Entries from October 2014 ↓

Chapter Five – “Protection Without Fail”

“And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:”

(Using the Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase, as a model for expanding your prayer life)

Father, I pray today that You will lead us not into temptation, but that You will deliver us from evil. Lord, You have promised us Your protection without fail, if we will be obedient to follow the path that You have prepared in advance that we should walk in it (Eph. 2:10).

Put On the Whole Armor of God – Eph. 6:10-18
(DEFENSE)

Lord God, Your Word exhorts us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of Your might by putting on the whole armor of You, Lord, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:10-11). By faith today, I put on the whole armor of God.

I put on the BELT OF TRUTH (v. 14). I stand, therefore, having my loins girt about with truth. As my loins contain the digestive system, the reproductive system, and the bowels, I pray that the belt of truth will hold the spiritual equivalents of these physical features. I want to act upon the inward truth of You, Lord, that is within me. I want to be genuine and filled with Your determined purpose. I want to be filled with Your truth, God, so that I will be a person of total integrity and moral rectitude. I am determined to act upon that truth today.  I put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 14) today. As the breastplate is so vital to protecting organs that are so very vital to life—the esophagus, windpipe, heart, and lungs—I ask that the spiritual equivalents of these organs will be protected by the breastplate of righteousness today.

As You are THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, I am thankful that He (Jesus) became sin for us Who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of You, God, through Jesus Christ our Lord (2 Cor. 5:21). I am thankful that I have received the righteousness of You, Father, through my faith and trust in Jesus, having been justified by the blood of Christ (Rom. 5:1-2,9; 1 Peter 2:24; Rom. 3:22). I will diligently guard my heart today for I know that out of it are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23).

I SHOD MY FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE today (v. 15). I know that in the hand to hand, face to face combat I encounter today in the issues of life, I need the ability to stand, to sidestep, to walk and run, and to be prepared and ready as I walk daily in Your revealed will, O God. I want my conduct and conversation to be as it is worthy and becoming of the gospel of Christ (Phil. 1:27), according to Your Word. I pray that I will experience a sense of Your Oneness, Jesus, and a consciousness of Your divine aid, Holy Spirit, equal to any problem or need that I have or face today, that my family has or faces today, or that the ministry You have called me to has or faces today.

I want to leave footprints of peace wherever I go today. I pray that You will send me where You will to encourage those who need encouragement, to witness to those who need to be saved, to solve conflicts, and to be a calming influence on the lives of others. I pray that as I wear shoes of peace today that I will not be hurried, and that I will not push and hurry others or make them tense.

Above all, I take the SHIELD OF FAITH (v. 16), whereby I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, for as I use it, it covers all parts of my body. I trust in You, Lord, to protect me, my family, and my ministry. Because I am hiding in You, I know that nothing can touch me, my family, my ministry, and others whom You prompt me to pray for that You do not allow (Ps. 32:7; 119:114). Thank You for being our hiding place and shield from the evils of this seen and unseen world. What a joy and comfort to live by faith in the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20).

I put on the HELMET OF SALVATION (v. 17) today to keep my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). I receive the mind of Christ today (1 Cor. 2:16) and the peace of You, God, to garrison and mount guard over my thoughts. I resolve to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Your Word says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov. 23:7). Therefore, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight (Ps. 19:14) today, Father. I also realize that the most noticeable part of a soldier’s uniform is the helmet. I pray that my helmet will shine (Matt. 5:16) for You today, Jesus, and as my light shines through the obedient and good works that I fulfill for You, the Father will be glorified.

I take today the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD (v. 17), as my defensive and as my offensive weapon. It is my power and authority (Luke 4:32,36) for everything that I say and do. I exalt Your Word, Lord God, and I hold it in the highest esteem, giving it first place as the rule and guide for my life, my family, and my ministry. I make the Word final authority to settle all questions that confront me. I choose to agree with Your Word, God, and I choose to disagree with any thoughts, conditions, or circumstances contrary to Your Word. I make my schedule, the schedule of my family, and the schedule of my ministry around the Word. As I daily get into the Word, please, Lord, fill my mind with guiding Scriptures. I ask You to give me a specific word of confirmation from the Word for each specific situation and concern in my life for which I am not completely clear of regarding Your will.

