May 28, 2022 - Ephesians‬ ‭5:6-9

“Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.” Ephesians 5:6-9 NLT

Lord, we praise you so much for the freedom you have bought us. Never let us forget to see the value of all that you have done for us. We are so grateful that you have brought us out of the darkness and into the light. We never want to forget the despair and lostness that comes with living in the dark.

Lord, increase the desire for holiness within us. We don’t want to give any place in our lives to sin. Help us not to be people who find excuses to justify our sins. Don’t let anything fool us into believing something is alright if you are telling us otherwise. Even if it is alright for another Christian doesn’t mean it is alright for us. Give each one of us such clarity to work out our own salvation with you. Bring conviction to any places we are justifying and don’t let us dismiss the conviction. Even as I pray that, you bring something to mind that I would love to justify. Lord forgive me. Help increase the hatred for the sins we want to justify in our lives. Show us what we need to do to break the power they want to have over our lives. We are determined to run towards holiness. Nothing is worth justifying if it holds us back from you and all you have stored up for us. We want all you have for us, and we never want to choose any earthly satisfactions or security over the true satisfaction and security you offer. We want to be willing to lay anything and everything at your feet in surrender. We will live as people of light and refuse to give darkness a place in us. You are so worth it.

In Jesus name, amen.