O God, control my temper

March 12, 2021March 11, 2021 / Eric Mathews / 1 Comment

_{Photo by Marina Kazmirova on Unsplash}

O God, I know that my temper is far too quick.

I know only too well how liable I am to flare up,

and to say things for which afterwards am heartily sorry.

I know only too well that sometimes in anger I do things

which in my calmer moments I would never have done.

I know that my temper upsets things at home;

that it makes me difficult to work with;

that far too often it makes me a cause and source of trouble.

O God, help me. Help me to think before I speak.

When I feel that I am going to blaze out,

help me to keep quiet just for a moment or two,

until I get a grip of myself again.

Help me to remember that you are listening to everything I say,

and seeing everything I do.

O God, control me and my temper too.

This I ask for your love’s sake.

William Barclay, 1907-1978, minister in the Church of Scotland

The Book of a Thousand Prayers

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James 1:19-21

Know this, my beloved brothers:

let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness

and receive with meekness the implanted word,

which is able to save your souls.

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remove anything that separates us

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

I beg of you, my Lord,
to remove anything which separates
me from you, and you from me.
Remove anything that makes me unworthy
of your sight, your control, your discipline;
of your speech and conversation,
of your benevolence and love.
Cast from me every evil
that stands in the way of my seeing you,
hearing, tasting, savoring, and touching you;
fearing and being mindful of you;
knowing, trusting, loving, and possessing you;
being conscious of your presence
and, as far as may be, enjoying you.
This is what I ask for myself
and earnestly desire from you. Amen.

Peter Faber, 1506-1546, Jesuit Priest and co-founder of the Society of Jesus
Hearts in Fire Praying with Jesuits

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Hebrews 9:14

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

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Sometimes I choose sin

March 5, 2021March 4, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Father – the truth about me is that often I choose sin:

Sometimes I choose hatred. Sometimes I choose slander.

Sometimes I choose envy. Sometimes I choose greed.

Sometimes I choose pettiness. Sometimes I choose lust.

Sometimes I choose gossip. Sometimes I choose pride.

Sometimes I choose self-reliance.

Sometimes I choose self-righteousness.

Sometimes I choose self-aggrandizement.

Sometimes I choose dishonesty.

Sometimes I choose unkind words.

Sometimes I choose to ignore the obvious needs around me.

Sometimes I choose to hoard my resources.

Sometimes I choose to neglect Your command to share the gospel.

The list of things I wrongly choose could go on and on. And sometimes

I act on these things in ways that are darker than I ever care to state.

Each time I make such a choice, I choose death.

Today, I ask that You breathe life into my soul afresh

and enable me to choose life – to choose You and Your ways.

Kurt Bjorklund, 1968- , American Minister and author or

Prayers for Today A Yearlong Journey of Devotional Prayer

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Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

deliver those who have fallen into sin

March 3, 2021March 2, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Deliver, O most merciful God,
those little ones of thy flock who have fallen into sin.
Remember not their offences,
but set them free from the snare of the enemy.
Prosper with the help of the Holy Spirit
the endeavors of all who are seeking to train them for good.
Grant that following after humility
and being made partakers of thy heavenly wisdom,
they may be strengthened to the performance of thy will
and may be restored to the perfect fellowship of thy saints;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Robert Leighton, 1611-1684, Scottish minister and scholar
2000 Years of Prayer

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Hebrews 3:12-13

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart

that turns away from the living God.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,”

so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

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Praise to you, saving sacrifice

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

_{Twelfth Station / Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons}

Lord Jesus Christ,

I approach your banquet table

in fear and trembling,

for I am a sinner,

and dare not rely on my own worth

but only on your goodness and mercy. . . .

Praise to you, saving sacrifice,

offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind.

Praise to the noble and precious blood,

flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ

and washing away the sins of the whole world.

Remember, Lord, your creature,

whom you have redeemed with your blood.

John of Fecamp, 1028-1078, Benedictine spiritual writer

Praying to our Lord Jesus Christ

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Romans 5:9-10

And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ,

he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son

while we were still his enemies,

we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

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cleanse me from my sin!

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Where shall I begin to weep for the actions of my wretched life?

What first-fruit shall I offer, O Christ, in this my lamentation?
But in Your compassion grant me forgiveness of sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Come, wretched soul, with your flesh to the Creator of all.

Make confession to Him, and abstain henceforth from past brutishness;

and offer to God tears of repentance.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have rivaled in transgression, Adam, the first-formed man,

and I have found myself stripped naked of God,

of the eternal Kingdom and its joy, because of my sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Woe to you, miserable soul! How alike you are to first Eve!

For you have looked in wickedness and were grievously wounded;

you have touched the tree and rashly tasted the deceptive food.