As I pray now and always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (v. 18), I want to pray according to Your perfect will (1 John 5:14). I know that it is Your will to protect me, my family, and my ministry this day without fail. I will watch not to neglect the prayer that is so essential for victory in spiritual conflicts, but with all perseverance and supplication I will pray in behalf of all saints.

I pray that forces beyond my control will not lead me/us into trials. I watch and pray so as not to enter into temptation through carelessness, disobedience, and prayerlessness. I ask that me, my family, and my ministry will be grasped today and everyday from the potent power of evil that seeks to influence us, overcome us, and master us, trying to lead us astray. As I put on the whole armor of God today, I put on the Lord Jesus to be my defense, and I clothe myself with Jesus (Rom. 13:14), making no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof, for Jesus is my TRUTH (John 14:6); Jesus is my RIGHTEOUSNESS (2 Cor. 5:21); Jesus is my READINESS AND PEACE (John 14:2; Rom. 1:15-16; John 14:27; Rom. 5:1); Jesus is my FAITH (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 3:22,25); Jesus is my SALVATION (Acts 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:9); Jesus is my SWORD and living WORD (Heb. 4:12; John 1:1,14). Thank You for being my/our DEFENSE throughout this day.

As I have put on the whole armor of You, God, I am thankful that I can stand against temptation and stand for the Truth of God (Eph. 6:11,14) that even when evil is around me, it cannot affect me, my family, or my ministry or have any kind of negative, harmful influence upon us because with the whole armor of You on us, God, we shall stand.

As I am strong in You, Lord, and standing for Your Truth, God, I pray that I will be protected and that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel that therefore I will speak boldly, as I ought to speak (vs. 19-20). Lord, thank You for Your protection that we may have the strength and the boldness to carry Your Truth on.

Pray a Hedge of Protection – Ps. 91; Ps. 139:5; Hosea 2:6
(DELIVERANCE)

I pray and ask today, Lord, that You will be a hedge of protection around me and my family (and others whom God prompts me to pray for) so that we shall be protected from temptation and delivered from any kind of evil upon our lives. Lord, as Satan said about Job: “Have You not made (protected him) a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land” (Job 1:10); I pray the same could be said of my family, except I pray that You will not allow the devil and his demons to lay one hand on my family and our possessions or have any kind of control upon us and our possessions.

Lord, as You hedged up the way of Gomer with thorns (Hos. 2:6), I pray that, in such a manner, You will hedge us and make a wall to protect us and keep us from temptation so that we will not find our path to those places, persons, and things that we do not need to be around. I pray, Lord, that You will hedge us behind and before (Ps. 139:5), above and beneath, and around on every side to protect us and keep us safe from temptation, evil, bondage, harm, hurt, injury, danger, or illness.

Lord, I lay hold to the promises of Psalm 91 and the three “becauses” of Psalm 91. Because our family have made You, the Lord, Who is our refuge, even the Most High, our habitation and our “dwelling place” (v. 9), I know that You will be our defense. How thankful I am that “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (v. 1). I know that as we express our praises to You, Lord, that You sit down among us for You inhabit the praises of Your people (Ps. 22:3).

How wonderful to know that because I have made you my dwelling place that “though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion [royal tent]; in the secret place of His tabernacle [the secret place of Your presence in the very center of Your army] He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD” (Ps. 27:3-6).

Lord, because me and my family seek You first above all else and all others, and we cling to You in absolute trust, I lay hold to Your promise that no evil shall befall us, nor shall any plague come near our dwelling; for You shall give Your angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways (Ps. 91:10-11). As we focus our affections upon You, we can identify with David when he said, “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4). Thank You, for being our defense, and as our defense, You are our deliverance.

