EQUIP ME

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.  (Ephesians 6:10-17, AMP).

Dear God:

I come to You today to extend my worship, praise and gratitude.  Thank you for being my Supplier and Sustainer.  Thank you for being all-knowing and almighty. 

Equip me with a clean heart, O Lord.  Flush out the impurities and irrigate my heart with compassion, forgiveness, humility, love, patience, and peace.  Forgive me for my wrongdoing and teach me how to imitate You.

With authenticity, humility, and transparency, I come to pour out my heart to You.  Your Word recommends that I trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in You at all times because You are my safe haven.  (Psalm 62:8).  Right now, life is challenging because people, places and things representative of evil, wickedness and sin are busy wreaking havoc in my life.  Father, I need Your help in making a conscience decision to wear Your armor daily.

Liberate my mind from exhaustion and worry, O Lord.  When my thoughts go awry, help me place the helmet of salvation securely upon my head.  Allow me to capture all of my wicked thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.  (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Remind me that I can possess perfect peace as long as my mind is stayed on You.  (Isaiah 26:3).

When my heart and soul are tormented, cover me with the breastplate of righteousness.  Your Proverbial Word explains how much You detest a heart that “manufactures wicked thoughts and plans,” so please rectify my hostile attitude.  (Proverbs 6:18).  Equip me with the capacity to forgive my enemies as “quickly and thoroughly” as You forgive me.  (Ephesians 4:32). 

Intervene, O Lord and save me from (self-)destruction!  Stress has manifested in my body and I’m flaccid.  Internal and external strife has me unhinged.  Support me with Your belt of truth, so I can stand erect.

Let me not tread upon the earth with aggression and irritability.  Instead, cover my feet with serenity and self-control.  And, give me sturdy footwear to stomp, so that the reverberation of my feet represents the trembling of demons at the name of Jesus!  (James 2:19). 

Empower me with the strength and endurance to maneuver the shield of faith to extinguish all the missiles designed to destroy me.

Finally, enable me to wield the sword of the Spirit to slay the enemy.  Open my mouth to speak Your promises: 

You will never leave me or forsake me; You are with me wherever I go.

“I called to You for help and You healed me.”

You will rescue me because I love You;

You will protect me because I acknowledge Your name. 

No weapon formed against me shall prosper. 

You will not harm me.

Your love for me is so great that I am not consumed. 

I can always depend on You to avenge.

The weapons I fight with have divine power to demolish strongholds. 

Your grace is sufficient for me--Your power is made perfect in my weakness. 

I am equipped with a spirit of power, love and sanity.

 
(Joshua 1:5, 9; Psalm 30:2, 11; Psalm 91:14; Isaiah 54:17; Jeremiah 29:11; Lamentations 3:22; Romans 12:19; 2 Corinthians 10:4; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 2 Timothy 1:7).

HALLELUJAH!

Father, here I am, suited in Your armor.  Life is challenging because the devil’s attacks are vicious.  Life is good because I am still standing (not lying) on the battlefield.  Life is abundant because this battle is Yours and Jesus came to destroy the devil’s works!  (1 Samuel 17:47; 1 John 3:8).  Equip me with the cognizance of life’s abundance through my relationship with Christ.  In the name of Jesus, the One who came that I may have abundant life right now…AMEN!

DELIGHT IN THE WAIT

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21).

The only thing I could do was call on the name of Jesus.  “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”  During our telephone conversation I shouted His name because our 15-month relationship was coming to an end.

One month prior to the termination of my relationship, my daily routine included reading and studying the Bible, writing in my prayer journal, listening to gospel music, conversing with God individually and with prayer partners.  I also eliminated all things that served as distractions in my life because I had a strong desire to remove all junk from my system.


The Lord would wake me up between the hours of 3am and 4am and we would talk about my relationship.  I requested:

1. clarity regarding the status of the relationship;
2. assistance with putting my faith into action; and
3. a clean heart.

Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that whatever happened in my relationship, I placed all of my trust in the Lord.

On the evening of Friday, July 21st, I called on Jesus and the answer to my prayers came in the form of a break-up.  As our telephone conversation came to a close I was able to sincerely say to my ex-boyfriend, “God bless you and good night.”  Amazingly, the weekend culminated with a joyous experience.  Sunday evening I stood in a prayer circle and the presence of the Lord entered the atmosphere and extended an audible invitation to me, “The wait is over.  Take my hand, the door is open, walk through.”

Dear God: O what a joy it is to hear Your voice!  Thank you for preparation, clarification and Your invitation.  Anoint us with Your joy as we wait for Your promises.  Amen.

ANYONE IN NEED OF BALANCE?

My primary intent for writing the prayer was to talk with God about how I felt "unbalanced," as I prepared for the LSAT.  I felt "unbalanced" because I didn't feel like I was making significant progress in achieving 3 goals I set for myself:

1. continued study of God/God's Word; 
2. preparing/studying for the LSAT; and
3. exercising regularly to stay physically fit.

I found that I was spreading myself thin (doing too much), when my ultimate goal was to incorporate God in my LSAT studies in order to achieve the highest score (180).  I kept telling myself to keep my eyes on the prize.  That meant I couldn't do all the extra things I thought I wanted to do at that particular time.


I wrote this prayer on May 7, 2007.  Although 3 years have passed and life is good, I revisit this prayer because some days I feel “unbalanced” and I need a reminder of God's favor and sovereignty.

ANYONE IN NEED OF BALANCE?  WERE YOU IN NEED OF IT YESTERDAY?  ARE YOU IN NEED OF BALANCE TODAY?  DO YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED BALANCING TOMORROW?  If you answered YES, feel free to personalize this prayer for yourself & your current life circumstances.

It is my hope that this prayer offers encouragement to you!

