More Like Jesus

We serve a faithful God who has carefully crafted Scripture together in the Bible to reveal Himself and His holiness. We desire to be near to Him, to hear from Him, and to be known by our love for Him and likeness to Him.  

Let’s begin ABIDE by lifting up prayers of praise and thanksgiving to Jesus for how our lives are forever changed because of Him. 

Prayers of Praise & Thanksgiving 

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24)

 Self-control, an important fruit of the Spirit, offers us the freedom-giving opportunity to commit to divine obedience by way of the love we have for our Father. As we keep our eyes on Him, He is faithful to help us grow in self-control as we overcome temptation.  

Prayer:  Father God, we thank you that you are faithful. We thank you that you will do it; you will keep us sound and blameless as we continue to lean into your Truth. God you are, ______________________ (name an attribute of God). I am thankful for the grace you cover me with as I struggle to have self-control over ______________________ (silently, name an area of your life you struggle to have self-control). 

Prayers for our Hearts  

“No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

A struggle with self-control is not always easy to face; however, our Father who is full of compassion desires a relationship with us where we are. We can come to him with open and honest hearts and He will embrace us as He provides a way out of any seemingly irresistible or impossible temptation. Our Father God, He always provides. 

Prayer:  Lord, our hearts can so easily feel shame or guilt as we face temptation. We can often feel unworthy if we fall victim to our lack of self-control. Holy Spirit, as we continue to grow in our reliance on the self-control your presence provides, will you show me your way out of______________________ (Take a moment to be silent and listen to anything the Spirit says). 

Prayer for Others 

“As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless: not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able to both encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:7-9) 

We come together in biblical community as we seek God to fill us with more self-control to live in such a way that draws others nearer to Him.  

Prayer:  Jesus, we lift up ______________________ (name friends, families, churches, schools, organizations, nations, and people in your sphere of influence that need to be drawn closer to Christ). Holy Spirit, self-control is the fruit of abiding in You that each of us desperately needs every day as we walk in this world. May your gift of self-control consume us and prevent us from falling into temptations which may harm our witness to others.  

 Closing Prayer

Father, daily walking in the Spirit and exhibiting self-control is hard. Self-control goes against our fleshly desires and all that the world teaches us each day. Thank you for your abundant grace in our weaknesses and for filling us with all we need to flee from temptation or indulgence. May we bring your name glory as we stand victorious in the Spirit over every decision we make in our day.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.