In Solus Christus: A Book of Prayers

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©2015 Valerie Lynn Stephens. All rights reserved.

ISBN #: 978-1-312-39009-6

Lord, help me to keep the balance between piety & carnality, that I might neither become too rigid or stagnant in my religiosity, nor too wanton in my waywardness. Keep on bringing me back into equilibrium when my 'left hand' threatens to tip the scales. Keep on bringing me to greater & greater spiritual understanding & fruition. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

And Jesus said: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Even if you sense that others have wronged you, they may not have come to that awareness yet.

Pray this over them in your mind:

“Heavenly Father, I know that you love them as much as you love me, even though their actions towards me are causing harm. Right now, the Evil One is clouding their mind to the Truth. Please grant them the security & the peace of mind that they may look inwardly at themselves with the honesty & clarity that only your Holy Spirit anointing can bring. I pray for their healing & their continued edification. In Jesus' name. Amen.

For those of us who have survived childhood (and adulthood) abuse & neglect, the following Scripture can be of comfort & hope when we need it:

“Though my mother & father forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” (Psalm 27:10)

This reminds us that, although our earthly parents may have the ability to either uplift or to wound us, our Heavenly Father's providence over our lives & His power to heal us is much greater. It is in His name alone, that we have everlasting peace, joy & redemption. Jehovah Jireh & Jehovah Rapha be praised forever & ever! Amen.

I thank Thee, Oh Lord for Darkness, as it draws me closer to Your Light.

I thank Thee, Oh Lord for evil in the world, as it illuminates to me, Thy everlasting Good.

I thank Thee, Oh Lord for the presence of mine enemies, as it reminds me in Whom I have a faithful friend.

I thank Thee, Oh Lord for those who misunderstand me, as it reminds me in Whose eyes I am fully seen & adored.

And I thank Thee, Oh Lord for another precious day of life, as it brings me closer & closer to Thy Kingdom.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Lord God, teach me that true confidence cannot come either from without or from within unless my sights are first set upon You. Remind me that my sense of self comes only in light of the fact that You, & You alone, “knit me together in my Mother's womb” & are my only Joy, and my only Salvation. Who I am in Thine eyes was set even before my conception. Who I am to others is sometimes also important, but who I am to Thee & to myself, is the most essential & accurate portrait upon which to lay the blueprint for my own self-actualization & fulfillment. Lord help me to remain upon this path, & when I stumble & when I stray, gently guide your lamb back into the fold. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Lord, keep me on the path of that of my own Salvation

through a diligent offertory of not mere works of faith, but through a continued renewal of innermost countenance through the power of Your Holy Spirit at

work within me. Renew a steadfast Spirit in me & keep me steady with Your righteous hand. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Lord God, no matter what, grow me in You.

I am but a shattered & battered vessel, but I am Your vessel. You know whose are Yours, and will not withhold justice for long, over those wretched souls who glut themselves upon the blood of Your saints.

Lord God Almighty, duly chasten those who attempt to devastate Your truest servants with blow by blow of negation & plundering. Lord, You know who whose hearts are true & shall not abandon us to the grave. Keep us close to You, & bring healing & enlightenment to those who threaten the preservation of the innocent & the righteous, in that Your will may done.

In Jesus' Almighty name, protect Your earthen vessels from the Evil One. Amen.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for interceding for me on Your behalf before the righteous Throne

of my Heavenly Father. I am nothing without Your grace & without the continuous and marvelous works being done in me through Your Holy Spirit. I praise You now & forevermore. And I shall honour You now & evermore. Lord Jesus, take my Life & use it only for Your holy, pleasing & perfect Will & Plan. I am forever Yours. Amen. Thank You, Lord.

Thank You Father God for empowering my broken spirit with wholeness and my heart and mind with fullness of joy and strength of character. And thank you, Heavenly Father for enabling my will to step forward, despite any fear or anxiety that I might wrestle with, to do Your pleasing and perfect will. In the name of Your Son, I praise and exalt Thee with all of my body, all of my mind, and all of my soul.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Praise the Lord.

Do we have a right to judge' others?

Yes, there is a difference between using spiritual discernment and judging things according to God's Word and His will, and being 'judgmental' in a Pharisaic and hypocritical way. However, a better way of wording it might be: We have to judge between right and wrong, but it is neither our power nor place to 'condemn ' anyone. That belongs to God alone and it is between that individual and their God. We must each strive to take full accountability for ourselves and our lives, and allow others to take responsibility for their own. But if we see someone reaching out for our help, we definitely should respond to them. But other than that, we should mind our own business and allow others the same right.

Heavenly Father, help us to use our discernment & to exercise boundaries so that we can judge rightly & protect ourselves & our loved ones from the wiles & schemes of the Evil One. And help us also, to not judge ourselves or others unjustly, & when we do, quickly & gently correct us. In Jesus' name, we thank Thee for all of Your perfect guidance in this life. Amen.

