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 7
Reflect:
Proverbs 7:27
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.
Chapter 7 of Proverbs is a stark warning for us to flee from the wayward woman (folly personified). We’re not to be seduced or enticed by her flattery. This Proverb makes it clear that her way leads to death.
Life is found on wisdom’s path, and that path is accessed through Jesus Christ, the power and wisdom of God. We know that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He calls us to remain in Him so that our joy will overflow.
So how do we do it? How do we remain in Him? Paul gives us some insight on how to do it in his letter to the Galatians. He reminds us that we’ve been set free from indulging the flesh; we don’t have to live being controlled in that way anymore. We’ve been set free to serve and love others in the same way Christ did. If we walk by the Spirit of God, we will not want to walk down folly’s path. He goes on to describe what folly looks like, but then challenges us to live by the Fruit of the Spirit. As we live this way, we will keep in step with the Spirit. (See Galatians 5:13-26)
Remember: we have been made alive in Christ! Through the power of Christ who is the wisdom of God, we can put to death the things that belong to the earthly nature—sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed—all the things lady folly is using to lure us to her path. You see, we have a new life that is continually being renewed into the likeness of the One who created us! In this new life, our nationality, ethnicity, education, or economic status make no difference—they matter nothing. It is Christ that means everything as He lives in every one of us! (See Colossians 3) When we fully embrace this new life, folly’s temptation loses its luster and appeal, for we see it for what it is.
Respond:
Choose today to walk in the power of Christ—listen to the Spirit.
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:
Proverbs 10:9
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.