Category: 2019 Prayers

Living For Jesus By Faith (May 22)

Backgrounder: This epistle has
been called the charter of Christian
liberty. It is Paul’s manifesto of
justification by faith and the liberty
that produces. Paul directs this
great charter of Christian freedom
to people who are about to forsake
the priceless liberty they possess
in Christ. Certain Jewish legalists
are influencing the believers in
Galatia to trade their freedom
in Christ for bondage to the law.
Paul writes to refute their false
gospel of works & to show the
superiority of justification by faith.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your
loving kindness and grace to us.
Our acceptance by You God
comes by believing in Christ alone.
Through the lessons from Gal 1-3,
Help us to Seek Your Approval;
Help us to Live For You; and
Help us to Live By Faith. Amen.

Lord, we will Seek Your Approval:
If anyone preaches any other
gospel than the one you welcomed,
let God’s curse fall upon that
person. Obviously I’m not trying
to be a people’s pleaser! No, I am
trying to please God. If I were
still trying to please people, I would
not be Christ’s servant (Gal 1:9-10)
Lord, I desire to live as Christ’s
servant & not as a people pleaser.
I realise that I can’t seek approval
of others even as I live for You.
It is Your Approval that I seek,
the approval that really counts.
Help me to speak and act with
boldness & love as I serve U. Amen.

Lord, we will Live For You:
I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life
which I now live in the flesh
I Live By Faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself
for me. (Galatians 2:20).
Lord, I have been crucified
with Christ and You live in me.
Thank You for loving me and
giving Yourself for me. Thank You
for Your desire to live through me
and enable me to Live For You!
Set me free to serve You with all
my heart and soul. May the truth
of Your Word give me the vision
to trust You with all that I am
so that all You are may dwell
in me. And may I live joyously
because of my faith in You. Amen

Lord, we will Live By Faith:
Did u receive the Spirit by works
of the law or by hearing of faith?..
He who supplies the Spirit to you
and works miracles among you,
does He do it by the works of
the law or by the hearing of faith?
Just as Abraham believed God
and it was accounted to him
for righteousness… No one is
justified by the law in the sight
of God is evident, for the just shall Live By Faith (Gal 3:2-11).
Lord, I believe in Your power
to do miracles, and I want to see
the evidence vof Your mighty work.
Help me believe fully and expect
great things from You. And
I come to You believing not only
that pYou exist, but also believing
that You are a rewarder of those
who diligently seek You. Amen.

to Gal-Eph-Phil-Col (May 22)

To enhance understanding biblical
context we had been meditating
scripture by time sequence:
OT1: Five Books of Laws & Job
OT2: Conquest to United Kingdom,
including Psalms & Wisdom Poetry.
OT3: Divided Kingdom, Exile, plus
Post-Exilic period & the Prophets.
Then gospels ending John where
we learnt Jesus Christ as Son of God
& believing we have life in His name.
Acts records fulfilment of Jesus’
Commission as Spirit-transformed
disciples spread the gospel. In
Romans, Paul gives a sample of his
message before he arrives in Rome.
And First and Second Corinthians,
Living for Christ in corrupt society.

Next, Paul’s letter to the Galatians
doesn’t open with his usual greeting
of praise and prayer for the saints.
There is an emergency at hand!
The Galatians have listened to
false teachers who have come into
the church teaching that salvation
in a mixture of works and grace.
Paul warns the believers about
the bondage this type of deception
brings and exhorts them to return
to the freedom that is theirs in Christ.
He goes on to show that it is in
the Spirit, not the flesh, that the
Christian life is successfully lived.

The Ephesians had unlimited
spiritual wealth at their disposal,
yet they lived as spiritual paupers.
So Paul wrote to encourage them
to understand and claim their
heavenly resources. Only then
could they draw on them for their
early walk. In the first half of
his letter, the apostle outlines
the heavenly wealth – adoption,
redemption, inheritance & power.
In the second half he shows the
practical application of those
doctrines. Paul made it clear –
believers are not to have merely
an earthly viewpoint. For God
has given to us His riches.

In Philippians, Paul is a prisoner
in Rome. In spite of his difficult
circumstances, he remains joyful
and writes to commend the
Philippians for their faithfulness
and to challenge them to make
Christ the center of their experience.
Jesus’ life and ministry, described
in 2:6-11, is the life pattern all
believers must follow so that
their faith might become evident
to others. Paul acknowledges
that divisions sometimes exist
among believers but is confident
that unity will be restored as they
imitate the servanthood of Christ.

Paul is imprisoned in Rome when
he receives word that heretical
doctrines are threatening the
church at Colosse. To refute
the spiritually lethal combination
of eastern mysticism and Jewish legalism, Paul reestablishes
the truth of the gospel and demonstrates the supremacy
of Christ. As Lord of all, Jesus
Christ is the giver of salvation and
sufficient for every need. No rituals
or legalistic practices are needed.
Since Christ is all in all, Paul
encourages the Colossians
to pursue a godly lifestyle befitting
those who are risen with Christ.

The Lord Is There Jehovah Shammah

Jeremiah closes his book with a
mighty sweep of prophetic judgment.
Moving from west to east, Jeremiah
shows that the God of Israel rules
in the affairs of people everywhere:
from Egypt to Elam, Damascus
to Edom. For their wicked idolatry
and staunch refusal to acknowledge
the one true God, Judah’s neighbours
would fall to enemy armies, showing
that no nation is big enough to flaunt
God’s justice and get away with it.

Praise be Jehovah Shammah:
This is the land which you shall
divide by lot as an inheritance
among the tribes of Israel, and these
are their portions, says the Lord…
These are the exits of the city…
the gates of the city shall be
named after the tribes of Israel…
The city shall be 18,000 cubits
round about; and the name of
the city from that day shall be
The Lord is there (Jehovah
Shammah) – Ezek 48:29-31, 35.

Jehovah Shammah, my finite
mind cannot comprehend You
in all Your majesty seated there
in the new Jerusalem – the
place of Your dwelling. You are
my closest friend, and I praise
You for all of Your greatness.
And thank You for preparing
a place where we will dwell
with You for eternity. Amen.

Lord, cause my heart to fully feel
the godly sorrow I should feel
when I offend you. U are Jehovah Shammah, there in the place
of my eternal home, and yet
I dismiss you so easily in my
daily life here. Forgive me for
feeling You aren’t close enough
to give me the love I need as I navigate through this world. Amen

Jehovah Shammah, we ask You
to help us know that everything is
going to be okay as we go thru it
this month. The challenges we
face are sometimes too much
for us to bear. May we call on
Your name as a reminder that
You have gone before us and
are already resting where we
will one day be in Your presence.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dlxytJR5tGU

God Brings Dead Things to Life

In a vision told with vivid details,
that you can see the bones moving,
Ezekiel announces Israel’s rebirth.
Reassembled with God’s breath
of life, the bones become the new
Israel, more powerful than before.
Then in a second vision, Ezekiel sees
the revived nation destroy its last foe
(Magog) after which God is agreed
by all nations as undisputed Victor.

Lord, You Can Revive All Things:
Prophesy to these (dry) bones…
This is what the Sovereign Lord
says: I will make breath enter you,
and you will come to life… So I
prophesied as He commanded me,
and breath came into them, and
they lived and stood upon their
feet, an exceedingly great army…
Then you shall know that I am
the Lord (Ezek 37:4-13). Amen.

Father, there are areas of my life
that seem to be dead; and they
need a new infusion of Your life.
There are dreams that seems as if
have died for it has been a long time
and still they have not been realised.
I know if You can make dry bones
into a vast army, then You can also
bring life to anything worth praying,
no matter how dead it seems.Amen

Gracious God of all compassion,
Your breath alone can bring life
to dry bones and weary souls.
Pour out Yourl Spirit upon us, that
we may face despair with hope of
resurrection and faith thro Christ.
Forgive our faults as we confess &
restore us the joy of Your salvation.
Call us out of the valley of dry bones
into Your Kingdom of hope. Amen.

Lord, by a roadway in the
wilderness, You will lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and Earth will fade
but Your Word will still remain
And You’ll do something new today
Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
You work in ways we cannot see
You will make a way for me
You will make a way… Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMAXhc0QTs

God Moves in the Spirit (May19)

Ezekiel’s emphasis shifts from
the failures of Judah’s past to
the Promises of Judah’s future.
Jerusalem has fallen, and the
prophet’s tongue silenced for three
years is loosened at last to declare
that a new Shepherd is coming.
He will tenderly care for the flock
of Israel, rescue His people from
their scattered homes of exile and
restore them to their covenant land.

Lord, we’ll Move in the Spirit:
I will take you from among
the nations, gathering you
out of all countries and bring
you into your own land…
I will give you a new heart and
I will put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit in you and
Move You to follow my decrees
and be careful to keep my laws…
(And) I will deliver you from all
your uncleanness (Ezek 36:24-29).

Lord, take away everything in
my heart that is not right before U.
Help me to get rid of bad attitudes
and wrong thinking. Show me
anything that has taken root in
my heart that should not be there
so that I can free myself of it.
Help me clear the slate and
begin again with a right spirit.
Fill me with Your desires and
everything that pleases You. Amen

Father God, Thank You that You
have put Your Holy Spirit within
me to Guide me in all things.
Lead me Lord by the power of
Your Spirit so that I will obey
Your Word and Follow Your laws.
Give me Lord the discipline
I need to do what I must do.
Help me to Follow Your leading
and not run ahead or behind
chasing after my own ways. Amen.

Lord, sometimes our Christian
life can be a struggle when
we go through bad times.
But thanks that You God is
in the business of making life
better for us on the inside.
Thank You for the promise
to help us clean up our act.
You will not leave us where
we are but will Help us get to
where You want us to be. Amen.

A Sanctuary for His People

Backgrounder on Ezekiel 7-11:
In a series of visions, Ezekiel
foresees the what, why and how
of God’s judgment upon Judah.
The What: total destruction of
Jerusalem and the departure
of God’s glory from the temple.
The Why: generations of idolatry,
wickedness & spiritual indifference.
The How: through the cruel Baby-
lonians, God’s agents of judgment.
But the harshness of the sentence
is tempered by a tender reminder:
A remnant will survive, receive
sanctuary in a foreign country
and return to the Land of Promise.

Lord, You Provide Your People Sanctuary as well as New Heart:
Tell the exiles, this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Although
I have scattered u in the countries
of the world, I will be a Sanctuary
to you during your time in exile…
I will gather you… and give you
the land of Israel (Ezek 11:16-17).
I will give them an undivided Heart
and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them
a Heart of Flesh… Then they
will truly be my people, and
I will be their God (Ezek 11:19-20).

Lord, thank You that You are
my Sanctuary and my refuge.
Thank You for the promise of
protection in Psalm 91 that: if
you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your
shelter, no evil will conquer you.
Thank You for the promise of
Your Presence & Help in Ps 139:
that I can never get away
from Your Presence… and that
Your hand will guide me & Your
strength will support me. Amen.

Lord, I pray You will fill me with
Your love; and keep my heart
from wandering away from You.
Make my heart Lord to be
undivided and take away
any hardheartedness in me.
I invite You to take charge of
my mind and emotions & help me
to give complete control to You.
Light a flame of desire in me
for You that never goes out. Amen.

Lord, thank You that when we
become Christians, You did a
miracle by making us new inside.
You took out the hard cold hearts
and put in new & compassionate
hearts so that we are able to
serve, do good and help others.
Help us to have an ear for those
who need counsel or a kind word.
Help us to give practical helps
when someone has a real need.
Help us to intercede for people
who are in trouble or need healing.
Help us to live as we should. Amen.

Message of the Almighty (May 17)

While Jeremiah is preaching about
the judgment of God on Judah
and awaiting the final fall of
Jerusalem, his contemporary
Ezekiel is 600 miles away in Babylon
interpreting God’s judgment to
those Jews already in captivity.
Though Ezekiel’s preaching is
similar to Jeremiah’s – proclaiming
doom for the disobedience –
it also contains large doses of
hope and instruction. The 70-year
exile will teach God’s people
“that I am the LORD” (a phrase
repeated more than 50 times
in the book), thus preparing
them for their day of restoration.

Lord, You Speak thro Your Word:
The voice said to (Ezekiel): Eat this
scroll! Then go & give its message to
the people… So I opened my mouth…
And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet
as honey in my mouth (Ezek 3:1-3).
Then He added: Let My words sink
deep into your heart.. Listen carefully
for yourself. Then go to your people
in exile and say to them: This is what
the Sovereign LORD says (v10-11)
When I give u a message, I’ll loosen
your tongue and let you speak: Then
you will say to them: This is what the
Sovereign Lord says! (v27). Amen.

Lord, following Your voice is hard
for Your Words are difficult to obey.
Put Your truth in me, and let me
consume Your message in my
mouth so that it tasted like honey.
And help me embody Your voice
and Your message in my being
and in my life. And let me speak
to others the words that comes
straight from Your heart. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the invitation
to embody Your Word of truth.
For I want to understand You Lord,
Your thoughts and feelings as
well as Your work and Your ways.
I want to do it because I love You
and because I want to experience
the benefits of Your love for me.
Whatever blessings there may be,
I want to become one with You,
both in Word and in Spirit. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the life message
that You have given me as well as
the indicative target audience.
Sovereign Lord, I ask for Your will
to be indeed my will and desire.
And that include about whom
You want me to serve and what
You want me to say to them.
May revelation of these specifics
make me more passionate about
Your assignment for me. Amen.

God Who Is Near

Time is running out for Judah.
Already a growing sense of doom
grips the nation. But even that
cannot deter Jeremiah from
his appointed task: declaring to
leaders and lay persons alike God’s
displeasure with their conduct.
Jeremiah singles out three kings
for judgment before turning his
attention to the Messiah who will
restore righteousness on the earth.
The nation will lie desolate for 70
years when the wrath of God is finally
poured out upon His wayward flock.
God pledges to reestablish the
nation after it has been purified
by the discipline of exile.

Praise be to God Who Is Near:
If they had stood in My counsel
and had caused My people to hear
My words, then they would have
turned them from their evil way.
Am I a God who is near (Elohei
Mikkarov) declares the Lord,
and not a God far off?Can anyone
hide in secret places so that I
cannot see him? (Jer is 23:22-24).
Call to Me and I will answer you,
and show you great & mighty things
which you do not know (Jer 33:3)

Lord, I am not to be dismayed
because You, Elohei Mikkarov
are always near me wherever I am.
I don’t have to be anxious about
the things I need because You are
close and You know what I need.
You are a God who is close to me
and I give You gratitude for never
abandoning or leaving me. Amen.

Lord, when I feel distant from You,
the fact is that You are not the one
who has wandered; for You are near.
Forgive me for being so far away
in my thoughts and in my heart.
Forgive me for not seeing You
when I am so blinded by my
own desires or my own pain.
Make me know Your presence and
experience You in all that I do. Amen

Lord, we want to live our lives
in the full awareness of You as
Elohei Mikkarov God who is near:
and for the full and abundant life
is found only in You. Show us
Your hand, Your heart & Your love.
And give us Lord signs of Your
abiding closeness in our lives.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Enabled as Gospel Minister

 Backgrounder: Paul defended
his ministry by showing how
individuals can be reconciled to a
loving God. And he pleads with the
Corinthian church to be reconciled
to him as their spiritual father.
In his final words, Paul draws upon
his authority as an apostle to exhort
the rebellious to repent so that
his approaching visit can be a time
of rejoicing rather than rebuke.

Lord, thanks for Paul’s letter
which teaches us how to be more
effective in Christian ministry.
Help us to be blameless, sincere,
confident, caring, and willing
to suffer for the sake of Christ.
Lord, as we may face challenges
in life including spiritual battles,
physical ailment & difficult people;
help us Use Your mighty weapons;
help us Be Enabled by You; and
help us Place Faith in You. Amen.

Lord, we’ll use Yr mighty weapons:
We are humans but we don’t wage
war with human plans & methods.
We use God’s mighty weapons, not
mere worldly weapons, to knock
down the Devil’s strongholds.
With these weapons we break
down every proud argument that
keeps people from knowing God.
With these weapons we conquer
their rebellious ideas and we teach
them to obey Christ (2Cor 10:3-6)
Lord, Thank You for Your weapons
of warfare, which are mighty and
supernatural. Teach me to wield
them as I stand against the enemy.
Strengthen me as I intercede
for others. I pray that You
will demolish the devil’s dark
strongholds and establish Your
kingdom of Light and truth. Amen.

Lord, we will be Enabled by You:
Three different times I begged
the Lord to take (my thorn in the
flesh) away. Each time He said:
My grace is all you need.
My power works best in weakness.
So now I am glad to boast about
my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ can work through me.
That’s why I take pleasure in
my weaknesses, hardships and
troubles that I suffer for Christ.
For when I am weak, then
I am strong (2 Cor 12:8-10).
Lord, You know all my frailties
that keep me feeling insufficient.
But You are my sufficiency and
my strength; and I depend on You.
And I surrender my frailties to You.
Teach me the art of looking to
You instead of at my problems.
Give me eyes of faith that I might
press on when I feel overwhelmed.
And please step into my weakness
with Yourself and Your help. Amen

Lord, we’ll place our Faith in You:
Now we pray to God that You will
not do anything wrong. Not that
people will see that we have
stood the test but that You will do
what is right even though we may
seem to have failed. For we can’t
do anything against the truth,
but only for the truth. We are glad
whenever we are weak but You
are strong; and our prayers is for
your perfection (2Cor 13:7-9).
Lord, when I see the failure of
any servant of Yours, I pray it
will not shake my faith in the least.
Help me to do the right thing
and remains strong in You no
matter what I see others doing.
Give me faith that is not dependent
on the rise or fall of others. I know
You won’t fail, even though others
do,and that’s all that matters. Amen

God Empowers & Encourages

Paul has defended his ministry
as an ambassador for Christ
by showing how individuals can
be reconciled to a living God.
This leads Paul to plead with the
Corinthians to be reconciled to him
as their spiritual father and to love
him in the same way he loves them.
He also appeals to the Corinthians
to follow the example set by the
churches of Macedonia in generous,
sacrificial giving – a reasonable
response to God’s indescribable
gift in the person of His Son.

Lord, You empower, encourage
and give surpassing grace:
As servants of God we commend
ourselves in every way:
in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses…
in truthful speech and in
the power of God; with weapons
of righteousness (2Cor 6:4,7)
When we came into Macedonia,
we had no rest but we were
harassed at every turn – conflicts
on the outside, fears within.
But God who comforts the
downcast, comforted us by
the coming of Titus (2Cor 7:5).
And in their prayers for you
their hearts will go out to you,
because of the surpassing grace
God has given you (2Cor 9:14).

Lord, thank You for forgiving
my sin and reconciling me.
You have given the gospel to me
so that I might share it to others.
Help me Lord to see beyond my
problems to my real purpose
which is to build Your kingdom.
Give me creativity in using my
struggles to speak for You. Amen.

Father, thank You for the portions
of Your Word that give me insights into the saints of old.
They were regular people just
like me in need of grace, strength
and help. Like Paul, I battle
discouragement. I praise You
for being the encourager of those
who are discouraged. Help me
Lord find a renewed sense of
confidence in You this day. Amen.

Lord, there are certain people
I want to pray for because I know
You will give me Your heart
of love for them. Help me to
pray also for the people who
have hurt me. Thank You that
praying for others not only
changes their lives, but it
changes mine as well. Amen.