The Prayer Bible - FREE Preview
December 10, 2016 | Author: Destiny Image | Category: N/A
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The key to seeing all your prayers answered is simple—pray the words of Scripture back to God. Since the Bible ...
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T P B A M T
B y E l m e r L . To To w n s & R o y B . Z u c k
© Copyright 2014– Elmer L. Towns & Roy B. Zuck All rights reserved. reserve d. is book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of AmerAmerica. is book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. e use of short quotationss or occasional page quotation pag e copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission Per mission will be granted upon up on request. Unless otherwise identified, Scriptur S cripturee quotations are taken from the King James Version. ELT Elmer Towns Version Scripture quotations quotations marked LB are taken from e Living Bible; Bible ; Tyndale Tyndale House, 1997, © 1971 by Tyndale Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All Al l rights reserved. reser ved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by omas Nelson, Inc. Used Used by permission. p ermission. All rights reserved. reserved . Scripture quotations marked PNT are taken from e New Testament in Modern English, J. B. Phillips, trans., Copyright © New York: York: e Macmillan Company, Company, 1960. All rights reserved. reser ved. PJB Prayer Journey Bible – King James Version Scripture quotations quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN A MERICAN ST STANDARD ANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by e Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. DESTINY IMAGE® PUBLISHERS, INC. P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “Promoting Inspired Lives.”
is book and all other Destiny Image, Image, Revival Press Press,, MercyPlace, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors world wide. For a U.S. bookstore nearest you, call 1-800-722-6774. For more information information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. www.destinyimag .destinyimage.com. e.com. Reach us on the Internet: www
ISBN 13: 978-0-7684-0433-3 ISBN 13 Ebook: 978-0-7684-0434-0 For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 18 17 16 15 14
ENDORSEMENTS e Prayer Bible, a prodigious undertaking by academician, administrator administrator,, Elmer Towns, Towns, demon-
strates a wellspring of creativity that joins biblical knowledge with special application to the indi vidual vid ual’’s pray prayer er life. is is done done on a chapt chapter er-b -by-c y-cha hapte pterr basis basis th throu rough gh the the en enti tire re Bibl Bible! e! Don Campbell Former President Dallas eological Seminary e Pr e Praye ayerr Bible Bible will light a spiritual fervor and fire in your heart to know Christ and Him alone,
like you have never known before. Dr. James O. Davis Cofounder/Billion Cofounder/Bi llion Soul S oul Network Orlando, Florida I use e Prayer Bible every day in my prayer ministry to God. Jentezen Franklin Jentezen Franklin Jentezen Jen tezen Franklin Franklin Media Media Ministries When I think think of Dr. Dr. Elmer Elmer Town Towns,s, I think think of a man man of praye prayerr. Not Not univer university sity leader leader,, though though he is a co-founder co -founder Liberty University University and dean of the School of Religion and Liberty Baptist eological Seminary and Graduate School. Not author, author, though though he has written written dozens of books bo oks and has received the Gold Medallion Award Award recognizing recogniz ing one of his h is books as Book of the Year Year.. I think of a man of prayer. In e Prayer Bible, Dr. Towns has taken his passion for prayer coupled with his extensive knowledge of Scripture and written an outstanding resource for believers to grow e Pr Prayer ayer Bible Bible not only helps believer’s, new in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. e and old, in their devotional time each day, but also prov also provides ides an exce excellen llentt tool for for teachin teachingg Bible Bible studies on prayer. prayer. I highly recommend rec ommend e Prayer Bible. Bill Jones President, Columbia International University I have known Elmer Towns for over 36 years and know that he is a man of prayer. His notes in e Prayer Pr ayer Bi Bible ble are an accumulation from his life of prayer and I know they will help and encourage you as you you deve develop lop and st stre rength ngthen en you yourr own own pra prayer yer life life.. John C. Maxwell Speaker Founder of EUIP and e John Maxwell Company A unique wedding of Scripture and prayer that provides a unique experience of both. Robertson Mcuilkin President Emeritus Columbia International University
I have said on many occasions that Elmer Towns Towns has no unpublished thought. Now I can honestly say, “He has no unpublished prayer.” is reference Bible will make an immense contribution to the Christian church church and will wil l be the shining legacy leg acy by which Elmer Towns Towns is remembered. Ed Stetzer President, LifeW L ifeWay ay Research R esearch Author, Visiting Professor Liberty University Baptist Baptist eological eolog ical Seminary As one who has spent almost 20 years on the front lines of addressing and confronting the sin of child abuse, God has demonstrated to me time and time again the fundamental importance of prayer. e Prayer Bible will undoubtedly provide incredible encouragement and hope for so many who find themselves in life’ lif e’ss darkest moments. I can think of no greater resource for hurting souls than a Bible that teaches and encourages prayer in every chapter and verse. I cannot wait to watch wa tch God God use this this amazi amazing ng book book to tra transf nsform orm liv lives es throu through gh drawin drawingg many many to to Himse Himselflf thr through ough prayer pra yer.. Basyle Tchividjian Professor of Law, Law, Liberty Libert y University University School of Law Executive Director, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment Former For mer Division Chief, Sexual Crimes Division, 7 th Judicial Circuit of Florida I first met Elmer Towns in 1975 when he was writing on evangelism and church growth. I wondered why he was making such a deep impact on the church of Jesus Christ. Later, I realized his ministry and insights came out of his daily walk with Christ. Now, out of that daily prayer life has come a shining example to us all, i.e., e Prayer Bible. If you want to understand the heart of a great Christian hero, read his notes. If you want to be like Jesus Christ, use the many different prayer pra yerss of thi thiss Bible Bible to kn know ow God, and let His fait faithh work work th throu rough gh you. you. Stan Tole olerr General Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene Author and Inspirational Speaker It’s one thing to say that praying through the Scripture is good, but another thing is really to do Praye ayerr Bible, Bible, anyone can do it. Elmer Towns has done the body of it. Now with the magnificent Pr Christ a huge favor by providing this fantastic tool, and I congratulate him for it! C. Peter Wagner Vice-President and Apostolic Ambassador Global Spheres, Inc. Colorado Mission Dr. Elmer Towns does not just write and teach about prayer, he prays! Dr. Steve Wingfield, Evangelist Steve Wingfield Ev Evangelistic angelistic Association
Before You Begin
You hold in your hands the Word of God translated into Modern English with a prayer emphasis. is Pr Prayer ayer Bible Bible was created to lead you into prayer as you read. Most people end up talking to God only aer they read the Bible. But this Pr Prayer ayer Bible was designed so you talk to God as you read. Many phrases are turned into a prayer as, “Lord, You are my Shepherd, I will not want anything” (Ps. 23:1). As you read the Beatitudes (the blessings) you will pray, “Lord, thank You for blessing me” (Matt. 5:2). Your translators are both graduates of Dallas eological Seminary, known for thorough training in Greek, Hebrew and Systematic eology. Elmer Towns wrote his thesis at Dallas examining the Greek word Kardia, i.e., the heart. Roy Zuck’ss doctorate was in Hebrew and he wrote his dissertation Zuck’ di ssertation on e Place of the Holyy Spirit in Christian Education Hol Education. Besides their commitment to word accuracy of this Pr Prayer ayer Bible, they translated it with a focus on prayer. Isn’t prayer talking with God? ey have presented the Bible in a fluid modern language that you can understand and apply to your life. You are holding a collaborative work. Elmer Towns translated the New Testament and poetic books. Roy Zuck translated the rest of the Old Testament, yet both worked together on each other’s text so that they agreed on the final product. ey both wanted it to be accurate acc urate and faithful to the original text. And they used the original language from the earliest and best manuscript. (When it was available in 1972, Towns read much of the original Dead Sea Scrolls posted in e Shrine of the Book, Jerusalem, Israel.) ere are guidelines when people translate from one language languag e into another. another. First, translators bring their theological orientation to their work. Both Towns and Zuck believe in the verbal inspiration and inerrancy inerrancy of every e very word in the original manuscripts. manusc ripts. ey believe b elieve the Holy Spirit guided men of God Go d to write the Word of God without error. Because God inspired every word, they translated every word carefully according to the the original meaning of the author author.. e second guideline was the need to interpret the Scriptures accurately. ey did that following a historical understanding of the biblical background and the context in in which the Scriptures were written, and a commitment to a literal meaning in the mind of the author.
