Night Prayer
And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.
Inspiration
Achan took goods from Jericho retained for the Lord's treasury, and the Israelites placed his stolen treasure on display. His private sin was now public. We follow closely behind our Lord and Savior as we walk the path of righteousness and are still led astray by sin; we become surrounded by temptation, and our sinful nature often prevails. Many sins can be confessed to the Lord in private, while others remain displayed for all to see. We understand in our embarrassment that a genuine confession is forgiven as promised, and we will continue forward on our journey with Christ.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we are embarrassed when our sins are exposed. Please forgive us for our sins and set our feet back on the path to eternal life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.