Tag: sanctification

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Prioritize My Belief Over My Behavior

Loving Lord,
While discipleship certainly includes the desire to follow you and walk in your footsteps, keep me from ever prioritizing my behavior before my belief. Where my own righteous living could never save me, yours did. Where my own sacrifices could never please God the Father on their own merit, your sacrifice did. Help me first and foremost to trust these truths, as you reassure me of these realities through your Word. Press these promises firmly into my heart so that as you build up my belief, then allow it to flow into godly behavior in my daily living. Help me overcome any unbelief or any struggles I have with your Word, then through that same Word, equip me with everything necessary to honor you and love and serve my neighbor with my whole life. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Put on My New Self

Loving Lord,
Only in and through you can I expect success in the war between my old and new self. I prayerfully and consciously strive to put down the old self and keep him in check. But just as important in winning that battle is my need to rely on your righteousness and the armor of God with which I am equipped for battle. In baptism, you covered me with your very righteousness, preparing me for a lifetime of conflict with the evil one. Grant me the daily confidence of the victory you already won against him, so that I can also stand against him and face him fearlessly. When my old self betrays me, let my new self courageously respond. Remind me that I never go into battle alone, but that you are always right there beside me, ultimately ensuring my eternal victory.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Put Off My Old Self

Gracious Spirit,
You have made me to be a new creation, holy in your sight and set apart for your purposes. Nevertheless, until you call me home to heaven or you return – whichever happens first – I still battle with my old self. This is a daily battle that can only be won with your strength. Clothe me, therefore, with added layers of your power so that I can daily put off the old self with its desires and inclinations.

The more you fill me, the less room there is for my old self to dwell in me. Grant me also the ability to see with physical eyes and to practically understand what this spiritual battle looks like in my day-to-day living. Make me aware when my old self takes over my thinking and my desires, so that I can call him out and silence him. Lead me away from anything that might attract the attention of my old self in order to deter his influence in my life. Give to me the necessary resilience, determination, and perseverance to never tire of putting off my old self.

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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To Produce Pleasing Fruit

Christ the Vine,
When we remain connected to you, we bear fruit. Apart from you, we can do nothing that is pleasing in your sight. But through faith in you, you bring about abundant fruit in our lives. Bring forth that pleasing fruit, which shows itself in our general behavior, our kind words, and our thoughtful actions toward others. Enable us to know you better, too, since the more we listen to you and walk with you, the more aligned we are to your will and ways for our lives. Let your gospel always be the source of fruit in our lives, that we never slip into any foolish thinking about our works making any contribution to our salvation. Let our forgiveness and the freedom we have in you inspire us to yield ripe fruit that builds one another up and draws others to you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Live a Life Worthy and Pleasing to You

Perfect Savior,
We know that our worth before you isn’t earned or acquired through any effort of our own, which would never amount to anything of value. Instead, we find supreme comfort in knowing that our worth is based entirely on your perfect life, sacrificial death, and made certain through your triumphant resurrection. How can I ever question my worth before you when you paid such a price for me?!

In gratitude I now seek to measure up to the high worth you placed on me by giving up everything for me. Though I will never come close to it, let my whole life be a continual effort at offering a pleasing sacrifice to you. I want to be intentional about honoring you with my thoughts, words, and actions. And, since it is only through faith in you that you delight in me, increase my faith so that it flows into an abundance of holy living. You treasure me; let me also show through my whole life how much I treasure you. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Be Troubled by Unrighteousness

Lord Jesus,
As you saw your temple turned into a marketplace where conducting business was being prioritized over worship, you channeled your righteous anger to admonish and rebuke wrongdoers. While only your righteous anger alone is truly justified on account of your own holiness, I confess that I am too infrequently troubled by unrighteousness – both that of those around me as well as my own. I become too comfortable with a lower standard of Christian living and become accustomed to the world’s ways. Make known to me the things in me and around me that trouble you, and cause them to leave me troubled as well. Without allowing me to become a pharisaical pietist, help me to raise the bar of my own sanctification and to patiently encourage others to do the same.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Use Me to Overcome Evil with Good

Mighty God,
We are not only surrounded by evil everywhere, but as sinners we contribute to it ourselves as well. Nevertheless, when anything evil happens, you warn us not to be overcome by it. But you don’t stop there; you call us also to overcome evil with good. My sinful nature knows full well how daunting this is, for wherever evil is, there is a part of me that is drawn to it and longs to be a willing participant in it. 

Therefore, stir up in me the new man, set apart by the Holy Spirit to live a pure and blameless life. Let him win the day when evil arises, smothering wickedness with sanctified thoughts, words, and actions. Grand scale or small, may the good that comes from me bring a swift end to the fires of evil wherever they fan into flame. When gossip is spreading, let me stall and stop it. If lies catch on around me, let me snuff them out with the truth. May my righteousness overcome violence, my kindness kill cruelty, and my compassion counter indifference and animosity. You overcame the evil one by the cross; now use me as your instrument to continue carrying out your work and overcoming evil with your good. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Wisdom to Apply Your Word

Holy Spirit,
You are the source of enlightenment and wisdom. You attach blessings to both worldly wisdom and wisdom from your Word. While both are valuable, today I ask you to grant me wisdom in applying your Word. It is one thing to be familiar with your Word and to know your Word, but I ask that you increase in me the wisdom to apply your Word. When I see room to grow in my own life spiritually, it is seldom because I lack the knowledge of what to do or say in any given situation, but rather the wisdom to apply it.

The Bible promises blessing not just to those who hear the word, but who also put it into practice. And, while it is often the large scale feats of faith that are on my radar, make me wise to see and act on the many small scale acts of faith all around me on a daily basis. These are every bit as important in your eyes and also serve your people in meaningful ways. Grant me, Spirit, a rich measure of your wisdom so that I may continue to grow and develop in my life of sanctification. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Be Deliberate About My Sanctification

God my Redeemer,
You have rescued and redeemed me, not only from sin, but also for holy living. So often the days simply go by and I realize the only time I give thought to how I am living is when I’ve sinned or wronged someone else. While I confess those sins to you, let me add to them my lack of deliberate sanctified living. When I am not intentionally thoughtful about bearing fruit in my daily life, so often the old man in me takes control and defaults to selfish living. Sins of omission easily result. 

Stir up the new man in me to regularly give thought to my days, that I might consider the good I can carry out in serving others. Help me see every interaction with others as a possible good deed – one that honors you while also blessing my neighbor. Remind me of your encouragement to live such a good life, so that through my sanctified living, even those who are opposed to the cross in their unbelief may end up being drawn to you and praising you in faith. The world can be so very dark. Make me shine as brightly as I can by considering the daily opportunities you provide for me to do so.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.