Mark 7:9

He said to them, "All to well you reject the commandment of God, that you keep your traditions.

Heavenly Father as I ponder this season of preparation, I wonder about the traditions of men. Forgive me Lord for the times I turned to human traditions to cleanse my heart. The activities of do this, don't do that are ineffective and have robbed You of glory. These things I've come to realize only lead to disregard of Your Holy word. Hypocrites are those whose actions are merely external and never pierce the heart. I do not desire to be far from You for by Your grace You saved me. May I never depart from Your loving kindness and tender mercies but be wrapped in the warmth of Your love forever. Amen.

Colossians 3:1

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Good and gracious God my Father, I thank You for Your mercy that saves me. I seek You who are above, setting my mind not on things that are on earth. I confess it is not always easy especially when longing for lost loved ones to come home. But yet may the praises on my lip be an acceptable offering and pleasing to Your ears. I thank You that my life is hidden in Christ and You will grant me the desire of my heart for my family and friends to be hidden in You as well. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that cleanses us from immorality, impurities, passion and evil desires wiping our minds clean. Make me keen to the things that lure me to covetousness that is idolatry. I thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit to put away all anger, malice, wrath slander and obscene talk because You have created me new. I pray this day to be renewed in knowledge of who You are, the Creator of the world. Today, Lord, I thank You for clothing me in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience as one of Your beloveds should be dressed. May I be used by You to guide others to the truth and may they receive the victory given from the cross. All honor and praise given to You dear Jesus, Amen,

Colossians 3

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Dear Lord God, Almighty, thank You for Your grace that is sufficient and Your perfecting power working in me. I surrender all. Your word says it all. May praises to You be continually on my lips. I love You Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Philippians 3:10

 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 

Oh Lord how I desire to reject my own righteousness in order to secure not merely an intellectual knowledge of You but relational, in fact an intimate knowledge. I desire the same for my loved ones as well. To know the power of Your resurrection not only as a one-time event but Your ongoing power in the day-to-day experience of life being in You the Christ. To desire to be an imitator of You would be the greatest compliment I could give and comes from a heart of sincere gratitude. May I forget those things which are behind and reach forward to the things that lay ahead. Although I cannot obliterate the past from my memory, I refuse to let it obstruct my progress. May I not be conformed to the world but by the renewing of my mind. So, Father I yield my will to Your gracious hand to be molded and shaped into the image and likeness of Your radiant Son. May You Lord Jesus be glorified in and through me forever, Amen.

Romans 6:10, Ephesians 5:1-2, Philippians 3:10-14, Romans 12:2, Romans 8:29 and 2 Thessalonians 1:12 

Matthew 6:1

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."

Let not my acts of obedience that are valuable and honorable be done merely for the sake of public recognition especially when giving to the needy, praying or fasting, Father I pray. You have taught me to store up my treasures in heaven where neither pride, nor self-promotion can rob me of Your rewards.  Father, I do not desire to be an actor who wears different masks to play different roles thereby being hypocritical. Let me not do right things for the wrong reasons. Grant me wisdom and insight into my motivations to bring correction where necessary. I have a deep longing in my heart to stand approved by You Lord, my God and King who sees in secret. I have learned over the years that truly I overflow with the richest joy when You are glorified and magnified in my life. When there is less of me and more of You. I love You Lord Jesus, Amen.

Matthew 6:19-21, Psalm 69:30, Psalm 34:1 and John 30:30

Proverbs 10:8

The wise in heart will receive commands, but the prating fool will fall.

Heavenly Father, You who are wise beyond measures. I seek You today for great understanding of Your commands. To live them out daily and at times moment by moment. I thank You for blessing me to be teachable and to master that which You require; to love mercy, do justly and walk humbly with You all my days. Let me not be a prating fool, going on and on without a purpose, being deaf to what You are saying. May I be quick and attentive to listen to those You lovingly placed in my life. May I be slow to speak but respond with grace and truth as Your Spirit leads me. May I be even slower to respond in anger but yield to You with my emotions. I recognize Lord I do not know everything about everything and long for good counsel. Your wisdom that is from above affects how I think, Your wisdom from above affects how I feel, and Your wisdom affects how I act. Oh how I desire abouve all things to bring You glory and in doing so I am blessed. Thank You Father for loving me so much that You desire good for me all my days. I love You Lord, Amen.

