God's Word on That

Tag: Prayer

  • Showing Gratitude For His Love

    I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever… I will declare that Your love stands firm… (Psalm 87:1-2)

    I will sing of Your love and justice… (Psalm 101:1)

    I will bow down toward Your Holy Temple and will praise Your name for Your love and Your faithfulness (Psalm 138:2).

    Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all the day (Psalm 90:14).

    That those who love Your name may rejoice in You (Psalm 5:11).

    In the morning I will sing of Your love (Psalm 59:16).

    It is good to praise the Lord… to proclaim Your love in the morning… (Psalm 92:1-2)

    I will rejoice and be glad in Your love…  Let Your face shine on Your servant, save me in Your unfailing love…  Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me… (Psalm 31:7, 16, 21)

    Because Your love is better than life, my lips shall glorify You (Psalm 63:3).

    Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me! (Psalm 66:20)

    Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men (Psalm 107:8,15,21,31).

    The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 147:11).

    Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them (Psalm 119:140).

    Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble (Psalm 119:165).

    I love Your law. (Psalm 119:113,163,97,127,119)

    My soul keeps Your statutes and I love them exceedingly (Psalm 119:167).

    I shall delight in Your commands, which I love… I shall lift up my hands to Your commands which I love… (Psalm 119:47-48)

    Consider how I love Your precepts; preserve my life, O Lord, according to Your love (Psalm 119:159).

    If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep His covenant of love with you…  He will love you and bless you… (Deuteronomy 7:12-13)

    The great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands (Daniel 9:4).

    You keep Your covenant of love with Your servants who continue wholeheartedly in Your way (1 Kings 8:23).

    Our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love, do not let this hardship seem trifling in Your eyes (Nehemiah 9:32).

    Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord (Psalm 107:43).

  • Called To A Holy Priesthood

    In his book, With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray incites us to take up our noble calling to be priests and intercessors for the world around us. He calls it “our circle” — the people that we influence and care for personally. Since each believer has his own individual circle, the world is in need of intercessors that can reach more of the lost and the hurting — the world needs you. To be a priest for the people is not only for the Church in general, but for your particular area of influence as well. I will try and sum up what Andrew Murray says of our duty.

    You are a light for the world; let us rejoice to be so.

    As every son of Aaron, so every member of Jesus’ body has a right to the priesthood. It is the highest privilege of a child of God, the mark of greatest nearness and likeness to Him. Every priest is ordained for men in things pertaining to God (Hebrews 5:1; see also Deuteronomy 10:8; Deuteronomy 21:5; Deuteronomy 33:10).

    In the Old Testament, the walk of the priesthood was in harmony with its work — as God is holy, so the priest was to be especially holy. This means not only separated from everything unclean, but holy unto God, being set apart and given up to God for His possession. Their life was to be one of total faith — they were to live on Him as well as for Him.

    All this is the emblem of what the character of the New Testament priest is to be. Our priestly power with God depends on our personal life and walk. We must prove that our consecration to be HOLY TO THE LORD (Exodus 28:36; Zechariah 14:20-21) is whole-hearted and entire. This marks the true priest, the man who only lives for God and his fellow man.

    Are you willing to offer yourself for this holy work? You know the surrender it demands — nothing less than the Christ-like giving up of all, no longer content to have salvation and just do work enough to keep warm and lively. Thoughts of unworthiness or unfitness need not restrain you. The Blood provides an infinite worthiness to make your prayers most acceptable; and the Spirit provides a divine fitness, teaching you to pray according to the will of God.

    You will not only join in the general prayers of the Church for the world, but will also be able in your own circle/sphere to take up your special work in prayer — as priests, to transact requests with God, to receive and know the answer, and so to bless in His Name.

    Come and be a priest, only priest, all priest. Seek now to walk before the Lord in the full consciousness that you have been set apart for the Holy Ministry of Intercession. This is the true blessedness of conformity to the image of God’s Son.

  • Pray the Promises

    There are many earthly saints (and heavenly ones) who urge us on to pray and plead the promises as we have need of them. Only God can satisfy our needs and fulfill our true desires. Pray often. Pray without ceasing. Pray to the Father in the name of the Son by the aide of the Holy Spirit. And see if your world doesn’t change for the better!

    In accordance with Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ Jesus has made us free…” Liberty — we are free to what is in the Bible, what has been handed down to us. We are a welcome guest at the table of the promises of God. Scripture is a never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace. It is the Bank of Heaven; we may draw from it as much as we please, without hindrance. Come in faith and we are welcome to all covenant blessings. There is not a promise in the Word of God which shall be withheld. In the depths of tribulations let this freedom comfort you; amidst waves of distress let it cheer you. When sorrows surround you let it be your solace. This is your Father’s love-token, you are free to it at all times. You are free to the Throne of Grace also. It is a believer’s privilege to have access at all times to our Heavenly Father. Whatever our desires, or our difficulties, or our wants… we are at liberty to spread all before Him. It matters not how much we have sinned, we may ask and expect pardon. It signifies nothing how poor we are, we may plead His promises that He will provide all things we need. We have permission to approach His Thorne at all times — at midnight’s darkest hour or at noon-time’s most burning heat. Exercise your right and live up to your privileges. You are free to all that is treasured up in Christ Jesus: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It matters not what your need is, for there is fullness of supply in Christ, and it is there for you. Oh what a “freedom” is ours! Freedom from condemnation, freedom to the promises, freedom to approach the Throne of God, and freedom to enter heaven. (C. H. Spurgeon)

    And again Charles Spurgeon urges us on to pray the promises:

    God wants you to trust His love, power, faithfulness, and for you to believe He will answer your prayers. When doubt creeps in, bring them honestly before God (Mark 9:24). To believe that the Lord will hear prayer honors His faithfulness, His power, His love, and His generosity as well as His wisdom. To put a crown on the head of Him who saved you, believe that if you ask, He will give. (C. H. Spurgeon)

    Dearest God and Loving Father, Help me!

    According to Your Word, dear Lord, the key to not gratifying the desires of the flesh is to live by the spirit. Kindest Lord, help me to feed the spirit and not the flesh — for I know that changing the way I think will change the way I feel.

    Lord God, Almighty One, I acknowledge to You that, like the ancient Israelites, I eat but am often not satisfied. Help me not to confuse bodily appetites with hunger of the soul. Please help me discern a greater need when I cannot feel satisfied with earthly things. For You alone can truly satisfy the hungry soul.

    Christ Jesus, if You do not condemn me, I have no right to condemn myself. Help me not to get caught up in a defeating cycle of self-condemnation.

    Above all else, dearest God Father, help me to love You with all my heart and soul and strength and mind. And help me to love my fellow man as I would love myself, looking after his/her needs as a caring neighbor should, for that puts a smile on Your face. My loving Father, help me not to grieve the Holy Spirit, for Your joy is my strength.

    Jesus, Lord and Teacher, open our hearts to be attentive; that seeing, we may perceive, and hearing we may understand, and understanding, we may act upon Your Word — to the glory of God our Father. Amen.

  • Praying For My Family

    Father, Almighty and ever-loving, everlasting One, I pray a hedge of protection around my family and me. I know in doing so that You will set a wall of fire around us that no harm can penetrate. Thank You so much for setting Your angels around us. You are our fortress and our place of refuge. We will not be afraid of the terrors by night or any fiery dart satan can throw at us. Because You are our refuge, we know no evil shall befall us, no accident will overtake us, and no plague or calamity shall come near us that You have not given us strength to handle. You give Your angels charge over us to keep us in all Your ways. God Father, I trust You will deliver us from all evil, and be with us in times of trouble. I exalt You, my gracious Father, because You continue to show me and my family salvation every day! I will not look to the future with fear, but will concentrate on the present with faith in You. I love You, O Lord my Strength.

    Our whole family can be saved, for God has promised (Acts 11:14).

