40 Days with Jesus...

Romans 12:1-2
Lord, knowing your mercies...your grace...your love...your sacrifice...You.  I give myself wholly to You.  I want to worship you with my entire being...to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength.  Whatever I have is from you and I'm releasing it back to you...to honor you...to glorify you...to worship you.

Keep this world from molding me.  Don't let it's influence grab ahold of me and use me.  Transform me, Lord Jesus.  Renew my heart and my mind.  Take my brokenness...my everything and make me new.  Make me Yours.  Place me into your story so that you will be known.

I am yours, Great I Am...Savior.

Amen.


James 1:1-12
Lord, don't let me run from hardship.  Let me learn and grow in the midst of it.  Help me to learn complete reliance on You.  It's so easy to be swayed by the world.  Human wisdom makes sense.  It's what we know.  It's difficult to step out with your wisdom.  It look foolish to us.  But I know that every single time that I step out and follow Your wisdom, it makes so much more sense when I look back on it all.

Give me Your wisdom, Lord Jesus.

Don't let me be swayed by every new thought and idea...by my own human understanding and reason. Give me Your wisdom.  Make me look foolish to the world in following you.

Give me a single-minded commitment to you, Jesus.  You know I'm obsessive.  Make me obsessed with you.

Give me the strength to stand tall under trials...under the weight of this world.  I am weak.  But I know you are strong.  I will find all that I need in You.  I know that, Lord.  I don't want anything else to come between my relationship with you.  Forgive me for so easily being swayed by the tossing waves.  Make me move with you, Ruach Yahweh.

I love you.

In Jesus' name,
Amen


James 1:13-18
Lord, keep me from being consumed with desire.  I'm sorry for living for anything other than you.  You are God and I want to worship you alone.  I'm sorry for giving up the freedom that you've given us by being enslaved to sin.  Forgive me, Lord.

I want You.

Thank you for the gift of freedom.  For life.  I feel more alive today than I have in a long time.  I'm enjoying life more than I have in quite a while.  It's all because of You.  The Giver of Life.  Redeemer.  Savior.  You've made me new (again...for the I don't know how many times).  I'm excited to be with you...to spend time with you...to be consumed by you.

You are everything.

Lord, use me.  Use me in any way that you see fit.  Use me to bring glory to yourself.  Use me to help others know you...to share the gift of life that you exuberantly offer to all of us. 

Thank you for your faithfulness.  Thank you for this desert time.  I feel I am beginning to know you in new ways.  To trust you.  To rely on you.  Lord, prepare me for your work.  So that I will speak volumes for you.  So that I will actively live for you in every aspect of life.

Thank you, Jesus.  You are amazing.  I love you.  I am yours.  Amen.


James 1:19-27
Lord, this passage hits close to home.  When I read about the last verse in this passage about caring for orphans and widows who suffer needlessly, my heart breaks.  I know your heart breaks for them as well.  I want to live out the love and grace that you've freely given.  Help me to help those who hurt.  Use me to reveal you to the world.  Use me to give a home and a family to those who have none.  Help me to love as you love. 

Thank you for my boys, Lord.  Thank you for your redemptive healing presence.  Please continue to work in their lives...to heal them...to use them in mighty ways for you.  For your glory and honor. 

You've shown us in Scripture that the orphaned have a special place in your heart and that you use them to do amazing things for your Kingdom.  Use my boys.  They are yours.  Use me to raise them up in you...to show them how amazing you are...how exciting it is to follow you...to show them that you are LORD...that you are enough...that you are THE HEALER...REDEEMER...LIFE-GIVER... SAVIOR.  That YOU ARE our HOPE and our LIFE...that you are EVERYTHING.  Thank you, Jesus.  I love you.  I can't wait to see you work in their lives and in my entire family's.  In Jesus' name, amen.

James 2:14-20