~ MODEL PRAYERS ~
"Lord, teach us how to pray..."
Jesus did so many wondrous things while on earth. While speaking in parables and basic principles to the masses, He provided detailed teachings ("expounded all things", Mark 4:34) to His inner circle of disciples. However, interestingly, there is no record of any of them asking Jesus to teach them how to walk on water or pull coins out of a fish's mouth. The only request on record is that of being taught how to pray. This underscores the mission and purpose of our prayer warrior ministry. Prayer is so essential and fundamental to our spiritual practice.
I begin by posting the model that Christ presented, with my short elaborations
in brackets. The other prayers that follow came through me during quiet
times.
Our [our!]
Father Who is in the heavens,
May
Your Name be kept holy, [holy in us and through us].
May
Your Kingom come [in us, through us, about us],
May
Your Will be done on earth [in our lives],
as it
is always done in the heavens.
Give
us each day our daily bread, [You are our bread of life].
Forgive
our sins, as we forgive those sins against us.
Keep
us safe from temptations [to sin, to be distracted from You],
and
deliver us from evil [in all its forms and avenues].
Amen.
(Matthew 6)
When Christ was asked how to pray, He provided the perfect model of what has become known as the "Our Father" prayer. Certainly, He meant for us to embellish on the structure and elements of this prayer with our own content. Below are other "model" prayers to ponder and use as you are led.
First, let me present the theme scripture of our Prayer Warrior Ministry in prayer form:
Lord, God Almighty and All-loving, let your strength make me strong. Let
me put on all of your armor which You have provided, so I can defend myself
against the assault and trickery of evil. You warn us through the scriptures
that we are not fighting against humans, but against the forces, authorities
and rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. Let me never
stop praying, especially for others. Let me always pray by the your power.
Let me stay alert and keep praying for your people. In the Name of Christ,
Amen. (Adapted from Ephesians 6:10-18
My Gratitude and Praises, Lord!
You declare
through your prophets, Your wondrous creation, and in my heart,
"I am
the Lord, your God."
The
Lord of all is my God. What a gift You offer me!
A blessing
is a prayer of gratitude for Your perfect will, goodness and love.
Let
me always offer a blessing at the grand table of Your gifts:
A new
day, renewed strength of Your Spirit in my weakness, of a drink of
water
for my body, a splash of sunlight for my eyes, Your Presence in all.
The greatest
gift of all is Your incomprehensible love.
Your
Son the Christ declared, "Behold, I make all things new!…Come, you
who
are blessed by My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation
of the world!" A New Covenant between You and me!
I find
it so overwhelming that You, my Creator, would ask me, to be Your
temple,
Your
new dwelling place. That Your ask, You offer, but You don't force.
You
have such love and respect for us, Your children! Beyond my understanding.
You,
the All Mighty, offer to dwell in me. I am overcome with awe, humility
and
joy that the Holy of Holies is open to me! Incomprehensible.
Your
scriptures declare "We are certain that God will hear our prayers when
we ask
for what pleases Him…We are sure that our prayers have already been
answered…We
know that Jesus Christ the Son of God has come and has shown
us the
true God. And because of Jesus, we now belong to the true God Who
gives
eternal life." (1 John 4 & 5.)
I pray
in humility, gratitude and holy fear. Humility in my need to be vigilant
in surrendering
to the dictates of Your Kingdom; Gratitude for the inexplicable
ways
You love, trust and guide me. Holy fear that Your Name be made holy and
honored
in my words and deeds, that I always speak and act in Your Name, not mine.
My Father
and Creator, I ask of You nothing now. I only pray my gratitude for
Your
filling me with Your love and gifts. I bask in Your love and my gratitude.
My thanks
exceeds the expression of these words, so I rest in You now,
offering
my heart and spirit to You, for that's all I have and all You want.
In the
Name of my High Priest, Jesus the Christ, and through the intercession
of Your
Holy Spirit, Who gratefully brings these prayers to You with the "groanings
that
cannot be uttered," with the words that have no sound, I pray. Amen.
A PRAYER FOR REDEMPTION
Jesus, I hear You calling me. I feel You loving me.