This world needs your particular brand of talents and knowledge! There is no one like you and there never will be again. It is your life purpose to own your own path and to actualize into your truest self. The world needs each & every one of us. It is the law of existential irreducible complexity. When one person conforms to the pattern of the world so much is lost. We are not here to 'fit in', but to potentiate as He created us to become. This is both our highest achievement and our truest honour, to allow God to mold us into who He knows we can be so that we can shine His light and love into the world in each our own unique way. Vaya con Dios!

Lord, as I go about my work today, help me to keep my confidence & my focus. Help me to do it all unto You-Your glory & Your Divine & perfect plan. Grant me a clear mind & a sincere heart so that I do not falter. Grant me peace from within myself, so that I might be a comfort to others. Mostly, Lord, grant me the ability to let go of my own fears, so that I may go forth into this world, fruitfully applying the gifts that You have blessed me with all for your glory & in your holy name. Amen.

The Lord gives us a sound mind in a sound body to equip us for work in His Kingdom here on earth. Or as the Latin adage goes: "Sana in corpore sano. (Sound mind in a sound body.) But we MUST not let 'sin reign in our mortal bodies' (Romans 6:12) or our bodies and minds will become diseased and ill-equipped.

Lord God in Heaven who guides, protects & watches over all:

Give us the resolve & the inner strength to submit our will & our flesh to that of Thine own. And help us to feel that fulfillment & joy which only Thy will manifest on earth as it is in Heaven can bring.

In Jesus' name, we thank Thee in advance for Thy faithful providence & for these blessings. Amen.

Lord, I am your open portal. Loosen the possessive grip that I have over my own mind, my own desires & my own will. But Lord, most of all, loosen the grip, through the anointing of your Holy Spirit, which I allow my own mind & will alone to have over me. Let me hold on tightly to Thee, so that I can let go of 'me'. One must hold on, to let go, & let go, to hold on. Amen. In Jesus' name.

Lord God, help me to remain humble in recognition of that of my own wretchedness & unloveability in light of my "human nature" which often reigns. For each one of us has good qualities & bad. Indeed, You blessedly remind me that "...all have fallen short the glory of God," (Romans 3:23) & are in equitable need of Your Justification, Sanctification & Glorification through Christ alone. Thank you for Your sovereign Grace, Lord. May we continue to become truer & nearer to Thee by choosing the path of love towards all sinner, the worst of which, is ourselves. In Jesus' name we draw our will & strength. Amen.

One of the most arduous, & yet, rewarding endeavours of our Judeo-Christian faith is what Jesus referred to in John 15, verses 1-4 as "remaining in the vine. " To this the Scripture also offers precedent solace: "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, & of love of a sound mind. " (2 Timothy 1:7) We indeed can, (ARE expected), to submit to a daily discipline of reverence before praise of God for His providence grace, through honest self-reflection when necessary, repentance of our sins. But, after weighing both the pros the cons of such a trying task, what a joyous & strengthening thing it is to know that God's mercy never fails; that God's mercy shall never cease for those who love Him & continue to seek Him. In our struggle with sin, we may have defeat, but in Him we always have victory.

Lord God, thank You for Your daily providence & guidance & for the gift of Your Son's ultimate Sacrifice upon the Cross of Calvary. Help us minute by minute, hour by hour & day by precious day to remain in Your vine so that we may continue to reap the true sustenance & nourishment of body, mind & Spirit that only adherence to Your will alone can provide. In Jesus' holy & precious name we pray. Amen.

There is an apt spiritual aphorism that we are only truly & fully whole when we have nothing left but God. This does indeed prove itself a verity time & faithful time again.

Lord, thank you for Your everlasting mercy, grace & astoundingly abounding wealth of fulfillment from within & without offered up through the orthopraxis of Your Word & through Your Son Jesus Christ. May we continue to store up our treasure in Heaven, for thine is the Kingdom, the power & the glory forever. Amen.

Lord Jesus, oftentimes our past negative and even traumatic experiences & the fear of their repetition can keep us from growing in You & from finding true & lasting fulfillment from within ourselves & within the world. Help me each day to remember that I can do all things through You alone who strengthens & sustains me. Thank you Lord, for being my rock, my refuge & my eternal hope. Amen.

Lord, teach me to trust completely in only You. Total trust=faith in action. Then, with the weight of my own private world off of my shoulders, I may take on the world which you see enriched through me when I apply them for Your glory & for the redemptive value of myself & my fellow children of God alone. Remind me firmly, but gently every day, as is your only way, that there is indeed a world much larger & more in need of my being fully in it than that of my own egocentric, solipsistic one. Lord, open my Soul's eye to all things possible through a life lived through You & You alone. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Salvation is immediate upon genuine conversion.

