“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20 NKJV).

Our heavenly citizenship, like our national citizenship, is based on our birth. But unlike our national citizenship, which is validated by our natural birthday, citizenship of heaven is based on our spiritual birth.

Jesus put it this way: “…I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT).

Being “born again” is our spiritual birth, which qualifies us to become a citizen of heaven. Jesus then goes on to explain just how we become “born again.”

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).

My Prayer:
“My Father in heaven, how blessed I am to be a citizen of heaven. And it was made possible by the obedient sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, on the cross. In addition, my citizenship of heaven makes me an ambassador of the Kingdom of heaven. As a citizen of heaven, I proudly and passionately represent King Jesus and the Kingdom of God while I live out my life as a citizen of earth.”

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4 NLT).

Note that our focus is to be more on others, rather than on ourselves. What a better world we would live in if we followed these directives.

My Prayer:
“My Father, with Your help, I will endeavor to treat others with more kindness and consideration and not be so me-focused. With Your grace, I will take an interest in the lives of those around me and be less self-centered and narcissistic.”

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV).

That “good work” is linked to the statement that Paul made previously in the Book of Romans.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29 NKJV).

My Prayer:
“My Lord, as Your follower, I am being transformed into Your image. My thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions, are progressively reflecting You. And I know that this metamorphosis of transition is a process. It is through Your grace that my old ways are giving way to the new me, which is really You in me. Today, I willingly submit to this ‘good work’ that You are completing in me.”

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV).

This statement of reliance on the strength of the Lord is repeated numerous times throughout the Scriptures.

The Lord speaking to Joshua:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NKJV).

David testifying:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalms 27:1 NKJV).

My Prayer:
“My Lord, You have always been and forever will be the strength in my life. When I am engaging in spiritual warfare – You are my strength. When afraid in the midst of the attacks and onslaughts of the enemy – You are my strength. Just as you spoke to the Apostle Paul, I hear You speak to me also: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT).

And take note of Paul’s motivation for imitating God – LOVE. And also note the example of love that we are to follow – CHRIST. And all this resulting in “a pleasing aroma to God.”

My Prayer:
“My God, my life’s desire is to imitate You in all that I am and do. Jesus, You set the ultimate and highest example of love – that I want to imitate and exemplify. In so doing, my life will be as a sweet-smelling aroma that pleases You.”

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV).

Note that the Apostle Paul first states that he is “the prisoner of the Lord.” The translation of “prisoner” means that He identifies himself as a captive of the Lord and that he is also bond to the Lord. Because of that identification, and the identity of every disciple of Jesus, we are to follow the rest of his exhortation in this passage.

My Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I identify myself as several things with You – servant, disciple, follower – but I am also Your prisoner, meaning that I am Your captive and that I am bound to You. As such, I follow Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:1-3, ‘to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’”

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV).

We, the Lord’s followers, are the means by which the miraculous and the impossible are accomplished as His power works in and through us.

My Prayer:
“Lord, I make myself available for You ‘to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.’ I will be the conduit through which You are able to touch and transform lives on behalf of Your Kingdom.”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV).

The equation for eternal life is clear:

The plan of salvation is accomplished as God extends His GRACE and Man accepts it by FAITH.

My Prayer:
“My Father, You have made a way for the forgiveness of my sins and my eternal salvation through Jesus, Your Son. It is clearly the extension of Your gift of grace that makes the gift of salvation even possible in the first place. But it is my faith that is the catalyst to receiving the gift of eternal life. My faith is my belief in who Jesus is and in what He did on the cross. It is my faith that made the decision and choice to accept the gift of salvation. The two – Your GRACE and my FAITH – make salvation possible.”

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7 NKJV).

My Prayer:
“My Jesus, it was the spilling of Your precious, shed blood that washed away my sins. Like the old hymn says, ‘What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’ The power of Your blood became the source of my redemption and the forgiveness of my sins.”

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).

Then, he adds in the next verse,

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (v.10).

Imagine “those who are of the household of faith” not growing weary of doing good to one another? It would be heaven on earth!

My Prayer:
“My Lord, with Your grace I will ‘not grow weary while doing good…especially to those who are of the household of faith.’ I purpose in my heart to exemplify and live out Your love to everyone that I come in contact with, especially those who are Your people.”

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4 NKJV).

