I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read: Proverbs Chapter 6
Reflect:
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
“Six things that the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him!” There’s something about verse 16 that just jumps out at you. It’s a numerical ladder, it’s designed to capture our attention. It serves as an easy-to-remember rule of thumb for evaluating character. It describes the wicked. God hates these characteristics, and they should not be part of the Christian life.
Haughty eye—it’s the first in the list. It describes someone who is arrogant, full of pride. They typically think they are better than others. I don’t know if there is any significance in it being listed first, but I do know this: pride is at the root of all sin because it focuses on oneself at the expense of others. It’s a preoccupation with self. One author described the sin of pride as “the sin of sins.”
Pride causes us to look down on others. Pride causes one to set themselves above others, and ultimately above God. In the NT we find James telling us, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6) God opposing—challenging and confronting—the prideful one. To remain prideful is to invite God’s battle array against you. What a sobering thought! It is a thought that should cause each of us to evaluate our attitudes towards others, including God.
Know that none of us are immune from pride. There is a real danger in pride, and if it takes root, it only works to separate us from Christ. You don’t have to let this happen. You can choose to take a different path. How do you do this? Look at the end of James’ comments; notice what he says, “But [God] shows favor to the humble.” Victory over pride starts with humility!
Respond:
Ask God to reveal the ways you’ve been prideful and repent. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you drill down on what’s driving your pridefulness.
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Week’s Scripture Memory:
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.