Transformed

Scripture:

Romans 12:2 (TM) Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Observation:

God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for his children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. Because he wants only what is best for us, and because he gave his Son to make our new life possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for his service.

Paul warned Christians: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world" that are usually selfish and often corrupting. Wise Christians decide that much worldly behavior is off-limits for them. Our refusal to conform to this world's values, however, must go even deeper than just behavior and customs; it must be firmly planted in our mind: "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." It is possible to avoid most worldly customs and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn, and arrogant. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, reeducates, and redirects our mind are we truly transformed.

Application:

The Greek word for transformed - metamorphosis - is used today to describe the amazing change a caterpillar goes through in becoming a butterfly. And it's a beautiful picture of what happens to us when we allow God to direct our thoughts. As we take on the beauty of Christ's character, we're set free to soar to new heights.

Are you wrestling with a certain problem thinking, "If I could just get beyond this, everything would be okay." Sorry to disappoint you, but when you've conquered this particular problem, God will reveal something else that needs to be dealt with. Relax, you're always going to be working on something!

Change doesn't come through human effort without God, frustration, self-rejection, guilt or the white knuckling works of the flesh. No, change comes as a result of having your mind renewed daily by the Word of God. As you agree with God, believing that what He says is true, change automatically begins. You start to think differently, then talk differently and finally act differently. Be patient with yourself: it's a process that develops in stages.

Would you think there was something wrong with your child because they couldn't walk perfectly the first few tries? No, you're delighted each time they take another step. When they fall you pick them up, comfort them, bandage them if necessary, encourage them to try again, and keep working with them. Do you think God does less for His children?

God's not angry with you because you haven't 'arrived', He's pleased that you're pressing on, trying to stay on the path. It's God's job to "cause [you] to… be governed by the Holy Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:8 AMP). If you could do it by yourself you wouldn't need God! So instead of driving yourself harder and harder, start leaning on God more and more!

Prayer:

"Lord, thank you that you are changing me through Your Word. I am be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Thank you for that change. It isn't always comfortable, but it is always beneficial. I yield to Your Holy Spirit today, in Jesus' name, amen"

What's knocking at YOUR door?

Scripture:

Genesis 4:6-8 The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? (7) If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." (8) Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Observation:

How do you react when someone suggests you have done something wrong? Do you move to correct the mistake or deny that you need to correct it? After Cain's gift was rejected, God gave him the chance to right his wrong and try again. God even encouraged him to do this! But Cain refused, and the rest of his life is a startling example of what happens to those who refuse to admit their mistakes. The next time someone suggests you are wrong, take an honest look at yourself and choose God's way instead of Cain's.

For Cain to subdue the sin that was waiting to attack and destroy him, he would have to give up his jealous anger so that sin would not find a foothold in his life. Sin is still waiting to attack and destroy us today. Like Cain, we will be victims of sin if we do not master it. But we cannot master sin in our own strength. Instead, we must turn to God to receive faith for ourselves and turn to other believers to receive encouragement and strength. The Holy Spirit will help us master sin. This will be a lifelong battle that will not be over until we are face to face with Christ.

Application:

This is one of the most challenging verses in the bible to me. We must be aware that the enemy, according to John 10:10, wants to "kill, steal and destroy." The Word warns us to be watchful because we have an enemy who is looking for opportunities to attack:

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

There is an old song that goes like this:

Somebody's knockin should I let him in

Lord it's the devil would you look at him

I've heard about him but I never dreamed

He'd have blue eyes and blue jeans

Satan comes as an angel of light. He is a deceiver and he is very good at what he does. He was so deceptive that he was able to talk 1/3 of the angels in heaven to side with him over their Creator. He is so deceptive that he was able to talk Eve and Adam into believing his word over the God who made them. He is so deceptive that he was able to talk Cain into believing the only real answer was to kill his brother.

Cain didn't come up with that idea on his own. There was no tv, no movies, in fact, no outside influences at all...with the exception of satan who was crouching at the door...knocking, oh so slightly, speaking into his ear how wronged he had been. How he should take matters into his own hands. Abel deserved to be taught a lesson. It was decision time. Cain was warned, but he choice to go with the was of the deceiver instead of the way of His Creator.

My friend, what is knocking at your door today? Have you been wronged and you can't get it out of your mind that the person who hurt you deserves to be hurt? Please hear the warning of the Holy Spirit today. He is whispering...but sometimes the "knocking" of temptation can override the whisper and nudge of the Spirit. But the choice is yours.

