Christian prayers

ADORATION

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Prayer Facts:

Screen Shot 2016-01-28 at 12.08.08 PM“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 in CHRIST I have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of my trespasses (Eph 1:7), therefore I will wait for You.

Because in CHRIST I am set free from the law of sin and death and given the law of the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2), therefore I will wait for You.

Because in CHRIST I am a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17), therefore I will wait for You.

Because in CHRIST neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from His love (Rom 8:38,39), therefore I will wait for You.

CONFESSION

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TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY

Screen Shot 2016-01-28 at 9.30.40 AM…FATHER, a blade of grass fulfills its created purpose—it is a praise to Your glory. You intend Your “grace and power and other perfections should…become conspicuous and illustrious” Matthew Henry (ref#18, [Eph 1:3-14]). And Your intention is that I magnify You (ref #18, [Eph 1:3-14]).

Praise is ascribed to You for the salvation You have granted to me (ref#16, [Eph 1:12]). When I let You work through me, You get the praise. All I have to do is follow You where You place me. FATHER, prevent me from placing myself (ref#83, p51).

I am tempted to ask You to help me be like CHRIST thinking others will see the goodness of You in me and praise You. But this is just a prideful request from my self-exalting nature. Another prideful request is for You to help me become more passionate for souls, but concentrating on saving souls is just religious commercialism (ref#83, p51).

Again, all I have to do is to follow You where You place me. When I am following You it will be a matter of indifference whether You put me in the spotlight or back stage. As long as I’m following You I can be unfairly accused or even be proven a failure without any irritation on my part (ref#83, p51).

CHRIST was a praise to Your glory. But, He was not obedient to His needs or the needs of men but obedient to Your will. Because of it, He was a ‘stone of stumbling’ to many people and I will be a ‘stone of stumbling’ by following Him (ref#83, p50-51).

Move me to realize that You have to be followed, I cannot clutch visions of grandeur that I become a beautiful specimen in Your showcase. I will reflect honor to You when I follow You in the mundane circumstances of life. (ref#83, p 53).

How difficult is following? FATHER, help me keep it simple. When I begin to question which way to go, sin has complicated my walk. Sin urges me to involve myself in activities that go beyond Your wishes and my abilities. The sin in me desires to do great spiritual things—things that will wear me out and make me frustrated and sad. Urge me to keep it simple and just walk behind You for the praise of Your glory.

CONFESSION

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COMMANDED TO BE BLAMELESS, NOT FAULTLESS

Screen Shot 2016-01-27 at 11.43.24 AM“God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect” (Ps 18:32 NLT).

FATHER, I am only perfect because You have chosen to fill me with Your own love and image (ref#15, [Ps 37:37]).   I will never be faultless, but You do not demand that I be faultless.

What You command is that I live a blameless life (Ps 37:18). You ask me only to live up to my highest understanding of Your will revealed in Your Word. Then You will look with favor on me, calling me blameless, if I walk in Your way (Ps 101:6).

A blameless man describes “an upright man; a man of integrity. It does not necessarily imply that he is absolutely holy, or free from all sin, but that he is upright, consistent, honest:…” (ref#16, [Ps 101:6]).

FATHER, I lose my blamelessness by sinning presumptuously. These are sins that issue from my pride and self-confidence that leads me to rely on my own strength (ref#16, [Ps 19:13]). FATHER, I do not want to fall into a habit of sinning presumptuously for by such sins I will soon be hardened through their deceitfulness (ref#15, [Ps 19:13]).

GUIDING FATHER, keep me back from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me, and then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgressions (Ps 19:13).

CONFESSION

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WHEN THE LORD WILL NOT HEAR

Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 2.11.22 PM“For any one…who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart…I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword…and you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezek 14:7-8 ESV).

“…I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them’” (Ezek 8:18 ESV).

FATHER, these hard words You have recorded are a sobering punctuation of how important it is to daily evaluate myself. My ruin will be estrangement from You by deciding to move my dependence from You to someone else (ref#18, [Ezek 14:1-11]). (An idol is some creature, mainly myself, who I allow to set up rule in my heart that replaces You).

“…the only life that pleases God…is His life—never our life, no matter how hard we try. But inasmuch as our self-centered life is the exact opposite of His, we can never be filled with His life unless we are prepared for God to bring our life constantly to death” (ref#97, p25).

The sin of living by my born-with nature is loathsome to GOD. I am in the way of GOD’s wrath when I attempt to “satisfy a vain curiosity, to stop the mouth of a clamorous conscience, or to get or save a reputation among men, but without any desire to be acquainted with God or any design to be ruled by him” (ref#18, [Ezek 14:1-11]).

“…human nature was created by God, not by the devil; it is impaired, and enfeebled, but it is not sinful. The first creation retains the remnants of God’s handiwork; re-creation is the building of a spiritual habitation, ‘an habitation of God,’ and all our effort is to be spent in disciplining the natural life in obedience to the new creation wrought in us through the Spirit….Any attempt to build on the natural virtues will ultimately outrange the grace of God…” (ref#157, June 5th).

CONFESSION

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REASONS FOR DISOBEDIENCE – A SPIRIT CHECK

Screen Shot 2016-01-14 at 2.30.03 PM…FATHER, out of my sin nature that wants only to act like JESUS comes pernicious reasonings and evil intentions (Matt 15:19). FATHER, point out my resistance toward You through the following questions:

  • Am I pleased or troubled about situations?       Does my countenance depend on my comfort in the situation or do I forget about assessing my feelings and simply obey CHRIST (ref#76, p89)?
  • Do I provide for myself instead of letting CHRIST supply my needs? Do I control, rule, serve and love myself and not turn to CHRIST for strength (ref#76, p91)?
  • Do I judge myself? Do I settle in despondency dwelling on my faults or believe I am doing well and become puffed up (ref#76, p85)?
  • Am I “an evangelical hypocrite who sins more safely because grace abounds, who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them, who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved, who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily” (ref#76, p72)?

