Photo taken in Colorado.
“Sometimes it is helpful to ask ourselves as we pray, ‘do I really expect anything to happen?'” -Catherine Marshall
“There is one way in which the power of prayer differs from all the powers of the world; it is the only power that cannot be used for evil.” -Harold Lindsell
“Whenever God determines to do a great work, He first sets His people to pray.” -Charles H. Spurgeon
Photo taken in Colorado.
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Giving Father, I thank You for the items You have listed in Psalm 103:3-5 that remind me of all you do for me: “[He] who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Thank you for the access I have to Your Word which gives me encouragement, joy, peace and the power to defeat the work of the flesh and of Satan.
What a blessing it is to know that “…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Thank you for the promise of personal guidance that You have laid out for me in Isaiah 48:17 and Isaiah 30:21. You say to me: “…”I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go,”‘ and “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”
Father, give me the wisdom to know that thankfulness is not just an act, but a life-style and that the peace You put in my heart and mind is much more valuable than all the physical blessings You provide on a daily basis.
I praise You, O Lord, by saying: thank you, thank you, thank you!
I bring this prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The concept for this prayer variation comes from Elton Gillam’s Church Prayer Ministry International.
This prayer variation will be most effective if two people use it together, however, it will also be beneficial for praying on your own. You can pray in this way with your spouse, your family, your friends or any other special believers in your life.
Praying in this way helps you to have something to pray about and assists you in avoiding repetition in your prayers.
This is the procedure to follow:
Take a portion of Scripture and have the first person read one verse aloud and then pray about what the verse prompts him/her to pray about. Then the second person reads the next verse aloud and prays about what that verse prompts him/her to pray about.
You can go back and forth reading verses for as long as you want to pray, but these prayers are usually fairly short. Try to stay with the theme of each verse during this kind of prayer. When you are finished, you can bring your other requests that don’t relate to the verses you have read.
Also, be aware that you may each have to read more than one verse at a time to complete the sentence or point being made.
A good way to look at this kind of prayer is to consider the reading of the verse as God speaking to you; view Him as a third party in the group. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
Psalms and Proverbs are good Scriptures to use if you choose to pray this way. There are other portions of the Bible that are also effective.
These passages in Psalms and Proverbs work particularly well for this prayer variation:
Psalms 4, 5, 6, 16, 18, 23, 25, 27, 100, 103 and 119.
Proverbs 2, 3:1-12, 6:16-24, 11:1-20, 15:1-33 and 16:1-20.
There are many passages in the New Testament that you can use such as:
Romans 6:11-23 and 8:5-13
Galatians 5:16-26
Ephesians 4:17-31
Philippians 4:4-19
Hebrews 4:9-16
Person 1 reads Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Person 1 prays: ‘Thank you, Lord, for the advice You give about how to use knowledge. Keep me alert so that I don’t fall into the trap of a fool.
Person 2 reads Proverbs 1:8 “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of you mother;“ Person 2 prays: ‘Thank you, Father, for the disciplines of life that You have taught (and are teaching) me through my parents. Please lead me as I strive to be a Godly example for my children and grandchildren.
Person 1 reads Proverbs 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Person 1 prays: ‘God, keep me alert to the sometimes strong pull of my old nature’s desire to sin. Direct me to avoid the many temptations in my culture. I ask that you would direct my loved ones to avoid temptation as well. We bring all these thoughts in Jesus’ Name, Amen.’
(Notice how God directs the theme of the prayer through His Word)
Photo taken in Florida.
“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,” Philippians 1:29
Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise that You will ultimately restore, conform, strengthen and establish me despite any suffering I experience here on earth (1 Peter 5:10). Thank you that through the difficulties in my life I can come to a better understanding of the ultimate suffering that Jesus went through on the cross when He died for me.
Father, give me an understanding that I live in a fallen world and that therefore some stress and suffering is to be expected. Let me see the difference between suffering for Christ and suffering because of bad choices that I make. In either kind of suffering, show me how to experience the answer found in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
I ask that You will encourage and bless the many Christians throughout the world who are living with the daily threat of martyrdom for their faith in You.
Thank you that as I go through this life as a believer, I can look forward to having the reality found in Revelation 21:4 at the end of my life: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.“
In Jesus’ Name I come, Amen.
Photo taken in Virginia.
