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Resources – Memorize Ephesians 1 {NEW Bible Memory Challenge}

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WHY?

  • Want to immerse yourself daily in God’s grace?
  • Remind yourself more often of the blessings you have in Christ?
  • Discover who you are in Him and why you are here?

Memorize Ephesians 1 with us for 12 weeks, beginning September 16.

By learning two verses a week, we’ll embed beautiful truths about Jesus and with Jesus deeper into our hearts.

GROUPS
For weekly accountability, join our Hide His Word Facebook group, follow #HideHisWord on Twitter, and log into our ScriptureTyper group.

RESOURCES

Print or download as many of these free resources as you’d like.

Also check out Scripture Stickies for purchase. This is a set of removable sticky notes especially for our challenge. I have mine already and love them. Use this code—DONOTDEPART—to get a 10% discount when checking out.

SPREAD THE WORD

We’d be honored if you’d mention our memory challenge on your blog (download the button here). And tweet or Facebook this:

Want to memorize a chapter of the Bible? Sign up for Ephesians 1 @DoNotDepart. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2BS #HideHisWord

Link up on Wednesday, September 18, with your own blog posts about this challenge or anything (new or old!) on your blog about scripture memory. Let’s share with those who are new to memorizing scripture that this is possible at any age.

If you’ll be joining us or have questions, let us know in the comments.

Cultivating Prayer {Wrap Up}

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A Month of Cultivating Prayer - DoNotDepart.comWe have spent a whole month devoted to talking about prayer here at Do Not Depart. Imagine if you spent a whole month devoted to actually praying! Does it sound like a lot?

In fact a month of prayer is just a drop in the bucket for God’s people, who are called to praying without ceasing! 1 Thessalonians 5:17

We wanted to help equip you for that glorious call, and while we just barely scratched the surface in discussing prayer, we pray the Lord has spoken to you in some small new way about prayer in your life and the lives of those you love.

Prayer is an essential spiritual discipline for a Christian. Do you have questions about prayer that weren’t addressed? How can the Do Not Depart team serve you as you cultivate the discipline of prayer in your life? Leave us a comment!

Cultivating the Habit of Prayer

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Disclosure: Affiliate links are present in this post. Please see the Bookstore page for full disclosure details.

If you are convinced of the importance of prayer you may already have strategies for making prayer a more regular part of your daily life.

But perhaps you still need ideas for ways to incorporate prayer into the ebb and flow of each day. Having a plan can help you develop the habit of praying regularly.

Cultivating the Habit of Prayer - donotdepart.com

Associate prayer with an activity

If you associate prayer with something else you do regularly, you may find it easier to remember to do, and soon you will develop a habit.

  • pray as soon as you wake up
  • pray before meals
  • pray while folding the laundry
  • pray while riding the bus
  • pray while walking or jogging
  • pray in the shower
  • pray while washing dishes
  • pray as you are falling asleep

Use a prayer calendar

Weekly or monthly prayer calendars can help you remember to pray consistently for certain things. You can create your own, or find one online.

Pick up a topical book about prayer

There are many books on prayer in general, but for developing a habit of praying, you might find helpful one of these books with specific topics and scriptures to pray through:

  • [amazon_link id=”0805444203″ target=”_blank” ]Praying God’s Word Day by Day[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919260″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Woman[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919244″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Wife[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919767″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Husband[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919767″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Parent[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736920862″ target=”_blank” ]Power of Praying for Adult Children[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”031027351X” target=”_blank” ]Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens[/amazon_link]

Pray with others

Making a plan to meet with someone else to pray, whether at home or away, helps hold you both accountable.

  • Find a prayer partner and set a regular schedule for praying together in person or over the phone. If you can’t think of anyone, ask God to show you whom you might ask. You don’t even have to live in the same country! My prayer partner and I live in different countries and have prayed together weekly via Skype for the past three and a half years.
  • Make family prayer a normal part of every day. Most Christian families say grace before meals, but what other family prayer times could you add to your day?
  • Pray with your spouse. For ideas on making prayer with your spouse a reality, check out Lisa’s post Five Tips for Praying with Your Spouse or Friend
  • Join a prayer group. Your church may have a prayer group, or you can join one like Moms In Prayer that has groups around the world. If you can’t find a group, start one!
  • Start a prayer triplet. Pray regularly with two other people, each of you choosing three unsaved people for whom to pray. Learn more about prayer triplets from Evelyn Christenson here.

