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Praying With Jesus: Father, Forgive Them

Kurt Steinbrueck February 26, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Father, Forgive Them

Praying With Jesus - Luke 23:34

"Father, Forgive Them"

“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.“

Is it easy for you to forgive?

The answer to that question probably depends on a few factors.

Who has wronged me?
What did the person do?

Forgiveness isn’t always easy, yet Jesus tells us to forgive.

One day, Peter came to Jesus and asked Him how many times he should forgive someone who sins against him. “Seven times?” Peter asked. Peter probably thought he was being overly generous to say seven times.

“Jesus will be really impressed with my suggestion.” Peter may have thought.

Jesus’ response probably surprised Peter.

“I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Jesus shows us God’s attitude on forgiveness.

God’s forgiveness is beyond generous. He forgives over and over and over again. This isn’t a license to sin, it’s a great comfort because we are sinners.

In fact, Jesus forgave the very people who were murdering Him on the cross as they were doing it.

Did they deserve it? No. But Jesus still forgave.

Do we deserve God’s forgiveness? No. But Jesus still forgives.

In the end, Jesus grounds the forgiveness we give others in the gracious forgiveness we have received. Just as God forgives us over and over, so we can forgive others over and over. Just as God forgives us of even the most horrific sins, so we can forgive others of horrific sins. When we struggle to forgive, it’s helpful to remember how much and how often Jesus has forgiven you.

Forgiveness and a Change of Heart

Jesus, being God, is able to instantly forgive even the greatest sin and immediately relent from His anger and love the person. It’s not always that easy for us.

Forgiveness is the intentional, grace-based decision to release a person from the debt of their sins against you, mirroring God’s mercy rather than seeking revenge. It’s not a feeling. Forgiveness is a choice of the will (an act) to obey God and show love to the person, but it is often made while feelings of hurt, anger, or pain still exist.

We can forgive and then seek God to help us deal with the hurt, anger, and pain, which may time a long time. We can forgive and then seek God for wisdom regarding boundaries in our relationship with the person. But forgiveness is the first step.

Forgiveness is release.

You are releasing the other person from a debt to you. You are also being released from the chains of bitterness and anger.

But also notice that Jesus prays for the Father to forgive the people. This can and should also be our prayer. Just as we have been undeservingly forgiven by God. So, we pray that the other person, by grace through faith, would be forgiven by God as well.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

It can be hard for me to forgive people. Yet, I know you have forgiven me of so much. Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. I especially ask you to help me forgive the following people whom I struggle to forgive, […]. As I forgive them, Lord, please heal me of the hurt and anger and give me wisdom to know what boundaries are appropriate.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 25, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Waiting…

Praying With Jesus - Micah 7:7

"Waiting…"

“But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.“

How quickly do you expect God to do what you pray for?

Good Friday is one of the most important days of the church year…when we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. Easter, of course, is another important day when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. But the Saturday in between?…

We wait.

Waiting isn’t easy.

Today, we expect to get everything fast.

Amazon is shipping same-day now. Sometimes within hours.
The new Boom Supersonic plane will eventually be flying people from New York to London in a little over 3.5 hrs flying at nearly 2x the speed of sound.
In places with gigabit internet connections, you can download a 2hr HD movie in 25 seconds.

We want things fast.

When it takes too long, we tend to lose our patience. When I worked full-time in online marketing, the rule was that if a web page took longer than 5 seconds to load, people would start leaving. Now, a page is expected to load in about 1 second.

On the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, we wait. In prayer, we often must wait, as well.

God isn’t Amazon or Boom Supersonic or an Internet provider. He doesn’t work on our timetable hoping to have a satisfied customer. He follows His own timing, knowing what we truly need, and we must wait.

I’ve spoken with people who told me that yesterday they prayed for xyz and God didn’t answer their prayer. God did answer their prayer, though. He always does. However, His answer may have been that they needed to wait.

Waiting is not easy, but it is for the best.

It reminds us that we are the created making requests of our creator. It also teaches us to trust God and His love and wisdom, both in how He answers our prayers and when He acts.

We know God’s will is good, His ways are wiser than ours, and He loves us. We can trust Him to always answer our prayers. We can also trust how and when He acts.

As for Micah, he was waiting for Israel to wake up to their evil ways and repent. He would be waiting decades and, ultimately, waiting over 700 years for the fulfillment of His salvation in Jesus Christ.

