Powerful Prayers

How Do I Pray?
We can always go to the Word of God for perfect prayer.

CONFESSION

Lord, I pray that You would give me a heart that is quick to confess my mistakes. May I be truly repentant of them so that I can be forgiven and cleansed. Help me to understand that Your laws are for my benefit and that the confession and repentance You require must become a way of life for me. Give me the desire to live in truth before You, and may I say as David did, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me, Restore to me the joy of Your salvation”
(Psalm 51:2, 10-12).

Lord, bring to light any hidden sins so they can be confessed, repented of, and forgiven. Your Word says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). I pray that I will never be able to contain sin within me, but instead let there be a longing to confess fully and say, “See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:24). May I live free of guilt and condemnation, and live with a clear conscience in the full understanding of my forgiveness in Christ. I pray that I will always look to You and wear a radiant countenance.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER OVER YOUR LOVED ONES
One of the most beautiful prayers – the Lord’s Prayer – may sound simple or traditional, but His prayer has profound and lasting impact, which is fresh and new every day. For a fresh insight into the depth of this prayer and God’s goodness you can pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer, inserting your name or that of your spouse, friend, child, or parent. You are a mighty spiritual warrior in God’s kingdom. The enemy would like nothing more than to keep you prayerless. Instead, pray this prayer for those you care about:

* Our Father in heaven, may Your name be honored in ______’s life. (Desire for your loved ones to be honored, made holy, and cherished through the power of honoring and fearing God. When they hallow God’s name in their life that attitude will spill over into their relations with Others.)

* May Your kingdom come soon in ______’s life. (When a person seeks first the kingdom of God, then all else in life is placed in the right order. When God is in control of lives, children, careers, churches, then there will be direction in prayers, thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and attitudes.)

* May Your will be done in ______’s life on earth, just as it is in Heaven. (God’s perfect will for your loved one is their salvation in Christ Jesus. In saving us, God changes us, making us new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). Then He transforms us to live in His will on earth.)

* Give ______ the food he/she needs for today. (Daily bread for both spiritual and physical beings cannot be old, stale stuff from yesterday or a half-baked loaf from tomorrow that isn’t ready yet. God’s grace is sufficient to meet all our needs – one day at a time. When we come to Him in prayer He meets our needs daily. He feeds us the bread of His Word and He provides for all our physical needs as well.)

* And forgive ______, just as he/she has forgiven those who have sinned against him/her. (Forgiving one another opens you up to receive forgiveness. Forgiveness is not an option. Jesus states it plainly, If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matt. 6:14-15)).

* And don’t let ______ yield to temptation, but deliver him/her from the evil one. (Apply the blood of Jesus in prayer for protection over your loved ones. The blood protects us from the sin of building walls that hinder and even destroy relationships.)

* For in ______’s life You will build Your kingdom and manifest Your glory forever and ever. Amen. (The battle has already been won on the cross where Christ destroyed the works of the devil. Satan, sin, and death have been defeated. Your battle is prayer that claims, establishes, and overcomes the enemy as he seeks to rob, kill, and destroy the Abundant life in Christ (John 10:10). Pray for that abundant life of God’s kingdom in the lives of your loved ones.)

Larry Keefauver

MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE

“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, unity. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is error, truth. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy. Divine Master, grant me that I may seek not so much to be consoled, but to console. Not so much to be understood, as to understand. Not so much to be loved, but as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in losing ourselves that we find ourselves. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Prayer of St. Francis

RESCUE

“God, help me. Protect me from my own sinful tendencies. Fill me with your Spirit. Make me fully aware of your marvelous grace. Help me to have spiritual vision, and thinking that is in alignment with yours, O Lord.”