praying scripture
I have been praying scripture over my kids since birth. And not only my kids, but their some-day spouses also. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite scriptures turned into prayers. I keep a printed list in my bible for quick reference.
Just thought I would share. 🙂
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I pray, Lord, that You will bless and protect us. That You will smile on us and be gracious to us. That You will show us Your favor and give us Your peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
I pray that we will choose life and not death, blessings and not curses, so that we and our descendants will live. (Deuteronomy 30:19)
I pray that we will not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But that we will delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. That we will be like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. That our leaves will never wither, and we will prosper in all we do. (Psalm 1:1-3)
I pray that You will grant wisdom to us, and from Your mouth will come knowledge and understanding. That You will grant a treasure of common sense, and that we will be honest. Be a shield to us that we may walk with integrity. Guard our path that we may walk justly, and protect us as we are faithful to You. I pray that we will understand what is right, just, and fair, and that we will find the right way to go. That wisdom will enter our hearts, and knowledge will fill us with joy, wise choices will watch over us, and understanding will keep us safe. (Proverbs 2:6-11)
I pray that Your Spirit will not leave us, and neither will Your words that You have given us. May they be on our lips and on the lips of our children and our children’s children forever. (Isaiah 59:21)
I pray that You will plant seeds of peace and prosperity among us. That our grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. I pray that you will rescue us and make us both a symbol and a source of blessing. (Zechariah 8:12-13)
I pray that we will grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)
I pray that the Word of God will be near to us- in our mouths and in our hearts. (Romans 10:8)
I pray that the Holy Spirit will produce this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower us with inner strength through Your Spirit. That Christ will make His home in our hearts as we trust in Him. That our roots will grow down into Your love and keep us strong. And may we have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
I pray that our love will overflow more and more, and that we will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. That we will understand what really matters, so that we may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May we always be filled with the fruit of Your salvation — the righteous character produced in our lives by Jesus Christ — for this will bring much glory and praise to God. (Philippians 1:9)
I ask You to give us complete knowledge of Your will and to give us spiritual wisdom and understanding, that the way we live will always honor and please the Lord, and our lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, we will grow as we learn to know God better and better. I pray that we will be strengthened with all Your glorious power so we will have all the endurance and patience we need. May we be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. (Colossians 1:9-12)
I pray that Your alive and active Word will penetrate our innermost desires and judge the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. Cleanse us from hidden sin. May the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts be pleasing to You. (Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 19:12, 14)
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I could go on and on….. and on and on. There are so many great scriptures I want spoken and prayed over my life and the lives of my children. Sometimes my quiet time consists of opening my bible, flipping through pages and praying scriptures I have underlined over the years. It is something that feels very precious to me and has been a source of comfort on my most difficult days.
I hope you can put these scripture prayers into action for your family. Prayer works! It is invaluable in our lives. Just remember, prayer is a two-way communication. Take some time during your quiet time to listen to God. Remember what you learned in kindergarten – God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you talk! God has much to say! He wants to speak life to you today! 🙂
the big lie
John 8:44 says that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. There is NO truth in him. If his mouth is open, lies are coming out. He is incapable of telling the truth. Have you ever known someone who lies even when it would be easier to tell the truth? Satan is a bigger liar than that a gazillion times over. He sits on a throne of lies…. literally. He is a thief; a twister of the truth. He may give you his version of a truth, but it is never the truth. He skews the facts. He fudges the numbers. He causes us to look at our experiences and exchange the truth for a lie. You can be sure Satan is lying to you. It is what he does. He doesn’t play favorites; he lies to everyone.
You have believed a lie. Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger; we all do it. We accept what is whispered in our ear as truth. Sometimes it’s a new lie, and sometimes the same lie over and over. What is the Big Lie in your life? Most of us have one or two…. or a hundred. It is important to identify it, bring it out into the light. What deception have you swallowed? In what way has the deceiver yanked your chain? Do you think you’re not good enough, smart enough or pretty enough? Do you think no one loves you? Maybe you don’t think anything good will ever really happen for you, and that life is meaningless and your efforts are futile. These are lies. Satan knows how to hit you where it hurts. He knows exactly which buttons to push. He knows just what to say to get the most bang for his buck. His lies to you may be different from his lies to me, but lies are lies. And he is behind them all.
On the polar opposite side, Jesus speaks only truth. 1 John 1:5 says that God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. None. Not even a shadow. Not one lie or even a half truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and will guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Not just some truth, all truth, in every situation, every time. There is no doubt, no worry, no confusion – only truth.
