Greetings,
Happy Fourth of July! Today we celebrate this great nation's hard-fought and hard-won independence from the rule of tyranny. Let Freedom Ring! was and is our heart's cry, and because it's my birthday today as well - Happy 52nd Birthday to me - I also want to celebrate the freedom Christ has given me. I am free from fear, hopelessness, and death. I am free from oppression, deceit, and despair. I am free to receive and apply His truth and blessings in my life. One of the most powerful and greatest truths is that prayer changes things because it invites God's presence into our circumstances. Join me in praying Psalm 139.
Dear Lord,
You know every single thing there is to know about me, and yet You love me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up - something I don't even keep track of - and You and only You completely understand me. I am never out of Your sight, and You know everything I am going to say before I start the first sentence. Your reassuring presence is always with me, and this is too wonderful! There is no place I can go to avoid Your Spirit. Whether I am up or down You are there. Even if I flew to the far western horizon, You would already be there waiting. You shaped me in my mother's womb, and I thank You. You are breathtaking, and I am marvelously made. All the stages of my life are spread out before You. Help me to enjoy and appreciate each one, and I praise You for Your beautiful thoughts about me. They are innumerable, and for this I worship You. Replace my anxious thoughts with Your precious ones. You are kind, and powerful, and I am assured that You will cause everything in my life to work out for my good. I am chosen, I am dearly loved, and I am forgiven. I am victorious, I am safe, and I belong to You. My mind and my heart are protected with Your peace. I am healed, and I am confident in Your ability to lead me along the way of everlasting life. Your promises of a full life and an eternal life sustain me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
