Page 30 - Living Light 88

PRAYER FOR TODAY
28
Wed April 2 - A heart that devises wicked schemes
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him... a heart that devises wicked schemes... Proverbs 6:16,18
Long before Judas went to the chief priests to offer to betray Jesus, he had been thinking about how he could do this. James describes the process very vividly: ‘...but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full- grown, gives birth to death’ (James 1:14-15).
What a tragic process this depicts. This is why it is vital to deal with our wicked thoughts straight away – as soon as we are aware of them, and before they have time to grow and take control of us. This is true whether the thought is of wanting revenge because someone has upset us, or taking something which doesn’t belong to us. But rejecting the thought as soon as we are conscious of it is only the first step.
We need to deal with our heart, where the idea was conceived. The only way to really do this is to turn to God, acknowledge the ‘wicked scheme’ (confess it), and ask him to cleanse us from our sin through the sacrificial death of Jesus (forgiveness) and replace the wickedness with his Holy Spirit. There is forgiveness not only for our corrupt hearts but for everything in this list in verses 16-19. Why not ask God for forgiveness now?
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you died to forgive us, to cleanse us and to renew our hearts. I invite you, through the Holy Spirit, to wash me clean and keep me safe. Amen.
Thurs April 3 - Feet that are quick to rush into evil
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him... feet that are quick to rush into evil... Proverbs 6:16,18
Have you noticed how this list goes from ‘top to bottom’! It begins with our eyes and now it has reached our feet. It’s as though we are being given a checklist to work through which links to the parts of our body. One way to use this list is every morning, even when on the bus or doing the washing up – think about these parts of your body, and the dangers revealed in our text. Ask God for forgiveness for failures yesterday and protection for today.
Why might we ‘rush into evil’? Some of us have a quicker response time than others – perhaps because of a lack of love in our lives or because we have been bullied. Then it can become instinctive for us to retaliate to protect ourselves. Some of us just have a ‘shorter fuse’. We haven’t learnt to control our temper.
But we can ‘rush into evil’ because we are good at ‘spotting an opportunity’, perhaps to get someone into trouble, or gain prestige by joining in with a ‘dodgy’ group. We may get excitement from doing these kinds of things, but we can then ignore the risks to ourselves or the hurt we might cause to others. Hence, we ‘rush’ into evil.
Let’s look out for God’s ‘Halt’ or ‘No entry’ signs! Stop, think twice and turn back!
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13), and that you give us your Spirit to keep us alert. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY