publish this as an ebook and maybe ecourse

 fuel for LPB

Seeking Spiritual Satisfaction

Seeking Spiritual Satisfaction

Lord, help me to become more content with my current circumstances and I better accept my present relationships.

There is a desire deep inside of me to improve my life. So, God, guide my innermost orientation in order that my internal world will become ever more aligned to serve Your higher purposes. Please cause my whole heart and mind to be oriented to selflessly serve my small part in to Your Great Commission.

May I fully and completely trust and obey my Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, with every fiber of my being.

May my obedience to Your New Commandment to love one another be the overriding factor in my aspirations, choices and commitments.

May I gladly surrender my will to You, that I may know and do Your will both during my daily devotions, and especially during those time when my faith in You is tested.

May I look to You to take care of me and of those I love. For Your Word reveals that You are a good God, Who is gracious, kind and tenderhearted.

Sometimes I find myself pressed into thinking I am involved in a kind of rat race to get ahead in some imaginary competition. But while I tend to yield to this pressure to keep moving forward, may my progress always be guided by Your standards and directed at your pace. May I pause make time to notice how far You have brought me. May I express my appreciation to You in silent prayer often.

Internally, I have motivations to achieve, improve and excel. God, please do a deep work in my soul, so that I use these motivations for Your purposes. May my unseen drives not be abused to fuel my pride, please others or to hide my insecurities.

I have an abundance of goals, projects and tasks. I do my best to get them done. But there are always many things that are left undone. God, help me to optimize the uses of my time, energy and money each day. And at the end of the day, may I emotionally and mentally let go of what remains to be done. After doing all I could with what You gave me, may I then leave the final results up to You. For I declare that You have all power; and You work all things together for the good.

From my birth, I have grown up in a society that is saturated with materialism. O Lord, open my spiritual eyes to see there is much more to this life than just adding more stuff to my collection of things.

Everywhere I go there are advertisements. Thousands of signals try to convince me that happiness will infallibly result were I to simply buy their product or service. The overriding message is that the glass is always half empty. I should strive to acquire more and better stuff in hopes that maybe some day the glass will be completely full. That is an appealing lie that has deceived others and me. But, Lord, may You whisper to me that the glass is half full as well as half empty. Lead me to notice what I have and not get fixated on what I do not have. May I honor You with my faithful stewardship of what You have entrusted to me.

I confess a longing to acquire more and better possessions. But instead, grant me to simply relax and better appreciate what You have already provided. May I develop the healthy habit of thanking You for each blessing. Work greater measures of genuine gratitude into my soul .

God, You created me with five senses. I realize there are some foods that I especially enjoy eating. Thank You for the pleasure that comes when I eat those. Since  some of those foods are costly,  I cannot afford to eat them as often as I would like. Grant me to be genuinely grateful when You provide them; and grant me to savor each of the foods You provide.

Lord, I  admit that deep down inside I tend to compare myself to others. That has sometimes led to envy, jealousy and resentment. Lord, help me to stop entertaining these poisonous attitudes. Grant me to immediately cut off those thoughts and feelings that are not of Your love. Grant that I may  admire and respect others just the way they are. Grant me to remember that they, too, have both internal issues and external challenges; and they that they, too, are simply doing the best that they can. May their accomplishments, status, looks, and more, inspire me to aim higher and to focus better for Your glory.

Lord, help me make wise choices when there are several attractive options. On weekends and during the holidays, there can be more possibilities to enjoy entertainment alone or share fellowship with others than I am able to take advantage of. I am limited, since I can only be in one place at a time.  In choosing one option, I am saying no to the other options. Because this is not always easy, I ask you to enter my decision-making process and guide me in the paths that are right for me. Grant me to find the suitable balance between taking time out for my own recreation and entertainment; as well as going to be of service to others; as well as making important contacts that You might use later for Your glory.

Lord, I attend church services on Sundays. I am grateful for the blessings, insights and lessons that come to me during these times. Thank You for the refreshing fellowship. Please guide me throughout the week in carrying out my best intentions to apply what You are teaching me during these times.

God, You have revealed Yourself in the Bible as the Prince of Peace. You have often blessed me with peace of mind, even the the middle of the storms of my life. Grant me to anchor my hopes and expectations in Who You are. May the biblical testimonies of what You did throughout the centuries give me comfort and faith.

Even if I live to a very old age, that is not the end of the story. May You help me to keep in mind that I am just a pilgrim that is briefly passing through this earthly walk, my ultimate citizenship is in heaven.

Lord God,  have mercy on me; and grant me Your grace. Amen.

Brother John

Serenity Prayer - long version

Serenity Prayer
(long version)

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time.

Enjoying one moment at a time.

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

Taking as He did this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen

Reinhold Niebuhr

An Evening Prayer

An Evening Prayer

God, today is nearly complete. I prepare to get needed sleep to prepare for tomorrow. Before I retire, let me make time to thank You for Your many blessings.

You have made a way for me to get to this moment safely. You provided me with health and strength to cope with the challenges today. Your grace and mercies were abundant; even though I did not notice them always.

Thank You that today I had enough food. I am not going to bed hungry; unlike millions of others around the globe.

Thank You that I had enough clothes for today and I will have enough for tomorrow. The poorest people would call me rich if they saw the options I have in my closet and drawers.

Thank You that today I had easy access to plenty of water for drinking, washing and cooking. Meanwhile many millions in Africa and India did not have access to clean water today.

Today there were little things like a flush toilet and air conditioning that made my life better. Yet millions in remote villages did not have such conveniences and comforts.

Thank You for my employment and income. There are many that are unemployed.

