Gracious, merciful Father in Heaven. To whom can we compare you? There is no other God. There is no other Power. You and you nature are the principle upon which this Universe is built. You are love. Love is built into the fabric of space-time. It is not limited by time nor distance.

You are not remote from me. You are within me. You surround me. You are the ground upon which I step. You are the force which gives me life. Without your Spirit, I am just flesh and bones, dust and water.

I look about me at the beauty of your creation. I see you at work in the wonders of the universe. I see in the diversity of life upon this planet. I see you in the changing of the color of the leaves. I see in the process in which the seasons change but nature changes from one form of beauty to another.

I am honored that you have taken up residence within me.  I long to be a fit temple for your presence. I daily renew my mind that my affections are turned less towards the things this fleeting world has to offer me and more and more toward the eternal things of the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is my heart’s desire that your kingdom manifest on earth as it does in Heaven. My hope is that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I seek after the treasure that is your presence, your righteousness, your shalom. You peace which I cannot get my mind around now, but I hope to. I hope to be able to grasp it if it is possible. I hope to be able to preach it as Jesus Did. That your peace, your shalom, your Kingdom is here, right now.

Father, I cast all my worries about my finances at your feet. Guide me in the way I should go to meet my obligations. Point me in the direction of the resources I need. Bless me with the power to get wealth that I may in turn be a blessing to others.

I thank you for your provision. I thank you that you care not just about my spiritual riches, but you desire that I prosper in this earth plane as well. I am confident that there is no limit to your ability or willingness to meet my every need. There are no shortages in the Kingdom. There is no rationing nor apportionments. Bless me father, Bless me Indeed.

I know however, that my true treasure is within this jar of clay. Your precious Holy Spirit. Thank you for your Son through whom this gift is made possible.

In Jesus name, Amen

I watch in amazement sometimes at the things professional athletes are able do with their bodies when the situation calls for it. To the runner’s left is the sidelines, to his right and in front of him are defenders, dug in and with outstretched arms. The runner with the ball then leaps up and over the defenders into the end zone. Likewise, in basketball, I’ve seen  players dives for  loose balls:  leaping over the scorer’s table and into the stands. Momentum carries him forward, yet the player avoids stepping on spectators or tripping over seats, rails, or steps. The amazing agility athletes possess  is  due to their natural athleticism and, more importantly, the years of practice and drills. When the need arises, atheletes are able to make their bodies do what their mind decides must be done in the present situation. And their bodies perform because they are disciplined.

Habakkuk makes a bold declaration of faith in the Lord. In good times and in bad times, he determines to rejoice in the Lord. It is easy to rejoice in the Lord when things are going well. But when bills are due, the economy is bad, little Jaquan or Quandrica wants a laptop or iPhone for Christmas and the money is not there: It is hard for the praise to come out. It gets stuck in the throat somewhere.

Perhaps there is a need to practice praise, practice rejoicing. Paul says to “Rejoice Always, again I say Rejoice!” We should strive to make praising, rejoicing, and thanksgiving a  constant part of your life. We should discipline our minds to  bless God continually for small things and big things. We should practice rejoicing in the Lord for the victories we experience daily and for all the times we are delivered out of tough situations.  We must train our minds  — our praise and rejoicing  muscles so to speak — to be able to spot all the big and small ways we are blessed each and every day.

Making rejoicing  a regular practice will help us see that day by day, we are becoming more agile, our reflexes sharper, our peripheral vision wider, and we become more able  to handle sticky situations which use to defeat us in the past. We are able to act Godly and victoriously in any situation. We become confident – not in ourselves  — but in the fact that God is our strength and he will make us as agile and as fast, and as alert and as strong as a deer, so that we are able to avoid the tricks and traps of the devil. We are able to climb over mountains which would have limited, frustrated, or crushed us in the past. We will be able to over come in the midst of worlds troubles because our foothold is sure, our faith is strong, and our God is our strength.