Control

Prayer on Submitting Life to God’s Control

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Photo taken in Colorado.

Author: Elton Streyle, Contributor: Noah, Photography and Editing: Ali

Trustworthy Heavenly Father, I come in Your Son’s Name to thank You for the peace and comfort I can have by calling on You and yielding my life to You. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

In light of the fact that You tell me in Your Word (the Bible) that the enemy is looking to destroy anyone and anything He can (1 Peter 5:8c “Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour“), lead and direct me to walk close to You. My flesh is weak and undependable. I ask to be filled and controlled daily by Your Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

May I have every thought and desire be directed by You. Your Word (the Bible) has much to say about how in You alone can I find rest from my burdens. Teach me to draw near to You and Your purposes for my daily life.

It is my desire that You direct me in such a way that I experience and enjoy Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” With an open, yielding heart I bring this prayer to You through the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for Yielding to the Holy Spirit

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Author: Elton Streyle, Scripture selection: Eugene Sandin, Contributor: Noah, Graphic design and editing: Ali

The purpose of this prayer variation is to allow the believer’s new nature in the Holy Spirit to take control of the old nature in the flesh. The Holy Spirit enters the believer at the time of salvation and never leaves. It is the Spirit’s desire to maintain our relationship with God. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

The Holy Spirit can be grieved by the sin of the old nature if a believer does not allow the Holy Spirit to control him through His power. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30

The white arrows in the chart represent the level of control the Holy Spirit has in the  different areas of a believer’s life. The white to black gradient rectangles represent the holiness of God and the sin of our old nature respectively. The white arrows, representing the Holy Spirit, reach from the holiness of God into the sin of our old natures to purify and sanctify us in all areas of life. For example, the chart shows that the believer has allowed the Holy Spirit great control over their appetite for food, but has not given the Holy Spirit much control over their money.

This chart is only an example of what a believer’s level of Spirit-control can look like in different areas. The level of control the Holy Spirit has in each area will differ for every believer.

Determine where you are on a scale from 1-10, 1 being low Holy Spirit control and 10 being high Holy Spirit control, by thinking through how much control you have allowed the Holy Spirit over your marriage or dating relationship, work/career, habits, leisure, sex drive, other bodily needs, thought life, entertainment/recreation, children, money, education and appetite for food.

Continually ask God to encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit more control over the areas you struggle with. Emphasize one area each day by reading the Scripture and then yielding all of that part of your life to the Holy Spirit.

Print this page and do this exercise as part of your daily devotion time.

Read the Scripture that goes with each heading and the verses before and after the Scripture indicated for context.

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1. Marriage/Dating

  • 1 Corinthians 7:1-3 “It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.“
  • Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.“

2. Work/Career

  • Colossians 3:22-23 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only where their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (NIV)
  • 1 Timothy 6:7 “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.“

3. Habits

  • 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.“
  • Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.“

4. Leisure/Time

  • Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,  redeeming the time, because the days are evil.“
  • Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.“

5. Sexuality

  • 1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.“ 
  • Matthew 5:28 “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.“
  • 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.“ (NIV)

6. Other Needs

  • Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.“
  • 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.'”

7. Thought Life

  • 2 Corinthians 10:5 “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.“
  • Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.“
  • Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (NIV)

8. Entertainment/Recreation

  • Psalm 101:3 “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.“
  • Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
  • 1 Corinthians 10:23 “‘I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.” (NIV)

9. Children

  • Ephesians 6:4 “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.“
  • 1 Timothy 5:8 ‘”But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.“‘

10. Money

  • Matthew 6:20-21 “ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (KJV)
  •  1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (KJV)

11. Contentment

  • Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”‘
  • Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.“‘

12. Appetite for Food

  • John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.“
  • Matthew 4:4 “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.“‘

The Lord bless you as you complete this prayer exercise. This prayer method can be used on a continuing basis.

 

 

Daily Yielding Control to God

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Photo taken in Colorado.

This method can help you daily give God control of your life by using the six major parts of the body as a guide for what specifically to turn over to God. You can turn over additional things as well.

“And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:13

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the Holy Spirit living within me. I yield to You and ask that the Holy Spirit will take full control of my life using these six parts of the body as a guide: mind, eyes, ear, mouth, hands and feet.

Mind: I ask that You will allow my mind to think only on what You want and not on the things I shouldn’t be thinking about.

Eyes: Have my eyes look at what You want me to see, and not anything detrimental to me.

Ears: Allow my ears to hear what You want me to hear instead of negativity.

Mouth: Direct me to say what is pleasing to You and to not say things that could be hurtful to anybody.

Hands: Guide me to do things that are gratifying to You and keep me from  the activities that are not helpful to me.

Feet: Direct me to walk to places that are pleasing in Your sight and turn me from any roads that lead to destruction.

Thank you that when all these parts of my body are under the control of the Holy Spirit I am able to lay aside my own desires and instinctive actions, enabling me to grow in my Christian walk.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.