Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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The Fruit of the Spirit

Passage

Galatians 5:22-26

Prayer

Dear Father, grower of spiritual fruit, Let the fruit of the Spirit blossom, mature, and ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these. Let me possess them! Since I belong to Christ, I have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Let me live by the Spirit. Let me walk by the Spirit! Let me show no self-conceit, give no provocation, have no envy toward anyone else. Let me live in, through, and for Christ Jesus, as he lives in, through, and for me and his whole church. In the name of Jesus I ask you to perfect us, whatever that may take, and give us the grace to endure your renovation process. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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The Deeds of the Flesh

Passage

Galatians 5:19-21

Prayer

Dear Father, opposer of all that is evil, Help me to stay away from those things which are clearly works of the flesh: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. Help me heed your warning, given again and again, that people who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. In the name of Jesus I ask you to perfect us, whatever that may take, and give us the grace to endure your renovation process. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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The Flesh Versus the Spirit

Passage

Galatians 5:16-18

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of your Spirit, Help me to walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of my flesh. For the desires of my flesh are opposed to the desires of my spirit and to the desires of your Spirit for me. These things set up an opposition within me to keep me from doing what I want. But thank you for letting me know that if I live by the Spirit I do something different than just live by the rules of the law, that in fact I am not under law. In the name of Jesus I ask you to perfect us, whatever that may take, and give us the grace to endure your renovation process. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Freedom Is No Excuse for Sin

Passage

Galatians 5:13-15

Prayer

Dear Father, guardian of the free, May we never use freedom as a pretext for evil or as an excuse for indulging sinful desires. Rather, grant that we, out of love, will make ourselves servants to one another. For the Lord has taught us that the whole law is fulfilled in the one saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Keep us from "biting" and "devouring" one another, lest we be consumed by one another. Encourage and enable me and all my brothers and sisters in Christ to live by love, your principle of freedom. In the name of Jesus I ask you to preserve my faith in freedom and love. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Avoiding Error

Passage

1 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, I pray that every ministry being done in your name in our time will be done in unselfish love for you and for people. Please defeat those that serve to bring honor to themselves instead of you. May people leading these ministries avoid everything that springs from error or uncleanness. Let there be no deceit in any appeal. Let those whom you have entrusted with the gospel live and speak not to please others but to please you. In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Saved to Serve

Passage

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Prayer

Dear Father, May our faith serve to call them to wait for your Son from heaven, whom you raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath that will ultimately come upon an unrepentant world. Thank you for a love that reaches down and takes from within the world of sinners a people for yourself. Thank you for redeeming us, those sinners, for making us holy through your power, and for saving us for your eternal kingdom. My God, you are so great, so awesome, so good! I love you, God.In the name of Jesus I pray and give thanks to you. Amen

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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A Marvelous Message

Passage

1 Thessalonians 1:2-8

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for the great numbers of believers in Jesus Christ, for their works of faith, their labors of love, and their steadfastness of hope which they have in Christ. Thank you for choosing all of us and calling us to yourself by the Good News about Jesus. Thank you that this marvelous message came to us not only in word, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Thank you for the example of your apostles as demonstrations of what the Good News about Jesus can do in human lives. Help us to imitate their labors, suffering, and joys in the Holy Spirit so that we may become examples to others.Let our faith, like theirs, go forth everywhere to all men so that all men will turn from vain idols and self-worship to serve you, the living and true God. In the name of Jesus I pray and give thanks to you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Living as a New Creation

Passage

Galatians 6:12-18

Prayer

Dear Father, creator of new creations, Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation! Let your peace and mercy rain down upon all of us who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God, called both from Jews and from non-Jewish people. Thank you, Father, for calling me to be part of your holy nation. Let us take no thought for any identifying marks on our bodies, except the evidences of our suffering for the sake of Jesus. Help us never to glory in the flesh, or to give ourselves to be counted for someone else's glorying, except for this. In the name of Jesus I ask for his grace to be with our Spirits in this and in all our petitions. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Anticipating the Harvest

