Tag: manage

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Handle My Feelings

Caring Father,
You have created us to feel – not just physically, but emotionally as well. Feelings are powerful and can impact us in significant ways. The passionate love toward a spouse, the elation a fan feels when his team wins the big game, the pride parents feel when their children who succeed in their endeavors – these emotions are some of the natural highs we feel in life, and they can be wonderful to experience. But we also know the other side of emotions, disappointment when things don’t turn out as we had hoped, anxiety when the problems seem to pile up, and anger when others disagree or cause hurt. These emotions can all quickly bring us down and feeling pretty low in general.

While feelings are a wonderful part of the way you created us, you didn’t create them to control us. When I feel strong emotions, therefore, help me process them in a way that I don’t allow them to be responsible for any sinful words or actions. I want to manage my feelings in a way that ensures they don’t manage me. Help me work through them, be able to recognize what they are and why I am experiencing them, and respond to them with thoughtful consideration, and guided by faith. When this happens, I can more fully appreciate the full range of emotions I feel, while also steering clear of the temptation to use them to justify my sinful reactions. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Flexibility

Loving Father,
While structure and routine in our lives provide stability and security, there are times and seasons in our lives that also require flexibility. Help me identify these situations when they arise, and give me both the discernment and the willingness to be appropriately flexible. Keep me from avoiding each extreme: being either too rigid with routine or too flaky in my flexibility.

Direct me also to avoid forcing flexibility on others or changing just for the sake of change. As I assess what any given situation calls for, remind me to give consideration to the needs of others who might be affected. When adaptability is called for, let me proceed with patience and caution for the benefit of those who might struggle more with any changes. Allow flexibility and adaptability to remain blessings by always being implemented lovingly and appropriately. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Structure and Routine

Loving Father,
Thank you for everything that provides structure and routine in my life. Times and seasons serve as signposts that guide me along the way. Years have months, months have weeks, weeks have days, and each day is broken down to hours and minutes – all of which work together to provide a steady and reliable framework for my life. There are so many decisions that need to be made and tasks that need to be carried out on a daily basis, that I would be overwhelmed if I had to process and decide each and every one, every single day. 

However, you designed our brains to put so many of those responsibilities on autopilot based on timing or circumstances, so that the next step or outcome throughout the course of the day is already determined. Daily routines also provide a sense of emotional security and stability, since they free us from the worry and concern that can come from not knowing what’s next. And, when I can anticipate how my day is scheduled, I can also better prepare for it. Although I know that my times are ultimately in your hands, you give me the freedom to design and lay out my days and life with meaning and purpose. In some small ways, this helps bring a measure of control out of chaos, allowing me the joy of serving you and others accordingly.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Your Gift of Time and Managing It Well

Loving Lord,
Your gift of time is a tremendous blessing. Along with this blessing comes the great responsibility of managing it. It can be a challenge just to stay on top of the daily routine and schedule. Give me the discipline and discernment to prioritize and accomplish whatever needs to get done ahead of whatever I might prefer to do. 

When you allow unscheduled free time in my days, help me to manage my use of it, starting with how I view it. When I see it selfishly as my own, to be spent as I choose, then I tend to defend it against all else and resent others who “steal” it from me. But, when I see it as a gift from you that can also be a blessing to others, it broadens my perspective and frees me from selfishness.

Guide me to strike a balance between productivity and pleasure in my free time, and generate genuine excitement in me to consider the ways I might use those extra gifts of time to bless and impact others. Finally, as I strive to maximize my use of the time of grace you give me for as long as I have left, let my days, whatever their number may be, be filled with honoring you in my use of your gift of time. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Avoid Procrastination

Gracious Father,
All that I have is from you, including the gift of time and the ability to participate in meaningful work in so many different ways. Nevertheless, I find it too easy to put off and procrastinate any number of responsibilities at any given time. When I don’t manage your gift of time well and I prioritize what I want to do ahead of what I should do, I end up playing catch-up on my commitments and tasks. That can lead to frustration for others and build mistrust. Moreover, procrastination can result in rushed efforts that are not carried out as well as they might otherwise have been. Help me to disrupt this poor habit and focus on responsibly carrying out what I have been tasked with in a timely fashion, allowing me the opportunity to do all things well. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Prudence in Managing My Finances

Dear God,
Any good gift I have comes from your loving hand. All that I have from you is a trust to be managed. Help me to be prudent in my handling of it. 

I especially seek your guidance in managing my finances. Others may welcome debt as a normal part of life, but I want to avoid it as much as possible and live within my means. While it is a simple recipe to avoid spending more than I make, it is also simple to thoughtlessly and effortlessly purchase unnecessary items and services with the click of a button from my phone or laptop. Keep me free from slavery to stuff while also avoiding the reputation of being a stingy miser. Let me be known for a generosity that willingly meets the needs of others and eagerly supports gospel ministry. Richly bless my faithful efforts at managing what you entrust to me, so that I may continue to honor you by richly blessing others with it.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Manage Our Finances Well

Generous Lord,
All we have that is good comes from you. You give generously and freely, asking only that we manage well what you have entrusted to us. Help us to do that. 

Open our eyes to see the wisdom of having a budget, and grant us the discipline to take the necessary steps to either establish one or continue maintaining the one we have. Such a practice not only helps us see more clearly how richly you bless us, but also how we can better direct our finances for the good of your kingdom and our neighbor. Where we spend frivolously, compel us to rein in our spending. Where we are miserly, soften our hearts toward giving and generosity. Let us experience the joy that accompanies managing your financial blessings well. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.