So, we can join Micah in saying that we will look to the Lord and wait for the God of our salvation, knowing He hears us and He will save us.

Heavenly Father,

It can be difficult to wait, but I know Your timing is better than mine. Help me to be patient and to wait on You.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 24, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Praying In Secret

Praying With Jesus - Matthew 6:6

"Praying In Secret?"

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Where do you like to pray?

Sometimes we pray for others while we are with them. Sometimes we pray together in a worship service. Sometimes we pray together before a meal or in family devotions. Sometimes, though, we pray by ourselves, alone…in secret.

In Matthew 6:6, is Jesus telling us we can only pray in our closets?

No. Starting with verse 1 of chapter 6, Jesus gives 3 examples of good, Christian practices, and warns not to do them in a way that calls attention to yourself. Don’t do righteous deeds in a way to be seen by others. Don’t blast your horn before you give to the poor. Don’t be like the “hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.”

This verse reminds us of a few things.

Prayer is not a Show – One is that prayer isn’t a show. This is the primary point Jesus is making. We aren’t praying to impress people or God.
No Distractions – Also, sometimes it’s good to get away from everything to pray, so we can pray without distractions.
God Knows – Another is that God sees what we do in secret.

We may read that last one as a scary thing.

“Uh oh! God knows that bad thing I did the other day, even though no one else saw it.”

This is true, of course, but the implication of this passage is positive.

God can hear your prayer whether you are in church, at home, or by yourself at the bottom of the ocean in the belly of a great fish. (Just ask Jonah!)

God also sees the good things we have done that no one else knows about.

In fact, in another verse, Jesus tells His disciples that when they fast, they shouldn’t make it obvious to others that they were fasting, but go through the day like everything is normal.

God would know they were fasting. And God hears us when we pray in secret. God knows the desires of our heart, both our hurts and our joys, the things we don’t share with anyone. And, yes, God also sees your hidden sins, but remember, He wants to forgive you. So, confess those, too!

This doesn’t mean that we should never pray in public.

After all, there are plenty of public prayers in the Bible. There’s a whole book, Psalms, that was used for public prayers and songs.

Rather, this is telling us that God doesn’t want us to make a big show of our prayers. He simply wants us to go to Him and pour out our hearts. Share our struggles. Confess our sins. Share our triumphs. Ask for help. Pray for others…just between God and us.

He hears us and He answers our prayers.

Heavenly Father,

You know my heart. You hear me when I pray, even when no one else knows. Thank You for listening to me, answering my prayers, and loving me.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 23, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Strong Enough Faith?

Praying With Jesus - Mark 9:24

"Strong Enough Faith?"

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

If you pray for something and don’t get it, is it because you didn’t have enough faith?

Yesterday, we looked at this same verse and talked about how we can ask God to help us when we struggle to believe. This verse speaks to another reality as well

…whether God responds to weak faith.

If Your Faith Is Just Strong Enough…
Some people have made the claim that if we have super strong faith, God will do super amazing miracles. However, if God doesn’t do what we asked, it was because we had too little faith. This has caused a lot of people to feel guilty for loved ones not being healed. They not only have sorrow for the suffering that person is going through, but have had the misery of guilt heaped on top of their sorrow as they think,

“If I had enough faith, they wouldn’t be going through this.” or, if the person passed, “They wouldn’t have died if I had enough faith.”

How horrible!

Especially since the Bible tells us otherwise.

In our passage for today, a father was desperate for an evil spirit that had been tormenting his son to be cast out. He brought his son to the disciples, but they could cast the demon out. When Jesus arrived, the Father questioned whether Jesus could heal his son. Jesus says He can cast out the evil spirit if the father believes. This father admits he had little faith, but Jesus did a big miracle in driving the demon from the boy.

We can ask God for all kinds of things, big and small, amazing and ordinary. God’s answer, whether it is to do what we asked or not, comes from His grace, mercy, and love, not as a result of whether we have enough faith to earn God’s action.

In fact, if you think about it, the biggest miracle God does in our life, saving us by raising us to new life in Christ, He does when we have no faith.

Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth are His. The Bible tells us God can do more than we can ask or imagine. It’s all about God and His gracious love for you.