I pray a hedge of protection today, Father, around me and my family because You have set Your love upon us (Jer. 31:3; 1 John 4:19) and we have set our love upon You. I lay hold of Your promise that You will deliver us. You said through the Psalmist, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him” (Ps. 91:14). Father, how wonderful to know that You love those who love You, and to love You, Lord, is to be obedient to Your Word, to follow Your teachings, and to fear You in a positive way. The fear of You, Lord, is where we find wisdom because it causes us to be respectful, teachable, and knowledgeable (Prov. 1:7). Fear of You prolongs our days (Prov. 10:27) and adds satisfying life to our years, void of evil (Prov. 19:23). It is because “the angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them (Ps. 34:7).

Lord, I want to serve You this day out of our love for You. As I do, I am thankful for the promise: “My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me” (Ps. 101:6). Lord, I know that where Your eyes are, Your presence is there also, and where Your presence is, there is defense and deliverance from temptation, evil, and bondage for Your protection is without fail.

Lord God, I pray a hedge of protection today around me and my family because we know Your name. I lay hold of Your promise: “I will set him on high, because he has known My name” (Ps. 91:14). Your name is a strong tower (Prov. 18:10) to us where the righteous can run to it and are safe. I acknowledge our dependence upon You as our strength and shield (Prov. 28:7), our fortress, our high tower, our deliverer, our lovingkindness, our shield, and the One in whom we take refuge (Ps. 144:2). We commit our devotion to You. How encouraging to know that from the end of the earth we can cry unto You and that You will lead us to a rock that is higher than we can imagine. For You have been a shelter for us, a strong tower from the enemy. We will abide in Your tabernacle forever; we will trust in the shelter of Your wings. For You, O God, have heard our vows; You have given us the heritage of those who fear Your name (Ps. 62:2-5).

Therefore, we know that as we shall call upon You, You will answer us. You will be with us in trouble and will deliver us and honor us. With long life You will satisfy us and show us Your salvation (Ps. 91:15-16).

Today, Lord, I thank You for Your hedge of protection around me and my family (and others whom You prompt me to pray for) because we have made You our dwelling place and habitation, and we seek You first above all else; because we have set our love upon You, and we want to serve You; and because we know Your name, and as Your name signifies Who You are and what You want to be in our lives, we submit to You. You are ELOHIM, You are EL-SHADDAI, You are ADONAI, You are our RIGHTEOUSNESS, our SANCTIFIER, our PEACE, our LORD WHO IS THERE, our HEALER, our PROVIDER, our BANNER, our SHEPHERD. You are EL-ELYON, the Lord God Most High.

Therefore as you search us and know us, You have hedged us behind and before (Ps. 139:5), above and beneath, and around on every side as an unbreakable, impenetrable hedge and bubble of protection. We know that we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and we abide under the shadow of the Almighty. We do say of You, Lord, that You are our refuge and fortress, our God, in You we trust for protection without fail. Assuredly, You will defend and deliver us as You cover us with Your feathers, and we take refuge under Your wings (Ps. 91:1-4), underneath the everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27), knowing that You shall thrust out the enemy from before us. Your truth shall be our shield and buckler. We shall not be afraid by night or day.

I thank You, Heavenly Father, that your hedge of protection is around me and my family and all that we have, on every side, like a nest around bird, like an unbreakable, impenetrable bubble and hedge of protection to keep us safe from harm, hurt, injury, danger, illness, temptation, evil, or bondage this day and every day. I know that Your hedge of protection is around our home, our property, our possessions, our going outs, our coming ins, where we are, where we are going, what we are in or upon, and what we are doing like an unbreakable, impenetrable bubble and hedge of protection to keep these places, possessions, and things safe from damage, destruction, theft, wreck, or mechanical breakdown. I pray, if need be, that angels will appear, unawares or by sight, to protect us, our possessions, and our going outs and our coming ins this day.

Present a Holy Life to the Lord – Rom. 12:1-2
(DIRECTION)

Lord, as I have put on the whole armor of You, God, and as I have prayed a hedge of protection around me, my family, and my ministry (and others whom You have prompted me to intercede for), our possessions, and our going outs and our coming ins, I realize, Lord, that we need to present a holy life to You, Lord. Lord, You have plainly shown us how You would bless us, if we hearken diligently to Your voice, to observe to do all Your commandments and statutes (Deut. 28:1-14), but there are curses that shall be upon us if we hearken not unto Your voice to observe to do all Your commandments (Deut. 28:15).