I know about Your ultimate sacrifice for me.
I come to You just as I am and with all that I am.
My sins violated the Father
and I am so sorry. I repent of them and ask Your forgiveness.
I love You because You are Love Itself and You loved
me first.
I surrender my entire self and respond gratefully to
Your invitation to live in You and have
You live in me, now and forever. I pledge to You and
announce to all that You are
my Savior, Redeemer, Friend, Master and High Priest.
Cover me with Your redemptive blood and fill me with
Your Holy Spirit.
Heal and transform me from being darkness to being
light, the light of the world.
I am willing to let Your Spirit take over every part
of me and pray for Your grace to help me
let go of self-indulgence, self-promotion, self-interest
and rather make You the center of my life
and complete obedience to You, as Your servant, my
passion.
I know Your friends are to be my friends, and Your
enemies are to be my own.
Your ways will be mine. I know You will discipline
me for my own spirit's sake.
I accept all this while I embrace You and am nurtured
by Your infinite love and mercy
and sustained by my complete faith and trust in You,
in the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Come Lord Jesus, live in me as I live in You. I love
You.
I will follow You every day of my life, a life without
end.
Thank you for loving me into Your kingdom! Amen.
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A PRAYER: BREAKING THE STRONGHOLDS
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(1. Affirmation of our Redemption
through Christ Jesus)
Lord Jesus, I come to You, just
as I am.
Please forgive my sins as I am
sorrowful and repentent.
In Your Name and grace, I forgive
all others of their sins against me.
I have invited You to be Master
of my life, to live in me, and I in You.
Thank You for responding with the
Gift of the Holy Spirit Who procedes
from You and the Father. I empty
myself daily so Your Spirit can possess
me all the more, transforming me,
healing me, and strengthening me
in body, soul and spirit. I love
You, Lord Jesus! I praise You!
As sheep follow their sheperd,
I will follow You every day of my life.
I am gratefully Your servant.
_______________________________
(2. Preparing to enter the Holy
of Holies)
Our Father, through our High Priest,
Your Son the Christ,
and through the intercession of
Your most Holy Spirit,
I know You hear our prayers and
I am so grateful!
You told us, Your children, that
whenever we are in need,
we should come bravely before Your
throne of mercy.
There we will be treated with undeserved
kindness and
we will find help. (Heb. 4:16.)
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(3. In the Holy of Holies)
Father, I am here, bravely, humbly
and gratefully before
Your throne, in Your Holy of Holies,
open to me by the
incomprehensible love of our Lord
the Christ.
Christ gives me courage and confidence
so I can be before You in faith.
(Eph. 3:12.)
Because of Christ, all of us from
all over this earth can come to You
by the same Spirit. (Eph 2:18.)
Thank you, my Lord and my God!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4. Preparing to address the strongholds)
My prayers in this sacred moment
in Your Presence
focus on breaking the strongholds
of evil in all their forms,
expressions and ways. I begin with
myself, confessing
my sins to You, my Lord and God,
and asking Your
forgiveness and renewal of my soul
and spirit, which
You are so eager and ready to provide
to those who ask.
In Your mercy, forgiveness and
love, I know I am cleansed and
thus free of any handles that the
powers of evil could
otherwise grab to pull me away
from You and Your will.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5. Addressing the strongholds)
By virtue of the ambassadorial
power given me by You,
that whatever we would bind on
earth would be bound in
heaven, and by the power of the
Holy Spirit in me, I pray You rebuke
and render powerless over me Satan
and his diabolical emissaries.
Our Lord, You taught us that Satan
has always been a
murderer and a liar. There is nothing
truthful about him.
He speaks on his own and everything
he says is a lie. Not only
is he a liar himself, but he is
the father of all lies. (John 8:44.)
I know about his ways and I call
upon the Holy Spirit and
the wisdom of discernment of spirits
to recognize his lies
regarding the endeavors I pursue
in Jesus' Name, regarding
the prayers I offer for healing,
reconciliation, restoration of our souls
and deliverance and protection
from evil.