Passage

Galatians 6:9-10

Prayer

Dear Father, just yet merciful God, May I not become weary in doing good but rather work diligently, energetically, and enthusiastically, keeping in mind the rich harvest you will send at the proper time. Don't ever let me give up on doing good or give up on you. And God, don't ever give up on me! As I have opportunity, let me do good to everybody, especially to those in my family of fellow believers. In the name of Jesus I ask these things. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Reaping Righteousness

Passage

Galatians 6:7-8

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep me from sowing seeds from my sinful nature, for I do not want to reap the crop they will produce. May I not invest my time, money, or desires in the deceitful things of this world. For then I will reap destruction. Help me rather to sow to the Spirit, to please you. Help me to put my time, money, and desires into proper thinking and righteous living so I will reap everlasting life. In the name of the infinitely generous Jesus I ask these things. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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God's Will: Sanctification

Passage

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, sanctifier of families, Help us to learn how we ought to live and how we ought to please you. Help us give greater attention and effort to this. Your will for us is our sanctification, so enable us to abstain from all immorality. Many people around us glorify and romanticize lust. Help us to reject this way of looking at things. Guide believers into marriages of holiness and honor, giving themselves to each other in spiritual union with Christ along with the joining of personalities and bodies. Help our marriages to be established as the gathering of two in your name. Help our families to be your church in miniature. Help every follower of yours respect the marriage relationship of others and defraud no one in this matter. You have not called us to uncleanness, but holiness. Thank you, Father, for this high calling. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Care for Absent Loved Ones

Passage

1 Thessalonians 3:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, our partner in caring, How hard it is to be far away from those we want to encourage to walk in your ways. We leave them in your hands, Lord, and ask you to send your angels to guard their ways. Keep those that we love from the power of the tempter. Grant us good news from them. We long to hear that they are learning more and more of your will and growing in your grace. Let us know that they are standing firm in truth. What thanksgiving we send before your throne, what joy we feel for them before you, our God. What a torrent of prayer we pour out before you that whatever is lacking in their faith may be supplied! Make us the agents who will supply their spiritual needs. Let there be many times for us and our loved ones to be together for times of refreshment in your word and in prayer. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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God's Word

Passage

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

Prayer

Dear Father, real source of the Bible, Thank you for the word proclaimed in the New Testament. Help us accept it for what it really is, not mere words written by men, but the word of God, your will revealed to us and made alive in our lives. May Jewish members of your church bear a great witness to Jesus as their rightful Messiah. May non-Jewish members follow their example and be willing to suffer with them for the salvation of mankind, Jew and non-Jew. Father, be with those young disciples who have come to you through our efforts, even our own children. They will be our hope and joy and crown of boasting when Jesus returns, for we shall be together with them and with him. They will be our glory and our joy. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Holy and Blameless

Passage

1 Thessalonians 2:5-12

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep all your preachers from using words of flattery, any cloak of greed, or from seeking glory for themselves, even though they have certain rights of support in the gospel. Let them reach out to people with care and gentleness, like a nurse caring for infants. Help them to be willing to share not only the gospel but their very selves. May your witnesses exhibit holy, blameless, and righteous behavior, showing the care of a father, even as you do, as they exhort and encourage and charge people to lead lives worthy of you, the great wonderful and loving God who calls men into his own kingdom and glory. In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

Coming Reunion

Passage

1 Thessalonians 4:13-15

Prayer

Dear Father, comforter of the bereaved, On the death of our dear loved ones in Christ, may we comfort one another with thoughts of a glorious reunion. Help us not grieve as those who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, you will bring with you at your coming those who have fallen asleep. We place our trust in you for ourselves, too, for we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep, but will share in their rapturous blessing. In the name of our conquering and returning Savior. Amen.
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