Even with faith the size of a mustard seed, the Bible tells us we could move mountains.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for hearing our prayers and answering them, even when our faith is weak. Lead us to what we should be praying for. Embolden us to ask, as a child would ask a father they know loves them dearly.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 21, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: I Believe. Help My Unbelief

Praying With Jesus - Mark 9:24

"I Believe. Help My Unbelief"

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

These are the words of a father desperate for his demon-possessed son to be made well. He had brought his son to be cleansed of a demon, but Jesus wasn’t there, just nine of the disciples. So, he asked the disciples to help. The disciples tried and failed time after time for hours.

I’m sure the disciples were getting frustrated, but the father was getting scared that maybe no one could help his boy.

But now, Jesus was there.

The father’s belief was waning, but now Jesus, Himself, was there. Jesus asks what was going on and the disciples and the father explain. This ends with the the father saying…

“‘But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’

And Jesus said to him,

‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.’”

It is then that the father blurts out, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” He wanted to believe. He really wanted his son to be healed, but he also had serious doubts, especially after the disciples had failed.

I love the father’s honesty.

He didn’t try to fake it and say that of course, he believed. He also didn’t just accept his doubts and walk away. He asked Jesus to help him overcome his doubts and unbelief.

Sometimes, when we pray, we have doubts about whether God can or will help. Maybe we are wondering if anyone can help or if it’s completely hopeless.

We don’t need to try to fake it with God…(it wouldn’t work anyway). We can ask God to help us to believe and overcome our doubts. God doesn’t despise those who have to ask for help believing. Rather, He helps us to overcome our unbelief.

Jesus cast the demon out of the boy.

“Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”

This is another point I love in this story. Jesus doesn’t just cast out the evil spirit, He commands the spirit to never enter the boy again. It’s an extra bit of assurance to comfort this father who had struggled with unbelief. It’s as if Jesus said, “Your son is healed and don’t worry, this isn’t temporary. It will never happen again.”

What a loving God we have!

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Sometimes I struggle to believe. I doubt You are listening. I doubt You can help the problem or maybe You just won’t. Help me to believe. Help me to overcome my doubts. Thank You that I can come to You even with these kinds of struggles and know that You listen and respond with grace and mercy.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 20, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Then You Will Call On Me

Praying With Jesus - Jeremiah 29:12

"Then You Will Call On Me"

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”

Do you rejoice over suffering?

Suffering isn’t fun. No one really wants to go through a tough time, but sometimes we need to.

When this passage from Jeremiah was written (it was in a letter from Jeremiah), the Israelites had lost the promised land and been sent into exile.

Not fun.

Then, in verse 10, God had just told the Israelites He wasn’t getting them out of exile any time soon. They would be in exile for 70 years. This would be hard.

Why were they in exile in the first place?

They had turned away from God and were worshiping false gods. That is worse than exile!

Any parent whose had to give some tough love to their child understands. You’d rather not have your child go through the pain, but you know that if they don’t their life will be much worse. A little pain now…sometimes a lot of pain now…is worth the result of their life being turned around.

Or think of an addict. You want to help them, but you know they are going to have to reach rock-bottom before they can really be helped.

God needed to get their attention and do so in a way that would last. God was working to turn the heart of Israel back to Him. The tough pill to swallow is that the exile was for their own good.

There is another famous Bible verse that God said right after telling the Israelites they would be in exile for 70 years:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes God lets us go through difficult times because we need to remember who He is and turn back to Him. This isn’t always why we go through suffering, but sometimes it is.

The wonderful news is that He promises He will hear us when we call out to Him. He is there the whole time working His plan for our welfare and for our future. That doesn’t mean He’ll end the suffering immediately, especially if we haven’t been changed, yet.

If you think that’s not fair, remember what Jesus went through in order to bring salvation to you. God knows suffering.

If you are going through a difficult time right now, call out to God. He will hear you. If life is pretty good right now, don’t forget the God who has blessed you and give Him thanks and praise…and Continue to turn to Him…He will hear you, too.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You are wiser than I am. You are good. When things are going well, it can be easy to forget to come to You in prayer. Remind me. Help me to always remember You and turn to You. If I do start to drift, bring me back to You, even if that means I have to suffer some. Being Your child is more important to me than avoiding suffering. Thank You that You considered having me as Your child more important than the suffering You faced at the cross.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 19, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Praying For The Lost

Praying With Jesus - Ephesians 1:18

"Praying For The Lost"

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people”

What is the first thing you can do so that non-Christians will believe in Jesus?