    I pray every member of my family will be saved and be invited to Your table. For You want everyone to be saved and to understand truth (1 Timothy 2:4). For Jesus said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26).

    I pray that our love for each other will overflow more and more, and that we keep growing in our knowledge and understanding of Your will; for I want to understand what really matters to You, so I may live pure and blameless until Christ Jesus returns. O please grant we be filled with the fruit of salvation — for this will bring much glory and praise to You, my God and King (Philippians 1:9-11).

    You, O Lord, have called us to demonstrate Your righteousness. You will guard and support us, for You have given us to Your people as confirmation of Your covenant with them. You will make us a light to guide all nations to You. We through You will open the eyes of the blind and free captives from their prisons, and release those who sit captive in darkness (Isaiah 42:6-7).

    I will teach the new disciples to obey all the commands Jesus has given us; and I will be sure that He is with me even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

    Listen! Hear the voice shouting make a highway for the Lord through the wilderness, make straight, smooth roads through the desert for our God. Fill the valley and level the hills, straighten out the curves and smooth off the rough spots. Then the Glory of the Lord will be revealed and all peoples will see it together (Isaiah 40:3-5).

    Jesus, my Lord, my Teacher, You reach into our lives not through instruction but through story. Open our hearts to be attentive; that seeing, we may perceive; and hearing, we may understand; and understanding, we may act upon Your Word. In Your name I stand before You and pray. Amen.

  • Pray Without Ceasing

    Father, in the name of Jesus, my Savior, I offer up thanksgiving and praise that You have called me to be a fellow workman with and for You (1 Corinthians 3:9). I commit myself to pray daily and not to turn coward or lazy — to faint, lose heart, or give up (Luke 18:1 Amplified). Fearlessly and confidently and boldly I draw near to Your Throne of Grace, that I may receive mercy and find grace to help in good time for every need (Hebrews 4:16).

    We need to be diligent in prayer. So much depends on prayer!

    Father God, I live in You and Your words remain in me and continue to live in my heart. Therefore I ask whatever I will and it shall be done for me, for when I produce fruit through prayer, You, Father, are honored and glorified (John 15:7-8). Whatever I ask for in prayer, I believe that it is granted to me, and so, believing, I will receive it (Mark 11:24). The earnest prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (James 5:16). I am Your righteous because I am in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). So I pray to You.

    This is the confidence I have in You, that whenever I ask anything according to Your wonderful will, You will hear. And if I know You hear whatever I ask, I know I have what I have asked You for (1 John 5:14-15). I have total confidence in this because I makes sure to obey Your commands and stay abiding in You. Therefore I do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in every care, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, I continue to make my requests and needs known to You (Philippians 4:6).

    Dear Lord Jesus, You said, “According to your faith let it be done unto you.” (Matthew 9:29). You said that if we believed, we will receive what we ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22). Lord, As You mature my faith, teach me how to pray effectively, and what to ask of You in prayer. You said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36). Help me not to be discouraged but to continue to pray and not to be afraid or doubtful; but only to believe and trust in You.

  • God Supplies the Power

    As the Father gave me command — so I do (John 14:31).

    I work very hard at whatever God directs me to do, as I depend on Christ Jesus’ mighty power that works within me (Colossians 1:29). For this I labor – unto weariness – striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me. [Amplified] This is my work and I can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy is at work in me [Phillips].

    God’s resurrecting power is at work within me!

    Not by my might nor by my power, but by Your Spirit, O Lord God Almighty, I will be able to do Your will (Zechariah 4:6). Father, please let the Holy Spirit fill and control me (Ephesians 5:18).

    In addition to all I take up the shield of faith with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And I take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:16-17) and I do battle along with Jesus, in Jesus’ mighty name.

    I receive power because the Holy Spirit moves in me. I will not be quiet or ashamed. I will be a witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) for my God and my Savior.

