Cleanse Me of Guilt

"In your great compassion, blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil. For I acknowledge my wrongdoings and have my sins ever in mind." - Psalm 51:3-5

Have you ever caused someone pain and the fault is entirely yours? It's one of the worst feelings ever. It really eats away at you and you wonder how you could ever make it better. This is a tough situation and if you're lucky, the person will forgive you, but how can you forgive yourself? King David sinned greatly against God when he committed adultery and had the woman's husband killed. When his eyes were open to what he had done, in his remorse, he wrote this psalm. This is what we need sometimes, right? For God to help us forgive ourselves, for God to just come in and completely cleanse us of the pain, the shame, and the self-hate. No matter what you've done, God wants to help you forgive yourself. With a truly repented heart, David went to God, bowed down before Him because he knew God was the only one who could help. Trust in God like David trusted in God. Ask God to cleanse you… ask God to create a new heart in you like He did for David. We are called to repentance, but God doesn't want us to punish ourselves by holding on to guilt.

Today's Prayer:
My Jesus, search my heart and see that I am repented. I know I have sinned and the weight of that sin is pressing down too heavily upon my heart. Please help me release it. As You did for David, create in me a new heart and I will be white as snow. In Your Name we pray, amen.

David and Goliath

"David answered the Philistine, 'You have come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you with Yahweh, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied.'" - 1st Samuel 17:45

Every morning on my way to the train station I pray. When I park my car, I read today's bible readings from my blackberry and today's Old Testament reading came from the story of David and Goliath. Now, I've heard this story a million times, but when I read David's response to Goliath after he threatened to murder him, I was overcome with awe at the power of God. This little boy went up against a giant who carried a sword, a spear and a javelin, yet David, so bold in his faith, knew that all He needed was to have God by his side. He not only knew it, but he put his faith into action.

I have so many issues I make out to be Goliath's in my life and I let all the little weapons get to me too, but in this verse God is telling us that the size of the problem, or even the nature of the problem does not matter at all! God is above all things and He is the ONE and ONLY defense we need! With one little stone David knocked down the giant, meaning that when God is on our side, the outcome of any situation, as bad as it is, is in the Almighty's hands! Ask God to be on your side today!

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I praise You because You are all powerful, all knowing, but most of all, You are good. Help me to keep the message You gave me today deep in my heart, that all things are of Your design and all things are in Your control. Thank You for being on my side! In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Wisdom

"The beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord." - Proverbs 1:7

We are all thirsty for knowledge and spend our time going to school and reading; trying to be well-rounded, educated people. However, in Proverbs, King Solomon writes that in order for anyone to ever learn anything, he must fear the Lord first. King Solomon was King David's son. Solomon was so pleasing to God that He told Solomon he could ask Him for anything and He would grant that wish. Instead of asking for more riches, women, or power, King Solomon asked God for wisdom and it is said that he was one of the wisest people to have ever lived. The book of Proverbs is dedicated to his teachings about knowledge, wisdom, and how to lead a good life. If with all his great wisdom, King Solomon stresses that the beginning of knowledge is fear of the Lord, then we must know our place and realize that if we truly want to know anything, we must respect God and pay Him honor. All knowledge comes from the Lord. If we don't learn this and put it to use, then we will never be truly wise.

Today's Prayer:
Thank You Lord for Your words of wisdom. Grant that Yours is the only knowledge I seek. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

God's Goodness Will Follow You

"Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life." - Psalm 23:6

When you believe and develop a personal relationship with God, He takes you to another level of faith.At this level, you have made God the most important thing in your life. His will becomes your will and you learn to give Him thanks constantly for how good He is. Also at this level, you begin to walk by faith and not by sight, or fear. In the beginning of this Psalm, King David says, "although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me." Here, David is showing confidence in the fact that God will shower him with goodness and kindness for all of his life. This is something God wants to do with all of us, believers and non-believers, but what this new level of faith is is being as confident as David was in God's favor. It is putting away the fear and knowing, just as the sky is blue, that the Lord Almighty is your God and He will protect you, uphold you, listen to you, and be there for you right now and until the very end of your life.

Do away with any fear. Be confident in His promises and joyful because He is at work in your life

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I thank You because You take special care of me each and every single day whether I acknowledge it or not. You bless me without me deserving it or giving enough gratitude. Help me to always trust in You. In Your Name, Amen.