Micah 6:8 and James 1:19, 

Proverbs 9:6

Forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your written word that instructs me in truth, showing me the way to live an abundant life. I ask that You bless all those I love with the same desire to know You. The value of wisdom yields riches and honor, greater than silver and gold, those who have it are blessed and find life. The foolish are opposite and love death, Lord, have mercy. Fear of You Lord is a gift as it is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of You the Holy One is understanding. Father, please give this gift to all my unsaved loved ones. A precious gift that multiplies our days and adds years of life. I thank You for keen ears to discern the foolishness of trends, not following others in order to save time and effort but to truly process all that is required in decision-making. May I not get caught in digital distractions and technology traps but stand firm on the solid rock of Christ. I thank You Lord that I have nothing to lose but naivete when choosing wisdom that's from above. Jesus, teach me Your ways so I may have victory in life's challenges. May You receive all glory and honor due Your great name, Amen.

1 Samuel 15:22

And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."

Heavenly Father, may I heed the instruction that came through Samuel who emphasized that sincerity and obedience are the prerequisites for worshiping and pleasing You, Almighty. Let no part of my character be in rebellion as to fall into the sin of witchcraft. Independents and defiant actions are a denial of Your authority and a recognition of satan's supernatural power through witchcraft and I want no part of it. Father by Your Holy Spirit may I walk humbly with You. To have awe reverence and fear of You Lord than being afraid of man who can do nothing to me.  To be stubborn is to desire my way that is the iniquity of idolatry, so Lord, I seek You to fill me with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. May I not harbor any iniquity within my heart as to sin against You. May I not take for granted the finished work from the cross of Calvary. Grant me discernment of people, writings and teachings to not fall into apostasy. Keep me strong Lord for the days are getting eviler, so hide me in the secret place with my family alongside me. I pray we endure til the end and be raise up to You in glory on the last day, Amen.

Psalm 118:12

Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest! Heavenly Father, I come before You in Jesus name asking that You make a triumphal entry into the areas of my life that are desolate. The places where battles have ensued. In my own strength I fight the strongholds and temptations, but victory has not been won. Lord Jesus, I need You as do many others in my life. I need You to give success so I may flourish like foliage, ever green. Drive out the things that hold me back, things like pride, self-sufficiency, and self-loathing, replacing them with humility, truth and liberation. Create in me Lord a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit with in me. Jesus, You have told me '"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Lord, I welcome You into this learning process to help me know and experience truth that leads to success. By Your Holy Spirit may I hold every thought captive that sets itself up against the knowledge of You God so I may live obedient to Christ. I do not desire to live as a slave to the strongholds that are built on false beliefs any longer. Thank You for this day I will rejoice and be glad for You are with me. Amen.

Mark 11:9-10. Proverbs 11:28, Psalm 51:10, John 8:32 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

1 Peter 5:6

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Heavenly Father You resist the proud but give grace to the humble. How I desire to be submissive and receive Your grace, but confess I often am not. Insisting on doing things the way that seem right to me, forgive me Lord. I do not want to be headstrong and resist Your leadership. You alone are wise, and You alone are good. Today start the season of Lent and as I reflect on the humility of Your Son Jesus, I'm in awe. You Jesus, Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and gave Your life a ransom for many, my family and I included. I am forever grateful but therein lies my frustration with myself as I battle my pride. Lord by Your Spirit I surrender control and wait for You. Lord, I long to draw near to You please fulfill Your promise that You will draw near to me. Cleanse me Lord for I am a sinner, purify my heart, and may I not be double minded but singly devoted to You. Today I commit all my ways to You and trust You and know You will act. You will bring forth Your righteousness as the light and Your justice as the noonday. I will be still and wait patiently for You to work all things together for my good and Your glory, In Jesus name Amen. 

Matthew 20:26-27, James 4:8-10, Psalm 37:6-7 and Romans 8:28

Proverbs 8:1

Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?

Where does wisdom come from? You Lord possessed it from the beginning of Your way. You brought forth knowledge. You God are ever wise, produce wisdom and possess all knowledge. Jesus You are the holy habitation of wisdom and were before all things. You desire to reach everyone therefore You broadcasted the message publicly unlike immorality who uses privacy and deception to achieve its goals. Ah but let us remember Lord everything done in the dark will one day be exposed by Your radiant light. You have taught us that wisdom from above can be trusted and offers grace that is beneficial. Grant me ears to hear for You speak excellent things. Wickedness is an abomination to Your lips, so I dare not speak it either. Lord, I desire to receive Your instruction with gladness knowing full well it is better than choice gold. And wisdom is better than rubies and all things I could desire cannot compare. To fear You Lord is the beginning of wisdom and I long to spend my days in awe of You, the King of king and Lord of lord. Teach me Your ways Lord, try me and know my anxious thoughts. Thank You for filling me with Your Holy Spirit to guide me in all truth. May You be magnified and glorified in and through me. I surrender all, Amen.

