prayers for every situation

CONFESSION

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DISCIPLESHIP

Screen Shot 2015-09-23 at 12.23.55 PMALL-WISE FATHER, I do not need to know how to disciple others. I only need to know how to be a disciple myself. My life lived out teaches others of what it is to be a disciple.

“Our Lord makes a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him….The spirit that comes in is not that of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, Sept 4th).

“…the only men and women He will use…are those who love Him personally, passionately and devotedly beyond any of the closest ties on earth” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, May 7th).

FATHER, forgive me for not taking seriously enough Your constraint on me as CHRIST’s disciple. Let me put my energies toward exclusively becoming personally, passionately and devotedly yielded to CHRIST. May I desire not to rejoice in successful service, but rejoice that I’m rightly related to CHRIST (ref#7, Oct 27th).

JESUS said, “…’All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go…and make disciples…” (Matt 28:18-19 ESV). Do I believe that when I “go” JESUS does the work of making disciples? This is my challenge. If I believe “that people are difficult to get saved, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim,…” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, Oct 27th) it is because I have commissioned myself with my natural talents to make disciples.

Making a relationship with You, LORD, is my work. And, relationship-making is difficult work. Because I desire such a relationship, satan may no longer tempt me to simply do wrong things.

Instead, his temptations will be along the same line that he tempted JESUS. His temptations will be crafted toward separating You from me. He hopes to discourage me so I give up on all the grace You have put into me (ref#7, Sept 18th). Satan attempts to keep me from being obedient to You. He wants me to cease being Your disciple (ref#7, Sept 18th). Therefore, FATHER, enlarge my desire to muse on CHRIST and enjoy His presence above all.

SUPPLICATION

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HAVING A HUNGER FOR GOD AND HIS TRANSFORMING POWER

Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 1.42.04 PM“Jesus says to Simon Peter…do you have a love for me called out of your heart by my preciousness to you, a devotional love that impels you to sacrifice yourself for me? Do you consider me more precious and thus love me more than these [fish]?…” (ref#37, p266, [John 21:15]).

 FATHER. “Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, June 19th). “What Christ died for is not that we might help him, but that we might see and savor him as infinitely valuable” John Piper (ref#92, p83).

FATHER, I pray for ____, that (he/she) rest in CHRIST’s love. Remind (him/her) that the moment (he/she) was regenerated (he/she) automatically became “a holy temple fit for habitation of the Holy Spirit” Watchman Nee (ref#101, p13). Hasten ____ to dwell on this truth as much as (his/her) new birth. “God has given a new life plus the indwelling of the very Person of the Holy Spirit” Watchman Nee (ref#101, p14). It is through the SPIRIT that ____ will find CHRIST waiting for a relationship with (him/her). I pray ____ develop a hunger for fellowship and for CHRIST’s transforming power so that (he/she) may experience a vigorous and joyful life (ref#78, p25,26).

THANKSGIVING

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WHEN I AM UNFAITHFUL

Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 1.24.24 PM…FATHER, You have convinced me that You have removed my hard, evil heart of stone and replaced it with a soft, yielding, submitting heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26). I testify my desires have changed—my spirit testifies to it. Presently I know that I am saved, but,… will I endure to the end (Heb 3:14)?

I have times where I forsake You—saying, “No more, I’m leaving; You’re just too demanding.” It scares me how little it takes for me to arrive in that place. I worry that I’ll be in such a state when the end comes.

But, all honor to You for You have put Your affections on me. If You loved me at first (Rom 5:8) You will always love me. You keep Your part of the covenant (Ps 105:8) even if I don’t keep mine (Ps 78:10). You are chaste and display continual contentment with loving me (Zeph 3:17) even when I am unfaithful to You (Hos 3:1).

 You also give others in return for me—people in exchange for my life (Isa 43:4). How can I ever think that any rebellion on my part would be able to separate the bond of Your covenant.

You, FATHER, who possess the power to create and uphold the world, keep me. You guard me through the faith You give me for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet 1:5). I may wander but the faith You provide will always draw me back to You. You delight in making me Your child (1 Sam 12:22). You make me know I’m Yours even when I am running from You.

Your Son, keeps me. He is my shepherd; He makes me able to hear His voice and follow Him and none shall ever pluck me out of His hand (John 10:27-28).

O POWERFUL FATHER, You will keep me to the end. CHRIST will present me faultless before You—with exceeding joy, He will present me to You (Jude 24-25).

How can I be so prideful to think that I have the power to control my destiny after You choose me for Your bride. This life is about Your desires, not mine.

