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Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 9

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-15

“They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up My treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

Malachi 3:17-18

Lord God, I pray for holiness to spread through Your people. I pray for a spirit of obedience to rise up within us that will say no to our former passions, our former way of living and speaking and thinking, and say yes to Your ways that are all together different. Father, may Your Church walk in holiness as never before, drawing a holy line in the sand which we will refuse to cross. I pray You will come against every unholy relationship among us, break up our friendship with the world, and call us once again to “come out from among them”.

Your have distinguished Your people from all other people of the earth. We are covered in the blood of Christ, set free from sin, given hearts of flesh in place of hearts of stone, rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of Your Son. We are different, because we belong to You. I pray the distinction will become unblurred, Lord. I pray that Your Church will take up the call to be “other than”, instead of “similar to”. I pray that we will love the lost and speak truth to the lost, but that we will not lose our distinction from them.

Holy Spirit of God, we are the Lord’s treasured possession. Make us holy. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 8

“God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”

Numbers 23:19

“Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations;”

Psalm 119:89-90

Father, I know that You are faithful. Faithful to Your Word, faithful to me. Faithful to my family and my marriage. Faithful to Your Church. Thank You God, for such steadfastness, such faithfulness! Your track record is proven and perfect. While man may go back on his word a million times, You never will, not once. While our love is failing and unfaithful, Your love for us never fails. You are faithful to love us to the end.

You are not like us Lord, and our only hope is that we will become like You. I pray that what is true of You, will be true of me and true of Your Church. By the working of Your Spirit in us may we become faithful servants to You and to those around us. I pray we will learn to faithfully steward the gifts and the talents, and the gospel that You have given to us. I pray we will be a people marked by faithfulness.

I pray that in Your faithfulness You will restore our families. Repair what we have broken, heal us and free us from the bondages that continue to harm us. I pray for my children, my grandchildren, and the generations that will come, that by Your Spirit, they will be faithful and passionate followers of Christ. I thank You Father, that Your faithfulness endures through the generations and that, should You tarry, my great-great grandchildren and their children will know Your faithfulness as I have known it!

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 7

Praying for the Prodigals

Praying for a prodigal, especially one that you love, is gut-wrenching work. In my season of such work, God continually challenged me to believe Him to do what looked impossible to me. It took time, tears, and a refusal to back down from believing God, but He did what I was believing Him to do. I am forever grateful. Wherever they have wandered, dear one, we can believe that Jesus will find them and bring them back. Do not give up!

Lord I pray for those in the Church who have wandered from the faith, for all who have left their Father’s house in search of a life they can live on their own terms. May they come to their senses quickly, Lord. I pray they will tire of a life away from You, and will choose to come home, to find You waiting for them with open arms. (Luke 15:11-32)

Your word tells us that bad company corrupts good character, so I ask that You would sever their bonds with bad company. I pray that in Your jealousy for those who belong to You, that Your Spirit would disrupt every relationship that hinders their return to You. I pray You would thwart the corruption of the character of those who belong to You. (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Father, in the story of the lost son it says “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.”, so I ask for a famine to come to the prodigals of the Church. I pray for a severe famine of peace that will drive them to return to the only true place of peace, in the presence of the Prince of Peace. I pray for a famine of enjoyment in the far country. I pray that what used to be exciting would now give them no pleasure. I pray that after they have spent themselves on a life of rebellion, they will find themselves in great need of the safety of home. Bring them a great famine, Lord.(Luke 15:11-17)

I pray that You would awaken a desire for You that far exceeds any other desire. May they find themselves unable to not think of You, unable to forget about You. I pray that every sinful longing and desire would fall short of satisfying their heart, and that a pure longing for You would begin to penetrate their heart and mind. (Psalm 73:25)

I pray they would be ransomed unharmed from the battle against them, that the damage the enemy desires to inflict would be swiftly and completely healed by Your power. (Psalm 55:18)

Wake them up, God! I pray they will lay aside the darkness they have embraced, and bravely and boldly put on the armor of light. Take hold of them and rescue them, draw them out of what is drowning them. Contend with the one who is contending with them. I declare that nothing can thwart Your plans and purposes for them, and that every purpose you have for them will be fulfilled, in the Name of Jesus. (Romans 13:11-12; 2 Samuel 22:17-18; Psalm 35:1; Isaiah 49:25b; Psalm 138:8)

A word of encouragement…

Our God is a pursuing God. He came looking for Adam and Eve in the garden, He found Hagar, He came for His people in Egypt, He pursued Jonah into the belly of a whale, and in a picture of Himself, He sent Hosea to bring back his adulterous wife.

You can pray with confidence for God to pursue your loved one, knowing that there is no place they can go from His Spirit, and that no matter how dark is the place they have run to, that darkness is as light to God.

“I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.” Psalm 31:7-8

Declare it and pray it over the prodigals! Believe God!

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 5

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

1Corinthians 15:58

Thank You Father for the promise that what we do for You and for Your Kingdom will never be in vain. Thank You that You give our work for You purpose and meaning that outlives us.

