faith

Prayer for an important meeting

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Do you have an important meeting coming up? It might be a family meeting. Or it might be work related. Maybe it could be a meeting at your church or with another important group. If you are nervous about it, then the meeting certainly has meaning for you.

You might be hoping for a specific outcome for the meeting, like landing a job or getting approval. Perhaps you have to deal with complicated people or situations as well.

The narrative inside your head might be very cluttered right now. So let God put things into order. Let him show you the proper perspective for it all. Yes, life is sometimes messy. The contradictions and disappointments in life can be hard to handle. And sometimes, we need to widen our perspective also.

But if you seek the Lord honestly and earnestly, everything changes — because you change. So prepare for that meeting. Saturate the moment with prayer. Then no matter what happens, you are ready.

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We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Prayer for an important meeting

O mighty Lord,

Even though the world pulls me away, I stop here and now. I seek your presence.

Prepare me, O Lord.

Bring calm to my heart and clarity to my mind. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

Let me know that no matter what happens, I am at peace with my God.

And from that place of security let me move forward with confidence.

May the meeting’s outcome be favorable to your eyes. Pour yourself out over all of us.

May I see with the eyes of Christ, hear with the ears of the Lord, and speak with the words of the Spirit.

Mold my desires, O blessed Lord. Let me want what you want.

Let me trust and believe that in all things, you are at work for my good.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Prayer for sanctification

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Sometimes we might hesitate in our desire to be holy. We might think it’s too hard or that it requires too much sacrifice. And all of that is true.

If we take it fully upon ourselves to be holy, we’ll never make it. Instead, we need to lean upon the Lord. We need to rest in him and his ways. Yes, the process of purification can be challenging, even painful sometimes. We might compare it to hard exercise to get in shape. Or it might be like healing from an illness. But it’s worth it. Because when you follow a path of purification, then you end up stronger and healthier.

Perhaps the greatest reward to holiness is freedom. But it’s not the freedom to do anything you want to do. It’s not a lack of control. Instead, it’s freedom from pride and arrogance. It’s freedom from sin. Sanctification is true spiritual freedom that lets your soul soar free.

So be not afraid to seek holiness. It’s the same as seeking God and receiving his everlasting goodness.

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Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence,
    and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

Prayer for sanctification

O holy Lord,

My life hasn’t been easy. I’ve been hurt, and I’ve hurt others too.

Sometimes I’m so ashamed. Or I act like an arrogant fool.

Stains and scars were written on my history and humanity.

So, I ask you, O Lord, Purge me. Cleanse me.

Purify my heart and soul.

May the fire of your Holy Spirit burn away all the things that tie me down and tell me lies.

Let me return to that place, the beginning. A place of innocence and trust.

Let me go again to where everything is fresh and new.

I know I must trust in your plan and your process. I must do my part.

So, I will give up any hurt to the blessed cross of Christ.

Make me holy, Lord, sanctify me.

Then I can be useful to you, as you wish and as you will.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Prayer to regain strength

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Feeling worn out and tired? It’s all too common these days.

You might feel irritable, and everything seems like a burden. Maybe you feel like you have too much to do, and there’s no time for yourself. And you don’t seem to have time for others either. Your time spent in prayer is probably lacking as well.

Plus, when you are tired, you might make mistakes that you wouldn’t normally — and it this makes you feel even worse.

The enemy wants to see you weakened. He wants to extinguish your joy. And most of all he wants to separate you from God and from those who love you.

It might be hard, and it might even feel unnatural — but fight your way back to the Lord. Seek his presence as if your life depends on it, because it does. Restoration begins with going back to God, especially when you feel drained.

You don’t have to do anything spectacular. Just seek and rest in his presence. Go to him humbly. Confirm your trust in the Lord. His Spirit will do the rest. 

Being both humble and strong isn’t easy. But when your source of strength comes from heaven above, anything is possible. When you obey God’s word, the path becomes clear. And the final result is joy.

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The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

Psalm 28:7

Prayer to regain strength

O blessed Lord,

I’ve been beaten down. I’m tired and worn out.

The enemy lies to me saying I’m done, it’s over, I’m useless.

Even dumb mistakes seem like giant holes I keep falling into.

So, I close my eyes. I wait upon you.

Even though I feel weak, a part of me still knows, always knows, that you are my beloved God,

my salvation and my strength.

