A Prayer by A. W. Tozer

Father,

I want to know Thee, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A beautiful prayer of trust

God, thank You for guiding me.

I'm so grateful that I don't have to navigate life on my own.

As I wake up each morning, I ask that I will be overwhelmed by your perfect peace.

I trust that no matter what, you will order my steps.

In Jesus' name, Amen. 

(Prayer - from Bible app)

A Special Prayer

-by Dr. Cerullo

Oh God, how we praise You for speaking to us by Your Spirit! We ask You right now to shake us out of our sleep. Consume us with a burning passion, a vision of the lost. Let us see and hear the screaming cries of lost millions in an eternity without You. Give us a world vision.

“We have heard Your voice. You are calling us by Your Spirit to rise out of our sleep, out of our complacency, out of our selfishness. Forgive us. Unite us together as a powerful, cohesive force…one in dedication…one in commitment, and one in purpose.

“We realize this is the hour You have chosen for us to go forward in Your power. We give all of ourselves to You now. Do not let us rest. Do not let us sleep. Do not allow us to grow tired. Send us forth with a new power and determination to do Your will. “

In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Scriptures for Meditation:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3: 16 NIV

 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9: 37-38 NIV

A Christmas Prayer

By Hepsi

Father God, we thank You for Christmas.

For sending Your beloved Son in the flesh to save us.

We thank You for sending angels to announce His birth singing glory to God in the highest and peace to people on earth.

Fill us with Your peace.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for restoring relations between God and humans

 Your great love for us.

You came to show us that You are the way, the truth, and the life.

You gave up Your life on the cross, shedding Your precious blood to remove our sin stains.

You rose up from the grave on the third day victorious.

You destroyed Satan’s power over us.

Fill us with Your courage and victory every day.

You came to set us free as Your Word declares:

So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Your Word also says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us.

Holy Spirit, convict us of all unrighteousness.

Please forgive our sins.

Thank you for the power of Your Word.

Jesus, the holy baby born in Bethlehem,

Whom shepherds and wise men worshipped,

You grew to manhood, leading a pure life

To show us how to live the way God wills.

Fill us with Your love, purity and humility.

Lord Jesus, we worship and adore You on this blessed Christmas

Remembering Your gift of salvation and eternal life,

Thank You for bringing life, love, joy and peace to all mankind.

Lord, help us seek Your face. Son of God and Son of man

Be gracious to us, give us peace, protection and plenty,

May Your favour be upon us at Christmas and always.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Posted: December 2020

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9: 6

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1: 30-33

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

'Prayer itself is an art that only the Holy Spirit can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer. Pray for prayer. Pray until you can pray.'

- Charles Spurgeon

'O Wisdom, O holy word of God,

You govern all creation

With your strong yet tender care;

Come and show your people the way to salvation.'

Prayer of Salvation

Dear Lord Jesus,

I come to you humbly realizing I'm a sinner. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross shedding your precious blood for my sins. I believe that you bore the wounds on your back for my healing. 

I believe you rose from the dead and destroyed the power of Satan over my life. 

I confess my sins to you. I am tired of going my way and doing my thing. I surrender my life and will to you.

Please forgive me and set me free from every sin. Deliver me from every habit that has me bound. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Heal my body,  mind and soul. Fill me with your love, joy and peace and lead me according to your will.

I accept you as my Lord and Savior.  Amen.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1 

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4: 32 (NIV)

“Slow me down, Lord

Save the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind,

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time,

Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills,

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations---of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to smile at a child, to read few lines from  a good book,

Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s ending values, that I may grow toward a greater destiny.

Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift: that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward to the towering Oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.”

The Lord is My Shepherd - Psalm 23

How to Do a Breath Prayer:

An example of a Breath Prayer is “The Lord is my Shepherd… I shall not want.”

Breathe in slowly and deeply as you whisper or think: “The Lord is my Shepherd…”

Hold your breath and your consciousness of God’s presence…

And then exhale as you whisper or think: “…I shall not want.”

-Bill Gaultiere

Spiritual Exercise: The Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer is a simple but powerful prayer to practice. Jesus placed this prayer on the lips of the tax collector in his parable.  The tax collector and not the Pharisee was made right with God after he beat his breast in repentance and humility. He cried out, “God, have mercy on me a sinner” Luke 18:13.

The Jesus Prayer is also a Breath Prayer. The Desert Fathers were Christian hermits who lived about the 4th century AD in the Egyptian desert where they had prayed and meditated on God's Word.

They developed the Jesus prayer into a Breath Prayer.  It goes: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” Sometimes it is expanded: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

The monks breathed God's Word in slowly and deeply repeating the breath prayer over and over allowing it to descend with their minds into their hearts. Breath prayers were said while weaving baskets from reeds.

Today we too can say breath prayers while doing our dishes, knitting, walking or at any time. In this way, we can practice the presence of God. Breath prayers make a great spiritual exercise.

Christian Creeds

Find two Important Christian Creeds below and a brief history of their origin.

The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed arose from the Council of Nicaea, held in 325 CE. It is called Nicene because it was originally adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first council of Nicaea in AD 325.

It is important for the believers of Christ to know the Nicene Creed. It is an authorized affirmation of faith.  Since it contains the foundational belief of the Christian faith, it is good to read it out loud as a community of believers at Worship services.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles' Creed is the most widely accepted statement of the articles of Christian faith. This particular creed was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator. Each of the doctrines found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period.The creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. The earliest historical evidence of the creed's existence is in a letter written by the Council of Milan in 390 A.D.

The Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Comments

Hi Hepsi,
I bless the Lord for you and for the work you are doing to inspire, teach and worship God with your readers. I love the spiritual exercises; they can be done anywhere quietly or aloud!