You are so stable and I so unstable. To eternity Your love will never wane for me. And for this I am just not capable of expressing enough thanksgiving to You.

ADORATION

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A PRODIGAL

Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 12.50.54 PMFATHER, in Your steadfast love,

You lead the people whom You have redeemed (Ex 15:13).

You are solicitous—

showing attention, concern and care (ref#110, p1276).

 

You guide Your people by Your strength (Ex 15:13).

You are ardent;

You are passionate and enthusiastic—

zealous and devoted (ref#110, p72).

 

Your behavior is affectionate;

You always express love (ref#110, p801),

for Your lovingkindness is everlasting—

for You are simply good (1 Chron 16:34).

 

Since You are prodigal,

extremely generous and profusely abundant (ref#110, p1073),

lead us to Your holy abode (Ex 15:13).

Woo us, entreat, coax, and urge us (ref#110, 1536).

 

We will give thanks to You (1 Chron 16:34),

for You are thoughtful and heedful,

attentive, kind and considerate (ref#110, p1393).

Yes, we will give thanks to You (1 Chron 16:34).

SUPPLICATION

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SIN NOT LEADING TO DEATH

Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 1.36.49 PM“There may be those…in sin that there may seem to be…almost no ground of hope. They may have cast off all the restraints of religion, of morality, of decency;…they may have been professors of religion, and now may have renounced the faith of the gospel altogether, but still, while there is life it is our duty to pray for them,…” Barnes’ Notes (ref#16, [1 John 5:16])

FATHER, I am thinking about ____. Your Apostle John says, at the end of his first epistle, there is sin that leads to death and sin that does not lead to death (1 John 5:16). I do not know where ____ is in (his/her) spiritual life, because I only see the outward signs, but, I pray for (him/her) with a “hope and expectation of success” Matthew Poole (ref#21, p941, [1 John 5:16]).

You say, You will give me what I ask for in 1 John 5:15. And follow it with: “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life…” (1 John 5:16 ESV).

Oh FATHER, how I want to believe that ____ is sinning in a way that does not lead to death so that You will give (him/her) life. I pray ____’s sin is not an obstinate sin, thus incurable (ref#21, p941, [1 John 5:16]). I pray ____ is not refusing Your diagnosis of (his/her) need and Your offer of forgiveness (ref#56, p1828, [1 John 1:10]). I pray ____ is not chronically disobedient to Your commands (ref#125, p2437, [1 John 5:16]) for continuing in such a state leads to permanent death.

Sin that does not lead “to death is sin for which forgiveness is possible because (1) forgiveness is sought” and (2) You, FATHER, are “willing to grant it” ESV Study Bible (ref#125, p2437, [1 John 5:16]).

Turn ____ from (his/her) wandering, evil course; save (him/her) from death (James 5:20). FATHER, nothing is impossible with You (Luke 1:37). Grant to ____ the ability to repent that (he/she) may escape from the snare of the devil, for (he/she) now is captured by him to do his will (2 Tim 2:25-26).

THANKSGIVING

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CREATOR, SUSTAINER, and FATHER

 Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 1.22.35 PM…SOVEREIGN CREATOR, You do great things past finding out, yes, marvelous things without number (Job 9:10). You form the mountains and create the wind; You make the dawn out of darkness, and tread on the heights of the earth (Amos 4:13). You make lightning for the rain, and bring forth the wind from Your storehouses (Jer 10:13). You determine and count the number of the stars; You call them all by their names (Ps 147:4). And You declare to me what is my thought (Amos 4:13)!

You are known for the “marvelous order and beauty” of Your works (ref#56, p868, “God the Creator”), yet Your purpose is not just to create. You are SUSTAINER, “whose eternal plan covers all events and destinies without exception” The Reformation Study Bible (ref#56, p868, “God the Creator”), yet Your purpose is not just to create and maintain what You create.   Even though You are CREATOR and SUSTAINER, which reflects Your magnificence, You are also FATHER—ABBA FATHER, One who has created me for fellowship (1 John 1:3)!

CARING FATHER, You give up Your most precious possession—Your Son, sending Him to earth as the Savior (1 John 4:14). By my trust in CHRIST’s actions alone You adopt me into Your family. You make me no longer a slave of sin but Your child (Gal 4:7). Therefore You are CREATOR and SUSTAINER of the universe and also my DADDY.

CONFESSION

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JUST MUNDANE CIRCUMSTANCES

Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 1.03.49 PM…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  Oswald Chambers (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, p53).

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.

