Daily Quote, Bible Verse and Prayer - May

[bluidkiti]

May 1

Quote:
No matter how miserably we have failed, no matter how far we might
have fallen, God stands ready to forgive. In truth, God is more eager
to forgive us than we are to be forgiven. ~ Chaplain Michael Clark

Acts 10:43
Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.

Prayer:
Dear Father,
My sins are so great that I fear You will never forgive me. But the Truth
is that You are eager to forgive and no sin is too great to forgive. The
real issue is that I cannot seem to forgive my own self and thus am unwilling
to be forgiven by You. Help me to forgive myself and be willing to be
forgiven by You. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 2

Quote:
Prayer is not an argument with God to persuade him to move things
our way, but an exercise by which we are enabled by his Spirit to
move ourselves his way. ~ Leonard Ravenhill

Jamess 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Prayer:
Dear Father,
May my prayerful words never be a vain attempt to bend Your will to
mine or to impose my will upon Your providence. When I pray, may I
always use it as an opportunity to be open to the promptings of Your
Holy Spirit and to draw ever nearer to You. Amen

[bluidkiti]

May 3

Quote:
I only have to worry about my thinking. My thinking
is where relapse starts, so I need to be more worried
about my thoughts than what others are thinking about
me. ~ Michael Clark

Proverbs 24:9
The thoughts of foolishness is sin:

Prayer:
My Savior,
Stand guard over my thoughts. Do not let my mind
wander to things that will tempt or allow it stray into
dangerous territory. Keep me focused on whatever is
true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
whatever is excellent, whatever is worthy of praise. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 4

Quote:
When I am in the midst of the desert, wondering if there is any possible
way out of my situation, it is hard to imagine God working behind the
scenes. He is. He has his own time. He knows what needs to be in
place for the fruition of his promises. I cling to this truth. Even in the
darkest night, I know that my redeemer lives and is at work in my life.
~ Katherine Walden

Job 19:25
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Prayer:
My Savior,
It is when I am wandering in the desert wondering which way to go
that You are closest to me. Open my eyes, that I see You. Help
me to seek after Your promises and see all the possibilities that lie
before me. There is an end to the desert and You will lead me beside
the still waters and green pastures once again. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 5

Quote:
I have learned the only times I get into trouble is
when I try to help God out and put my hands
into the mix. He makes the messes into a message,
the tests into a testimony and trials into triumphs.~ Michael Clark

Psalm 37:5
Commit thy way unto the LORD;
trust also in him;
and he shall bring it to pass.

Prayer:
O God,
Instead of being headstrong and going my own way
I shall commit my way unto You. You are the guide.
I will follow and obey. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 6

Quote:
There is a difference between shame and guilt.
Guilt can help you see the need for change. Guilt
says: "I made a mistake." Shame says: "I am a
mistake." Shame is always toxic and a lie. God made
no mistakes in creating anyone. ~ Michael Clark

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Prayer:
Father,
Show me how to clearly discern the difference between
shame and guilt. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 7

Quote:
We may seem to be crashing. Awful things may happen. Yet God
reveals in Scripture that he can use difficulties that drop us down to
the deepest depths of human experience to enable us to soar to
greater heights with Him. In His providence, the Lord may even save
souls by descents into the darkness of tragedy. ~ Chaplain Michael Clark

James 5:11 ESV
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.
You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have
seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate
and merciful.

Prayer:
O God,
Even though terrible, heart wrenching things happen, I can trust
in Your provision. I may be taken to the deepest depths but I know
that ultimately with You I shall soar! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 8

Quote:
Man's faith may fail him sometimes, but God's faithfulness never fails him.
~ William Greenhill

Lam 3:22-23
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions
never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Prayer:
My Lord,
When I fail or others fail me, lead me to look up to You and Your
faithfulness. It is sure and everlasting. Thank you for being there for
me. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 9

Quote:
Is your spirit unhappy? Are you cast down under your sins, multitudes
of sins, years of sins? As heavily burdened as your are, and pierced
through with sorrows, you can look to God, and hope, for "HE delights
in mercy." His mercy can make you a clean and beautiful, a happy and
rejoicing spirit. God will be "delighted" to make you "equal to the angels."
So humble, so loving is God, and so earnestly does He long to bless you,
that behold, He stands at your door and knocks. ~ John Pulsford {adapted}

Revelation 3:20
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him,
and he with Me."