The scriptures tell us, "God's own
Son protects them
(His children) and the devil cannot
harm them." (1 John 5:18.)
I choose to live on the Bread of
Life and drink the Living Water.
Holy Spirit, expose the lies, disguises,
deceptions, sneakiness,
ugliness and violence of the evil
ones.
I pray for the binding up and casting
out of the powers of darkness
from all aspects of my life, relationships,
ministries. I pray for
the powerlessness of evil over
the Body of Christ
and the fulfillment of our merciful
and loving God's will for us.
I know You, Holy Spirit in me,
is pleased to receive these prayers
and do this work of binding and
casting evil away from us,
for I call upon You in the Name
of our Lord, the Christ.
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(6. Prayers of Affirmation)
I pray the Scriptures: "Lord, I
am humble in the presence
of Your mighty power, and You will
honor me when the time comes.
You care for me so I turn all my
worries over to You.
I am on guard and I stay awake.
Our enemy, the devil,
is like a roaring lion, sneaking
around to find someone to attack.
But I resist the devil and stay
strong in my faith.
I know all over the world Your
followers are suffering just as I am.
But You show undeserved kindness
to everyone.
That's why You had Jesus Christ
choose us to share in Your eternal glory.
We will suffer for a while, but
You will make us complete, steady, strong and firm.
You will be in control forever!
Amen." (1 Peter 5:6-11.)
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(7. Prayers for guidance, protection
and of praise)
Our Father, increase Your grace
and protection upon
all those committed in Your service.
Endow all of us with
the power and strength of Your
blessing as we work as Your servants.
May all who see us see You in us
and glorify You.
Guide us and help us guide others
in the way of salvation and
spiritual maturity as we sing praises
to You and
to Your boundless mercy and love
with one voice.
In the Name of Jesus the Christ
and through the power
and intercession of the Holy Spirit,
I pray. Amen. So be it.
______________________________________
Please note: This prayer is meant to be offered slowly, personally and
contemplatively, pausing frequently to listen to that "still, small voice"
of God. The structure is important: The first 3 sections are a preparation
and entry into God's Presence, the Holy of Holies. Please pause as long
as you need to feel that Presence. The 4th section is important preparation
to pray against the armies of darkness. Please pause after those for as
long as you need to feel empowered by the Holy Spirit. If you don't feel
confident of this empowerment, it's best to not continue, or begin again,
proceeding slowly. The 5th section is focused on prayers to break the evil
strongholds. Many words are general (i.e. ministries, work, relationships,
sin, etc.) and you should interject your own specifics here. The 6th section
are prayers of affirmation adapted from scripture. The 7th and final section
is a petition of grace, blessing and praise, an important way to end and
remain in quiet contemplation of God's love, power and protectiveness.
Please contact me at Reflections@prayergear.com
with any questions or comments about the use of this prayer.
Finally, regarding the timing and forms of how our prayers are answered,
let me end with this declaration from God: "My thoughts and My ways are
not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, My thoughts
and My ways are higher than yours. Rain and snow fall from the sky. But
they don't return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant
and grain to eat. That's how it is with My words. They don't return to
Me without doing everything I send them to do." (Isaiah 55:8-10.)
Prayer of Power and Humility
The Lord,
my God, Your scriptures declare
"If
anyone lives in Christ…all things become new." (2 Cor. 5:17)
This
renewal makes us "ambassadors for Christ." (2 Cor. 5:20)
You,
our God, use one of our most powerful titles in our world.
All
the resources, powers of speech and powers of decisions of the nation are
invested in the ambassador.
What
unfathomable responsibility You have invested in us!
How
is it possible that You trust us to be the ambassadors of Your Kingdom?
Your
Kingdom is all-powerful, all-pervasive.
From
inside the atom to beyond the infinite expanse of the heavens,
Your
Kingdom reigns and manifests its glory and wonders.
If,
as You say, we are the ambassadors for Christ, for the Word,
through
Whom all things came and still come,
then
does not Your Kingdom speak when we do?
Does
not Your Kingdom act when we act?
