Beginning this week in ABIDE, we will be using 40 Days of Prayer to guide us as we pray. We will use one prayer each week from 40 Days of Prayer over the next 40 weeks. Our ABIDE prayers will not be the exact prayers in 40 Days of Prayer but the focus and Scripture will follow 40 Days of Prayer.
The following is the link to “40 Days of Prayer” if you would like access to it: https://empoweredhomes.org/resource/40-days-of-prayer/
FREE TO PRAY – Part 3
Opening Prayer
Let’s begin ABIDE by taking a moment to quiet our hearts and minds before God. Simply take a deep breath and exhale slowly. You may want to pray a “breath prayer” as you inhale and exhale, such as, “Jesus, you are truth.”
Note: If you are leading a small group through ABIDE, pray the first prayer below over those you are leading. If you are praying ABIDE alone, use the second prayer.
Small Group Prayer: Lord, we give our hearts and lives to you. We surrender all that is within us to you. We love you and we need you. Spirit, fill us and lead us as we pray. We consecrate this time of prayer to you. Remove any distractions and help us focus on you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Personal Prayer: Lord, I give my heart to you. I surrender every area of my life to you. I choose to trust you with my whole heart and with everything in my life. You are my good, good Father who loves me. Thank you for being faithful, all-knowing and all-powerful. Remove any distractions from me and help me focus on you. Holy Spirit, fill me and help me discern your voice as I pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayers of Praise & Thanksgiving
Read the following verses and consider what our Father is saying to us, His sons and daughters, about our relationship with Him.
This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. (Ephesians 1:4)
Let’s thank our Father and praise Him for His goodness, grace, mercy and whatever else that comes to mind about our Father as we consider all that He has done so that we can have a relationship with Him.
Prayer: Father, we/I praise you and thank you for ____________________________________.
Prayers for My Heart
The enemy does not want us, God’s son and daughters, to approach our Father with confidence. The enemy wants us to believe his lies that cause us to feel insecure about praying to our Father. The enemy wants us to feel like our prayers are not making a difference. The enemy does not want us to pray.
Ask God to show you lies the enemy tells you that keep you from praying with confidence. Confess those as lies and ask God to help you believe His truth and give you His confidence about your prayers.
Prayer: God, I confess the lie that ____________________________ (fill in the blank with whatever lies the enemy has told you about prayer). Set me free from that lie and help me believe your truth about prayer. In Jesus’ Name.
Prayers for the Hearts of Others
It is a joy and gift to pray for others and their relationship with God. Let’s take a few moments to pray for the people in our lives and their relationship with God. Let’s ask God to set them free from any lies of the enemy about prayer and receive the freedom to go boldly to their Father in prayer to receive mercy and find grace in their time of need.
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Prayer: God, we/I pray for ___________________________ to be set free from any lies of the enemy about their prayers and help them to receive your truth. Bless ___________________ with your mercy and grace today. In Jesus’ Name.
Closing Prayer
God, thank you for the amazing gift of getting to pray to you. You are All-Powerful, Holy, the Great I AM, and yet you invite me into your presence. Your desire is for me to pray to you. Your plan is to use my prayers to bring your glory into my life and the lives of those I pray for. Thank you. Thank you for your amazing grace that you’ve poured out to me so that I can come boldly to your throne. Help me receive your gift and invitation to pray and give me a passion to pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