Exodus 34:9-10: "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us.  Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."  Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world.  The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.

Good day God!  Thank you for another beautiful day, another chance to witness Your glory.

I confess that I have committed acts outside of Your will and I sincerely apologize Lord.  I want to hold myself accountable and acknowledge that I have fallen short of Your glory--please forgive me O Lord.

Great is Your FAITHFULNESS, LORD unto me!  From A to Z, You are: ASSURANCE, BREATH, COMFORT, DESTINY, EXCELLENT, FATHER, GENEROUS, HOPE, INVINCIBLE, JOY, KINDNESS, LOVE, MINE, NOBLE, OMNISCIENT, PEACE, QUIET, RADIANT, SAFETY, TRUTH, UNIQUE, VICTORY, WORTHY, XXXL (extra large to the Nth power), YAHWEH, and ZEST.

I am the "stiff-necked," sinful person referred to in Exodus 34:9.  In regards to my current life circumstances, I've been ungrateful, I've screamed and pouted, I've doubted, I've been disobedient, I've been impatient...I committed all these acts before 6:00am this morning.  All of what You are in my life (refer to previous paragraph) was nonexistent in my memory bank.

6:30am

You begin to reveal Your "awesome work" in my life…


You afford me the opportunity to speak with my mother long-distance.  I am able to share with her my need for "balance," especially at this time when I'm pursuing my goal of becoming an attorney.  Mom shares wisdom and prays for me and every person seeking "balance."

BREATH, LOVE and TRUTH are deposited in my memory bank.


7:05am

It is time for me to hustle to get ready for work—I have to be out of the house no later than 7:45am.  You stretch the time because I shout and stomp in the shower for at least 3 minutes.  My 15-minute shower concludes with a repeated cry for “JESUS” and healing tears flow from my eyes.  Then, I hurriedly look through 2 wardrobe closets to figure out what I am going to wear, and 4 jewelry boxes to find matching accessories.  All the while, I am able to hear the DVD of Israel & New Breed, “Alive In South Africa,” play in the background.


ASSURANCE, GENEROUS, SAFETY and COMFORT are deposited in my memory bank.


7:50am

Backing out of my garage, I silently pray for traveling mercies and the self-control not to cuss out other drivers on the commute to work.  After pressing all of the nifty navigation buttons, I opt to listen to the radio for a change, and then I switch to my 6-disc CD changer to listen to my “Healing Is Here” compilation.


I put on my Bluetooth and call my sister Tammy for our regular prayer time.  Unfortunately, my call goes straight to voicemail.  I really need to pray with my sister!  …If I get to the intersection of Rockbridge and Memorial Drive by 8:15am, I’ll get to work before 9:00am.


HOPE, PEACE, and QUIET are deposited in my memory bank.


8:51am

Yea, I make it to my destination safely and timely.  I park in my regular spot on level P4, same level as the car salon.  Cisco, the guy that washes my car, has returned from the Virgin Islands and greets me with a smile.  Requesting an exterior wash, I hand Cisco my car keys and he agrees to hand-deliver my keys when he’s finished.


I walk into Peachtree Center and I see the maintenance man I speak to on a daily basis.  At the conclusion of our brief exchange, he says “You just don’t know…it makes my day to talk to an angel.”


JOY and KINDNESS are deposited in my memory bank.


8:58am

I enter my workplace, humming “I Need Thee Every Hour.”

Special Note/Reminder: March 27, 2006, God delivered my miracle job.  I accepted an offer to work for 2 law firms in 1 office space.  My current position was created especially for me.  Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world.  The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.


Before I left home, I made sure I had my Israel DVD.  As soon as I get to my desk I load the DVD and listen to “Take The Limits Off/No Limits” repeatedly.


YAHWEH, DESTINY and UNIQUE are deposited in my memory bank.


11:25am

I take a break from legal work and forward an inspirational message to Tammy in hopes that she’ll check her e-mail this morning.  My message reads: “2007 is the year--GET READY FOR YOUR BLESSINGS (financial, professional, relational (i.e., dating dept.)!  GOD IS ABLE and GOD WON'T FAIL!  Peace...Malkia.”


The Holy Spirit led me to encourage my sister and remind myself about God’s abilities.


XXXL (extra large to the Nth power) is deposited in my memory bank.


12:15pm

Cisco calls to let me know he’s about to deliver my car keys and asks if I want anything from the Food Court.  Within a matter of seconds, I hesitate accepting his offer, but the Holy Spirit tells me not to block this blessing.  Note: Cisco has shown no C & D (crazy & deranged) tendencies and this is his 3rd attempt to bless me.


Not only does Cisco deliver my car keys, he brings 2 smoothies and 2 bagels.  And he refuses to let me pay for the exterior car wash.


OMNISCIENT is deposited in my memory bank.


12:45pm

I begin to write this prayer…O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes, then Lord go with me.  Although I am a stiff-necked person, forgive my wickedness and my sin, and take me as your inheritance."  Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you, Malkia.  Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world.  The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.

EXCELLENT, FATHER, INVINCIBLE, RADIANT, VICTORY, WORTHY and ZEST are deposited in my memory bank.


5:15pm
It took 7 hours for me to reconcile my memory bank--my account is balanced.

O Lord, I am grateful that you are MINE; You are available all of the time.
Forgive me--sinless I am not; yet, Your favor I have got.

Remind me of your NOBLE character when my memory bank depletes;
Purify my heart and guide my feet.

Thank you for Christ who intercedes--
Answering all that I truly need.

I offer my adoration, appreciation and praise;
God I will worship you for the rest of my days.

Continue to use me as Your instrument.
Help me to smile with kindness and offer encouragement.

Thank you for revealing Yourself to me today.
In the life-restoring name of Christ I pray.