I remember my son and daughter’s baptisms. I’ve always loved baptisms because of the promise God gives us that through baptism. He will give us saving faith. It’s a victory over satan! God has brought another person into His kingdom!

That’s Awesome!!

In fact, Jesus says the angels rejoice every time someone receives faith. That’s right, there’s a party in heaven every baptism and every time someone hears the Word, believes, and is baptized.

The Scriptures tell us that faith is not something we achieve, but rather it is a gift, a work of the Holy Spirit. That’s one reason we baptize infants. Since the gift of faith is God’s act, He can give faith to a child just as well as an adult.

God Gives Faith To Adults, Too
Interestingly, when thinking about evangelism and adults, we tend to forget that it’s God who creates the faith. We get all worked up about saying the right thing as though if we say this word instead of another, it will determine whether the person goes to heaven or hell.

Even in adults, it’s still all the work of the Holy Spirit which is why you don’t have to get so worried about saying every right word. It’s also why it makes perfect sense for us to start with prayer.

In our passage from Ephesians, Paul is saying that he is praying that the “eyes of [their] heart[s] would be enlightened”. In other words, he is praying that they would receive faith so that they would know the hope of Christ.

Since it is God who gives faith, shouldn’t we pray for those who don’t know Him to receive faith?

Absolutely!

This doesn’t mean that we don’t need to bother talking with the people about Jesus. After all, Romans tells us that the Holy Spirit works through the hearing of the Word. However, we begin by praying for the people. Then we share the Gospel. Then we keep praying.

Who do you know that you could be praying for?

I encourage you to pick 5 people who you know that do not believe in Jesus and start praying for them every day that God would open the eyes of their hearts to receive faith and come to know the hope that He has called them to in Christ Jesus.

If you need some help, how about praying for the people who live in your neighborhood. One way you can do this is with the help of BlessEveryHome.com. You can sign-up for free and they will give you neighbors to pray for.

Let’s start today!

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You are our source of life and salvation. Thank you for the gift of faith. I know several people that do not believe in You. I pray that You would give them faith. I pray for these five people in particular…

(Pray for the 5+ people on your list.)

Please give them faith and please give me the opportunity and boldness to share the Gospel with them.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 18, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Praying For God’s Good Gifts

Praying With Jesus - Matthew 7:11

"Praying For God’s Good Gifts"

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Why doesn’t God give us everything we ask for?

Have you ever asked God for a million dollars? How about a new car or a different job? I have. Did you get it? I didn’t either at least not all of it or in my timing. Or maybe you’ve asked Him for something much less extravagant, but still haven’t received it.

Maybe it was because you weren’t praying this super-secret prayer that will insure God gives you everything you could ever ask for.

….

Yeah, that prayer doesn’t exist. Sorry.

The truth is God doesn’t just give us whatever we want.

It can be frustrating. I gave the example of asking for a million dollars before, and we may hear that and roll our eyes. Of course, God’s not going to just give you a million dollars, but my prayer is for something truly good, truly needed.

The apostle Paul would understand. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul writes that he had a “thorn in his side.” He doesn’t go into detail about what that thorn was, but he does say that he asked God 3 times to remove it and God refused. God told Paul His (God’s) grace was sufficient.

In Matthew, Jesus asked whether parents would give their kids a stone when they asked for bread or a snake when they asked for fish. Of course not! He followed that to say that God, our Father, knows how to give good gifts, too, when we ask. However, as Paul discovered, God’s good gifts aren’t always what we ask for or what we want.

That’s because what we ask for isn’t always good or at least it isn’t always best.

God knows what is best for us and that is what He gives us. Sometimes a million dollars would hurt us in the long run or draw us away from Him. Sometimes we need to stay in at a job we don’t really like so we can minister to someone there or learn patience or maybe it’s not about us but about how it will affect someone else in the future… Who knows? Well…God does. And that’s why He gives the gifts that are truly good.

I think it’s the prayers where what we are asking for seems to just be good or needed where we struggle with this the most. Maybe it’s a prayer for healing or the prayer for peace in a relationship or something like that. These are genuinely good things, but God says, “No.” or “Not yet.”

Even with these prayers we must trust that God has a better plan. It’s not necessarily that our plan or request is bad, it’s that God’s plan is better. Ultimately, we trust that God’s grace is sufficient. In other words, even giving something different from what we ask or saying no, is a good gift.