Sanctification a naturalistic process of metaphysical gradualism, finding its completion in the perfect & expedient workings of the Holy Spirit.

I am thankful for these blessings in disguise:

Affliction, as it has taught me Prediction.

Persecution, as it has taught me Elocution.

Rejection, as it has taught me Self-Protection.

Banality, as it has taught me Reality.

Victimization, as it has taught me Individuation.

Deception, as it has taught me Mindly Perfection.

Emptiness, as it has taught me Plenti-ness.

Ennui, as it has taught me Jubliee.

Stagnation, as it has taught me Dilation.

Derision, as it has taught me Precision.

Restriction, as it has taught me Conviction.

Neglect, as it has taught me how to Effect.

Sin, as it has taught me Chagrin.

Yet above all I thank the Lord for these:

The intractable presence & scourging of Evil,

as it has taught me reliance, In Solus Christus.

A daily walk with the Lord will transform us from the inside out to desire full submission to His will & plan for our lives. And if we are to remain 'asleep ' in Christ in that we may die to the flesh, and experience that spiritual transformation which leads to salvation & eternal heavenly reward, we must continue to submit ourselves each new day to Christ's workings in our hearts & our minds & our lives.

Matthew 24:13

"But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Philippians 2:12

"Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. "

God knit you together in your mother's womb, 'O Child. And He now knits you together within the womb of His perfect plan, designed to specifically augment all of the character qualities which have been forged & foraged from your life's darkest, most harrowing moments. O' Child of the God Most High, your pain is His ever-extended, Almighty Hand. Take it. Let Him lead Thee to perfect Peace & Transcendence. In Jesus' name. Amen.

It does not matter how far anyone has strayed into the Darkness. If you call upon the Lord from the depths of your being, He will come. He will rescue you. Right then. Right there.

The more dark in the World,

The more light in the Word.

Father God, remind us that every moment that we meditate upon Thy Word, we are renewed & strengthened & healed in places that we alone cannot reach. And we are reminded that the Darkness is often there to lead us to Your Light & Your Truth, offered up always by Your Word & by the presence of Your Holy Spirit dwelling within the hearts of Your children. Thank You, Father God for your continued faithfulness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Jesus uncomplicates us. He takes all of our fragmented pieces and completes me. Perfect love casts out all fear, and makes us whole again, makes our edges smooth again so that we can glide through the tides of our lives with ease and joy and accomplish the purpose which he has set out for us since each our own inception. Jesus restores all that Abaddon has stolen. In due time... the temple is rebuilt within our soul, where the only High Priest allowed entrance, is our Lord and King, to forever reign. Amen.

Lord God in Heaven:

So many of Your precious children are suffering the plagues of Depression which the Evil One sets upon us to discourage & defeat us. I pray that You save us from that private, internal Hell which Depression attempts to derail & destroy us with. And when we lose our grip upon our will to live & continue in the fight, infiltrate our forlorn souls once more, with godly devotion & righteous emotion. Enlighten & enliven us once again with the Hope that we have in Jesus. And Lord, please remove all obstacles which hinder our renewal & rebirth.

No matter how the vagaries of this moral human existence plague us, or injure us, may we choose to still be guided by a Spirit of Love, Truth & Faith from deep inside of ourselves. May we feel ourselves drawn towards His perfect plan & will for each of our lives. May we pray for His guiding hand to bless us no matter what the circumstances of our lives may be. And no matter how others may mistreat us, may we remember that we are all invaluable children of the Most High God. May we also vow to remain His faithful servants & vessels & continue on our individual journeys of growth & inward transformation through His Holy Power. In Jesus' name. Amen.

There is no more significant, meaningful or pressing goal than that of earning a place in His Kingdom to come. And if this means that I will have to endure suffering in the face of all kinds of evil, than I shall rejoice, as this can bring me closer & closer to the God who I long to someday fully dwell with. I thank Thee, O Lord, for the trial & tribulations of this mortal earthly life, as they shall refine my soul day by day so that I may know & keep You. And there is no greater honour than this. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

We are growing and moving forward, and shall 'remain in the vine' and persevere on our course no matter what regressions may cause us to stumble. We are children of the Most High God & are infinitely loved and valued by Him. No matter what abuses we have survived & may continue to suffer at the hands of others, we are each precious & priceless vessels of God Almighty and shall continue on our journeys, committed beings of Truth & Light no matter what darkness may beckon to us.

And no matter how the blows of the Evil One may derail us temporarily, we will still feel ourselves guided towards His perfect will and plan for our lives. Lord, we pray for Your hand to guide & bless us in all happenstance. Yet most of all we pray for a spirit of love & reverent submission to You as You continue as promised to complete Your work in us each in Your own time & in Your own way. This is Faith in action-the only true Faith that there is!

Lord grant Your servants, the joi de vivre,

To pursue Your will without leave,

That joy and peace may make,

A fixed dwelling for Your sake.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

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