|
I Am Learning How To Submit My Life To Jesus Through Loving
I Am Opening Doors To People
Mark 12:31b (NIV) “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus, help me start loving myself in a Biblical way and stop loving myself in a selfish way. Teach me that these two types of love are polar opposites. Help me see the wonderful things You have done in me so I can see how much that would help others. Teach me that loving myself in a Biblical way is like me being a river. Show me that the more You do for me, the more I can allow You to flow through me to others. Teach me that loving myself in a selfish way is like me being a lake. The more You bless and transform me, the more I feel like I am better than others.
Jesus, empower me to give so it will be given to me. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into my lap. For with the measure I use, it will be measured to me (Luke 6:38). Help me see more and appreciate more of what You have made me into so I can share more with other. Help me share more with others so You can bless me more; teach me that, that is the way Christianity works.
Jesus, teach me that if I love my neighbor as myself and I hate myself, no one will want me to give them my kind of love. But, if I yield to God’s love, I will grow to recognize, understand, appreciate, and love the wonderful things God has turned me into. Teach me that, THAT will provide me with a love that will be a blessing to those around me. THEN I will be able to love my neighbor as myself and others will like the way I treat them. And that will bring healing to me from the struggles I have with spirituality. But, make it clear to me that I will always have a “normal” issue with spirituality; I will be tempted by the devil JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. But, help see that for me to be healed and cease to ever have the intensity of a problem with spirituality like I have had in the past, I MUST learn how to yield to God’s love.
|
|
|
I Am Learning How God’s Love Is Different
Trying To Do Acts Of Love
Jesus, help me understand that when I TRY to do acts of love, I fail in my efforts; but, when I learn how to yield to God’s love, I go far beyond human abilities. Show me that I am empowered to REALLY love people. Make it clear to me that the problems that bother me the most typically come out of the difference between God’s love and human love. Let these three Scriptures will show me the inadequacies of human love.
Make it clear to me that if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Cor 13:1). Help me see that if I were so far along in my human education that I could speak numerous languages, if I were so advanced in my spiritual growth that I could speak with the languages of angels, I could still actually lack God’s love.
|
| Jesus, show me that if I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1 Cor 13:2). Help me see that it can happen that even though it doesn’t seem possible to have the powerful gift of the Holy Spirit of prophecy, I can still not be a great Christian. Show me that even if the Holy Spirit empowered me to understand all mysteries and all knowledge it still wouldn’t mean I am a super Christian, Make it clear to me that even if I have a faith that can move mountains, and, even though You are speaking incredible faith into me, I still need God’s love. Teach me that even if I am able to connect to Your faith, if I don’t ALSO yield to God’ love, I am nothing.
|
Jesus, help me see that if I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing (1 Cor 13:3). This is really amazing; but, help me see that even though it doesn’t seem possible for me to give everything away and still not have an incredible love for suffering people, this can happen too. Teach me that love has to do with WHY I do WHAT I do.
Keep my heart from fooling me into thinking I am doing something for one reason when in fact I am doing it for another. Let God’s love empower me to be at the right place, at the right time, doing and saying the right things, to the right people. Set me free from pride, self-gratification, self-serving, self-promotion, or boasting; help see that they can keep all my gifts from being out of love.
Help me see that being willing to face persecution to the point where I am willing to be burned at the stake, can still be out of human rather than God’s love. Protect me from the way for me to make the ultimate sacrifice of dying a painful death and still not do it out of true love. Help me understand that human love will never get the job done; only God’s love is going to empower me be helped and help others.
|
I Am Learning What God’s Love Can Do For Me
God’s Love-Power Is In Me
Jesus, hope does not disappoint me, because God has poured out HIS LOVE into my heart by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given me (Rom 5:5). Help me realize that God’s love, described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, is in me so I won’t either be trying to use my love or I won’t be trying to GET God to give me His love. Teach me that this time of confusion about me experiencing God’s love limits the healing process in and through me.
