Barbara posted this prayer -- believing that God will give us victory -- in response to the question ..."I am judgmental and critical. How do I change?"

Lord I pray for this sister in Christ, whom You have gifted with clear vision about right and wrong — God what a gift it is to know right from wrong.

And Father, thank you for nudging her to know her sights need realignment.

I pray for her — and for myself and for others who see clearly our brother's specks to remember the logs in our own eyes. Father, that when we confront sin and failure in others, that we would remember first your kindness to us in not rewarding US with what we have earned!

When you give us the privilege of restoring one who has stumbled, we will exercise it with your restraining love — as YOU have consistently rebuked us graciously and with respect.

Father, may this sister in Christ and I remember that whatever offense we encounter, it is no greater than ours against YOU. That a working sister in Christ who must put her children in day care is not a worse mom than I am — who may have snapped at my child or snarled at my husband — or grumped about my duties for the day.

Father, that my unsaved friend or family member is not a "worse" case than I who have presumed upon YOUR gracious forbearance. May I remember — and may this sister in Christ remember — that unless You move in that loved one's life, they will spend eternity separated from You in everlasting torment. May that thought sober both of us and make us relinquish comments or actions that might harden their hearts against You. Father, make us STOP expecting non-Christians to behave like Christians, especially when she and I fail to love with Your heart and work in YOUR strength:

When we — who know better — fail to act like Christians

When I see children, whose parents have failed to teach, may I remember that Christ had little brothers and sisters and He lived in a village and then moved among throngs in Jerusalem and bade the children come — and I bet some of them were dirty and noisy and ill-behaved. May this sister in Christ and I — and other black and white-ers out there remember that YOU gave Your son as ransom for their lives. If they mean that much to YOU, dear God, may we appropriate YOU spirit to cherish them. May we use our high resolution sight to do what Jesus would have done: to seek and to serve the lost.

I also think Galatians 6:1-6 is good camping ground, and when in a quandry, praying through Colossians 1:9-12 defuses squirrely, judgmental thoughts.

Pray for me too -- because I engage my mouth without connecting my heart and brain too often!

© Barbara W. Smith 1998, all rights reserved
Please contact Barbara Smith at workbook@toad.net before reprinting any of Barbara's messages. These messages are taken straight from the chfweb.com Message Board and Barbara may want to check them over for publication. Please include, in the body of your message, which message you are interested in reprinting.

Please send a copy of the publication to:
Third Floor Publishing
PO Box 827
Arnold, MD 21012

We hope our thoughts encourage you in the Lord Jesus Christ who has enabled us to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could have asked or imagined -- please let us know what YOU think. E-mail us at workbook@toad.net. (Please don't forget to include your e-mail address with in the body of the message--we've had some of our responses returned due to insufficient e-mail addresses.)