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Striving Together

Passage

Romans 15:30-33

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of joy and refreshment,Help us strive together in our prayers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit, for every person who is proclaiming your word in difficult circumstances and places.Be with them. Deliver them from their enemies. Let them find full acceptance among your holy people. Let them find joy and refreshment in their company.In the name of Jesus we ask, praying with all our hearts that Israel according to the flesh will come to faith in your Son. Amen.

Blessings of the Faithful

Passage

Romans 16:1-27

Prayer

Dear Father, my strength,I bless you for the multitudes of believing people who have gone before me, for those named in the Bible whose examples of love and loyalty to you I would like to imitate.Help me to be a helper, to work hard and to be approved like they were. Never let me be among those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine of your word.Help me be wise about what is good and guileless about what is evil, that through you Satan can be crushed under my feet.Let the grace of the Lord Jesus be with me. O God, be my strength! To you, the only wise God, be glory forevermore.In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

No Lack in God

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Prayer

Dear Father, my faithful God,Thank you now and forevermore for the grace which you gave in Christ Jesus. In every way you have enriched me in all speech and all knowledge - even as the testimony of Christ has been confirmed before my eyes - so that I am not lacking in any spiritual gift, as I, along with all my brethren, wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.You are my faithful God. It is you who have called me into fellowship with your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.I have confidence that you will sustain me to the very end and present me guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.I put my trust wholly in you, my holy God, for you are wholly trustworthy.In the name of Jesus, who was faithful to you and is always faithful to me. Amen.

United in Christ

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Prayer

Dear Father, the one and only God of your one holy people,Help me never to be part of any division within the body of Christ. Let me be perfectly united in mind and heart with all who follow you. Help me not be some kind of -ite, -ist, or -anian. Keep me from misplacing my loyalties with this man or that!Christ, of whom I am part, is not divided. He is of one mind. So let me and all his people be together and in agreement. Let us be like-minded, having the same love, one in spirit and purpose.Help us do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility help us count each other better than ourselves. Let us look out for the interests of each other, not just our own.In the name of Jesus Christ, the Source of our unity and salvation, I ask these things. Amen.

The Attitude of Christ

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom I owe full obedience,Let my attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who made himself nothing and obeyed you, even in the matter of dying.May I humbly and obediently exalt Jesus, even as you have exalted him and given him a name that is above every name, that every knee should bow and every tongue confess - to your glory, our God and our Father.In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of our unity and salvation, I ask these things. Amen.

The Power of the Cross

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:17

Prayer

Dear Father, author of all true wisdom,Thank you that you do not send your emissaries out as mere recruiters. They are not just to baptize but to preach the Good News about Jesus, that he doesn't just want us to \"join his club\" but he wants us to be like him, yes, to be him, to be his body, in the world.Thank you for not appealing to us with elegant ideas or eloquent speech, lest the message of the cross be emptied of its power. For while this word of the cross is utter folly to those who are perishing, to us who are being saved by it, it is your power.Grant me the courage and strength to trust you when worldly wisdom sounds convincing.In the name of the one who empowers me to live according to his righteousness, I pray. Amen.

The Wisdom of the Cross

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Prayer

Dear Father, author of all true wisdom,You have said, \"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.\"Where is the wise man? Where is the debater of this age? I thank you, Father, that you made foolish the wisdom of this world.For in the wisdom of your plan, mere \"wisdom\" has never enabled anyone to know you.People were looking for something great, as they understood greatness. It pleased you, rather, by the \"foolishness\" of what we preach, to save all of us who put our trust in you and your manifested love.May I never try to impress anyone with my wisdom. Instead let me impress them with my faith in your wisdom.In the name of Jesus and by his wisdom and authority I ask these things. Amen.

The Authority of the Cross

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Prayer

Dear Father, confounder of worldly wisdom,What you have caused us to preach is \"Christ crucified,\" a stumbling block to tradition-followers, like the Jews, and folly to philosophy-lovers, like the Greeks. But to us who are called, he is your power and your wisdom. For we believe that your foolishness is wiser than our wisdom, and your weakness is stronger than our strength.I am thankful that you have taken most of us from the lower echelons of society. Not many of us are wise according to worldly standards, not many are powerful, not many are of noble birth.You chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, what is weak to shame the strong, what is low and despised, even things that don't yet exist, to bring to nothing the things that are.May my weakness and foolishness be transformed into usefulness through your strength and wisdom. In the name of Jesus and by his wisdom and authority I pray. Amen.

No Room for Boasting

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Prayer

Dear Father, you of whom we boast,Why have you chosen the weak, the foolish, the despised? You have done this so that no human being can boast. And we do not! We cast our lives at your feet. You alone are worthy!You are the source of our lives in Christ Jesus, whom you made to be everything to us. He is our wisdom and our righteousness. He is our sanctification and our redemption.Therefore, as it is written, \"Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord\" - and we do!In the name of Jesus, by his wisdom and authority, I ask these things. Amen.

God's Simple Message

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, God of all true wisdom, power, and glory,When I set about to share your Good News about Jesus with other people, keep me from using lofty concepts or high-sounding words. Let me speak of nothing except Christ and him crucified.Help me to understand that it is okay for me to show my own weakness, fear, and trembling. Let my words demonstrate your Spirit and power, so that the faith which germinates will rest not in my wisdom but in yours.In the name of Jesus, by his authority, and according to his will I lift up this petition to you. Amen.

God's Secret Wisdom

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Prayer

Dear Father, revealer of secret wisdom,Thank you for revealing to us what has been hidden, the wisdom which you decreed before the ages concerning our salvation and glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.Thank you, Father, that you intend to glorify us along with your Son, Jesus.But you, O gracious God, have told us your secret - you mean to give us all things in glory with the Lord of Glory! As it is written, \"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,\" you have disclosed to us through your Spirit.Thank you for this precious promise! Thank you for this hope! Thank you for your love!In the name of Jesus, by his authority and according to his will, I lift up this petition. Amen.

Supernatural Wisdom

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:11-16

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of your Holy Spirit,All praises to your blessed name, to you, our God! You have disclosed incredibly wonderful things to us through your Spirit, for your Spirit searches everything, even the deep things within you.No one comprehends your thoughts except your Spirit, just as no other person truly knows my thoughts as my own spirit does.But, all thanks to you, we have not received the spirit of the world but you have given us your very own Spirit, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by you.In the name of Jesus I give you thanks for the supernatural wisdom you have bestowed on me by reason of my faith. Amen.

Spiritual Discernment

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:14-16

Prayer

Dear Father, who gives us the mind of Christ,The natural person cannot understand us or you, or what you are doing in us, for these things are spiritually discerned, and he cannot receive your gifts.Natural people cannot judge us, but you enable us to judge everything. \"For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?\" But we understand, for you have given us the very mind of Christ!How wonderful it is! How great and merciful you are to give us this precious gift! I love you, Lord.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.In the name of Jesus I give you thanks for the supernatural wisdom you have bestowed on us by reason of our faith. Amen.

Spiritual Wisdom

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:13

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of your wisdom,You have graciously imparted your wisdom to us. Thank you. You taught us not by words but by your Spirit, who interprets spiritual truths for those of us who believe.Only to those who live out your wisdom of the cross, who know the sweetness of true dedication to you, do you give understanding.Thank you for being our God, for giving us Jesus, for granting your Spirit to us, and for making us understand your purpose for our lives!In the name of Jesus I give you thanks for the supernatural wisdom you have bestowed on us by reason of our faith. Amen.

The One Foundation

Passage

1 Corinthians 3:9-13

Prayer

Dear Father, designer of destiny,Thank you for your concern for us. We are the field that you tend, the building that you build. You build us as living stones upon the one foundation, Jesus Christ. No other foundation is provided. No other is adequate.But Father, I am concerned. As I build on this foundation, and as I am built on it, may the quality of my life be such that it will survive the purifying fire of judgment. I don't want my life to be like wood, hay, or stubble. I want it to be like gold, silver and precious stones, so that when my work is tested by fire, it will be proven to be durable, wrought in you and not in my own vanity. Make all of us into what you want us to be, for such is our blessedness.In the blessed name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Giver of Life, Grower of Grace

Passage

1 Corinthians 3:8-9

Prayer

Dear Father, growth-giving God,Both the planter and the waterer are equal and shall receive their wages according to their labor.But you give life! You are the giver of growth! Your servants are just fellow workers for you. Our allegiance is not to them but to you. We are your field, your building.Build us into a magnificent temple! Grow us into luxuriant plants! Show your creativity, your power, your wisdom, your bounty in us!In the name of Jesus, the foundation of our lives, I ask all this. Amen.

Genuine Spirituality

Passage

1 Corinthians 3:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, growth-giving God,Help me to be a genuinely spiritual person in Christ. Let me grow beyond having to be fed like a baby on soft food and milk. May I strive for maturity so I will be able to digest solid food.Keep me from being jealous and full of strife, from acting as mere human beings act - carnal! Help me to understand the equality of all your servants, and not to put one above another, or to claim special discipleship to any!Help me to see that it is not a question of who waters and who plants, for it is only you, God, who gives the increase.In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Measure of Greatness

Passage

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Prayer

Dear Father, kind and generous God,Let us look for the imitation of Jesus in the lives of others, for you have made this the measure of greatness. And even if we should find it, let us give the glory to you, to whom it truly belongs! For you are worthy!Thank you that you don't pay us what you owe, but give us everything freely! For all things are ours through your grace-whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world, or life or death, or things present or things future - everything is ours! And we are Christ's, and Christ is yours!Through him and you, we are wise, rich, beautiful and powerful, and have the promise of living happily forevermore! How wonderful!Thank you, Father. You are so generous and kind!In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.

Stewardship

Passage

1 Corinthians 4:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, judge of all mankind,Help me be a profitable slave to you and good steward of your mysteries. As a steward may I be found trustworthy.May I not be concerned about being judged by human beings or by any human court. May I not even set in judgment on myself. Only you do that. I am not aware of anything against myself, but that, I understand, in and of itself, does not acquit me before you. You are my judge. You can condemn. And you can and will make me stand.It is by Jesus' authority and in his name that I offer up this prayer. Amen.

The Proper Time for Judgment

Passage

1 Corinthians 4:5

Prayer

Dear Father, who drives away all the darkness,Keep me from passing judgment before the proper time, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of every person's heart, including mine. And so everyone will receive appropriate commendation from you.Let me be concerned about \"this day\" and \"that day.\" Let me do my best to serve you \"this day\" - today, that I may stand before you on \"that day\" - your day of reckoning!It is by Jesus' authority and in his name that I offer up this prayer. Amen.

The Holy Parade

Passage

1 Corinthians 4:8-13

Prayer

Dear Father, king of the ages,Would that your people were already filled! Would that they were already rich! Would that they were already kings and sharing the reign with each other! For then I would be sharing in it too.We know all this grandeur awaits us in the kingdom that is to come, but for now, give us the endurance to follow your apostles in a parade that is a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Many are strong, but we may have to put up with weakness. Many are held in honor, but we may be held in disrepute. We may have to be hungry and thirsty, ill-clad, buffeted and homeless, and we may have to do toilsome labor with our hands.When I am reviled, help me to bless in return. When I am persecuted, help me endure. When I am slandered, help me be conciliatory. To follow your apostles in this parade, I am willing to become the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things!In the name of Jesus, give me a willing heart! Amen.

Everything Is Your Gift

Passage

1 Corinthians 4:6-7

Prayer

Dear Father,Help me to live according to your Holy Scriptures. That is why I pray to you in their very words. I want to be conformed to your will, for you will what is best for me. Help me not to be puffed up against my brothers and sisters in Christ. For who sees any difference in me. We all have been freely justified by your grace, forgiven of our sins.What have I that I have not been given? I cannot boast of anything as if it were not a gift. Whatever I am or have, Father, you have given. I would not be addressing this prayer to you if you had not called me to be your servant, your child, and your warrior in prayer.Thank you for calling me. Thank you for all your gifts. You are so gracious, so kind, so bountiful, so wonderful. My God, let me walk humbly with you all my days.In the name of Jesus, who calls us to his own kingdom and glory. Amen.

Discipline in Truth

Passage

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, who disciplines us for our own good,Save your church from the sexual perversions that are taking place in our society. Let us show your love to sinners and show them how to receive forgiveness. But may we also say, as Jesus said, \"Sin no more!\"Help us to exercise discipline, even to the removal of unrepentant members, delivering them over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that their spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Help us not to cover up sin and then boast about our tolerance! For a little yeast can ferment a whole lump of dough! Help us remove the leaven of sin, so that our churches may be like pure unleavened bread.Since Christ, our passover lamb, has been sacrificed, let us celebrate the festival, not with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.In the name of Jesus I ask for wisdom in matters of discipline and for the loving spirit of the Savior himself. Amen.

Christ's Admonition

Passage

1 Corinthians 4:14-21

Prayer

Dear Father, king of the ages,I am proud to be your child, and I want to listen carefully to your admonition. Help me to listen to you through the words of my spiritual fathers in the faith, your apostles. May I imitate them!Remind me of their ways in Christ. From them and through them may I learn that the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.Come to me, Lord, to chasten me and change me. But please show your love in a spirit of gentleness, rather than with the fierce rod of your anger.I renounce all egotistical thinking and all arrogant talk. I turn my heart and mind toward you and submit my life! You, Father, are my God, my Lord, my Savior! You are worthy of all my love and obedience.In the name of Jesus I submit to your authority and ask your blessings to continue forever. Amen.

Discipline in Love

Passage

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Prayer

Dear Father, lover of righteousness and purity,Give us determination to keep your command not to associate with the immoral - not at all meaning the immoral of the world, the greedy and robbers, the idolaters, for then we would have to go out of the world - but not to associate with one who bears the name of a brother if that one is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, a reviler, a drunkard or robber - not even to eat with such a person.You have called us to judge those inside the church, not outside of it. You, our God, judge those on the outside. May we keep your command to \"Drive out the wicked person from among us,\" but not \"quench a smoldering wick\" or \"break a bruised reed.\" May we oppose only those who willfully persist in their humiliation of you, your gospel, and your church, and even then may we do it only for the salvation and good of all.In the name of Jesus I ask for wisdom in matters of discipline and for the loving spirit of the Savior himself. Amen.

Conciliation

Passage

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, eternal and just judge of all,Help me never to shame you or your saints before the world. How could I dare seek arbitration with a brother before a judge who does not even know about Christ's way? If believers are someday to judge the world, and even angels, surely we can settle matters between ourselves. Help me, Father, to willingly suffer wrong rather than to quarrel with members of your family before the world and thereby invite their ridicule.Don't permit us to be deceived, but to know that the immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers will not inherit your kingdom. Yes, Father, we were these kinds of people before we came to know your salvation. But you washed us, sanctified us, justified us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in your very own Spirit. Thank you, loving Father, for reaching out to us, changing us, saving us!In the name of Jesus, by whose blood we are washed clean and by whose Spirit we are made to live, I pray. Amen.

My Body a Temple

Passage

1 Corinthians 6:12-13

Prayer

Dear Father, powerful and holy God,Help me to understand that even though all things may be lawful for me, all things are not helpful. Keep me from being enslaved by anything.You gave us stomachs for processing food and drink, and you gave us sexuality for procreation and intimacy, but you did not mean our bodies to be used for gluttony, drunkenness, or immorality!Remind me every day, Lord, that my body is for you, and that you, Lord, are for my body! In the name of Jesus. Amen.

My Body an Instrument

Passage

1 Corinthians 6:14-20

Prayer

Dear Father, powerful and holy God,This body of mine is not just temporary, meant for the decay of the grave. You have promised to redeem it, to make it glorious like Christ's. It will be my instrument to glorify you throughout eternity. Let me use it with that thought in mind.Surely you, God, who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead by your power, will also raise my body by your power. Make me ever aware that my body is a member of Christ's body. Shall I take the members of Christ's body and join it with a prostitute? Never! How can I become one body with someone who is evil when I am one spirit with the Lord?Help me to shun immorality, which, unlike other sin, is against my own body. I consecrate my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, which I have received from you. Help me to know that I am not my own but that I am bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus, and so let me glorify you in my body.In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Family Relations

Passage

1 Corinthians 7:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, third party to our marriage,Thank you that in matters of family relations you have not left us uninformed. Thank you for your apostle Paul's instructions. Help me take all these to heart.While it may have been better for me to remain unmarried and to have dedicated my life wholly to your service, I am married now, so please help me to fulfill all my vows and obligations to my wife and to freely give to her my love. Help me constantly to show affection to her and make her know that I love her. Give me the health, strength, and desire to fulfil her conjugal rights, understanding that I don't rule over my body, but that she does. Please help her to reciprocate.In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask. Amen.

Husbands and Wives

Passage

1 Corinthians 7:10-24

Prayer

Dear Father, lover of families,May my spouse and I both strive to satisfy the spiritual, mental, economic, emotional, and physical needs of the other so neither of us will ever be tempted to look to someone else for companionship. Help us both to exercise perfect self-control, never giving Satan any opportunity to deceive us.Father, grant that there may never be any rupture in our marriage relationship that would lead to quarreling, unfaithfulness, separation, or divorce. While one cannot take ultimate responsibility for the salvation of the other, help each of us to live for you before the other, building each other up. Because marriage is honorable in your eyes, help us to lead the life before you which you have assigned us in marriage.Thank you for calling us to peace, peace with each other and with you. In the state we are in, let us remain there with you, living joyfully in the keeping of your commandments.In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask. Amen.

Love above Knowledge

Passage

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, the one real and only God,Give me more love and humility than knowledge, for \"Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.\"People know lots of things, but they let it go to their heads. Help me, Father, never to imagine that I know everything, because I know that I do not yet know as I ought to know. What I want is to love you as I should, for if I love you, then I am loved and known by you. All the things that men and women pursue, O God, seem to have no real existence when compared to you. There is no God but you, the one God.The world is full of \"gods.\" But for us Christians there is just one God, you, from whom all things come and for whom they exist, and there is just one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask these things according to his will. Amen.

Earthly Relationships

Passage

1 Corinthians 7:36-40

Prayer

Dear Father, head of our one enduring spiritual family,We live in our bodies and in families and we have strong needs for these very human things.Thank you for consenting to our involvement with these, as long as we possess them without grasping or coveting, and as long as we love you more than these.Whatever freedoms we have, let us exercise them by abiding in the Lord. Grant us the grace to follow Paul's teaching, since he spoke as one having the Spirit of the Lord.In the name of Jesus I lift this prayer to you. Amen.

Contentment

Passage

1 Corinthians 7:25-35

Prayer

Dear Father, head of our one enduring spiritual family,Thank you that you have not left us uninformed in matters of family relations. Thank you for the apostle Paul's instructions, which tell us to be holy in body and spirit and to give ourselves up to please you. Help me, Father, to do that.May we be content in the situations in which you have placed us. May those of us with spouses live, in a sense, as if we had none. May those of us who mourn over lost loved ones, in a sense, not mourn at all. May those of us who rejoice, in a sense, not be so joyful. May those of us who buy and sell, in a sense, act as if we have no goods. May those of us who deal with the world, in a sense, act as if we have no dealings with the world at all.What does it all mean? This world and the form of it are passing away, so free me from all anxiety! There is no answer apart from knowing that you are in control and will bring to pass your good pleasure.Grant us rest in you! In the name of Jesus I lift up this prayer to you. Amen.