All-powerful and wise Heavenly Father, as we approach the upcoming election, I am reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
I realize that this verse in the Old Testament was referring to Israel, but many of the truths in it are applicable to America today. As Your children, remind us daily that it is our responsibility to cry out to you and seek Your face, both individually and as a nation, for forgiveness from our wicked ways. You tell us in James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him.”
In light of this verse, we ask that You will give us an understanding in this coming election that there is no perfect candidate running and that there never has been. The only perfect one is Jesus and He is in Heaven. Make it clear to us how You want us to vote to fill all of the positions in our government as well as how you want us to vote on all the other issues on the ballot.
Thank you for allowing us to have a free nation so that we can have a part in selecting our leaders and approving some of the laws of our land. We ask that You pour out Your mercy and grace on our country so that we can continue to be blessed as “America The Beautiful.” Remind us continually that You are still on the throne. Also remind us of what You tell us in Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them” (NIV).
We bring this request in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Photo taken in Nebraska.
“There is no fear in love [thank you]; but perfect love casts our fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
“The Lord’s mercies are new every morning [thank you]; Great is Your faithfulness [thank you].” Lamentations 3:23
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus [thank you].” Philippians 4:6-7
***To find Part 1 of this series, click here.***
11. Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”
12. Colossians 3:9 “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,”
13. 1 Peter 2:11 “…abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,”
14. John 13:35 “‘By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.‘”
15. Colossians 3:13 “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
16. Ephesians 4:28 “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor…”
17. Ephesians 5:16 “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
18. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” (ESV)
19. Matthew 23:28 “So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
20. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
*** This post concludes the series “A Believer’s Prayer of Confession.” We pray that by completing this series you have been convicted of the sins in your life, and through confessing them, have become closer to God. Feel free to repeat this process any time you like. ***
“True prayer begins with confession of sin and repentance.” -Charles J. Stanley
“Dealing with my personal sins is one of the areas that I struggle with most in my Christian walk. The use of the 2 parts of the prayer, each containing 10 Bible verses and questions, has really helped me to effectively understand how important confessing my sins, asking for forgiveness and repenting is to an effective prayer life. It allows me a free and clear path of communication with God. Give it a try and I think you will experience the same results.” -Mike, bank president
This series is intended to cleanse you as a believer, the vessel in which the Holy Spirit dwells. This prayer of confession has 2 parts, each including ten sets of Bible verses and questions to help you recognize the negative behaviors and attitudes you may be struggling with and encourage you to confess them to God through prayer.
This post contains the first part of the prayer. The second and final post in this series will come out on October 14, 2016. We have adapted the information for these posts with the permission of Evelyn Christenson Ministries.
One of sin’s most negative effects on a believer’s life is that it blocks our communication with God. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Psalm 66:18
No prayer will work if sin is not taken care of first because sin grieves the Holy Spirit who lives inside every believer. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
However, confession of sin only affects our communication with God, not our salvation. Once we have put our faith in God, He says in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Whether we choose to confess our sins or not, we are still God’s children. Confession is simply what allows us to better communicate with Him; it is not what saves us.
***If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please do not start this program. Instead, go to the “Salvation” page on our blog to learn how to become a child of the only God who loves you enough to give up His Son to save you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
A verse to keep in mind as you go through this series is Psalm 139:23-24, which says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties [thoughts]; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Dealing with sin is a process that will continue throughout your life, and while this prayer may not be the most comfortable or exciting one to pray, God promises that “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.
God also says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Psalm 32:1-2
If you are not sure how to pray a prayer of confession, you can use the following prayer as a guideline:
“Lord, I bring to You the sins that You have shown me which are currently in my life. I ask You to forgive me and help me to turn from the sin of ______ and set me free. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me‘ as Your Word says in Psalm51:10. I come to You in Jesus’ Name and put my trust in You to help me make the corrections needed. Amen.
A suggested way to go through this prayer is to print out the verses and questions and read one verse every day with your devotions or during your quiet time. Confess any “yes” answers to God.
***To find Part 2 of this series, click here.***
Photo taken in Colorado.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose [thank you].” Romans 8:28
“The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear [respect] Him [thank you], and delivers them [thank you].” Psalm 34:7
“Fear not, for I am with you [thank you]; Be not dismayed, for I am your God [thank you]. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Photo taken in Colorado.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally [thank you] and without reproach, and it will be given to Him.” James 1:5
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds [thank you], casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ [thank you].” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord [thank you].” Romans 12:19
Time With Our Creator 