Gracious Father, what a desperate world we live in! The mad chases people will pursue to experience life through intimacy, identity, and influence, which is only found in Christ alone, is incalculable. As Christ followers, we ask that we remain enamored by your grace, steadfast in our dependence and pursuance of Christ, empowered to live righteously, and engaged as messengers of compassion and hope as we dwell in this broken world. Give us calm hearts and confidence rather than shock, anger, and fear as we face the sinful capacity of man. Do not let us be dismayed because you are our God and will strengthen us and help us. You will uphold us with your righteous right hand. 

There is no surprise at the destructive hopelessness all around us. For since the creation of the world, our mighty God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Even though his existence and glory are unmistakable, those without Christ neither glorify him as God nor give thanks to him, and their thinking is futile, and their foolish hearts darkened. They claimed to be wise, but they are fools and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images made by man. 

Father, you have given them over to the sinful desires of their hearts yielding sexual impurity of every kind. They exchanged the truth about you for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Father, you gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. Although they know your righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness!” 

Father, as we live in this broken world, do not you let us be overcome by evil, but may we overcome evil with good. As we pray and cling to you, in view of your mercy experienced through Christ’s work in our lives, rather than serve ourselves or created things, we desire to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you—which is our true and proper worship. Transform us by the renewing of our minds protecting us from conforming to the pattern of this world. May we be able to test and approve what your will is—your good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Lord Jesus, as we encounter those caught in the disastrous whirlwind of this world, bless us with love, patience, and confidence to repay evil with blessing because to this we were called so that we may inherit a blessing. Holy Spirit, fill us to the brim with Christ, powerfully anointing us to proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind and seek “to set the oppressed free,” that like us who were once spiritually dead and in slavery, they might experience life and freedom through Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Christ, 

Blessings!

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Romans 1:20-32
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Isaiah 5:20
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness!”

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 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.

1 Peter 3:9 
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”