the cycle of good intention…

have you been stuck in the cycle of good intention – i want to change – you make the effort – you fail and then you feel guilty about it?  good intention, effort, fail, feel guilty.  you can change.  are you ready to change?  are you ready to change now?

if you’re ready for a change just pray this prayer in your heart. 

dear GOD, YOU know all the habits and temptations in my life that have tripped me up for years.  YOU know all the tempting situations that i’m facing right now.  YOU even know what temptations lay ahead of me this next week that i don’t even know are coming and are going to hit me.  so i’m asking for YOUr help.  but i’m not asking for a miracle.  i’m asking for YOUr strength to take these steps that we’ve been looking at for these past few weeks. 

i am willing to follow YOUr principles so i can change and be free.  help me to clearly see the patterns in my life that lead to temptation.  give me enough strength to start avoiding them and build some boundaries in my life that there’s certain places i don’t go, and certain things i don’t watch, and certain people i don’t hang out with.  LORD, if that means changing jobs or moving so be it.  i want my soul to be saved. 

LORD, help me to remember to refocus my attention when things get my attention and tempt me.  today i commit to finding a spiritual accountability partner who can help me in the specific areas of my weakness.  and that i can help them and encourage them too. 

most importantly, LORD, i need YOU to do some heart surgery on me.  i ask YOU to remove the negative emotions that make me vulnerable to temptation.  would you replace the discouragement and the exhaustion or the boredom or the spiritual dryness and emptiness?  would YOU replace the insecurity and the deep wounds and hurts in my heart?  would YOU replace the resentment, the anger, the sadness, the loneliness with YOUr love, with YOUr forgiveness, and with YOUr confidence.  i want to learn to trust YOU.  i ask you, JESUS CHRIST, to start changing me from the inside out beginning today.  in YOUr name i pray.  amen. 

just a thought from the front porch…