Maybe the knocking is lust. You can't get your mind off of someone you work with, or someone you enjoy talking with at your child's ball game. The Holy Spirit has warned you. In fact, He did so last night. But you are having a difficult time with the constant "knock" of temptation that is attempting to paint for you a much prettier picture that what reality is. Cain fed his flesh, sided with the devil, and paid for it the rest of his life. If you open the door to the devil, you will pay for it as well. Oh, you may get away with it for a while, but you can be sure..."your sins will find you out!"

Maybe the knocking is intense anger. You stay mad at your kids, your spouse, your co-workers, friends, people on the interstate, cashiers at the grocery stores. The knocking has intensified lately. You have been leaving a trail of hurt, bitter people.

Maybe the knocking is gossip, backbiting or sowing seeds of discord. You want to do what is right, but the "knocking" increases daily, and it is harder to walk away from. In fact, it came seem so spiritual to ask someone to "pray with you" about someone. But even though it is dressed in spiritual garb, it is still the work of the devil, and you must STOP it because it is hurting the body of Christ.

I could go on and on. Lying knocks at the door. Bad attitude. Hypochondria. Pride and arrogance. Spiritual slothfulness.

Sin loves to present itself as a friend, and not an enemy. Why? Because God promises to give us victory over our ENEMIES, not our FRIENDS. So, we must remember that sin is an enemy. It desires to CONTROL us. It wants to kill us, destroy us, steal from us.

But it can be so enticing. The perfume, the words, the feelings, the loneliness...the thrill of the chase! But make no mistake...it will eventually lose its thrill.

Be like Moses in the following verses:

Hebrews 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; (25) Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

To overcome the sin that satan wants to destroy you with, you must make a daily choice to walk by the faith you have in Jesus Christ. To do that, you are going to have to refuse some things. Moses said, "She's not my momma". He could have lived a life of privilege and great monetarily benefits, but chose rather to live a life that was pleasing to God. He decided to live for the eternal and not the temporal. Sin is enjoyable for a season, but living the life God has for you is of eternal value.

So I ask again, "what is knocking at your door?" Who does your enemy have crouching at your door waiting on your decisions? You can overcome it. You can make the right decision. Remember, God will help you get and maintain victory over your enemies. Sin must be seen as your enemy!

Prayer:

"Lord thank You for this Word of warning today. The enemy is always knocking and crouching at the door of opportunity. If I see sin as just pleasurable, enjoyable, then it very easily can become a friend. But today, I understand that sin, though it may be pleasurable for a short time, it will steal, kill, and destroy. As I make sin an enemy, then You will help me be victorious over it. Today I choose to walk in the Spirit. I choose to REFUSE the temptations that will come my way. I choose to love You more than I do the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or pride of life. At the beginning of this day, I ask for Your Holy Spirit to guide me, convict me, strengthen me, and encourage me. At the end of the day, I will celebrate the victory. In Jesus' name, amen!"

Don't fall for the LIE! Worship your Creator.

Scripture:

Romans 1:24-25 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, (25) because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Observation:

Paul clearly portrays the inevitable downward spiral into sin. First, people reject God; next, they make up their own ideas of what a god should be and do; then they fall into every kind of wickedness: greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. Finally, they grow to hate God and encourage others to do so. God does not cause this steady progression toward evil. Rather, when people reject him, he allows them to live as they choose. God gives them over to or permits them to experience the natural consequences of their sin. Once caught in the downward spiral, no one can pull himself or herself out. Sinners must trust Christ alone to deliver them from destruction.

Application:

This tendency to exchange the truth about God for a lie has happened since the very beginning of time. It happened in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3 when God told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the tree of the "Knowledge of Good and Evil" they would surely die. Those Words were from the Creator Himself. But, one of his creations, the serpent, came on the scene and begin to seduce Adam and Eve to exchange God's truth for a lie from the created one. They fell for it.

Another example of this is found in 2 Kings 18:4: "He (Hezekiah) removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan)." Where did the bronze serpent come from?

Numbers 21:8-9 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." (9) So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

So, God's people exchanged the truth about God, the Creator, to worship His blessings. The fiery serpent represented God's faithfulness, healing, and blessings. However, because the people took the Creator for granted, they exchanged worship of the Creator with worship of his creation. Unbelievable. Hezekiah had to destroy the fiery serpent because people were bringing offerings to it.

