Jesus, use Study Four - The Purification Courses to help me look at wrong, bad, and evil things I have already allowed to enter into my life. Teach me that this has to do with four aspects of the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter five:

• Mat 5:3 (NIV) Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


• Mat 5:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who MOURN, for they will be comforted.


• Mat 5:5 (NIV) Blessed are the MEEK, for they will inherit the earth.


• Mat 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, for they will be filled.

Jesus, make it clear to me that the reason wrong, bad, and evil things get into my life is because I allowed them in. Show me that once they get in, it is a whole different procedure for getting them out. Mat 12:34-35 (NIV) You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good STORED up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil STORED up in him. Help me see that this isn’t good news! I need a good house cleaning so I can get rid of all those things STORED in my brain, my mind, and my heart.

Jesus, help me see that in Matthew 12:34-35, You are telling me that I am living on the basis of all those things stored in my brain, mind, and heart. If there is anything that is wrong, bad, or evil in there, it is flowing out of my mouth; show me that it won’t stay in no matter how hard I try. But, help me see that the good news is, You have some power attitudes that will empower me to get purified. Teach me that these power-attitudes don’t purify me; but, they open the doors for me to BE purified. Since I have a God-given free will, I will need these power-attitudes to help me BE WILLING to be purified.

Jesus, teach me that this is an attitude where You empower me to be open to Your teaching and truth. Help me see that it is having a teachable spirit; but, it is only open to Your truth. Make it clear to me that without this power-attitude, I will lack the ability to be receptive to everything You are trying to teach me. Show me that there will be some areas of my life where I will NOT be willing to allow something wrong, bad, or evil to be given up. If I lack this power-attitude, You won’t be able to lead me into comeplete purification.

Jesus, teach me that as the power-attitude of being poor in spirit opens me up to Your truth, I will see wrong, bad, and evil things inside me. Help me understand that at this point, I can experience resistance to giving that spiritual problem up. I can feel regret, intense guilt, shame, embarrassment, condemnation, fear, helplessness, hopelessness, and all kinds of human emotions. I can resist You by trying to explain why I did it, I can try to justify it, I can try to ignore it, and I can go to my friends and see if they will help me feel good about it. Empower me to mourn rather than using these techniques to resist You.

Jesus, show me that if I open my heart and mind to You, You will give me Your power-attitude of mourning. I will feel a powerful sadness that will allow me to repent of these things and be sorry that I did and said those things. Help me tell You that I am sorry, repent (make a U-turn), renounce it (give it up), and release it (let it go). Let each thing You help me discover be given this treatment until my heart and mind are healed from all their damage. Help me find the many things that are feeding my problems with alcohol.

Jesus, I have been taught by the world to have self-confidence, believe in myself, have self-esteem, and to be self-centered. This has put me in the center of all I am and all I do. Make it clear to me that as I come to You for Your salvation, justification, and help, I analyze, test, evaluate, and scrutinize everything You and the Bible tell me. Help me see that I start out believing that I am the judge of all that is best for me. I will think that I love myself the most, and am the top person for having my best interests in mind. But, make it clear to me that You have all knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding and wisdom; I don’t.

Jesus, show me that there are so many things I don’t know; so, when I make a decision as to what I should do, I make it while lacking vital information. But, if I am meek, I will allow You to be the final authority in my life. Teach me that Meekness will help me so respect You that I will wait until You put Your stamp of approval on all my decisions. Let it help me realize that You love me more than I love myself. Let it help me see that YOU ARE best qualified for having my best interests in mind. Help me trust You over my own opinions because I see that You are better qualified to help me make my decisions.

Jesus, teach me that there are wonderful, exciting, joyous, and dynamic things in God’s world. Make it clear to me that I have been digging around in the trash heap of the world trying to find good things. Take me into the riches of Your glorious blessings and provisions. Give me a supply of things to look through that are extremely valuable, beautiful, beneficial, powerful, and miraculous. Teach me that righteousness is the name God has given all the good things He has accepted into Himself and His way of life. Phil 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Jesus, help me understand that the reason I have selected the things I have allowed to come into my life is because they were the best I could find. As I looked over the trash heap of all my worldly options, I felt these things were the best of the worst. Now that I have all of God’s provisions available to me, help me raise my standards to a supernatural, God-sized, miraculous, and wonderful level. Show me that the things of the world are no longer all I have available. Teach me that as I give up and am purified from the wrong, bad, and evil things, I will be able to immediately replace them with beautiful, exciting, blessed, miraculous, and supernatural things of God.