So, when we pray, let’s ask for God’s good gifts, knowing that He is our loving Father. We can certainly ask for what we thing would be good, Jesus also said you have not because you ask not, but let us always follow those requests saying that this is what we think would be good, but we trust our Heavenly Father to provide what is best.

Let us pray…

Heavenly Father,

You are the giver of all good gifts. Thank You for taking care of me. Thank You for listening to me. Help me to bring all things to you, to ask for what I think I need and would be good, but also to trust Your goodness, even when Your answer to my prayer is, “No.”

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 17, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Change My Heart

Praying With Jesus - Romans 12:2

"Change My Heart"

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is -his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Why do we pray?

Are we asking God to help us?
Are we trying to manipulate God into doing what we want?
Do we want to thank and praise God?
Do we just want to talk to our Savior?

The truth is we probably have prayed for all these reasons at one point or another. However, here’s something to consider…

Prayer is less about us trying to change/persuade God and is more about us being changed by God.

When we pray, by definition, we are admitting that we can’t handle things on our own. We must humble ourselves and remember who is the source of all Good things.

Oftentimes, God’s answer to our prayers includes changing us. Think about it.

If prayer were about getting God to do what we want, we would be making God more like us. God is good and He is perfect, but our will isn’t good or perfect. So, if He became more like us that wouldn’t be good.

Instead, prayer is more about us being transformed by God to be more like Him. As He acts, we can see that His will is better than ours. His will is good and pleasing. His will is perfect. Not only can we praise God for His goodness, but our minds start to be transformed to think more like Christ, or at least trust that God’s will is truly good, pleasing, and perfect.

We can even pray for God to change us.

Prayer has a natural way of changing us, but it is also good for us to consciously and intentionally humble ourselves and ask God to change our hearts and minds to be more like Him. What a wonderful prayer to think and act more like Jesus!

Add to that spending time reading and studying God’s Word in the Bible and listening to His Word preached, and we have a good foundation to push back against the pattern of this world and by transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father,

I have many needs and desires. I pray that You would provide for my needs, knowing that You are the giver of all good things. I also pray that You would make my desires line up with Your desires. Change my heart, oh God. Transform me that I might see Your will, which is good and perfect, and glorify Your name

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 16, 2026

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Praying With Jesus: Help! I’m Tempted

Praying With Jesus - Matthew 26:41a

"Help! I'm Tempted!"

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

What do you do when you feel tempted to sin?

Let’s start by identifying what temptation is. Temptation isn’t a sin, itself, it is that push to sin. It might be a thought that nags you or it might be a person who is leading you down the wrong path. We haven’t sinned…yet, but we’re thinking about it or being pushed towards it. Here’s how God describes it in the book of James:

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” – James 1:14-15

When we are tempted, that’s when we need to be praying…but sometimes we don’t.

So, why don’t we?

Guilt:
Sometimes we already feel guilty for even having considered…or even thought about a sin.

“Surely God is already mad at me. How can I go to Him now?“

Yet, God not only bids us to pray in times of temptation but also forgives us if we do sin. So, if you feel guilty, remember that God loves to forgive the guilty who turn to Him.

We Don’t Really Want To:
This one is tougher to admit, but let’s be honest. Sometimes we don’t want to be stopped from sinning. Sometimes we push God away in times of temptation because we want to do the sin.

I’ve been there. It’s at those times I find praying extremely honestly to be very helpful. I’ll tell God plainly not only that I’m being tempted, but that I want to sin. However, then I’ll ask Him to change my heart so that I don’t want to sin anymore.

It’s amazing! He does it!

Though, we really shouldn’t be surprised. It’s exactly what He promised He would do:

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

That promise is for you today and every day. Praise the Lord!

None of us can say that we’ve turned to God in prayer every time we’ve been tempted or that we’ve always fought off the temptations and avoided sinning. We haven’t. Yet, even then, you can turn to Jesus in repentance and be forgiven. That is also God’s promise!

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father,

Temptation bombards me every day, trying to pull me away from You. Please help me. When I face temptation, show me the way out. When I want to give in to temptation, change my heart. When I do fall into temptation, please lead me to repent and then forgive me and restore me.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

Your family
Your local church
Your pastor
Some of your fellow church members
The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
Your country and her leaders
Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt