“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

A Time To Confess!

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Ephesians 4:30-31 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on some things that God says we need to get rid of as we confess our sins to Him.  While it may be a little late for traditional spring cleaning, it is always the right time to do some “spring cleaning” in our life as we draw near to God.  While the prayer focus this week will be on things to confess and deal with, it is important to note that we must be filling our life with the things of the Spirit as we clean out the things that don’t belong.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you see the things of an old life that should be gone.  Pray that you would have the desire to live as a new creation as you put away the things of this world.  Pray for compassion and understanding as this being made completely new in righteousness and holiness is a continuing process for both you and those around you.  Pray for the courage to say “Good riddance!” to the things of this world that keep you from fully pursuing God.  Pray for wisdom in filling your life with the things which honor Christ.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) 

Please pray each day for God to help you agree with Him about the sins which easily creep into life.

Sunday: Pray for your church staff, the preaching and teaching that takes place, the church leadership, the volunteers that are helping in so many areas, the spiritual and financial health of the congregation, and the work of the missions ministry of the church.  Pray for me (Tom Lemler) and the work of Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday:  Confess Bitterness.  Pray that you would agree with God about the seeds of bitterness in your life before they take root.  Pray that the grace of God applied in your life would keep you from becoming bitter toward others.  “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”  Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)

Tuesday:  Confess Rage.  Pray that you would agree with God about the destructive nature of rage.  Ask God to help you remove the roar of rage from your life in every interaction you have with others.  Pray for a life that shows favor to others rather than frightens them from pursuing God.  “A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.”  Proverbs 19:12 (NIV)

Wednesday:  Confess Anger.  Pray that you would agree with God about the anger that keeps you from the righteous life He desires for you.  Pray that you would always follow God’s instructions on anger and deal with it appropriately.  “Take note of this: Everyone should be . . . slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Thursday:  Confess Brawling.  Pray that you would agree with God about the dangers of brawling as He helps you remove your attitudes that lead you to “pick a fight” with others.  Pray for the wisdom to lead others away from wandering into a grave filled with brawlers of every background.  “Therefore the grave enlarges its appetite and opens its mouth without limit; into it will descend their nobles and masses with all their brawlers and revelers.”  Isaiah 5:14 (NIV)

Friday:  Confess Slander.  Pray that you would agree with God about words which slander others.  Ask God to help you remove slander from your speech.  Pray that God would protect you and others from the dangers of slander.  “Do not go about spreading slander among your people.  Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.”  Leviticus 19:16 (NIV)

Saturday:  Confess Malice.  Pray for God’s help in examining your motives in everything as you remove all traces of malice.  Pray that you would not be led into doing anything with evil intent through the temptations of deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”  1 Peter 2:1 (NIV)