Day Fourteen: Move Me into the Purpose for Which I was Created

Walk worthy of the calling

with which you were called,

with all lowliness and gentleness,

with long suffering, bearing with one another in love,

endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit

in the bond of peace.

- Ephesians 4:1-3

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Lord, I thank You that You have called me with a holy calling, not according to my works, but according to Your purpose and grace which was given to me in Christ Jesus (II Timothy 1:9). I know that Your plan for me existed before I knew You, and You will bring it to pass. Help me to "walk worthy of the calling with which [I was] called" (Ephesians 4:1). I know there is an appointed plan for me, and I have a destiny that will now be fulfilled.
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Help me to live my life with a sense of purpose and understanding of the calling You have given me. I lay down all pride, selfishness, and anything else that would keep me from moving into all You have for me. I don't want to miss out of Your full purpose for my life because I did not walk the way You wanted me to. I repent of every day I haven't fully lived for You. Help me to live the way You want me to from now on.
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Lord, help me to understand the call You have on my life. Take away any discouragement I may feel and replace it with joyful anticipation of what You are going to do through me. Use me as Your instrument to make a positive difference in the lives of those whom You put in my path. Help me to rest in the confidence of knowing that Your timing is perfect. I know that whatever You have called me to do, You will enable me to do it.
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I pray that nothing will draw me away from fulfilling the plan You have for me. May I never stray from what You have called me to be and do. Give me a vision for my life and a strong sense of purpose. I put my identity in You and my destiny in Your hands. Show me if what I am doing now is what I am supposed to be doing. I want what You are building in my life to last for eternity. I don't want to waste time going after things that are not what You have for me. Help me to be content where I am, knowing You won't leave me there forever.
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Lord, I know that "all things work together for good" to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). I don't want to presume that I know what that purpose is. Nor do I want to spend a lifetime trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing and miss the mark. So I pray that You would show me clearly what the gifts and talents are that You have placed in me. Lead me in the way I should go as I grow in them. Enable me to use them according to Your will and Your glory.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Be even more diligent to make

your call and election sure,

for if you do these things

you will never stumble.

- II Peter 1:10

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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.

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Today's prayer for your husband: His Reputation

Today's prayer for your children: Instilling the Desire to Learn

Day One: Draw Me Into a Closer Walk With You

I am so excited to see what God has in store for us this month as we read through, The Power of a Praying Woman, by Stormie Omartian. So far, in just reading the introduction and first chapter, I think it's going to be an amazing study and I strongly encourage you to get the book and read the chapters each day. I've included a link to the book on ChristianBook.com at the bottom of the page if you'd like to order online.

If you've been reading or praying along with me, so far we've prayed for our children and our husbands with a few mentions of praying for self mixed in there, mostly on the first day of each month. Now it's time to make praying for ourselves a priority all month long. I've always heard, "If you put God first in your life, He will put everything else into place." This month we're going to be working on that relationship for ourselves, and I'm sure it will affect our husband & children along the way, too. Ready to get started?

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,

and establish the work

of our hands for us.

- Psalm 90:17

Lord, I draw close to You today, grateful that You will draw close to me as You have promised in Your Word (James 4:8). I long to dwell in Your presence, and my desire is for a deeper and more intimate relationship with You. I want to know You in every way You can be known. Teach me what I need to learn in order to know You better. I don't want to be a person who is "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:7). I want to know the truth about who You are, because I know that You are near to all who call upon You in truth (Psalm 145:18).

I am open to whatever You want to do in me. I don't want to limit You by neglecting to acknowledge You in every way possible. I declare this day that You are my Healer, my Deliverer, my Redeemer, and my Comforter. Today I especially need to know You as my Shelter (put in a name of the Lord that applies to YOU). I believe You will be that to me.

God, help me to set aside time each day to meet with You alone. Enable me to resist and eliminate all that would keep me from it. Teach me to pray the way You want me to. Help me to learn more about You. Lord, You have said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37). I thirst for more of You because I am in a dry place without You. I come to you this day and drink deeply of Your Spirit.

I know that You are everywhere, but I also know that there are deeper manifestations of Your presence that I long to experience. Draw me close so that I may dwell in your presence like never before.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Until now you have asked nothing in My name.