e third guideline g uideline was to give attention to each and every word in the Word Word of God. Aer all, all , the meaning of word reflects what is in the mind of the autho author, r, or speaker.. But words have multiple meanings both in ancient Hebrew and Greek. speaker en words have multiple meanings in today’s Modern English. So they chose the best Modern English words to express the ones in the original text. ey followed the Golden Rule of interpretations interpretations suggest by Cooper, When the plain sense sense of Scriptures Scriptures makes common sense, sense, seek no other other sense: therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning.1 e fourth guideline was to relate prayer to passages so that the reader did more than read the Bible to himself. Rather, the reader prayed each passage to God as he read the Scriptures. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
Roy Zuck began translating the Old Testament in the spring of 2012. It was a one-year project. He oen told Towns, “I’m having the greatest spiritual experience of my life.” He explained that he had read much of the Old Testament in Hebrew, but translating the Pr Prayer ayer Bible drew him closer to God than anything in his life. Toward the end of the project his cancer gave him tremendous pain. He said, “I’m praying for strength to finish this project; it could be my greatest contribution to the cause of Christ.” In the providence of God, Roy finished on Saturday, March 9, 2013, and died one week later on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Now Roy knows the original text of Scripture perfectly. “Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” (Rev. 14:13, NLT). NOTE
1. David L. Cooper, Messiah: His Historical Appear Appearance ance (Los Angeles, CA: Biblical Research Society, 1958), 19.
GENESIS*
Key Word: Beginning (Genesis 1:1) Key Verses: “ese are the generations of…” (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:27; 25:19;
37:2). eme: Genesis is a book of beginnings. It tells not only the beginning of the
heavens and the earth (creat (creation), ion), but of plant life, l ife, animal life, and human life. It tells the beginning of marriage, worship, government, occupations, covenants, and the beginning beg inning of the Hebrew race, that is God’s God’s people, the Jews. Genesis tells the beginning of prayer. It tells of F False-Pr alse-Prayer ayer (4:6-15), Call Prayer Pr ayer (4:26), Responsibi Responsibility-Pr lity-Praying aying (6:22), Worship-Prayer (8:20-22), Repentance-Prayer (12:1), Blessing ExpectationExpectation-Pr Prayer ayer (13:14-18), Protection Protection-Pr -Prayer ayer (15:1), Justifica Justificationtion-Based Based Pr Prayer ayer (15:2 ff.), Inti Intimacy-Pr macy-Prayer ayer (17:1 ff.), Intercessor’s-Prayer (18:23 ff.), Healin Healing-Pr g-Prayer ayer (20:17), Deliver Deliverance-Pr ance-Prayer ayer (21:17), (22:11-12), Mourning (23:2), Guidance-Prayer Frightful-Pr F rightful-Prayer ayer (22:11-12), Mourn ing the Dead-Pr Dead-Prayer ayer (23:2), (24:27). is is just the first half of Genesis. You cannot read Genesis without praying to God, and surely surely Genesis teaches us us many many ways to pray pray. Lord, than thankk You You for a book that that explains in a logical way way how everything everything began. I believe the creation creation story just as it was created, c reated, and I praise You You for Your Your greatness and intelligence that is evident in the world I see. Amen. *e key verses for each Bible book are from the King James Version and N ersion and New ew King James James Versions Versions..
Genesis 1
Lord,
1
in the beginning You created the heavens and earth, {93 earth, {93 Creation-Inspired Worship, Ps. 19:1, 2} but You had not yet formed the earth into its final form, it was void. 2 Everything was dark upon the face of the deep, and You—Spirit of God—hovered over the waters. {446 Spirit-Helped Prayer, Rom. 8:26-27} 3 en You You said, “Let light appear” and light shone; shone ; {450 Spiritual-Insight Prayer, Ps. 119:18} 4 You saw that light was good, so You divided light from darkness. {500 Truth-Praying, John 18:32} 5You called light day, and the darkness You called night, so the evening and the morning were the first day. {364 Praise for God’s Sovereignty, Gen. 45:5} 11
Genesis 1
Praise, Ps. 65:9-11} 13so the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 You said, “Let there be lights in the sky to divide the day from the night, and let them give light to the earth, {283 earth, {283 Light-Praying, 1 John 1:7} 15and let them reflect seasons, days and years.”
Creation beckons me to worship God, “e heavens reveal God’s glory, and the skies dis play His powerful cra crasmanship smanship.. Day aer day they continue to reflect God’s glory, and night aer night we see His mighty power in the stars. ey speak without using words; their message is silently seen in the sky” (Ps. 19:1-3, ELT). Lord, I can’t deny Your existence or almighty power; I bow in Your presence and I confess Your greatness. Accept my praise pra ise and adoration. adoration. Amen. Amen.
Many people have difficulty understandin understandingg anythingg bigger than the planet where they anythin live. But the sun is one and a third million times larger than our planet. Antares Antares in the next galaxy is 64 million times larger than our sun. en Hercules in another galaxy is 100 million times larger than Antares. Finally, Fina lly, Epsilon is 700 million times larger large r than Hercules. Why so big? Because a huge God loves huge lights. And experts predict there are a trillion times a trillion stars, and the Hubble telescope continues to find more. Why so many? Because a limitless God loves an uncounta uncountable ble number of lights around Him. Lord, You call Yourself light ( Joh Johnn 8:12), shine on me today to show me how to walk for You. You are light (Ps. 4:6; 27:1), take away my blindness so I can see You better and worship You with full understanding. Amen.
