Day 29: Lift Me Out of My Past

If anyone is in Christ,

He is a new creation;

old things have passed away;

behold all things have become new.

- II Corinthians 5:17

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Lord, I pray that You would set me free from my past. Wherever I have made the past my home I pray that You would deliver me, heal me, and redeem me from it. I choose to make my home with You. Help me to let go of anything I have held onto of my past that has kept me from moving into all You have for me. Enable me to put off all former ways of thinking and feeling and remembering (Ephesians 4:22-24). Give me the mind of Christ so I will be able to understand when I am being controlled by memories of past events.
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I don't want to tie myself to the past by neglecting to forgive any person or event associated with it. Help me to forgive what needs to be forgiven. Specifically, I pray that You would deliver me from the effects of (name any painful or bad memory you have). I release my past to You and everyone associated with it so You can restore what has been lost. Everything that was done to me or I have done which causes me pain, I surrender to You. May it no longer torment me or affect what I do today. Make me glad according to the days in which I have been afflicted and the years I have seen evil (Psalm 90:15). Thank You that You make all things new and You are making me new every way (Revelation 21:5).
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Help me to keep my eyes looking straight ahead and not back on the former days and old ways of doing things. I know You want to do something new in my life today. Help me to concentrate on where I am to go now and not where I have been. Release me from the past so I can move out of it and into the future You have for me.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Do not remember the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

now it shall spring forth;

shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

- Isaiah 43:18-19

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God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;

there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain,

for the former things have passed away.

- Revelation 21:4

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Woman. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page. I strongly encourage you to read this book as the chapter content is so powerful!
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Today's prayer for your husband: His Faith
Today's prayer for your children: Seeking Wisdom and Discernment

Day 25: Finding the Perfect Mate

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,

and obtains favor from the Lord.

- Proverbs 18:22

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Lord, I pray that unless Your plan is for David or Elizabeth to remain single, You will send the perfect marriage partner for each of them. Send the right wife and husband, respectively, at the perfect time and give them a clear leading from You as to who it is. I pray that my children will be submissive enough to hear Your voice when it comes time to make a marriage decision, that that they will make that decision based on what You are saying and not just fleshly desire. I pray that they will trust You with all their hearts and lean not on their own understanding; that they will acknowledge You in all their ways so that You will direct their paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
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Prepare that person who will make the perfect spouse for each of my children. Help them to know the difference between simply falling in love and knowing for certain this is the person with whom God wants them to spend the rest of their lives. If they become attracted to someone they shouldn't marry, I pray that You, Lord, would cut off the relationship. Help them to realize that unless You are at the center of the marriage, it will never stand. Unless You bless it, it won't be blessed. For Your Word says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1). I pray that You would build the marriage around which their house is established.
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When they do find the right one to marry, I pray that person will be a godly and devoted servant of Yours, who loves You and lives Your way, and will be like a son or daughter to me and a blessing to all other family members. Once they are married, let there be no divorce in their futures. May there never be mental, emotional or physical abuse of any kind, but rather mental, emotional and physical unity that is never touched by division. I pray for their deliverance from any spirit of divorce, separation, or disunity that would attempt to drive a wedge into their relationship. Give them each a strong desire to live in fidelity, and remove any temptation to infidelity.
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May they have one mate for life, who is also their closest friend. May they be mutually loyal, compassionate, considerate, sensitive, respectful, affectionate, forgiving, supportive, caring and loving toward one another all the days of their lives.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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From the beginning of the creation,

God made them male and female.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two shall become one flesh;

so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together,

let man not separate.

- Mark 10:6-9
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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information at the bottom of the page. Stay tuned next week for your chance to win a copy of this book!

Day 24: Rejecting Sexual Immorality

Abstain from fleshly lusts

which war against the soul.

- I Peter 2:11

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He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

- Proverbs 28:26

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Lord, I pray that You will keep David and Elizabeth sexually pure all of their lives. Give them hearts that want to do what's right in this area, and let purity take root in their personalities and guide their actions. Help them to always lay down godly rules for relationships and resist anything that is not Your best. Open their eyes to the truth of Your Word, and help them to see that sex outside of marriage will never be the committed, lasting, unconditional love that they need. Let their personality not be scarred nor their emotions damaged by the fragmentation of the soul that happens as a result of sexual immorality.
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I pray that they will have no premarital sex and no sex with anyone other than their marriage partner. I pray that homosexuality will never take root in them or even have an opportunity to express itself toward them. Keep them away from the presence of anyone with evil intentions, or take that person out of their lives. Protect them from any sexual molestation or rape. Turn their eyes away from the sexual immorality that saturates the world and enable them to understand that whoever "wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). May they long for Your approval, Lord, and not allow sexual sin in their lives at any time. Deliver them from any spirit of lust bringing temptation to fail in this area. Put a Holy Spirit alarm in them that goes off like a loud, flashing siren whenever they step over the line of what is right in Your sight.
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Your Word says, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). Speak loudly to them whenever there is temptation to do something they shouldn't, and make them strong enough in You to stand for what's right and say "no" to sexual immorality. May Your grace enable them to be committed to staying pure so that they will receive Your crown of life.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Flee sexual immorality.

Every sin that a man does is outside the body,

but he who commits sexual immorality

sins against his own body.

- I Corinthians 6:18

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information at the bottom of the page. Stay tuned next week for your chance to win a copy of this book!

