Jesus, teach me how to live victoriously over the problems of life. Show me that the answer is, to have the necessary power. Help me see that if I have enough power, I will be able to defeat the problems that come my way. The next question is, how do I get the necessary power to live victoriously? Teach me that the answer to this question isn’t quite as simple. Help me let You and the Bible give me an example out of the New Testament.

Acts 2:44-45 (NIV) All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Jesus, all this money was being given to the Apostles; and, they were being trusted to properly distribute it with honesty and integrity. Thanks to You, they were able to live that way.

Jesus, a lot of people and even some nations have tried to follow this idea of socialism. It would be great if we could all pool our resources and live together in harmony and love. Everyone would be blessed, no poor people, no one having everything while others starved. Show me how this actually happened with the Christians in the New Testament. Show me that it was ONLY possible because of what You did in the hearts and lives of Your disciples. If their character and attitudes hadn’t been changed by You, they would have misused all that money, resources, and power.

Jesus, make it clear to me why I can’t be trusted to do something like they did in Acts 2:44-45. Help me see that it is because I have spiritual problems! Help me imagine what would happen in a financial system like that if I were dishonest. Show me what would happen if I were the leader of the group, who was holding the money, and I wasn’t trustworthy. Set my life strategy around right, good, and righteousness. Show me that once they are in place, then I can be trusted with money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, power, pleasure, and accomplishments.

Acts 4:34-35 (NIV) There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Jesus, show me that these people had just spent three and a half years under Your training, ministry, and leadership. They allowed You to get them ready for this kind of life.

Jesus, help me understand what would have happened if those Apostles weren’t spiritually capable of handling all that money. And, show me what would have happened if some people lied about having needs that they really didn’t have. Make it clear to me that just a little bit of dishonesty in the group would ruin everything in a financial system like that. So, use this situation to teach me that the STRATEGY that works is to put the priority on my character and attitudes.

Jesus, what would it take to make a financial system like that work? Show me that it isspiritual growth! Also show me that, that is the same issue with me having power. If God gave me uncontrolled power and I wasn’t honest or trustworthy to control that power, I would USE it to hurt God’s work, myself, and others. So, even though the answer to all my problems is power, and even though I now have been empowered to live victoriously, it will only flow through me as I grow spiritually. Teach me that the power I received through salvation and justification IS YOU, JESUS! You won’t let Your power and blessings flow in and through me without spiritual growth.

Jesus, teach me what spiritual growth is. Make it clear to me that it’s a way of living that changes my philosophies of life. It changes my relationship with God, myself, and other people; it heals my emotions, my finances, my physical body, and my whole approach to evaluating the world around me. Show me that God’s principles change the way I treat myself, other people, and His plan. Teach me that the MAIN aspect of spiritual growth has to do with the issue of relationships. Show me that the kind of relationships I have regulates and decides how much of Your power flows in and through me. You have the power I need; and, I have You. You are in me and available to me; but, I must allow You to help me get to the place where You can trust me with Your power.

Jesus, reveal to me that I received power when I was born again; You are that power. You help me be empowered to do things I have never been able to do before. BUT, You will NOT allow me to just USE the power. You will work together with me as You and I do things that are supernatural, miraculous, and amazing. You will cause Your power to flow in and through me in wonderful ways. However, all these things MUST be good for me and those around me. Help me understand that if I think something is good for me, You will use Your incredible knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom to decide whether or not I am right.

Jesus, teach me that SPIRITUAL growth is learning about spiritual issues. A lot of the time, I think I am only dealing with things I can see. When someone does something I don’t like, I express negative feelings and actions against them. When something happens that I don’t want, I try to handle the whole situation using natural procedures. Show me that these natural procedures typically hurt me and those around me. Negative attitudes and character traits form inside me and then flow out of me against other people. That turns me into thinking, feeling, saying, and doing bad things; and, that causes others to experience those bad things too.

Jesus, help me read the book of Job (The eighteenth book in the Old Testament) and realize that there is more to life than those things I can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. Help me spent a lot time learning about building a special relationship with God, and coming to the realization that there is a spiritual world that God is training me to deal with. Make it clear to me that the things in the spiritual world have more to do with my success in life than the physical does.

Jesus, show me that from a negative perspective I have Satan and his efforts to deal with. He is the reason I am struggling with life. Help me see what the Bible says about my life as it relates to people, Satan, and circumstances. Show me these things as it relates to my physical world and the spiritual world.

Eph 6:12 (NIV) For our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood [people], but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil [Satan and demons] in the heavenly realms. Jesus, help this make sense to me; help me see that this is the basis of all my problems. Make I clear that I have an enemy and it isn’t a human. Satan may use a human; but, it is SATAN using that human. When it makes me mad that they allowed Satan to use them, help me not attack the person.

Jesus, make it clear to me that a lot of what I face on a negative basis doesn’t come from people. It may come THROUGH people; but it doesn’t originate in them. Show me that people allow the devil to use them to attack me and hurt me. Also show me that I even allow the devil to talk to me about myself; I don’t mean to; but, it happens. Teach me that he doesn’t come to me in a physical form like he did with Adam and Eve. He doesn’t even always come to me in the physical form of the people around me. He often comes as ME! He will give me a thought or feeling that he hopes I will accept as being my thought or my feeling.

Jesus, teach me that Satan says harmful, hurtful things against me and others in my thoughts and feeling. And, because they popped up in MY mind, I often accept his words as originating in and from me. Teach me that in the above Scripture, the Bible is saying that my battle isn’t with the person (including myself) who is yielding their body to Satan’s work. My battle is with Satan who is working against me and through other people. Help me see that I must learn how to detect these satanic suggestions and how to resist them. You will soon be teaching me these wonderful things. But, right now You are just helping me be aware of where my bad ideas and emotions are coming from.

Jesus, if I fight other people or attack myself for saying or thinking bad, hurtful things, I am basically shooting the messenger. Make it clear that my battle is with the devil, not with myself; and, it isn’t against the person he is using to attack me. I have to learn how to resist the things Satan is trying to install in my life through my thoughts. And, I must learn how to resist those that come through the messenger (human) he is currently using against me. Teach me that it is vital that I understand that, if Satan generates a thought or feeling in me and I accept it as MY thought or feeling, I will then start feeling bad, guilty, condemned, and wrong. But, if I let You show me that it came from Satan, I will attack the right enemy.

Jesus, teach me that Christianity offers a whole new approach to living life around myself and fellow human beings. The source of my life issues comes through satanic attacks in my thoughts and through satanic words spoken through other people. I have allowed them to guide me and my philosophies of life. They have been telling me how to think, what to want, what will make me happy, and how to succeed in life. If I keep listening to them, I will continue to accept the training, beliefs, and guidelines originated from Satan and the world. Help me stop this inflow and give me Your source of training, beliefs, and principles.