Ask, and you will receive,

that your joy may be full.

- John 16:24

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope

without wavering,

for He who promised is faithful.

- Hebrews 10:23

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

Today's prayer for your husband: His Wife
Today's prayer for your children: Becoming a Praying Parent

Day 30: His Future

Where there is no vision,

the people perish.

- Proverbs 29:18

Lord, I pray that You would give my husband a vision for his future. Help him to understand that Your plans for him are for good and not evil - to give him a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Fill him with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that he may have a walk worthy of You, fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You (Colossians 1:9-10). May he live with leading from the Holy Spirit and not walk in doubt and fear of what may happen. Help him to mature and grow in You daily, submitting to You all his dreams and desires, knowing that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). Give him God-ordained goals and show him how to conduct himself in a way that always invests in his future.

I pray that he will be active in service for You all the days of his life. Keep him from losing his sense of purpose and fill him with hope for his future as an "anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast" (Hebrews 6:19). Give him "his heart's desire" (Psalm 21:2) and "the heritage of those who fear Your name" (Psalm 61:5). Plant him firmly in Your house and keep him fresh and flourishing and bearing fruit into old age (Psalm 92:13-14). And when it comes time for him to leave this earth and go to be with You, may he have such a strong vision for his eternal future that it makes his transition smooth, painless, and accompanied by peace and joy. Until that day, I pray that he will find the vision for his future in You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

I know the thoughts that I think toward you,

says the Lord,

thoughts of peace and not evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

- Jeremiah 29:11

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in His temple.

- Psalm 27:4

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

Today's prayer for your children: Growing in Faith

Day 23: His Walk

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

- Psalm 84:11

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"O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). Therefore, Lord, I pray that You would direct my husband's steps. Lead him in Your light, teach him Your way, so he will walk in Your truth. I pray that he would have a deeper walk with You and an ever progressing hunger for Your Word. May Your presence be like a delicacy he never ceases to crave. Lead him on Your path and make him quick to confess when he strays from it. Reveal to him any hidden sin that would hinder him from walking rightly before You. May he experience deep repentance when he doesn't live in obedience to Your laws. Create in him a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within him. Don't cast him away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from him (Psalm 51:10-11).
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Lord, Your Word says that those who are in the flesh cannot please you (Romans 8:8). So I pray that You will enable my husband to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh and thereby keep himself "from the paths of the destroyer" (Psalm 17:4). As he walks in the Spirit, may he bear the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Keep him on the Highway of Holiness so that the way he walks will be integrated into every part of his life.* In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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(If I have any prayer warriors out there that would do me the honor of adding my husband to your prayers, I would greatly appreciate it. We moved in April & he had to basically start over at his new position, repeating all the training again. He has been very homesick for the town, the job, his friends & coworkers that we left behind. I am very concerned for him because he just seems to be getting more & more depressed. Will you pray for my husband?)
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I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love.

- Ephesians 4:1-2

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife. Ordering information is at the bottom of this page. Leave a comment on any post that is published this week (September 23-29) to enter the GIVEAWAY for one set of The Power of a Praying Wife Prayer Cards!
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Today's prayer for your children: Avoiding Alcohol, Drugs, and Other Addictions

Day 15: Identifying God-Given Gifts and Talents

Each one has his own gift from God,

one in this manner and another in that.

- I Corinthians 7:7

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Lord, thank You for the gifts and talents You have placed in David and Elizabeth. I pray that You would develop in these gifts in them and use their gifts for Your glory. Make their gifts apparent to me, their dad, and to both of them, and show me specifically if there is any special nurturing, training, learning experience or opportunity I should provide for my children. May their gifts and talents be developed in Your way and in Your time.
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Your Word says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them" (Romans 12:6). As they recognize the talents and abilities You've given them, I pray that no feelings of inadequacy, fear, or uncertainty will keep them from using their gifts according to Your will. May they hear the call You have on their lives so that they don't spend a lifetime trying to figure out what it is or miss it altogether. Let their talent never be wasted, watered down by mediocrity or used to glorify anything or anyone other than You, Lord.
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I pray that You would reveal to them what their life work is to be and help them excel in it. Bless the work of their hands, and may they be able to ear a good living doing the work they love and do best.
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Your Word says that, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16). May whatever they do find favor with others and be well received and respected. But most of all, I pray the gifts and talents You placed in them be released to find their fullest expression in glorifying You.*
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May I be a good example by using the gifts and talents You've given me, as well. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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To each one of us grace was given

according to the measure of Christ's gift.