Lord, my desire is to present a holy life to You, Lord, and in doing so I can be confident that You will protect me, my family, and my ministry without fail. I believe Deuteronomy 28:24-25: “And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.”

I resolve to strive daily to live out Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I choose to be not conformed to this world. I want to seek after the things of You, God, more than anything else, not laying up treasures on earth, but laying up treasures in heaven.

I make a choice to be not conformed to the fads, fashions, and frivolities of this world, knowing the “the form (fashion) of this world passes away” (1 Cor. 7:31). I want to make use of this world, but not to misuse and abuse it, in fulfilling Your purpose for my life. I realize the need to be transformed by the renewing of mind daily. I want to be charged spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and materially each day by the battery charger—Your Word. I will make the Bible a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Ps. 119:105), knowing that it will provide the direction to follow in those steps You have ordered (Ps. 37:23) for me in those paths that You have prepared in advance that I should walk in them (Eph. 2:10), being predestined according to the purpose of You, Father, Who works all things after the counsel of Your own will (Eph. 1:11).

I know, Lord, that as I choose to be not conformed to this world, to be charged daily from Your Word, then I will be empowered in such a way that I can help to change this world from worldliness to Godliness, making a difference for Christ with some (Jude 23), for I will be building up myself on my most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping myself in the love of You, God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 20-21).

Lord, I ask and need Your protection today because I want to be used to make a difference for Jesus in this world and to help change it for the best. I do not want it to be said of me: “You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel [USA] to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. . . . So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezek. 13:5; 22:30). Lord, I want to be a GAP person, and I know that such a person must prove Your good, acceptable, and perfect will consistently and conscientiously. As I pray a hedge of protection around my life, my family, and my ministry, I want to do so for our church, our city, our county, and our country so that these words of Yours will not be fulfilled: “Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 22:31).

Father, I pray today that You will be a hedge of protection and a wall of fire round about me, my family, and my ministry, and that You will be the glory in the midst of us (Zech. 2:5) to defend, deliver, and direct us so that we may have Your protection without fail. I thank You for blessing and protecting the work of our hands and for increasing our possessions, as You increase in our lives while we decrease (John 3:30). Thank You for conferring happiness, protection, provision, and prosperity on us this day. I thank You that we stand today in the victory Jesus Christ has won for me, my family, and my ministry (1 Cor. 15:57).

Chapter Four  – “PAID IN FULL”

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

(Using the Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase, as a model for expanding your prayer life)

Father, I pray that You will forgive us of our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Thank You, that we are able to be forgiven of our sins, as we are forgiving toward those who sin against us. I am thankful that the debt of my sins has been paid in full by what Jesus made possible for us on the Cross of Calvary. For “You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness” (Neh. 9:17). “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19)

Lord God, I praise You for the pardon of our sins that “as far as the east is from the west, so far have You removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).

I am grateful, Lord, that you are “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. . . . You have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities” as we really deserve. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is Your mercy toward those who fear You” (Ps. 103:8,10-11).

Confession Through Supplication

Lord, I want to get my heart and house in order today. How wonderful to know that “if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Lord, I know that You want me to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,” to let my requests be made known to You (Phil. 4:6).

So, I ask You, God, to look into my heart. Lord, I confess and ask forgiveness of the sin(s) that I have committed since I last prayed to You. I am aware that if I regard iniquity in my heart that You will not hear me (Ps. 66:18). I do not want to regard iniquity in my heart and in my life, so I ask You to expose sin(s) in my life now that I am not aware of so that I may confess it/them to You, Lord. I want to say and feel the same way about my sins that You do, Lord. I want to keep my sin list short.

