Jesus, help me be able to move forward effectively by You giving me goals, plans, and strategies. Help me find out what God’s plans are for me. Rom 8:29-30 (NIV) For those God FOREKNEW He also PREDESTINED to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. Make it clear to me that God knew me before I was born; He knew what kind of personality I was going to have; and, He knew what kind of attitudes and character I was going to develop. Help me yield to His plan and His design for my life.

Gen 1:26-27 (NIV) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Jesus, help me understand that I have self-identity; I have a God-given free will; I have powerful thought processes; I have talents, skills, physical abilities, and feelings that no other creature has.

When I was made in God’s image, that made me a very powerful being. Make it clear to me that I am not programed by other people or my circumstances. I am a REACTION to all those things that have come my way. Help me understand that I have been DECIDING how I feel about all those things others have tried to teach me. I have DECIDED who I want to be; I have DECIDED how I want to react to all the things, circumstances, people, and influences I have experienced. Show me that I may blame all of these things for how I am; but, I am putting the blame in the wrong place. I was created in God’s image and I have been deciding and reacting based on what I wanted to become.

Jesus, help me understand that machines can be PROGRAMED; they are a PRODUCT of those things programmed into their memory. They can’t feel, decide, analyze, self-identify, dream about the future, or compare the true value to the things around them. Make it clear to me that I was created in God’s image and that made me a real challenge to God, myself, the people around me, and the world. Help me understand that because I am such a powerful being, God makes ME responsible for MY thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. I have rejected even those things God has sent my way. I have such God-given freedom, I can even reject some of the most important wishes of God.

2 Pet 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not WANTING anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Jesus, show me that even though God doesn’t WANT anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance, He doesn’t get His want from a lot of people. They insist on perishing by refusing to repent (make a U-turn). They refuse to change their ways and their thinking. I am a human; I have abilities and powers that are beyond my imagination. This is wonderful; and, this is very scary. Help me take the blame; but, help me repent so I can grow in You.

Jesus, teach me that it doesn’t do any good to have all this power and abilities as a human, if people and circumstances keep me from being able to use them. So, God had to look at me and my future and know who I was going to want to be. He had to have a complete understanding of all my desires, dreams, and wishes. He knew me before I was born; He knew things about me that were so complex that only He could understand them. THEN, He started on PREDESTINING me so I could have my very best chance of the very best He has to offer. Now, help me take advantage of that predestination.

Jesus, make it clear to me that God gave me the VERY BEST CHANCE of becoming the VERY BEST He has to offer. He used His foreknowledge to shape me, my environment, my circumstances, and my future so I could USE my God-given free will on all of it. But, help me understand that, that doesn’t mean I get everything I want because that wouldn’t be good for me. Show me that God designed my environment so I would have the very best CHANCE of turning out the very best that a person can be. I have some things in me that aren’t good for me; but, I got them myself. Help me see that God did the very best in giving me the right body, the right family, the right geological location, the right time in history, the right circumstances, and the right opportunities. Then I decided what to do with them. Help me to start taking advantage of God’s best plan for me.

Jesus, teach me that God brought me into this world at the right time, place, relationships, and circumstances. He gave me the very best opportunity to reach my highest potential in this life. But, with my incredible human abilities, I have been deciding and reacting to all these provisions of God. I am now who I have decided to make myself. I have reacted to all God’s provisions and have turned myself into who I am now. BUT, You have produced a WAY, a TRUTH, and a LIFE that CAN give me another chance to start all over and take advantage of all God has provided me. Help me take that opportunity and use it to its fullest advantages.

Jesus, make it clear to me that God loves me more than I love myself; God knows MUCH more than I know about myself; God knows how to help me become the person I have always wanted to be; and, God knows what it is going to take for me to reach my FULL potential. Show me that if I can fully trust Him, He can help me see all the things He gave me; and, He will help me use it all to reach my highest goals, dreams, and aspirations. Help me put my life in God’s hands so He can prove to me that He is TOTALLY trustworthy with my God-given free will. Show me that He is the ONLY ONE Who totally and completely honors my God-given free will. Help me see that I will be TOTALLY involved in all the decisions; He will just be trying to help me see why He wants to do what He wants to do in my life.

Jesus, use The Strategy Courses to help me find out how God designed me, how He structured my life and circumstances. Let Him help me see my strengths, likes and dislikes, talents, skills, abilities, and potential. Let Him take who I am and what I am struggling with and enhance it with spiritual growth. Let the person I am be able to take advantage of God’s power to win over the problem that is bothering me the most. Let me be able to strategically move forward in God. Let it empower me to be who God has shaped me to be.