Keep a prayer journal

Keeping track of prayer requests in a dedicated journal can be a huge blessing. Not only does a journal help you keep track of requests, it will serve as an amazing encouragement in days and years to come. I sometimes sit with my prayer journal, reading prayer requests from years ago, and marvel at what God has done!

  • Buy a blank notebook. I use a pocket-sized Moleskin-like notebook that I keep by my bedside. It looks a lot like [amazon_link id=”8862930003″ target=”_blank” ]this[/amazon_link], except pink, because pink makes me happy!
  • Create a prayer mini-album. Julie shares instructions, as well as a free printable for divider tabs, in her post Prayer Album for Women on the Go.
  • Create a prayer jar. For a twist on the prayer journal idea, make a prayer jar. Keep the jar in a prominent place in your home and add scraps of paper with prayer needs to it. Set a daily time when you pull a prayer need out of the jar to pray over. This is a prayer activity that especially appeals to children.

 There are many more ways you can help grow the habit of spending time in prayer.
What tips would you add to our list?
Do you use a prayer calendar or book that you would recommend?
We love to hear from you – please share in the comments!

When Words Fail {Cultivating Prayer}

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This guest post for our Cultivating Prayer theme is by Sandy Anker…

When Words Fail - DoNotDepart.comOn September 30, 2004, a stunning fall day, we welcomed our fifth child, Lydia Faith, into the world. My husband and I and our four older children were completely enchanted by this pudgy little girl.

Two weeks later, after a fretful night and a long day of trying to soothe my baby, I put her down in her butterfly seat while I started a fire to take the chill off the October afternoon. When she started fussing again, I turned and picked her up. Something about her cry, rhythmic and weak, alarmed me. I held her out and watched in terror as her face turned gray, then bruise-purple, and her odd little cries faded into silence. I screamed for my sixteen year old lifeguard son who immediately started CPR while I called 911. Tiny puffs of air into the small lungs, little compressions on the still heart.

Thus began a years’ long odyssey that started with a month in the hospital. Weeks of the most desperate prayers I’ve ever uttered. The magnitude of what we were dealing with, however, often left me without words.

The Groans

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

Many of my prayers during this time were desperate, heart-wrenching groans. As my precious daughter faded away in my arms, all I could pray was “No, no, no, no!” As my son worked on his unconscious sister, as the police officer burst through my front door, as my terrified three year old took in the whole scene, the only words I could utter were, “Jesus, bring my baby back!” Over and over and over.

Sometimes my prayers were simply sobbing in His arms. At other times it was simply breathing in His presence. Obviously these were not eloquent prayers. I did not consciously craft my words in meditation. These prayers were raw and messy, cried out to my Father as I flung myself into His lap.

The Word

When the first ambulance arrived at our small regional hospital, Lydia was rushed into a small ER room and surrounded by doctors, nurses, and technicians. She was intubated while a nurse continued CPR and another doctor repeatedly injected her with epinephrine to restart her heart. In the midst of this chaos, the doctors encouraged us to squeeze in and touch her. As I whispered in her ear that I loved her and needed her to come back, I felt a strong burden to pray one line from the Lord’s Prayer. Words I didn’t want to say, but knew I must: “THY will be done” (Matthew 6:10) The most painful prayer I’ve ever uttered.

Lydia was soon transported to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where praying scripture over my baby became a vital part of my time with her. There were several verses that were meaningful to me during this time and I personalized them wherever I could.

“For I know the plans I have for Lydia,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper her and not to harm her, plans to give Lydia hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (emphasis mine)

The whole of Psalm 91 was especially significant, beginning with verse 1:

Lydia dwells in the shelter of the Most High and will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I distinctly remember one long scary night praying this psalm for her. When I reached verse 16, my pulse quickened,

I will satisfy Lydia with long life!

I felt like I had received a direct message from my Father in this verse.

Others prayed Scripture over Lydia, too. Especially precious was our friend Travis serenading Lydia in the ICU. I will never forget his passionately singing directly to my fragile, unconscious child:

You are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14

The Body

When we arrived at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, we were ushered into a private waiting room with one of the deacons from our church, our pastor, and one of our seminary professors. We waited for hours before the chief of the Pediatric ICU came to tell us our daughter might not make it through the night. We were numb and speechless. I am so grateful for those three godly saints who took this news in with us and interceded for Lydia and for us.

Like Aaron and Hur held the arms of the exhausted Moses (Exodus 17), so many faithful warriors held us up during this time. As Lydia’s story spread through our seminary and our home church in Texas, and was passed by each seminarian and missionary we knew to their home churches, a prayer net was cast for our tiny girl all around the globe.

We were often surprised by those who joined with us in prayer. One afternoon two of my husband’s seminary buddies came up to pray with us. At that moment Lydia was having electrodes attached to her scalp for an EEG to track her grand mal seizures. The technician said, “I want you to know that I’ll be praying along with you as I continue to work on Lydia.”

We are not meant to go it alone. Prayer is a vital part of our relationship with Him and each other. There were several people I knew I could call any time of the day or night to intercede for Lydia when a new crisis arose. Those dear people didn’t end our conversations with a promise of prayer. They immediately carried our burdens. (Galatians 6:2)

We Are Not Left Helpless

It has been nearly nine years since that horrifying night that started us on a prayer journey that continues to this day. I was rendered speechless so much of the time, but I was not left helpless. My loving Father sweetly gave me His grace to interpret my groans, His Word to speak over my child, and His body to envelop us in a blanket of prayer.

 

 

Sandy is a lover of Jesus, the wife of a pastor, the mom of five children, and the grandmother of two sweet babes. She lives, loves, and prays in Northern British Columbia. Lydia is now a spunky, long-legged nine year old rascal.

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See Mom Abide {Let The Children Come}

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This guest post for our monthly Let The Children Come feature is by Ali Shaw.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV, Read John 15:1-11)

As mothers (or other important women role models), sometimes our task of spiritual instruction seems insurmountable. How do I teach my children everything they need to know about God, and His Word? And, how do I take head knowledge and transfer it to the heart? Over the years, I have felt overwhelmed with these questions at times. And I’m sure I’m not alone. Keeping in mind these three things while instructing my children has helped greatly:

  1. I am not God (which highlights the obvious reality of my imperfection).
  2. My children have to develop their own walk.
  3. God has entrusted me to set the example, facilitate, and guide.

By abiding in Christ, I can keep those three points at the forefront of my mind.

See Mom Abide {a Let The Children Come guest post on Do Not Depart}

I am not God

Abiding in Christ reminds me that I need Him; apart from Him I can have no spiritual fruit. I am an imperfect person in desperate need of Christ! I have to remember that as such, I can never teach God’s perfect Word perfectly or completely. The Bible is inexhaustible, and I am still learning! It is unrealistic for me to think that my children could ever learn His Word as perfectly as I’d like. So, I remember that I am not God. I remember that as I give them rich and plentiful opportunities to read, soak in, and study God’s perfect word, He will bless His perfect word in their hearts to grow the fruit He wants, and shape them (as His little branch) just as He sees fit (John 15:2b). I must fully trust Him to use His Word in their lives.

My Children Must Develop Their Own Walk

When I abide, I’m more likely to see growth. Just as a baby must learn to take his first, staggering, steps and even fall many times, or a baby bird must stretch its tiny wings and flutter along, my children must do the same spiritually. I have done this, and I’m sure you have, too. Of course I want to protect them from unnecessary pain, so I should take precautions to do just that. However, I must also be prepared to let them test their own wings and practice their own faith. This will look different at times. From the five year old who rushes through prayer to hurry and eat, then feels dissatisfied or embarrassed, to the teenager who is pained by a peer’s ungodly actions only to realize she’s done similarly, to the young adult who can’t find time for daily devotions only to realize they feel “dry”, or to the mother who thought she’d finished struggling only to fall, dust her hands, and rise again– God is still growing and developing each walk.

Guiding and Abiding

I set the example. I must abide in Christ, hide in His word, spend time with Him in prayer, and be enthusiastic about my love and desire for Him above all else this world has to offer. I must further my private relationship with Christ, yet provide glimpses into that time with God for my children to see. I’m often on the quest to provide opportunities for my children to join me in reading, study, prayer, and praise. Do your children “catch you” often in prayer, reading the Bible, journaling your spiritual thoughts, memorizing or reciting Scripture, singing praises, or being a witness? Do you get excited over something you’ve learned or something God’s doing and you can’t wait to share it with your kids or with others in their hearing? These are great ways to guide your children by abiding in Christ! I’ve learned that if my heart is right and sincere, my children will be blessed and hopefully will rise up and call me blessed someday. Wouldn’t that be a lovely inadvertent consequence of wholeheartedly pursuing your children’s spiritual instruction?