Let's look a little further: Exodus 32:2-6 So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." (3) So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. (4) And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (5) When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." (6) And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

The rings of gold from their ears were the "spoils" from Egypt. Things that the Lord had blessed them with when they left Egypt. God had taken care of them, given them gifts, blessings because He loved them. Now, after Moses has been gone on the Mountain of the Lord for a very short time, God's people exchange the truth about God for a lie. Instead of worshipping the Creator, they make a god of their own taste and desire, and begin to worship a creation. Unbelievable!

How about another example?

Judges 8:27 "Gideon returned to his home in Ophrah and had the gold made into a statue, which the Israelites soon started worshiping. They became unfaithful to God, and even Gideon and his family were trapped into worshiping the statue."

Once again, what was used for this statue, were the "spoils" of blessings that God had given to His people. Now, instead of thankful to God for the blessings, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie. Instead of thanking the Creator, they worshipped His creation. Even Gideon was trapped into this way of thinking.

As I enjoy the blessed life that God is giving me here on this earth, how often do I think about His blessings more than I do Him? How often do I discuss His blessings more than I discuss Him? I could very easily fall for the lie and exchange the truth about God for a lie. I could very easily find myself worshipping the creation instead of the Creator.

The devil since the Garden of Eden, has been trying to get God's people to exchange the truth about God for a lie. He works hard to get us to do one of two things:

Either exchange the truth about God for a lie by turning our worship to the creation (blessings) instead of our Creator. Or,

Tempting us to exchange praise and thanksgiving that belongs to our Creator for the creation He has blessed us with, to complaining and whining about His blessings. Notice,

Numbers 21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."

What "worthless food" are they talking about? The miraculous provision of manna that God rained from heaven every morning just for them. It kept them alive and well. Yet, they had become so used to it, they began to not only take it for granted, but called it "worthless." They exchanged the truth about God for a lie. They became thankless, whining, complaining spoiled brats.

Before I come down on them too hard, I need to look at my own life. How often do I fail to thank God for the blessings He has given me? Do I complain more than I praise? Do I whine because I don't have what the "Jones'" have? Do I gripe because the fridge doesn't have the food I am craving at this moment? Do I bellyache about my house, my family, my health, my country, my community, my church? When I do this, I am giving into the enemies temptation to exchange the truth about God for a lie. I need the Holy Spirit to help me to walk in the way that God would have be go.

I don't want to exchange the truth about God for a lie in either of these ways: worshipping the blessings that God has given me, or loathing, taking for granted the blessings God has given me.

Prayer:

"Lord, I am so sorry for the times I have worshipped Your creation by thinking about it more than I do You. I am also sorry for the times I have complained, whined and griped about the blessings You have poured into my life more than thank You for them. I am guilty so I confess these sins to You, and repent. Today, I start off giving You thanks for the blessings that You have blessed me with. But I also choose to not allow said blessings to become more important to me that You are to me. I will fight the enemies lie that I should exchange the truth about God for anything in this world. In Jesus' name, amen!"

Emotion must not override Sound Doctrine

Scripture:

1 Chronicles 13:7-10 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. (8) And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets. (9) And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. (10) And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.

Observation:

Why did Uzzah die? He touched the Ark, and that offense was punishable by death. God had given specific instructions about how the Ark was to be moved and carried (Numbers 4:5-15), and those instructions had been ignored. The Levites were responsible to move the Ark (there is no record that Uzzah was a Levite), and it was to be carried on their shoulders with poles through its rings (Numbers 7:9). It was never to be touched. Bringing the Ark on a cart followed the Philistines' example (1 Samuel 6:1). Uzzah, though sincere in his desire to protect the Ark, had to face the consequences of his sin, and David was reminded that his obedience to God's laws was more important than his enthusiasm. Also David had "consulted with all his officials" (1 Chronicles 13:1), but he neglected to ask God. The advice of our friends and colleagues is no substitute for God's direction. Doing the right thing the wrong way will only cause more grief!

Application:

David and his men were shouting, dancing, singing, playing tambourines! What an exciting atmosphere. They were doing a good thing, moving the Ark of God, which represented His presence. The problem was that even though it was a good thing, they were doing it the wrong way. It doesn't matter how much emotion you show in worshipping God, how many "goose bumps" you may get when you praise, or how long and often you "dance before the Lord" the bottom line is are you living according to God's standard, His Word?