Cancellation Through Salvation

Lord, I am thankful for the cancellation of my sins obtained by the salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:9). Thank You, Lord, that as our sins and iniquities separated us from You so that You hid Your face from us (Isa. 59:2), Your hand is not shortened so that it cannot save, nor Your ear heavy that it cannot hear (Isa. 59:1), because You made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of You, O God, in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

As on (Date) , I publicly acknowledged that I had confessed with my mouth the Lord Jesus, believing in my heart, God, that You raised Him from the dead, I was saved (Rom. 10:9) because of that profession of faith in Christ, and my sins were cancelled through salvation, pardoned, and paid in full. With my heart I believed unto righteousness, and with my mouth I made a confession unto salvation (Rom. 10:10).

Lord, You have revealed to us through Your Word that when we repent, we shall receive the forgiveness of sins and the refreshing presence of Your presence through the Holy Spirit, Who leads us to live for Jesus. I am thankful for these words that you spoke through Peter: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ” (Acts 3:19). I also thank you for these other words the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to say when he preached on the Day of Pentecost: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Thank You, that as we repent (confession), we receive the remission (cancellation) of our sins and the refreshing, renewing, reviving presence of the Holy Spirit.

I acknowledge Your words, Father, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isa. 1:18-19). I am thankful for the cancellation of my sins through Jesus, whereby, I can eat the good of the land. I pray, Lord, that You will use me to keep others from refusing and rebelling, so that they will not be devoured by the doom of eternity in hell. 

Concession Through Submission

Father, You have said that we are forgiven of our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lord, I resolve to forgive those who have sinned against me, and I resolve to follow the words of our Lord Jesus, Who said to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).

I release critical, evil eyes, and condemning, unbridled, sparking tongues to You, Father. I do so conceding my rights to deal with them directly, only doing so when there is no alternative, but in submission to Your Word and Your will, I seek to forgive and forget the wrongs of others toward me.
Father, I seek to follow Your Word which says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:7-12).

So, Lord, I resolve to forgive anyone who wrongs me today. I realize, Lord, that You use those who sin against us to teach us how to forgive. I realize that there are those who are always critically watching (referred to as the “enemy” in the O.T.), so I make a willful decision to respond with love and forgiveness toward those who offend me. And as I forgive those who offend or wrong me, Lord, I release them into Your hands.

Father, I always strive to have a conscience without offense toward You and my fellow man (Acts 24:16). I seek always to tell the truth in Christ, not to lie, with my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 9:1). My goal in striving to be a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22) is to have such a good and clear conscience that when I may be defamed by evildoers, what they criticize me for would actually be reviling my good conduct in Christ to their shame (1 Peter 3:16). May I suffer, if it is Your will, Lord God, for doing good than for doing evil (1 Peter 3:17).

Lord, I pray that if someone is critical of me, then, in essence, they are critical of You, Lord, because I am living, abiding, acting, and reacting in Your will and purpose for my life. Father, thank You for this passage of Scripture that we can personalize for our lives when we undergo undue criticism. We continue to stand on this promise from Your Word that is also for us today:

“Whoever assembles against me/us shall fall for Your sake (Isa. 54:15). No weapon that is formed against me/us shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against me/us in judgment You shall condemn, for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and our righteousness is from You (Isa. 54:17).”

Father, You have revealed in Your Word a special word to us when we are wrongly accused and slandered by an individual or group with whom we once walked with in sweet fellowship. In such situations, we can identify with what the Psalmist David was saying when he wrote: “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng” (Ps. 55:12-14).

Father, You have revealed that we should wait silently on You, for our expectation (hope, deliverance, vindication) is from You. Psalm 62, especially verses 1-2, 5-8, and 11-12 are Your Word(s) for us in such situations. Also, You have confirmed what You will do to those who falsely accused us: “The mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped” (Ps. 63:11). In such situations, we are to give ourselves to prayer (Ps. 109:5). I submit to Your way of dealing with such individuals and situations.

Consecration Through Sanctification

Father, I thank You for the holy consecration I have received and remain within through the sanctification process that began when I got saved and that is continuous in my life. Through the atoning death and resurrection of Christ, I know that “by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). With the Holy Spirit as a witness, how wonderfully encouraging these words are:

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, then He adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:16-25). Glory!

