Tag: speech

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Self-Control and Maturity

Loving Lord,
When children act up, we understand that they are still learning appropriate behavior and speech in certain situations. That’s why when adults act up, we call it childish. As we grow up, we expect grown-ups to act less like children and more like adults. That line, though, is rather blurry in our world today, Lord, and yes, oftentimes even in me. Therefore, I ask you to increase my self-control. Give me not only the awareness of when I need to filter my speech or simply keep my mouth shut, but also the ability to do it. Help me know how to conduct myself in social settings, and grant me the ability to carry out that behavior. Fill me also with self-control over my thoughts and actions when I am by myself. Curb impulses to overeat or indulge excessively, or to gorge myself on entertainment – certainly regarding what is inappropriate or sinful, but even with what is not. Equip me with both the awareness to avoid being lured into temptation, and the self-control to choose paths of righteousness in those moments instead. In all of this, move me to live not just more and more like a grown-up, but more and more as a mature believer. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Avoid Bad Language

Sanctifying Spirit,
You generously provide us with countless ways to thank and honor you for your goodness and grace with our whole lives. One such way is to be mindful of the kind of language we use regularly. While cussing and four-letter words have become normalized and even casually displayed everywhere from bumper stickers to online posts, you have set us apart for sanctified speech. Guard our hearts and lips from the negative influence of coworkers and media, so that we do not become comfortable speaking words that make us indistinguishable from the world. Let us also be unafraid to chastise fellow Christians who seem to be indifferent about the language they use. Since we represent you to this world, the way we speak should not be of this world. Forgive my tongue for tasteless talk, coarse discourse, and unsavory speech. Words matter, and I want my words to reflect your worth to me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Self-Awareness in My Communication

Spirit of Wisdom,
So much of how our communication is received is determined by far more than just the words we speak. Our facial expressions, our general body language, and our tone, inflection, and delivery all help or hinder the words that come out of our mouths. On top of that, the state of our own spiritual, emotional, and physical health speaks volumes about when and where we should have certain conversations. Since I want to speak the truth in love, and desire that my words and actions are taken in the kindest possible way, help me grow in self-awareness and emotional intelligence. I don’t want to get in the way of my own words, so that others are left confused or turned off before even being able to think about what I’ve said. Love for my neighbor means not just speaking what they need to hear or what builds them up, but also knowing myself well enough to communicate clearly and lovingly through the words I choose, and by how I choose to deliver them. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Spouses to Speak Well of Each Other

Lord Jesus,
Lead husbands and wives to speak well not only to each other, but also about each other. When wives are together with other wives or husbands with other husbands, conversations can at times turn into gripe sessions about spouses, highlighting their negatives and piling on disrespectfully. Rather than celebrating respective spouses, expressions of disappointment and discontentment are shared. Whether intentions are light-hearted or more serious in nature, these kinds of complaint sessions cause damage to the marriages involved, while also dishonoring marriage in general. Help marriage partners not only to guard their tongues in such situations, but also to seize these opportunities to praise their spouses, to speak well of them, and to highlight their growth and progress. Rather than tearing down the fabric of marriage, let positive and productive conversations about spouses be more prominent, elevating marriage to the high and holy calling you have made it to be.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Kindness

Kind Savior,
Let kindness be evident in the way I treat others. When that means taking an extra moment to slow down from busyness to acknowledge someone else and take time to listen, help me be aware of it. Guide me also to speak kindly to others in general, so that when they leave a conversation with me, they feel uplifted and positive. When kindness doesn’t require words, let my actions and gestures display it. Guard me against favoritism, so that my kindness isn’t limited only to those I choose. Bless others who could benefit from being built up in even small ways through my deliberate efforts at being kind. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Keep Me From Gossiping

Gracious Father,
Guard me from gossip on all fronts – from initiating it, from listening to it, and from passing it along to others. Should gossip ever reach our ears, let it die there. You call us not to tear down, discredit, or slander the reputation of others, but to speak well of them and defend them. When we justify discussing the negative words and actions of others because they’re true, what we don’t often realize – and need to confess – is that our hearts in those cases aren’t. Forgive me for speaking ill of others – even when it is the truth – when the motivations of my heart are malicious or unloving. Move me instead to use my words to build up and edify others, to praise and speak well of them, to guard and protect their reputation whenever I can, for a good name is a great treasure!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Protect the Reputation of Others

Dear Lord,
When you call us to speak well of others and protect their reputation, that certainly includes telling the truth about them at all times. But it also means speaking up to defend them when that reputation is being slandered or called into question. Give me the courage to speak up for others who are not present or who cannot speak up for themselves. On the other side, make me bold enough to admonish or correct those who gossip or spread false rumors about others. Forgive me for when I’ve failed on both ends, and shape my heart to reflect yours in how I treat others, whether in their presence or not. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Confidence to Have the Difficult Conversation

Dear Jesus,
Today I pray for the courage to finally have a difficult conversation I’ve been avoiding for too long. I’ve played out how the conversation could go so many times in my mind, and I’ve allowed my fear of the possible outcome to paralyze and prevent me from actually initiating it. I know avoiding it is not the solution; it only prolongs the burdensome weight of unnecessarily carrying the extra emotional baggage around. Give me a spirit of self-discipline to lay out the steps necessary to finally have this conversation, and the humble confidence to patiently, lovingly carry it out. Guide me to trust you to provide the words I need, give me grace in speaking them, and grant that what I say is heard and received in a healthy way and with understanding. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Strive for Truth and Love

Loving Savior,
You direct us in your Word to speak the truth in love. While this should go without saying, it quickly becomes clear to me how difficult it is when I deliberately try to apply it! I have spent endless time and energy in my own mind trying to massage and bend the truth to suit my own purposes. Other times, I circumvent the truth to avoid difficult or uncomfortable conversations. While I consider myself an expert in telling when others are lying, I gloss over my own expertise in lying and deceiving. 

All of this also exposes my shortcomings in the second part of the command, for if love always directed my words and speech, the truth would never be in question. Instead, either selfishness replaces love, resulting in half-truths and white lies, or I am too eager to speak the truth because I know it will negatively impact someone else’s reputation. For all of this, I thank you for speaking the truth in love to me by being blunt about what my lies and lack of love really deserve from you, but also for being relentlessly devoted to making sure I know and believe the truth of how covered in your grace and forgiveness I really am. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Speak Respectfully

Loving Savior,
How I speak to and about others matters. When I speak negatively about someone to others, I am influencing their opinions about that person’s reputation. While there may be a time and a place for this when safety concerns or dangerous risks may potentially be associated with someone, more often than not, that isn’t the case. I am either speaking carelessly or thoughtlessly without any regard for the impact my words have on someone else’s reputation. Or, I am deliberately disparaging others with malicious intent. Forgive me, for I know that if the tables were turned and I discovered others speaking similarly about me, I would not stand for it. Don’t, therefore, allow me to be involved in any way with such talk of others.

Instead, lead me to speak respectfully of others, even when I disagree with them. Let my words be positive and encouraging, always seeking to build up the reputation of others or come to their defense. The world’s words aim to tear down and divide. May my words instead heal, restore, and unify whenever and wherever possible. May my words be worthy of your name that I bear and may they always honor you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.