Help me stop praying for something the Bible says I already have so I won’t find myself feeling like He didn’t answer my prayer. As I keep damaging myself and other people and wondering why God won’t help me, let me realize I am PRAYING and ASKING for the wrong thing; make it clear to me that I ALREADY have God’s love. Teach me that, that is why one of The Six Biblical Principles is STUDY. Let my PRAYERS be based on me STUDYING the Bible so I can know God’s love is ALREADY inside me.
|
God’s Love-Power Can Change My Behavior
Jesus, help me yield to God's love in such a way that I have a love that is patient, is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Let me have a love that does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Let me have a love that never fails (1 Cor 13:4-8a).
Help me see that this isn’t just a top quality human love. Teach me that this love is pure and never failing. But, help me always keep in mind that this love is inside me; it was poured into my heart when I was born again. Make it clear to me that when I became a child of God, a member of His family, and a citizen of His eternal Kingdom, I got this love from my heavenly Father. Teach me that all I have to do is learn how to yield to it. Help me see that yielding to God’s love is going to be a powerful part of bringing healing to my struggles with spirituality.
|
I Am Learning How To Yield To God’s Love-Power
1. I Am Yielding My Life To Jesus
1 John 2:5-6 (NIV) But if anyone OBEYS His (God’s) word, GOD’S LOVE is truly made complete IN HIM. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. Jesus, You walked the walk of God’s love; now I am being led into submitting my life to You Who know how to walk the walk of God’s love. So, help me yield to God’s love by me simply submitting my life to You. Teach me that, that empowers me to have God’s love, that is inside me, to flow out of me through Your power.
Help me NOT try to live the list in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; show me that my human effort will fatigue me, frustrate me, and bring great failure into my life. But, help me see that yielding my life to You will supply me with everything I need to treat myself and the people around me with God’s love. Let this lay the foundation for God’s power-love to build those things I need for continued victory over my issues with spirituality.
|
2. I Am Letting Jesus Live God’s Love-Power Through Me
Jesus, help me constantly apply my tool sets to being empowered by You to yield to God’s love. Help me see that if I didn’t, here is what I would be responsible for: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Help me see why some Christians read the Bible and get discouraged. Help me see that as they read passages like this and TRY to study the list, memorize it, apply it to their relationships, and end of failing; they tend to give up on living the Bible. They start hoping that “someday” they will get better at it. But, in the meantime, they live very discouraging lives. Set me free from this human approach to Christianity.
|
|
|
3. I Am Using The Three Keys To All Of Christianity
Jesus, help me know for a fact that if I ASK, it will be given to me; if I SEEK I will find; and if I KNOCK the door will be opened to me. Make it clear to me that everyone who ASKS receives; he who SEEKS finds; and to him who KNOCKS, the door will be opened (Mat 7:7-8).
Empower me to read the Bible as the TRUTH of God; help me read it with an entirely different attitude. Empower me so that when I read: “ASK and it will be given to you; ” I will see it as You giving me instructions for how to yield to GOD’S LOVE. Help me see it as THE WAY for me to start yielding to Your teaching me how to go around treating myself and other people the right way.
Show me that as that starts happening, I may ASK You for anything in Your name, and You will do it (John 14:14). Help me see that I may have ASKED many times for You to set me free from my struggles with spirituality; but, NOW I am learning how to let You flow in and through me. Help me see that I am NOW heading in the right direction.
|
4. I Am Using ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK For Each Moment
Jesus, help me realize that I am to yield to God’s love moment-by-moment and issue-by-issue. Help me realize that I must apply The Three Keys To All Christianity as I go about my day.
- Let ASK be what I do at the moment where I am dealing with an issue.
- Let SEEK be what I do at the moment where I am dealing with an issue; but, let it empower me to ASK with real concern and intensity. Let SEEK help me not just ASK in a careless attitude; let it keep me from turning this into a ritual where I am no longer REALLY inviting You into the issue.
