Jesus, I thank You for teaching me what the criteria is for me passing Your final exam. I thank You for showing me how to get all my needs met and help everyone also get their needs met for the rest of their lives. Help me excel in all the aspect of this test: For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me (Mat 25:35-36).’

Jesus, You are telling me through Ephesians 6:17 (NIV) to take the...sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. If I do this, I will be accepting Your Bible as my only source of truth. If I read or hear anything that disagrees with this, empower me to reject it by using my sword against it.

Jesus, You just took me through looking at the person who failed Your final exam by TOTALLY rejecting Your message and Your training. Now help me take a look at what happens to a person who SELECTIVELY rejects certain parts of Your Word. Help Your message and Your Word to not fall on rocky places, where it did not have much soil in my life. Help it not just spring up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root (Mat 13:5-6).

Teach me the full message and meaning of Your parable concerning the farmer that sowed some seeds in his field. Some of the seeds landed on soil that had rocks just under the surface, let that not be the way things are in my heart. Those rocks represent hidden resistance to various truths in the Bible; so I ask You now to remove EVERY rock in my heart.

Jesus, since the one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the Word and at once receives it with joy, help me not be fooled into thinking that this is all You want to do in my life. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. Set me free for thinking that salvation only involves praying a sinner’s prayer. Help me see that I need to allow You to take advantage of that salvation experience. Since You have forgiven me of all my sins, that makes me be able to take advantage of my relationship with You and start getting the rocks removed from my life. Get me ready for the time when trouble or persecution comes BECAUSE OF THE WORD. Help me not be like this person and quickly fall away (Mat 13:20-21).

Help me not be like this person who has a lot of resistive things in their heart against Your Word. They read their Bible and decide that they aren’t going to follow various things it says. Help me pray and ask for Your help, if I read something in the Bible that I am having a hard time with. Help me not be like this where when the seeds of the Word try to grow in these areas of their heart, their heart refuses to allow them to take root in their life.

Jesus, You said through Paul that the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 4:3). Protect me from this spiritual heart problem. Help me be willing to hear and live even the most challenging truths You want to speak into me.

The man who hears the Word and at once receives it with joy: Jesus, help me not be a person who selectively accepts certain Biblical truths; that will cause me to really look good at first. I would have a system for reading the Bible that allows me to only consider those Scriptures that I like and agree with. None of the verses that say things I don’t like and agree with would even be considered. I would think I am in charge of what is true and what isn’t. So, when You started trying to teach me Your principles so I will know how to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, befriend strangers, clothe those needing clothing, and visit the sick and imprisoned for the rest of their lives, I would reject it. I wouldn’t “believe” that these principles apply to me.

Help me not have truth come into my life but isn’t allowed to set me free. Keep me from remaining weak and powerless to handle the pressures of life that come against me. Let me accept the truths that will meet everyone needs including mine for the rest of our lives and not be rejected by me. Otherwise, when trouble or persecution comes BECAUSE OF THE WORD, I would quickly fall away. Instead, help me be ready to win. Teach me that when I refuse to accept and believe all Scripture, I am not taking up my sword of the Spirit for all issues.

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). Teach me that the sword of the Spirit is able to help me defeat trouble and persecution. Let the Bible make it clear to me that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Show me that it is the Bible under the Holy Spirit’s control that is giving me the power to destroy the effects of trouble and persecution in my life. Let the Holy Spirit use God’s Word to teach me truths. And, as I allow those truths to change my belief system and life activities, I am able to forcefully attack those things trying to damage me when trouble and persecution come my way.

Jesus, help me understand that the battle that keeps me from being ready for all other battles is the one that keeps me from studying Your Word. Satan sends all kinds of things trying to keep me from having or taking the time to read and study Your Word. He knows I can defeat him and his efforts, if I grow in skills using the truths of the Bible. These things he sends my way also interfere with my prayer time with You; and, they block off my time spent in church. Teach me that if I don’t allow You to help me win the battle of spending time with You and the Bible, I am not going to be ready for my battle with trouble and persecution.

Jesus, help me understand that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful (powerful) for me getting teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that I as a person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). There are external influences that are constantly attacking me and bidding for my time and attention. They are hard for me to resist because they are fun. They bring a lot of pleasure into my life. Let the sword of the Spirit deliver me from their influence; help me be willing to receive that deliverance. Show me that the Holy Spirit is more than willing to help me defeat them before they gain control of my life, if I want Him to. Let me trust Him enough to allow Him to help me use His sword (the sword of the Spirit) against them.

Show me, Jesus, that whether I am kept from growing in the power of Your Word by rejecting certain Scriptures I don’t like, or, it is because I am not spending much time in it, I will fail to grow in my skills to use the sword of the Spirit. Let the above Scripture help me see how important it is to give my brain, will, heart, and mind, completely over to You and Your Word. Teach me that once that happens, I will learn how to help everyone get their needs met for the rest of their lives; that makes me ready to pass Your final exam.

Jesus, help me understand that just because I am saved doesn’t mean I am completely given over to You. Show me that it is a time issue and it is a trust issue. Help me REALLY believe that You and the Bible are my ONLY way to win at life. Jesus, You said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). Help me be conviced. Help me be willing to make myself spend time with You and Your Word. Teach me that the more I allow You and Your Word to come into more areas of my life, the less I will allow other things to come into my life. Help me understand that this is the main, most important battle that has to be fought. I have to expose myself to sermons, Christian books, Christians who are a good example, accountability partners, Christian music, people’s testimonies, and anything else that helps me win this battle.

Help me read my Bible rather than watch TV, get on the internet, or play video games. Help me study rather than play sports. Help me grow in Your Word rather than do something that brings worldly pleasure. Help me be willing to fight and win this battle; let that help me experience a major relational change taking place in my mind and heart. Let it help me start to really enjoy spending time with You and the Bible. Start talking to me through Your Word and during prayer. Help me learn how to listen and get Your input on everything. Show me that it is at this point that the first battle is being won so I will be ready for all other battles. And while all this is happening, I develop lots of soil for the roots of Your Word to grow in. Plus, I will be ready for various troubles and persecutions that come along.

Jesus, as I learn Scriptures and how to use them from my exposure to the Bible, sermons, Christian music, church, Christian fellowship, and prayer, help me understand that I will see conflict between Your Word and what I have believed.

• Teach me that if I take Scriptures and allow them to help me learn to dislike the things of the world, I am starting to fight with spiritual warfare.
• Teach me that if I use Scriptures to expose Satan’s lies, I am starting to destroy his efforts against me.
• Teach me that if I use Scriptures to learn how to treat those around me better, I am using the sword of the Spirit to keep bad attitudes from entering my life.
• Teach me that if I use Scriptures to fight things that used to addict me, I am using the sword of the Spirit to keep these addictive things from coming back.

Keep me aware of the fact that exposure to You and Your Word really help to make my life wonderful because it increases my sword of the Spirit and my skills for using it. That gets me ready to pass Your final exam.