PRAYER: When You Are Not Where You Want to Be in Life

RECOVERY PRAYER 1: Father,

I’m not where I want to be in life—not even close.

I am not the person I want to be—

Not the person I’m capable of being.

Even worse, the gap between who I should be

And who I am is widening, rather than narrowing.

If I’m being honest with myself,

Which I have tried to avoid for so long,

I constantly and repeatedly excuse

My poor behavior and even poorer attitude.

I don’t like myself the way I am.

I’m a pathetic substitute for what I should be—

For what I know You want me to be.

Nearly everyone who knows me well

Recognizes that my life is shipwrecked.

My life may look acceptable to casual observers,

But to those who have insight into me—

To those who know what I am capable of being—

They don’t like what they see. Neither do I.

My purpose and zeal for life have evaporated,

Even though I pretend to others that I have it all together.

I know who I am—who I have become from my addiction.

I’m responsible for all the self-destructive behavior

That has accompanied it—nobody other than me.

I want to acknowledge the truth to You, Father.

I want to discard my denial and my pretentiousness.

I want to be real—completely transparent before You.

You see me as I really am, so why pretend to be

Someone I am not and haven’t been for years.

I have traveled the wrong path for so long

That I’m not certain I can correct my journey.

Admitting the truth of who I have become

Frightens me and makes me feel insecure.

I have refused to face the truth for so long it is scary.

I know I can’t change my destructive patterns by myself.

Without Your help, I have no chance—none whatsoever.

Will You accept me just as I am—devoid of pretence?

Will You guide me on my journey back to wholeness?

Will You take my hand, touch my heart, and forgive me?

Will You be with me today and give me strength?

Will You guide me from this day forward, one day at a time?

Because, if You don’t, I will never make it by myself,

Amen.

—Jack’s Prayers: mcgeeandme.net/books

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INTRODUCING: I Am Not Ashamed

I AM NOT ASHAMED—PREFACE: When I was in graduate school at Baylor, I remember reading a book about the beliefs and values of those who fought for and supported the American Revolution. Like most, my assumption was that nearly all of the men and women involved were strong Christians, but this simply wasn’t true. In fact, just 5 percent were church members, but the commitment of this small group was so profound that they have influenced the course of American history ever since.

As I thought about it, I realized it doesn’t take a great number of people to move a nation in one direction as versus another. It just takes a small number of people who are completely committed to their cause. Those early Christians embodied this type of devotion and dedication. Then, I wondered what would be required for our generation to be just as steadfast and immovable. As implausible as it might seem, the following experience provided me with the answer.

I was at a church service, when the pastor gave the following sermon illustration. Holding up a beautiful red rose for all to see, the pastor said, “How many of you think this flower is beautiful?” Within a few seconds, nearly every hand in the congregation was held high, including mine. Continuing, he asked, “How many of you would like a rose like this?” Again, hands shot up all over the sanctuary. Stepping forward, the pastor handed the flower to someone in the audience, asking that the flower be passed around for all to take a closer look.

Returning to the pulpit, the pastor began his sermon on the necessity of maintaining moral purity. He went to great lengths to make his point. Concluding, he asked the audience, “Where is my rose? Someone bring it back to me, please.”

As people watched to see who had the rose, a teenager in the back stepped brought the rose forward, handing it to the pastor. Holding the flower high in the air a second time, the pastor thundered. “Look at what has become of this rose. After being handled by so many, it has lost its beauty, its purity, and its value. Tell me, who would ever want this rose now? If you want it, please raise your hand.”

As he looked around the room, not one hand was raised, including mine. While driving home, however, with my spirit being troubled, I thought about the message each of us internalized that morning. It focused exclusively on how we were to behave, rather than what we were to think. I thought that if Christ had been in the audience that day, He would have looked at the wilted, badly damaged flower much differently. If He had been there, Jesus might have said, “I want that rose, and I’ll pay any price for it.”