So, dear overwhelmed mother, take heart! Don’t feel overburdened by your task. Come to Jesus for His easy yoke (Matthew 11:30) and then abide. Stay. Remain in Him and let Him bear fruit in your life. Out of your overflow, lead your children to follow in your footsteps and then watch what our awesome, loving, precious God does. In the meantime, let your children see Mommy abide.

Ali Shaw

 

Alison Shaw can’t believe how blessed her life is!  Wife of 20 years to her awesome, supportive soul mate, and momma to three beautiful daughters aged 19, 14, and 5, she’s learning to serve her Precious Lord more and more, day by day. You can catch her blogging at Heartfelt Reflections and see the latest of what God’s been teaching her!

Prayer never left school

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How is a christian child supposed to live out their faith at school if they can’t pray? As a teacher, daily I heard the voice  over the intercom declaring a “moment of silence,” as if someone in an office far away had the power to stop or start it. A “moment of silence,” code words for prayer, was announced to appease those who objected to banishing of prayer in public schools. But prayer never left school.

As long as children know to turn to the ever-present God who hears them from their desk, their locker, the playground, or the cafeteria, prayer cannot be crushed. Heavenward cries cannot be legislated, though some may try.  Having spent years as a public school teacher, I have watched believing children shine as lights in their school. Praying parents are still able to send their children armed with the voice of petition when they head off to a traditional classroom.

The best lesson a child ever learns in public school may be how to pray, and they won’t be guide by that far off voice declaring “the moment of silence.” They will still tune in to the trusted and loving voice of their prayerful parent.  We can help children learn to make prayer their own, to make it personal, while in a not-so-open environment.

Teach children to initiate prayer.

  • Call on God anytime.
  • Call on God anywhere.

Teach children to make prayer personal.

  • Call on God in your own heart, thoughts, and mind.
  • Call on God for your own needs, concerns, and feelings.

Feeling prayer pressure forces a child to learn how to turn their thoughts and their silent conversations to the Lord, their Lord, as they encounter trouble of their own or see others in trouble. There’s no need to wait for a moment of silence or even the freedom of home; we can teach our children to be kids who pray in a world that won’t.

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” (Ephesians 6:16-18).

Prayer depends on our commitment to communicate with our waiting God, not the setting where we do our days.

  • Start your child’s day with prayer, before they ever enter a “legislated” world.
  • Role play how to pray when they encounter a need or a prompting to talk to God.
  • Talk about how to use a “moment of silence” and what to do if/when it is announced.
  • Consider tools like keeping a small prayer notebook or card in their desk/locker.
  • A lunch box is the perfect place to insert prayerful words of encouragement.
  • Pray together about the concerns of the traditional school world.

Don’t wait for the designated moment of silence. Begin your child’s day with prayer and show them that prayer goes anywhere the people of God go.

The most misused verse in the Bible? {Memory Classics}

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We send it in notes to our friends. We pray it over challenging circumstances. We preach sermons and write books about it.

But what does this Bible passage really mean?

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

It’s said to be one of the most misinterpreted verses in the Bible.

I know what I want it to mean: I can run a marathon, memorize the New Testament, clean out the garage, etc., because Christ gives me strength.

But alas. I don’t think the apostle Paul was promising those things.

Instead, quite the opposite.

Perhaps he was saying that:

  • Whether or not we can walk around the block, we can be content with our spiritual health in Christ
  • Even if we can barely recite John 3:16, we can rest in Christ’s sufficiency for our salvation
  • Regardless of the cluttered corners in the garage, we can trust the righteousness of Christ residing in us

In Jesus it’s possible to be at peace regardless of what is happening around us. Paul did it. Hungry or full. For richer or for poorer. He could be content in all things because Christ strengthened him to.

So even if we can’t perfectly understand what every scripture means, we can be content knowing God’s peace surpasses our understanding (Philippians 4:7). Because Christ empowers that.

