This Week - 02 - Proverbs 4:23-27

Hi everybody, it’s Pastor Dave, and it is time to turn to your “This Week” page in your Alone With God journal. This is for the beginning of your week. Hopefully, it’s the first day of your week. And this is where we look ahead to the week spiritually, and we set our focus on what God is calling us to for this week, specifically.

So, on your page titled “This Week” in your journal, the first section says My Prayers Are: And this is a great place for you to just stop and think about your prayers to God for this week. And, honestly, the important thing here is the stopping and thinking ahead for your week. Thinking and laying your week before God and asking the Lord for direction for your coming week. And then turning that into a prayer and writing it. This is also a great place to write prayers for your loved ones or for circumstances or situations that you might be facing this week. So that’s the first section.

The second section is called My Spiritual Focus is: For this week, what is your spiritual focus? Just take a minute and ask the Lord, “Lord, what are you calling me to focus on this week spiritually? Where are you directing my heart? What scripture, what topic, or area of my life are you calling me to focus on spiritually this week?” And again, the power of this page is you taking the time to ask God about these things and taking the time to write them down.

So, let me pray for you – well, let me just pray. It may be for you, it may be just for me. But let me just pray, and then I’ll send you off to write your prayer and your spiritual focus for the week.

My prayer this week is about looking straight ahead, staying focused, staying committed to the path that God has you on, the path that God has me on. And, of course, your prayers and your focus may be very different than mine, and that’s awesome. But let me share mine with you today, and then you develop your own.

Proverbs 4:23-27 (NLT) (portions of those verses)
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
. . .
25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked; . . .

Man, those are good verses. Alright, let me pray.

Lord, please help me to do this, this week. Help me, Lord, especially to guard my heart. Please, help me keep my heart pure for you, unaffected by the events or the circumstances that I’ll face this week. Through whatever this week holds, Lord, please help me to keep my eyes firmly fixed on you, on your plan and your purpose. Looking straight ahead, unwavering, confidently setting my eyes on what you have set before me, Lord, on what you’ve called me to. You, Lord, have marked out a straight path for me. Please help me to stay on it, not looking at the results, or the circumstances, or the situations, but fixing my eyes wholly and completely on you – straight ahead. Help me to stay on that path without getting sidetracked. And, Lord, I will have peace just knowing that I’m doing what you’ve called me to do without worrying about or being affected by the temporary circumstances or situations in life. Lord Jesus, please lead me and guide me for your name’s sake. It’s in your name I pray, Lord Jesus, amen.

Alright, guys, there’s your “This Week” encouragement for this week. So, write some, and thank God for the beginning of a new week. Talk to you soon. Bye-bye.