God, we humbly come to you in prayer, asking that you touch our hearts (hand over heart), mind (hands over head), body (hands/arms hug body), and soul (extend arms east to west) as we take in your Word (hold up Bible), through your Holy Spirit - may we grow in righteousness and holiness as Christians.
We acknowledge to you, Holy God, as stated in Isaiah 64:6: All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Who is Holy? Who is Righteous? Father, God - the God of Abraham, Jacob, & Issac. You deliver us from our sins, our iniquities. You are faithful and You alone. Who is it that parted the Red Sea and delivered your people from the hands of the Egyptians?
Matt 19:26: Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.
1 Tim 2:8: I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
Let us lift our holy hands in prayer to you:
Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee
Holy Holy Holy, Merciful and Mighty
God in three persons, blessed Trinity.
God, only thou art holy, there is none beside thee. Perfect in power, in love, and in purity.
Father, as we lift our holy hands in prayer to you, we look at our own hands and ask ourselves, "What is it, that makes our hands holy?"
God, we pray to you and ask that you give us "Holy Hands".
Father, may we examine our bodies and our minds. Father, help us to examine our hands - that they may truly be "Holy".
Father may our hands be the hands that do not find sin against your Kingdom. Hands, Father, that are used to Glorify you, bringing honor by righteous and holy living. Father, may our hands not be used to find or explore evil. May our hands be hands that are not used to explore pornography by the use of magazines, movies, pictures, or computers. May our hands not put evil into practice through the use of video games, violence, or gestures. Remind us, O’ Lord as stated in Jer 17:10: "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
We pray, Father, that you hear our prayer and that if any wickedness is found in our hands, that you convict our hearts, our souls, that we may see the errors of our ways so that we may repent before you. We are reminded Father, from the promises of your Word in 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
God, you have taught us in 2 Tim 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
God, we read in verse 17, the phrase "Man of God". To the congregation of the people of God - in the Church of our Lord, Jesus Christ at Milton, Kentucky - I ask all you men - baptized into Jesus Christ, living as Christians -please repeat after me: "I am a Man of God" Please repeat this now: "I am a Man of God" - "I am a Man of God".
To the women of this congregation, baptized into Jesus Christ, living as Christians, please repeat after me: "I am a Woman of God" Please repeat this now: "I am a Woman of God" - "I am a Woman of God".
Father, we read from Your Holy Word in Mark 7:6-7: He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
"’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
God, we ask you to constantly remind us of our Christianity. What makes us a "Man of God" or a "Woman of God"? Father, 1 Cor 3:16-17: Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
You also tell us Father, 1 Cor 6:19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Father, we ask you: Ps 139:23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
God, it is so easy to get too involved in the world we live in. We easily spend too much time watching the television and too little time reading Your Word.
So we pray, dear Father, that you convict our hearts, that we might put timers, or limits on ourselves, so that we spend more time communing with you and less time with the world - that Christ might be glorified. Remind us, Father of 2 Cor 7:1: Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
We ask you, Heavenly Father, to help us.
By the Holy Spirit, fill us with thy love and the Holy Ghost, that we might easily surrender to you and purify our lives, our souls, hearts and minds. Rom 12:1-2:Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
God, we ask you to help us to see the errors of our ways. If we have satellite television, cable networks, the internet - Father, if we are viewing things we should not be viewing, or tolerating things that should not be tolerated - help us to be Holy - Holy - Holy! If such things are too great a temptation for us, may we rid them from our lives so that we may replace worldliness with Godliness so that You be glorified in our bodies.
We struggle with our weaknesses Father, but you teach us in Acts 3:19: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Father, we need times of refreshing. Help us, we pray, to surrender the world - to purify our lives. If we have to rid ourselves of the computer, the internet, the satellite or cable television, DVD’s, taped movies, magazines - or any other sin in our life - give us the strength and courage to do so. Help us Father, to be a living testimony to the many lives of other people - that we may band together in unity as one - putting such things as a testimony in our purity barrel that others may see - WE CAN GIVE UP THE WORLDLY THINGS IN OUR LIFE. Let us remember your word in Eph 5:8-20: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."
15 Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God, we ask ourselves:
Are we a peculiar people?
Are we the salt of the earth?
Are we the light of the world?
2 Chron 7:14-16: if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
1 Peter 2:9-10: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God, we beseech you, we pray: Create in us a new and clean heart. May we purify our ways, our lives. In Jesus Name we pray, as your people….Amen
Are we living our lives different from the world - as professed Christians? Are you interested in living for Jesus? The Bible teaches us we can become Christians by God’s plan, which is:
1. Hearing God’s Word (the Bible)
2. Believing God’s Word (Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing from the Word of God)
3. Having Faith (Faith without works is dead, Faith moves our lives and moves mountains!)
4. Repent (Repentance is having a Godly sorrow for our sins, changing our mind and our ways to conform to God’s way)
5. Confess (Publicly stating: "I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God" - For with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
6. Be Baptized (by immersion, we are: "Buried with Him by baptism into His death", as we too die to sin, crucifying our old man [our sinful nature].
7. Be Faithful (Faithful until death to win a crown of righteousness).