Slave to All

Passage

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Prayer

Dear Father, lover of all peoples,Though I am free from all men, let me become a slave to all, that I may win many, many more people to the cause of the Lord.To Jews help me become as a Jew, to non-Jews as a non-Jew, to the poor as one who is poor, to the weak as one who is weak, that I might by all means save some of them.Help me to gladly do whatever is needful for the sake of the Good News, so that I may share in its blessings.In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Foregoing Rights

Passage

1 Corinthians 9:1-18

Prayer

Dear Father, who sees my heart,Help me to follow the excellent example of the Apostle Paul. Though he had a right to earn his livelihood from his preaching, he didn't do so. He chose not to make full use of his rights in the gospel and instead preached the message free of charge.Grant that my service to you will not be motivated by monetary gain or personal ambition. Whatever I do, let it be done out of love for you, your Son, your Word and your holy people.Help me never to put any obstacle in the way of the proclamation of the Good News about Jesus Christ to all who need to hear.In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

False Gods

Passage

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

Prayer

Dear Father, the one real and only God,Many do not understand that all reality is rooted in you, so they chase the \"gods\" of this world, the \"idols\" which they worship - money, fame, glamor, power, security - and in some cases real idols and the real demons who are behind those idols.Many brothers and sisters in Christ have recently been freed from bondage to a culture that worships these false gods, and due to their weak consciences they can easily be drawn back. Keep me from pursuing the things they were in the habit of pursuing, lest they think I am serving their old \"gods\" and that it is okay for them to violate their consciences and return to former practices. Don't let my \"knowledge\" destroy someone who is weak. May I be willing to forego any right or privilege rather than cause a brother or sister to fall.In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask these things according to his will. Amen.

Perseverance

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:6-15

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind,Help me to live as one upon whom the end of the ages has come. Help me take what happened to the Israelites as a warning to myself. Don't let me get puffed up, thinking that I cannot fall. But at the same time let me keep in mind that no temptation has overtaken me that is not common to man. Help me remember that you are faithful and will not allow me to be tempted beyond my strength, but with every temptation will also provide the way for me to escape, that I may be able to endure it!The way of escape may be death, as it was for Jesus. If so, may I be willing to die if that is what it takes to enter your eternal kingdom.It is better that I should enter it with eyes or hands gone than to enter into hell with my whole body intact. Help me to obey you from a heart of love and gratefulness for what you have done for me.In the name of Jesus grant me such love for you that I will persevere in obedience until the very end. Amen.

Heeding Warnings

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind,Help me take to heart the examples of disobedience and punishment set by your ancient people as they wandered through the wilderness.Although they were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, and drank of the spiritual food and spiritual water, flowing backward through time from that spiritual Rock, which was Christ himself. In spite of all this, they got lost in the wilderness because they displeased you.O Father, let me take to heart these warnings, and not desire anything evil, as they did, nor to worship idols, as they did, or to engage in immorality, as they did. May I never put you to the test or grumble about your providence, as they did.In the name of Jesus grant me patience to persevere until the end. Amen.

Exercising Self-control

Passage

1 Corinthians 9:24

Prayer

Dear Father,Help me to compete like a runner aspiring for an Olympic gold medal. Help me to exercise discipline and self-control in all things that I may receive the imperishable victory wreath.Help me not to run aimlessly or to box as one sparring against the air. Give me the grit to pommel my body, to bring it under subjection, lest after having shared the Good News with others I myself should be disqualified.In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Remembering Christ's Death

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:24-26

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,Cause us to remember that in the same way he blessed the bread, after supper he took the cup, saying, \"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.\"Help us, giver of the heavenly bread and the heavenly wine, to eat and drink, as often as we do it, in proclamation of the Lord's death until he comes.In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

Observing the Lord's Supper

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:17-23

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,When we come together as your family to partake of bread and wine, let it truly be \"the Lord's supper\" which we eat. Let there be no divisions or preferences among us, no putting ourselves first, or putting our group first. Let there be no divisions between rich and poor, young and old, dark-skinned or light, white collar or blue collar. Let no one do anything that would humiliate another. For \"the Lord's supper\" is a feast of love and unity.Cause us to remember what was delivered to us by your apostles, how the Lord Jesus on the night that he was betrayed took bread, and having given thanks, broke it, and said, \"This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.\"In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

Balance

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the present and the future, but also of the past,Make me willing to consider and accept new things. But also help me to respect and maintain the traditions from the past. May I acknowledge that Christ is my head and submit myself to him, even as he acknowledges you as his head.May Christian wives acknowledge the headship of their own husbands, and may their husbands honor Christ as their head. Help husbands and wives live inter-dependently, realizing that they need each other for mutual support and procreation. May all the women in your holy church conduct themselves in a way that shows their devotion to your Word and to their own husbands, and may all husbands give their wives due honor and genuine love.Help each of us who follows Christ not to be contentious or self-willed. Let us adapt ourselves to the traditions of the past that promote good order.In the name of Jesus I submit to your authority, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

Giving No Offense

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Prayer

Dear Father,Keep me from giving offense to people of any race, any class, any tradition, not seeking my own advantage, but let me please everybody - for their good - that they may be saved. Let me imitate your great apostles, but most of all let me imitate Jesus, who came to glorify your name, to serve instead of be served, and to seek and save those who were lost.In the name of Jesus and in reliance upon his example I ask this. Amen.

Nothing between God and Me

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Prayer

Dear Father,Never let an idol stand between me and you. I am not stronger than you. I don't want to provoke you to jealousy.Help me to understand that while \"all things are lawful,\" all things are not helpful.Let everything I do, whether working or resting, eating or drinking, be done for your glory.May I never worship myself, live for myself, or strive to please myself. I want to worship you, to live for you, to please you.In the name of Jesus and in reliance upon his example I ask this. Amen.

Members of His Body

Passage

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Prayer

Dear Father, God of order,You have invested the inferior parts of the body with greater honor. You have given the weak parts of the body indispensable roles. You have given some who are unpresentable a greater modesty.Your ordering of people in the body of Christ is altogether wonderful. You have called all of us to be humble, loving, caring. You want us to prefer one another in honor and to count others better than ourselves. Help me to be this way in relating to other people.Thank you for making me a member of Christ's body, thus guaranteeing that I will live forever in him.O heavenly Father, let his life - his goodness and everlasting love - be lived fully in my life. Fill me with his presence and Spirit.In the name of Jesus, the head of the body, I ask. Amen.

The Body of Christ

Passage

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, great, good and generous giver,Thank you for making me part of the body of Christ, his church. Thank you that there are no unimportant parts to the body. Thank you that all of us are interconnected and interdependent.We have a variety of gifts from you, but all have the same spirit.We have varieties of service, but all have the same Lord, Jesus Christ.We have various ways of working, but it is you, O God, who inspires all of it. Your spirit apportions your gifts as he wishes.Thank you for every manifestation of your power and goodness. And thank you for every graciousness shown to me personally.In the name of Jesus, the head of the body, I pray. Amen.

Waiting on Each Other

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:33-34

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,Give each of us perfect courtesy toward others, even more, perfect love. When we come together, may we wait on each other.May each of us satisfy our hunger at home rather than behave as gluttons in the assembly of your people!May we come together not to be condemned, but to build each other up, and to be nourished by that bread which is life indeed, Jesus Christ.In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

Examining Myself

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:27-32

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,May I never eat the bread or drink the cup in an unworthy manner, lest I profane the body and blood of the Lord. Teach me to examine my heart and mind thoroughly before I eat of the bread and drink of the cup.Keep me from eating or drinking judgment upon myself by failing to discern the body of the Lord, and thus become weak and ill, or fall asleep.May I judge myself truly, so that I will not be condemned.Most of all, help me submit to your judgment, Lord, by which you chasten us so that we will not be condemned along with the world. In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

The Qualities of Love

Passage

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Prayer

Dear Father, give me love!May I one day possess fully all the qualities of love, as did your son, Jesus, the Messiah!May I be patient and kind, not jealous or boastful, not arrogant or rude, not insisting on my own way, not ever irritable or resentful.May I rejoice always in what is right, never in anything that is wrong.Help me to bear all things and endure whatever I must, to trust in all circumstances, and to be hopeful in all trials.By Jesus's authority I come to you, asking. Amen.

The Greatest Is Love

Passage

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Prayer

Dear Father, O God of love,If I could speak in all the languages of men and angels, and did not have love, I would be no more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.If I had all prophetic powers, and could understand all mysteries and all kinds of knowledge, and had all faith, so as to remove mountains, and did not have love, I would be nothing.If I gave away all that I possessed, and delivered my body to be burned, and did not have love, it would profit me nothing.Dear Father, Loving God, give me love!In the name of Jesus, who gave himself for me, I ask. Amen.

Order Out of Confusion

Passage

1 Corinthians 14:1-12

Prayer

Dear Father, God of intelligibility and peace,Thank you for reversing the curse of Babel when you poured out your Holy Spirit on believers in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.Even in the confusion of many tongues you proclaimed your Good News to every tribe and nation under heaven, with every person hearing it in his or her own language.Thank you too for the gift of prophecy in the common language, believers speaking to one another for their mutual encouragement and consolation, a gift greater than tongues (unless the unknown language is interpreted), because understandable speech builds up your church.Help us to manifest your Spirit in all things. Help us to strive zealously for whatever builds up the church.In submission to you and in Jesus' name, I ask. Amen.

Love Never Ends

Passage

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Prayer

Dear Father, O God of love!Let me possess love, for love never ends. I know that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will pass away, for they are all incomplete and unfinished.When the complete and perfect comes, everything incomplete and unfinished will be gone.Enable me to put away the things of childhood - the way I reasoned, the way I spoke - and help me become mature. Now I see through a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall understand, even as I have been fully understood.Faith, hope, and love are the truly enduring qualities, but you proclaim love the greatest. Fill me with love! In the name of the loving Jesus and by his authority I come to you, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

All Things in Order

Passage

1 Corinthians 14:26-33

Prayer

Dear Father, God of intelligibility and peace,When we come together and each of us has something to contribute, may everything be done to build up the body. Let us do things one by one, or by pairs or triplets at most, so that all may learn and be encouraged.For you, our God, are not like the pagan gods, a god of confusion and hysteria, but are a god of peace. Let us honor you by doing things decently and in order.Submitting to your commands of peace and order, I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Speaking Truth

Passage

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

Prayer

Dear Father, God of intelligibility and peace,Let our praying, singing, and preaching be aimed at informing the minds and spirits of others, that they may be built up and respond, \"Amen.\"Give us the attitude of Paul, who said, \"I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.\"Let us be babies when it comes to evil, but not in our thinking. In our thinking, may we be mature, and may we speak your message in such a way that those who hear will be called to account, will have the secrets of the heart disclosed, will fall on their faces to worship you, and will declare that you are really among us.Submitting to your commands of peace and order, I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Christ in My Heart

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the living,Thank you that Christ's revelation of himself within my soul as Lord of my life and as the living Spirit of truth and holiness testifies that he is not dead but alive forevermore.Thank you that he lives in my heart.By your grace, and by my faith in what you did, I am what I am. The resurrection is preached and I believe it. Thank you, Father! Thank you that I don't have to believe that death ends it all either for Jesus or for me!In the name of Jesus I come, thanking you for your resurrection power and asking that I may live so as to always have hope of sharing in it. Amen.

Eyewitnesses

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:5-10

Prayer

Dear Father, God of real history,Thank you for the testimony of eyewitnesses who saw Christ alive after his crucifixion: Cephas, the twelve, more than five hundred brethren, and James. Thank you for the testimony of the apostles and for Paul.I am grateful that I am not following cleverly devised myths, but the reality of history! I believe their testimony! And yours!In the name of Jesus I come, thanking you for your resurrection power and asking that I may live so as always to have hope of sharing in it. Amen.

Life through Christ

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:21-23

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy God,You have declared that just as death came through the sin of one man, so life comes through one man's resurrection from the dead. As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ first, then at his coming we who belong to him.Thank you, Father, for the assurance you gave by raising him up. Thank you that his resurrection is our resurrection! Thank you for this revelation of the order in which it will come.In the name of Jesus I offer you this thanksgiving and praise for the most wonderful events of history, Christ's resurrection and ours. Amen.

Resurrection Hope

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Prayer

Dear Father, confirmer of truth,Strengthen me against all that Satan and the world can bring against me. Confirm my understanding of what you did in resurrecting Jesus and what you will do in resurrecting me and all your saints.If there is no resurrection, I know that the gospel is false, my faith is in vain, I am still in my sins, those who have fallen asleep have perished, and you have been misrepresented as having raised Jesus from the dead.If we Christians have hope only for this life, then we are to be pitied - for our suffering is for nothing. But we know that you have raised Christ from the dead, as the first fruits of them who have fallen asleep.In the name of Jesus I offer you this thanksgiving and praise for the most wonderful events of history, Christ's resurrection and ours. Amen.

Lessons from Nature

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:35-46

Prayer

Dear Father, rewarder of all who diligently seek you, Thank you for the lessons in nature that teach truths about your kingdom. Help me to learn from these examples so that I might understand more about you. Just as bare kernels of grain sown in the ground do not germinate and become plants unless they first \"die,\" so too my old nature must die before your new life can germinate in me. And so it is with the resurrection of believers. We are perishable, but you will raise us to be imperishable. We are dishonorable, but you will raise us up in glory. We are weak, but you will raise us in power. We are sustained by nature, but you will raise us to be sustained by your spirit.At last we will have learned to live in total dependence on you! Prepare us for this future time by teaching us to totally depend on you now! We praise you, Almighty Father, for you intend to make us immortal and to share your good things with us forever, because you love us.Thank you, Father, thank you. In the name of Jesus I lift this prayer. Amen.

Perseverance

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:29-34

Prayer

Dear Father, rewarder of all who diligently seek you,Thank you for Jesus, whose life not only taught us how to live, but whose resurrection proved that you have power over death. Thank you for the assurance of resurrection, for without it we would have no reason to persevere.His resurrection is why I believe in my own future resurrection. All my hopes are pinned on him. Were it not for this, I would live as do unbelievers, who say, \"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.\"May I live according to Christ's righteousness through the power that raised him from the dead. And may I never forget the promise of resurrection.In the name of Jesus I lift up this prayer. Amen.

Everything to Everyone

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:27-28

Prayer

Dear Father, my everything,May I learn from Christ's subjection to you, for when all things are subjected to him, your Son himself will also be subject to you, the God who put all things under the Son, that you may be everything to everyone! Our Father, increase my love for you until you become everything to me! It is almost too awesome to ask - I am afraid of so much change: May I love you like Jesus loves you! In his name. Amen.

Look to the End

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:26

Prayer

Dear Father, destroyer of every enemy,Help me to look to the outcome, to the end of things, when Christ will deliver the kingdom to you after destroying every ruler, every authority, and every power.Enable me to keep my eyes on his victory, for he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet.Motivate me to focus on the time when even the last enemy, Death itself, will be destroyed by our Lord.In his name I pray. Amen.

Disciplined Giving

Passage

1 Corinthians 16:1-12

Prayer

Dear Father, Give me the discipline to set something aside from my earnings every week to subsidize your work around the world. May I then administer this money wisely and honorably. Open wide the doors for effective work for your kingdom. May I willingly give to help your worthy servants. Let me give hospitality and support to those who travel. May your love and the grace of the Lord Jesus be with them and us for ever and ever. Amen.

Nothing Will Be Lost

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:58

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for the assurance that my work for you will never be lost. The Lord Jesus promised that even a cup of cold water given in his name will not lose its reward. May I be zealous, steadfast, and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord and utterly counting on you. I trust you, Lord, because I believe that my efforts for you are not in vain. May I always give myself fully to your work, knowing that anything else I might accomplish in this life will have no value in eternity. In the name of your son, my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen.

The Mystery Disclosed

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

Prayer

Dear Father, keeper of every promise, Thank you for disclosing to us the mystery of what is to come! Keep us looking forward to that moment when we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. Thank you that some of us will not even have to die but will rise to meet the Savior in the air. Praise be to you, Almighty Father. By your will the last trumpet will sound. The dead will be raised imperishable. We shall all be changed. You will make our perishable nature imperishable, our mortal nature immortal. Then you will bring to pass what is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."  "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" Thanks be to you, gracious Father, for making us more than conquerors now and for guaranteeing us final victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! In the name of Jesus I lift my voice to you on high. Amen.

Anticipation of Victory

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:47-50

Prayer

Dear Father, keeper of every promise, Thank you for making the first man, Adam, a living soul. Thank you even more that by your power the last man, Jesus Christ, has become for us a life-giving spirit. May I anticipate with hope the fact that, just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. Give me patience as I reside in a body of flesh and blood, knowing that flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of heaven, nor the perishable the imperishable, but the physical has to precede the spiritual. In the name of Jesus I lift my voice to you on high. Amen.

Christ, Our Yes

Passage

2 Corinthians 1:12-20

Prayer

Amen! Yes! Abba, Dear Father, Let me find pride in this - that my conscience testifies that I live my life in this world with holiness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by your graciousness. Help me not to vacillate as I make my plans. Don't let me be like those who are worldly, ready to say "Yes" and "No" at the same time, talking out of both sides of their mouth. As surely as you, God, are faithful, let me act in good faith toward others. For your Son, Jesus Christ, in whom I believe by the preaching of the Good News, was not Yes and No, but was Yes! For all your promises find your Yes through him. So through him we utter the Yes, the Amen, at the close of our prayers - to your glory. In the name of Jesus I ask this and utter my Yes! my Amen! according to his will. Yes! Amen!

A God of Deliverance

Passage

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Prayer

Dear Father, great and gentle one, When I am utterly, unbearably crushed so that I despair of life itself, when I feel as if I have received the sentence of death, remind me that I am to rely not on myself but on you, the God who raises the dead. It is only you who can deliver from deadly peril. I have set my hope on you. You deliver me again and again and again. How faithful you are! I pray for my many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world, that they will experience relief from suffering, deliverance from peril, and comfort after grief and despair. Grant bountiful blessings to your people, my God, in answer to many prayers. Please receive this one and make it count among the many others! Thank you, Father. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Spirit. Jesus has taught to besiege you with constant prayer. Here we are again, coming in his name. Amen.

A God of Comfort

Passage

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Prayer

Dear Father, great and gentle one, Blessed are you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. You comfort us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort others who are in affliction with the same comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by you. You enable us to know that as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we shall share abundantly in comfort too. Thank you that our suffering is not meaningless, but is for the comfort and salvation of others. Thank you for a hope that cannot be shaken. Jesus has taught to besiege you with constant prayer. Here we are again, coming in his name. Amen.

Holy Sharing

Passage

1 Corinthians 16:13-20

Prayer

Dear Father, In watchfulness, may I stand firm in faith, be courageous, and be strong. Let everything I do be done in love. Help me to subject myself to those in your church who have devoted themselves to serving all the saints and to refreshing the spirits of your servants. May I be a true fellow worker and sincere laborer in your vineyard, always extending joyous greetings and sincere blessings to brothers and sisters in Christ. Most of all, help me to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha! Lord Jesus, come. Come now in spiritual presence. Come finally in visible manifestation! Amen. May the love and the grace of the Lord Jesus, in whose name I pray, be with us for ever and ever. Amen.

Building Up Each Other

Passage

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of great joy, I hope that in my effort to get others to live for you that I will never lord it over their faith. Help me work with them for their joy. Let them stand firm in freedom in their faith. Help my contacts with them not cause pain, but let my joy be their joy, and let their joy be my joy! Help us to work together in a common goal in the Lord. Help us work for each other's upbuilding in holiness. In the name of Jesus and in full confidence of salvation through him I ask all these things. Amen.