Lift me up to you, O Lord, lift me up now!

Tell it to my soul again. I am at peace with you.

Your Word says:

Trust in the Father.

Believe in the Son.

Let the Holy Spirit be my guide.

When I obey your Word, the enemy leaves me.

In the Spirit I am quick & strong.

And my heart cries out for joy.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Prayer for when you don’t feel good enough

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Are you feeling bad about yourself? Are you burdened by guilt or the sensation that you don’t measure up? Maybe you feel like a failure. Well, guess what? All of that can be transformed into a blessing. It’s true!

When you feel worthless or ashamed, that kind of negative thought frequently gets exaggerated. When you keep telling yourself that you aren’t good enough, you set yourself up for a trap. Because when things go wrong again, the negative message is made even stronger in your mind. It can reach a point where you are continuously frustrated. You might even give up trying.

Yes, if we do something wrong, we should seek forgiveness. But God isn’t interested in performance. Instead, he wants you to know him. He wants you to know how much he loves you, as you are, including all your history, both good and bad. And he wants to show you the way forward to live a life full of meaning and joy.

Spend some time talking to God. Tell him openly how you feel about yourself. Tell him how much you need his love. Then listen to him. Hear what his Spirit has to say to you.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit.” This means those who know deep down that they need God are blessed. Recognize this need. It cries out from the depths of your soul.

Let the Lord in, and he will show you how to regain the right perspective.

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer for when you don’t feel good enough

O merciful Lord,

How long has it been since I felt good about myself? How long?

The guilt, the stress, the demands I make on myself. And when I can’t do it, I feel so much shame.

I need you, O Lord.

Show me my real self, not who I think I should be but who I really am.

Show me the way home.

Give me a new heart and a new mind.

Let me not be afraid to try new ways to live.

Let me not be afraid to ask for help.

May your loving Spirit come to me, O Lord.

In my heart of hearts where I hurt the most, go there, O Lord.

Heal me. Set me free.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Prayer for things you can’t control

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Maybe there are a lot of things challenging you all at once. Or maybe you’re facing one big problem that occupies your thoughts all the time. So you worry. You might feel scared or angry… or both. Either way, things feel like they are out of control.

You might be worried about a loved one making bad life choices. Or maybe someone is sick. Or perhaps you’re stuck economically, or you have to wait for something that seems like it’s taking forever. And you’re worried it might not ever happen at all. So you wait for an answer you need from someone or someplace… or even from God.

And it’s true. There are so many things you can’t control. But you can pray for them. In prayer, you will find there are no limits.

Remember this — a life of faith is not about control. Instead it’s about connecting with God and letting him show you the way forward. In all things, it’s about loving and giving. Let the Spirit of God show you what you can do.

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Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    yea, wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

PRAYER FOR THINGS YOU CAN’T CONTROL

O merciful Lord,

I feel stressed and weary. Worry overwhelms me.

What should I do now? What can I do?

I know I can’t change things. I know I must wait. So my heart aches deeply, and my soul cries out at night.

I don’t have to like it. I don’t have to agree.

But I can stay steady and strong as my faith leads me forward.

Show me, O Lord, how to rest in your loving grace.

May your Spirit show me that even though I can’t control things,

I can trust. I can believe.

And even if I wobble, I will not fall. For you are my fortress and my stronghold.

In you, O Lord, I find good shelter.

If there will be a change, let it begin with me, let it begin in my heart.

For your Word is the final word, and patience will be my guide.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Prayer to begin again

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DO YOU ever find yourself saying, “I miss my old self?” It’s really common. But why do we say this?

Maybe you felt you were happier in the past — or things seemed simpler back then.

It could be you’re facing a tough situation now. Someone’s sick, bills are piling up, or maybe you’re afraid you’ll lose your job or your home. And you worry. You’re not the same as you used to be.

Maybe, it’s not your old self that you really miss. Instead, you miss how your life was back then. You miss a situation, not your ‘self’.

What about your ‘new self’? What if your struggles gave you something different? Something new?

Maybe your life has made you more patient and kind. Or maybe you’ve learned to be humble. Or you’ve gained deep wisdom that only comes with experience.

Nobody says you have to like the process, but you can harvest goodness from your struggles. And goodness is meant to be shared.

If this isn’t happening, maybe you could ask God to help you.

Let him help you to begin again.

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And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:5

PRAYER TO BEGIN AGAIN

O blessed Lord,

I’m tired and worn out. I’m not sure I even like myself anymore.

Do you see my struggle? Won’t you help me please?

I yearn for the past, for better, simpler times.

But I know I can’t go back.

So here I am before you, asking for and needing help.

Take my struggle and my shame. Transform it all, O Lord.

By the power of your Spirit take my hurt and change it into wisdom and grace.

By your mighty hand take hold of my dead places and breathe new life into them.

Let me begin again, somehow more holy, somehow strong and kind, even though I’ve struggled for so long.

I can’t do it alone, but you can. Let me begin again.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Can anxiety be due to a lack of character?

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Can anxiety be due to a lack of character

Want to be stronger? Then pray for it.

The cause of anxiety can sometimes be obvious, such as problems with family, health, or work. Anxiety can also be made worse by a lack of character. Let’s see how you can strengthen your character – or better yet, let God make you stronger.

What is character?

Your character is the collection of attributes that determine your actions and reactions. When someone lacks character they tend to look for the easy way out. We don’t want to face our challenges so we:

  • Make excuses
  • Complain
  • Blame others or our past
  • Hide from the truth (denial)
  • Compare ourselves to others

In our hearts though, we know what the problem is. Weakness of character can linger for years and cause great anxiety or depression.

Seek truth

In the areas of your life where you encounter anxiety, ask yourself: In what way is my lack of character making the problem worse?

This is not to place blame, but an attempt to see clearly where you can improve things. Only in the trials of life will we find the weak spots in our character. This is why James said that we should “consider it pure joy” when we face difficult situations (James 1:2).

Sometimes we know we handle things poorly, but we don’t know why. We might think it’s laziness when really it might be vanity. Or we might believe our weakness is anger when in reality we are envious. In the light of prayer and introspection, God helps us to see the truth which leads to healing and strength.

A strong character means peace

Weak moments take away your peace. In these cases, when you overreact – or don’t react at all – you don’t feel peace. Did you try to force your will upon others? Did you fail to be loyal to your convictions? At what point did you lose your peace? Answering these questions help you achieve peace which is at the heart of a strong character.

This does not mean that you have to be emotionless. Peace allows for the true and proper expression of feelings.

Put the tempter in his place

The enemy will come to tempt and accuse you during this process. He wants you to be blind and weak. He will tell you things like:

  • He/she is completely wrong; they are always making mistakes.
  • You are completely wrong; you always make mistakes.
  • Change is impossible, this is just how I am.

Satan tempts us to accept the death of hope. These are power situations where you feel a false sense of control by not having to act or react. Too many times we listen to the accuser and rest upon these lies. But none of it is true since there is always a chance for change.

These accusations can also come from people. Don’t listen to people that try to break you down. Don’t listen to the sweet talkers either that tell you that you don’t have any responsibility. Seek truth instead.

Finally, if you fall into the same temptation again and again, this is an opportunity. The measure of your character is how you respond to temptation. Every single time you say “no” you make a habit of strength.

Love is the way

Jesus said:

  • “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
  • “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

How did Jesus do this? He came down from heaven to live as a human being. He became one of us to show us how much he understands our suffering. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Do not condemn, but be merciful and forgiving and seek forgiveness. This is hard work and requires discernment and spiritual effort. The things that stop you from loving, stop you from having a strong character.

The strength of your character will increase with your capacity to love.

Find courage

You cannot build a strong character without facing tough times. Some people wish they could win the lottery, thinking only then can they live their dreams. But the easy way out delays – or destroys – the process necessary to develop a strong character. Integrity and character are elements that dispel anxiety, depression, and fear. Nobody can take away your integrity – except yourself.

Instead of winning the lottery, for example, it’s better to find joy in an honest day’s labor. Instead of a magic wand to take away your trouble, accept your situation and let God mold you through the struggle. Stop looking to place blame and know that Jesus took all the blame upon himself.

Begin to hope that you can be committed. Begin to believe that you can be strong.

Prayer Time

God may not send you trials, but he does offer to help you with them. When the going gets tough; get on your knees. Cry out to God to show you what he wants. In the places where we are strong, God doesn’t have much room to work. But in the places where we depend on him, his Spirit can produce miraculous results.

A strong character is built day by day, trial by trial, and prayer by prayer. It’s not an easy process, but the rewards are eternal.