Daily Prayer and Devotion
Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Inspiration
It is better to be honest with God in our prayers than to be hypocritical. We should always be reverent, but we pray with the knowledge that he already knows and sees our hearts. We cannot hide anything from him, so why would we not tell him "our complaint" as did Job? If we feel anguish or bitterness, better to admit it to God and to seek his power to change us than to try to hide it from him.
Prayer
O seer of our hearts, you know our thoughts before we think them, our words before we say them. Nothing can be hid from your sight, but all things are naked and bare before you. I will not seek to hide any bitterness, anger, sorrow, worry, or anything else from you but will admit it to you and seek you to help me change. 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.