Our part in the story is to let ourselves be guided; to debunk the lies with the truth, or rather, listen as God’s Word debunks the lies. Think of the Holy Spirit as a lie detector, not unlike a metal detector, that will beep like crazy when it runs across a lie. We are the ones who have to pay attention to the beeping, realize the lie for what it is, and let God replace it with His truth. God is truth, so we can look to Him to find it. But we are the ones who have to do the looking, the listening, and then the believing. It is a choice we make in every situation. We can let the father of lies have free reign in our minds, or we can let the Holy Spirit take over. Ask God to show you what the truth really is, and then ask Him to help you believe that truth.
God, how do You see this situation? What do You think about me? What should I believe about this or that? Do You have a plan for me?
Satan will come, and he will speak. That we cannot control. What we can control, however, is who we listen to. God is also speaking in every situation you encounter. Which voice will you entertain? Whose words will you receive into your heart? The voice you choose to listen to is the voice that becomes the loudest.
It is worth your time to take a look at what you believe about God, about yourself and your life. Ask God what lie you have believed. Ask Him what truth He wants to speak to you. If the answer you hear is full of condemnation, guilt or shame, it is not from God. He speaks only life and love.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life more abundantly. John 10:10
Satan is the father of lies. God is your Father. Look your Big Lie square in the eye and say, “My Daddy can beat up your daddy.”
Jesus Calling 07.13.2012
I love Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. The devo for today is just amazing. It reads –
I want you to experience the riches of your salvation: the joy of being loved constantly and perfectly. You make a practice of judging yourself, based on how you look or behave or feel. If you like what you see in the mirror, you feel a bit more worthy of My love. When things are going smoothly and your performance seems adequate, you find it easier to believe you are My beloved child. When you feel discouraged, you tend to look inward so you can correct whatever is wrong.
Instead of trying to “fix” yourself, fix your gaze on Me, the Lover of your soul. Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me. Remember that I see you clothed in My righteousness, radiant in My perfect love.
To think that the richest part of salvation is that we are loved constantly and perfectly! Wow, what an amazing thought! We don’t have to do anything or be anything. We are made whole, complete, righteous, and more than “good enough” in Him when we accept Jesus as our Savior. There is nothing more to be done, but to continue to run to Him, know Him more, love Him more.
So lighten up on yourself. Let’s face it – we are not perfect, nor will we ever be. But we are loved perfectly. Instead of trying to fix ourselves and “make ourselves better” in our own eyes (or in the eyes of others), let’s fix our gaze on Him who loves us more than we can ever know!
The God of the Universe, the Almighty Creator of everything, is already completely smitten with us. 🙂
dare to dream
I am in a situation which holds a huge opportunity for learning and growth to happen in me. Don’t you just love those? Aren’t they just fun? I am waiting on God for a number of things – direction, open doors…. more direction. We women don’t always wait so well, but I am doing my best. I am purposing to be patient. I’ll have to let you know how that goes.
As a woman, I want to plow ahead. I want to figure things out – what I should do, where I’m headed, what will ultimately happen, how I should handle things, make a plan, git-r-done. But in this situation, there are no plans to be made. There is nothing to do except to trust God and wait. Sigh. God has brought me here almost kicking and screaming. Willingly, yes, but also with some fight in me. I know the plan I would choose, and would really rather He just execute that strategy. Really, God, I’ve got it all figured out! No such luck for me; or maybe no greater blessing for me.
Knowing what you want, what you believe God has for you, and knowing there is no way on His green earth you can make your dream a reality…. that is a place where there is such an enormous lesson in trust and obedience, in waiting with peace in the midst of anxiety, in overcoming fear, in learning how to not become bitter or jealous, in giving up control and truly surrendering daily (okay, hourly). There is nothing that I can do to bring about the end that I desire. Nothing. Just sit back and wait to see what God will do. This is such a hard thing, and yet so easy. So stressful, and so amazingly peaceful.
I have been on a journey for the last couple of years getting my mind wrapped around this loving God that I serve. He loves me; this I know. I have known my entire life that God is a God of love, and that He loves me. I have never doubted it. This recent journey, though, has engrained that truth so much deeper in my heart. His love for me is so great. No fear can live in my heart alongside God’s love; there is no room. His perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). You can take that statement literally. No anxiety can reside near His peace. His grace is sufficient for me (2 Cor 12:9), and His peace passes all understanding (Phil 4:7) – mine included. The uncertainty feels thick in my mind at times, but God has reassured me that there really is no uncertainty. His plan is His plan, and it will happen in His time. It is already in place and working in my life, whether I can see it or not.