With Jesus, God’s Son, there was an exact time when everything - circumstances, setting - was perfect for the coming of the Savior. He didn’t arrive too early or too late: “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son.”

So, our Heavenly Father knows the exact time when dealing with us, His children. He knows the exact time as to when to bring something into our lives as well as when to remove certain things.

My Prayer:
“My Heavenly Father, just as You sent Your Son at the right time, so You know the right time when dealing with circumstances and situations in my life. You know the perfect time to either send or remove something in my life. So, I trust in Your wisdom and in Your timing.”

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

My Prayer:
“My Lord Jesus, I proclaim that when I was born again, my old sinful man was crucified with You, and then my new life was resurrected also with You. So now, the life that I am living is You living through me. Now I think differently, talk differently, and act differently.”

^“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant” (Galatians 1:10 NKJV).

Paul’s statement is all about approval and pleasing. The question is, “Am I seeking the approval of men or seeking to please men?” Or “Am I seeking the approval of God or seeking to please God?” The former would make one a servant of man; the latter, a servant of Christ.

My Prayer:
“My Lord, my heart’s desire is to live my life seeking Your approval and to please You in all that I do, think, and speak. I choose to be Your servant and to please You.”

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14 NKJV).

Paul’s final words are a powerful reminder of all that we experience in the completeness of the Trinity – grace, love, and communion.

My Prayer:
“My God, the closing words of Paul to the Church in Corinth sum up all that I have in You: ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.’ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, my completeness is found in the total Godhead.”

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)

In essence, the apostle, quoting the Lord, is saying that in our weakened state, Jesus’ grace will make us strong. In other words, the Lord infuses us with His strength when we are weak.

My Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I grab hold of the reality of what You told Paul in his weak condition: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ And I sing that old childhood song, ‘Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.’ Lord Jesus, I will gladly exchange my weakness for Your strength.”

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV).

Read it. Digest it. Meditate on it. Study it. Work it. Live it.

My Prayer:
“My God, in 2 Corinthians 5:3-5, You have provided a comprehensive blueprint on how we as Your followers are to engage in spiritual warfare. We are of flesh, but we will fight and overcome the enemy of our souls and his kingdom with spiritual weapons and spiritual tactics. The old hymn ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ will be our battle song: ‘Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before! Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle, see His banner go!’””

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NKJV).

On a positive note, the apostle points out two primary factors: give bountifully and give with a cheerful heart. The opposite negative factors of giving would be: don’t give sparingly or grudgingly.

My Prayer:
“My Father in heaven, in response to Your abundant financial blessings to me, I will mirror my giving with both a bountiful and a cheerful heart.”

“That in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality” (v. 2 NKJV).

The Kingdom of God is full of paradoxes. Here are a few seemingly contradictions that defy human logic: The last shall be first; one must die to live; joy in trials; strength out of weakness; love your enemies; and bless those who curse you.

My Prayer:
“Lord, following You does not make sense in the natural. You tell me that I have to die to live; that when I’m weak, You will make me strong; that to be the greatest in the kingdom, I have to become the least; and to be able to enter heaven, I must be as a child. I don’t understand these seeming contradictions and many more, but I will deny myself and follow You.”

“… I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (NKJV).

He would make the same general statement in Romans 5, but with an explanation:

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).

James would express that same seemingly insane way of thinking, but would clarify why we are to take a posture of joy when experiencing trials:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3 NKJV).

Peter would also echo this theme of rejoicing in trials and tribulation, but also explaining why we should do so:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6-7 NKJV).

My Prayer:
“My Lord, contrary to my human nature, I choose to rejoice during the trials and tribulations that come my way. I realize that not only have You allowed these painful moments in my life, but You have sent them, and simply for my good. My faith, maturity, and the development of my character are Your end intentions for these periods of suffering and trials. With Your grace, I will grow spiritually because of my trials. And I will do so with exceeding joy.”

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? (NKJV)

And then in verse 16, Paul states an incredible truth:

“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” (NKJV, emphasis mine)

The incredible truth is that each believer is “the temple of the living God” and that God states, “I will dwell in them.”

My Prayer:
“Father, what an incredible truth to know that we, as your believers, are actually Your temple and that You dwell within us! Based on that reality, we will keep ourselves separate from the influence and the leaven of unbelievers. We will be careful not to let our light be dimmed by the world’s darkness. If anything, because we are Your temples and that You live within us, we will let Your light shine brightly in our sin-darkened world.”