When I had that thought, the answer to my earlier question clicked into place, and I knew why we are not as impactful as we should be. There may be more Christians in our generation, but we are not nearly as strong, nor as robust, as earlier generations. It’s because we focus on ourselves, and what we are to do, rather than on the power and authority of the Holy Spirit working within us.

From that point forward, I have thought about what is necessary for us to be stronger and more courageous than we have ever been. In collaboration with Don Black, “I Am Not Ashamed” is the product of that thinking.

—Jack Watts

I AM NOT ASHAMED—Now Available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Am-Not-Ashamed-Light-Deceived/dp/1513639153/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533033273&sr=1-6&keywords=i+am+not+ashamed

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“I AM NOT ASHAMED”

COMMON SENSE: This was what I looked like when I became a Christian through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. I was nineteen. Before that time, I never had a deep thought. In fact, I scrupulously avoided them, choosing instead to pursue a lifestyle of bacchanalia.

Once I became a Christian, however, my desire to learn kicked in, and it has never stopped. In addition to my formal education, which ended with all but a dissertation for a Ph.D. from Emory, I also spent three summers studying at Crusade’s Institute of Biblical Studies. This is where my worldview was established, and it has not changed since I was about twenty years old.

I still believe the same things now that I believed then. My beliefs and values aren’t going to change. I couldn’t change who I am, even if I wanted to, and I don’t. Based on my grounded worldview, everything else in life has followed. I view reality through the grid of my Christian belief system. It’s my anchor in life, and it’s the specific reason why I am not tossed about by events that throw many of my friends into a dither.

My life has certainly not been easy, any those of you who have read my memoir—”Hi, My Name Is Jack”—know, but my character has become deeper and richer by walking through the valley and not trying to avoid it. All of this led me to write my newest book, “I Am Not Ashamed.” With the help of my good friend, Don Black, we have created a book to help Christian people stand their ground and be salt and light to our deceived society.

The book will be available tomorrow. I will also be doing weekly Facebook Live teachings on the content through the November elections. If you want to have an impact, “I Am Not Ashamed” will be your guide. This is by far the best work I have ever done. If you read this book and do the work, your life will never be the same.

—Jack Watts

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PRAYER: Refuse to Quit

 

MY PRAYER: Father,

As the vicissitudes of life have turned against me,

And it seems like nothing but misfortune

Will be in my path for the foreseeable future,

Anxiety and fretful worry fill my days.

When I awaken in the middle of the night,

I am filled with dread and foreboding.

My mind and my heart race apprehensively.

Nevertheless, at the deepest level of my being,

A quiet persistent voice tells me to never give up.

When I rise in the morning, I am filled with resolve,

Knowing that this quiet voice came from You.

As the days pass and my pressures increase,

I feel battered and beaten at every turn.

It seems like everything that can go wrong does.

Maintaining a positive outward demeanor,

I remain determined to do the next right thing,

Regardless of what that might be.

I have no choice but to follow this path.

Despite my resolve, my insides are numb and feeble.

Pressures from my circumstances intensify,

Weighing me down, grinding me to despair.

As I bow my knee, and I ask for relief,

Which can only come from You, I acknowledge

That I have no answers within me.

 

In the quietness of my heart,

Your voice continues to resonate,

Telling me to never, never give up.

As the weeks turn into months,

With no respite from my travails,

Having been abandoned by those who once mattered,

All that remains are villains who desire my harm.

I feel undone, fearing that my heart will break,

But I have no choice other than to press forward.

There is no alternative, and I cannot abandon my purpose.

It is not in my nature to do so, and this will never change.

Knowing this, I bolster myself, repeatedly affirming

That I will never give up—never, never give up.

 

Lord, my life is in Your hands, and You alone

Know when my complete restoration will eventuate.

Until that time, I know what I must do.

I must relentlessly press forward,

Despite each encumbrance,

And never, never, never give up,

Amen.

