DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Help Me Repent Rightly (Part 3)

Suffering Savior,
Since one of the themes of the lenten season is repentance, help me to repent rightly. When the law accuses and convicts me of my sin, I respond in genuine contrition, taking full responsibility for my sin. The gospel then directs me to the sweet comfort and assurance of forgiveness that are mine through Jesus Christ. Finally, repentance shows itself by the fruit that follows.

When I have wronged or harmed others, my repentant heart yearns to do what I can to make it right. While such actions on my part have no bearing on my forgiveness, which was won fully and freely by Christ, they do serve my neighbor affected by my sin. Moreover, right repentance never sees forgiveness as permission to carelessly fall back into my sin without fear, but rather the freedom from being enslaved by that sin and the motivation to press on to overcome it. So I ask you, Lord, not only to work in me the awareness of my sin and the assurance of my forgiveness, but also the awakening of my freedom from sin’s chains, which empowers me to live a changed man. In your grace, work this kind of right repentance in me.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Help Me Repent Rightly (Part 2)

Suffering Savior,
Since one of the themes of the lenten season is repentance, help me to repent rightly. Repentance includes contrition, which is much more than just mouthing the words, “I’m sorry.” But it also involves much more than just feeling sorry or being weighed down by our guilt. We aren’t seeking to impress God by wallowing in the guilt and shame of our sin. Repentance doesn’t conclude with contrition; rather, that is just the beginning.

Repenting rightly means turning toward you, Lord, and laying our sin – along with all its accompanying guilt and shame – at the foot of the cross. Then, in faith we look up to you and see the price you paid to ensure our sin has been paid for in full. Yes, repentance includes embracing our forgiveness and trusting that you do not and will not ever hold our sin against us! This is the joy of repentance, and it allows us to confess and own our sins – because you owned the consequences and condemnation of our sin for us. Let us never tire of turning from our sin toward you, our Savior, in daily repentance.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Help Me Repent Rightly (Part 1)

Suffering Savior,
Since one of the themes of the lenten season is repentance, help me to repent rightly. While my sins are ultimately a rebellion against you, they often involve others, too. It is one thing to express contrition to you, but can sometimes be very difficult to do so to the people I’ve hurt or wronged by my sin. “I’m sorry” can be among the most hardest words to speak. I have become quite adept at the “unapologetic apology,” which is crafted to sound like an apology without actually taking any ownership of the sin I committed.

Let my repentance include genuine contrition, which is much more than simply being sorry someone else was impacted or sorry that I got caught. No, let my own wrongful sin be the source of my contrition, and free me from the need to attach excuses or justifications to my apologies. Instead, guide me to clearly confess the sin I committed, and when I speak the words “I’m sorry” to you and others, Lord, may they always carry the weight of my genuine contrition. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Hear and Do

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. When we gather in your house for worship, we do so to hear your Word point us to the saving work of your Son, Jesus Christ. While his work of salvation is complete and we eagerly await his return, his work in and through us continues. Therefore, let us not only hear the Word this morning, but consider how we will also apply it to our lives. As we leave your house, let your Holy Spirit guide our meditation and pondering of the Word so that he can transform our hearing into doing. Jesus said we are blessed when we hear your Word and do what it says. Equip me to put sermon and song into practice and bless and build up others as I do.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Overcome My Lack of Motivation

Almighty God,
When I feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities, I sometimes feel like shutting down and ignoring them. Then, as those neglected responsibilities pile up, the burden feels even heavier. That’s when I really struggle to find the motivation to take care of the things I am supposed to be managing. I need your help, Lord.

Remind me that even when I feel anxious or stressed at such times, you are never overwhelmed, but always in control of all things at all times. When I don’t know where to start, your Word is always the best place possible! Then, reassured by your promises and calmed by your peace, make me ready to take the next step, whatever that may be. Free me from fixating on trying to determine what is the “right” or “most important” step, so that I take any step in the right direction. When that step then generates traction, grant me success with each step that follows. Let that momentum fuel my motivation to keep going, confident that you are still in control and will guide and bless my efforts.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Give Others Time Together

Ever-present Savior,
Time is a gift from you to manage. The desire to spend time together with others is also how many people feel loved and filled up. Guide me to tune in to this need of others close to me, so that I plan to spend dedicated, undistracted quality time with them. When doing so is inconvenient or requires significant sacrifice, remind me that you gave me the gift of eternity together with you. Just as you came to serve me, so make me willing to serve others in this way. In a culture that is always busy, overbooked, overcommitted, and overstressed, giving others the gift of time together can be one of the most precious commodities. Help me give my time to others freely and generously. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Imitate Those Who Persevere

Faithful Father,
As I watch my steps in life and cautiously seek to avoid the devil’s dangerous detours, I am grateful that you promise to be with me and that you also provide guidance and support. Scripture is filled with examples of believers who also experienced spiritual struggles – many of which were on a level I’ll never face! I am blessed to see how your grace allowed them to persevere, and to be able to learn from their examples and follow in their footsteps. Give me their endurance and resilience.

You also provide living and breathing examples in my life right here and now to show me the way and encourage me. Help me learn from how my fellow believers have navigated difficult paths in challenging seasons of their lives. Through their experiences, steer me clear of the pitfalls they encountered and guide me along your paths, that nothing would deter me from arriving at my heavenly destination one day.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Focus on What Builds My Faith

Dear Jesus,
I know the acts of faith that are important for strengthening my faith: reading and studying your Word, gathering regularly for worship and the Lord’s Supper, spending time in prayer, etc. Nevertheless, even though I know how important these are, they also require a measure of commitment and sacrifice. To prioritize these spiritual disciplines means having to say no to other things in life that I enjoy and appreciate, so sometimes I convince myself that they are too inconvenient or too much for me.

But what I don’t realize at the time, is that avoiding them in the short term because of a perceived inconvenience always results in more pain in the long term. Then, during the times when my life seems to be going off the rails, when things are falling apart, or when trials arise, I can often look back and see that I have been neglecting those faith-building disciplines in my life.

Why do I always think I know better than you??? Forgive me for distancing myself from you, and draw me back to you through your Word. Guard me from ever believing the lie that time spent in your Word, in worship, in prayer, etc. is ever inconvenient or wasted time and instead use them to fortify my trust in you more and more. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Persevere Along the Way

Precious Savior,
I know the you are the Way, and only through you has the door to heaven been opened. But I also know that along that way there will be crosses to bear that will include hardship, pain, and suffering. When these are revealed in my life, I am tempted to look for an alternative route. It would seem to be so much easier if I could simply ignore the difficulties altogether and pretend they’ll just go away. If only I could close my eyes and cover my ears to all struggles, then open them again to see that everything would be better! 

But it doesn’t work that way. I must stay the course, even when it includes suffering and pain. For what is waiting on the other side for all who persevere is better than anything we could ever imagine. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Guard Against False Teaching

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. As believers all over the world gather on this day to hear your Word proclaimed, protect their ears from false teaching. Keep those preaching faithful to the promises they made to speak the truth as your representatives. Keep their preaching pure, free from the seeds of lies and deception sown by the evil one, whether blatant or subtle. Equip leaders and elders in your churches to distinguish between truth and error, so that they may correct or rebuke heresy, and raise up mature Christian members to share in that responsibility. Guard those preaching from the temptation of proclaiming what itching ears want to hear. Guide them in rightly handling the application of law and gospel. Through such faithful preaching sanctify your church and keep her in the one true faith.   

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.