Praise You for Your Patience

Father, thank You for being so patient with me. For the many times I mess
things up and You are still there for me, I am grateful. You are truly my
heavenly Father. How thankful I am for Your tender mercies, Your sympathy
toward me when I need You most. I reverence You, Lord. How marvelous are
Your wondrous ways, how kind Your forgiving grace.

When I'm not wise in my spending, You still provide my needs; when I stumble,
You hold me up. You watch over me through day and night.

You protect me from harm's way, wrapping Your wings about me as an eagle
protects her young. She carries them on her wings and doesn't let them fall.
Thank You for carrying me, too.

Praise You for Your endless love and compassion. You have kept me safe
from disaster so many times. You heal my illnesses. You strengthen my
mind, soul, and body. Thank You for the love You show me every day.

Forgive me for my thoughtlessness and the times I mistreat You. I can't
understand why You love me.

I marvel that You know me so well. You know the hairs on my head. You
care about the pain in my head, my hands, my back, my feet. When a
sparrow falls, You care. How much then You must care for me.

Help me, Father, to think before I act, to be more cautious, and to take
better care of myself. Thank You for Your patience and forgiving love.

Thank You for Provision

Father, I praise You, for You know perfectly well each of my needs, even
before I ask. Sometimes You know better than I. You love me so much that
You gave Your only Son so I could be free from sin and You could adopt me as
Your child. Because of this, I give You first place in my life, and I commit
myself to living as You want me to.

Not only do You give me all I need, but You also provided this earth
for us to live on; You control the beginning and end of all that lives; You
have given me the present; and You lay out my future before me. Nothing really
belongs to me, yet how You shower Your blessings upon me to enjoy.

Thank You, Lord, for being my Shepherd. Thank You for watching over
and protecting me as a shepherd does his sheep.

I feel confident and unafraid as You direct me each day. When You
provide for me, I find enough overflowing goodness to share with others.
How blest I am to have You as my Savior!

You are unchanging, I can always depend on You. Thank You for Your
faithfulness. Praise You for caring for me and my loved ones from one
generation to the next, as we love You and obey Your Word. I will not
fear tomorrow for You take care of that, too. I try to prepare for the
future, yet I live one day at a time, trusting You.

I lift my voice in praise to You. May my thoughts and deeds give You
great joy. Let my heart be pure and blameless in Your sight. I shall lift
Your name in joyful song forever and ever.

Freedom From Sin

I shudder at how I was once in sin's bondage, Lord Jesus. Then You
saved me. All I had to do was ask You into my heart and You forgave my
every single sin. How wonderful to be set free of all that horrible
baggage I was carrying around in m y life. How marvelous to enjoy
fellowship with You. Thank You, Lord, for Your saving grace.

Although my life was a emss when I gave it to You, You loved me anyway.
Step by step You performed miracles within me, like You did years ago
for Paul when he was in prison. You broke my chains of sin and entrapment.
You led me through every door of my life and helped me to mature in You.

How can You forgive me for my wrong doings? Over and over I slip. Over
and over You catch me and stamp out the destructive rotten sins. I
have difficulty even forgiving myself, but with Your might hand You cast
my sins into the deepest sea. Help me, Lord, for only then am I free from sin.

How amazing, the way You freed me. I'm so much happier, my health even
improves. You give me energy and life each day, life more abundant than ever.

Once I had no hope, I lived in uter confusion without direction or
goals. My paths were like quicksand, ready to swallow me up into total darkness.

For so long I held back from giving my heart to You. I didn't want
to lsoe control. Yet, when I was willing to let my will be crucified on
the cross with You, Lord, You began to live within me. You are my Deliverer
and loving Friend. You have set my feet on a firm path, and I fear no more.

Thank You for how You love me and give of Yourself. How I praise You,
Lord, for freedom from crippling sin. I'm so thankful Your death wasn't
a lost cause. You have saved so many sinners such as I and given joy
beyond measure.

Here in calm communication I seek Your guidance. Thank You for how
You lead me along the right paths. Thank you for hearing me and helping each
time I call upon Your name. I walk within Your strength. I praise You for
how You wrap me in your garments of Your salvation and place the robe of
righteousness about my shoulders.

I take joy in putting other things aside, for You are first in my life.
No longer will I depend on my own good wrods, but instead on Your wonderful
grace. Thanks be to you, God!

The Five Finger Prayer

1 ~ YOUR THUMB is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for
those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved
ones is as C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2 ~ The next finger is THE POINTING FINGER. Pray for those who teach,
instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers.
They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep
them in your prayers.

3 ~ The next finger is THE TALLEST FINGER. It reminds us of our leaders.
Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and
administrators. Those people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They
need God's guidance.

4 ~ The fourth finger is our RING FINGER. Surprising to many is fact that
this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should
remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need
your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5 ~ And lastly comes our LITTLE FINGER; the smallest finger of all. Which
is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As
the Bible says, "the least shall be the greatest among
you." Your pinky should remind you to pray for yourself.

By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs
will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself
more effectively.

A Blessing To Friendship

Creator, I ask you to bless my friend reading this right now!

Lord, show them a new revelation of Your love and power.

Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.

Where there is pain, give them Your peace & mercy.

Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed confidence in Your ability
to work through them.

Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding,
patience, & strength as they learn to follow Your leading.

Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by revealing
Your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with You.

Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage.

Where there is blockage, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life.

Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders,
and friends to support, and encourage them.

Give each of them discernment to recognize the oppositional forces around
them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to deal with it. I ask You
to do these things in Jesus' name!

In Christian love, Your friend in Jesus this prayer was sent to me by a
friend, who received it from a friend, so I'm passing it along to all of
my friends. I do not take credit for the writing of it, just in the sintiment
of the body of it as far as I know the author is unknown.

Balancing the Budget

Dear Father, how can I pay these bills? Sometimes I don't even know
where food money will come from. I'm working as hard as possible, but
on paper I can't meet the budget.

I give it to You, dear Lord. I place myself and these bills in Your hands
and ask for Your direction. Show me how I can help others even while I hurt
financially. Help me share a portion of my earning with You for Your glory.
Remind me to give You first place in my pocket book!

Teach me to be prudent in my spending, wise in my financial decisions, and
responsible in attempting to pay my obligations.

Enable me to trust You to provide for my needs so I won't worry about
food or drink, money or clothes. You already know my needs. I thank You for providing.

Let me not be anxious about tomorrow. I know You will take care of that,
too. I will take each day as it comes and commit it to You.

I will trust You, Lord, and not lean on my own understanding of these
situations. Instead, with all my might, I will recognize Your will to direct my paths.

~ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...Look at the birds of the
air...your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than
they?...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well. Matthew 5:25-26, 33, NIV

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