Proverbs 7:2

Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. 

Heavenly Father, I pray to keep your word and treasure Your commands. May a scarlet string be tied to my finger as a reminder of Your great love and Jesus' sacrifice, may it be written on the tablet of my heart. I pray my kin will be blessed with the same and so much more. May wisdom and understanding keep me from those who flatter with their tongues. No ear tickling here. May the path of this life be straight to Your dwelling place. May it be well lit in the twilight illuminating the Way, the Truth and Life. I pray my feet stay home not wandering off exploring enticing things that do not concern me and have no benefit and lead to death. I pray Lord to be thoughtful in every word, action and deed to bring glory to You. May the peace offering within my heart be extended to others as helping hands. Keep me Lord off the road that leads to temptation, for You are the one and only who can satisfy my soul. As Your child may I listen intently to the words of Your mouth to receive the abundant life, Praise, glory and majesty are Yours Lord Jesus forever and ever. Amen.

Proverbs 6:19

A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among the brethren.

Heavenly and Holy Father, this is listed as one of the things You hate and are even an abomination to You. It is such a serious offense to You that causes Your greatest disapproval. I pray the brethren dwell together in peace. My highest priority is to seek You and live in Your ways. Father, keep false witnesses from rising up against me, shield me Lord from the enemy. Your word has stated "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape," Please Lord set a guard over my mouth and may I only speak that which You want to convey. Father expose to us those who are troublemakers, the ones who are in our midst that delight in bringing dissension, even in the subtlest of ways. Search our hearts Lord and see if there are any wicked ways in us. Purify Your bride to be spotless and radiant for Your glory. Many religious leaders brought false testimony against You Jesus desiring to put You to death, but nothing could be found against You. The lack of understanding can cause many to twist Your words that are truth. It always amazes me when I think of You standing before lying ruthless people accusing You of various falsehoods, but You kept silent, Your power under control is awe inspiring. In Matthew 26 verse 6 a question is posed "What do You think?" Father, I think Your beautiful Son Jesus is totally spotless and sinless and the greatest gift given. I am forever grateful to Him my Lord and Savior. Jesus is the Christ may I follow Him all my days, Amen.

Psalm 27:12, Proverbs 19:5, 9.and Matthew 26:59-66

Isaiah 6:3

And one cried to another and said: "Holy. holy, holy is the Lord of host; the whole earth is full of His glory!" 

Your glory God in exaltation. May we be as the seraphim who worship You with intense adoration. The throne where You are seated is eternal, sovereign, and universal rule. May we bow to You the King in humble adoration as You are not like other rulers who have no true concern about the welfare of Your people. This is so evident in all the upheaval happening around the globe. A reminder to us not to put our hope in mortal men but in You the great I AM. Forgive us Lord for making You into our own image, and our pride mocking the angels that stand in Your presence and behold Your glory and majesty. Forgive us Lord for reducing You to just some other nice guy, a buddy or an average joe. Foolishness abounds, as we ignore that You are not just holy, but holy, holy, holy indescribable in our human language. but even though are words being small doesn't mean we reduce You down it means we fall down before You in honor and respect. Thus, the song of the seraphim is a constant refrain that Your transcendence is inexpressible as the whole earth and beyond is filled with Your glory. How sad for those who don't see it. It's even more amazing the closeness You have with Your creation, ever involved with the people You created in Your image. Father, awaken the slumbering souls, to become alive in You and bring glory to Your name. Come let us magnify the Lord and exalt His name forever, Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For it is the God who commended light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in the hearts to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

Your glory God as exhibition, the marvelous and greatest manifestation has been seen in Jesus who is undoubtably the radiance of You Father. We praise You for the gift to be born again when You shined Your glory in the face of Christ into our hearts. Father, You spoke at various times and in various ways in the past by the prophets but in the last days You speak to us by Your Son, whom You have appointed heir to all things, through whom also made the worlds creating the universe, and all space throughout time. Jesus You are the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of Your power when You purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. You Lord Jesus are the radiance that comes from God's essential glory, not the reflective brightness like the light of the moon but the inherent brightness like the ray from the sun. Your glorious brightness comes from being essentially divine. We thank You that the glory of redemption is far greater than the glory of creation. Lord, purify us from all our sins as You dazzle us with Your great love and mercy. May Your light shine forth through us as we honor You in our words and deeds. Be magnified in us Lord Jesus, Amen. 