I pray that You will give us a firm stance. Lord, make us unmoveable in our day. Let us not be blown about by the winds of changing opinions, or even by the persecution to come. I pray we will plant our feet firmly on Your truth, with our faces set like flint toward obedience to Your Word. Father, build up the resolve of Your Church in this hour to stand firm no matter what comes.

I pray for undivided hearts and minds to fill Your people, that we will be given fully to Your work. I pray nothing will be able to distract us or deter us from our calling and our purpose in our generation. Teach us God, to not look to the left or the right, but to keep our gaze upon You, unmoved from who You are and who we are as Your children.

May the work we do be for You and through You and unto You, Lord. I pray we will cease with the lesser works that are done for us, to build our own kingdoms. Let us not labor in vain for our own pleasures Lord, while the labor of Your Kingdom goes undone.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days Praying the Word of God: Day 4

“After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.” When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.”

Nehemiah 4:14-16

Lord God, I pray that in our day, we will remember Your greatness and let go of our “fear of them”. I pray we will take our stand, and fight for our children, fight for family.

Mighty God, would You rise up on behalf of the children in this nation and the insidious, evil attack on their identity?! We cry out to You to intervene, for “So great is Your power that Your enemies cringe before You.”

“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered”!

I pray for a mighty move of Your Spirit in this land that will turn the tide of evil, scatter darkness, and rescue all of those who are held captive by ideologies of wickedness. I pray that, with holy indignation, You will establish truth in this nation, and tear down the stronghold of lies concerning gender, marriage, family, and identity. I ask that You call Your Church to stand firm in this hour, to give no ground to the enemy and to actually begin to take ground, as You answer from heaven.

We will remember Your greatness, and we will not fear. We will build and we will fight. We will restore and we will protect. By Your Spirit. And by Your power, the darkness will turn. By Your power, schemes are exposed, lies are laid bare, and truth will prevail.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days Praying the Word of God: Day 3

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.”

Psalm 32:8-10

Father, I lift up my family to You, and I pray that each of us will always come willingly under Your instruction and counsel. I pray that You will instruct, teach, and counsel my children and grandchildren all of their days. I thank You that, because we belong to You, Your loving eye is upon us. I come against any spirit of independence and rebellion that would attempt to lead those I love to turn from You, in the Name of Jesus.

The wicked will have their woes, but as for me and my house, we will trust You and we will be surrounded by Your unfailing love. Thank You for Your promises, Lord. Thank You for Your commitment of love to us. We can feel surrounded by many things in our world today, but I pray we will know and rest in the truth that, as we trust in You, we are surrounded on all sides by the great love of our God.

I pray also for Your Church, Lord, and I pray You will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go in this hour. Increase our understanding of our calling and our mantle. I pray that in these times of trouble, Your people will be found faithful, not fearful, fully surrendered, and unresistant to Your Spirit’s leading. I pray that it will be Your ways that we follow, and Your heart that we desire to please, above all others. May the hearts of Your people be found fully trusting in You, and fully surrounded by Your love.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Postscript: For the last two years or so, God has been calling me back to intercession. Learning to pray God’s Word back to Him in 2004 was an explosion in my prayer life, an explosion that set me on fire for prayer, and that lit up the darkness that surrounded me and my family at the time. I invite you to join me in this 40-day journey of fire, lighting up the darkness of our day.

Feel free to leave prayers of your own, or prayer requests in the comment section. I would love to pray with and for you!

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 2

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me”

Genesis 16:13

You are the God who sees us! Thank You, Father, that nothing in our lives goes unseen by You! Nothing is hidden from Your loving gaze. You see every detail, every tear, every insecurity we cover-up. We are seen and we are known by our Father in heaven. Forgive us Lord, when that truth does not leave us undone.

I pray for fresh encounters for Your people, God. For those who feel unseen and unknown to encounter the gaze of the One who sees them. I pray that just one glance of Your eye will kindle again the fire of our love for You.

I pray that the God who sees us will also purify us with a gaze that misses nothing. I pray that hidden sins in Your Church will come under Your holy eyes of fire and bring repentance. See us o’ God. Search our hearts and reveal every lukewarm place, every idol that is hiding within us. We invite Your gaze, Lord. We need Your gaze.

I pray that Your people will recognize You, Lord. That we will see You amidst the chaos and the fear and the darkness of our day. I pray we will be Your witnesses in the earth, as we see and believe that You are moving in the nations. I pray that we will stop being distracted by darkness, and will once again turn our eyes to heaven.

You are the God who sees us. May we be the people who see You.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen

Postscript: For the last two years or so, God has been calling me back to intercession. Learning to pray God’s Word back to Him in 2004 was an explosion in my prayer life, an explosion that set me on fire for prayer, and that lit up the darkness that surrounded me and my family at the time. I invite you to join me in this 40 day journey of fire, lighting up the darkness of our day.

Feel free to leave prayers of your own, or prayer requests in the comment section. I would love to pray with and for you!