David knew the Word of God. He knew HOW the Ark was to be moved. However, he obviously had been influenced by the pagan Philistines. Because putting the ark on a new cart with oxen carrying it is the exact thing the Philistines did to get rid of the Ark in 1 Samuel 6:7. Isn't it sad that the great Spirit-anointed King David allowed himself to move FROM God's Word to the accepted practices of the world. The Philistines had done it, and God seemed ok with it, so why not us?

So, he went against God's Word, turned up the music, and shouted! But God was not happy with it. Emotion will never override Sound Doctrine. Worship must never be placed on the same level as obedience to God's Word. It doesn't matter how loud you turn up the music, how long you dance, how many tears you cry, how loud you shout, IF you aren't being obedient to God's Word! In this age of "everyone doing what is right in his own eyes" may the true body of Christ go running back to His Word. May we stop patterning our behavior, opinions, thoughts after the ways of the world. The USA has rapidly become a secular humanistic nation whose god is SELF. As Christians, lets swim upstream away from this false God, and pattern our life's after the only true God, and His Word!

Prayer:

"Lord, please forgive me for the times I have allowed my emotions to override Your Word in my life. Forgive me for the times I have made time to turn on some music and worship, but neglected Your Word. Today, I want to worship AND spend time hearing Your voice through Your Word. I want a greater passion in my life for Your Word than I have ever had. Then, after spending time in Your Word, I can worship You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength, knowing that I am doing so in obedience to You! In Jesus' name, amen!"

I refuse to give God my LEFTOVERS

Scripture:

1 Chronicles 21:22-25 And David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it to me at its full price--that the plague may be averted from the people." (23) Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all." (24) But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." (25) So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.

Observation:

When David wanted to buy Ornan's land to build an altar, Ornan generously offered it as a gift. But David refused, saying, "I will not take what is yours and give it to the LORD. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!" David wanted to offer an offering (or sacrifice) to God. An offering should cost the giver in terms of self, time, or money. To give sacrificially requires more than a token effort or gift. God wants us to give voluntarily, but he wants it to mean something. Giving to God what costs you nothing does not demonstrate commitment.

At first he bought only the cattle and the threshing instruments, for which he paid fifty shekels of silver (2 Samuel 24:24); afterwards he purchased the whole property, Mount Moriah, on which the future temple stood. High in the center of the mountain platform rises a remarkable rock, now covered by the dome of "the Sakrah." It is irregular in its form, and measures about sixty feet in one direction and fifty feet in the other. It is the natural surface of Mount Moriah and is thought by many to be the rock of the threshing-floor of Araunah, selected by David, and continued by Solomon and Zerubbabel as "the unhewn stone" on which to build the altar

Through Gad, the Lord directed David to acquire the threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah in 2 Sam.), a Jebusite, and to build an altar there and offer sacrifices. Ornan offered the land to David as a gift, but the king insisted on paying for it. Verse 24 is an important spiritual principle: Effective sacrifice is always costly. This threshing floor later became the site of the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1)

Application:

I am so troubled with this passage. I am afraid that too often we have begun to live for the right NOW and not for the LATER. We live for the NOW, give for the NOW, think for the NOW, pray for the NOW, plan for the NOW, preach for the NOW, and because of this it has become very easy for God's children to become very selfish and self absorbed. David made an investment in the NOW for LATER dividends.

The land he purchased would one day be the place where his son Solomon would build the great Temple for God. Generation after generation were introduced to Jehovah God in this temple. Sacrifices were made for generations from this great Temple. It came about because David said, I will not just live for the NOW, but I am making an investment for LATER.

David refused to allow this land to just be given to him. He refused to offer anything to God that cost him nothing. David paid a great price to pave the way for God's plan to come to fruition. This great Temple was a shadow of things to come through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Too often, we give God my leftovers: leftover worship, leftover monetary offerings, leftover service, leftover corporate worship, leftover faithfulness, leftover commitment. I will attend Sunday worship, IF I don't have anything else to do. I will give my tithes and offerings, IF I have money leftover by the time I make it to church. I will worship God IF they play the right song, or set the right atmosphere. I would commit to prayer meeting night, BUT I am tired after getting off of work.

And we continue to live in the NOW only concerned about THIS moment, and we forget that we are helping to make our TOMORROW'S by what we do TODAY. We have children and grandchildren who are learning how important God is and should be in their life's by how important He is in YOUR life.