Day Thirteen: Having the Motivation for Proper Body Care

Lord, I lift up my children to You and ask that You would place in them a desire to eat healthy food. I pray this especially for David right now, who is in the picky toddler stage. I know that throughout their lives they will be tempted to make poor food choices and eat that which brings death instead of life. Help them to understand what's good for them and what isn't, and give them a desire for food that is healthful. Let them be repulsed or dissatisfied with food that is harmful.
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I pray that they be spared from all eating disorders in any form. By the authority given me in Jesus Christ (Luke 10:19), on my son's and daughter's behalf, I say "no to anorexia," "no to bulimia," "no to food addiction," "no to overeating," "no to starvation diets," "no to any kind of unbalanced eating habits."
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Lord, Your Word says, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Help them to see the truth about the way they are to live, so that they may be set free from unhealthful habits. I pray that along with the desire to eat properly, You would give them the motivation to exercise regularly, to drink plenty of pure water, and to control and manage areas of stress in their lives by living according to Your Word. Whenever they struggle in any of those areas may they turn to You and say, "Teach me Your way, O Lord" (Psalm 27:11). Give them a vision of their bodies as the temple of Your Holy Spirit.
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I pray that they will value the body You've given them and desire to take proper care of it. May they not be critical of it, not examine themselves through the microscope of public opinion and acceptance. I pray that they will not be bound by the lure of fashion magazines, television, or movies which try to influence them with an image of what they should look like. Enable them to say, "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things" (Psalm 119:37). Help them to see that what makes a person truly attractive is Your Holy Spirit living in them and radiating outward. May they come to an understanding that true attractiveness begins in the heart of one who loves God.
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Establish Your vision of health and attractiveness in their hearts this day, and permanently instill in them the desire to take proper care of their bodies because it is the temple of Your Holy Spirit.*
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Do the same work in me that I may be a good example to David and especially Elizabeth, since I am her mother. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,

holy, acceptable to God,

which is your reasonable service.

- Romans 12:1

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Therefore, whether you eat or drink,

or whatever you do,

do all to the glory of God.

- I Corinthians 10:31

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information at the bottom of the page.

Day Ten: Being the Person God Created

For You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise You because I am fearfully

and wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from You

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together

in the depths of the earth,

Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written

in Your book before one of them came to be.

- Psalm 139:13-16

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They will spring up among the grass
like willows by the watercourses.

One will say, "I am the Lord's;"

another will write with his hand, "The Lord's."

- Isaiah 44:4-5

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Lord, I pray that You would pour out Your Spirit upon David and Elizabeth this day and anoint them for all that You've called them to be and do. Lord, You have said, "Let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called" (I Corinthians 7:24). May it be for these children according to Your Word, that they never stray from what You have called them to be and do, or try to be something they are not.
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Deliver them from any evil plan of the devil to rob them of life, to steal away their uniqueness and giftedness, to compromise the path You've called them to walk, or to destroy the person You created them to be. May they not be a follower of anyone but You, but may they be leaders of people into Your kingdom. Help them to grow into a complete understanding of their authority in Jesus, while retaining a submissive and humble spirit. May the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control grow in them daily (Galatians 5:22). May they find their identity in You, view themselves as Your instruments, and know that they are complete in You. Give them vision for their lives when setting goals for the future and a sense of purpose about what You've called them to do. Help them to see themselves as You do - from their future and not from their pasts. May the be convicted that Your thoughts toward them are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give them a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
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Teach them to look to You as their hope for the future. May they understand it is You "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (II Timothy 1:9). May their commitment to being who You created them to be enable them to grow daily in confidence and Holy Spirit boldness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.*
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We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

- Romans 8:28-30

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page.

Day Five: Establishing an Eternal Future

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

- John 3:3

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For this reason, since the day we heard about you,

we have not stopped praying for you

and asking God to fill you with the knowledge

of His will through all spiritual wisdom

and understanding.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life

worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way:

bearing fruit in every good work,

growing in the knowledge of God,

being strengthened with all power

according to His glorious might so that you may

have great endurance and patience,

and joyfully giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance

of the saints in the kingdom of light.

- Colossians 1:9-12

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Lord, I bring David and Elizabeth before You and ask that You would help them grow into a deep understanding of who You are. Open their hearts and bring them to a full knowledge of the truth about You. Lord, You have said in Your Word, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). I pray for that kind of faith in my children. May they call You their Savior, be filled with Your Holy Spirit, acknowledge You in every area of their lives, and choose always to follow You and Your ways.

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Help David and Elizabeth to fully believe that Jesus laid down His life for them so that they might have life eternally and abundantly now. Help them to comprehend the fullness of Your forgiveness so that they will not live in guilt and condemnation.

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I pray that David and Elizabeth will life a fruitful life, ever increasing in knowledge of You. May they always know Your will, have spiritual understanding, and walk in a manner that is pleasing in Your sight. You have said in You Word that You will pour out Your Spirit on my offspring (Isaiah 44:3). I pray that You would pour out Your Spirit upon David and Elizabeth this day.

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Thank You, Lord, that You care about my children's eternal future even more than I do and that it is secure in You. In Jesus' name I pray that they will not doubt or stray from the path You have for them all the days of their lives. Amen.*

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This is the will of Him who sent Me,

that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him

may have everlasting life;

and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:40

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*Make this prayer your own! To order your own copy of The Power of the Praying Parent, click on the link at the bottom of this page.