    These attesting signs will accompany me because I believe: in Jesus’ mighty and holy name I can drive out demons, speak in new tongues, pick up snakes without harm, and when I eat or drink anything deadly it will not hurt me… And when I place my hands on sick people they will recover (Mark 16:17-18) that I may bring much glory to God, my Father.

    I stand firm; I let nothing move me. I will always give myself fully to the work of the Lord, because I know my labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). I know no day is wasted and no prayer is wasted with my God.

    I will not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows… I will not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, I will reap a harvest if I do not give up (Galatians 6:7, 9).

    God has spoken. Once, twice I have heard this: Power belongs to our God! And loving-kindness is His nature (Psalm 62:11).

    Arise! Shine! For my Light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon me (Isaiah 60:1).

  • Don’t Forget To Pray For Those Who Hurt You

    A prayer for forgiveness that can help us remain open to grace:

    O Lord Jesus, You know how upset we are because of the harm done to us. You forgave those who harmed You. Please help us to forgive, so we will not be destroyed by anger, or hatred, or revenge. Help those who have harmed us to follow You, so they may not hurt others. We place ourselves in Your care. Bless us with Your strength and peace and love, so what has happened to us may cause no further damage. Instead, let us grow ever stronger, full of compassion and courage and hope. Loving Lord, please give us grace to move ahead, walking always with You, at Your side. Amen.

    Sometimes it is easier to pray with a prayer partner.

    Father, my heart’s desire and my prayer to You is for _____’s salvation (Romans 10:1). Please redeem and be gracious to him/her (Psalm 26:11). Turn Your face upon him/her and be generous to him/her (Psalm 25:16). Surround him/her with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7). Keep him/her as the apple of Your eye (Psalm 17:8). Answer when he/she is in distress; protect him/her and send help from Your sanctuary to grant him/her support (Psalm 20:1-2). I pray too that he/she commits his/her way to You, gracious Lord, and he/she will trust in You and You will do this: You will make Your righteousness shine like the dawn (Psalm 37:5-6).

    Father, I pray for _____:

    …That You would give him/her the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so he/she may know You better (Ephesians 1:17).

    …That wisdom will enter his/her heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to his/her soul. I pray that discretion will protect him/her, and that understanding will guard him/her, and that wisdom will save him/her from the ways of the wicked (Proverbs 2:10-12).

    …That his/her love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so he/she may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ’s return, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes though Christ Jesus – to the praise and glory of Your name, my God and Father (Philippians 1:9-11).

    …That he/she will be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil (Romans 16:19).

    …That he/she will be patient and not quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:29).

    …That You will guide him/her in Your truth and teach him/her Your paths; for You are my all-powerful God (Psalm 25:4-5).

    …That the peace of Christ Jesus will rule in his/her heart and in my heart, since as members of one body we were called to peace. And help us be thankful, letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:15-16).

    Now to You, Glorious Father, who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or could imagine for _____, to You be glory forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

  • To Overcome Un-forgiveness

    Each of us has faced overwhelming challenges to forgive. Eventually though, truth begins to eclipse any excuse: we won’t be OK until we forgive. God’s unrelenting insistence on our forgiveness is for our own sakes, not the sake of the one who hurt us — our un-forgiveness doesn’t hurt them! God is faithful. He will plead our case and take up our cause… but only when we make a deliberate decision to cease representing ourselves in the matter.

    We never look more like Jesus than when we forgive.

    Keep in mind that forgiveness is not defined by a feeling, although it will ultimately change our feelings. Forgiveness is our determined and deliberate willingness to let something go — to release it from our possession and send it to God. God is not asking us to let “it” go haphazardly into the black hole of nonexistence. Forgiveness is the ongoing act by which we agree with God over the matter, practice the mercy He extends to us, and surrender the situation, repercussions, and the hurtful person into His hands.

    Pray for willingness-to-forgive to come to you, but also pray for that person you are having trouble forgiving. There are three parts to ‘forgiveness’ praying: (1) prayers for a forgiving attitude in yourself, (2) prayers specifically about the person you are struggling to forgive, and (3) prayers for the person you are struggling to forgive.