Christ, Our Seal of Approval

Passage

2 Corinthians 1:20-22

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you, my God, that you utter Yes to me. You establish and affirm my very being through Christ, and not only me but all your elect people. Thank you for putting your seal of approval on me and giving me your Holy Spirit in my heart as your guarantee.Thank you for saying Yes to me! Yes in yourself, yes in Christ, yes through the Spirit! Thank you, Father, thank you. How I love you! How I praise your name on earth in hope that I may someday praise you for ever in heaven. In the name of Jesus I ask this and utter my Yes! my Amen! according to his will. Yes! Amen!

Christ's Love Letter

Passage

2 Corinthians 2:17-3:3

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you, Father, that I am not just a peddler of your word, but that I am commissioned by you and that I speak in Christ. Let everyone who comes to a knowledge of your will through what I teach be a living letter of recommendation, written on that person's heart, to be known and read by everyone. Let that person be a letter from Christ to the world, delivered by me, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of the human heart. In the name of Jesus I give thanks and make these requests. Amen.

The Fragrance of Christ

Passage

2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Prayer

Dear Father, Let the incense which is my life and my prayers arise as a sweet fragrance to you. Thanks be to you, my God, that you always lead me in triumph, and through me, spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere. Thank you that you have appointed Christians to be the aroma of Christ to yourself among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? Certainly not I! Your grace alone upholds me. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Ready to Forgive

Passage

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11

Prayer

Dear Father, God of forgiveness, Father, help me, when someone sins, to encourage him or her to repent, then to forgive and comfort that person in your love. Help all Christians to affirm such loving forgiveness and to comfort each other so that Satan will not gain the advantage over us, for we are not ignorant that his designs are that we should be unforgiving. In the name of Jesus and in full confidence of salvation through him I ask all these things. Amen.

Open Statement of Truth

Passage

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Prayer

Dear Father, powerful sustainer, You have called me to minister your mercy to the world, so let me never lose heart or give up! May I renounce disgraceful, underhanded ways in all forms and refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with your word. Let me state truth plainly and thereby commend myself to every one's conscience in your sight. Even if the message of Good News is veiled to some, it is veiled only to those who are perishing! Open the eyes of those whom the god of this world has blinded. May they see the light of the Good News, the glory of Christ, your very likeness. May I not put forth myself, but Jesus Christ, for I am your servant, your slave, for Jesus' sake! For you have said, "Let light shine out of darkness." I invite you to shine out of my heart so that others will see the light of your glory, the face of Jesus Christ, in my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

A Glorious Transformation

Passage

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Prayer

Dear Father, transformer of my life, Lord God, I thank you for your Spirit, for the Lord, and for the freedom I have in them. Thank you that I, with unveiled face, can look freely and intently on the glory of the Lord, and be changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another. Help me remember that such transformation comes, not by my inherent wisdom or efforts, but only from the Lord who is the Spirit. Make me like Jesus! Help me want to share in his sufferings so that I can also share in his glory and his resurrection life! In the name of Jesus and because it is his will, I make these requests. Amen.

A Dispensation of Glory

Passage

2 Corinthians 3:7-16

Prayer

Dear Father, What a glorious splendor Christ's gospel has! It is a dispensation of glory! And why shouldn't the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor than that of the letter! How much more splendid than the temporary glory of Moses is the permanent, new covenant, the dispensation of righteousness through faith by your grace! I am so full of hope because of what you have done! I have such boldness! For in Christ the veil of secrecy and misunderstanding is taken away. What you were intending in the Old Covenant becomes clear, for your Holy Spirit reveals the Lord Jesus Christ as the hidden meaning in it all. Christ the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In the name of Jesus and because it is his will, I pray. Amen.

My Life, God's Message

Passage

2 Corinthians 3:3-6

Prayer

Dear Father, all-sufficient God, Let me be a letter from Christ written to people who need to hear the Good News, written not on paper with ink but on hearts with my loving attitudes and actions. I claim no self-sufficiency, but I believe the sufficiency of your grace qualifies me to serve as a spokesman for your new covenant. I hope through Christ that you might use me this way. Grant me this sufficiency as I rely totally on you. Thank you that the covenant itself is not a written code that kills but a life-giving communication of the Spirit. In the name of Jesus, confident of his sufficiency, I make these requests. Amen.

God's Treasure Revealed

Passage

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Prayer

Dear Father, powerful sustainer, Thank you for putting your treasure in a cracked clay pot like me so that it will be evident that the treasure is from you, the transcendent and powerful God, and not from me, the container. Thank you for upholding all who serve you. When I am afflicted in every way, I am not crushed; when perplexed, I am not driven to despair; when persecuted, I am not forsaken; when struck down, I am not destroyed. Reveal your immortality through my mortal body. May unbelievers see the glorious work you are doing in my life. I come as your humble servant, in the name of your only Son. Amen.

Following His Example

Passage

2 Corinthians 6:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, blessed bestower of grace, As your servant I commend myself to you as your will may require: Through great endurance, if need be - afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, staying awake, hunger! Through goodness - purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, and truthful speech. Through the power of God - with weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left. In disparity - in honor and dishonor, in ill-repute and good-repute, treated as an impostor and yet true, as unknown and yet well-known, as dying, yet behold I live, as punished but not yet killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything! In the name of Jesus, who suffered for us, I ask for the grace and will-power to live according to his example. Amen.

All-encompassing Compassion

Passage

2 Corinthians 6:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, blessed bestower of grace, Let me work together with you to entreat people not to reject or ignore your offer of grace, or to accept it in vain. Since today is the acceptable time, since today is the day of salvation, may I never - nor anything about me - be an obstacle in the way of someone else's acceptance. Let my mouth be open to all who will listen. Help my heart be as wide as all humanity. In the name of Jesus, whose compassion reached to every human being. Amen.

Compelled by Love

Passage

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:21

Prayer

Dear Father, invisible but absolutely real, May I be compelled by the love of Christ, convinced that he died that I might no longer live for myself but for him, the one who died for me. So let me not regard Christ from a worldly point of view. I am in Christ. I am a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come! I am reconciled to you, my Father, through your Son Jesus. Thank you for what you did for me - through him! In the name of Jesus I praise and thank you for all your great mercies and your continuing and constant grace. Amen.

Weight of Glory


Passage

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:21

Prayer

Dear Father, invisible but absolutely real, Let me not lose heart. I know from your word that my light and momentary troubles are working for me an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. Help me fix my eyes not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Help me to live by faith and not by sight. I want to trust you completely. In the name of Jesus I praise and thank you for all your great mercies and your continuing and constant grace. Amen.

Spirit of Faith

Passage

2 Corinthians 4:13-15

Prayer

Heavenly Father, giver of life and faith, Thank you for the spirit of grace which enables me to believe. May I have the same spirit of faith as he who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke." I believe too, and so let me speak! I believe (I know!) that you, the God who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise me with Jesus and bring me into his presence. As your grace extends to more and more people may they pour out their thanksgiving - to your glory!In the name of Jesus, who intercedes for me, I praise you for such wonderful blessings. Amen.

Generous for God's Glory

Passage

2 Corinthians 8:10-15

Prayer

Dear Father, It is you, my God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread for food. Multiply my resources and increase the harvest of righteousness for me and my family. Then give us hearts that are generous and willing to share with those in need around the world. May I be a trustworthy channel of your resources, and may you receive the glory and thanksgiving for all the goodness you distribute through me. May I glorify you, my God, by my obedience to the gospel and by my generosity based on its teaching: It is more blessed to give than to receive. Let your superlative and surpassing graciousness be seen in me! Thank you, Lord, for your inexpressible gift to me and all men, Christ Jesus, the cornucopia of blessings! Thank you, Abba, that my life can be lived in imitation of your sinless son! In his name I pray. Amen.

Hearts of Love and Action

Passage

2 Corinthians 8:8-9

Prayer

Dear Father, Give us hearts of love, that refuse to say, "Go, be warmed and filled," but instead give what is needful to those full of need. Help us prove that our love is genuine, remembering that the Lord Jesus himself was very rich in heaven with you but for our sakes he became poor that by his poverty we might become rich. Thank you, Jesus, for this. Thank you, Father, for giving Jesus to us to show us the blessedness of giving to others. In the name of Jesus I humbly ask for your help in giving us a generous spirit. Amen.

Excellence in Giving

Passage

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, Show your grace to me and my family by giving us hearts so generous that we will share liberally with those who need our help. May we give ourselves first to you, and then to our brethren. Help us to give of our means, even beyond our means, and of our own free will. May we earnestly desire to relieve the needs of Christians who are poor and whose lives are burdened. Help us not only resolve to do good, but to complete the good we set out to do. Help us to excel in everything - in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, in love of the brethren - but in this also, that we share our material wealth, a real measure of your gracious work within us. In the name of Jesus I humbly ask for your help in giving us a generous spirit. Amen.

Joyful People, Joyful Pride

Passage

2 Corinthians 7:11-16

Prayer

Dear Father, who wills the good of all of your children, Give us great earnestness, eagerness to clear ourselves of evil, indignation over the hurts done to others, alarm over danger, longing for what is good, prudence about punishment for evil. Help us have a real zeal for each other's good, visible within our hearts to you, our righteous Judge. Let us find comfort in our forgiveness and acceptance of each other! Give us great joy in the pride we feel about each other! Grant that we may justify perfect confidence in each other! In the name of Jesus I come, asking according to his authority. Amen.

Holy People, Holy Pride

Passage

2 Corinthians 7:2-10

Prayer

Dear Father, who wills the good of all of your children, May all your holy people open their hearts to each other. Let us wrong no one, corrupt no one, take advantage of no one. Let us have great confidence and pride in one another. Let us comfort one another. Even in affliction, fill us with joy!Let us be honest with each other, correcting as necessary. And if we grieve each other, let mourning be turned to joy because of a change of attitude flowing from godly grief. Let our godly grief produce changed hearts and changed lives, bringing salvation without cause for regret. In the name of Jesus I come, asking according to his authority. Amen.

Unequal Yoking

Passage

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy of my undivided loyalty, May I never be yoked to any person or organization that does not have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For what partnership does righteousness have with iniquity? What fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? What agreement has your temple with the temple of idols? I am your temple, the temple of the living God! For you have said, "I will live in them, and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from among them, and be separate from them, and touch nothing unclean, and I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters. "Thank you, my God, for this promise and this command! May I never compromise my loyalty and commitment to you! Cleanse me from every defilement of body and spirit, and make your holiness perfect in me. In the name of Jesus I ask, and according to his will. Amen.

Harvest of Righteousness

Passage

2 Corinthians 9:9-10

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous and gracious God, You are the God about whom it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor, his righteousness endures for ever." You are the God who supplies seed to the sower, and gives the harvest of grain for bread, who multiplies my resources and increases the harvest of righteousness for me. How I thank you and praise you for this! In the name of Jesus Christ, the truly generous Savior of mankind, I pray. Amen.

Bountiful Sowing

Passage

2 Corinthians 9:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous and gracious God, Create in me a holy readiness to give of that which you have given me, never as an exaction but as a willing gift. Help me to sow bountifully so that I shall reap bountifully. Let me make up my mind about what to give.Then let my giving be cheerful, not with reluctance or under compulsion. And why shouldn't I give, since you give to me without reservation. You are able to provide me with every blessing in abundance, and you will provide so that I will always have enough for myself and some to give away. In the name of Jesus Christ, the truly generous Savior of mankind, I raise these petitions to you. Amen.

Committed Servants

Passage

2 Corinthians 8:24

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom all honor is due, Let your hand of power rest on your committed servants; sustain them and let them never grow slack or less devoted to principle. Help us honor them and to honor Christ by how we present ourselves to them. Help us demonstrate to them and to your church worldwide the genuineness of our love and commitment to our Lord Jesus. Fill your church with such servants. Fill us all with hearts of service. In the name of Jesus I thank you for the transforming power you show forth in the lives of your saints. Amen.

Earnest Caregiving

Passage

2 Corinthians 8:16-23

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom all honor is due,Thank you for the earnest care you put into the heart of people like Titus. Thank you for people who respond to specific appeals to serve. They give glory to you and show the good will of your people. May your grace reach to me and make me such a person also. Thank you that such people act in ways that are above and beyond blame. They love not only what is good in your sight but also what is honorable in the sight of men. Thank you for making these people modern partners with your ancient apostles, partners and fellow-workers in your service, the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. In the name of Jesus I thank you for the transforming power you show forth in the lives of your saints. Amen.

Divine Jealousy

Passage

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom our pure devotion is due, Thank you for the divine jealousy that Christ feels for us, his church. How wonderful to know that we have been betrothed to him as a bride to her one husband. We wait with longing for the great wedding celebration that is to come. Help us not to be like Adam's bride, Eve, and be led astray by Satan's cunning. Help us have a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Help us avoid false apostles, deceitful workers, who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder they do this, for Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Please see to it, Lord, that their end corresponds to their deeds. In the name of Jesus, who is the truth, I pray. Amen.

Boasting in Christ

Passage

2 Corinthians 10:15-18

Prayer

Dear Father, Let me have pride in what I do, not in claiming someone else's work. Grant me to be active for you in new endeavors or new places, not boasting of work done in another person's field. Father, increase my faith, so that the sphere of the influence of your Good News may be greatly enlarged through me and passed on even to other lands. Let me boast, not of what I do, but of what you do through me. "Let him who boasts boast of the Lord." What I really want, Father, is not to commend myself, just talking a good story, but to have your approval, your acceptance, your commendation. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Christ, Our Measuring Stick

Passage

2 Corinthians 10:7-14

Prayer

Dear Father, source of our joy and our pride, Sometimes we are blind. We don't see what is right before our eyes. Help us to look that we may see, listen that we may hear. Thank you, Father, that Christ has purchased me and that I belong to him. Thank you for the authority I have in him to build others up. Never let me do anything that would tear down or destroy. Help me to be entirely honest. Let what I say about others in their absence be the same as I would say in their presence. Help me be self-critical and not to measure myself by what others say or do. Let me honestly measure myself by the Lord. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Warfare

Passage

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

Prayer

Dear Father, teacher of spiritual soldiers,Thank you for the example of the meekness and gentleness of Christ. If I must show boldness or be abrasive in any way, let it be for the good of others. Keep me from having the manners of the world or living at all in a worldly fashion. For though I live in the world, I am not carrying on a worldly war. The weapons of my warfare are not worldly but have divine power from you for destroying strongholds and obstacles of every kind, for destroying arguments and rationalizations and hypocrisy. They have the power to take every thought captive for Christ, when men have the courage to face up to their condition before you. Let me bear witness for you and warn people of their peril. The very weapons of our warfare will be the weapons to bring punishment to the disobedient, for then they cannot say they have not heard. But you, Lord, are patient. You give men and women time to come to obedience. You are so merciful and long-suffering. Thank you, God. In the name of Jesus, the Lord of mercy and compassion, I ask. Amen.

Giving Produces Thanksgiving

Passage

2 Corinthians 9:11-15

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous and gracious God, I believe that you will enrich me in every way for great generosity, and I pray that my giving will produce thanksgiving to you! Let my giving not only serve mankind but also glorify your name. Let me glorify you by being obedient in every way to the Good News about Jesus. Let my contributions be an expression of my love for him. Let those who receive what I give pray for me and long to know me, because of your superlative and surpassing grace given to me. Thank you, my loving God, for your inexpressible gift! In the name of Jesus Christ, the truly generous Savior of mankind, I raise these petitions to you. Amen.

God's Perfect Power

Passage

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Prayer

Dear Father, Your grace is sufficient for me. Your power is made perfect in weakness. When I am weak, Christ's power can assist, shine through, lift me up. Please let this happen! For Christ's sake help me to be content with whatever you let come my way - weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities - for when I am weak, then I am strong! Let me be strong with your strength even when beset by my own weaknesses. In the name of him who is my strength, Jesus Christ. Amen.

My Perfect Weakness

Passage

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Prayer

Dear Father, Put your hand over my mouth to keep me from boasting about myself. Even if I were to have visions and revelations about you or to be caught up to Paradise and hear things too sacred to be told, let me boast only of my weaknesses. If you limit me, inflict pain on me, cause me to struggle and cry out for relief, let me come back to trusting you. Your grace is sufficient for me. Your power is made perfect in weakness. In the name of him who is my strength, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Relying on God

Passage

2 Corinthians 11:29-31

Prayer

Dear Father, almighty God, "Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things which show my weakness." My God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, blessed one, ever-living, bear witness to the truth that you are teaching me. Thank you for showing me that my finiteness, my weakness, is part of your will. You have graciously set limits around me, so that I must depend on you. Isn't dependence on an all-powerful God better than having a limited independence? Your mighty arm can do things for me beyond what any army could do! To boast of my weakness is to boast of your power. To experience weakness is to learn about compassion. Thank you for all this, for in this you surely are teaching me how to love both my fellow man and you. In the name of Jesus I pray, earnestly beseeching you to teach me how to truly depend on you in all things. Amen.

Boasting in Weaknesses

Passage

2 Corinthians 11:6-10

Prayer

Dear Father, whose power is made perfect in weakness, Even though certain things are true, keep me from saying them if they would not be received in the right way - if people would think me out of place, perhaps mad, or if they might think more of me than I deserve. Sometimes there are things that I want, but one thing you have taught: Your grace is sufficient for me. Your power is made perfect in weakness. Help me therefore to boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, help me to put up with whatever I must bear, for when I am weak in him, then I am strong. Let me live according to your will, close to your heart of love. In the name of Jesus I pray, seeking the strength that comes only from being weak in you. Amen.

Unselfish Servants

Passage

2 Corinthians 11:16-21

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom our pure devotion is due, When someone seeks to make slaves of us, to prey upon us, to take advantage of us, to put on airs, or to strike us in the face, help us know that such a person does not represent you. For your emissaries don't do such things. Help us look to the examples of Paul, Peter, John, Barnabas, and others like them, who submitted themselves as servants. Help us be like them. In the name of Jesus, our greatest example, I pray. Amen.

Self-examination

Passage

2 Corinthians 13:5-14

Prayer

Dear Father, God of love and peace, Help me to examine myself, to test myself, to see whether I am holding to my faith. Help me to realize that Jesus Christ is in me - unless I should fail the test. Help me not to do anything wrong, to do nothing against the truth. Help me stand for Christ and for what is right and true. Let my life - my attitude and my deeds - show constant improvement. Help me mend my ways, agree with my fellow believers, and live in peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest upon me. May you, the God of love and peace, be near me. May the fellowship of your Holy Spirit surround me. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

A Benefit to Others

Passage

2 Corinthians 12:11-13:4

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to gladly spend and be spent for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me not to burden them nor to seek what is theirs, but rather to carry their burdens and to give them what is mine. Help me to do everything for their upbuilding. Remove all quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit and disorder from your people, that there be no cause for mourning in your church. Help us all to seek truth and to act upon verified facts. When acting in your behalf, may we deal with things in power, Christ acting within us.We ask this in the name of Jesus, the one who was crucified in weakness but who now lives by your power. Amen.

Differences

Passage

Galatians 2:11-21

Prayer

Dear Father, peacemaker among brethren, When good people within your church find themselves differing on issues, may we take comfort in knowing that even Peter and Paul had their differences. Help us, like them, follow a path of integrity, confronting each other in a spirit of love. Help us, like them, be willing to admit when we are wrong. We are human; we need your help, guidance, and grace to overcome our lack of goodness and good judgment. Instill within our hearts the truth that through the works of law no one will be justified, but rather through our faith in Jesus Christ. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen.