Philippians 4:13 is our final memory verse for Hiding Classics in My Heart. Thanks to all who prayed and participated with us!

Watch for details coming soon about our fall memory project.

In which areas of your life are you content?
Which areas still need work?

Please share your thoughts with us.

Cultivating Prayer When You Aren’t Sure How to Pray

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Disclosure: Affiliate links are present in this post. Please see the Bookstore page for full disclosure details.

Has a friend or acquaintance ever presented a situation to you and you didn’t know exactly how to pray for it?

Perhaps the situation is nothing like you’ve ever experienced yourself.

Or, none of the seemingly possible outcomes seem “good,” so what exactly do you ask for in prayer?

You might feel unsure how to pray in your own life or family’s situations at some point, not knowing what path would be better or more loving.

I’ve been in these situations, too, and here are a few tips and verses that help me when I’m not sure how to pray.

Cultivating Prayer When You Aren't Sure How to Pray via Do Not Depart

3 Tips When You Don’t Know How to Pray

  1. Pray anyway. It might be tempting to think, I don’t know how to pray here. What if I pray wrongly? I better just not pray. Pray anyway (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Prayer opens our hearts to God’s gift of communication with Him (Psalm 116:1-2). Pray with praise, with tears, with laughter, or with hurt. God listens to it all.
  2. Follow Scriptural prayer methods. The apostle Paul sets up his prayers in a similar format through most of his letters. Julie Reynolds shared a guest post yesterday with a simple prayer model (called ACTS) to help cultivate deeper, more frequent prayer.
  3. Begin with someone else’s words. The best source to use would be Scripture. But, you can also grab your favorite devotional and speak a written prayer aloud. Sometimes all you need is a start, and then your heart might open to more specific need or that prayer may become your personal praise and petition to God.
    Want suggestions for books on prayer? We suggest A Praying Life by Paul Miller, Live A Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean, and Prayers for a Woman’s Soul by Julie Gillies.

5 Verses to Pray Anytime

Begin with these Scriptures and just pray them as your personal prayer to God, or add to them with specific needs and heart thoughts.

  • Philippians 1:9-11 – “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
  • 1 Peter 1:13, 15-16 – “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
  • Hebrews 12:1-2 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 – “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Kathy shared 21 spiritual things to pray for others earlier this week. Her post (and printable) includes many verses to pray over others. And, here are ten more verses for trying times.

What verses help you when you’re not sure how to pray in a situation? Share your ideas in the comments!

The ACTS Model – A Simple Method of Prayer

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We are pleased to have Julie Reynolds guest-posting with us today. Julie is a seasoned women’s ministry leader who is very active in her local church and online. She has been involved with the HelloMornings ministry for several years. Today she joins us to share the ACTS method of praying, a simple framework that can help guide your prayer time. – Patti

How you pray is a very personal matter. I would not dare tell someone how to have a relationship with their best friend, so I won’t tell you how you need to have conversation/relationship with your most important friend, Jesus. But you can’t have a relationship with someone you never talk to, or take the time to listen to.

Still, sometimes it is hard to know where to start in prayer. The ACTS model is a simple method of prayer that I have used in my own quiet time.

ACTS model of prayer - DoNotDepart.com
With the ACTS model, we start by focusing on who God is, and praising Him for that (adoration). Then we move into confessing our sins and thanking Him for all He has given us. We conclude with our requests for others and for ourselves (supplication).

Adoration

We adore God and worship Him as we seek to fulfill the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul.

  • Spend time praising the Lord and adoring Him for who He is (Matthew 6:9)
  • Use scripture to praise Him (Psalm 103, Psalm 145, Psalm 150; Revelation 4:8, Revelation 5:12-14)
  • Be still before Him and enjoy His presence (Psalm 46:10, Psalm 16:11). Use this time to allow God to speak to you through His Word and Spirit (Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 90:12-17)
  • Praise the Lord by praying scripture or hymns back to Him (Psalm 84; Revelation 4:8; Revelation 5:9-10, and “Great is Thy Faithfulness”)

Confession

Confession allows you to clear away the things in your relationship with God which are displeasing to Him. Confession should be an ongoing part of your walk with Christ (Matthew 6:9-13).

