Dependable

FATHER, You keep love forever (Ps 89:28).

You are constant and do not change—

unyielding and established—

You are steadfast (ref#110, p1311).

Your covenant will stand firm (Ps 89:28).

You are devoted—faithful.
You are dedicated (ref#110, p360)—

“characterized by foresight” (ref#110, p1083).

You will not violate Your covenant (Ps 89:34).

You are dependable—reliable.
And, You are trustworthy (ref#110, p1436);

And, You speak the truth (ref#110, p1482).

You will not alter the words from Your mouth (Ps 89:34).

You are “honest and forthright”—
authentic and sincere—
You, O LORD, are altogether genuine (ref#110, p563).

My Default

FATHER, I can do nothing worthwhile—that, You have to do. But I can always praise and worship You. In fact, You have formed me to express honor to You (Isa 43:21). Whether I’m overwhelmed with difficult circumstances or come face to face with Your great acts, when I think of You, my heart defaults to praising and worshiping You.

You grant to me my heart’s desire and fulfill all my plans (Ps 20:4). Therefore, I will set up my banner by Your name, for You fulfill all my petitions (Ps 20:5).

O soul, be not downcast, for with a little reflection I can say, “You, GOD, are my refuge and my fortress. I abide under Your shadow—in the secret place of You, the Most High” (Ps 91:1,2).

I will declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night (Ps 92:2). For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the work of Your hands (Ps 92:4).

FATHER, I ask You allow me to bear fruit continually—even to old age; refresh me and make me flourish so I may declare Your uprightness (Ps 92:14,15). I have set my love on You (Ps 91:14); honor me with a life able to see Your salvation (Ps 91:16). Because Your work makes me glad, (Ps 92:4) I will sing praises to Your name, O MOST HIGH (Ps 92:1).

GOD’s Pursuit

FATHER, Your love and patience toward each of us stretches over the entire expanse of our lives. I especially can’t fathom Your constant persistent efforts to pour out Your love on ____ who presently is resisting You.

The efforts You use to call ____ to respond to You, to name a few, are:

• The magnificence of Your creation
• Your providences of mercy (like providing food)
• (His/Her) natural conscience
• The Gospel You have explained in Your Bible (ref#61, Dec. 13th) All these gestures toward ____ in love can be, day by day, always resisted. It saddens me to think of all Your many, constant, efforts to pursue ____and all (his/her) efforts to resist. This sadness drives me to pray. Unless You work “in people’s hearts to make the proclamation of the gospel effective, there will be no genuine saving response” (ref#63, p693). Even though You have decided before we were born who will accept Your calling, Your called ones must voluntarily make a commitment to You. You will save no one “apart from their own willing response to the gospel” (ref#63, p693). Thus my prayer becomes two-part. I pray for Your move, FATHER, and I pray that ____ take the responsibility to accept what You call (him/her) to.

Keeping the Sabbath

FATHER, I pray for ____ to guard (his/her) Sabbaths. Sometimes without knowing, the world, satan, and (his/her) own flesh succeed at turning everything gray. There is no way (he/she) can comprehend the dullness until (he/she) sits before You during (his/her) Sabbath.

FATHER, make ____ realize, as You commune with (him/her), how weak (he/she) has become living the last six days in the world, them pour into (him/her) the strength (he/she) will need for the next six days. Being in Your presence not only allows ____ to let go of the week prior but also energizes (him/her) for the next.

No one recognizes burnout until they are burned out. So alert ____ to (his/her) desperate need for more strength—strength needed to joyously obey You that can only be provided by the HOLY SPIRIT. Draw (him/her) into Your rest as (he/she) settles in to waiting in Your presence. Only in waiting before You can (he/she) compare (his/her) weak present condition with the joyous strength You are able to infuse in (him/her).

You are very serious about demanding Sabbath-keeping (Ex 31:14) for You know how harmful not keeping it is. On the Sabbath, FATHER, do not let ____ settle for just resting (his/her) body or satisfying (himself/herself) with a diversion from (his/her) work (Isa 58:13). Don’t let (him/her) even be content to learn more of You or worship You.

