Plea for Grace

Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV – 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil

Father,

I would have no hope without Your salvation. Jesus took all my sin, my damaged and broken heart, and gave me a new heart. You gave me Your Holy Spirit to enable me to obey You. My every obedience is a gift of worship, an acknowledgement that I am nothing apart from You . . .

Psalm 119:2, 7, 10-11, 34, 36, 58, 69, 80, 112, 145 ESV – 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, … 7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. … 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. … 34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. … 36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! … 58 I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. … 69 The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; … 80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame! … 112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end. … 145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep your statutes.

This week pray for our brothers and sisters in Libya. The country is currently #4 on the Open Doors 2022 World Watch List https://www.opendoorsusa.org/2022-world-watch-list-report/

(Jesus is speaking) Matthew 15:17-19 ESV – 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Psalm 19:12-14 ESV – 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 119:1-3 ESV – 1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!

Just as sin begins in the heart and then results in action, so also obedience must have its source in our hearts. Mere actions of obedience without the heart’s desire to obey are actually “false witness (lying)”

Father,

Thank You for Your Word, to show me the wickedness of my heart that I want to hide, even from myself. Thank You for cleansing my heart. Thank You for Your salvation. Thank You for Your steadfast love. I want to obey You, I want to seek You with my whole heart. Psalm 119:10-11 ESV – 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.