Father, as the Word says, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter (see 2 Tim. 2:16-20), he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). Lord, I want to remove those things from my life that hinder me from being a vessel of honor for You, God, so that I will remain in a state of unbroken fellowship with You, Lord.

Father, I give myself to prayer. Now therefore, I pray, Lord, please pardon my sin (which I confessed to You), and return again with me, that I may worship You, Lord (1 Sam. 15:25). As I pray, I commit to obey what You desire for me to do and how You commanded us to live. I do behold Your Word that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22). I strive to not commit willful and presumptuous sins (Heb. 10:26; Ps. 19:13).

Lord, I want to live in obedience to Your Word “for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:23). Lord, I strive to live so that it cannot be said of me, and I pray that You will use me to keep these words from being said of others: “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you” (1 Sam. 15:23). Lord, please use my ministry to turn others from these words: “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Sam. 15:24); because, Lord, Your Word for such individuals is “I will not return with You, for you have rejected the Word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you” (1 Sam. 15:26). May we rescue the perishing as You have rescued us through our repentance (Luke 13:3; John 3:16).

I am thankful, Lord, for this song that I am able and privileged to sing:

He paid a debt He did not owe;
I owed a debt I could not pay;
I needed someone to wash my sins away;
And now I sing a brand new song, amazing grace all day long;
Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

Thank You, Father, that the debt of my sins has been paid in full. I thank You, Lord, for the full pardon I have received for the penalty of my sins because You are a God of grace and mercy (Heb. 9:22; 1 John 1:7; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 5:9; 1 Peter 2:24).

Chapter Three – “PROVIDING ALL OUR NEEDS”

(Using the Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase, as a model for expanding your prayer life)

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Father, I pray that You will give us this day our daily bread. As You are Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord-Our-Provider, I acknowledge You as the ultimate authority whom we depend upon to provide the essential elements of life. We trust in You completely to provide all our needs.

Live For Him

Father, I seek to be in Your will this day. I want to seek first Your kingdom today, to be in Your will for my life today. As we live for You, I know that I need take no thought regarding what we shall eat, drink, or be clothed with, for You, heavenly Father, know that we have need of these things. So, I take no thought for tomorrow because I am confident that You will supply all our needs (Matt. 6:31-34).

Father, I ask You to give us this day our daily bread as we serve You. We commit to be in Your will and to do those things today that will please You. Father, You have confirmed that “it shall come to pass” (Deut. 28:3-13), if we hearken diligently unto the voice of You, Lord, our God, to observe and to do all Your commandments which You have commanded us that You will set us high above all nations
of the earth: and all these blessings (vs. 3-13) shall come on us, and overtake us, if we hearken unto the voice of You, Lord, our God (Deut. 28:1-2). We shall be blessed when we come in and when we go out, in the city or in the country. You will bless the work of our hands.

I believe, according to the promise and the truth of Your Word, that it is Your will to provide all our needs. We can be secure in knowing that You will provide for us and do all that You have promised to do for us. You have particularly confirmed this to us in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and Deuteronomy 30:5,9-10, as we seek to obey Your Word above all else and serve You.

Lord, You have confirmed that in the area of finances we will be the head and not the tail, the lender and not the borrower, and that we shall be above only and not beneath (Deut. 28:12-13), if we will heed all Your commandments.

You have confirmed that You will bring us into the land which You desire for us to possess, and that You will do us good, and multiply us. And, You will make us plenteous in every work of our hands, in the fruit of our body . . . and in the fruit of our land for good, but only if we shall hearken to the voice of the Lord our God, to keep Your commandments and Your statutes, which are written in Your book of the Law, and if we turn to You and live for You with all our heart, and all our soul (Deut. 30:5,9-10).

Give To Him

Father, as I daily read from Your Word, as I pray, as I fellowship within Your Church, and as I follow Your lead and promptings in diligent, balanced work habits, I strive and I am obedient in giving as You prompt me to give. Lord Jesus, You said that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), and, Lord, we want to give to You and Your work as You want us to.