In Your presence is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11). Give ____ the knowing that (he/she) will have all (he/she) needs for the coming week so (he/she) may rejoice in Your provision. Draw (him/her), LORD, into keeping the Sabbath. For joy in You is (his/her) strength (Neh 8:10).

Comfort of the SPIRIT in Affliction

FATHER, as ____ goes through life the consolations of Your HOLY SPIRIT are useful and necessary to (him/her). The SPIRIT comforts (his/her) in afflictions. These afflictions are a provision that You have made for (him/her) (Heb 12:5,6) (ref#35, p405).

____’s natural spirit will struggle with afflictions. (He/She) will try to relieve (himself/herself) by any means. In a display of pride (he/she) will despise the chastising affliction or in dejectedness of spirit, (he/she) will sink under the weight of (his/her) troubles (ref#35, p406).

How easily ____ will look for second causes (causes other than You, FATHER) in (his/her) affliction. (He/She) will try to fix it (himself/herself). Keep (him/her) FATHER, from this for (he/she) will lose all the benefits and advantages of this affliction that You have bestowed upon (him/her) (ref#35, p406).

FATHER, keep (him/her) also from sinking under the trial. If You do not teach (him/her) to consider deeply Your chastisements and dealings with (him/her), (he/she) will find the season of afflictions many as (he/she) goes through life (ref#35, p406).

Only the SPIRIT can manage (his/her) soul in affliction so that You, FATHER, have the glory of it and (he/she) be benefited. Affliction gives (him/her) a chance to glory in (his/her) tribulations (Rom 5:3). Send the SPIRIT, FATHER, to ____.

“…there is no management nor improvement of any affliction, but merely and solely by the consolations of the Holy Ghost” (ref#35, p407).

When the LORD Will Not Hear

“For any one…who separates himself from me, taking his idols into
his heart…I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign
and a byword…and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezek 14:7-8 ESV).

“…I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them’”(Ezek 8:18 ESV).

FATHER, these hard words You have recorded are a sobering punctuation of how important it is to daily evaluate myself. My ruin will be estrangement from You by deciding to move my dependence from You to someone else (ref#18, [Ezek 14:1-11]). (An idol is some creature, mainly myself, who I allow to set up rule in my heart that replaces You).

“…the only life that pleases God…is His life—never our life, no matter how hard we try. But inasmuch as our self-centered life is the exact opposite of His, we can never be filled with His life unless we are prepared for God to bring our life constantly to death” (ref#97, p25).

The sin of living by my born-with nature is loathsome to GOD. I am in the way of GOD’s wrath when I attempt to “satisfy a vain curiosity, to stop the mouth of a clamorous conscience, or to get or save a reputation among men, but without any desire to be acquainted with God or any design to be ruled by him” (ref#18, [Ezek 14:1-11]).

“…human nature was created by God, not by the devil; it is impaired, and enfeebled, but it is not sinful. The first creation retains the remnants of God’s handiwork; re-creation is the building of a spiritual habitation, ‘an habitation of God,’ and all our effort is to be spent in disciplining the natural life in obedience to the new creation wrought in us through the Spirit….Any attempt to build on the natural virtues will ultimately outrange the grace of God…” (ref#157, June 5th).

