeing to it that I am being trained by mature, adult Christians, help them keep TRYING to get me to give up human effort and world training. Help them lead me into the number one most important FACT about You and Christianity: APART from Me you can do nothing.

John 15:6 (NIV) If anyone does not REMAIN in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Jesus, help me not be one of those who don’t remain in You because they don’t like Your life or salvation. Help me not try it and decide that I like human effort and the world. AND, help me not be one of those who start to detach because I am living the Romans 7:15-24 life and think that, that is what You and Christianity are all about.

John 15:7 (NIV) If you REMAIN in Me and My words REMAIN in you, ASK whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Jesus, teach me this second most important FACT about You and Christianity. Show me that rather than me TRYING to obey a Biblical assignment I am given through the Bible, I must ASK! Teach me that the more I learn to stop TRYING and start ASKING, the more I will move out of the Romans 7:15-24 life.

John 15:8 (NIV) This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. Jesus, make it clear to me that growing in my attitudes and character and sharing my breakthroughs with those around me brings glory to my heavenly Father. Help me see that I and the people around me start demonstrating the love, generosity, power, grace, and transformation from God.

Jesus, help me see that I have now have two tool sets, which are: The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles. Make me aware of these two tool sets; when I read the assignments that are constantly being given to me from the Bible, You, and the Holy Spirit, let me know what to do. Empower me to know how to use these tools to stay attached to You. Empower me to know how to start looking to You for everything I need in life. Empower me to know how to gradually stop consulting myself and other humans; empower me to always include You in my thoughts, feelings, words, and actions through ASKING.

Jesus, take me through Romans 6:12-19 where I am exposed to numerous assignments. Then, after I am exposed to them, lead me into powerful, specific prayers that GET these assignments fulfilled in my life. Teach me that if I feel ANY pressure, feel fear, become overwhelmed, or feel inadequate, I am yielding to thoughts and feelings that are pressuring me as a human. I am thinking that I am being asked to full that Biblical assignment with MY abilities, skills, talents, and world training. Also teach me that if I feel faith, assurance, peace, and excitement, then I am moving into remaining in You; help me always have my eyes fixed on You.

Rom 6:12 (NIV) Therefore do not LET sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Jesus, show me that once the Bible tells me WHAT my assignment is, I have to know HOW to “do what it takes” to get it done. Make it clear to me that if I don’t IMMEDIATELY apply The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles, I WILL use human effort and world training to TRY to not LET sin reign in my mortal body so that I obey its evil desires.

Rom 6:13 (NIV) Do not OFFER the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather OFFER yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and OFFER the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. Jesus, make it clear to me that in order for me to not OFFER the parts of m body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, I am going to have to apply ASKING, SEEKING, and KNOCKING to my DESIRING, STUDYING, PRAYING, BELIEVING, LOVING, and taking FAITH-ACTION. Also make it clear to me that these are my two spiritual tool sets for LIVING The Victorious Christian Life.

Rom 6:14 (NIV) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Jesus, I thank You for helping me see that it is only by the grace of God that I have such powerful tools like The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles. I thank You that I have a clean record with God that made me not under law, but under grace. But, help me see that the main reason God gave me that perfect record was so I could gain possession, training, and power to use these tool sets so that sin shall not be my master.

Rom 6:15 (NIV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Jesus, help me not be one of those Christians who are sinning because they don’t know about Your tool sets. Help me not be TRYING, DETERMINING, PROMISING, and failing. Help me not be trying to learn from my mistakes, trying to get other Christians to hold me accountable, using the process of self-forgiveness, acting like I am doing fine while hiding my sins, deciding that I am just in process and maybe someday I will do better, and using a lot of other HUMAN techniques. Help me not be one of those who have decide that sinning is a normal way of life and that I just have to accept the fact that “no one is perfect.”

Rom 6:16 (NIV) Don’t you know that when you OFFER yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you OBEY--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Help me not be one of those Christians who have tried everything I know how to apply to my issues of sinning and then give up and just “do the best I can.” Help me not be one who “accidently” applies ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK by reading my Bible, going to church, listening to Christian music, doing devotions, and hanging around mature Christians. Help me not be one of those who don’t do it based on training, obedience, and spiritual growth. Help me not just happen on to them and not know why I get SOME breakthroughs and not others.

Rom 6:17 (NIV) But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. Jesus, make it clear to me that the form of teaching You are causing me to be exposed to, not only helps me strategically take the necessary steps, I am able to know WHY I succeeded. And, I know how to help others take the Biblical steps so they can win. Show me that if I didn’t know why or how I am winning, then I can’t give others Your form of teaching. Jesus, empower me to study to show myself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15 AKJV).

Rom 6:18 (NIV) You have been SET FREE from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Jesus, help me to thoroughly understand the three forms of freedom. Help me always understand that salvation made me free by GIVING me forgiveness for my past sins. Help me always understand that justification made me free by GIVING me forgiveness for my present and future sins. Help me see that THEY provided me a perfect record with God for as long as I have the Romans 7:15 WANT and HATE. Empower THAT want and hate so I am able to be motivated for pursuing the third aspect of freedom through sanctification or spiritual growth. Teach me that, that is where I skillfully, strategically, and powerfully apply my tool sets to each and every spiritual issue I face.

Rom 6:19 (NIV) I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to OFFER the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now OFFER them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

Jesus, help me see that just like I used human effort and world training to help me OFFER the parts of my body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, empower me to use ASKING, SEEKING, and KNOCKING on DESIRING, STUDYING, PRAYING, BELIEVING, LOVING, and taking FAITH-ACTION, so I can OFFER them (the parts of my body) in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

Jesus, help me see that it took some training from other sinners, television, internet, magazines, books, and my own human trial and error process to learn how to OFFER the parts of my body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness. And, help me see that it is taking training from You for me to learn how to OFFER them (the parts of my body) in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.