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Key Bible Verse: By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen ( Hebrews 11:3). Bonus Reading:Romans 1:18-20; 25a

Gordon MacDonald was on an airplane, headed for a meeting that would determine the direction of his work. But his spiritual passion was missing, and with good reason. MacDonald felt a deep resentment toward a colleague.

For days Gordon had tried to suppress vindictive thoughts toward this coworker. Yet thoughts flooded his mind during the night of ways to pay his colleague back, embarrassing him and damaging his credibility in front of their peers. During the flight he suddenly realized that the low level he'd sunk into in that relationship was spilling over into his entire life.

"As the plane entered the landing pattern," Gordon wrote in Restoring Your Spiritual Passion, "I found myself crying silently to God for power both to forgive and to experience liberation from my poisoned spirit. Suddenly it was as if an invisible knife cut a hole in my chest, and I felt a thick substance oozing from within. Moments later I felt as if I'd been flushed out. I'd lost negative spiritual weight; I was free. I fairly bounced off that plane and soon entered a meeting that did, in fact, change the direction of my entire life."

—Stephen Shanklin in The Book of Prayers

My Response: Do I need to pray for liberation from a poisoned spirit?

Thought to Apply: Bitterness is a heart condition that develops when a person allows an offense to take root and grow until it affects his thoughts, actions, and interpersonal relationships. —BILLY GRAHAM

Adapted from The Book of Prayers (Broadman & Holman, 1995) by permission.

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Thank You, Lord, for mounting evidence that only intelligent design can account for the origins of our universe.

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