God, How Amazing It Is to Live in Your Presence! (Prayer Journal 232)

Father, in Jesus' name, I bless and praise You O LORD my God. You are more wonderful than I could ever know. You are great and greatly to be praised. Your greatness is unsearchable. You are holy - set apart and separate from everything that You have made. There is nothing or no one like You. None that comes infinitely close. You are the King enthroned over Your creation. You are absolute moral purity. In You there is light and there is no darkness at all. You sit in unapproachable light and no evil, wickedness, or sin can be in Your holy presence.

Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus into the world to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin. For You made He (Jesus) who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. Thank You that by the shed blood of Jesus You have taken our sins that were as red as scarlet and washed us whiter than snow. You have removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. Thank you for taking us from being alienated and hostile towards You and reconciling us by the blood of the cross. You have made it possible for us by that blood to enter into the most holy place - Your presence. We are now able to come boldly before Your throne of grace!

Thank You for putting Your Spirit in us as a deposit that guarantees the inheritance that is surely to come. Help us through the mighty power of the Spirit to fight the good fight of faith and not to give in to the desires of the flesh. Show us our sin and help us to confess and forsake them. Make us sick of our sin and cause our hearts to be grieved by it. By the Spirit help us to live free from its power until the day that we are free from its presence. God, help us to desire to be pure and holy, free from the sin that so easily entangles and the weights that slow us down. Help us to enjoy this life with You unencumbered with the guilt and shame of our sin.

O God forgive me for gluttony, self-righteousness, idolatry, the fear of man and people pleasing, poor stewardship of time, talents, and treasures, despising the day of small beginnings, comparing and competing with others, worrying, living in secrecy, and wanting others to serve me while failing to serve them. Fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit and empower me to live into the things that I would not and could not do apart from You. Thank You for Your miraculous power at work in me. This body of flesh is dead. I only live because of Your Spirit living in me. I was made alive from the dead by Christ and now live because He lives. In Jesus' name, Amen!!