  • Spend time asking Jesus to search your heart for areas that displease Him (Psalm 139:23-24)
  •  Spend time confessing and repenting of (turning away from) specific sins. All of us have sinned. John writes “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
  • Allow God to cleanse your heart of any unconfessed sin (Psalm 51:10-13)
  • Accept His forgiveness and cleansing (Jeremiah 31:34)

Thanksgiving

God is blessing us constantly. Every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given.

  • Giving thanks for all things should be a part of our everyday lives as God’s people (Philippians 4:6-7)
  • This includes thanking God for specific things such as blessings, people, open doors, guidance, etc. (Ephesians 5:20)
  • Also give thanks for His salvation and the privilege to serve such a wonderful Savior (1 Chronicles 16:23, Psalm 118:21, Acts 4:12)
  • Thank Him for his goodness, loving-kindness, and faithfulness (Psalm 100:4-6)

Supplication

Finally we ask God for our needs and the needs of others. We call this supplication, or intercession. There are many demands on our prayer time – many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific.

  • We are called as believers to intercessory prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 18:1; Colossians 4:2; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). Thus, we are to come before God on behalf of others (Hebrews 10:19-25; Revelation 1:4-6)
  • Spend time praying for specific people, events, states, countries, missionaries, etc. (Acts 12:5; Romans 10:1)
  • Spend time praying for personal needs (see Matthew 6:11-13)
  • Make prayer lists for your time of supplication. Be sure to include a place for answers to be recorded. Recorded answers can become items for praise and thanksgiving!

Whether you use the ACTS model or some other framework for prayer, remember this: God doesn’t want to give us something else for our do list. He desires relationship with us. Prayer is the doorway to that relationship, to open communication, and to hearing His voice.


 
Julie Reynolds is a bible study teacher, retreat speaker, and women’s ministry leader. She says “I love to see the look in a woman’s face when she gets it – that the Bible is alive and active for her too!” Julie is a working mom of three, and Gran to one amazing and adorable boy.
 

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21 Spiritual Things to Pray for Other Christians

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I can easily think of concrete, physical things to pray for the people in my life. Things like physical healing, a needed job, and help in school. But how often do we pray for spiritual things?

We Christians often spend far more time praying for issues that are fleeting and temporary and far less time praying about things that are eternal. Why is that?

I believe one of the biggest reasons is that we simply don’t know how to pray this way or what to pray for. At least that’s been my top reason. So, a couple of years ago I scoured Scripture looking for ways I could pray for others that would have eternal, lasting impact.

The list below is just a sampling from Scripture, but it’s a great start! I’ve also provided a pdf version (21 Spiritual Things to Pray for Other Christians )you can print and keep in your Bible or journal. I would also love to hear what spiritual things you pray for others.

  1. Thank God for them – Romans 1:8, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Philippians 1:3
  2. God’s mercy – 1 Timothy 1:2
  3. Protection from evil people – Romans 15:31, 2 Thessalonians 3:2
  4. Protection from Satan – John 17:5, 2 Thessalonians 3:3
  5. Opportunity to witness – Colossians 4:3
  6. Courage in witnessing – Ephesians 6:19-20
  7. Right words and clarity in witnessing – Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:4
  8. Spiritual strength/growth – 2 Corinthians 13:7-9, Colossians 1:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:17
  9. Increased love & unity – John 17:21, Philippians 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:12
  10. Better understanding of God’s love – Ephesians 3:17-19, 2 Thessalonians 3:5
  11. Joy, peace, comfort, and encouragement – Colossians 1:11, 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 2:16-17
  12. To know God better – Colossians 1:10, Ephesians 1:17
  13. Increased spiritual wisdom & discernment – Ephesians 1:17, Philippians 1:9-10, Colossians 1:9
  14. Knowledge and understanding of God’s will for their life – Colossians 1:9
  15. To be holy, pure, and blameless – John 17:17, Philippians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:23
  16. To live a life that pleases God and honors Him – Colossians 1:10
  17. To obediently follow God’s will – Colossians 4:12
  18. To grow in righteousness and Christ-like character – Philippians 1:11
  19. Live a life of good works that produces spiritual fruit – Colossians 1:10
  20. Full understanding of their eternal inheritance – Ephesians 1:18
  21. Stand firm in God’s truth – Ephesians 4:15

Let’s share! What Scriptures or spiritual prayers do you lift up for others?

 

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