DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Cleanse your people, Lord. Purify our conscience from dead works. Help us to know that we are forgiven and to have no doubt about it. May we know that we are cleansed from the guilt and filth of sin. May we, therefore, have bold access to our Father in heaven. Let the power of sin that has been broken be destroyed in us. Sin no longer rules us, but it still lurks in the corners, waiting to take control again. Thank you for the promise, “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” We pray it will never have control over us!
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“They loathed all food and came near the gates of death.” (Psalm 107:18)
Appetite departs from men when they are sick: the best of food is nauseous to them, their stomach turns against it. “And they came near the gates of death.” From want of food, and from the destructive power of their malady, they slide gradually down till they lie at the door of the grave; neither does the skill of the physician suffice to stay their downward progress. As they cannot eat, there is no support given to the system, and as the disease rages, their little strength is spent in pain and misery. Thus it is with souls afflicted with a sense of sin: they cannot find comfort in the choicest promises but turn away with loathing even from the gospel, so that they gradually decay into the grave of despair. The mercy is that though near the gates of death, they are not yet inside the sepulcher.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
How God’s grace helps you grow
Today we prayed that God would set us free from the power of sin. We ask God to help us grow in holiness, because we know that God’s grace doesn’t just save us from sin, it also gives us the power that we need to slay sin. The work of growing in godliness is a work of cooperation between us and God’s grace.
One of my all-time favorite books is The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. This book explains how God’s grace empowers Christians to slay sin and grow in godliness. It is one of the helpful, practical, and encouraging books that I have ever read! If you want to grow in godliness, start with The Discipline of Grace.
I know that I recommend this book all the time in this newsletter, but only because it really is an incredible resource. I hope you’ll grab a copy today.
Reading The Discipline of Grace will definitely help you grow in holiness. I hope you’ll grab a copy today.
- Amazon (Paperback, Kindle, or audiobook* editions)
- ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook editions)
* Get the audiobook for free with a free trial of Audible. Even if you cancel, the audiobook will be yours to keep (and trust me, you’ll want to read this one multiple times!)