6
You said, said , “Let there be b e atmosphere around the earth”; You divided the waters under the atmosphere from the waters above the atmosphere. {484 anksgiving-Prayer, Eph. 1:16} 7You called cal led the th e atmosphere sky, and it contained the air that gives life to all; {311 Morning-Prayer, John 21:4} 8so then evening and morning were the second day day.. 9 You said, “Let the waters under the atmosphere be gathered together in one place and let dry ground appear.” {364 Praise for God’s Sovereignty, Gen. 45:4} 10You called the dry land earth, and You called the waters seas and you said, “is is good. g ood.”” 11 You said, “Let the earth bring forth grass g rass and plants and trees with fruit to give life, with each having seed bearing fruit to reproduce itself.” {170 Food-Provision Praise, Ps. 65:9-11} 12 So the earth brought forth grass and plants and trees with seed bearing fruit to give life, with each having seed bearing fruit to reproduce itself. And You said, “is is good;” {388 Provision of Food
16-19
You made two great lights, the larger to light the day and the lesser to light the night, and You also made the stars; so the evening and morning were the fourth day. {484 anksgiving-Praye anksgiving -Prayer, r, Eph. 1:16} 20 You said, “Let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly in the open sky.” {170 Food-Provision Food-Provision Praise, Ps. 65:911} 21And all kinds of creatures appeared 12
Genesis 1 31
in the waters and all kinds of birds flew in the sky and You saw that it was good. {388 Provision Provisio n of Food Praise, Ps. 65:9-11} 22 You said, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters with living creatures and the sky with birds,” and it was so; 23then the evening and the morning were the fih day. 24 You said, “Let the earth bring forth wild beasts, crawling things and livestock.” {170 Food-Provision Praise, Ps. 65:9-11} 25So You created livestock, crawling things and beasts of the field, and You said, “is is good.” {364 Praise for God’s Sovereignty, Gen 45:5} 26 en You said, “Let Us make humans in Our image, and in the likeness of Ourselves.” And You said, “Let them rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the animals of the earth and everything that crawls over the earth.” {43 Blessing Children-Prayer, Lam 2:19} 27So You created humans in Your image, in Your image You created them, male ma le and female You You created them. {46 Blessing the Lord-Worship, Ps. 103:1} 28 You blessed the human and said, “Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth and make it obey you; rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, a ir, and everything that crawls on the earth.” {179 Fruitful-Prayer, Matt. 13:8} 29 en You said, “Have dominion over the whole earth; I am giving to you food from every plant and tree that has life in its seed-bearing fruit. {47 Blessing-Prayer, Gen 49:28} 30“And I am giving gi ving it as food fo od to every animal on the earth, bird in the sky and everything ever ything that creeps on the earth.”
And You saw that everything You had made was good so the evening and the morning were the sixth day. {42 Blessing A Person-Prayer, Num. 6:23-26} God has always existed, but at an instant in time He created the earth and the heaven(s). e throne, angels, and stars didn’t alwayss exist, until God created them. Why? alway God didn’t need them, God doesn’t need anything anythi ng.. But God wanted somethin somethingg om outside of Himself, something He couldn’t give Himself. Himself. He He wanted authentic authentic worship. worship. So the angels cried out in adoration, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isa. 6:3). e earth reflected His glory (Isa. 11:9). And the stars told His His creative power. power. Lord, I worship worship You as the Creato Creatorr of Creat Creation, ion, the Inentor Inent or of Space, and the Conductor of the Orchestra who originated the symphony of time. I bow in Your presence, my Lord of the Universe. Amen.
Genesis 2
First Days in the Garden of Eden 1
God created everything in the heavens and the earth. 2 On day seven God finished His creative work and rested, {93 Creation-Inspired Worship, W orship, Ps. 19:1, 2} 2} and 3He blessed the day to make it holy. {404 Restorative-Prayer, Isa. 55:7} 4 When He made the earth and the heavens, 5no shrub or plants had sprung up yet, and there was no rain, and no one to farm the soil. 6But streams from below the 13
The Book of
PSALMS Praise. aise. All but one one sentence in Psalm Psalm 150 begins begins with the word word Praise. Praise. Key Word: Pr Key Verse erse:: “Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge” (Psalm 150:6, NKJV NKJV,, last verse in the Psalms).
pe ople to sing. eir eme: e Psalms were written as prayers for the Hebrew people music was their deep feeling about God , or a prayer to God . erefore each psalm is a worship event. us some psalms are re-written into prayers. Instead of reading “e Lord is my shepherd,” you’ll pray, “Lord, You are my shepherd.” Lord, teach me to talk to You through Scripture. Amen. Each psalm is a mirror that reflects your soul. As you pray them, you’ll see in these mirrors your sin and hypocrisy more clearly than ever before. So pray the psalms of repentance and turn to God. But you’ll also see in these mirrors the essence of a godly life. en pray with the psalmist, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (42:1). Look deep into each mirror and you’ll see God. While this is not a theology textbook on God, you’ll see many aspects of His person and attributes as you read through this Pr Pray ayer er Bi Bibl blee. Lo Lord, rd, I wan wantt to kn know ow You. Amen men.. e Psalms are poetry, not like English poetry with rhyme and meter, for exam ple, “Roses are red, violets are blue, the angels in heaven, heaven, know I surely surely love you.” you.” Hebrew poetry had neither rhyme nor meter. eir poetry had rhythm as they accentuated accentua ted different phrases, so that the poetry was matched phrases. e secret of Hebrew poetry is that thoughts matched, no matching rhymes or meter. e Psalms are written in prayers so we can identify with them and pray them. But not all the psalms were originally prayers to God. Some S ome psalms were originally written as devotional thoughts about God (Psalm 23); a few psalms pour out anger at enemies (Psalms 3 and 4). Some psalms are instructional (Psalm 119), teaching the law of God. But in this book bo ok all of them are transposed transposed into prayers in modern language so you can pray the words to talk to God. Lord, I want You to feel my passionate love for You as I pray pray these psalms, and I want You to feel my anger as I vent my feelings about evil people. Sometimes I pray these psalms begging You for protectio protection… n… for rest… or om relief om pain. Sometimes I ask You You for forgiveness, or for Your guidance in my life. I need to touch You and let You touch me. I pray these psalms in order to enter Your presence. Amen.
707
Psalm 23 22
I will tell everyone e veryone how You You came to me; me ; I will testify of Your goodness to other believers.. {478 Testimony-Prayer, Acts believers 22:3} 23ey need to know that You take care of those who trust You; 24 they need to trust You as I do because You will come to us when we are in trouble. You will not hide Your face from us when we need You. I will praise You to other believers; 25 I will do everything that I promised. 26 en weak Christians will be encouraged to trust You, they will continue following You throughout their lives. 27 e unsaved will recognize what You do for Your Your children, chil dren, and an d they will turn to t o You You for salvation. {444 Soul Winner’s-Prayer, Prov. 11:30} 28Your kingdom shall come on earth one day, and Your rule will be recognized by all. {74 Coming-Kingdom Prayer, Ps. 67; Matt. 6:9} 29 Your children will enjoy Your kingdom and worship You, but the unsaved cannot escape Your coming judgment. 30 ere will always be a small remnant remnant who serves You; they are the ones You recognize and protect. ey will declare to all how You take care of Your children; 31and each new generation will contain more believers who will also declare Your goodness and care. Lord, I am encour encouraged aged when my leaders look to You for victory and they are encour aged by You. Answer their pra prayers yers and give g ive me victory through their efforts. Amen.
