Psalm 25:1-11 Yesterday’s reading talked about lifting up our heads and hearts to the Lord. We discovered that the spirit of man represents the holy of holies in the temple of God. We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. The soul (mind, will and emotions) of man represents the inner court of our temple. The body represents the outer court of the temple, and the gates to that temple are our five senses. When Jesus died on the cross and gave His spirit into the hands of the Father, the veil of the temple was rent in two. The mercy seat of God now became available to not only the high priest, but to all who would believe and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
How can we lift up our souls daily to the Lord? We do this through prayer. Daily in prayer we can surrender our body, soul and spirit to the Lord. Every day in my early morning prayer time I do this. Later this year we will talk about how to surrender our spirit and body to the Lord, but today’s devotion is about lifting up our souls to the Lord. The soul includes the mind, the emotions and the will. It has been my practice to pray the following prayer as I lift up my soul to the Lord:
Father, I lift up my mind to You today. I bind my mind to the mind of Christ. Help me to take every thought captive to You today and keep my mind from wandering. Help me to focus on You today. I ask You to give me wisdom, understanding and knowledge today as I read and hear Your Word. I ask You to give me divine imaginations and help me to refuse vain imaginations. Father, I lift up my emotions to You today. Help my emotions to be anchored in hope. Your Son Jesus Christ is my hope. Christ in me is my hope of glory. I dress myself in the garment of praise today so that all heaviness in my emotions has to flee. I receive the joy of the Lord, which is my strength. I receive the peace that only You can give, peace that passes my understanding. I will seek peace and pursue it today. Thank You for causing my emotions to be stable today. Father, I lift up my will today to You. I bind my will to the way You want me to walk. I commit my way to You so that You can bring Your will to pass in my life. I thank You that You work within me today, both to will and to do of Your good pleasure. Cause my will to always operate in Your love just as Jesus’ will was controlled completely by You because He loved You. Let my words and deeds today reflect Your love.
Let this be a daily prayer in your life, and He will be glorified in your life today.
READ: Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-11; Proverbs 6:6-11
Bill Wiese 
Paul McGuire 