Blessings of Faithfulness

Passage

Galatians 1:16-2:10

Prayer

Dear Father,Today, Father, may the Lord Jesus meet us on our Damascus Road. May he disclose himself to us for who he is, the Lord of Glory. May he disclose to us the mission which he wants us to carry out as we seek to live for him. May we defend the purity of his gospel, that we are freely justified by his grace through faith apart from works of law. May we defend the liberty that your children have in Christ. May we never for one moment submit to programs of enslavement to try to prove our righteousness to others. And in all this may we remember the poor and care for them. Give us hearts of compassion for all who undergo privation and trouble.Thank you that even today we enjoy the blessings of the faithfulness shown by the apostle Paul at the beginning. Help us to be faithful, too, for the sake of those who will come after us.In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Paul's Call

Passage

Galatians 1:16-2:10

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for calling Saul of Tarsus to be your apostle to the non-Jews, and for making him known to us with his new name, Paul. Thank you for revealing to him that righteousness comes by your grace through faith without works of law and that we who are not Jews can become members of the household of faith without assuming the yoke of the law. Thank you for the integrity and courage Paul showed in defending this position in the early church. Thank you for his desire for unity with those who were apostles before him. Thank you also that he did not give in to those who wanted to limit the freedom of believers.Thank you that Peter, James, John, and the other apostles gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that each should pursue his appointed missions - Paul and Barnabas to non-Jews, the others to the Jews. Thank you that they agreed to remember and help the poor. In the name of Jesus I give thanks. Amen.

No Other Gospel

Passage

Galatians 1:1-16

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you that the revelation given through your apostles was not concocted by human minds. May I never turn to "another" gospel nor to a distortion of your gospel. May I never desert the grace of Christ and become accursed. And may I never seek the favor of men. I desire your favor. I want to be your servant, to please you and you alone. Grant that I may understand the revelation you gave through Paul - of salvation by grace through faith apart from works of law. In the complete turn-around in his life help me see the transforming power of your gospel. Thank you, Father, for the grace and peace that come through your Son, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this evil age, according to your will. To you be glory for ever and ever.In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Christ, the Stumbling Block

Passage

Galatians 5:7-12

Prayer

Dear Father, guarantor of freedom, Help me to run well! Help me not to be hindered from obeying the truth! Don't let me be persuaded by a viewpoint that is not from you, the God who called us to freedom in Jesus! A little leaven leavens the whole lump! Help me keep out even a pinch of "slavery" type thinking and religiosity that worships human will. For to preach circumcision (law-keeping as a means of justification), is to remove the stumbling block of the cross of Christ. Help me never to lose sight of the cross, the awful price Jesus paid for my freedom. In the name of Jesus I ask you to preserve my faith in freedom and love. Amen.

Living in Freedom

Passage

Galatians 5:1-6

Prayer

Dear Father, guarantor of freedom, Christ died to set all people free - if they will accept it! As for me, Father, I accept it and intend to live by it. Help me always to stand fast and never submit to a yoke of slavery! Help me to live in freedom from sin and to help other people see that to espouse rule-keeping is a form of slavery, a falling away from the grace of Christ. For it is through the Spirit, by faith, our trust in you, that we wait for the hope of righteousness.Thank you, Father, that in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love avails much. In the name of Jesus I ask you to preserve my faith in freedom and love. Amen.

Children of Promise

Passage

Galatians 4:8-5:1

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep us from turning back to any weak and beggarly things. Help us to live in the glorious freedom brought by the Son of God. Let Christ be born in our souls, even if through great travail. Let him be the reality of our lives, hour by hour and day by day. Let us live as children of the free woman, the new Jerusalem which is above, not as children of the bondwoman. Make us the children of promise. Since it was for freedom that Christ set us free, let us live in his freedom. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Adopted

Passage

Galatians 4:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for delivering us from slavery and immaturity. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ at just the right time, in just the right way, that he might redeem those under the law, and that we might all receive the adoption as sons.Thank you for sending the Spirit of your Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father," so that we are no longer slaves but sons. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

One with Christ

Passage

Galatians 3:15-29

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you, Father, for giving your holy law to Moses and for the role it played in bringing people to Christ. Thank you even more that Christ has come as our real teacher and that we have been delivered to him, that we might be justified by faith. Thank you for making us your sons through faith, for making it possible to put on Christ by our baptism into Christ. Thank you that in him there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but that we are all one in Christ. Thank you that by making us one with Christ you have made us to be Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise you made him. In the name of Jesus I offer my praise. Amen.

Heirs of Abraham

Passage

Galatians 3:1-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for giving us your Spirit, not through works of law but through faith in our hearts. Even Abraham was saved by faith, for he believed you, and you counted it to him as righteousness. Thank you that Christ actually became the curse so that he could redeem us from its power, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon all nations, Jews and non-Jews, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Make us ever aware of the responsibilities as well as the rights which this relationship affords us. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Alive to Righteousness

Passage

Galatians 2:11-21

Prayer

Dear Father, Help us understand that in Christ we are dead to law; we have been crucified with Christ so that we might live unto you. Let Christ live within me. Let the life that I now live in the flesh be a life that I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Don't ever let me believe anything, espouse anything, do anything that might nullify your grace or imply that Christ died in vain. Let me today, this day, and every day of my life, live from the power of Christ, live by the example of Christ, and live for the glory of Christ. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen.

Sowing Seeds

Passage

Galatians 6:6-10

Prayer

Dear Father, holy unscornable God, Don't let me be deceived, my God, for I know that no one can mock you with impunity. For whatever a person sows that is what the person will reap. Those who sow to the flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but those who sow to the Spirit will reap eternal life. I want to reap eternal life, Father. Help me always to sow to the Spirit! Help me never to tire of doing good, for in your own due season I will reap. Let me never lose heart, but, as I have opportunity, may I do good to all people, especially to my brothers and sisters in the household of faith. In the name of Jesus I ask all this and that you will give me a Spirit-filled life resulting in eternal victory! Amen.

Bearing Each Others' Burdens

Passage

Galatians 6:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, lifter of our heavy loads, Fill my heart with love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. If someone is overtaken in some misdeed, help me to assist in restoring that person, in a spirit of gentleness. Let me watch out for myself, lest I also be tempted. Help all of us to bear one another's overloads, and so fulfil the law of Christ. But help us not to deceive ourselves, thinking we are something when we are really nothing. Let each one of us test our own work, so that our reason for pride may be in what we do and not in what our neighbor does. Teach each of us to bear our own fair load. May we who are taught share all our good things with the person who teaches us. In the name of Jesus I ask all this and that you will give me a Spirit-filled life resulting in eternal victory! Amen.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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God's Will: Perfect Love

Passage

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Prayer

Dear Father, perfecter of our love, Don't ever let us disregard you or your Holy Spirit, which you give us. Give us perfect love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let this teaching of yours fill our minds. Let this love among us grow more and more, every day and in every way. May we aspire to live quietly, to mind our own affairs, and to work with our hands or our minds, so that we may be dependent on no one and command the respect of those outside your family. May that respect lead them to listen, to heed, and also to become your children. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Enemies into Friends

Passage

1 Timothy 1:16-17

Prayer

Dear Father, king of the ages,Thank you for the cleansing of our sins through Christ. Thank you that you take people who are in outright opposition to your will, as was Saul of Tarsus, and hundreds since him, and bring them up short, rebuke their disobedience, and then enlist them in your own army. Praise you, God, for making friends of your former enemies. All glory to you for the demonstration of patience made perfect. Now to you, King of the Ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be glory and honor for ever and ever. Amen.
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Fit for Service

Passage

1 Timothy 1:12-15

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for the strength that you give us to minister to others. We bless you for judging us faithful and for committing talents to us by which we may help others. In spite of our offenses against you, you show great mercy in overlooking our ignorance and unbelief and by now giving us opportunities and encouragement to serve you. You have made the graciousness of our Lord Jesus Christ overflow to us in the faith and the love that are available in him. How sure and worthy of full acceptance is the truth that our Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We were sinners! Thank you for the salvation that you wrought for us through him, in whose name I now pray. Amen.
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Faith and Good Conscience

Passage

1 Timothy 1:3-11, 18-20

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep us from believing any teaching different from that which your genuine apostles taught about our Lord Jesus Christ. Let what they aimed for arise in our hearts: love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Don't let us take a legalistic approach to our life under you. By the law we can see what not to do, by Jesus we see a real direction for our lives. Let us live by him and for him. Help us wage a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Work and Discipline

Passage

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Prayer

Dear Father, God who worked to create all things, Guide us and empower us to do our work in quietness, to avoid idleness, and to earn our own living. Help us not to grow weary in well-doing. Help us to follow the example of your emissaries, of Paul and the others, who did not seize some economic advantage from their positions, but worked to provide for their own needs. Help us to encourage and enforce a good work ethic among Christians so that we may be highly regarded among all people. Help us to be disciplined among ourselves, to exhort and warn each other, but also to be kind and loving and to treat each other as beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Cause Us to Pray

Passage

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, 16-18

Prayer

Dear Father, who hears our prayers, May all of your people pray earnestly for each other, and especially for your ministers, that your word may speed on and triumph among others, just as it has among us. Deliver us from wicked and evil people who have no faith in you. Give us deep trust in your faithfulness, that you will strengthen us and guard us from evil. Give us obedient hearts that we may live out the teachings of your word. Direct our hearts to your love and to the steadfastness of Christ. Lord of peace, give peace at all times and in all ways. Be with us! Fill us with the grace of the Lord Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
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Eternal Comfort

Passage

2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for calling us to salvation through the Good News of Christ, so that we may obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus. Help us to stand firm and hold fast to the traditions of your holy apostles. May the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and you, our Father, who loved us and gave eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort our hearts and establish them in every good work and word. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Passage

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Prayer

Dear Father, May we learn to be content and not to seek material riches. Let not our craving for riches cause us to wander away from the faith and pierce holes in our own hearts. Help those who have an abundance of this world's goods to not be haughty nor to put their confidence in riches. Help us to set our hearts upon you, the living God, who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. Help us all to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal and generous. May we thus lay a foundation for the future, and take hold of the life which is life indeed. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Taking Hold of Eternal Life

Passage

1 Timothy 6:12-15

Prayer

Dear Father, Lord of all lords, Enable me to take hold of the eternal life to which I was called when I made the good confession before many witnesses. Help me keep your commands until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which you will bring about in your own time. O God, the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see - to you be honor and might forever and ever. Amen. In the name of Jesus and to your glory I lift up this prayer. Amen.
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Godly Gain

Passage

1 Timothy 6:1-10

Prayer

Dear Father, whose truth is gentle, Help us to find a heart to serve you, even in oppressive circumstances. Grant that our religion may not be a ground of conceit. May we not love controversy, but rather avoid wrangling and contention. Help us witness to your truth to others, but let it always be done in a spirit of gentleness and truth-seeking. May none of us be guilty of using anything connected with our faith as a means of worldly gain. Help us to accept the great gain that comes with a godliness combined with contentment. We brought nothing into this world. You show us that we can take nothing out, except for the treasures we lay up in heaven. Help us to be content and not to seek material riches.In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Caring Hearts, Working Hands

Passage

1 Timothy 5:1-22

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me treat everyone in your family appropriately and with great respect: older men like fathers, older women like mothers, younger men as brothers, younger women as sisters. Give us such caring hearts in our immediate families that we will take care of widows, orphans, the sick, and the troubled. Give us such caring hearts in your church that we shall supply whatever is lacking in families. Let us give honor to our elders appropriate to their work, whether respect or material support. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.
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Setting a Good Example

Passage

1 Timothy 4:11-16

Prayer

Dear Father, May we never lessen our commitment to you because someone criticizes us. Instead, let us set an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Encourage us to busy ourselves with the reading of Scripture, with preaching and teaching. Help us not to neglect whatever gifts we have from you. Help us use every resource you have given us to serve fruitfully in your kingdom, that we may be saved and that others may come to a saving relationship with your Son Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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The Value of Godliness

Passage

1 Timothy 4:6-10

Prayer

Dear Father, Make us diligent athletes who exercise our spiritual bodies, recognizing that while physical exercise has some profit, godliness is of value in every way, because it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. We have set the hope of our hearts upon you, our Father, the living God, the Savior of all men, most especially of us who have put our trust in you. We do believe in you. Please use our hope and faith as a springboard to our diligent efforts for your kingdom. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Faith and Freedom

Passage

1 Timothy 4:1-4; 5:24

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep us from paying attention to seducing spirits or doctrines of demons. Don't let the pretensions of those whose consciences are seared invade our lives. Let us hold that marriage is honorable and not to be forbidden. Let us be free to eat all the foods which you have created as good. Give us thankful hearts for what you have provided, and may we consecrate what we eat by giving thanks. Keep from joining into the sins of others, whether those that are present and conspicuous or those that are hidden and will appear later.In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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The Central Mystery

Passage

1 Timothy 3:14-16

Prayer

Dear Father, Give us a graciousness by which we shall know how to behave ourselves in your household, the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Help us so dedicate ourselves individually to the truth that the church at large will be a bastion of truth, and will be known by the world to be what it claims to be. Keep our focus of truth always on that central mystery of our religion: That Christ was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory! Nourish us on words of faith and good doctrine. Guide our minds to stay away from silly and godless myths. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Leadership Qualities

Passage

1 Timothy 3:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, Give in whatever measure you please the qualities of elders and deacons to all your people, even to me. Help me desire tasks that are a noble work to you. Help me to live above reproach, to be proper in my family relations, to be temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, sober, and gentle. Help me manage my affairs properly and command the respect of my family and outsiders. Help me serve you well in whatever capacity you allot, that I may gain a good standing and great confidence in my faith in Christ. Keep me from becoming puffed up or conceited. Don't let me fall into the condemnation of the devil. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Prayer and Good Deeds

Passage

1 Timothy 2:8-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Let the men of your church pray constantly to you, lifting holy hands without quarreling. May your women adorn themselves modestly and sensibly and clothe themselves in good deeds, as befits women who profess religion. Actually Lord, may both sexes do both of these. Let prayer and good deeds adorn us and fill our lives. May men and women who are called to follow you relate to each other in perfect submission both to you and to each other. In the name of Jesus Christ, the one Mediator between God and man, who gave his life for us, I pray. Amen.
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A Prayer for All

Passage

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, king of nations and peoples, This is for all people everywhere - We plead for all people because they all need you. We pray for all people because many never talk to you. We intercede for all people because most do not know what to ask. We give thanks for all people for few express gratitude. We thank you for their lives, and we give thanks to you for all that you give them, even though they do not acknowledge you or give thanks to you. We pray for national, regional, and local leaders and all who are in high positions. May they exercise wisdom and justice so that we who follow you may live quiet and peaceable lives, godly and respectful in every way. We know that such prayer is good and acceptable in your sight, because we know that you want everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, the one Mediator between God and man, who gave his life for us, I pray. Amen.
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The Good Fight of Faith

Passage

1 Timothy 6:20-21, 11-16

Prayer

Dear Father, invisible and immortal God, Guard me that I may guard what you have entrusted to me. Help me to avoid the godless talk and vain reasonings of "knowledge," (which is not real knowledge) lest I miss the mark as regards the faith. Give me the courage and strength to flee from all wickedness and to pursue instead righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Help me fight the good fight of faith. In the name of Jesus and to your glory I lift up this prayer. Amen.
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Empowered to Serve

Passage

2 Timothy 1:3-10

Prayer

Dear Father, seer of my inmost thoughts, Give me a clear conscience in my service to you. Then fill my mouth with prayers to you as I intercede for those I love. Let my contacts with them be sources of great joy for all of us. Let the sincere faith of our mothers and fathers and other relatives take root in us and grow. Whatever gift you have given me, help me rekindle it every day and fan it into a flame of service and love for you. Help me live boldly for you, for you did not give me a spirit of timidity but a spirit of love and power and inward strength. Don't let me ever be ashamed of bearing witness about our Lord. Let me take my share of suffering for the gospel and rely on your power. In the name and power of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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The Good Fight of Faith

Passage

1 Timothy 6:20-21, 11-16

Prayer

Dear Father, invisible and immortal God, Guard me that I may guard what you have entrusted to me. Help me to avoid the godless talk and vain reasonings of "knowledge," (which is not real knowledge) lest I miss the mark as regards the faith. Give me the courage and strength to flee from all wickedness and to pursue instead righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Help me fight the good fight of faith. In the name of Jesus and to your glory I lift up this prayer. Amen.
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Entrusted with Faith

Passage

2 Timothy 1:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Give me great faith. Help me know whom I have believed and absolutely know that you are able to guard until that Day what I have entrusted to you and what you have entrusted to me. Thank you for the salvation and holy calling that you have given me. This was not in virtue of my goodness but in virtue of your own purpose and grace. This is what you gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago and have now manifested in the appearing of Christ upon earth. In his name I pray. Amen.
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Entrusted with Truth

Passage

2 Timothy 1:9-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you that Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to life through the Good News. Help us be true to this message, to teach it and preach it. Help us follow the pattern of sound words which have been given us in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Grant that we may guard the truth you have entrusted to us by the Holy Spirit which you have caused to dwell within us.In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Saved from an Evil World

Passage

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Prayer

Dear Father, Savior, Undergird me with your grace during the days of stress that are present in these last times. Keep me from going in the direction that people of the world are going. Don't let me be a lover of self, a lover of money, proud and arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents. Don't let me be ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, a slanderer, profligate, fierce, a hater of good, treacherous, reckless. Don't let me be swollen with conceit, a lover of pleasure rather than loving you, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Help me to avoid people who do all these terrible things. Help me to witness to them about your call to change their attitudes.In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Escaping Evil, Embracing Truth

Passage

2 Timothy 2:22-26

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to escape evil passions and to aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all who call upon the Lord from a pure heart. Give me the wisdom to avoid stupid, senseless quarrels and controversies. Help me to be kind and forbearing toward everyone, teaching and correcting with gentleness any who may oppose your doctrine. My God, grant those who are estranged from you in mind to be persuaded by the truth and turn in repentance toward you, that they may escape from the devil after having been captured by him to do his will. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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A Workman Unashamed

Passage

2 Timothy 2:14-21

Prayer

Dear Father, firm foundation, Help me to avoid disputes about words, which does no good, but merely ruins the hearers. Help me do my best to present myself to you for your approval, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling your word of truth. Your firm foundation stands sure, bearing a seal which says two things: "The Lord knows those who are his." "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." You in your sovereign power and omniscience know my acceptability. For my part let me find assurance in my deep desire to do your will. Purify me that I may be a vessel for noble use in your house, consecrated and useful to Christ, the master of the house, ready for any good work. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Endure, Never Deny

Passage

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Prayer

Dear Father, ever faithful God, Thank you for my Savior, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, as preached in the gospel of your grace. Help me endure all things for the sake of that glorious message. May my words and deeds be a clear witness. May I endure everything for the sake of your elect, that they may obtain salvation and eternal glory. Thank you that I have died with Christ and will also live with him. May I endure, so I might also reign with you. May I never deny you, so you will not deny me. And may I remain faithful to you, as you yourself are faithful. In the name of Jesus, grant me perseverance in your love. I give you my unreserved obedience. Amen.
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Instilled with Truth

Passage

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Prayer

Dear Father, Let my remembrance and my devotions be set upon Jesus Christ, a descendant of David according to the flesh but an heir of your riches according to his resurrection from the dead. Let me obtain the salvation which in Jesus Christ goes with eternal glory. Instill within me the meaning of your true saying: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself! In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Disciplined for Service