Psalm 23 A Prayer Recognizing God’s Protective Relationship to You 1
Lord, You are my Shepherd; I don’t need anything. 2You make me lie down in green pastures. You lead me beside still waters. {73 Comfortable Place to Pray, John 18:2} 3 You renew my spiritual energy. You guide me in the right paths to glorify Your name. {307 Minutia-Prayer, Phil. 4:6} 4 When I walk through dark valleys, I will not be afraid of death shadows. Because You are with me, Your rod and staff protect me. {387 Protection-Prayer, Isa. 43:2, 3} 5 You prepare a banquet table for me, and my enemies watch me eat. You pour oil on my head to honor and heal me. You fill my cup so it runs over. {388 Provision of Food Praise, Ps. 65:9-11} 6Surely Your goodness and mercy will follow me, as long as I live on this earth; and in eternity I will live in Your house forever. {215 Heaven’s-Prayer, 1 ess. 4:13, 14} God has promised to protect His followers as they obey and follow Him. Lord, You You are my shepherd, I don’t need anything when I’m close to You. You make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters. When I walk through dark shadows of death, I’ll not be aaid because You walk with me, and Your rod protects me. I look forward to a satisfying banquet and living in Your Your house forever. Amen.
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PROVERBS
(occurs 54 times) in Proverbs Proverbs (Proverbs (Proverbs 1:2) Key Word: Wisdom (occurs the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains underKey Verse: “Happy is is the who finds who gains standing” stan ding” (3:13, NKJV). NKJV ). eme: A proverb usually expresses familiar truth in a popularly known way and
is expressed in simple metaphorical truth so that people may apply or honor its teaching. e thrust of Proverbs is “apply your heart to wisdom, that you may gain understanding.” understanding.” is is another way of saying learn to think what is right, so you’ll you ’ll do what is right. God didn’t didn’t include a lot of things thing s in Proverbs. ere is no plan of salvatio sa lvation, n, doctrine, and messianic predictions. You You’ll ’ll get these topics in other books of the Bible. Also there are no plots or storyline and no individuals identified by name in Proverbs, except Solomon, Bathsheba, Ithiel, and Ucal. Proverbs gets its points across by brief, one or two-line declarations of truth to illustrate proper living. Personalities Pe rsonalities are described but are not involved in parables or conversat conversations ions with each other, other, nor do they refer to actual persons. ey are descriptions of actions or attitudes that that we should follow or reject to have a good goo d life. You’re holding in your hands a book that could change your life. If you will honestly pray the Proverbs, you will gain wisdom; it will help you live better. And wisdom is is truth truth applied to daily daily life. Lord, life. Lord, give me me wisdom so I will will know know the the right way to live, then give me strength to live rightly. Amen.
Proverbs Pr overbs 1 A Father Teaches—Be Wise
Lord,
1
help me learn and obey Your requirements 2so I will always know what to do. {327 Obedient-P Obe dient-Prayer rayer,, Col. 2:6} 3Give me all the wisdom I need so I will always be fair and impartial. {534 Wisdom-Directed Prayer, James 3:13} 4 Help me teach those who don’t know all they need to know and do. 5Help me carefully listen and learn and become more understanding so I will always do the right thing. {410 Righteous-People Prayer, 1 Peter 3:12} 6Help me gain much counsel from the wise so I can become a smart person, and learn to understand things that are difficult. {456 823
Proverbs 1
Spiritual-Understanding Prayer, Eph. 3:18} 7 Lord, I know all wisdom is in You. Help me understand Your ways and not be rebellious to despise Your direction. {327 Obedient-Prayer, Obedient-Praye r, Col. 2:6} 8 Help me listen to You You as a father fath er and obey ob ey You as a mother. 9 May others see Your principles guiding my life and may they glorify Your beauty. {478 Testimony-Prayer, Acts 22:3} 10 Lord, help me resist the temptation of sinners and not give in to them. 11 When sinners want me to make illegal money and take advantage of innocent peo ple, may I resist their tempta temptation. tion. {476 Temptation-Victory Prayer, Luke 22:40} 12 Because when I destroy the lives of other people, I am really condemning my own life, 13even when sinners promise me exorbitant riches and a wealthy home and furnishings 14and they promise to share their wealth with me. {430 Separation-Prayer, 2 Cor. 6:17} 15Lord, I remember You said, “Stay away from them. Don’t be like them or obligate yourself to them” 16for they really intend to break every law and suck the life out of innocent people. {424 Scoffer-Avoidance Prayer, Prov. 21:24} 17Every plan they make to catch someone snares them into their own addiction. 18And the happiness they plan to steal from others destroys any chance of enjoying it in their greed. {267 Judgment Prayer, Rev. 17:5} 19 Lord, I see the eyes of honesty weeping over the crimes she sees in life. 20 Honesty cries for crimes to be punished. 21 And I hear the voice of honesty crying cr ying in the empty courts of justice; 22“How long
will evil run rampant?” Honesty cries. “How long will skeptics be skeptical? How long will rebels hate God’s ways?” {225 Honest-Prayer, Ps. 17:4-5} 23Lord, You call us to return to You; {399 Repentance-Prayer, Matt. 3:2, 8} You promise to pour Your Spirit on us; {224 Holy Spirit-Praying, Jude 20} You 20} You promise to teach us Your ways. 24Lord, when You call to the rebel, You also stretch out Your hand to him; 25but the rebel not only rejects Your ways, he is also determined to do the exact opposite and completely rejects all You stand for. {424 Scoffer-Avoidance Prayer, Prov. 21:24} 26erefore You will turn Your back when he is punished. You will say, “You “You got g ot what you wanted.” wanted.” {267 Judgmentt Prayer, Judgmen Prayer, Rev. 17:5} 27 en the rebel will be scared to death and the consequences of his sin rip him apart when he cries out in anguish. 28 He’ll cry out for mercy but he’ll not get it; he’ll seek You but You’ll not be found. ere is no second chance in hell h ell 29because the rebel hated Your way of life and would not listen and learn from You. He rejected Your plans for his life 30and refused to do what You wanted him to do. {267 Judgment Prayer, Rev. 17:5} A fool is a man or woman who refuses to follow commo common n sense, who refuses to obey the rules, and who refuses to do the things we call wise. e fool has rejected God; “e fool has said in his heart, ‘ere ‘ ere is no God God’” ’” (Ps. 14:1). “ey hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD’” (Prov. 1:29). Rather than doing the right thing, 824
J O H N Key Word: Believe Believe (occurs (occurs 96 times) Key Verse: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31, NKJV). eme: John writes to demonstrate Jesus’ deity, that He is the Son of God, and
that those who believe in Jesus for salvation will have eternal life. en John exhorts his readers to be transfor transformed med by the indwelling power of Jesus Christ Christ ( John 14:20; 15:1-7). John doesn’t doesn’t tell of Jesu Jesus’ s’ earthly genealog y, birth or growth years. He begins in eternity past. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was was God” (John ( John 1:1). John John writes writes only of eight miracles in Jesus’ earthly ministry that are “signs” pointing to His deity. e supernatural promise of Jesus to believers is, “I in them, and You in Me” (John 17:23). us in salvation Jesus comes to dwell in us on this earth so we can live for Him. But we are “in Christ,” a term that occurs 172 times in ScripS cripture. at means we are in Jesus as He intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. Negatively Jesus intercedes for forgiveness of our sins (Heb. 7:25), and positively Jesus presents our prayers to the Fat Father her so they will be answered. Lord, I come to You becaus becausee Jesus lives in my heart. He motivates me to pray to You. But also, I come “in Christ” as He is at Your right hand. Hear my prayers in Jesus’’ name. Jesus name . Amen.
