Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

The Good News

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the living, Thank you for the Good News that Jesus Christ, your Son, is risen from the dead. Thank you that by it I am saved and in it I stand, if I hold it fast - unless I believed in vain - which I did not. Thank you for the important message we received - that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, - thank you, Lord! - that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance to the Scriptures, - thank you, Lord! - and that he appeared to many, many eyewitnesses - thank you, Lord! Praise your name! In the name of Jesus I thank you for your resurrection power and ask that I may live so as to always have hope of sharing in it. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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!

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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!