Tag: honor

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For a Healthy Body Image

Lord God,
Your Word assures us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. While we marvel at the detail and design that went into creating mankind, the crown of your creation, we confess that we don’t always feel all that special. While women have traditionally struggled more with body image, men are not immune. Images of shirtless men sporting six packs or hitting the gym are widespread, and can leave those with dad bods discouraged and deflated. Lead guys to be realistic and reasonable about their physical appearances, and to be willing to share their struggles with others. Let us embrace taking care of our bodies as a natural part of our calling, and just one more way we can honor and thank you. Help us to view it as a privilege and not a pain, and let our worth be determined not by what we see in the mirror, but by remembering the price you were willing to pay to make us yours. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Government

Giving Father,
Thank you for the blessings we enjoy through our government. While we will never be short on matters to complain about when it comes to government (both because of shortcomings on their end and because of our propensity for grumbling and complaining), we too often take for granted the positives you work in our lives through those you have placed in positions of governmental authority. Thank you for using our government to maintain structure and order, allowing citizens to reliably depend on so many different services and operations as they conduct their day-to-day lives. Guard those who govern from being driven by personal ambitions and self-serving agendas. Grant them wisdom in decision making, patience in dealing with difficult people, and a genuine desire to accomplish what is noble and right for the people they govern. Make their work a joy for them and a blessing for those they serve. Thank you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless Marriages With Your Gift of Sex

God of Marriage,
Sex is your gift that you established as a blessing to be enjoyed between a husband and wife. You call both single and married people to battle against sexual temptation and to abstain from engaging in sex outside of marriage. But your gift of sex can also be abused within marriage whenever it is neglected or avoided by one spouse without mutual consent. When your gift of sex is weaponized or leveraged by one spouse against the other, it can cause tremendous damage. When spouses forget or refuse to acknowledge that in marriage, their bodies are not their own, but belong to each other, sex mutates from a loving act of service to a self-centered, self-serving, mess.

For those marriage relationships that have legitimate challenges that hinder or prevent sexual intimacy, I pray for you to patiently guide those spouses as they work through those issues. Help all people – married and single – to honor marriage and sex by keeping the marriage bed pure. Richly bless married couples with healthy and happy sex lives. Through them, provide a sanctified and refreshingly positive view of sex in a world that has spoiled it so much.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Fight Sexual Temptation

God of Grace,
When we diminish your designed purposes for sex, it shouldn’t surprise us that our twisted perspective ends up turning your gift into a temptation. I am not only susceptible to the snare of sex, but am also guilty of sinning against myself and others in my misuse and abuse of it. I am left with nowhere to turn but to your cross for forgiveness. Assure me that there alone do I find gracious cleansing for all sin – including every sexual sin I’ve ever committed. 

Then, having been renewed and restored, equip me with the spirit necessary to fight the battle against sexual temptation. Guard my heart from being drawn into any situation that would allow a spark of temptation to flare up into a raging fire. Help me have the self-awareness to recognize when and where this particular temptation is tailored to my own unique weaknesses, and the discernment and discipline to avoid those scenarios. If I consistently fail to put up a fight on my own against this temptation, give me the courage to seek help from others who genuinely want to support me in these struggles. Do not let me allow my failures to suffocate me in this area. My sins do not define me or change my identify in you, therefore build me up with more of your grace and create in me the desire to live a pure and holy life for you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Properly View Your Gift of Sex

God of Love,
Sex is all around me, everywhere, all the time, and with it, the temptation to treat it like any other pleasure that is up for grabs whenever it is desired. But you didn’t create it to be treated like some recreational activity available for anyone to engage in at any time, according to their own personal preferences or standards. Rather, you intended for it to be a uniquely special experience exclusively between a husband and wife, safeguarded within the bond of marriage. Although I live in a society that doesn’t see it that way, help me to honor it in accordance with your plans for it. 

