Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

 My wife is really good about choosing what she eats. She watches her calorie intake and has said on numerous occasions…”I’m not going to waste my calories on something I don’t truly enjoy”. Me on the other hand, doesn’t always stick to a rigid diet and oftentimes I take in more daily calories than I can burn over the course of a week. And, my weight is a good indicator that I’m not doing a good job restricting my diet to the healthy things. More on that later!

 This morning God put a thought into my mind, “what’s the substance of my prayers”. Do I spend more time asking for forgiveness than praising God? That thought hit me hard this morning, as it should, making me think about my relationship with the Father. My actions, my thoughts, and the words that proceed out of my mouth are under constant attacks from the dark forces of evil. God knows I need help on the battle field, so I can spend more time giving praise than asking for His forgiveness.

 You might be thinking, Geez Dave, what’s your problem? Romans 3:10 says: “There is none righteous, no, not one” and Isaiah 64:6 says: “And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags”. No matter how well we try to live the Christian life, we always fall short in our daily lives, including me. And, as  you grow in your faith, you begin to see your shortcomings more and more. God help us, God help me!

 God always welcomes your prayers, no matter their content. If seeking forgiveness is important, then pray for it. At the same time, commit yourself to living on a strict spiritual diet of words, actions, and thoughts (just like my wife’s dietary plan), so you don’t waste your life on fruitless things that require more time praying for healing and forgiveness. When you do, your prayers will be full of positive content, brining God all the glory and praise He rightly deserves! God bless!