Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

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.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

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.

[nChrist]

____________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

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.