Father, You have said in Your Word that “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). Lord, our family tithes faithfully, even giving above and beyond a tithe of our gross income. We give in our hearts as You purpose us to give, and we do so not grudgingly or of necessity, but out of love for You. It is a joy to give back on the first day of the week the first 10% of our income to You, Lord (2 Cor. 9:7).

Lord, we honor Your Word which we believe points us to give our tithe to our local church. We give our tithe to our local church, offerings as You prompt us to give, and offerings to other Christian causes and groups as You prompt us to do so. As we are faithful to bring all our tithes into the storehouse, that Your work may be done, we do accept Your offer for us to try You now in this, “says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).

We stand on Your promise from our Lord Jesus: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).
Believe In Him

Father, I believe in You, that it is Your good pleasure to prosper us and not only meet but exceed all our financial needs, obligations, commitments, and responsibilities. I believe and know that You want to meet and exceed the budget of our church. Lord, I believe the words of our Lord Jesus Who said, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt. 21:22). Father, I know that we may not receive because Your Word says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). As I pray for financial resources, it is that we may more effectively serve You. Lord, I ask in faith “with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6), that all our financial needs will be met so that we can stay out of debt, pay our tithe and taxes, and live within our means. And this is the confidence that we have in You, that if we ask anything according to Your will, You hear us, and if we know that You hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of You” (1 John 5:14-15).

Father, as I ask in faith, according to Your will, I do so accepting Your time frame. I pray that if it is Your will for us to wait some more concerning a financial request , please give us grace to do so and renew and revive our faith through the process so that it will become even stronger (Isa. 40:31).

Receive From Him

Father, as we seek to live for You, to give as You prompt us to give to Your work, and believe that what we ask of You in the way of financial provision is according to Your will, we are confident that we will receive from You all our need according to Your riches in glory (Phil. 4:19).

I ask today for Your supernatural (impossible to man, but possible to You, Lord) blessings on our family, our home, and our possessions in the area of finances. I pray that You will work providentially and divinely through the ordinary, supernaturally through the natural (through normal means and resources of providing income for us), and I pray that You will even work miraculously in and over our finances to provide the income to get us out of debt (if applicable), keep us out of debt, to live within our means, to enlarge our tent (size of home, furnishings, and increase in possessions and assets), as needed, to pay our taxes, to give our tithe, plus other offerings as prompted, and to be able to save an adequate amount of our net income for emergency situations and future needs that arise, seldom having to use this money in savings and never having to deplete it.

We will obey You as You have sometimes asked us to give the unusual and unexpected. We commit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our finances, our material possessions, our home, and our “coming in and going out” (Deut. 28:6). I ask You today for the allotted portions from you for us financially, physically, and materially which is necessary to fulfill Your perfect will and plan for our lives, thanking and acknowledging that You, my God, are able to make all grace abound toward us and our finances because You always have all sufficiency in all things, having and giving an abundance to us for every good work and that which we need to fulfill Your perfect will for our lives this day (2 Cor. 9:8).

I pray that the financial needs of our church will be met this day and this week in order to further Your kingdom and to glorify Christ. I pray that You, O Lord, our PROVIDER, will bring a harvest of new members into our church who will be faithful tithers. I pray that You will bless those in our church membership who are presently tithers with more income so that their tithes will increase. I pray that our members who are not presently tithers will be compelled to start tithing and that You will prove Malachi 3:10 to them.

I pray that our church will meet its budget every week and exceed the funds needed for the budget. We pray that we will be patient for those things we desire for our church until we have the money in hand to pay for them. Lord, I firmly believe that if we really have need of something at our church for which we do not presently have the money that You will send in the necessary finances if this is within Your will for our church.

Lord, I trust You to provide all the resources and means to fulfill our financial needs, obligations, commitments, and responsibilities.

I praise You, Father, because You are the Lord, our PROVIDER, Who knows and sees beforehand our financial needs (Matt. 6:8) and makes provision for them, even before we ask. I know that we shall receive today what we need financially to fulfill Your will for our lives.