O FATHER, my “every sense, member, faculty, affection is a snare to me” “The Valley of Vision” (ref#76, p74). Sin is my downfall (Ezek 18:30) and “my greatest snare is myself” (ref#76, p74).

Thank You for revealing the rebellion lurking in my members. Thank You for cleansing me from these hidden faults as I admit to them. I don’t want sin to control me (Ps 19:12,13). Through this confession turn my face toward You once again so that I may express extravagant love to You.

CONFESSION

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PLACING MYSELF ABOVE OTHERS

Screen Shot 2016-01-13 at 2.04.09 PM“Anger is always an attack on the brother’s life, for it refuses to let him live and aims at his destruction….Every idle word which we think so little of betrays our lack of respect for our neighbor, and shows that we place ourselves on a pinnacle above him and value our own lives higher than his. The angry word is a blow struck at our brother, a stab at his heart: it seeks to hit, to hurt and to destroy….When a man gets angry with his brother…when he…insults or slanders him, he is guilty of murder…He erects a barrier not only between himself and his brother, but also between himself and God. He no longer has access to him: his sacrifice, worship and prayer are not acceptable in his sight. For the Christian, worship cannot be divorced from the service of the brethren,…God will not be separated from our brother: he wants no honor for himself so long as our brother is dishonored….There is therefore only one way of following Jesus and of worshipping God, and that is to be reconciled with our brethren” Dietrich Bonhoeffer (ref#10, p127-129).

FATHER, Your love for everyone in Your creation is so great that You refuse to commune with me any further if I am the least bit critical of anyone. I cannot be as sweet water, worshipping You and, at the same time, bitter water and angry at my bother. If I’m not sweet to my brother, You will be bitter toward me. How greatly grieved You are when my words, even in jest, speak negatively of someone.

The Apostle Paul says, “…I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:27 ESV). Paul knows how easy it is to put himself above others with angry or idle words. He knows he must subdue his corrupt tendencies and thus warns himself (and me). (ref#16, [1 Cor 9:27]).

So, today, FATHER, I ask that You make me aware of how I dishonor people. I surely desire to not lose Your presence because of saying and thinking unkindness toward someone.

CONFESSION

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KNOWLEDGE PUFFS UP

Screen Shot 2016-01-13 at 11.42.58 AM…FATHER, make me realize that my earthly wisdom only corrupts me. I can know the truth of Your justice, and what righteousness You require but my knowledge does nothing to save me or put me in communion with You. I can ponder Your patience, goodness, forbearance, and mercy but knowledge alone does not lead me to repentance (ref#35. p197).

Whatever discovery I have of truth, (without it coming from CHRIST’s mouth, through the SPIRIT), I hold captive under unrighteousness (Rom 1:18). O GOD, how guilty I am for engaging my mind in learning Christianity instead of humbling myself before CHRIST and waiting for Him to teach my heart. FATHER, impede me from thinking the Scriptures give me eternal life (John 5:39). I am like a “brute beast” if my wisdom corrupts me (ref#35, p197, [Jude 10]).

If there be anything that will do me good, CHRIST is interested in dispensing it to me. Until I desire to make Him captain of my salvation (Heb 2:10) I will be led by the futility of my own wisdom. FATHER, help me be satisfied with only knowing CHRIST and not just knowing about Him (ref#35, p199).

FAVOR DISPENSING GOD, it is amazing to consider that all my Scripture learning, my choices of what is doctrinally correct, and my efforts to abide by my good morals do not make me a genuine Christian. Help me recognize my own efforts toward spiritually and the way I use then for my glory instead of Yours.

ADORATION

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REASONS FOR WAITING FOR GOD

Screen Shot 2015-12-28 at 3.47.57 PM…Because You plant eternity in my heart—a sense of purpose which nothing under the sun but You can satisfy (Eccl 3:11), I will wait for You.

Because my blood is costly in CHRIST’s sight and because He has pity on me (Ps 72:13-14), I will wait for You.

Because You confirm and make me steadfast and established and endue me with the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT (2 Cor 1:21), I will wait for You.

 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life (Ps 63:3), I will wait for You.

 

FATHER, expand these four scriptures. Make me more than aware of the truth in them. Animate them so they engulf my being providing me the ability to be forever changed by them.

I desire to remain in meditation until these four truths bubble over and cause such a splendid experience that it becomes my irrepressible joy.

ADORATION

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UNEXAMPLED

Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 3.48.02 PMFATHER, You are full of splendor

Your works are majestic (Ps 111:3).

You are exceptional, remarkable, special—

altogether extraordinary (ref#110, p482).

 

Because You are renowned

and greatly, oh so greatly famous (ref#110, p1137),

I ascribe to You,

glory and strength (Ps 29:1).

 

You are unexampled and unprecedented,

having no parallel (ref#110, p1457),

being wonderful, marvelous, amazing (ref#110, p1536),

and having exceptional merit (ref#110, p473).

 

You are incredible, splendid, supreme,

causing me astonishment (ref#110, p831),

excellent and outstanding (ref#110, p473)…

I ascribe to You glory (Ps 29:1).