Father, in Jesus' name, You have blessed and used my life in ways that I can not fathom. You chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world and adopted me into Your family as a son. Jesus, You came into the world to die on the cross to forgive my sin and rose from the dead to give me new and eternal life. Thank You Father and Son for sending the Holy Spirit to indwell me and conform my life more into the image of Christ. Thank you for the wonderful wife and children that you have blessed me to share this life with. Thank you for the material things that You have blessed me with to live in this world. Thank You for the privilege to partner with You to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and over the years see many come to know You. Thank You for Your presence with me every day of my life.
Yet God, there are too many times that I fail to obey Your Word and do whatever is necessary to share Jesus with those around me. Jesus, why am I sitting back and doing much of nothing when there is a world full of lost and spiritually dead people who need You? I keep hiding Your light under a basket rather than setting it on a stand so that others can see it and be blessed by You. Jesus, why am I, at times, so ashamed of You and Your gospel? Why am I so afraid to proclaim from the rooftops what You have shared with me in the secret place? God, I know that I do not deserve Your love and do not know why You love me the way that You do. God, thank You that You have made me, in spite of me, more than a conqueror through Him who loves me and there is absolutely nothing that can ever separate me from Your love.
O God, bring me to the place of complete surrender to You and Your will where I fully give You all that I am and all that have holding nothing back. I try to stay in the shadows, dipping in and out when I feel like it, and often just being quiet. God, I confess I am so lazy and know so little. I do not know much about history, science, literature, world events, politics, arts and entertainment, philosophy, world religions, and popular theories. Lately, the only thing that I consistently read is Your Word.
God, my mind is telling me that I need to read and know more to effectively minister to others. In my heart I believe that Christ is enough. All knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and power are found in Christ. But if I am honest I doubt that Christ is truly enough for me to know to minister to others. Yet Your Word declares that there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name given unto men under heaven by which men must be saved than the wonderful name of Jesus. Bring me to the place that I know in the depths of my soul that Christ alone is more than enough and that my boast is in Him alone. For Christ You are my adequacy and competency!
Jesus, send me forth in the power of the Holy Spirit completely dependent upon You and with great confidence in You. For You are with me to the end of the age as You use me to make disciples of all nations. O God, let me know nothing among those that You send me to except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. God, teach me how to apply Your Word to every area of my life. Grant me wisdom to minister Jesus to all those You send me to in the world. Give me a mouth and wisdom that those who oppose You will not be able to contradict or resist. May I only look and trust You, Jesus, in the midst of the cultural and spiritual battles that are raging. Thank You Jesus that the spiritual weapons that You give have the divine power to demolish strongholds, cast down imaginations and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ.
God, bring me to the place where Jesus is the issue in all things and Your Kingdom is more real to me than this world. For I am a citizen of heaven awaiting a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to walk worthy of Your Kingdom and bring that Kingdom to bear on this earth as it is in heaven. Make me like the men of Issachar in the days and times that I am living in. In Jesus' name, Amen!!!