Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

Jesus, Pioneer of Salvation

Passage

Hebrews 2:5-13

Prayer

Dear Father, King of all, Thank you for subjecting the world to come to our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that Jesus was willing for a time to be made lower than the angels and to taste death for every person, according to your grace. Thank you for raising him up and crowning him with glory and honor because of his willingness to carry out your will. I am so thankful that the Lord Jesus was willing to pioneer our salvation, thankful that he was made perfect through what he suffered for us, thankful that he could bring many sons to glory. How generous of him to not be ashamed to call us brethren! In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

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

Attention to Teaching

Passage

Hebrews 2:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, Help me to pay close attention to all of your teaching, lest I drift away from it. How shall I escape if I neglect so great a salvation? Thank you for your message of hope. Thank you for the teaching of repentance and the kingdom that was proclaimed by the Lord himself and then passed on by his emissaries to the world, and then to my generation, then to me. Thank you for the signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit by which you bore witness to the truth of this message. Father, let me live in the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus, that wonderful Good News that you love us and want to make of us your pure and holy children. For this, Father, all praise, honor, glory and dominion belong to you. In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.

[nChrist]

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

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.