Although sex is itself physical, keep clear for me its spiritual connection so that I am able to tap into your Spirit’s strength to battle my thoughts and urges. And, while the abuse of your gift of sex will always cause damage and harm to hearts and lives, let grace and your gospel be for me the driving force behind my desire to honor it. I don’t live under the fear and slavery of the law, but in freedom that longs to walk in your ways. Guide me to love you by treasuring your precious gift of sex in the way that you intend. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Live Godly and Holy Lives

Holy Spirit,
Thank you for interceding on our behalf when we offer up our prayers. And thank you for equipping us as we grow in faith to carry out that for which we pray. With that in mind, guide me as I seek to live in godliness and holiness. Begin by increasing in me the desire to strive for your high standards of Christian living. While protecting me from a self-righteous spirit, instill in me a genuine desire to stand out from the rest of the world by my living. Not only does that honor you, but it also serves to reflect you to others. Keep me from succumbing to any shame or ridicule from others as I look to live for you more and more. Instead, let my example of godly and holy living lead others to aspire to live more honorably as well.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Who Sacrificed Their Lives

Dear Lord,
On this Memorial Day, we mourn the loss of the service men and women who made the greatest sacrifice one can make in dying for their country. May I never take for granted the rights and freedoms I enjoy because of their tremendous sacrifice. Lead me to honor them by the way I live as an upright citizen and to do whatever I can to see that they are not forgotten and that their sacrifices are always honored. Be with all friends, family members, and loved ones still grieving their loss. Heal their wounds and lift up their saddened spirits. Surround them with care and support on this day and anytime they are down. Remove the guilt of those who are burdened by having survived when others around them were lost in the heat of battle. Give meaning and purpose to them in their lives, and allow us all to appreciate those who gave up their lives for us. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Honor God and the Government with Our Taxes

Mighty God,
No matter which category we fall under, proactive or procrastinator, today marks the same deadline for everyone in the U.S. to file their taxes. We have a responsibility as citizens to honor and respect the government, and one of the ways we carry that out is by giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s, as Jesus instructed his disciples to do. Paying taxes is also an act of worship, as we serve you by dutifully fulfilling our obligations to the government you have placed over us to bless us.

Keep us from being deliberately shady or deceitful on the one hand, or careless and thoughtless on the other when working through our taxes, and keep our hearts in the right place. Grant patience to tax preparers dealing with last-minute stresses. Bless those collecting, managing, and directing the spending of our taxes with wisdom and prudence to serve our country well. Guard our government against corruption and abuse, and put in place reliable and trustworthy leaders to oversee the whole process. If there are improvements that can be made anywhere, allow those changes to take place and benefit many. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Care for My Parents

Perfect Father,
While I may not live under their roof anymore, the Fourth Commandment still applies, so I want to honor my parents. While no parents are perfect, mine helped shape me into who I am today, so good, bad, or otherwise, I am thankful for them. I can always do a better job of communicating with them. Help me prioritize them so they never feel that I am too busy for them or don’t have any time for them.

Give patience and perseverance to all taking on the responsibility of caregivers for their parents in any capacity. Let their help and support be a blessing and not a burden for them. Lead them to view their responsibilities to their parents as a joyful opportunity to thank them for the years of love and support they provided throughout childhood up to the present day. Let my gratitude for my parents be expressed to them in such ways that they know how loved and appreciated they are. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For a Healthy Relationship with Food

Gracious Lord,
Food is a blessing by which you not only bring us needed nourishment for our bodies, but also the pleasure of enjoying a virtually unlimited variety of tastes and textures. Guide me to find a balance between the two. I want to eat wisely and be mindful of what fuels my body, but not to such an extreme that I neglect memorable dining or tasting experiences. On the other hand, keep me from being so focused on good food, recipes, or dining out, that I end up being careless about what I am eating. Thank you for endless eating choices for both nourishment and enjoyment, and help me maintain moderation in my diet. Grant me a healthy relationship with food so that I am able to curb my cravings and practice self-control. May I always seek to honor you in my approach to food and diet. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.