Thanks for my family and friends. My relationships with them are not perfect. But thank You that I have those connections, unlike orphans and those without any friends.

Thank You for the local church where I am a member. Thank You that we can assemble peacefully, unlike all places in the world. You have made a way for us to gather for fellowship, service and worship. May I never take this wonderful opportunity for granted.

You went to great lengths to reveal Yourself in the Bible. You guided the writing and translating of Your Word. You provided wonderful preachers and teachers to open up Your Word. Thank You for this rich source of spiritual food for me and others.

The advertising industry worked hard day and night. They wanted me to notice what I do not have. They tried to get me to want to buy more stuff to fuel an endless search for happiness. But I choose to pause. I notice what You have provided. Thank You for these provisions.

I request that You open my eyes to see the many other provisions You make.

I ask You to work into my heart and mind genuine gratitude for who You are and what You have done. May I often and easily thank You for your many blessings in the coming days.

Amen.

A Midday Prayer

A Midday Prayer

Lord God Almighty, I come to You by faith. I choose to pause in the middle of my day.

I seek You earnestly in my prayers.

Thank You for the privilege of prayer. Thank You for being accessible any time. Thank You for answering payers in Your time and in Your ways.

You provided me with the greatest miracle when I was born again. My salvation has brought me into direct relationship with You. The sacrifice of Your Son on the cross made this possible.

Jesus Christ said that I am the light of the world and the salt of the earth. I believe that is a fact, even though it does not feel like it much of the time.

You are at work in me to conform me into the image of Your dear Son. You have been gradually transforming me from the inside to the outside.

Your Holy Spirit that dwells in me prompts me to desire Your righteousness. Little by little I find that I dislike my sinful habits and want to do right.

You are patiently at work using Your Word to renew my mind. As I read the Bible, hear sermons and listen to Bible lessons my thinking improves.

Your Word reminds me of how difficult it can be to bridle my tongue. Only by Your grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit do I want to control what I say.

God, much of this day is past and much still remains. I request Your wisdom in how to best use my time both today and in the future days.

God, may I be quick to hear others and slow to speak. Work in me to be an instrument of Your kindness.

Your Word says that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Guide me in how to best take care of my body.

You have made me with a unique combination of personality, talents and spiritual gifts. I ask for You to guide my choices and commitments so that I am a good steward of these.

Your loving kindness is wonderful and Your blessings are many. May I notice You in my daily life and give You thanks from a heart of genuine gratitude.

A Morning Prayer

A Morning Prayer

Our Father, in Jesus name, I come to You, by faith.

Right now I draw near to You and thankfully You promised to draw near to me.

May I please come to know You even better today.

May I be used as an instrument of Your grace and mercies today.

I admit that I cannot cope with all the challenges today all alone.

I acknowledge that I need Your help today; just like every other day.

I thank You for the ease of prayer.

I appreciate that You have provided access due to the finished work of Your Son.

I thank You for the examples and instructions about prayer in the Bible.

I am grateful for all those who have prayed for me over the years.

May I be used by You to pray for others effectively.

I believe that You are glorified when You answer our prayers.

As I start this day, I bring to You the following petitions.

Please guide me Lord.

Show me the best paths.

Direct me to the resources that I need.

Connect with the right people for this day.

May I give and receive Your love while I am relating with others.

May I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness, so that You will satisfy me.

May I earnestly seek You and Your truth, so that You will set me free.

May Your Holy Spirit make alive Your Word in my mind and heart.

May this day be filled with Your peace and Your presence.

May You be glorified in my thoughts, words and deeds.

May I expect and receive blessings from You throughout the day and night.

May I gladly and generously be used by You to bless others.

I ask You to grant me hearing hears and seeing eyes.

May I discern and apply the lessons You are teaching me.

When this day is done may I look back and be grateful for Your presence and helps.

Let this day be an important part of Your transforming me to become more like Christ.

Let this day merge with the other days, weeks, months and years to be pleasing to You.

Let the story of my life serve as a testimony of Your faithfulness and goodness.

Amen.                                                                                                                Brother John

God Knows Me

God Knows Me

God knows everything about everything all the time.

God is in all places all the time.

God has so much power, might and dominion that I cannot begin to understand.

God created the heavens and the earth. I remain amazed at the beauty and grace of nature. There is an order in His creation from the microscopic to the telescopic dimensions. Surely there is a highly intelligent designer behind all we can see.

God is completely aware of all parts of my life, as well as every other human.

Right now at the moment as I am writing this sentence God knows what I am doing. He knows why I am doing it. God looks on my heart. He understands my motivations.

God understands much more than just my thoughts and motives. God knows my hopes, dreams, fears, doubts, resentments, worries, frustrations, aspirations, goals, problems, weaknesses, strengths, habits, lusts, loves, hates, debts, assets, secrets, aspirations, frustrations, etc.

Despite how much I have messed up God still loves me. The love of God is pure and perfect. From His unconditional love God wants what is best for me in the long term.

God knows how to get my attention. God is gentle in the ways He direct and corrects me. God blesses me more than I deserve with His grace and mercy daily.

I cannot hide from God by going to a location where He cannot find me. I cannot hide from God in my mind or heart.

I can ignore God. But that does not cause God to ignore me.

I have learned the hard way over the decades that it is always best to be open and honest with God about everything every time.

The fact that I cannot hide and God knows me completely, helps to keep me alert about my thoughts, words and deeds.

I have learned that the wise thing to do when I catch myself sliding into spiritual darkness, is to repent instantly. When I draw near to God, then as He promised, He draws near to me. (James 4:8)