Passage

2 Timothy 2:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, Make me strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Help me pass your word on to others who also will share it. Help me take my share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ. Help me avoid "civilian" entanglements that would dilute my loyal obedience to Christ, my commander. Help me be a disciplined athlete for you. Help me to be a hard-working farmer who tills in your vineyard, patiently waiting for the harvest that comes from you. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Entrusted with Faith

Passage

2 Timothy 1:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Give me great faith. Help me know whom I have believed and absolutely know that you are able to guard until that Day what I have entrusted to you and what you have entrusted to me.Thank you for the salvation and holy calling that you have given me. This was not in virtue of my goodness but in virtue of your own purpose and grace. This is what you gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago and have now manifested in the appearing of Christ upon earth. In his name I pray. Amen.
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A Pure Mind

Passage

Titus 1:15-16

Prayer

Dear Father, Let me have a pure mind, so that all things may be pure to me. For to the corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are corrupted, and professing to know you, they deny you by their deeds. They are detestable and disobedient, unfit for any good deed. O God, I want to flee from all such behavior and be yours alone. Guide my mind and keep my heart and move my body! Give me salvation, sincerity, and selflessness. In the holy name of Christ Jesus I ask it. Amen.
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Only Out of Love

Passage

Titus 1:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me never to teach or serve in your kingdom for selfish gain. May I live and do good out of pure love for you. Help me to stay away from stupid myths, concocted by human imagination, and follow only the truth that comes from you. Help me to be frugal in my approach to life. Save me from overindulgence of every kind. In the holy name of Christ Jesus I ask it. Amen.
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Furthering the Faith

Passage

Titus 1:1-9

Prayer

Dear Father, the God who never lies, Grant that my life will further the faith of your chosen people and increase their knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which you promised ages ago and at the proper time manifested through the preaching of your word. May the leaders of your people be blameless, good stewards of the responsibility which you give them. May they hold firmly to your sure word as taught by your apostles. May they love and demonstrate everything that is good, and by word and deed refute the advocates of evil. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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An Everlasting Kingdom

Passage

2 Timothy 4:9-22

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me not to be in love with this present world. Enable me to live for the sake of your everlasting kingdom. Help me come to the defense of those who are attacked wrongly or who need defending for your sake. Stand by us, dear God, and give us the strength to live for you and to proclaim your word fully, as it deserves. Rescue us from the lion's mouth. Rescue us from every evil and save us for your heavenly kingdom. Be with our spirits. Grant abundant grace to us in every way. To you be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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Fighting the Good Fight

Passage

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Prayer

Dear Father, warrior against evil, Help me to fight the good fight. Help me to finish the race. Help me to keep the faith, so that I will receive the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, and not to me only but to all who have loved his appearing. Teach my arms to war. Teach my legs to run. Teach my lungs to pump air. Let me be a furious and fast warrior in your army of faith. Let me be absolutely immovable in the trust I have in you. Give me an overwhelming love for you and everything you stand for. I love you, Father. I love Jesus and the Spirit. I love your kingdom and all your people. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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The Finished Race

Passage

2 Timothy 4:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, source of our strength, Be with every disciple, especially with your preachers. May they be urgent in season and out of season. Empower them to convince, rebuke, and exhort. Help them to be unfailing in patience and persistent teaching. Guide them all to be steady, to endure suffering, to do the work of evangelization, and to fulfil the ministries you have given them. Let them all, and all of your people, so live that we can say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Thank you for the gracious reward you have in store for us all - that crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to every one who has loved and longed for his appearing. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Equipped for Good Work

Passage

2 Timothy 3:10-17

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me adhere to right teaching, proper conduct, the right aim in life and faith. Help me hold on patience, love, and steadfastness, even when I am opposed and persecuted for doing so. When evil people and impostors go from bad to worse, keep me from giving up in the face of their persecution and opposition. May I continue in what I have learned and firmly believe, knowing that your Word is able to instruct me for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Thank you for these writings - breathed by your holy breath - which are good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, that I may be complete and equipped for every good work. Father, complete your work in me, may I be ready to do your work in the world! In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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The Preeminence of Christ

Passage

Hebrews 1:1-14

Prayer

Dear Father, father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thank you for speaking through the prophets of old, bit by bit, in first one way, then another. Help me not to be slow of heart but to believe all they have said. Thank you most of all for speaking to us through your Son. You made him heir of all things and through him you created the world. We give glory to you because this one who shines forth with your glory and bears the very stamp of your nature. He upholds the world by his power. Thank you for him, this one who is our Savior, the one who purifies us from our sins. Thank you for exalting him high above all angels, for giving him a name more excellent than theirs, and for causing him to sit on your right hand in your majestic splendor. Our wonderful Lord wields a scepter of righteousness! His throne is for ever and ever. Thank you for this changeless and faithful Savior of ours! Thank you! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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An Heir of Hope

Passage

Titus 3:4-15

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you that your goodness and loving kindness have appeared. Thank you for saving me, not because of my righteous deeds, but in virtue of your own mercy, totally undeserved, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. You richly poured it out on me through Jesus Christ, my Savior. Thank you for doing all this so that I might be justified by your grace and become an heir in hope of eternal life! Thank you that I can be sure of all these things, because you said so. Help me apply myself to good deeds, which are excellent and profitable to me. Teach me to avoid stupid arguments that are unprofitable and futile. Help me to be all that you want me to be! May your grace continue with me and with all whose love arises in faith. In the name of Jesus, the all-wise and blessed Savior. Amen.
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The Wisdom of Respect

Passage

Titus 3:1-3

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to have respect for rulers and authorities, to be submissive and obedient. Help me to be ready for any honest work, and to speak evil of no one. Help me to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy to every one. Help me not to be foolish, disobedient, or led astray. Help me not to be a slave to various passions and pleasures, or to pass my days in malice or envy, hating others or being hated by them. In the name of Jesus, the all-wise and blessed Savior. Amen.
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Renouncing Worldliness

Passage

Titus 2:4-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to be submissive to others' needs, to give them satisfaction, to show entire and true fidelity, so that in everything I may adorn your teaching, my God and Savior, my Teacher. I want to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live a sober, upright and godly life in this world. I want to wait for (and hasten!) the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good works. Please purify me, even as Christ is pure, through the blessed hope of his ultimate and world-wide, and yet personal, redemption.In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
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A Model of Good Deeds

Passage

Titus 2:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, whose word is sound doctrine, Let me teach by word and example what conforms to the sound doctrine of your word. Help me to be temperate, serious, sensible, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Let me show myself in all respects to be a model of good deeds, and in my teaching and example to show integrity, gravity, and sound expression that cannot be criticized, so that any one who opposes your teaching may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of me. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
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Better Things

Passage

Hebrews 5:11-6:4, 9-12

Prayer

Dear Father, I am eager to be a good learner. I want to get beyond needing milk meant for babies. I want to digest the solid food of your word. I want to be skilled in righteousness, able to distinguish good from evil. Let me move past the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance. Help me to lay hold of those "better things" that belong to salvation. Thank you, God, for remembering the work and love that I render for your sake in serving your holy people. May I realize the assurance of hope right to the end, so that I may not be sluggish, but may imitate those who through faith and patience inherit your promises. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Risen with Christ

Passage

Hebrews 5:7-10

Prayer

Dear Father, Eternal God, Thank you for a high priestly Savior, who in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to you who were able to save him from death. Thank you that you heard him for his godly fear, but that you answered him by raising him from death, rather than saving him from dying. Otherwise we would have had no sacrifice for our sins.Thank you for Jesus' sacrificial death. Thank you for his resurrection, which has been passed on to us through him. For we too have died and been raised through the great love with which you loved us! Thank you, Father, thank you, thank you! We cannot thank you enough! There are not enough words, not even time, not enough breath, not enough strength, to say what we owe you for your great salvation! In the name of Jesus, our High Priest, I pray. Amen.
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Our Great High Priest

Passage

Hebrews 4:14-5:6

Prayer

Dear Father, Eternal God, Enable us to hold fast to our confession of Jesus as our great High Priest. We adore him, for even though he passed through the heavens to enter your sanctuary, he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, because in flesh like ours he was tempted just as we are. But unlike us, he bore up under it without sinning. Through his victory, enable us to draw near to your throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our times of need so that we can have victory ourselves. How thankful we are for our High Priest, who did not take the honor upon himself. You yourself called him and appointed him to act on our behalf in relating to you. And he offered himself as a gift and sacrifice for our sins. In the name of Jesus, our High Priest, I ask. Amen.
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Living before the Omniscient God

Passage

Hebrews 4:13

Prayer

Dear Father, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, Help me to follow your teachings and live my life according to your will even in unusual or seemingly unimportant circumstances. O Lord, from you nothing is hidden; all things are open and laid bare before your eyes, and to you we give an account of our actions. Let my inmost thoughts and my most secret deeds, which you see and judge anyway, be done in righteous adherence to your teaching, and with a pure heart. And forgive me when I am forgetful or negligent. And if there is rebellion in my spirit, turn me around through your chastisement, that I may turn back to you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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The Sabbath Rest

Passage

Hebrews 3:7-4:11

Prayer

Dear Father, I long to enter into your rest - into creative work that is effortless, into joyous activity in which there is no fatigue, into glorious praise of which I will not tire! Thank you for the Good News that there remains a Sabbath Rest for the people of God. Keep me from being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. May I not focus on the glittering things of this world and lose sight of the glorious eternity that awaits me. Let me not fall away from you through faithlessness and disobedience as did your ancient people in the wilderness wanderings. Let no rebellion sprout in my heart against you. May I walk steadfastly and patiently in your paths. May I learn that to enter your rest I must surrender my will. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Focused on Jesus

Passage

Hebrews 3:1-6

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep my eyes focused on Jesus. Help me carefully consider him. Let me see his faithfulness. Let me see his worthiness to be honored. Let me see him as the apostle and high priest of my confession. Let me see him as the one who has called me to a heavenly calling. Let me see him as the very Son of God, faithful over God's household, and let me see myself as part of that household of faith, and let us hold fast our confidence and our pride in our hope. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Jesus, Full of Grace

Passage

Hebrews 2:14

Prayer

Dear Father, King of all, How full of grace you and your Son are for our sake! You let Jesus share in flesh and blood, partake of our nature, that he through his death might destroy the Devil, who held the power of death, and deliver us from lifelong bondage. Thank you for making Jesus so like us that he can now be a merciful and faithful high priest in our behalf, to make expiation for our sins. Thank you that, because he has suffered and has been tempted, he is able now to help us when we suffer and are tempted. How great are your mercies, O God! How desperately we need your sustenance in every moment of our lives! How glad we are that Jesus is there by your side, pleading our case, turning away the accusations of Satan about our weaknesses, failures, and acts and thoughts of selfishness. Thank you, Father, thank you! Thank you, Lord Jesus! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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Holding Fast to Faith

Passage


Hebrews 10:19-25

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for the confidence I can have to enter your sanctuary. May I draw near to you in faith, full of assurance, with my heart cleansed from a guilty conscience and with my body washed with pure water. Grant that I may hold fast to the confession of my faith, without wavering, since I know that you, the one who promised, is faithful. May my enthusiastic expression of faith stir up fellow Christians to good works. Let me not neglect meeting with my brothers and sisters or fail to remember that we all will be gathered to meet the Lord. May we encourage one another all the more as we see that glorious Day drawing near. I am looking forward to the return of your Son, and it is in his name that I pray. Amen.
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A Perfect Sacrifice

Passage

Hebrews 9:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you that when Christ appeared as a High Priest, he entered into the Holy Place and took not the blood of bulls and goats, but his own blood, thus securing eternal redemption for us. How much more perfect and pleasing to you was his sacrifice than that of animals, for he offered what was truly perfect - his sinless body. Thank you, Father, that through this offering he has purified my conscience that I might serve you, the true and living God. Infuse my body, soul, and spirit with your grace. Give me a soft and obedient heart that yields readily to your will. Give me a broken and contrite heart that despises sin and yearns for true holiness. Keep me from loving the things of this world. Make me willing to surrender anything that I possess or could possess, that I may walk with you. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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By His Own Blood

Passage

Hebrews 8:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, the Majesty of heaven, Thank you that in Jesus we have a totally understanding and merciful High Priest. He has your authority, seated at the right hand of the throne of your majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and true tabernacle which was set up by you, not men. Thank you that the new covenant we have through him is superior to the old covenant in that it is written on our hearts and minds. I want to know you, O God. I want to obey you. I want to spend my life in your service and eternity in your glory. Remove my wickedness and remember my sins no more. In the name of your holy Son, whose blood has bought my forgiveness, I pray. Amen.
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The Immutable Oath

Passage

Hebrews 6:13-7:28

Prayer

Dear Father, King above all rule and authority on earth, Thank you for your holy and sure promises. Your oath is immutable. In these things in which it is impossible for you to prove false, we who have fled to you for refuge find strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. Thank you for the sure and steadfast anchor you have given our lives, our hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain.There Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become for us a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek - King of Righteousness, King of Peace - a priest for ever by the oath of you yourself - receiver of tithes from Abraham and Aaron - officiating not by right of bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life! Praise, honor, glory, and power to Jesus our High Priest, able for all time to save those who draw near to you through him, Son of God, made perfect for ever! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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Acts of Faith

Passage

Hebrews 11:20-12:2

Prayer

Dear Father, my trustworthy God, Give me faith like Moses, who loved your way more than the treasures of Egypt. Give me faith like the people of the Exodus, who were willing to walk through the sea at your bidding, but keep me from wavering and rebelling as they did. Give me faith like Rahab, who placed her loyalty with you and your people. Give me faith like Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who did mighty works in your name and suffered with patient endurance for your sake. Dear God, I rejoice to be in the company of your holy people, this cloud of witnesses who lived by faith in you. May I lay aside every weight of sin and run with perseverance the race that is set before me, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of my faith. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Abraham's Faith

Passage

Hebrews 11:8-19

Prayer

Holy Father, in whom all faith is safe, I cannot imagine what it would be like to be asked to do what you asked Abraham to do. He was willing to sacrifice the very son you had promised to him, the son through whom you promised to make a great nation. He believed that you could do what he had never seen done before-raise someone from the dead. May I stay so close to you that I will never doubt your instructions to me. Like Abraham, I want to be willing to follow you to unknown parts of the earth. Like Abraham, I want to trust you when you ask me to do difficult things. Abraham believed you and you counted it to him as righteousness. May my faith be counted to me as righteousness as well. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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Giants of Faith

Passage

Hebrews 11:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, trustworthy God, You alone are worthy of faith, for you alone have the power to keep promises. Increase my faith, Lord. May I have the full assurance of what I hope for, the firm conviction of the reality of what I do not yet see. Give me faith in your creation and ordering of the world, that what is here is made out of what does not appear. Give me faith like Abel, who sought your approval and whose faith still speaks beyond his death. Give me faith like Enoch, who walked so close to you that you took him to yourself without his having to die. Give me faith like Noah, who was willing to preach your message to an unregenerate and unrepentant world. In the name of Jesus, who died in my place. Amen.
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Confident in Christ

Passage

Hebrews 10:26-39

Prayer

Holy God, who has promised to return, How foolish I would be to keep on sinning after coming to the knowledge of your truth. Give me the strength to forsake whatever sin I become aware of in my life. I submit myself to your examination and ask to see myself as you see me. In the face of suffering or ridicule, I want to stand strong in truth, always aware that confidence and perseverance will be richly rewarded in the life to come. May I not be among those who shrink back and are destroyed, but among those who hold on to faith and keep their souls. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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I Come to You, God

Passage

Hebrews 12:22-29

Prayer

Dear Father, I come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the city of the living God. I join with the thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, with the assembly of the firstborn ones, whose names are written in heaven. I come to you, my God, the judge of all the earth. I come to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. I come to you, my God, thanking your for receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. I am so thankful. And so I worship you with reverence and awe. Receive me, I pray. You, my God, are a consuming fire. Burn away all that is worthless in me, that I may be to you a vessel of pure gold, useful and holy. With awesome reverence and in the name of Jesus I come to you, asking these things according to his will. Amen.
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The Birthright

Passage

Hebrews 12:16-17

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep me from being immoral or irreligious and, like Esau, selling the birthright you have for me. I want to inherit your blessing, even if it comes to me through tears. Hold me close to you. Fill my mind with thoughts of you. Fill my heart with love for you. May I use my strength to perform acts of care and love which you initiate. I love you, Lord. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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Call for Peace and Holiness

Passage

Hebrews 12:12-15

Prayer

Dear Father, When my hands droop and my knees are weak, put me in a place where I will get exercise. Open my eyes so that I can find level paths on which to lead the lame so they will not trip and get hurt but will walk and find healing. May I always strive for peace with every other person in the world and to seek holiness for myself, knowing that without it I will never see you. Enable me to help others find grace and to keep those in your family from becoming bitter, which causes trouble and leads to defilement. In the name of your Son I ask. Amen.
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Respect for God's Discipline

Passage

Hebrews 12:3-11

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to keep my eyes on Jesus. Despite the hostility poured on him by sinners, he obeyed you, even to the point of death. Help me submit to your discipline, for I know that it assures me that I am your legitimate child, not just a slave. Help me to respect your discipline, as from a heavenly Father, even more than discipline I received from my earthly father. Help me bear up under the painful aspects of your discipline, understanding that it yields the fruit of righteousness. Teach me to rely on you and trust you, as a small child does a father. Let me become as a little child, that I may enter your kingdom! In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.
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The Secret of God's Will

Passage

Ephesians 1:9-14

Prayer

Dear Father, King of an eternal kingdom, You have made known to us the secret of your will, the purpose which you set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time. Thank you, O God, for what you have made known - that you intend to unite everything in Christ - things in heaven and things on earth. Divine Lord, you accomplish all things according to your will. Thank you that we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. Thank you also that in Christ we who have heard the word of truth, the Good News of our salvation, and have put our trust in him, have been sealed with your own Holy Spirit. We exult in you, Father, because you have given us this Spirit, which is the guarantee, the down payment on our inheritance, until we acquire possession of it - for the praise of your glory! In the name of Jesus and by his authority I pray. Amen.
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Heavenly Blessings

Passage

Ephesians 1:5-8

Prayer

Dear Father, King of an eternal kingdom, In love you destined us to be your sons through Jesus Christ, exactly as you wanted to do. My heart overflows with thanksgiving and praise for this glorious graciousness which you bestowed on us in your beloved Son. Thank you that in him and through his blood we are forgiven of every sin and released from our bondage to sin - all of this according to your unfailing love lavished on us! In the name of Jesus and by his authority I pray. Amen.
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Holy and Blameless

Passage

Ephesians 1:3-4

Prayer

Dear Father, King of an eternal kingdom, Thank you for giving me the greatest motivation in life. You have called me into your kingdom, the greatest blessing that can come to any creature in heaven or on earth, in ages past, the present, or time to come. Blessed are you, O God, Creator of everything that is.You have blessed us with every blessing of a spiritual nature in the heavenly realms. In fact, you chose us in Christ before you created the world, that we should be specially dedicated to you, holy and blameless. Continue your work in me, O Lord. Make me holy and blameless in word and in deed. In the name of Jesus and by his authority I pray. Amen.
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Christ Working in Me

Passage

Hebrews 13:10-21

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to obey my leaders and submit to them, as those who keep watch for my soul. Fill my mouth and my heart with earnest prayer for all your servants who serve you in your kingdom! Now may you, the great God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip me with everything good that I may do your will, working in me what is pleasing in your sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
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Altar of Worship