Prayer:
My Lord,
No matter how deep my sins, Your grace and mercy is deeper still.
There is no limit to Your forgiveness. You are always willing to wash
me whiter than wool. Today I surrender all to You that You may make
me a clean, beautiful, happy and rejoicing soul. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 10

Quote:
Let me urge you, then, to make use of your God. Make use of Him
in prayer; go to Him often, because He is your God. Why not use
so great a privilege? Fly to Him; tell Him all your wants. Use Him
constantly by faith at all times. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon {adapted}

Psalm 86:5-7
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.

Prayer:
O God,
You are ever present and willing to aid me. Why do I turn to my own
devices or look to others for aid when You are standing by to assist?
You have given me the great privilege of prayer and the precious gift
of the Holy Spirit. I shall employ them more often in order to draw
ever closer to You. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 11

Quote:
If you have really handed yourself over to Him it must
follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a
new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things
in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save
you already. Not hoping to get Heaven as a reward for
your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain
way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already
inside you. ~ C. S. Lewis

1 Samuel 12:24
Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all
your heart: for consider how great things He hath
done for you.

Prayer:
My Lord,
I obey You because I love You. You have showered me
with forgiveness, grace and love. I am saved and set free,
free indeed! You are the source of all my joy. It is my honor
and pleasure to serve You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 12

Quote:
The fact that God accepts us should be our motivation for accepting
ourselves. If we cannot accept ourselves the way we are, with our
limitations and assets, weaknesses as well as strengths, shortcomings
as well as abilities; then we cannot trust anyone else to accept us the
way we are. We will always be putting on a front, building a facade
around ourselves, never letting people know what we are really like
deep down inside. ~ Josh McDowell

Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he
loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
You have forgiven all of my sins and love me with all Your heart. Lead
me to also forgive myself. For it is only after total forgiveness of my own
self can I change my weaknesses into strengths and my shortcomings into
springboards. Wash away all of my shame and guilt. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 13

Quote:
When we stand in the middle of a lifestorm, it seems
as if the storm has become our way of life. We cannot
see a way out. We are unable to chart a course back
to smoother waters. We feel defeated - and broken. Will
that brokenness produce a cynicism that will keep us
forever in the mire of if only thinking? Or will we yield up
that brokenness to the resources of One who calms the
winds and the waves, heals the brokenhearted, and forgives
the most grievous of sins? The choice is ours.
~ Verdell Davis, Riches Stored in Secret Places

Psalm 102:28-29 ESV
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.

Prayer:
Lord,
It is not the storms that are my way of life, You are
my way of life. As I yield up my brokenness, I will trust in You
to bring me back to smoother waters and the safe harbor. Thank
You for healing me and leading me back to sanity. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 14

Quote:
If some dark providence has beclouded you, use your God
as a "sun"; if some strong enemy has beset you, find in
Jehovah a "shield"; for He is a sun and a shield to His people.
If you have lost your way in the mazes of life, use Him as a
"guide"; for He will direct you. Whatever you are, and wherever
you are, remember God is just what you want, and just where
you want and that He can do all you want! ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon {adapted}

1 John 4:15-17 ESV
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides
in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe
the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in
love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected
with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment,
because as he is so also are we in this world.

Prayer:
O Lord,
Thank you for being my Sun and my Shield. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

May 15

Quote:
As we open ourselves to spiritual growth, there is simply no part of
our life that can be left out. Nothing is too dirty or smudged. Nothing
is too ecstatic or passionate. Nothing is too mundane or ordinary.
ALL of life is the food of our spiritual growth. ~ Joyce Rupp

Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Sometimes my own shame causes me to hide from You. But You
are the Light of life. You came to cleanse me from my past as well
as my present to make me a new creation. Help me to surrender
every part of my life to You so that I be transformed by the renewing
of my mind, body and spirit. Amen.