- Ephesians 4:7

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As each one has received a gift,

minister it to one another,

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

- I Peter 4:10

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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 the page.

Day Eleven: Following Truth, Rejecting Lies

I have no greater joy than to hear

that my children walk in the truth.

- III John 1:4

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Lord, I pray that You will fill David and Elizabeth with Your Spirit of truth. Give them hearts that love truth and follow after it, rejecting all lies as a manifestation of the enemy. Flush out anything in them that would entertain a lying spirit and cleanse them from any death that has crept in as a result of lies they may have spoken or thought. Help them to understand that every lie gives the devil a piece of their heart, and into the hole that's left comes confusion, death, and separation from Your presence. Deliver them from any lying spirit. I pray that they not be blinded or deceived, but always be able to clearly understand Your truth.
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I pray that David and Elizabeth will never be able to get away with lying - that all lies will come into light and be exposed. If they lie, may they be so miserable that confession and its consequences will seem like relief. Help me to teach them what it means to lie, and effectively discipline them when they test that principle. Your Word says that "when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). I pray that Your Spirit of truth will guide them into all truth. May they never be a person who gives place to lies, but rather a person of integrity who follows hard after the Spirit of truth.*
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May their Dad and I always be examples of truth to them. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who deal truthfully

are His delight.

- Proverbs 12:22

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If you love Me, keep My commandments.

And I will pray to the Father,

and He will give you another Helper,

that He may abide with you forever -

the Spirit of truth,

whom the world cannot receive,

because it neither sees Him nor knows Him;

but you know Him,

for He dwells with you and will be in you.

- John 14:15-17

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*Make this prayer your own! From the book, The Power of a Praying Parent. Ordering information can be found at the bottom of this 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 Nine: Developing a Hunger for the Things of God

The fear of the Lord prolongs days,

but the years of the wicked will be shortened.

- Proverbs 10:27

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Lord, I pray for David and Elizabeth to have an increasing hunger for more of You. May they long for Your presence - long to spend time with You in prayer, praise and worship. Give them a desire for the truth of Your Word and a love for Your laws and Your ways. Teach them to live by faith and me led by the Holy Spirit, having an availability to do what You tell them to do. May they be so aware of the fullness of Your Holy Spirit in them that when they are depleted in any way they will immediately run to You to be renewed and refreshed.
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I pray that their hearts will not have any allegiances or diversions away from You, but rather that they would be repulsed by ungodliness and all that is in opposition to You. May a deep reverence and love for You and Your ways color everything they do and every choice they make. Help them to understand the consequences of their actions and know that a life controlled by the flesh will only reap death. May they not be wise in their own eyes, but rather "fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Proverbs 3:7).
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I pray that they will be reliable, dependable, compassionate, sensitive, loving and giving to others. Deliver them from any pride, laziness, slothfulness, selfishness, or lust of the flesh. I pray that they will have a teachable and submissive spirit that says "Yes" to the things of God and "No" to the things of the flesh. Strengthen them to stand strong in their convictions.
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I pray that David and Elizabeth will always desire to be an active member of a Christian church that is alive to the truth of Your Word and the power of the Holy Spirit-led worship, prayer and teaching. As they learn to read Your Word, write Your law in their minds and on their hearts so that they always walk with a confident assurance of the righteousness of Your commands. As they learn to pray, may they also learn to listen for Your voice. I pray that their relationship with you will never become lukewarm, indifferent or shallow. May there always be a Holy Spirit fire in their hearts and an unwavering desire for the things of God.*
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In Jesus' name, I ask these things for my children, for my husband, and for myself.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

- Matthew 5:6

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Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

unite my heart to fear Your name.

I will praise You, O Lord my God,

with all my heart,

and I will glorify Your name forevermore.

- Psalm 86:11-12

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I have been crucified with Christ;

it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave Himself for me.

- Galatians 2:20

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