Strengthening Your Trust with Scripture

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
- Jesus in John 17:17 NIV

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV

To be sanctified is to be “set apart” for God. It’s the idea of our whole life being fully given to God. When we try to segregate our lives and only give God parts of us, we hinder God’s good work in us and we frustrate ourselves. God wants us to be sanctified so He can make his Spirit life flow through us. This pleases God, it brings joy to us and it attracts people to God’s goodness. In short, it’s a win-win-win.

An important part of growing in trust is renewing our mind with God’s truth. This week, write out the three verses above and carry them with you throughout the week. Review them several times a day. Let their truth fill your mind and heart so they can powerfully change you.

Praying Scripture

One of the best ways to pray is to use Scripture to guide you. When you use Scripture to pray you can be confident you are seeking God’s will. Of course, praying through the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) with sincere and full attention is a great place to start. Paul’s prayers for believers in various cities are also good examples. You can find some of these in Colossians 1:9-14; Ephesians 1:15-21 and 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11 and 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

You can pray these for yourself and for others. Just simply read and pray through the prayer, adjusting it to include yourself or the names of others you want to pray for. You will also find these passages even more helpful to your prayer if you memorize them. This will help you pray more personally from your heart and they will help you get to know God better in the process.

This week, choose one of these passages and use it to pray every day. You can extend the impact of your prayer by praying Scripture for missionaries, such as Steve and Amy Nehlsen in Burkina Faso.