April 4, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Pause. Pray. Read. Be still. Write. Pray. Go about your day or turn in for the night.
Read: Psalm 139:13-14 The Enemies of Our Heart
For you [God] created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful; I know that full well.
(Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)
Many of us battle a common enemy of the heart – the enemy of “not.”
The enemy “not” drives us to fixate on what we do not have, cannot do, or may not be able to fulfill in the future. He poisons our minds to underestimate what we bring to the table or minimize the importance of our seemingly small contributions. His web of lies tangles us into one giant knotted feeling of inadequacy that keeps us from realizing the full potential that God created in us.
Several Easter seasons ago, I ran across the Knot Prayer written by an unknown author. I keep a copy close by for times when I battle the “not” enemy of my heart:
Dear God, Please untie the knots in my mind, my heart, and my life.
Remove the have nots, the can nots, and the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart, and my life
all of the “am nots” that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough. Amen.
We are a resurrection people. Because of the work of Christ on the cross and His Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are free to root out and replace these “nots” with what beloved children we are in His eyes. We are worthy and wonderful just as we are.
Be still and Reflect: Which of these “not” enemies are you most likely to battle? Print or write out the Knot Prayer on an index card. Keep it somewhere you can easily pull it out when the “not” enemy attacks. Better yet, commit it to memory.
Pray: Lord God, Please untie the knots in my mind, my heart, and my life. Remove the have nots, the can nots, and the do nots that I have in my mind. Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart. Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life. And most of all, dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart, and my life all of the “am nots” that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough. Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria