Colossians – II Timothy – Luke

FATHER, fill ____ with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Guide (him/her) in (his/her) walk so that (he/she) may fully please You. May everyone see the fruit of the SPIRIT spilling forth in all (his/her) work. Increase (his/her) knowledge of You; strengthen (him/her) with power for all endurance and patience with joy (Col 1:9-11).

CHRIST, Your work on Calvary was for the goal of presenting Your followers holy and blameless and above reproach to Your FATHER (Col 1:22). I pray that ____ be humble and pliable so You, LORD, can do Your work. Teach ____LORD, to rightly handle the word of truth so (he/she) is approved by You and has no need to be ashamed (2 Tim 2:15).

Also, help ____ entertain a deeper commitment to CHRIST. You say in Your Word, “’If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23 ESV). I know this is desperately hard and must be paid attention to constantly, but Your SPIRIT provides more than enough help. Aid ____ in such a way that (he/she) finds CHRIST’s yoke easy (Matt 11:28- 30). LORD, remind (him/her) to daily ask for Your SPIRIT to lead (him/her) (Luke 11:13).

Carrying CHRIST’s Cross

FATHER, Your Son did not suffer so His church can be excluded from suffering (ref#34, April 5th AM). I pray ____ remember that and expect to suffer.

“He bears a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow” (ref#34, April 5th AM).

As ____ is willing to share CHRIST’s glory, motivate (him/her) to also share in His suffering (Rom 8:17).

“…let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator…” (1 Pet 4:19 ESV).

FATHER, as ____ is hard-pressed, I pray (he/she) constantly commit (his/her) soul to Your safekeeping. “The great secret of all comfort in seasons of affliction is to take the affliction, as it comes, simply to Christ” (ref#61, Feb 5th). It is not (his/her) cross but CHRIST’ cross (he/she) carries (ref#34, April 5th AM).

Prod ____ to permit CHRIST to lay His cross on (him/her) so that (he/she) might bear it after Him (Luke 23:26). Some think Simon of Cyrene carried the end of the cross, the light part, while the transverse beam rested on JESUS’ shoulder (ref#16, [Luke 23:26]).

This is a good word-picture of what a Christian life should look like. Empower ____ to think of (his/her) suffering in that way.

Justification and Sanctification

“Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience…I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause” (ref#7, Oct 28th).

Justification does not make me just; it declares me just (ref#92, p38). Which means by faith I must act justly. But, FATHER, my human effort is dependent on Your continual action to help me for I will continually struggle against sin (2 Cor 7:1; Phil 3:10-14; Heb 12:14).

This is sanctification. It is all Your work to form “Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues” in me (ref#56, p1650, “Sanctification: The Spirit and the Flesh”).

FATHER, I ask You to work out in my actions the godly desires You give me (ref#56, p1650, “Sanctification: The Spirit and the Flesh”). Yes, I ask for Your help constantly for You will give it (Col 1:11; 1 Tim 1:12; 2 Tim 1:7; 2:1).

GOD is Both Just and Justifier

What do I do with my guilt? FATHER, I am to be perfect as You are perfect (Matt 5:48)! Since I was born in Your image (Gen 1:26) the deepest desire of my heart is to live with You, but I don’t do the things I know I should do (Rom 7:15). I disappoint and have no ability to clear my own name before You (Rom 3:23). I just can’t always do what I know is right—sometimes I can, but not all the time. And You demand that I be perfect… (Matt 5:48).

But, what I could not do, You did (Isa 52:10). Since You require justice, You, Yourself, must be the justifier (Rom 3:26). And this You did, all on Your own, without any help from me. So, You are both just and the One who brings justice.

Even though I am a sinner (Rom 5:8), You confer—You reckon—You count me as righteous (Rom 4:22). You consider me righteous when I am a sinner. You pronounce sinners righteous! You don’t change me so I am righteous, but You “pronounce” me righteous.

FATHER, You give the free gift of a right standing before You because of what Your Son JESUS did. I am drawn into Your favor because You have accepted the blood of Your Son in His death to soothe Your anger for all my sins—past, present, and future (Rom 3:25).

CHRIST’s dying on the cross does not automatically defuse Your anger toward every sinner. You confer righteousness only upon sinners who support Your way of reconciliation—who believe CHRIST provides the only way to make peace with You— in contrast to believing that any efforts on my part has any power at all for my justification (Rom 3:28).

It is all about You, FATHER, and not about me. I have nothing to boast about. You simply confer on me righteousness when I recognize the amazing actions of JESUS and by faith believe Your way of putting me right with Yourself.

However, this faith that You demand must be a real faith. I cannot just believe what You say in Scripture about JESUS, I must find my interest in Him—connect with Him— communicate with Him to the point of desiring to be blameless in His presence.

FATHER, as I put myself in the presence of CHRIST, I will strive to do good deeds for no other purpose than to honor Him. Forgive me now for all my attempts to bolster my favor in Your sight by trying to impress You.

“If your spirit cannot encompass the Lord Jesus in the grasp of understanding, let it embrace Him in the arms of affection” (ref#34, Jan 27th PM).

GOD All-sufficient

“KING, KING OF GLORY,

DIVINE, DIVINE MAJESTY,

every perfection adorns thy nature

and sustains thy throne;

“The heavens and earth are thine;
the world is thine and its fullness.
Thy power created the universe from nothing;
Thy wisdom has managed all its multiple concerns.” (ref# 76, p 216).

Thy goodness, it is boundless;
All, yes, all creatures wait on thee—

and all are supplied by thee, O LORD,

and all are satisfied (ref# 76, p 216).