ADORATION

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“…worship focuses us totally on a majestic, triumphant Creator-Redeemer, lifting us out of ourselves—our sins, inadequacies,…Worship is our response to his extreme grace” Will Metzger (ref#79, p152).

MORNING PRAYER

Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 12.46.04 PM“O send out Thine angel of truth

and the light of Thy grace!

Let them lead me to…the hallowed hill,

Thy glory’s dwelling-place.

 

“I will go to Thine altar, my God,

I will joy in Thy sight:

I will praise Thee upon the harp,

my Lord, my Light” Arthur S. Way (ref#38, p322, [Ps 43:3-4])!

 

“Lord, pledged am I,

and I will pay my vows with thankful breath,

For Thou hast plucked my soul this day

out of the clutch of death.

 

“And hast Thou not my feet set free

from falling by the way

That I may walk, my God,

with Thee in living light of day” Arthur S. Way (ref#38, p340, [Ps 56:12-13])?

 

“…I will sing Thy protecting power,

Thy mercy will I sing at morning-tide; 

For Thou hast been my lofty refuge-tower; 

In my distress I sheltered by Thy side” Arthur S. Way (ref#38, p344, [Ps 59:16]).

 

 

SUPPLICATION

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This Anguish Was Good For Me

Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 4.43.46 PM…“Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins” (Isa 38:17 NLT).

FATHER, suffering comes in two forms: within—“the apparent desertion of the Bridegroom which is the most agonizing of the soul’s sufferings, and without, the persecuting malice of men and devils” Madame Guyon (ref#128, p442).

 ____ knows, O LORD, that Your rules are righteous (Ps 119:75) and (he/she) is not. Can You treat (him/her) more cruelly than (he/she) deserves? Never, (he/she) is never smitten as harshly as (his/her) sins deserve (ref#34, April 30, AM).

You, FATHER, have afflicted ____ in faithfulness. (Ps 119:75). But, LORD, see to (his/her) suffering within for it is most debilitating.

In ____’s despondency remove (his/her) anxious thoughts and forebodings, grant (him/her) a glad heart that has a continual feast regardless of circumstances (Prov 15:15). Make (him/her) delight in Your law so (he/she) will not perish in this affliction (Ps 119:92). You who make ____ see many troubles and calamities will revive (him/her) again (Ps 71:20).

Now that (he/she) lives among bitterness and crosses and is prostrate under a load of trouble and affliction, instill within (him/her) that (he/she) comes closest to being “all fair” in the Bridegroom’s eyes. In suffering (he/she) is “all fair” and there is no spot or deformity in (him/her) (ref#128, p 439-440, [Song 4:7])

Suffering scours out ____’s harsh, unyielding, bounded and limited nature that stands in the way of (his/her) happiness. This present suffering is not (his/her) fault nor is it offensive in Your sight; “it is simply a natural defect, derived from Adam, which (his/her) Bridegroom will insensibly take away” Madame Guyon (ref#128, p440, [Song 4:7]).

This circumstance may destroy (his/her) beauty in the eyes of people around (him/her), but (his/her) Bridegroom is most pleased for ____ has no longer any comeliness of (his/her) own. In CHRIST’s eyes through this suffering (he/she) has become possessed of true beauty (ref#128, p440, [Song 4:7]). In His time, CHRIST will “reanimate this annihilated soul” Madame Guyon (ref#128, p446, [Song 4:16]) and ____ will become His perfect bride.

 

THANKSGIVING

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Mutual Interchange of Kind Services

Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 4.24.56 PM…FATHER, I thank You that I can see Your greatness and love in every flower I look at. But, by that relationship I only comprehend the distance between us—Your power and my inabilities.

But, with the riches of Your grace You have recovered me from a state of enmity to a state of mutual communion and fellowship. You have done this by uniting me together in a covenant of peace ratified by the blood of JESUS. By Your giving and my receiving we can fellowship with each other. Your covenant-giving and my affections toward You binds our wills together (ref#35, p94).

Out of Your vast ocean of love You continually pour out extravagant gifts. You offer such things as a wilderness with entire fields of flowers that bloom without any eye seeing. And You give extravagant gifts to me personally. These gifts make me long to continue to taste Your sweetness and excellencies looking to experience the fullness of Your provided salvation (ref #35, p94). Your kind service to me is Your gifts, my kind service to You is my offerings of praise.

“How precious…are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;…” (Ps 139:17-18 NKJV). “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Ps 139:14 ESV). “…I will celebrate your kindness…” (Ps 101:1 CEV). “…Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Ps 139:14 ESV). “I have seen your power and your glory…” (Ps 63:2 CEV).