When
the ambassador speaks and acts in the name of his nation,
and
not that of his own, all the power of the nation lives in him.
Upon
hearing Your proclamation of our ambassadorship,
of the
infinite power and resources of Your Kingdom invested in me,
my heart
wants to pray in humility and gratitude and holy fear.
Humility
I need to ever be vigilant in surrendering to the dictates of the Kingdom,
that
I may always speak and act in Your Name and not mine.
Gratitude
for the inexplicable ways You love me, and trust and guide me.
Holy
fear that, as Jesus taught, Your Name be made holy and honored in my
words and deeds.
Holy
fear lest any circumstance, event, thought, action,
would
bring dishonor to Your Name and grieve Your Spirit.
Thus,
the Lord, my God, guide me and possess me that when
I pray,
speak, write, decide, act, and even sip water, I always give acknowledgment,
lest
I steal power and creation from the Creator, and always in Your Name,
for
such is the sacred covenant between the ambassador and his Kingdom and
loving King.
Amen.
So be it.
Prayer for Indwelling and Deliverance
Holy
and All-Loving Heavenly Father, let me not dishonor
Your
Most Precious Gift of Your Word's infusion into all of humanity,
through
the passion, agony and unfathomable depths of the Love
of Your
Very Being in the Presence of Your Son, the Christ.
To resist
Your All-Loving, inexplicable desire to indwell fully in me,
through
Your Most Holy and Omnipotent Spirit,
to not
fully incorporate Your Most Compassionate Son's instructions
to deny
myself, to be crucified with Him, in my heart,
so Your
Most Holy Spirit can live within the deepest core of my soul,
is to
dishonor Your Most Compassionate Gift.
It is
to waste the most Life-Giving food of Your Very Body and Blood,
and
the sanctification of Your Living Water.
It is
to grieve Your All-Loving Ever-Present Spirit,
and
to continue the Sorrowful Passion of our Lord, Jesus.
Heavenly
Father, in my adoration of Your Infinite Mercy and Love,
in my
awe of Your Creative Beauty and Power,
let
me be clothed by the Most Sacred Blood of Your Son.
Let
me consume His Body and be transformed and sanctified
by the
garment of His Blood, so as I walk through this world,
as I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
as I
am stalked by the armies of the night,
the
tracks I leave will not be my own.
Most
Holy Father, let all who pursue me, for whatever reasons,
see
only the tracks of Your Son's Most Sacred Blood.
And
at the end of the trail, may they not find me, but You.
May
they not see me, but You in me. And thus may they also
willingly
surrender and receive Your Most Precious Gift.
So healing
and reconciliation with each other and You will reign,
and
with one voice we will honor Your Holy Name,
and
bow in Your Presence in overwhelming awe, adoration and joy.
Prayer of Gratitude
Heavenly
and Eternal, Infinite Father of All-Power
and
All-Love, my Creator, today I ask of you nothing.
Today,
I bask in Your incomprehensible love.
Before
Your Incarnation on earth in Your Son the Christ,
Your
dwelling and focus of worship was deep within the
great
temple of Jerusalem, in the Most Holy of Holies,
into
which sinners like me were not permitted.
Your
Son the Christ announced, "Behold, I make all things
new!…Come,
you who are blessed by My Father.
Inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation
of the world!"
Indeed
a New Covenant between You and me!
I find
it so overwhelming, so inexplicable, that You,
Almighty
Father, would humble Yourself to ask me
to be
Your temple, Your new dwelling place;
that
You ask, You offer, but You don't force.
You
have such love and respect for Your creation!
This
is beyond my understanding.
That
You, Creator of all things, the All-Mighty,
would
ask to dwell in me through Your Holy Spirit,
fills
me with awe, humility and joy.
The
Holy of Holies is open to me! Incomprehensible.
You
fill me with love. How can I dare to dishonor You
by refusing
Your invitation and Gift?
That
is my prayer today. A humble offer of thanksgiving
that
cannot be contained or expressed in words.
Amen.
Written by John S. Hilkevich, Ph.D.
John S. Hilkevich, Ph.D.
Spiritual Resource Services
www.prayergear.com
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