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PRAYER: Choosing the Correct Path

 

MY PRAYER: Father,

Thank You for revealing Your will to me.

Now, I understand what I need to do and why.

My spirit has been disquieted for days,

As I’ve wrestled with my decision to proceed.

Deciding to confront my problem has been grueling,

But I’m certain this is what You would have me do,

Despite my apprehensions and desire for approval.

By stepping out, when I would rather pretend

That the problem does not exist—that it isn’t real—

I will be burning a valued bridge,

Which I have desired to maintain at all costs.

But I cannot, nor can I continue to remain

Immobilized by the security of being self-deceived.

 

I know what I need to do, and I will do it.

But doing so is difficult for me, Father,

And I cannot pretend that it isn’t.

About many things I appear to be strong,

But not when it comes to confrontation,

Especially when it’s with someone I care about.

I’m not strong at all; I’m timid and hesitant.

My fear is that my insides will become weak and

My resolve will vanish, rendering me useless.

Help me to be bold, confident, and determined,

While refraining from saying hurtful things,

Which is within my power and nature to do.

Father, help me guard my tongue from malice,

While also being straightforward and candid,

Amen.

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#WalkAway 12 STEPS TO RECOVERY

Since I have posted about recovery issues each day for more than a decade, I thought it might help my fellow Americans, if I provided the embittered Left with the Steps necessary for them to walk away and never regret it. If worked, the 12 Steps below will help those who are emotionally wounded to become whole again. (Feel free to repost this.)

1. I admitted I was powerless over my political anger—that my life had become unmanageable because of it.

2. I came to believe that a power greater than myself could restore my out-of-control thoughts and behavior to sanity.

3. I made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God.

4. Focusing on everything that made me so angry, I made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.

5. I admitted to God, to myself, and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongdoing, holding nothing back.

6. I became entirely ready to have God remove the defects of character that caused me to be so angry.

7. In humility, I asked God to remove each of my shortcomings.

8. I made a list of all the people my political anger harmed, including those on social media, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. I made direct amends wherever possible, or through the social media when appropriate, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. I continued to take personal inventory of my thoughts and behavior and, when I was wrong, I promptly admitted it.

11. I sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God, knowing He is the source of my serenity. I made a commitment to pray daily for the knowledge of His will and asked God for the power to carry it out.

12. Having achieved a spiritual awakening as the result of working these Steps, I made a commitment to carry this message to others who are politically embittered.

—Jack Watts

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MY PRAYER: Our Ways Are No Longer Your Ways

Father in Heaven,

We have wandered so far from You,

From Your ways, from Your leading,

From Your desires, and from Your purpose.

At first, it didn’t seem like this was such a great distance,

But now that we look back, it has become clear

That our stubborn willfulness has led us

To a barren spiritual wilderness, where millions,

Repudiating Your Word, call right wrong and wrong right.

As a nation, in our arrogance and self-righteousness,

We still speak Your name, but it is without reverence.

We still want Your blessing, and confidently believe we have

A right to ask for it, but we do not look to You for Leadership,

Nor do we consider obeying Your will to be important.

We acknowledge this is the true report and confess our complicity

In being docile, apathetic, and complicit, as the forces of Darkness

Have usurped our traditions, our heritage, and our purpose,

Redefining history to justify their godless perspective.

We stand in the shadow of generations of Christian patriots—

Those who fought the good fight so that we would remain free

To worship You in peace and prosperity, free from impediment.

But now we face new obstacles. A new spirit has emerged,

One whose haughtiness and pride sneers at You in disdain,

As they mock Your name and Your people, calling us ignorant,

Uninformed, and dangerous to their secular globalist agenda.

As believers in You and Your willingness to restore America,

We ask that You hear our prayers, as we bow before You,

Repenting of our societal sins. We beseech You to heal our land.

We ask this, not because we are deserving,

But because of Your unending love, mercy and grace.,

Amen

—Jack Watts

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