praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
- praise God for the privilege of prayer for growing in intimacy with Him and engaging you in the advancement of His kingdom
- praise God that He has established you as an ambassador of the gospel, holding out reconciliation with Him through Jesus Christ
- pray that God would pour out upon us a Spirit of grace and supplication, making us a praying people, a praying church—a mighty force for the strengthening and lengthening of His everlasting kingdom
- pray that we would be devoted to fervent, faithful and expectant prayer for ourselves and others
- pray that God would grant us a profound awareness and conviction of the value of our prayers in His hands
- pray that God would stir us to continual prayer, seeking His glory in all things, at all times, in all ways
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
- pray for God’s protection of us as individuals, families and congregation
- pray that we would find our strength in the Lord and not in ourselves
- pray for keen awareness of the spiritual realm and that Satan opposes us as he opposes Christ
- pray that we would stand against Satan’s accusations by standing in the freedom of the gospel
- pray that we would stand against Satan’s temptations by standing in the power of our new life in Christ
- pray that we would stand against Satan’s deceptions by standing on the Word of God, well acquainted with truth, practitioners of its principles and precepts
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord... Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish... Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” ... Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,... Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
- pray that we would submit our wisdom and ways to Christ, seeking to honor Him in our roles and relationships, pursuing His goals for us in our dealings with others
- pray that husbands would love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her
- pray that wives would respect their husbands in a way that recognizes Christ’s design for them
- pray for parents in raising their children in the fear of the Lord and obedience to His commands, equipping them to honor God in hostile world
- pray for children to be teachable, growing in wisdom and stature, favor with God and men
- pray for those unmarried to sanctify themselves to the Lord, honoring and serving Him in this station of their lives
- pray that we would do all our work—in the home, school, the workplace, the church— unto the Lord, sanctifying every part of our lives for His service
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
- praise God for Jesus who gave Himself to deliver us from the present, evil age, according to the will of our Father who set His love on us
- pray that God would make us aware of the fallen world in which we live that holds great danger for us, that we might hold fast to Him
- pray that God would grant us a heart of wisdom that begins with fear of the Lord, and would keep us from the foolish inclinations of our hearts
- pray that God would help us to be good stewards of our time, taking advantage of those daily opportunities He gives us to serve and honor Him
- pray that God would direct our leaders for directing us in how best to serve Him and to use the resources He has entrusted to us
- pray that we would submit our will to God’s secret will that governs all things and to His revealed will that directs us in His ways, trusting and obeying Him
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
- pray that God would protect all of us from the sexual sin that dominates and degrades our society today
- pray that God would keep us from the love of money that begrudges God the giving He wants of us, squelches a spirit of thankfulness, and impedes the ministry of the church
- pray that God will help you to pursue the life of holiness He desires
- pray that God’s love for us in Christ would be our point of reference for dealing withothers
- pray that our lives would be living sacrifices, fragrant with love, acceptable to God
- pray that others would see Christ in us and give glory to our Father in heaven
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
- praise the Lord Jesus Christ who subjected Himself to the scorn and suffering of this world for us and our salvation
- pray that we would desire the glory and kingdom of our Lord over our own reputation and personal gain
- pray that we would be willing to suffer for the cause of Christ
- pray that we will all see ourselves indebted to our Lord Jesus, indentured to His service in all aspects and areas of our lives
- pray that the Spirit of God would use us to fill the greater West Chester area with the hope of life bound up in Jesus Christ
- pray that we would be faithful witnesses in word and deed in the life-spheres in which our God has stationed us
- pray for protection from the enticements of the world and efforts of Satan, the prince of this world
- pray that we fix our gaze, as we sojourn in this world, on our Lord Jesus, seeing Him as our Lord, our life, and our love
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption
- pray that you would be constructive and gracious in your speech and not tear down others in your thoughts, words or in gossip
- pray that God would help us to be other-oriented, adopting the attitude of our Lord Jesus, considering not only our own interests but also the interests of others
- pray that God would give you a keen awareness of His personal presence by His Spirit and that your sinful and divisive behavior grieves Him
- pray that God would help us to see where we have been self-centered and self-serving, and to confess and repent of our sin, seeking to change by His strength
- pray that God would give us discernment and concern for the needs of others, and use us to minister to those needs for the sake of Christ
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- praise God that He has enfolded us into spiritual Israel, the true seed of Abraham, heirs of the covenant promises
- praise God for His sanctifying workmanship of grace in your life, conforming you to the image of His Son
- pray the Spirit would convict you where you find yourself walking according to the world from which you have been taken, not following Christ but instead the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life
- pray that you would be renewed in the attitude of your mind, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, following His lordship rather than the wisdom and ways of the world
- pray that God would grow us in true righteousness, knowledge and holiness
- pray that God would work in us a holy discontent and a profound desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
- pray that the elders of the church will be faithful shepherds, guarding and guiding the flock in the model of the Good Shepherd
- pray for wisdom and diligence for the elders in equipping the members of the church for their service to Christ as His disciples
- pray for the deacons as they carry out their many practical responsibilities for the growth and work of the church
- pray that God would work in all of us those servants’ hearts that desire and expect to be engaged in the work of ministry our Lord has given us
- pray that God would build up the church in spiritual maturity and unity, in active commitment to Christ in daily life, and in growth as He adds to our number those He brings to us
- pray that the Spirit of God would mature us in Christ as individuals and as a community of believers
- pray that those we know and meet would see the evidence of God’s sanctifying workmanship in our lives—to the praise of His name