There were other times when God's people lived only for the NOW and were not concerned for the LATER and listen to what happened:

Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

This verse breaks my heart everytime I read it. My friends, we MUST stop giving to our Lord things that cost us nothing. We must stop living only for NOW. We have generations that are depending upon us LATER. I am determined to REFUSE TO GIVE GOD MY LEFTOVERS. Generations that live LATER are depending upon what we do NOW!

Prayer:

"Lord, my heart is so stirred this morning with these verses. Forgive me for the times I have just given You my leftovers and only lived for the here and NOW. I must begin to live for the LATER as well. LATER being my eternal life, but also the eternal life of generations who will come along behind me. Will those who come behind me find me faithful? I desperately hope so. But for that to happen I must examine my actions and habits of the NOW so that the LATER will be what You want it to be. In Jesus' name, amen!"

Rejection

Scripture:

1 Samuel 8:5-8 They presented their case: "Look, you're an old man, and your sons aren't following in your footsteps. Here's what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else." (6) When Samuel heard their demand--"Give us a king to rule us!"--he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to GOD. (7) GOD answered Samuel, "Go ahead and do what they're asking. They are not rejecting you. They've rejected me as their King. (8) From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they've been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they're doing it to you.

Observation:

Israel wanted a king for several reasons: (1) Samuel's sons were not fit to lead Israel. (2) The 12 tribes of Israel continually had problems working together because each tribe had its own leader and territory. It was hoped that a king would unite the tribes into one nation and one army. (3) The people wanted to be like the neighboring nations. This is exactly what God didn't want. Having a king would make it easy to forget that God was their real leader. It was not wrong for Israel to want a king; God had mentioned the possibility in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Yet, in reality, the people were rejecting God as their leader. The Israelites wanted laws, an army, and a human monarch in the place of God. They wanted to run the nation through human strength, even though only God's strength could make them flourish in the hostile land of Canaan.

The people clamored for a king, thinking that a new system of government would bring about a change in the nation. But because their basic problem was disobedience to God, their other problems would only continue under the new administration. What they needed was a unified faith, not a uniform rule. Our obedience is weak if we ask God to lead our family or personal life but continue to live by the world's standards and values. Faith in God must touch all the practical areas of life.

Application:

Samuel had to deal with rejection, which can be very painful. God reminded him that they were not rejecting him (Samuel) but God. He told Samuel, "They are not rejecting you. They've rejected me as their King. (8) From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they've been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they're doing it to you." Even after hearing those words, the rejection was still painful.

When you've been abused you not only carry with you the memories, but also anger over the fact that nobody stepped in to help you. Listen, "No one looked on you with pity... you were thrown into the open field" (Ezekiel 16:5 NIV).

Never allow somebody else's opinion of you determine how you see yourself! That's too much power to give to anybody. If others don't value your worth, that's their problem - unless you make it yours!

When people reject you, it's because they don't have the ability to see inside you, or hear the meaning behind your words, or feel the quality of your touch. They've bought into a lie; make sure you don't buy into it also!

Until you learn to care for yourself, you won't be able to properly care for anybody else. You can only give to others out of the well of your own self-worth. Most physical abusers don't hate their families, they hate themselves. It just overflows to those nearest. Paul says, "He who loves his wife loves himself" (Ephesians 5:28 NIV). But what if he doesn't love himself?

"What's the answer?" you ask. "Then I passed by and saw you" (Ezekiel 16:6 NIV). God sees you, He loves you, and He has a wonderful plan for your life. When you can accept that, your healing has begun.

Prayer:

"Lord, I am so thankful for Your acceptance. Like Samuel, I have faced rejection at times from those who I love, and who have said they loved me. When friendship with me benefited them, then they acted friendly. When treating me badly benefited them, they acted anything but friendly. Today you have helped me to see that the real person being rejected is YOU. Please forgive me for the times I have acted like a martyr and wallowed around in self-pity. Self-pity has never, and never will, helped Your cause and Kingdom. It draws attention away from You onto myself. Forgive me Lord for responding in that way. Today, I refuse to allow anyone a vote in who I am. Today, I will not let anyone determine my self-worth. You are my king. You are my hope. You are my joy. You are my peace. You are my encouragement. You are my friend that is closer than a brother. You are my daily bread. You are my light. You are my shepherd. You are my defender. You are my conquering king. You love, know, and accept me as Your friend. I am so thankful for that. In Jesus' name, amen!"