    Your ways are not my ways, Lord God. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are Your ways higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9). I may not always understand Your ways, my Lord, but they are always prosperous (Psalm 10:5). Your ways are always righteous (Psalm 145:17). Your ways, O God, are holy (Psalm 77:13). Your ways are loving and faithful(Psalm 25:10). I have considered my ways, Lord (Psalm 119:59), and I choose Yours instead. Please keep me from deceitful ways (Psalm 119:29). Lord God, loving Father, help me to walk in Your ways (Psalm 119:3).

    Father, I forgive everyone who has trespassed against me so that You can forgive me my trespasses (Matthew 6:12). Father, Your Word tells me to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-28). So I come before you in Jesus’ name to lift up _____ before You. I invoke blessings upon him/her and pray for his/her happiness. I implore You, please, to bless him/her. And not only will I pray for _____, but I set myself up to treat him/her well; I will be merciful, sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate toward him/her even as You are, my loving Father. For I am Your child and want to be an imitator of You, my Lord God (Ephesians 5:1), and I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

    So Father, I thank You that I have great peace in this situation, for I love Your law and refuse to take offense toward _____ (Psalm 119:165). I am blessed — that is, happy with life; I have joy and satisfaction in God’s favor, and in salvation apart from outward conditions — because I take no offense and refuse to be hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [whatever may occur] (Luke 7:23 Amplified).

    And now, Father, I roll this work entirely upon You — I commit and trust it wholly into Your hands; and believe that You will cause my thoughts to come into agreement with Your will, and so my plans shall be established and succeed (Proverbs 16:3). Amen.

  • God’s Word Should Drive Us

    The promises outlined in these pages are meant to be a help and a guide to you so you can get better acquainted with your Heavenly Father and His Word. They are not meant to replace the reading of and meditation on His Word. Not only does His Word affect your life, but also it will affect others through you, for you will then be able to counsel accurately those who come to you for advice. Walk in God’s counsel and prize His wisdom (Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:7-8).

    While many of the promises can be claimed by those who love God and are called according to His purpose (called “absolute” promise), the fulfillment of others (considered a “conditional” promise) is dependent upon becoming more alive to the conditions attached — those dependent for their fulfillment upon the carrying out of certain requirements, which are expressly stated in the Word.

    The immediate Purpose of acquiring promises is to meet our varied daily needs. The ultimate Design of each promise by our Lord and Maker is the separation of our lives from anything unworthy of the Divine Promisor.

    We have the promise that God’s will is reliable and eternal, therefore His promises are reliable and eternal. The promises come to us from God the Father through Jesus, the Son, by the Holy Ghost. The Father conceived the promise. The way to them was opened up by the Son. The appropriation of them is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

    Promises, to be effective both materially and spiritually, must be (1) possessed by faith; (2) proven by obedience (3) presented in prayer. God’s unfailing promises are given to stimulate prayer, not supersede it. While everything good for us is promised in answer to believing prayer, nothing is promised apart from it (Mark 11:24). The fire of our prayers must be fed with the fuel of the promise: after (1) being persuaded of the promise, we (2) plead it in prayer, and then (3) possess it. Therefore God’s promises strengthen our faith and prompt our obedience, and also enforce our pleas.

    Almighty and Most Holy God, I want all my life to be lived out to Your glory — a living testament of thanks to You for the grace You have given me, and the mercy and love You have shown me. While I do not always do this as I would like, I lovingly offer You my words, deeds, heart, mind and soul to bring glory to Your name by doing Your will. Please use Your Spirit to remove areas of self-deception from my life, so weakness and hypocrisy will not rob my discipleship of its intended worship of Your great majesty. Holy Father, please help me live a more thankful and victorious life before my unbelieving friends and family, and as an example to all, so they may come to share Your glorious kingdom and victory over sin and death. Give me the mind of Jesus to always look to You and trust in You for everything, and every event I find before me today. I love You, O Lord my strength!