John 1 e Preincarn Preincarnate ate Word Word
I
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worship Jesus the Word, who is from from the the beginning; beginning ; Jesus Jesus the Word tells me me all about You, my heavenly Father. {192 God-Recognition Prayer, Eph. 3:20-21} 2e Word was face to face with You You throughout throughout eternity because Jesus is God. 3 And without Jesus nothing was created. Jesus does all the things that You, my heavenly Father, will do. {93 Creation-Inspired Worship, Ps. 19:1, 2} 4 Jesus has all life in Himself and gives life to all His creation. {281 Life-Receiving Life-Re ceiving Prayer, Prayer, John 10:10} 5 Jesu Jesuss is the life of God who is the Light L ight to all who are lost in a dark, forbidding world. Jesus shines in the 1433
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hostile darkness, but the darkness doesn’t even know He exists. {283 Light-Praying, 1 John 1:7} Lord, I am committ committed ed to Your message which is written in the Word of God. It is eternal and perfect. I will learn Your mes sage, believe Your Your message, and and share share it with with others. Amen. John’’s Witness of Jesus John
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Jesus had all the celestial glory glor y of heaven but He clothed His heavenly glory with human flesh. God living in flesh was the greatest glory of all. Jesus is the uniquely begotten Son, and has all the grace and truth of God. {264 Jesus-Worship Prayer, Heb. 1:6} 15 John the Baptizer Baptizer said of Jesus, Jesus, “is is the Messiah whom I introduced introduced to the world, and Jesus comes aer me, but is preeminentlyy before me.” preeminentl me.” {147 Exalt-Jesu Exalt-Jesuss Prayer,, Phil. 2:11, 12} Prayer
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John the Baptizer was a prophet sent by You who came to tell all about the shining Light, {358 Powerful-Ministry Prayer, Acts 2:4} 7that through the Light, all might be saved. {416 Salvation-Prayer, Luke 18:13} 8 John the Baptizer was not the saving light, but was the human sent to point everyone to the Light. Lig ht. 9 Jesus is the true saving Light who offers spiritual light to everyone in the world. {283 Light-Praying, 1 John 1:7} 10 Jesus came to the world that He created, but those living in the world did not recognize recog nize Jesus as their Creat Creator or Savior Savior.. {25 Atheist-Prayer, Ps. 14:1, 2} 11 Jesus came to His own people—the Jews—and they refused to recognize Him. 12 But as many as recognize Jesus and receive Him, He will make them children of God simply because they believe in the authority of Jesus’ name. {416 Sal vation-Prayer vationPrayer,, Luke 18:13} 13ey will be born again by Your power which is not a birth of blood, or the choice of people, or of flesh. {61 Child-Like Praying, 1 John 3:1}
Jesus is the Jesus the Word; Word; (1) who is eterna eternal,l, (2) (2) who who created the universe; (3) who had eternal fellowship with the Father; Father; and (4) (4 ) who became fleshh when He was born of the Virgin fles Virgin Mary. Mary. We should worship w orship and praise Him for all He is and does. Lord Jesus, You are the eternal Word of God; I praise You for creating me and everyth everything ing in thi thiss uni universe verse.. I wors worship hip You for Your unlimited power and greatness. Amen. Am en. 16
His grace was offered and my need of grace was fulfilled. {152 Faith-Blessing Prayer, Heb. 11:6} 17e law of Moses condemned me to death, but grace and truth by Jesus gave me life. {92 Covenant-Fulfilling Prayer, Ps. 55:22} 18I could never have seen se en You, You, the eternal Father, but Jesus Christ came from Your bosom to show me what You, our Father, is like. {192 God-Recognition Prayer, Eph. 3:20-21} Lord, I am commit committed ted to the Lord Jes Jesus us Christ who became flesh and lived among 1434
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men. He is the truth and spoke the truth to us. I have eternal life l ife because of Him. Amen. Religious Leaders uestion John the Baptizer 19
e religious establishment sent delegates to ask John the Baptizer, “Who are you?” {279 Life-Defining Prayer, Rom. 12:1, 2} 20 John told them he was not the Messiah. 21en they asked, “Are you Eli jah or the prophet who will come at the end of the age?” John said, “No.” 22ey said, “Give us an answer to report to our authorities.” 23 John quoted Isaiah, answering, “I am a voice crying in the wilderness; prepare the way for the Messiah. Messiah.”” {399 Repentance-Prayer, Matt. 3:2, 8} 24ey were Pharisees who questioned him. 25 e religious delegates asked why John was baptizing with water water.. 26He answered, “I baptize with water, but there is One standing among us who will baptize with the Spirit of God. {30 Baptized-Praying, Gal. 3:26, 27; Col. 2:11-12} 27He who is coming aer me is preferred before me, because He lived before me. 28ese things happened on the banks of the Jordan River, but I came baptizing so Jesus might be revealed to Israel.”
“I didn’t know Jesus was to be the Messiah until I saw the Spirit come upon Him like a dove. 33But the Lord who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘e One on whom the Spirit comes, and stops there, this is the One who is the Messiah. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” Spirit.’” 34en John, the apostle, said, “I then noted and believed He is the Son of God. G od.”” Jesus Meets Six Disciples 35
e next day John the Baptizer stood with two of his disciples, 36and as they saw Jesus walking, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” 37As Andrew and John were following fol lowing Jesus, {314 Mult Multiplication iplication of Disciples-Prayer, Acts 18:24-26} 38He turned to ask, “What do you want?” {279 Life-Defining Prayer, Prayer, Rom. 12:1, 2} 39at evening Andrew and John talked at length leng th to Jesus. {512 Useful-Vessel Prayer, 2 Tim. 2:20-21} 40e next day Andrew told his brother Simon, {358 Powerful-Ministry Prayer, Acts 2:4} 41“We have found the Messiah,” {444 Soul Winner’s-Prayer, Prov. 11:30} 42and Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. {58 Call-Prayer, Gen. 12:1; Gal. 1:15} Jesus changed Simon Simon’’s name to Peter, which means he was firm and solid as a stone.
Christ’s Baptism 29
e next day John saw Jesus coming to Him and told the crowd, “See that man. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 30He said this to let everyone know Jesus was the One coming aer him. 31 John said, “I didn’ didn’tt know who He was. was.”” 32 John the Baptizer added,
Lord, may I be zealous to tell fami family ly and iends about Jesus Jesus and may I bring them to know Jesus. Jesus. Amen. Amen. 43
e next day when Jesus saw Philip, He said, “Follow Me.” 44Philip was from the same hometown as Andrew and Peter. 1435
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happen?” {545 Wrestling-Prayer, happen?”{545 Wrestling-Prayer, Eph. 6:106 :1012} 10 Je Jesus sus answered, answered, “Y “You ou are a res respected pected teacher, yet you do not understand these things.” {259 Jesus’ Response-Prayer, Rev. 1:10} 11 Jes Jesus us cont continu inued, ed, “I say to you, I am telling you what I know, but you will not believe Me. {478 Testimony-Prayer, Acts 22:3} 12If you do not believe what I say about this world, how can you believe heavenly things? {504 Unbelief-Hindrance to Prayer, Heb. 3:12} 13Since I have come to earth from heaven, I can explain heavenly things to you. {478 Testimony-Prayer, Acts 22:3} 14As Moses lied up the serpent in the wilderness, so people could repent by looking to the serpent. {260 Jesus’ Suffering Appreciation-Prayer, Heb. 2:9-10, 18} 15In the same way the Son of Man will be lied up so that everyone who looks to him in belief will be saved. {145 Evangelistic-Praying, Acts 4:31} 16e Father loved everyone in the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for each of them. Now everyone who believes in the Son will not perish, but will have eternal life. {281 Life-Receiving Prayer, John 10:10} 17For the Father did not send His Son to condemn the people of the world but that they might be saved through through Him. {416 Salvation-Prayer, Luke 18:13} 18No one who believes in the Son will be condemned, but those who refuse to believe in the name of God’s only Son are condemned already. {268 Judgmental-Prayi Judgmental-Praying ng,, Acts 5:4, 9} 19e verdict of death is handed down because light has shined on the people of the world, but people love darkness more than light because of their love of evil things. {283 Light-Praying, 1 John 1:7} 20Everyone
I will pra prayy to You continuall continuallyy and I will oppose anything that comes between me and prayer pra yer.. Amen.
John 3 A Night Interview with Nicodemus 1
Nicodemus was a Jewish leader who observed the law, 2and he came to Jesus at night to compliment Him, saying, “Jesus, You are a Teacher who comes from God because You perform miracles that couldn’tt be couldn’ b e done without God’ G od’ss help. he lp.”” {192 God-Recognition Prayer, Eph. 3:20-21} 3 Jesus Je sus told him, “I say to you, you must be born again to see the kingdom of God.” {318 New Birth Praise-Prayer, Titus 3:5} 4 Nicodemus replied, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he go back into his mother’s womb to be born again?” {127 Doubting-Prayer, Gen. 22:7} 5 Je Jesus sus answered, “I say to you, unless you are born again of water and the Spirit, you will not ent enter er the kin kingdom gdom of God. {259 Jesus Je sus’’ Respo Responsense-Pra Prayer yer,, Rev Rev.. 1:10} 6 What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is Spirit. {353 Physical Before Spiritual-Prayer, 1 Cor. 15:46} 7Do not be surprised when I say you must be born again. {118 Directional Answer-Prayer, 1 Kings 17:9} 8e wind blows anywhere it pleases. You can hear its sound, but you can’t tell where it comes from or goes. at describes those who are born of the Spirit, and how the Spirit bestows life on them.” {506 Unknown-Answer to Prayer, Mark 9:24} 9Nicodemus asked, “How can this 1438
ROMANS (Romans 1:17) Key Word: Righteousness Righteousness (Romans Key Verse: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as
it is written, ‘e just shall live by faith fa ith’” ’” (Rom. 1:17). eme: e book of Romans gives the most systematic approach to theology
(what to believe) of all the books in the Bible. Paul makes it clear that He is not “the God of the Jews only” but “of “of the Gentiles also” (3:29). Paul began writing: (a) the whole world has sinned and is guilty before God (1:8-3:23); (b) the death and resurrection of Christ provides justification to all who exercise faith (3:24-5:21); (c) believers b elievers can be delivered from the power of sin (6:1-7:25); (d) the Holy Spirit gives victory (8:1-39); (e) God has past and future plans for for Israel (9:1-11:36); (9:1-11:36); (f ) God has given guidelines g uidelines for the practical Christian Christ ian life and service ser vice (12:1-15:33). Lord, (12:1-15:33). Lord, I will learn the essential doctrines of Christianity Christ ianity and live by them. Amen.
Romans 1
Introduction and the Guilt of the Pagan
Lord,
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the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome telling them he was a servant who was chosen to preach the good news, {431 Servanthood-Prayer, Mark 9:35} 2 which You You promised in the the Old Testamen Testamentt through through the prophets. {264 JesusJesus-W Worship Prayer, Heb. 1:6} 1: 6}
May I always always be faithful faithful to my my calling, as Paul Paul was to his task. task. Amen. 3
Lord, thank You for the gospel about Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came as a baby through King David’s line, {264 Jesus-Worship Prayer, Heb. 1:6} 4 who was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate demonstrate that He is the mighty Son of God. {493 Triumphant-Praying, 2 Cor. 2:14} 5Lord, thank You that through Christ all Your mercy has been poured out on me to be a witness to everyone, everywhere about Your grace; {258 Jesus’ Name-Praying, John 14:13} 6so they too can believe and become Christ followers. {58 Call-Prayer, Gen. 12:1; Gal. 1:15} 7Lord, Paul told his dear friends in Rome 1543
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that You loved them and called them. Paul prayed for grace and peace to rest on them from You—God the Father—and from the Lord Jesus Christ. {58 Call-Prayer, Gen. 12:1; Gal. 1:15} May Your grace and peace fill my life, as I walk in Your love and calling. Amen. 8
Paul thanked You that the faith of the Roman believers in Jesus Christ was known throughout the world {482 anksgiving for God’s Past Work in Our Lives-Prayer, Ps. 105:1} 9and that it was his duty to serve You by continually praying for them. {188 God-Glorifying Prayer, Ps. 96:8} 10Paul specifically prayed that he would have the opportunity to have a safe trip to come see them. 11He wanted to strengthen their spiritual gis so their church would grow strong spiritually. 12Lord, Paul wanted to bless the Roman church by sharing his faith with them, and allow them to be a blessing to him. {454 Spiritual-Strength Prayer, Rom. 1:16} Paul desired to visit Rome to communica Paul communicate te his spiritual gis to believers because “it will make you strong.” strong.” When we use us e our spiritual spir itual gis, we grow as we use them. Lord, give me wisdom to discover and exercise my spiritual gis so others can get the same kind of gis and serve You with their unique expression e xpression of their spiritual gis. Amen.
He wanted to minister to them just as he had ministered in other Gentile churches. {180 Fruit-Producing Prayer, Gal. 5:2223} 14Lord, I have a debt to carry the gospel to both civilized people, and unreached people groups who have never heard the gospel. {75 Commitment-Prayer, Ps. 37:5} 15 Lord, I am ready to preach to any or to all, just as Paul was ready to preach the gospel to those in Rome and to everyone in the world. {82 Confident-Praying, 1 John 5:13} Lord, 5:13} Lord, I am not ashamed of the good news of Christ, for it is powerful to get people to believe so they can be saved. 16 Lord, I agree with the priority that Paul gave that the gospel must first be preached to the Jews, then to Gentiles. e good news is God’s power to forgive my sins, or God’s power to give me eternal life, or God’s power to transform a kid who cursed all the time into one who wanted to speak only only the words words of God. ere are great miracles such as walking on water or healing a leper, or feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two small fish. But the greatest mir miracle acle for humans—the power of God—is to transform a sinner into a saint. {490 Transformation-Prayer, Rom. 8:29} Lord, thank You You for all I received om You You when I got saved. But the greatest power was my transformation om a lost sinner into one who lives for You You by faith (1:17). (1: 17). Amen. e Justified Live by Faith
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Lord, Paul told the Romans that he planned many times previously to visit them, but was prevented from doing so.