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This is such a great verse, so reassuring and comforting. But nowhere in this verse does God say He will share those plans with us ahead of His time. Let’s face it, sometimes He doesn’t even give us a hint. Our job is to trust in His timing as much as we trust in His plan. For me, that’s the more difficult part. Come on, God, spill just a bit! Let me in on the details! Not happening. Instead God is asking me a question.
Do you trust Me?
I trust you, God.
Do you really trust Me?
Yes, I really trust You. But could You just….
No…. do you trust Me?
God is asking us for complete trust. Not just surface, I’m-a-good-Christian, say-the-right-words trust. He is looking for deep, down-to-our-bones, permeating-through-our-every-cell trust. This does not come lightly, and He does not view it lightly. It so greatly pleases Him.
I am waiting on God and trusting Him. I have laid out before Him the desires of my heart. Desires I believe He has placed in me. I have prayed a very bold prayer. This prayer is big. Huge. So much bigger than me. When I was writing it down, I actually felt a little shaky. It is something so outside of myself, there is no way I can accomplish it on my own. I have had these desires in me for a while, but have never compiled a list and written it down before. It is a big step toward a very big dream, but I serve a very big God.
This morning I was reading The Circle Maker, and in it Mark Batterson talks about Cornelius and Peter and the visions they each had (Acts 10). Cornelius’ vision happened first, and Peter’s during his prayer time the following day. It occurred to me that if Peter hadn’t been in prayer and focusing on God, he probably would not have been in a posture to receive the vision. Jesus had previously told Peter that he would play a major part in the establishment of the church, and through the visions of these two strangers, Christianity came to the Gentiles. It had already been spoken, promised, and the plan set in place. Still, it required diligence, perseverance and faith on Peter’s part for the prophecy/vision/dream to become a reality.
As you wait on your dream, your desire, your future, I encourage you to trust God wholly. Spend quiet time with Him each day. Get to know Him intimately. Focus on Him. Therein lies your hope. God’s plan for you will not be thwarted…. as long as you are trusting in and waiting on Him. I know, for me, I don’t want to do anything to hinder, postpone or completely trip up what God intends for my life. And you know how we can do that? By running ahead with our plan, instead of waiting on His.
God is able to do infinitely more than I could ever ask or even imagine (Eph 3:20), and believe me, I can imagine big!
I dare you to dream today, and then I dare you to trust God with it.
50 things I love about God
O Lord my God, You have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. Psalm 40:5
What can I say about God?
1. He is perfect.
2. He loves me wholly and completely.
3. He knows the deepest parts of my heart and accepts me exactly as I am.
4. He is already beginning to answer my prayers, even before I pray.
5. He desires me, He pursues me, He honors me.
6. He is patient and kind.
7. He listens to my every rambling and doesn’t mind when I repeat myself over and over…… and over.
8. He speaks to me in the most gentle way….. even when I’m whiny or grouchy or demanding.
9. He never condemns.
10. He provides everything I need.
11. He laughs with me, but He never laughs at me.
12. He likes to be silly with me, but He doesn’t think I’m goofy.
13. He is not demanding of my time, but wants my time willingly surrendered to Him.
14. He is my healer.
15. He loves my kids even more than I do.
16. He loves time alone with me.
17. He makes everything beautiful.
18. He holds and guards my heart.
19. He is the light in my darkness.
20. He will never abandon me.
21. He is the best teacher.
22. He holds me when I cry.
23. His mercies are new every morning.
24. He keeps no record of my wrongs.
25. He keeps me safe.
26. He loves that I love Him.
27. He is fun to hang out with.
28. His thoughts toward me are precious.
29. He is a problem solver.
30. He is my best friend.
31. He is strong and mighty.
32. He died for me, defeated death and rose again.
33. He can kick Satan’s tail.
34. He gives His angels charge over me.
35. He is my peace.
36. He gives me rest.
37. He holds me up when I’m weak.
38. He gives me wisdom and common sense.
39. He uses my pain for His glory.
40. He is ALL truth.
41. He makes me free.
42. He chose me before I even knew of Him.
43. He is already in my tomorrow.
44. He has a plan for my life that is beyond anything I could ever hope for or imagine.
45. He forgives and forgets, but He remembers the important things.
46. He is as faithful as He is able.
47. His words bring only life.
48. He is a fair Judge, He is a righteous King, He is my Shepherd.
49. He is the guardian of my soul.
50. He knows me better than I know myself, and He loves me more than I love myself.
God is all this and more in my life. He is my be-all, end-all, know-it-all, take-care-of-it-all, so-don’t-worry-about-nothin-ev
He is my everything. His love is perfect. His plan is perfect.
This is my prayer for you today –
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will go down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21
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