Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy. “But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you,” says the Lord.  Jeremiah 1:6-8

Belief in our own ability can be either our most important strength (if we believe in ourselves) or largest fault (if we don't believe in ourselves).  It is difficult to always believe that we have the ability or capability to accomplish certain tasks.  Doubt creeps in.  Past failures come to mind.  However, if we believe that our talents and abilities are not our own, but they are truly a gift from God, then self-confidence should be the only option.

Lord, thank you that I am not doing any of this on my own.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1

Giving up could refer to quitting.  Giving up could also be viewed in terms of sacrifice.  Give up your time.  Give up your money.  Give up your possessions.  Give up your self.  Sacrifice is not simply doing something that we should or doing something we should even though we don't want to do it.  Sacrifice refers to actually giving up something.  We should not only sacrifice (give up) for others, but we must also sacrifice (give upward) to God.

Lord, help me look for ways I can give up in order to better worship You.

Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” Matthew 12:34

​A cup full of water, when jostled, spills out water.  A cup full of coffee, when knocked over, spills out coffee.  A cup full of nothing, when tipped, spills out nothing.  Whatever is in us will come out.

Lord, help me to be filled with love and joy and kindness and patience and You ... so that these things come out when I am bumped and knocked over.

 “Come!” He said.
And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  Matthew 14:29-31

Jesus calls us to Him.  That is really special.  We make the choice to follow Jesus.  Great decision on our part.  Life doesn't become perfect when Jesus calls us.  That is a common misconception.  Life is still full of trials and challenges that cause us to be afraid and doubt.  We take our eyes off of Jesus and that is what makes us "sink".  We sink more and more and then we finally call out to God, when we could have avoided sinking all together by keeping our eyes on Him in the first place.  Despite our disobedience and lack of judgment, Jesus still reaches out to us and saves us.  Why do we doubt God? 

Lord, forgive me for my doubt and for my selfish nature that thinks that I know better than you. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”  John 15:5

My toaster won't make toast unless it is plugged in.  My TV doesn't work either, unless it is plugged in.  My cell phone works for a while but then doesn't, unless I plug it back in.  Most of our gadgets need a power source.  So do we.

Lord, help me to stay plugged in to You and not allow my battery to run out.

Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.  Proverbs 21:21 NIV

"Get After It!" is a common phrase in sports.  Coaches in many settings have encouraged their athletes to "get after it".  In other words, don't just sit around and wait for it to happen.  We are to "get after" righteousness and love.  We shouldn't merely sit around and wait for righteousness and love to happen from us.

Lord, give me the courage to pursue the things you want me to have in my life and not merely wait for them to happen to me.

“For they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Mark 6:50

"Fear Factor" was a great TV show.  Normal people doing very scary things.  Most overcame their fears because they were motivated by the money or the fame.  While others may have been motivated by the fact that they were not alone and others were doing the same things.  Courage by numbers.  We are often more scared when we are alone than when we are with others.  God is always with us and He is a BIG God, so we have more reason to have courage than to fear.

Lord, help me to feel the courage I should by having You with me.

“No one can serve two masters… “ - Matthew 6:24

"Multi-Tasking" is often described as "doing two things poorly at the same time".  The same thing can be said of us when we try to serve two masters.  We can't fully follow God and fully succumb to the desires of the world and expect to have the same results as if we only put God first.

Lord, help me to choose and choose wisely and then jump in fully.

"For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."  Hosea 6:6

It is good to give.  It is good to serve.  But often times we only give and serve when it is convenient to us.  It is easier to write a check than actually sacrifice time to help someone in need.  And it is always easier to help someone when we have time than to help someone when we don't.

Lord, help me to truly give and sacrifice when it is difficult to do so, and not merely be a Christian out of convenience.

“Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” Proverbs 27:1

Nothing demonstrates our arrogance, egotism and selfishness more than our belief that we know what is going to happen tomorrow.  When we feel we know what to expect, we fail to understand what God can do.  We fail to see how much God has control of our lives and the events that surround us, and we also fail to see how little control we have.

Lord, forgive me for thinking I know what is going to happen and for expecting things to happen the way I want instead of happening the way you want.