Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.33And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.

 Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

Lord God my Father,

Replace my will with your perfect will. Keep me in your unity and give me discernment with deception so I may remain with you. Use me to crush Satan with your Love.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. 

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Lord God my Father,

Keep me strong in your Truth so I may only worship you. Remove in me my desire to have my way and turn me to your plan so I may bring your glory to overwhelm my distorted truth. Keep my heart in your Love so you can use me to destroy evil in how I love others. Clean my desires so I only desire you.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.8:15a Greek you received a spirit of sonship. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”8:15b Abba is an Aramaic term for “father.” 16For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Lord God my Father,

I am a sinner, and my thoughts are not on you as I desire. Thank you for placing your holy spirit in me, now help me to give it complete control over my distractions. I wish to give you complete control over me but struggle to. Allow you Peace to overpower me.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

Lord God my Father,

I repent for my sin nature, give me strength to overcome it bit by bit. Thank you for your overwhelming love and grace, convert my nature to desire your fruits over mine. Make me your slave, open my eyes to my sinful way and cause me to turn to you. I want to be only under your authority.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes

They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 

But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.

Lord God my Father,

Give me courageous faith and discernment of your Truth. Turn me and protect me from my sinful way. I acknowledge you and accept your plan, keep me close. Use my stubborn way to stay in your desire and not in mine.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece11:10 Greek Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula. will ever stop me from boasting about this.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

 Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Lord God my Father,

Allow your boldness to live thru me. Protect me with your Grace and Love so your work will be done in me. Allow your Fruits to live in me.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,6:6 Or by our holiness of spirit. and by our sincere love.

We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us.

What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil6:15 Greek Beliar; various other manuscripts render this proper name of the devil as Belian, Beliab, or Belial.

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation

But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.

Lord God my Father,

Keep my mind focused on you no matter what others may think. Attach my heart to your desire so strong that it can’t be misled. Keep my desire to serve you so focused on your plan that my thoughts are quiet enough to hear you. Keep me from engaging with the hopelessly lost so my actions inspire those beginning to seek you. Guide me and make me open to all your desires.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” 

We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.

But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. 

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 

 “I believed in God, so I spoke.”4:13 Ps 116:10.

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Lord God my Father,

Keep me from cowering from struggle but embrace it with your comfort soothing me. Keep me in proper focus on your Truth. Help me to include you in all my thoughts and actions. Help me to speak in ways that soften the hearts of the lost and understand Satan is in control with your permission, allow me to release your power to overcome the darkness and keep my gaze on you.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

1 Corinthians 15

For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.

Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

1 Corinthians 16

22If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come!

Lord God my Father,

Help me to be removed from my actions so you may have your way with me. Help me bring my thoughts under your complete control, protect me from deceit. Keep me pure and restore me when I stumble. Keep me in your work and use your power to move forward as you desire. Help me to desire your blessing above all else.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

1 Corinthians 12

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.

Lord God my Father,

Make my place clear to me and cause me to pursue it well. Help me to move forward in your desire for me even without understanding, your desire will be made known. Protect me from deceit and arrogance. Allow your Love to rest well with my desires.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen