Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knows not that the shades of the dead are there [specters haunting the scene of past transgressions]. Proverbs 9:17-18a Amp
Dear Heavenly Father,
Guard us from the sins of anger, hate, revenge, spite, and chicanery. We do not wish the present transgressions to become the fertile soil of unforgiveness, giving berth to the root of bitterness. May we forgive.
Purify us so that Your Church, the resurrected Body of Christ, will not be haunted by shades of death, but rather will rise in newness of life, revived and transformed. Help us to yield to You so that we may forgive _____ as Christ forgave His persecutors. Deliver us from being hardened wineskins. Make our hearts new.
Raise up shepherds who will tend us. Remove the filter of our mistrust so that we may recognize the godly leaders that You bring to us and pray for them. Amen.
Reference: Francis Frangipane