Passage

Hebrews 13:10-21

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for providing an altar of worship for me and all those who have faith in Jesus. Thank you that our Lord Jesus was willing to suffer outside the gate in order to call to himself a people sanctified through his blood. Thank you that I am one of these! Let me therefore go to him outside the camp, bearing abuse for him. Father, here I have no lasting city, no permanent country, but I seek the city which is to come, that you are preparing. Through Christ therefore I offer up to you a continual sacrifice of praise, the fruit of my lips which acknowledge your name. My Lord, help me never to neglect to do good and to share what I have, for I know these sacrifices are pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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No Fear in Christ

Passage

Hebrews 13:6-8

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me say with confidence: The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I remember those who led me to Christ by speaking his word to me. Thank you for them. Bless them abundantly. Help me to imitate their faith. And most of all, thank you for Jesus Christ, who forever remains true to me. Thank you, my God, that he is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Exhortations

Passage

Hebrews 13:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, hospitable king, Fill me with brotherly love. Make me a generous provider of hospitality to strangers. Let angels find provision under my roof, even when I don't know who they really are. Help me remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since I am also in the body. Help me hold marriage in honor. May my own marriage bed remain forever undefiled. Keep me from the love of money. Help me be content with what I have, knowing that you will never fail me or forsake me.In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Spiritual Resources

Passage

Ephesians 6:17-18

Prayer

Dear Father, my resource for everything, Help me make full use of your spiritual resources given to me. Help me destroy evil through the power of your word, the power of your Holy Spirit. Help me be a prayer warrior, for it is through prayer that you empower your soldiers. So help me to stand - by right belief, by right thinking, by right living, by right praying. Help me to pray at all times in the Spirit. In the name of Jesus and by the power of his Spirit I seek your face. Amen.
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Prepared to Fight

Passage

Ephesians 6:14-17

Prayer

Dear Father, my support in battle, Help me stand, having put on my body the garments of TRUTH and the bullet-proof vest of the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS, having put on my feet the combat boots of PREPARATION IN THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE, and besides these, having taken in hand the shield of TRUST IN GOD. (I feel like I need a gas mask of DISCERNMENT to protect me from the poison of Satan's propaganda.) Give me the wisdom that comes with the helmet of SALVATION and the zeal to take up the assault weapon of the SPIRIT, THE SPOKEN WORD OF GOD. With all these in place, let me stand my ground . . . and fight! In the name of Jesus, the forger of our armor, I pray. Amen.
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Equipped for Battle

Passage

Ephesians 6:11-13

Prayer

Dear Father, warrior against all evil, May I put on the full array of battle gear that you supply that I may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, the commander-in-chief of all evil spirits. Help me understand that our warfare is not just against flesh and blood, against mere men. It is against the principalities, the powers, the rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual armies of wickedness in the heavenly places. It is there that they do battle against my soul, against you and your Son, against the heavenly armies, and against all your holy people. Therefore let me take up all the equipment which you have given me, that I may be able to withstand Satan's hordes in the evil day, and having done everything you want me to do, to stand! In the name of Jesus, the forger of our armor, I pray. Amen.
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Strong in Christ

Passage

Ephesians 6:10-12

Prayer

Dear Father, King, and Commander of the holy armies, Though you have lifted me up to reign in the heavenly places with Christ, remind me that your armies are engaged in a fierce struggle to take earth for heaven. Don't let me relax as if there is no war going on. This is not a time of peace. Never let me let down my guard and fail to look to my armament. May I be strong in you and in the strength of your might! In the name of Jesus, the faithful warrior, I pray. Amen.
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Good Spouses

Passage

Ephesians 5:25-33

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to be the good husband that you want me to be. Help me to love my wife even as Christ loves his church, being willing to give himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Help me to keep your command to love my wife as I love my own body. Empower me to love her as I love myself. Help me to live in such a way as to help her in her attempt to be holy before you. May I always support, encourage, comfort, and nourish her for her good. In the name of Jesus, the one husband of the church. Amen.
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Submission

Passage

Ephesians 5:21-6:9

Prayer

Dear Father, Help all of us who reverence Christ to be submissive to each other, even as he submitted himself to the people about him so that he could be their servant-king. Help wives and husbands submit to each other. Help wives to be respectful. Help husbands to be loving and considerate. Help parents and children submit to each other. Help children to obey their parents. Help parents to act in the best interest of their children, not provoking them. Help employers and employees submit to each other. Help employees render the work for which they are paid. Help employers to be fair, to show kindness. Help all your people everywhere to live even as Jesus did. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Living in Wisdom

Passage

Ephesians 5:15-21

Prayer

Dear Father, Fill me with your heavenly wisdom, which involves alertness to problems and opportunities, avoidance of addictions, fullness of your Spirit, overflowing joy, and constant thanksgiving! For your heavenly wisdom is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. And true wisdom begins with awesome reverence for you! To you be all the glory, honor, and dominion. Forever and ever! In the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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Walking in the Light

Passage

Ephesians 5:6

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me not to be deceived by empty but high-sounding words that cloak the intent of wickedness. I know that it is because of these flauntings that your wrath comes upon the sons of disobedience. Help me not to walk with such people, to think like them, or to behave like them. Let me walk in the light, with the children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. May I learn to do only those things which are pleasing to you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Standing in the Light

Passage

Ephesians 5:7

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep me from being silent when your cause is threatened by evil people, even though I and my family and the people I care about may perish. May I stand with courage, for you are able to raise deliverance from another quarter. And if I perish, I perish. May I not take part in any way in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. In the name of Jesus, the holy Light of mankind. Amen.
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A Clean Life

Passage

Ephesians 5:6-7

Prayer

Dear Father, Don't let me be deceived by the empty words of worldly people. It is because of these things that your wrath will come upon the sons of disobedience. Father, if I have to stand alone, so be it! Let me stand for you if the whole world stands against you! Don't ever let me forget your commands or forsake you. In the name of Jesus I ask for the purity of mind and spirit that was in him. Amen.
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A Clean Mind

Passage

Ephesians 5:5

Prayer

Dear Father, Holy God, You have warned me that I can be sure of this: that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is covetous (idolatrous!) has any inheritance in the kingdom that belongs to you and Christ. Furthermore, keep me from enjoying as entertainment the depiction of such things in books or magazines, or on the stage or on television. Help me to understand that most of what comes through these media is from the minds and imaginations of unregenerate people, whose gods are self, money, power, and sensual indulgence. In the name of Jesus I ask for the purity of mind and spirit that was in him. Amen.
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A Clean Mouth

Passage

Ephesians 5:3-4

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep me from talking about or thinking about illicit sex and pornography and covetousness, since you require that your holy people avoid referring to these things. Keep me from filthy stories, silly or flippant talk, and any other kind of conversation not fitting for one who follows you. Instead, let my mouth be filled with - thanksgiving! In the name of Jesus I ask for the purity of mind and spirit that was in him. And I give you thanks. Amen.
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Imitating God

Passage

Ephesians 4:29-5:2

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy of my love and obedience, Let nothing evil come out of my mouth - only what is good for building others up. Let whatever I say fit the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. Don't let me do anything that would grieve your Holy Spirit within me, by which I have been sealed for the day of redemption. Help me get rid of all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander, and especially anything malicious. Help me to be kind to others, tenderhearted, and forgiving, even as you have forgiven me in Christ.Father, I want to imitate you, as a loving child would imitate a father. And may I walk in love, even as Christ loved me and gave himself up for me, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to you. In the name of Jesus who sacrificed himself for my sake. Amen.
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Good Neighbors

Passage

Ephesians 4:25-28

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy of my love and obedience, May the thought of deceit or falsehood never enter into my relations with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Let all of us speak the truth with our neighbors, since we are members of each other. Don't let my anger turn into sin. May I never let the sun go down on my wrath. Don't let grudge-holding and unforgiveness on my part give the devil any opportunity. Help me never to covet anything that belongs to someone else, but rather to work with my mind and my hands to get the things needed by myself and others. In the name of Jesus who sacrificed himself for my sake. Amen.
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Undivided, Indivisible

Passage

Philippians 2:1-2

Prayer

Dear Father, One God of your one holy people, Help me never to be a party to any division within the body of Christ. Let me be perfectly united in mind and heart with all others who follow you. Help me not to be some kind of -ite, -ist, or -anian. Keep me from misplacing my loyalties with this person or that! Christ, of whom I am part, is not divided. He is of one mind. So let me and all his people be together and in agreement. Let us be like-minded, having the same love, one in spirit and purpose. In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of our unity and salvation, I ask these things. Amen.

To Live Is Christ

Passage

Philippians 1:20-26

Prayer

Dear Father, Fill us with courage so that Christ will be honored in our bodies, whether by life or by death. For us to live is Christ, to die is gain! Grant that our manner of life may be worthy of the Good News of Christ. Help us to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Good News, not frightened in anything by our opponents. Grant that we may not only believe in Christ, but that we shall also be willing to suffer for him if necessary, engaged in the same conflict as was Jesus, the apostles, the martyrs, and all of your church until this very day. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Setbacks into Stepping Stones

Passage

Philippians 1:12-20

Prayer

Dear Father, Take the setbacks of our lives and use them to further the proclamation of your Good News about Jesus to the world. Let such things become a source of encouragement to our brethren when they see the valor of those who bear up under adversity. May every hardship spur your people on to boldly speak your word without fear! Even when your word is proclaimed for the wrong reason, we rejoice, for your word of salvation is nevertheless proclaimed. Father, we rejoice in the way you comfort and remain faithful to us. We are thankful that the prayers of our fellow believers rise night and day for us and for the good of your kingdom.In the name of King Jesus I ask. Amen.

Participants

Passage

Philippians 1:3-11

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for the great joy I feel about my fellow believers. Thank you for the partnership we have in your Son Jesus. Thank you that we are common partakers of your grace. Give us all the grace to yearn for each other with the affection of Christ. Help our love to abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that we may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ, to your glory and praise!In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Love and Trust

Passage

Ephesians 6:23-24

Prayer

Dear Father, May your peace-in-the-midst-of-war be with all my brothers and sisters throughout the world. May you and the Lord Jesus fill them with love and with full and effective trust in you. May your unfailing favor be with all who love our Lord Jesus with an undying love. Father, I do love the Lord Jesus with unfailing love. Let me never outlive it. In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask for victory against everything that stands in opposition to your will, our eternal good. Amen.

Time to Pray

Passage

Ephesians 6:18-19

Prayer

Dear Father, May I fill my time with prayer and entreaties to you. Help me to keep alert for prayer. And to keep on, and keep on, and keep on. I offer supplications for your holy soldiers everywhere, especially those who preach your word. Give them the words and the boldness they need to publish openly the secret of your Good News about Jesus and his resurrection victory! In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask for victory against everything that stands in opposition to your will, our eternal good. Amen.

One in Spirit

Passage

Philippians 2:3-11

Prayer

Dear Father, One God of your one holy people, Help all of us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility help us count each other better than ourselves. May we look out for the interests of each other, not just our own. Let our attitude be the same as was in Christ Jesus, who made himself nothing and obeyed you, our Father, even in the matter of dying. Help me humbly and obediently to exalt Jesus, even as you have exalted him and given him a name that is above every name, that every knee should bow and every tongue confess - to the glory of you, our God and our Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of our unity and salvation, I ask these things. Amen.

Living from the Future

Passage

Philippians 3:15

Prayer

Father, May the motivations of my life come from the future you have appointed for me rather than from the past I have lived. Let every one of my fellow Christians be mature in this matter too, along with me. If I, or they, are lacking in any way, please disclose this to us, and change us! Help us hold true to what we have already attained. Don't let us throw this away! In the name of our Lord Jesus I ask these things and pray that you will grant us a spirit of perseverance unto eternal life. Amen.

To Know Christ

Passage

Philippians 3:10-14

Prayer

Father, I want to do this because I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and be allowed even to share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Dear Father, I know that I have not made this my own yet, but one thing let me do: Let me forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. Help me to keep pressing forward toward the goal so that I may win the prize according to your will in Christ Jesus, my Lord.In his name of our Lord Jesus I ask these things and pray that you will grant us a spirit of perseverance unto eternal life. Amen.

A Precious Promise

Passage

Philippians 3:8

Prayer

Dear Father, Keeper of all your promises,You have promised: "Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." Thank you for such a precious promise! You are so gracious to me! Help me to count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake I would gladly suffer the loss of all things - at least I hope I would - and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him. Father, you know my heart. You know that I don't want a righteousness of my own based on self-sufficient rule-keeping, but one which comes from trusting Christ. I want the righteousness that you provide when I commit myself to your trustworthy care. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Ultimate Loyalty

Passage

Philippians 2:19-3:7

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to be a Timothy, one who genuinely cares for the welfare of others. Help me look out not just for my own interests, but for Christ's. Help me to be an Epaphroditus, a true fellow worker and fellow soldier to all others who serve you, risking my life for you. Help me to be one of the true circumcision, who worship you in spirit, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. Help me turn my back on all earthly gain and count all things as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ and serving him.In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

A Brilliant Star

Passage

Philippians 2:14-18

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me do what is needed without complaining or arguing, so that I may be blameless and pure. Let me be your child without fault, a child of God, in a crooked and perverse generation. Let me shine like a brilliant star in the night skies of your universe, as I hold out the word of life. Make me a source of pride to those who led me to the Lord, so that they may know that their efforts were not in vain. Let me rejoice together with all your saints and let them rejoice with me! Now and for ever! In the name of Jesus, our star of hope. Amen.

Fear and Trembling

Passage

Philippians 2:12-13

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to obey your word, not only in the presence of other followers of Christ but even more when they are absent, when there's no one there but me. Be with me as I work out my salvation with fear and trembling, lest I should ever think that I have earned it. After all, it is you, dear God, who is at work within me, both causing me to do your good purpose and to purpose your good deeds. In the name of Jesus, our star of hope. Amen.

Focused on Goodness

Passage

Philippians 4:8-9

Prayer

Dear Father, praiseworthy God, Help me set my mind only on things that are true, that are noble, right, pure and lovely, things that are worthy of admiration. If there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, O God, let me think only about such things! Whatever I have learned or received or heard through your apostles and your word, help me to put into practice. O God of peace, be with me in everything! I believe you will, for you have promised it. I lovingly pray for your blessings and abiding presence in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Rejoice! and Pray!

Passage

Philippians 4:4-7

Prayer

Dear Father, forbearing God, Let me rejoice in the Lord always! Again I ask this from you: Let me rejoice always! Let me be gentle, open to reason, slow to make negative judgments. Let this forbearing spirit be apparent to everyone. I know the Lord Jesus is near, so I have no reason to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let me present my requests to you. I believe in you, Father, a God who transcends all human understanding. I believe that the peace which comes from you, which transcends all understanding, will keep my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. In the name of the ever-near Jesus. Amen.

My Joy and Crown

Passage

Philippians 4:1

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to stand firm in the Lord, not only for my own sake but because I am someone's joy and crown, the object of their love and longing. May I reach out to others to call them to follow the example Christ. Let them become my joy and crown, the objects of my love and longing. Especially, Father, let me influence my family - spouse, children, in-laws, grandchildren - to walk in your way and to long for your day. I love them dearly and long for their salvation. Draw them to your heart of love. In the name of Jesus I ask these things. Amen.

A Citizen of Heaven

Passage

Philippians 3:16-21

Prayer

Dear Father, I want to join all your holy people in imitating the example of your apostle Paul, and I want to take notice of people in my own time who live by the same example. Thank you, my God, that my citizenship is in heaven, from which I wait the return of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, Father, that he will come to change my lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him to subject all things to himself. In the name of Jesus I ask these things. Amen.

Content in All Circumstances

Passage

Philippians 4:11-13

Prayer

Sovereign Lord of all things, Abba, dear Father, I will not complain of want, for I have learned in whatever condition I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things through you, the God who strengthens me! Holy God, Abba, Father, you are my all-sufficient strength, and throughout eternity you will be everything I need or want! In the name of Jesus, for whom you were everything, and who taught me also to let you be my everything! Amen.

All Things through God

Passage

Philippians 4:11-13

Prayer

Sovereign Lord of all things, dear Father, How aware I am of my mortality! All flesh is like grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades . . . but your word, O God, will stand forever! I will not say that my way is hidden from the Lord, or that you, my God, have disregarded my rights. Don't I know? Haven't I heard? You, Lord, are the everlasting God, the Creator of the most distant parts of earth. You do not grow faint or get tired and your understanding is unsearchable. You give power to me when I faint. When I feel I have no energy, you increase my strength. Because I wait on you, Lord, you shall renew my strength. I shall mount up with the wings of eagles. I shall run and not be weary, I shall walk and not faint. In the name of Jesus, for whom you were everything, and who taught me also to let you be my everything! Amen.

Preparing for the End

Passage

Philippians 4:7-11

Prayer

Dear Father, victorious deliverer, May I be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on rule-keeping but that which is through trust in Christ, the righteousness of God that depends on trust, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I might attain the resurrection of the dead. O God, let me obtain it! Let me be awake! Let me put on the armor of light! Let me put on the Lord Jesus and his righteousness, and be found in him! Let me trust, obey, even suffer, in order to have the victory! In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The End Is Near

Passage

Philippians 4:5

Prayer

Dear Father, victorious deliverer, Everything points to the fact that we live in the last days, so let me not waste time sleeping. Salvation is nearer now than when I first believed. The night is far gone. The day is at hand. Help me cast off all the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let me conduct myself as becomes one of your people, not in reveling or drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling or jealousy. Rather let me put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh, to gratify its desires. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

You Made Salvation Possible!

Passage

Colossians 1:21-22

Prayer

Dear Father, I am so thankful that in your love and wisdom you gave up your Son to reconcile us to yourself through his body of flesh offered in death on the cross. You wanted me to be holy and blameless and without reproach, so you made it possible! Thank you, Father. In the name of your holy Son. Amen.

Reconciled through Christ

Passage

Colossians 1:15-20

Prayer

Dear Father, We are Christ's church and he is head over us, head over his body. He is the beginning, the first-born of creation and the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might have the pre-eminence. How gracious you were and are in your good will toward us that your very fullness should dwell in him and that through him all things should be reconciled to you, things on heaven and things on earth. Thank you for making peace with us and all your creation by the blood of your Son's cross. Let us always glory in it and in him! Thank you, dear God, for the wonderful salvation you have provided. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Held Together in Christ

Passage

Colossians 1:15-20

Prayer

Dear Father, We have not seen you. We do not even know what it might mean to see you. But you have shown us Jesus, and because we have seen him, we have seen you. Thank you for him who is the image of you, the invisible God. Thank you for creating all things through him who is the first-born of all creation. Help us grasp what is means that everything - things in heaven, things on earth, things visible, things invisible, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, all matter and all energy - was created by him who was before all things, and that all these things hold together through him. How overawed we are! We prostrate our bodies, souls, and spirits before him! In Jesus' hallowed name I ask. Amen.

Strengthened with Power

Passage

Colossians 1:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, in whom there is no darkness at all, Strengthen me with all power, according to your great might, so that I can both endure and be patient, even having great joy while enduring, always giving thanks to you, my heavenly Father. Please qualify me to share in the inheritance in the light of your dedicated and holy people. Thank you for rescuing me from the realm of darkness and putting me safely into the kingdom of Jesus, the dear Son whom you love, and whom I love, through whom I have my redemption, the forgiveness of sins. In the name of Jesus, our awesome Lord. Amen.

Filled with Knowledge

Passage

Colossians 1:9-10

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me and all of your people everywhere to be filled with complete knowledge of what you want, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Keep stirring up my spirit to make me want to lead a life worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ, a full life because it is fully pleasing to him. May I bear fruit in every good work. May I daily increase in my knowledge of you. In the name of Jesus, our awesome Lord. Amen.