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When a person puts his personal trust in the gospel, You declare him righteous—fit rig hteous—fit 1544
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for heaven. is is what the Old Testament teaches, “e just shall live by faith. f aith.”” Paul tells us to live by fait Paul faithh (Rom. 1:17); then he adds the phrase, “om faith to faith” (1:17). ere are at least 6 different ways to express faith: {12 All Kinds of Faith-Praying, Rom. 1:17} (1) 1:17} (1) objective faith is in the Bible, what we believe (cont (content), ent), which we call our statement of faith; (2) saving faith is for the forgiveness of sins; (3) justifying faithh is when we act on our new positio fait position n in Christ because we have been declared righteous; (4) indwelling faith operates in us by the Son of God who lives in our heart (Gal. 2:20); (5) living living by fait faithh is obedience to bibbiblical principles; and (6) the gi of faith is a spiritual gi to serve God in extr extraordinary aordinary ways by exercising faith in God, usually to remove barriers. Lord, give me all kinds of faithh to serve You in many different ways fait ways.. Amen. Why the Pagan Pagan Are Lost 18
Lord, You have revealed that You will punish puni sh everyone who trespas trespasses ses Your Your comcommands because they reject the truth given them. {268 Judgmental-Praying, Acts 5:4, 9} 19You have revealed Yourself to everyone’s conscience. {192 God-Recognition Prayer, Eph. 3:20-21} 20Also everyone can plainlyy lear plainl learn n from nat natur uree tha thatt it took a powerful powe rful Cr Creato eatorr to cre create ate this vast uni verse, ver se, and tha thatt it took an int intellige elligent nt Cr Creeator to put the laws of nature in place to control everything. Lord, now no one can give an excuse when they are judged
and condemned because everyone knows You exist and You have eternal power. {60 Character of God-Prayer, 1 ess. 5:24} 21 Lord, everyone knows You exist, but they won’’t ackn won acknowl owledge edge You, or tha thank nk You for natural blessings, or worship You. ey are controlled by illogical thought patterns because they reject the logic of Your existence. eir minds are blinded and confused. {101 Deceitful-Heart Prayer, James think they are wise, they they 4:3} 22 When they think actually are foolish. {101 Deceitful-Heart Prayer, James 4:3} 23Instead of worshiping Your glorious presence, they worship gods made out of wood, or stones that look like birds, or animals, or snakes, snakes, or corrupt peopeo ple. {189 God-Haters’ Prayer, Ps. 2:2, 3} 24 Lord, You allowed those who reject You to do all types of sexual sins, so that they could fulfill their lust, degrading their bodies with one another. {440 Sin-Realization Prayer, Eph. 4:22} 25Instead of believing the truth they knew about You, they deliberately rejected You, choosing to worship and serve created idols rather than You, the Creator, who could bless them. {101 Deceitful-Heart Prayer, James 4:3} 26Lord, You abandoned them to their passions because their women turned from natural sexual practices to abnormal acts. {269 Justice-Prayer, Ps. 7:17} 27eir men turned from normal relations with women and turned to lustful sexual practices with one another, men behaving indecently with men, so that they pay a penalty with their souls for their perversion. {269 Justice-Prayer, Ps. 7:17} 28Lord, they refused to acknowledge You so You gave them up to their own irrational and corrupt ideas.
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knowledge. I can’t possibly trace Your motives for I don’t understand all al l that You You do. 34 Who could ever know Your mind? Who could ever try try to tell You what what to to do? 35 Who could ever give You anything anything?? No one, for You are the supreme God. 36All that exists comes from You, and is for You. To You be glory forever. ere are many things about God’s nature that we as humans can’t understand, but even in our limited understanding we must magnify God for what we know of Him, and for what we don don’t’t know of Him. ere are many things that God does in this world, or things that He allows. We may not under stand why certain things happen, but we must worship God, because “All things work together for good to those who love Him” (Rom. 8:28). Lord, I worship You for what I know about You and for what I don don’t’t understand about You. I worship You for all You do in my life that I understand, and for all I don don’t’t understand. Everything happens because of You, and through You, and for Your glory. Amen.
Romans 12
A Living Sacrifice to Serve God 1
Lord, I will dedicate my body to You, as Paul pleaded with all believers to do. Because of Your mercy, I offer myself as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You; this is the first and best spiritual worship to You. 2I will not allow myself to be conformed to the principles of this world. But
I will let my thinking be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. en I will discover Your will for my life, which will glorifyy You glorif You and satisfy satisf y my desires. Lord, I surrender my body to You. May I live holy to please You, and may I serve You with all my strength. Amen. 3
Lord, because I have received grace from You, I will not exaggerate my value or importance. I will honestly estimate the gis You’ve given me by the standards of faith You’ve given me. 4 Jus Justt as each body has many parts, and each part has a separate function, 5so I am one part of Christ’s body who serves in harmonious union with other believers because we belong to each other. 6My spiritual spiritual gis g is are different than other believers. I belong to the body, that is, to other believers, and I need all of them to help me serve You. Lord, You’ve given to each one of us a spiritual gi, which is an ability to do certain things well. ose with the gi of prophecy, that is, speaking for You, should use their gi according to their faith. 7ose with the gi of helping others should serve peo ple well. ose with the gi of teaching should teach well. 8ose with the gi of preaching should do a good job delivering sermons. ose who have been given money should use it generously for spiritual projects. ose who have the gi of administration should manage everything to Your Your glory glor y. Finally let those thos e with the gi of mercy-showing, show compassion and sympathy to the needy ne edy.. 1562
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ank You for giving me my spiritual gis. May I discover them, train them, and may I dedicate my my abilities to to serve You. You. Amen. Sharing Christ with Others 9
Lord, I will love everyone as You loved me. I will not pretend to love people when I don’t. I will seek the good things of life, and I will turn my back on evil things. 10I will love others as Your children should, and have deep respect for others. 11I will serve You with untiring effort, and will be enthusiastic in all I do. 12I will gladly accept all Your plans for me and I will be patient in trouble while always praying to do Your will. 13Lord, when Your saints are in need, I will share with them the things I have and open my home to them. 14Lord, I will always bless those who persecute me, and will never curse them.15I will share the happiness of those who are happy, and I will empathize with those who are sad. 16I will treat everyone with equal kindness, and will not condescend to the poor. I will not allow myself to be self-satisfied, but will show Christ to the world. 17Lord, I will never pay back evil for evil. I want everyone to see my integrity. 18I will try to get along with everyone, and be at peace with them. I will not try to get even e ven when someone wrongs me. 19I will leave revenge to You because the Scriptures teach, “Vengeance belongs to You, and You will pay them back for their evil.” Also the Scriptures teach, 20“If your enemy is hungry hungr y, you must give him food, and if your enemy is thirsty, you must give him water to drink,
and thus heap hot coals on his head.” 21I will resist evil and conquer it by doing good. Lord, I pra prayy for those who hate me or try to harm me. Enable them to do good, and bless them with Your presence. I yield them to You. Amen.
