Category Archives: Prayer

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 17

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”.

Ephesians 6:10-17

Father, I pray that in this day, in the growing darkness, You will teach Your people how to fight the battle for which You have equipped us.

I pray that we will not war with our own strength and power, but in Yours. Help us lay down our fights with flesh and blood, and take our stand against our true enemy. Give us eyes to see the difference.

I pray that in this hour, Your Church will stand her ground, fully covered in the armor of her God, shielded by faith, wielding the sword of Your Spirit well.

I pray that every stronghold the enemy has established in Your body will come down, in the Name of Jesus. Every lie that has crept in, may it be overcome and cast out by those willing to bring down the sword of Your Word against it. Every evil being called good and every good being called evil, torn down in Your Name.

I pray for a renewed thirst for Your Word, God. I pray we will look first and always to the scriptures for what is true. I pray that every other source of “truth” that we turn to will fade to the background, and our plumb line will once again be the very words You have spoken.

I pray for our homes, our marriages, Lord, that Your truth will come against every lie sown by the enemy. I pray that we will turn away from our battles with one another and come together against the works of darkness in our families. I pray that every effort at disunity and enmity within the marriages of Your people will be thwarted in Your Name. I pray that we will again fight for and not against one another.

I pray that in every place occupied by Your people, resistance to the devil will rise up. I pray that we will awaken from our slumber, submit to You and see the enemy flee. (James 4:7)

Train us Lord, to demolish the strongholds established by the evil one, to take our thought lives captive to obedience to Jesus. May we cast out every thought that does not express truth. I pray that we will not conform to the world’s thinking, but will have our minds renewed by Your Word. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Romans 12:2)

Lord, the enemy is prowling. Seeking to devour. He is a liar and the father of lies, coming to kill, steal and destroy Your people. But You have come! You came to destroy his works, and to give us abundant life. So I pray that we will rise up, sober, alert, and fully dressed for the battle, with swords ready to cut through every lie, every stronghold. And I pray we will rise up praying, calling forth the will of our God on earth as it is in heaven. (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 6:10)

For every seed of hate being sown by darkness, I pray the children of the light will uproot through love. In every place where division and discord are ruling, may Your people bring the spirit of unity and peace. Wherever there is death and decay, pour us out there as the salt of the earth. Send us with the light of Christ within us to light up the darkness. Teach us to love and care for those who have been oppressed and overlooked.

And in every storm, in every hard place we walk, may our praises be heard ringing out. I pray that Your people will raise their voices in praise and worship, exalting the name of Jesus through every valley, every wilderness place, and in every prison cell they are found.

This is how we fight our battles.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

John 19:30

Thank You for such love, Lord. Thank You that it was not Your desire that we would perish in our sins. Thank You that the atonement is finished, and eternal life is given to those who believe and truss in Your Son’s finished work on the cross.

Help me walk worthy of the price that was paid for my sin. Help me to never take it for granted, but to always see it with gratitude, with humility and wonder – to see it for what it is – You took the punishment for my sins so that I could live. Oh Lord, what kind of love is this?!

I pray Lord, for the strength to walk in the it is finished gospel. Help me to stop trying to redeem myself from my sins, to stop trying to earn eternal life, to stop trying to be my own savior. I pray for a resting to come to my soul, a resting in the truth that redemption is finished.

And I pray for courage for Your Church, Lord. Courage to preach the whole gospel, as it is written. I pray that we will not soften it or water it down, but that we will boldly put forth the truth that all who will not believe Jesus, and who will not put their trust in His finished work of redemption, will perish.

Give us hearts that break at the thought, Lord! Set a fire in Your people that burns for those who are perishing, a fire of urgency to reach them with the truth that can save them. I pray for a great revival in Your Church, a revival of the gospel message, and a desire to see it go forth into the nations, into our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and yes, even into our churches.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 14

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Psalm 46:10-11

Oh Lord, I pray for a holy stillness to come upon Your people in this nation. We have been in turmoil and disunity and our voices and opinions have been many and I pray that now, Father, we would be still and know. You alone are God. You alone have divine, unshakable plans and purposes in all things. You alone have the power to turn the hearts of kings, to shift the winds, to shake the earth. I pray that we will be stilled to endure the shifting and the shaking.

I pray for eyes to see and the wisdom to know that no matter what it looks like now, You will be exalted in the nations and in all the earth. And I pray for that to be on the hearts and mind of Your Church, on my heart and on my mind. I pray that we will not continue to exalt men, but that we will desire to see You alone exalted in this nation.

Lord God, I pray that in these times of division, Your Church will come together under one banner: The Lord Almighty is with us, and He will be exalted in all the earth!

In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 13

““Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.”

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets… to be honored by others.”

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray… to be seen by others.””

Matthew 6:1-3

Father, motives matter to You, so I ask that You would purify my motives. If there is anything in me that needs to be seen, heard, or honored by others, I ask that You set it on fire, Lord. I pray that anything in me that is striving for the approval and the attention of humans would become crucified with Christ. I want to live, give, and pray from pure motives, from a heart that seeks to please You first.

Father would You expose the motives of my heart in my relationships, Shine a light in the deep places that hide the reason I serve, and even the reason I pray for others. In my marriage, in my ministry, in my workplace, I lay my heart before You and ask that You would “search me o’ God and know my heart”, see if there is any offensive way in me.

And I pray for all who are Your Church, Lord. I pray for purified motives in our worship, our preaching, our giving, and our serving. In all that You have called us to, may we be found without hypocrisy, Lord. Search us o’ God, know the heart of Your Church, and purify anything that offends You.

In the Name of Jesus, amen.

Forty Days of Praying the Word of God: Day 12

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed Him.”

Matthew 4:18-20

Jesus, I pray to be a fully abandoned follower, willing to abandon my current pursuits, my current way of life, to leave all I know in order to obey Your call to “come, follow Me”.

And I pray it for Your Church. May we hear Your voice call out to us to follow You into what You’re doing in the earth right now, and I pray we will be willing to drop our programs, drop our goals and plans, let it all go for You. May we drop our nets that have caught followers of ministries, followers of performances, followers of popularity. Call us again, Jesus. Call out to Your Church to drop everything and follow You, so that You can make us fishers of people for You, not us.

Make us an abandoned people, God, abandoned to obedience, abandoned to our first love, abandoned to Your Spirit. Abandon us to the Gospel, Lord, and fill us with power and a burning desire to see the lost enter into Your Kingdom, to see those You are pursuing step into eternal life.

Call us again, Jesus, bid us to follow You and be transformed again. Call us to drop everything that would keep us rooted in place, so that we can be free to truly be Your disciples.

In Your Name I pray. 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!