Harvesting Faith, Hope, Love

Passage

Colossians 1:5-8

Prayer

Dear Father, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thank you for the fruit your Word is bearing throughout the whole world. Thank you that this gospel, the word of truth, has power to touch human hearts today even as at the beginning. Let its fruit grow among us. Let all your faithful ministers stir us up to more fruit-bearing. Let us grow in the Holy Spirit. Give us a deep passion, Lord, to fill our lives with faith, hope, and love. Give a holy longing for the Holy Spirit to guide everything we do. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Sowing Faith, Hope, Love

Passage

Colossians 1:3-5

Prayer

Dear Father, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, We thank you for every brother and sister, young and old, who has faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and who is learning to love all your saints because of the hope that is laid up for us in heaven. Thank you for letting us hear about this abiding faith, hope, and love in your word. Thank you that your Word was proclaimed to us. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

You Made Endurance Possible!

Passage

Colossians 1:23

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to continue in the faith by holding on to what you have given and by being stable and steadfast. Don't let anything move me away from the hope of the Good News which I heard, which was proclaimed throughout the whole creation under heaven. You make my endurance possible by filling me with your Spirit. Fill me more and more! And thank you for being my Father. In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask. Amen.

Alive in Christ

Passage

Colossians 2:13-19

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for redeeming us. You took us out of deadness and gave us life. You made us alive together with Christ. You cancelled the debts that we owed you because of our sinfulness. You disarmed the powers that work against us, triumphing over them in Christ for our sake. How gracious and wonderful you are. To you we owe eternal praise. Help us to withstand anyone who might seek to disqualify us, seeking to bind us to any principle of action at all except faith in Jesus Christ, for he is the head, and he determines how the body will grow. Help us to hold fast to Christ, who is our head, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Joined with Christ

Passage

Colossians 2:10-12

Prayer

Dear Father,Thank you, Father, that we have been joined with Christ in his life, death, and resurrection. Make us realize that we put off the body of flesh in his circumcision, were buried with him in his baptism, and were raised with him in his resurrection. Give us the faith to see your hand at work in all this and to see ourselves in what happened to him. Help us to hold fast to Christ, who is our head, in whose name I pray. Amen.

In Christ, the Fullness of Deity

Passage

Colossians 2:8-9

Prayer

Dear Father, May I never be impressed with the philosophy and empty deceit that comes out of human traditions which do not agree with Christ. Keep me from being enticed by teachings that root their knowledge in the elemental spirits of the universe, the laws of nature, and in scientism, but not in Christ. Help us to understand what it means that the very fullness of deity dwells in our Lord bodily and that we have come to the fullness of life in him and that he is the head of all rule and authority. Help us to hold fast to Christ, who is our head, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Discerning, not Deceived

Passage

Colossians 2:4-7

Prayer

Dear Father, my rock, Help me to think clearly with discernment. Keep me from being taken in by the beguiling speech of deceivers. Give me great joy in manifesting good order in my conduct and being absolutely firm in my faith. As I received Christ Jesus as the Lord, grant that I may live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. Grant that I may do this with great praise and thanksgiving! All praise, thanksgiving, honor, and glory to you, our Father, for what you have done for me through Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.

The Knitting of Hearts

Passage

Colossians 2:1-3

Prayer

Dear Father, encourager, Encourage our hearts and knit them together in love with the heart of Jesus and the hearts of every other child of yours! Give us all the riches of knowing and understanding of what you had formerly kept secret, the Good News about Jesus Christ, for in him you have hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Give us firm assurance in him. Whatever new dimension or unfolding of your grace that shall come, it will be, I am convinced, a disclosure of the good things originally hidden in Christ. Help us to know it when we see it. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Blessing of Grace

Passage

Colossians 1:28-29

Prayer

Dear Father, source of our energy, We do hope in you because our Lord lives his life through us and blesses others through the genuine love which he gives. Grant us to proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we can present people mature in Christ. Grant that we may strive for this with all the energy which you mightily inspire within us. All good things are from you. There is no blessing except by your grace. We live and rejoice because of you! In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Christ in Us, Hope of Glory

Passage

Colossians 1:24-27

Prayer

Dear Father, Help us have the attitude of Paul, who could rejoice in suffering for the sake of your body, the church, seeing his own suffering as an extension of Christ's suffering. May the members of the body of Christ make your word fully known, the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now made visible to your holy people. How great among the nations is the wealth imparted to them by the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. It is in his name that I pray. Amen.

No Distinctions

Passage

Colossians 3:5-10

Prayer

Dear Father, Let me live in the light of your truth about myself - that my old nature has been put off, with its baggage of practices, and that I have put on a new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Help us to make no distinctions regarding origins, heredity, or traditions, but to see Christ in all believers. Help us to let Christ be in us, to transform and renew every fiber of our being and of our relationships. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Extinguishing Evil

Passage

Colossians 3:5-17

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me put to death certain things in my life that are earthly - inward evils ranging from impurity to covetousness. Most of all, may I be rid of covetousness, wanting the applause and possessions of this world, which is really idolatry. May I extinguish all outward evil ranging from anger to slander and foul talk. Keep me from everything that is false. Don't let a lie come to my mind or my lips. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Patiently, yet Expectantly

Passage

Colossians 3:3-4

Prayer

Dear Father, My God, I know that I have died and that my life is hid with Christ. He holds the outcome of my life wholly in his hands; he is my life. Grant that I may wait patiently yet expectantly, knowing that when he appears, I will also appear with him in glory. Father, I thank you for this blessed hope. Let the joy of it fill my life every day as I sojourn here on this earth. Let me put the things of this world in perspective through the victory that Christ brings.In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Dead and Risen

Passage

Colossians 2:20-3:2

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to realize that I have died and have been resurrected with Christ. Break the attachments of my old life and its bondage. Don't let me live as if life were a matter of keeping regulations - don't touch, don't taste, don't handle - but let me live out of a deep sense of love and loyalty to my Savior. Don't let me grasp for that which has merely an appearance of wisdom and which might make a show of religiosity but not really do anything to separate me from the pride and lusts of my fleshly nature. Rather let me seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at your right hand. Let me set my mind on the things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Good News for Every Nation

Passage

Romans 1:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, who commissioned the Good News to all nations, Thank you that through Christ we have received grace and been commissioned to spread the Good News everywhere to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including our own. Thank you that we here in our country are also called to belong to Jesus Christ. May the grace and peace that comes from you, our Father, and from Jesus be showered upon all of us who claim your promises. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received grace, I pray. Amen.

Good News for Planet Earth

Passage

Romans 1:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, who commissioned the Good News to earth,Thank you for the Good News for planet Earth which you promised through your prophets in the Holy Scriptures. We love you for giving us this Good News about your Son, who, though he was descended from King David according to the flesh, was designated your Son, the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead. We exult in thanksgiving for Jesus Christ, holder of all authority, in whose name we come. Amen.

Partners in Christ

Passage

Philemon 17-25

Prayer

Father of mercy, Holy God and Father, have mercy and show kindness to those who are in bondage - those who are in prison, those who are enslaved to other people, and those who are enslaved to self and to sin. Teach us to show genuine hospitality to each other, never keeping score or grumbling, understanding that you, Father, are freely entertaining us in your house, the earth, and feeding us at your table with its bounty. Fill our hearts with love for our brethren and our lips with prayer in their behalf. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with our spirits. In his name I ask. Amen.

Filling the Earth with God's Goodness

Passage

Philemon 1-16

Prayer

Dear Father, bestower of freedom, Thank you for the love and the faith which you have put in your people. Please help them share this with each other and with the world. Let this promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ Jesus. Put such joy in our hearts and such gladness on our faces that people will want to know what makes us happy. Help each of us to render such help and comfort, expressing our love, that the hearts of all your holy people will be refreshed. Help us not to make demands on each other, but to entreat, seeking consent, so that the good we ask from others might not be given through compulsion but through free will. Help us to bind up broken relationships. Help us to be willing to step into the breach, to enable others to make amends, even if it costs us money, effort, or time. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with our spirits. In his name I ask. Amen.

Working Together

Passage

Colossians 4:12-18

Prayer

Dear Father, Help us to remember each other earnestly in our prayers. Help us to stand mature and to be fully assured in your will. Help us encourage one another to carry our assigned works to completion. Help us fulfil whatever ministry we have received in the Lord. Help us to remember those who are in prison, and those who suffer in any way for your service. May your perfect grace sustain and keep all of us. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Encouragement and Comfort

Passage

Colossians 4:7-11

Prayer

Dear Father, Give us caring hearts when it comes to our fellow servants in Christ. May we carry the news of them to each other for the sake of building each other up. Stir us up to work hard for the kingdom of God and to encourage each other in all facets of our labor. Show us ways that we can encourage each other in our struggles and comfort each other in our sufferings. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

Fullness of Love

Passage

Colossians 4:2-6

Prayer

Dear Father, grantor of wisdom, Help me conduct myself wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let my speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, and may I always know how to answer. Help me and all your saints to show ourselves to be a people who live life to the fullest, because we live in the fullness of your love shown in Jesus Christ! In the name of Jesus I ask you to fill our lives with your holy life and to claim all our motives and deeds as your own. Amen.

No Partiality

Passage

Romans 2:8-11

Prayer

Dear Father, holy and righteous judge, I know that you will render to every man according to his works. To those who are factious and obey wickedness instead of the truth, there will be wrath and fury. You have foretold tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, to the Jew first and also the non-Jew, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, to the Jew first and also to the non-Jew. For you show no partiality. Help me do what is good, but not out of my own resources, for my goodness is unacceptable to you. Help me do what is good by living in and for Christ, whose goodness you will accept. By your grace alone am I saved, as I entrust my soul to you. Thank you that you will impute Christ's righteousness to me on this basis. In the name of Jesus I ask for your acceptance through my faith. Amen.

No Presumption

Passage

Romans 2:1-7

Prayer

Dear Father, holy and righteous judge, Help me not to condemn myself by passing judgment on someone else when I may be doing the same or similar things. How could I escape your judgment and do this? Help me not to presume on the riches of your kindness and forbearance and patience. Help me understand that your kindness is meant to lead me to repentance. Take away the hardness and impenitence that may be in my heart. Give me a heart of flesh, not stone. Change my behavior and my attitudes so that none of your wrath will be stored against me to be unleashed on the day of the revelation of your righteous judgment. In the name of Jesus I ask for your acceptance through my faith. Amen.

God's Righteous Judgment

Passage

Romans 1:32

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge, Who could argue against your righteous judgment? Who would claim that those who refuse to see truth should not be left in their blindness? Though they know that those who pervert truth deserve to die, they not only continue to practice perversion, they also glorify it! Holy God, your judgment is just! Have mercy on these derelict people to chasten them with judgments that will bring them to repentance. And dear Father, save all of your people, your holy remnant, from the flood of filth and enmity toward you that surrounds us every day! Thank you, God, that your judgment is just, but thank you also that your mercy is available to all. Thank you for your remedy for sin and death! Only you, God, could do this! It is in the name of Jesus and by his authority that we have such boldness to come to you, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

Men's Improper Conduct

Passage

Romans 1:26-31

Prayer

Dear Father, judge of all, How awful is your judgment. When men do not acknowledge you as God and do not live by your teachings, you give them up to base minds and improper conduct. Then they become filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malignity, they gossip, slander, and hate you. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. These are the themes of our television programs, of our books and magazines today. And the authors of it are proud! They justify this accursed stuff by calling it realistic! In the name of Jesus and by his authority I pray that people everywhere will acknowledge that truth and goodness come only from you. Amen.

Men's Dishonor

Passage

Romans 1:24-25

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom all honor and glory is due, How sad that some would choose to dishonor themselves rather than to honor you. When they do so, you give them up to their own dishonorable passions. Women exchange natural relationships for unnatural. The men likewise give up natural relations with women and are consumed with lust for each other. Men commit shameless acts with other men and receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error. Today, Lord, it seems to be getting worse. Men and women exalt their own selves to godhood while practicing blatant homosexuality. Instead of repenting, they demand the right to impugn you, and they will not admit that they are responsible for the diseases you have put upon them. May I always acknowledge that you are the creator of life and love and that only when I act in accordance with your design will I find satisfaction. In Christ's name. Amen.

God's Honor

Passage

Romans 1:18-23

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom all honor and glory is due, How sorry I am that men do not honor you as their God and King! It is to their loss and to their hurt, but it insults you! They wickedly suppress the truth. Through creation, you have shown them plainly what can be known about you, so they are without excuse. Although they know of you, the true God, they do not honor you as God or give thanks to you as God. Their thinking is futile and their senseless minds are darkened. Claiming to be wise, they become fools and exchange your glory, the glory of the immortal God, for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. How awful is your judgment! Because they exchange the truth about you for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than you, the Creator, the holy God, who is blessed for ever, you give them up to the lusts of their impure hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. May I never be so foolish as to trade your glory for my own. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, creator and sustainer of the universe. Amen.

Mutual Faith

Passage

Romans 1:16-17

Prayer

Dear Father, Help us never to be ashamed of the Good News but to have great pride in it, since it is your power of salvation for everyone, the Jew first, then the non-Jew. In it you revealed your righteousness from one degree of faith to another. As your prophet Habakkuk declared, "The just shall live by faith." Grant me, Father, to be filled with faith and to show it in my faithfulness. In fact, I am able to live every day by my trust in you! I am sustained by my trust in you! Thank you for being worthy of my trust! In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Credited as Righteousness

Passage

Romans 4:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, friend of Abraham, Thank you for the wonderful relationship you established with Abraham. Through him you have blessed the world. Through that relationship you have blessed me. Thank you, Lord, that through it you will bring even more blessings, now and for ever. Thank you that Abraham's relationship to you was not something he earned; it came because "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." To one who works, wages are not a gift but payment due. We thank you that our relationship is not that of a hired hand. We do not work for wages. We work for you out of a faith and a love that you fired in our hearts. We trust you as the one who justifies the ungodly and who credits our faith as righteousness. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Justification by Faith

Passage

Romans 3:27-31

Prayer

Dear Father, just and justifier, All praise is due you, Father. Our boasting is totally excluded. Our justification is not by our works, but through our faith in you. So we are convinced by Paul that a person is justified by faith and not by works of the law. You are God not only of the Jews but of all other nations also. You are the one God, the only God, the God of all people everywhere. On the basis of whether people put their trust in you instead of themselves you justify people from every nation and race. What a wonderful God! Thank you for putting faith in my heart and accepting me. In the name of Jesus we ask all this and lay claim to the grace which you have so generously extended. Amen.

Righteousness Made Manifest

Passage

Romans 3:21-26

Prayer

Dear Father, just and justifier, Thank you that your righteousness has been manifested to us. You made this happen apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, to your righteousness through faith in Christ Jesus for all who trust in him. How just you are in making no distinction between people on this matter, since every person has sinned and falls short of your glory. Thank you for justifying us by your grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom you put forward as an expiation by his blood, so we can receive it by faith.Praise be to you, O holy God, for showing us how righteous you really are. In your divine forbearance you have passed over former sins, but now you have made provision for forgiveness-the righteousness of your Son, Jesus Christ, in whom we place our faith. In the name of Jesus we ask all this and lay claim to the grace which you have so generously extended. Amen.

None Righteous

Passage

Romans 2:25-3:20

Prayer

Dear Father, holy God, Allow me to bear the marks of your covenant in my heart and my mind. May I be a spiritual descendant of Abraham. Let my praise be not from men but from you! Help me understand that all human beings are under the power of sin, as it is written, "None is righteous, no not one!" I ask forgiveness for all my sins by reason of your perfect expiation put forth in Christ Jesus. Clothe me with his righteousness, not my own. Having nothing to claim for myself, I put my trust in him. In the name of Jesus, the all-sufficient sacrifice for sin and my holy intercessor, I pray. Amen.

Christ, the All-sufficient Sacrifice

Passage

Romans 2:12-24

Prayer

Dear Father, holy God, Write the requirements of your will upon my heart. May I live in such a way that my conscience will bear witness that I have striven to live for you, on that day when you judge the secrets of men's heart by Christ Jesus. Help me to be sincere and to have integrity. If I teach others, let me first teach myself. If I teach against stealing, don't let me take what is not mine. If I teach against adultery, don't let me lust. If I teach abhorrence of idols, keep me from covetousness, which is idolatry. May I never cause your name to be blasphemed because someone looks at me and sees that my life belies my commitment to you. In the name of Jesus, the all-sufficient sacrifice for sin and my holy intercessor, I pray. Amen.

Acquitted

Passage

Romans 5:12-17

Prayer

Dear Father, creator of good and righter of wrongs, You created a good and wonderful environment for mankind. But for our first mother and father it was not enough. Sin came into the world through them, and death through sin, and so death spread to all, because all sinned. Your free gift was not like the trespass. It was greater! If many died through one man's trespass, how much more will your grace abound! How much more will that free gift abound for the masses of mankind in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ! Thank you that in him we receive all the more abundantly from your grace! How grateful we are for receiving the free gift of righteousness to reign in our lives! Thank you, Father in heaven. In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Justifier, I offer this thanks and praise for your wonderful grace. Amen.

My Need

Passage

Romans 5:6-11

Prayer

Dear Father, gracious God, Thank you, dear Father, that while we were helpless, Christ our Savior died for the ungodly. You showed your love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ your Son died for us. Since therefore we are justified by Christ's blood, much more shall we be saved by him from your wrath! For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to you by the death of your Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life! Let his life be lived in my life and the life of every one of your people! Not only so, but I now find so much joy in you as my God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. Thank you for your free and wonderful gift! Thank you for being my God! By the authority of Christ and in his name I pray. Amen.

God's Grace

Passage

Romans 5:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of your Holy Spirit, Thank you for justifying me through faith, so that now I have peace with you through the Lord Jesus Christ. How grateful I am that I have access to your grace! I rejoice in the hope of sharing in your glory. More than that, my God, I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. I know that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. How I bless you for this wonderful hope that I have. It is a hope that will never bring disappointment. I know this because I have tasted your love. You have poured it into my heart through the Holy Spirit which you have given me, as well as to all your people. By the authority of Christ and in his name I pray. Amen.

My Faith

Passage

Romans 4:22-25

Prayer

Dear Father, our Savior, Thank you for Abraham's example of a faith credited as righteousness. And thank you that these words are written not only for Abraham's sake, but for ours as well - that faith will be credited as righteousness to those who believe in you, the God who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was put to death for our misdeeds and was raised for our justification. Thank you for so wonderful a salvation, precious God. In the name of Jesus I ask this and by his authority I lift up my faith as the only thing I have to offer you. Amen.

Abraham's Faith

Passage

Romans 4:17-21

Prayer

Dear Father, promise keeper, Thank you that Abraham's faith was held up for us to see. He became the father of us all because you said to him, "I will make you the father of many nations." You are the God in whom he believed, hope against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "Your descendants shall be as numerous as the stars, and like grains of sand on the beach." You are the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist, so Abraham did not weaken in faith when he considered the age and deadness of his own body and the barrenness of Sarah's womb. O that I could be like him! No distrust made him waver concerning your promise. He grew strong in faith and gave you glory, fully convinced that you were able to do what you had promised. I want to be like him! In the name of Jesus I offer myself and my faith to you. Amen.