- Let KNOCK be for me asking in such a way that I am wanting my decisions and actions to be opportunities for me to DEMONSTRATE the love of God.
Help me learn how to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK at a high rate of speed in my thoughts. Help me practice and be patience so I can get good at it, consistent with it, and passionate about it.
|
5. I Am Using The Six Biblical Principles Prior To The Issue
Jesus, help my heart ALREADY be in the right place before I apply The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and before I reach the moment where I am facing an issue:
- Jesus, help me already DESIRE to do the right thing so it won’t be too late for me to ASK God to help me make the right decision at that moment. Teach me that getting my DESIRE changed is a process; show me that at that moment in the day where I am facing an issue, there’s no time to do a complete work on my DESIRE to do the loving thing.
- Jesus, help me already have STUDIED and been empowered by Your truths on how to handle that issue so You won’t just help me with my attitudes; but, me go ahead and make a mistake as to the method I use to handle that issue. Help me always keep in mind that You will only use the truths, principles, and Scriptures I have learned. Help me understand that I have to already know that a Scripture exists, what it means, how to apply it to my life, and have “done what it takes” to get it functioning in my life. Teach me that, that is why You and I are spending so much time in these studies. You are transforming my life with them.
- Jesus, teach me that PRAYING is much like ASKING, it is a process of talking to God. However, help me see that my PRAYERS, prior to the moment I am dealing with an issue, should be addressing me, my attitudes, my character, and my relationship with You. Teach me that PRAYER can involve ASKING; but, it can involve repenting, praising, worshiping, thanking God, and mouring.
- Jesus, since BELIEVING requires that I wait on You to speak faith into me, there can be a lot of things that You have to deal with me on BEFORE You are willing to give me the faith to BELIEVE for something. Teach me that, that means I need to get Your faith prior to the moment I face an issue; or, I need to wait on making any decisions or taking any actions until I get that faith to BELIEVE.
- Jesus, teach me that learning how to yield to God’s LOVE is also something that needs to be progressing prior to my day’s activities. But, help me see that all during my day I will typically get opportunities to see how I am doing with God’s LOVE. Help me see where I need more ASKING, SEEKING, and KNOCKING so I can get better at submitting my life to You; let that make it possible for You to live God’s love through me.
- Jesus, help me to have already submitted my life to You so You and I can take FAITH-ACTION all during my day. As I ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK all during my day, give me opportunities and empower me to start taking FAITH-ACTION. Let me start living on the basis of the fact that God’s love is in me and being yielded to. As this happens more and more during my days, let me see the power and results that come through me using The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles. Help me see that THEY are directing my attention, my faith, my dependency, my trust, and my reliance toward You. You are setting me free from human effort, secular humanism, and world training.
|
6. I Am Appying The Three Keys To The Six Principles
Jesus, when I am facing a moment where I have an issue that I am struggling with, let me in my mind ASK You to help me do the LOVING thing. Help me to have ALREADY worked with God over making sure The Six Biblical Principles are functioning in my life, so that I DESIRE to do the loving thing, I have been STUDYING how to do the loving thing, I have been PRAYING to do the loving thing, I have been looking to You to speak faith into me so I can BELIEVE I have the power to do the loving thing, I BELIEVE I have GOD’S LOVE inside me to do the loving thing, and I have submitted my life to You so YOU can do the loving thing through me. Then let me and that person I am getting ready to talk to or take action on experience GOD’S LOVE.
|
|
This concludes your studying and asking Jesus for all these truths in “Submitting Your Life” Week One.
Just spend some time thinking and praying about
what you have learned and asked for so far.
Let Jesus use these truths to change your life.
Don’t forget to fill out your “My Power Growth Record;”
it will help you get back here next week.
If you want to set up your browser for “Submitting Your Life” Week Two for next week, select the sentence below.
|
