Holy God,
You have called me.
You have beloved me in the Father.
And You are keeping me
for Jesus Christ.
This is mercy beyond words.
This is love multiplied beyond comprehension.
Lord, I feel the urgency of this hour.
I wanted to rest in the beauty of salvation,
but You compel me to rise,
to contend for the faith
that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Give me boldness.
Give me clarity.
Give me courage not just to defend,
but to live the truth.
For wolves have crept in
ungodly ones who pervert Your grace
and deny Your Son.
Their judgment is sure, but their influence is real.
Let me not be swept up in their deception.
Let me not sleep while they poison the flock.
You have judged unbelief before
Israel in the wilderness,
angels who abandoned their place,
Sodom in its rebellion.
You are holy.
You are not mocked.
So I will not play games with sin.
I will not entertain the proud,
the defilers,
the ones who blaspheme what they cannot comprehend.
Teach me to say, like Michael,
“The Lord rebuke you”
not in pride,
but in holy restraint.
Lord, keep me from the way of Cain,
from the greed of Balaam,
from the rebellion of Korah.
Let me never be a hidden reef,
a fruitless tree,
a wandering star headed for darkness.
You are coming, Lord Jesus
with ten thousands of holy ones
to judge the ungodly.
You will expose every hidden word,
every boast,
every flattery spoken for selfish gain.
But You, O God,
have given me something more
the holy faith.
So help me build my life upon it.
Let me pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep me in Your love.
Fix my hope on Your mercy
that leads to eternal life.
Give me a heart like Yours:
to have mercy on the doubting,
to snatch others from the fire,
to warn with fear and love,
hating the stain of sin,
but never despising the soul.
And when I tremble,
when I feel weak,
when I fall
remind me
You are able to keep me from stumbling.
You will present me blameless
before Your glory
with great joy.
So to You
the only God,
my Savior,
through Jesus Christ my Lord
be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority
before all time,
now,
and forevermore.
Amen.