The Seed of Righteousness

Passage

Romans 4:13-16

Prayer

Dear Father, father of the faithful, Thank you for the marvelous promise made to Abraham and his seed, that they should inherit the world. Thank you that it depends on faith, so that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only those who are adherents of the law but to everyone who shares the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all. Praise be to you, beneficent God, that I can be a descendant of Abraham, not by being born in his lineage but by being born from above by his kind of faith, the life-giving seed that makes me one of his children. Thank you that this is possible through Christ. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Sign of Righteousness

Passage

Romans 4:6-12

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you that the words your servant David spoke apply to us: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him" (Psalms 32:1-2). Thank you that you blessed Abraham before he was circumcised, (while he was a Gentile!) so he could be the father of all who believe. Thank you that he is the father not only of those who are circumcised but of those who follow his example of faith. Praise to you, God, for giving to Abraham circumcision as a sign of the righteousness he had through faith before he was circumcised. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Free from Sin

Passage

Romans 6:6-11

Prayer

Dear Father, in whom I am alive, Thank you that my old self was crucified with Christ so that my sinful body might be destroyed, and that I might no longer be a slave to sin. Thank you for freeing me from sin through my dying with Jesus. Death can never touch Jesus again. He lives his life unto you. Likewise help me to consider myself dead to sin and alive to you in him! Help me to believe, and live out the fact, that sin and death can never touch me either, since I joined Jesus in his dying through my baptism into him. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Alive in Christ

Passage

Romans 6:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, God of grace, Shall I continue in sin that grace may abound? Never, never, never! May I never presume that being under grace is a license to sin. How can I live in sin when, through baptism into Christ, I have died to sin? If I have been baptized into his death, should I not walk in newness of life, even as Christ did when he was raised from the dead by your glory? If I have died with Christ, I will also live with him. Thank you for the confidence and hope your promise gives me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The Righteous Reign of Grace

Passage

Romans 5:18-24

Prayer

Dear Father, bestower of eternal life, How amazing that, even though one man's disobedience leads to condemnation, the obedience of Jesus acquits us, makes us righteous and leads to life! Thank you that, whereas law increased the trespass, your grace abounded all the more! Sin reigned in death, but your grace reigned through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you, Father in heaven. Thank you, thank you, thank you! In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Justifier, I offer this thanks and praise for your wonderful grace. Amen.

God's Sovereign Choice

Passage

Romans 9:19-20

Prayer

Dear Father, All who are descended from Israel do not belong to Israel, nor are men counted as Abraham's children by mere physical descent. You, O Sovereign Lord, have chosen, according to your own desire and purpose, those you want to continue your work in the world. Thank you, dear Father, that your choice and mercy has reached to me. Thank you for all that you are doing in my life. Thank you for teaching me to love the descendants of Israel by the flesh. May my share in their inheritance cause even one of them to turn to Jesus Christ in saving faith and give thanks to you. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

God's Children, Israel

Passage

Romans 9:1-18

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep me and all who are related to me from any hint of hatred toward Israel, your ancient people. Let us love them and pray for their good always, longing so much for their salvation that we, like Paul, should have sorrow and unceasing anguish because of their alienation from you. Father, you gave such honor and wonderful gifts to them: You called them by your name; they are Israelites. To them belong the sonship, the glory, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, came the Messiah, your Son Jesus Christ, who is over all things, God blessed forever. Amen. Their rejection of Christ does not mean your word has failed. Your word never fails. It is people who fail. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Empowered by Love

Passage

Romans 8:38-39

Prayer

Dear Father, faithful God, Fill my heart with the deep conviction that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 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 the love which you have for me in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let it be so for me! Fill me with the joy and peace of so believing! I praise your holy name and the name of Jesus through the Spirit for your precious empowering promises! Thank you, Father, thank you. In the name of Jesus and by his authority I come, asking for the confirmation of the faith I have expressed here. Fill me with it and let me walk according to your purposes. Amen.

More than Conquerors

Passage

Romans 8:34-37

Prayer

Dear Father, our ultimate security and joy, Since Christ Jesus, who died, is at your right hand interceding for us, who shall separate us from your love? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, not even the sword, for it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." Shall any of these terrible things change your love one bit? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through you, the awesome God who loved us with an awesome love. May I never forget your love or ignore your sacrifice. May I never use trouble as an excuse for not doing good, for you have the power and authority to use trouble to produce good, and so I submit myself to your transforming power. In the name of your holy Son, I pray. Amen.

For Our Good

Passage

Romans 8:28-34

Prayer

Dear Father, who is totally "for-us," How wonderfully reassuring to know that in everything you work for good with those who love you, who are called according to your purpose. Thank you that whom you foreknew you also predestined to be conformed to the image of your Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Thank you that whom you predestined you also called; those whom you called you also justified; and those whom you justified you also glorified. What can I say to all this? If you are for me, who can be against me? If you did not spare your own Son but gave him up for us all, will you not also give us all things with him? Who shall bring any charge against your chosen people? Since you alone do the justifying, who is to condemn? In the name of Jesus and by his authority I come, asking for the confirmation of the faith I have expressed here. Fill me with it and let me walk according to your purposes. Amen.

Waiting for Redemption

Passage

Romans 8:26-27

Prayer

Dear Father, who knows my secrets, Help me to wait patiently for my redemption. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit to make up for the inadequacies of my body and spirit. I know not how to pray as I should, so I praise you for your Spirit, who takes my inexpressible groanings and lifts them to the Lord Jesus, thus sharing in his intercession for me. I thank you that the Holy Spirit searches out the remotest cranny of my heart, knows me in a way that I cannot even know myself, and expresses to you what I wish that I could say but cannot. How wonderful! How loving! Thank you, Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hallelujah. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you again! In the name of Jesus and with the support of your Spirit I come to you, with gratitude for doing these things. Amen.

The Coming Glory

Passage

Romans 8:15

Prayer

Dear Father, creator and re-creator of the world, Whatever I may have to suffer is nothing compared to the glory you will reveal in your people, and therefore in me. Your creation waits in eager longing for that better day in which we, your children, shall be revealed in glory. Your glory will be shared with us, and ours with it! Inwardly, Father, I groan while bearing the frustrations of life and the weakness and pains in my body. I long for the time when the adoption process is complete, when my body will be resurrected and redeemed from all this. This is the hope of my salvation. Thank you, dear Lord, for that hope. In the name of Jesus and with the support of your Spirit I come to you, anticipating your glory. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

Passage

Romans 12:1-2

Prayer

Dear Father, all worthy God, I present my body to you, O Lord, as a living sacrifice. May it be holy and pleasing to you. Let this be my spiritual act of worship, not done at set times of remembrance, but constantly, moment by moment, day by day, night by night. Let me not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, which is doomed to pass away. Instead, let me be transformed by the renewing of my mind, so that I may be able to test and approve what your holy will for me is - what is good, pleasing, and perfect. By the authority of Jesus and in his name I ask for this growth in grace. Amen.

God's Reconciliation

Passage

Romans 11:33-36

Prayer

Dear Father, How great your mercy is! How deep your riches and wisdom and knowledge are! How unsearchable are your judgments! How inscrutable your ways! No one can know your mind totally! No one can be your counsellor! No one can give you a gift! Because from you and through you and to you are all things! May my faith never falter, my belief never fail. Continue your process of reconciliation among all your people, Jews and Gentiles. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen.

An Invited Guest

Passage

Romans 11:17

Prayer

Dear Father, king of banquets, May I enter your halls wearing the appropriate garment, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not that of my own making. The false righteousness of adherence to man-made rules is a worthless covering. Only the true righteousness of belief in your Son will make my appearance acceptable to you. Grant me true humility. If I boast, let it be about you. Let my pride be in what you have done for me, not in what I make of myself. In the name of Jesus, the honoree of the banquet, I offer thanks for inviting me to your feast of good things. Amen.

A Grafted Branch

Passage

Romans 11:17

Prayer

Dear Father, king of banquets, Like that unknown hearer of Jesus long ago, I say, "How blessed it will be to eat bread in the kingdom of God." Please, Lord, don't let me be like those who were invited to the marriage feast honoring the king's son but who scorned it in favor of business deals and family matters. They were left out while the king filled his house with those from the highways and country lanes. Your ancient people, Israel, rejected your invitation, and we non-Jews have filled your halls of festivity and salvation. But, Lord, we are unnatural branches, grafted in. Let none of us become proud. Rather, let every one of us stand in awe of your severity toward those who reject your Son and your mercy toward those who accept him. May I continue in your kindness, lest I be cut off. And may your ancient people repent and accept their Messiah, for this would be life from the dead! In the name of Jesus, the true Messiah of Israel, I pray. Amen.

Israel's Unbelief

Passage

Romans 10:18-11:16

Prayer

Dear Father, How sorry I am that the people you chose, the nation of Israel, has spurned your Messiah and turned away in unbelief. But how thankful I am that because of their unbelief you have sent your message to Gentiles so that we can be adopted into the family of Abraham, grafted as wild shoots into the natural olive tree. I rejoice that even today you have redeemed in Christ thousands of Abraham's natural descendants for your kingdom. I rejoice that I share with them the blessings you gave. Thank you that we are one family. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

I Believe!

Passage

Romans 10:8-17

Prayer

Dear Father, May the word of Christ always be on my lips and in my heart. May I make known to everyone in every place that Jesus is Lord and that you have raised him from the dead. Remind me continually that I have no cause to be ashamed of my faith. Grant not only that I myself should believe but that I should also become partners with others in sending them to proclaim the Good News to the world. Thank you that Christ is preached. Thank you for the belief you have put into my heart. Thank you for the salvation that comes from this. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I Confess!

Passage

Romans 10:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you that Christ is the end of the law to those who have faith. Thank you that I am justified by faith in him, not by some system of merit. May I not think of Christ as being so high in heaven that he is inaccessible to us, or, like unbelievers, think of him as being dead and not available. May I continually confess with my mouth the belief that is in my heart: Jesus is Lord! And God raised him from the dead! Help me rather to know that he is nearer than breathing! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Living in Harmony

Passage

Romans 12:16-21

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the lowly, Help me live in harmony with others - without haughtiness, without conceit, willing to associate with the lowly. Help me to repay no one evil for evil, but to take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. As far as it depends on me, let me live peaceably with everyone. Let me seek no revenge for myself, but leave it to your wrath, O God. Help me, Father, not to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good. In the name and authority of Jesus I boldly come, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

Living in Love

Passage

Romans 12:9-15

Prayer

Dear Father, empowering God, Let my love be genuine for everyone in heaven and on earth. Help me hate what is evil at all times and everywhere. Help me hold fast to what is good, the old and the new. May I love my fellow disciples with brotherly affection. May I show them greater honor than they show me. Let my zeal not cool. May it blaze with energy from your Spirit. May I rejoice in hope and be patient in tribulation. Let me be constant in prayer. May I contribute liberally to the needs of your holy people. Help me be very hospitable. And Lord, help me to bless those who persecute me. Help me to bless them, not to curse in return. In the name and authority of Jesus I boldly come, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

Value of Interdependence

Passage

Romans 12:3-8

Prayer

Dear Father, who wills our interdependence, Having gifts that differ, let us use them appropriately according to your will. If prophesy, in proportion to one's faith. If service, diligently serving. If teaching, instructively teaching. If exhortation, strongly motivating encouragement. If giving, with liberal and generous contributions. If giving aid, with zeal. If acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Great Giver, give your gifts to your people through your people. But let us always give you the glory! Praise to you, our Lord. It is in the name of Jesus, who shares all spiritual blessings with us, we ask for a growing love among all your people. Amen.

Need for Interdependence

Passage

Romans 12:3-8

Prayer

Dear Father, who wills our interdependence, Help me not to think more highly of myself than I ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith which you have assigned me. I know that I am but one member in the body of Christ, and while important, no more important than any other. For as in one body, we have many members, and all members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of each other. Help me to understand and practice the interdependence necessary for the healthy functioning of the body of Christ. May each member be in sympathetic union with all others. In the name of Jesus, who shares all spiritual blessings with us, we ask for a growing love among all your people. Amen.

A Holy Temple

Passage

Romans 12:1-2

Prayer

Dear Father, dweller of my temple, Please give me the mind of Christ and make my body a temple of the spirit of holiness which is his. Make me holy through and through. May my whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless by your power until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I trust you to do this because you are the one who has called me, and you are faithful. Your word says that you will do it! By the authority of Jesus and in his name I ask for this growth in grace. Amen.

Imitating Christ

Passage

Romans 15:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, God of steadfast love, May the strength you give us be used to bear with the failings of those who are weak, not to please ourselves, but to please our neighbor for his good, to build him up. In this let us imitate Jesus, your Son, who did not please himself, but lived as it was written of him, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." May you, our Father, the God of steadfastness and encouragement, grant us Christians to live in such harmony with one another, in full accord with Jesus Christ, that together we may with one voice glorify you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus and according to his command. Amen.

Pursuing Peace

Passage

Romans 14:17-23

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of brotherly love, How wonderful that your kingdom, your rule in people's lives, is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. May I, in serving Christ this way, be acceptable to you and approved by others. Let me and all the members of your family pursue what makes for peace and for mutual uplifting. Let none of us, for the sake of personal rights, destroy your work of grace in someone else. Help us to appreciate our rights, but help each of us understand that it is wrong to make others fall by insisting on them. Guide us to see that it is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that would make a brother or sister stumble. The faith that I have, let me keep between you and me. Let me find happiness in having no reason to judge myself for what I approve. May I never do anything from the basis of doubt, because not acting from conviction is sin. In the name of Jesus I pray all this, asking that you will give me love for my brothers and sisters. Amen.

Walking in Love

Passage

Romans 14:13-16

Prayer

Dear Father, to whom all will bow, Help me not pass judgment on others or despise them. Let me look to myself in view of the fact that I will have to give an account for my own self.You have said, "As I live every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." Let me praise you now before the day of your judgment. Let my praise be willing and not forced. Help me never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother or sister in Christ, and especially of some young person. Don't let me injure anyone by exercising my rights. Let me rather walk in love toward. Don't let my right to do something cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. Do not let what is good to me be evil spoken of. In the name of Jesus I ask for the love and wisdom to so live. Amen.

Mutual Acceptance

Passage

Romans 14:1-16

Prayer

Dear Father, foundation of all our lives, Make me compassionate and generous toward my brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us welcome each other, and not dispute over opinions. May I never pass judgment on a brother or sister, for you have welcomed them. They are your servants. It is before you that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for you are able to make them stand. Let us be fully convinced in our own minds about honoring certain days, or about eating certain foods. Whether we honor a day or eat a food, or whether we abstain, may we do it (or not do it) in honor of you. Thank you that none of us lives to self, and none dies to self. Whether we live or die, we are yours! Thank you that Christ died to this end: that he might be Lord both of those who have died and of us who live. We know from what Jesus said: that all your saints are alive to you. In the name of Jesus, instill consideration for each other into all of us. Amen.

Staying Awake

Passage

Romans 13:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, victorious deliverer, May I be found in Christ, not trusting any righteousness of my own. Let me know him and the power of his resurrection. May I share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, so I might attain the resurrection of the dead. O God, let me obtain it! Let me be awake! Let me put on the armor of light! Let me put on the Lord Jesus and his righteousness, and be found in him! Let me trust, obey, even suffer, in order to have the victory! In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Last Days

Passage

Romans 13:11-14

Prayer

Dear Father, object of my desires, Everything points to the fact that we live in the last days. Knowing what hour it is, let me wake up from my sleep! For salvation is nearer to me now than when I first believed. The night is far gone. The day is at hand. Help me cast off all the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let me conduct myself as becomes one of your people, not in reveling or drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling or jealousy. Rather, let me put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh, to gratify its desires. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Spirit of Generosity

Passage

Romans 13:9

Prayer

Dear Father, generous giver, Love sees needs and shares resources. How lacking I am in this regard. Please forgive me and make me better. Give a spirit of generosity not only to me, but also to my wife, my children, and my whole extended family - also to my spiritual family, your church. Help all of us to be giving people, because you are a giving God. Move us to serve a needy world. I praise you and thank you for all your mercies. You are so bountiful in your gifts. I love you, good and gracious God. I love your Son. I love your Spirit. I love your people. I love the lost. My prayer is to love you and them more. In the name of Jesus and with the Spirit's help, I ask these things. Amen.

Abounding in Hope

Passage

Romans 15:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, who welcomes all into your family, Help us to welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed us, for your glory. For you taught us that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show your truthfulness - in order to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs, and in order that we who were not Jews might glorify you for your mercy. May you, our Father and God, fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope. In the name of Jesus and according to his command. Amen.

Supernatural Wisdom

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:11-16

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of your Holy Spirit, All praises to your blessed name, to you, our God! You have disclosed incredibly wonderful things to us through your Spirit, for your Spirit searches everything, even the deep things within you. No one comprehends your thoughts except your Spirit, just as no other person truly knows my thoughts as my own spirit does. But, all thanks to you, we have not received the spirit of the world but you have given us your very own Spirit, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by you. In the name of Jesus I give you thanks for the supernatural wisdom you have bestowed on me by reason of my faith. Amen.

God's Secret Wisdom

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Prayer

Dear Father, revealer of secret wisdom, Thank you for revealing to us what has been hidden, the wisdom which you decreed before the ages concerning our salvation and glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. Thank you, Father, that you intend to glorify us along with your Son, Jesus. But you, O gracious God, have told us your secret - you mean to give us all things in glory with the Lord of Glory! As it is written, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him," you have disclosed to us through your Spirit. Thank you for this precious promise! Thank you for this hope! Thank you for your love! In the name of Jesus, by his authority and according to his will, I lift up this petition. Amen.

God's Simple Message

Passage

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, God of all true wisdom, power, and glory, When I set about to share your Good News about Jesus with other people, keep me from using lofty concepts or high-sounding words. Let me speak of nothing except Christ and him crucified. Help me to understand that it is okay for me to show my own weakness, fear, and trembling. Let my words demonstrate your Spirit and power, so that the faith which germinates will rest not in my wisdom but in yours. In the name of Jesus, by his authority, and according to his will I lift up this petition to you. Amen.

No Room for Boasting

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Prayer

Dear Father, you of whom we boast, Why have you chosen the weak, the foolish, the despised? You have done this so that no human being can boast. And we do not! We cast our lives at your feet. You alone are worthy! You are the source of our lives in Christ Jesus, whom you made to be everything to us. He is our wisdom and our righteousness. He is our sanctification and our redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord" - and we do! In the name of Jesus, by his wisdom and authority, I ask these things. Amen.

The Authority of the Cross

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Prayer

Dear Father, confounder of worldly wisdom, What you have caused us to preach is "Christ crucified," a stumbling block to tradition-followers, like the Jews, and folly to philosophy-lovers, like the Greeks. But to us who are called, he is your power and your wisdom. For we believe that your foolishness is wiser than our wisdom, and your weakness is stronger than our strength. I am thankful that you have taken most of us from the lower echelons of society. Not many of us are wise according to worldly standards, not many are powerful, not many are of noble birth. You chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, what is weak to shame the strong, what is low and despised, even things that don't yet exist, to bring to nothing the things that are. May my weakness and foolishness be transformed into usefulness through your strength and wisdom. In the name of Jesus and by his wisdom and authority I pray. Amen.

The Wisdom of the Cross

Passage

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Prayer

Dear Father, author of all true wisdom, You have said, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart. "Where is the wise man? Where is the debater of this age? I thank you, Father, that you made foolish the wisdom of this world. For in the wisdom of your plan, mere "wisdom" has never enabled anyone to know you. People were looking for something great, as they understood greatness. It pleased you, rather, by the "foolishness" of what we preach, to save all of us who put our trust in you and your manifested love. May I never try to impress anyone with my wisdom. Instead let me impress them with my faith in your wisdom. In the name of Jesus and by his wisdom and authority I ask these things. Amen.