GLORIOUS, O GLORIOUS GOD,
“it is the flame of my life to worship thee,

the crown and glory of my soul to adore thee,

heavenly pleasure to approach thee.

“Give me thy Spirit to help me worship now,

that I may forget the world,
be brought into fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, blessed” (ref#76, p196).

KING, KING OF GLORY,

DIVINE, DIVINE MAJESTY,

GLORIOUS, O GLORIOUS GOD,

Every perfection adorns You.

CHRIST’s Victory Over Satan

FATHER, satan began his spiritual war with mankind by deceiving Eve, but his beginning was his end. As soon as the devil revealed himself, You, FATHER, prophesied his demise.

“I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel” (Gen 3:15 NCV).

“Christ baffled Satan’s temptations, rescued souls out of his hands, cast him out of the bodies of people…by his death, he gave a fatal and incurable blow to the devil’s kingdom, a wound to the head of this beast, that can never be healed” (ref#18, [Gen 3:14-15]).

You, FATHER, established a perpetual overthrow of the devil and will shortly cast him into the lake of fire where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev 20:10). Praise to You, FATHER, for overwhelmingly assuring me that You were, are, and always will be in complete control of my arch enemy.

Prayer Facts:

“Conformity, to live one with God, is a far higher and more divine life than to live simply in submission to God. To pray in conformity—together with God—is a far higher and more divine way to pray than mere submission” (ref#54, p51,52).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because You lift up the humble and downtrodden (Ps 147:6), I will wait for You.

Because You deliver the afflicted in their affliction and open their ears to Your voice in adversity (Job 36:15), I will wait for You.
Because You set on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn You lift to safety (Job 5:11), I will wait for You.
Because You have delivered and drawn me to yourself out of the control and dominion of darkness and transformed me into the kingdom of the Son You love (Col 1:13), I will wait for You.

Imperceptible

Your throne, FATHER, is established from of old (Ps 93:2).

You are immeasurable—“without…bounds”—illimitable (ref#110, p672).
You are not translatable (ref#110, p1453).

You are from everlasting (Ps 93:2)— immutable and consistent.
You are changeless (ref#110, p234)
and no one can restrain You (ref#110, p1462).

You are the King of ages—immortal, invisible (1 Tim 1:17).

You are not limited or restricted (ref#110, p1162).
You are imperceptible and indiscernible (ref#110, p688)

and no one can hold You back (ref#110, p1162).

To You be honor and glory forever (1 Tim 1:17).
As You are impenetrable (ref#110, p676),

unfathomable and inscrutable (ref#110, p676, 698),

undecipherable and mysterious (ref#110, p1453, 698).

The SPIRIT Bears Witness to My Spirit

FATHER, may these words be like the pile of stones the people of Israel assembled on the other side of the Jordon River to forever remind them that Your hand is mighty (Josh 4:20,24).

The enemy is constantly waiting for opportunities to insinuate that I am not Your heir. Therefore, I offer up this thanksgiving because of the witness Your SPIRIT provides that I really am Yours and will be eternally.

FATHER, I thank You that Your SPIRIT puts in me the divine nature. According to Your mercy Your SPIRIT washes me clean by regeneration (Titus 3:5) and makes His home in me. He, Himself then is the foretaste of the complete possession of my inheritance (Eph 1:14). I am fully and comfortably assured of Your divine adoption because Your SPIRIT bears witness to my spirit that I am Your child (Rom 8:16).

And, LORD, I praise You that Your SPIRIT then makes my inheritance more sure by culturing and planting spiritual seeds in me so I produce the fruit of righteousness (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control) (Gal 5:22- 23). How marvelous it is FATHER, that when I look at myself, I do discover some of these good effects of the SPIRIT’s activity. I look forward to producing more of His fruit.

I thank You, too, LORD that the SPIRIT speaks to me regarding my salvation by drawing me toward the desire to be holy. “The panting after divine conformity is the Spirit’s inspiration” (ref#61, Sept 14th), isn’t it? O FATHER, it’s true, I no longer have as my goal to serve myself.

“By…begetting in us the divine nature, by producing in us spiritual fruits, and by breathing in our souls a desire for holiness, the Spirit conducts us to the rational conclusion that we are born of God” (ref#61, Sept 14th).

CHRIST’s Mimics

FATHER, I pray for ____ who is sincere about (his/her) Christian faith. (He/She) is a pew-sitter eager to be a disciple of CHRIST but (he/she) falls short of (his/her) goal. (He/She) is all human-learning and human-doing. (He/She) is only a mimic of a true disciple. A good mimic, however,—so good (he/she) never thinks (he/she) may be displeasing to You.

“There are many today who are sincere, but they are not real; they are not hypocrites, but perfectly honest and earnest and desirous of fulfilling what Jesus wants of them, but they really cannot do it because they have not received the Holy Spirit who will make them real” (ref#83, p85).

LORD, send Your SPIRIT so ____ may realize that (his/her) self-centeredness is sinning against You even in the matter of serving and pleasing You. Self-confident strengths oppose Your SPIRIT.

“Whatever does not issue from waiting upon God, from depending upon the Holy Spirit, is unquestionably of the flesh…Whenever a heart of utter trust is lacking, there is the labor of the flesh” (ref#33, p114).

“The bedrock in Jesus Christ’s kingdom is not sincerity, not deciding for Christ, not a determination to serve Him, but complete and entire recognition that we cannot begin to do it”
(ref#83, p86).

FATHER, awaken ____ to see (his/her) pathetic flesh so CHRIST can pour His disposition in (him/her). CHRIST must realize His will through (him/her) (ref#83, p86). By faith I know, FATHER, You will give ____ the ability not only to want to do His will but also the ability to do it (Phil 2:12-13).