Microsoft Word – 05_week 6_CONFESSION.doc

Reasons for Disobedience—A Spirit Check

FATHER, out of my sin nature that wants only to act like JESUS comes pernicious reasonings and evil intentions (Matt 15:19). FATHER, point out my resistance toward You through the following questions:

• Am I pleased or troubled about situations? Does my countenance depend on my comfort in the situation or do I forget about assessing my feelings and simply obey CHRIST (ref#76, p89)?
• Do I provide for myself instead of letting CHRIST supply my needs? Do I control, rule, serve and love myself and not turn to CHRIST for strength (ref#76, p91)?
• Do I judge myself? Do I settle in despondency dwelling on my faults or believe I am doing well and become puffed up (ref#76, p85)?
• Am I “an evangelical hypocrite who sins more safely because grace abounds, who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them, who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved, who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily” (ref#76, p72)? O FATHER, my “every sense, member, faculty, affection is a snare to me” (ref#76, p74). Sin is my downfall (Ezek 18:30) and “my greatest snare is myself” (ref#76, p74). Thank You for revealing the rebellion lurking in my members. Thank You for cleansing me from these hidden faults as I admit to them. I don’t want sin to control me (Ps 19:12,13). Through this confession turn my face toward You once again so that I may express extravagant love to You.

“O GOD, MY EXCEEDING JOY, Singing thy praises uplifts my heart, for thou art a fountain of delight,
and dost bless the soul that joys in thee” (ref#76, p189).

Isaiah 64

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—” (Isa 64:1-2 ESV).

“From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him” (Isa 64:4 ESV).

“…Behold, you (LORD) were angry, and (I) sinned;…

(I) have…become like one who is unclean,…
(I) fade like a leaf, and (my) iniquities,
like the wind, take (me) away” (Isa 64:5-6 ESV).

But, “…O Lord, you are (my) Father;
(I am) the clay, and you are (my) potter;

(I am) …the work of your hand.

…Behold, please look,…” (Isa 64:8-9 ESV) draw me back to You.

Fear of the LORD

FATHER, Your Son delighted in the fear of You (Isa 11:3) and Isaiah the prophet predicted it will be Zion’s treasure (Isa 33:6). It is my delight as well. This day give me the ability to recognize some aspect of You that will produce fear.

Understanding the fear of You is to receive Your words and treasure Your commands seeking them intently (Prov 2:1,4,5). You say, the fear of You is the beginning of wisdom—it is insight and understanding (Prov 9:10).

There are two kinds of fear—paralyzing fear and energizing fear. Paralyzing fear comes to people who have no relationship with You when they recognize Your authority over them.

Your presence produces energizing fear though, for a Christian. Fear becomes an excitement waiting for what You will do next.

FATHER, I ask that energizing fear pull me out of my obsession with myself and into Your world of Your surprises (ref#58, p17). With such fear I will easily understand I’m not the center of my existence; (ref#58, p28) nor want to be.

Without some comprehension of You and Your awesome activities, FATHER, everything I do is a self-help project. When You and I are not close I become comfortable with myself and go about my daily business of setting goals and evaluating myself. But energizing fear makes me cast aside my predetermined plans and make an all-out effort to stay close to You (ref#58, p30).

No wonder CHRIST’s delight was the “fear of the LORD” (Isa 11:3). As Son of Man, He needed You, FATHER, minute by minute; His energized fear kept Him receiving miracle after miracle that filled Him with joy as well as moved Him through His earthly life accomplishing all Your will. Energizing fear, obedience, and joy come bundled together.

May I be like the first century church: …in possession of unbroken tranquility, being constantly built up and proceeding on its way in the fear of the Lord… (ref#37, p295, [Acts 9:31]).

Prayer Facts:

“The high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, who is the Creator and Governor of all worlds, who bears up the pillars of the universe, and to whom all the powers in heaven, in earth, and in hell are subject, is the glorious object to whom we address ourselves in prayer” (ref#61. April 26th).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because with You are perfect wisdom and might and You alone have true understanding (Job 12:13), I will wait for You.
Because whatever You do, it endures forever (Eccl 3:14), I will wait for You.
Because You are a stronghold in the day of trouble (Nahum 1:7), I will wait for You. Because Your communion and counsel are with me (Prov 3:32), I will wait for You. Because You know and are fully acquainted with my way (Ps 1:6), I will wait for You. Because You give wisdom and knowledge and joy (Eccl 2:26), I will wait for You. Because Your mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever (Jer 33:11), I will wait for You.