Hebrews 1:1-4

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Holy Father, You have shown us a glimpse of Your glory. Reading John's writings this morning he shared how Your beautiful Son Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us, and His glory was seen full of grace and truth. Your glory God as essence of Your character, attributes and ways were made manifest in Him. Nothing of the essential nature of deity was lost when He step down from heaven to show us the way, amazing. You have promised that all who trust in Christ are born of God. May we remember we are not God for we are not Jesus who is perfect redemption and perfect revelation. May our love and adoration be a blessing and an acceptable offering as our hearts of appreciation pour forth as water from a rock. Thank You Lord for removing our hearts of stone and granting us hearts of flesh. May our lives bear witness of Your divine love and mercy forever. With thanksgiving and awe wonder, Amen.

Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 66:1-4

John 15:9

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you: abide in My love."

I bow my knees to You, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in adoration. I pray for the brethren to be rooted and grounded as Jesus dwells in our hearts. May we understand and comprehend the width, length, depth and height of Your love. These dimensions are the diagram of the cross on which You laid down Your life for ransom of ours. Truly no greater love than this has ever been so freely given. May we remain in Your love. Jesus we can do nothing apart from You. Your Spirit dwelling within us makes it possible to forgive those who have hurt us, extend grace to those who have let us down. bless those who have done wicked things towards us, love those who hate us. You have said love covers multitude of sins. As I reflect on the multitudes of my own sins over the years gratitude wells up inside me, to know Your amazing love has washed them away and they are no more. How wonderful to know when Your Spirit has free reign to flow through me and touch another's life, so they are transformed and freed forever. These things Lord Jesus because they are done by Your power will remain. This is joy complete and what I so desire, the unspeakable joy when love is extended without condition, just to bless. I pray this be the focus of Your children as they abide in Your love. Bless You Lord Jesus, Amen.

Ephesians 3:18-19

Proverbs 1:33

But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, and will be secure, without fear.

Heavenly Father, I do not desire to be filled with the fruit of my own fancy, but to be filled with Your wisdom. I have a awe fear reverence of You Almighty God. In You I put my hope and trust believing that You have hidden me and mine in the secret place. There is so much turmoil and upheaval around the world as You already know so I pray Lord and thank You that those who call upon Your name will be saved. I'm alarmed as I see the consequences are upon the nations because much foolishness has ensued in the turning away from Your instruction. By Your Holy Spirit may I not walk in the way of those whose feet run to do evil. May I not refuse wisdom when it calls but receive it with gladness. I thank You that because of Your lovingkindness and tender mercies I may be at ease without dread of disaster. Father, open the eyes and ears of the lost to receive the good news, turning the hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. Give prudence to the simple and to the young knowledge and discretion. Bless the wise so they may increase in learning and understanding to bring wise counsel to those in positions of power. May they stop abusing their authority and humbly submit to You the great I AM. Father, make Your face to shine upon Your children and grant them peace. In Jesus name, Amen.

Proverbs 1, Psalm 91, Ezekiel 36;26 and Numbers 6:24-26

2 Timothy 2:11-13

This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful: He cannot deny Himself. 

Holy Father what a sweet exchange when we become death to sin and our resurrection to eternal life united with Your beautiful Son Jesus Christ. May You grant us persevering faith by Your Spirit even when we face hardships and are pressed on every side. May we rejoice in the knowing the result will bring the reward when He returns. Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are doing just that, enduring. They are an inspiration to Your body of believers, so please bless them with the abundance of Your goodness. May we remain strong not cowering or denying You when persecutions come, even if it is within the walls of our families. May we have complete sincere joy in living for You as we mature in our faith and resolve that You are the One true living God worthy of all our devotion. May we continue to lay aside the old man and finish our race with gusto. Your loyal love Jesus remains despite the choices some make to abandon the faith. Have mercy Lord as You did with Peter who denied You three times, restore the fallen to the joy of their salvation. Heavenly Father, call the prodigals home for Your glory and as a blessing to those who are waiting. In Jesus matchless name Amen.