Romans 13
Respect for Government 1
Lord, I will submit to government authorities since You have put them into office and all civil authority comes from You. 2ose who resist the laws of the land are rebelling against Your authority over them and You will punish them. 3ose who behave rightly according to Your commands should not be afraid of judges. Only criminals have anything to fear. I will live honestly and correctly so I won won’’t be afraid of punishment. 4You put government in place to serve its citizens and to carry out Your revenge on criminals, punishing them when they break the law law.. 5 I will obey the laws for my conscience’s sake, and also because I’m afraid of being punished. 6is is the reason I will pay my taxes, since all officials are Your officers. 7I will give everyone what I owe them, and if I owe taxes, I will pay them. When I’m required to respect officials, I will respect them and honor them. Lord, I pr pray ay for all leaders over me, that is, political, business, family, leaders, and 1563
P R I N C I P L E S O F P R AY E R 1 - Abandonment-Prayer (Pss. 42:9)
When we feel abandoned by God, we need to be sure we are looking for Him in the the right places. Or maybe the reason we haven haven’’t heard from God is because we block Him out with our chatter chatter.. God may “forsake” us so that we will examine our motives to see se e if we are praying for the right reasons. Perhaps the truth is that God hasn’t abandoned us, but we have forsaken forsa ken Him. Our feelings of abandonment might mig ht also stem from wrong ideas about God. erefore, when we feel abandoned, we usually search for God more intently or sincerely. sincerely. Rather than blaming God G od for not being there, why not exercise faith and ask Him to speak when we don’t know what we want God to do for us? Yield the outcome (and ourselves) to Him. “Your will be done” (Matt. 6:10). Abandonment sometimes leads to the death of our pleasure, our comfort, our ambitions, or even our immediate happiness. But God doesn’t leave us in a state of turmoil when we abandon ourselves to His will. When we relinquish the desires of our heart and submit to God’ God’s will, we crucify our self-will to Christ and allow Him to transform transform our lives. “I will say s ay to God my Rock, R ock, Why have You You forgotten me? me ? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Psalm 42:9). (See Affl Affliction-Prayer iction-Prayer,, Forsaken-Pr Forsaken-Prayer, ayer, Pain-Praying, Pain-Praying, Suffering-Prayer ). ). 2 - Abba-Prayer (Rom. 8:15)
e name “Abba” is a Hebrew term of our modern “Daddy” or “Papa.” e name “Abba” is an intimate designation we give to God to reflect our close relationship to Him. Our heavenly Father is both powerful and transcendent, but He is also intimate and close by. Human fathers are supposed to relate to us as the heavenly Father, but many times they may not. When we approach our Abba, it’s our heart speaking to His heart (Pss. 103:13; Isa. 66:13; Hos. 11:1-4; Mark 14:36; Luke 11:2; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). (See Fe Felllowship-Praying, Intimacy-Prayer). 3 - Abiding in ScriptureScripture-Pr Prayer ayer (John ( John 15:7)
Jesus promised, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you Jesus desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). But that doesn’t mean we can get anything or everything. We must meet the conditions, “Abide in Me, and My [Jesus] words abide in you” (John 15:7). We abide by (1) knowing the Scripture so we will ask only for God’ss will; God’ will ; and (2) by living God’s God’s Word Word that qualifies us for answers ( John 14:20, 15:1-8; 1 John 3:22, 24). (See Pra Prayer, yer, Scripture-Pr Scripture-Prayer ayer,, Word-Pr Word-Praying aying ). ). 1813
Principles of Prayer Prayer
4 - Absurd-Praying (1 Cor. 15:19)
ose who claim there is no resurrection are ridiculous, that is, they are inconsistent with reason or common sense. If one accepts the claims of the Bible with its supporting supernatural claims, then it is only foolish to reject the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. So those who pray to the Father through Jesus must acknowledge the resurrection of Christ. ey must faith-base their entire relationship with God on the resurrection (Pss. 16:10; John 5:28-29, 11:25; Acts 4:2; 1 Cor Cor.. 15:19, 43, 44; Phil. 3:21; 1 ess. 4:13-18). (See Hypocritical-Pr Hypocrit ical-Prayer ayer,, UnbeliefUnbelief-Hindr Hindrance ance to Prayer Prayer,, Unpardonable-Sin Unpardonable-Sin Prayer Prayer ). ). 5 - Accusation-Prayer Protection (Rev. 12:10)
Satan constantly accuses us to the heavenly Father, so we must pray constantly for spiritual protection and victory over evil forces. We must must rely on the interces intercession sion of Jesus our High High Priest, and the the prayers of the Holy Holy Spirit ( Job 1:9, 2:5; Zech. 3:1-2; Luke 22:31-32; Rom. 8:26; Titus 2:8; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 4:4; Rev. 12:10). (See Defensive Defensive-W Warfare Pra Prayer, yer, see various Victory prayers). 6 - Advocate-Intercession (1 John 2:1)
Our Advocate is Jesus. As our lawyer lawy er He represents us before God Go d the Father—Judge. Jesus prays for our forgiveness based ba sed on His blood that paid our penalty. He, the Sinless One, was substituted substituted for for us, the sinners sinners (Rom. 8:31; 2 Cor Cor.. 5:21; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. Heb. 7:24-25, 9:4; 1 John 2:1). (See Interces Intercessor’s-Prayer sor’s-Prayer,, Jesus-Agreement Jesus-Agree ment Prayer, Jesus’ Jesus’ Name-Praying ). ). 7 - Affliction-Prayer (Pss. 102:2)
Seek God’s forgiveness and acceptance when we are hurt, alienated, or suffering. is is a prayer to have our fellowship with God G od restored (Gen. (G en. 16:11, 29:32; Exod. 3:7, 4:31; 1 Sam. 1:11; 2 Sam. 16:12; 16 :12; Neh. 1:3; Job 30:16; Pss. 22:24, 102:2; 2 Cor. Cor. 2:4, 4:17; Phil. 4:14; 1 ess. 1:6). (See Deliver Deliverance-Pr ance-Prayer ayer,, PainPain-Pra Praying, ying, PersecutionPersecution-Pra Prayer, yer, SufferingSuffering-Pra Prayer yer ). ). 8 - Aged-Prayer (Pss. 90:10)
For those aged persons who enter a time of physical, mental, and spiritual weakness, we pray that God will keep them them true to His His standards and that that God will protect them spiritually with the strength of Christ Christ (Phil. 1:21) to remain faithful in all a ll things (Noah: Gen. 9:20-29; Solomon: 1 Kings 11:1-4; David: Pss. 51:3-13). (See Family-H Family-Heritage eritage Prayer ). ). 9 - Agree-Bless Prayer (Matt. 18:19)
When the the blessor and recipient recipient of a blessing agree in prayer prayer for a blessing, they ask in faith (See Matt. 18:19). (See Agreement-Prayer ). ). 1814
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