5 Scriptures to Pray for Your Pastor

Your pastor & the people on staff at your church carry a heavy burden.  Not only are they under constant attack from the enemy, who would love nothing more than to take them down, but they also carry the burdens of their own family & life, plus those of every person in the church. 

The things that happen in your life, truly impact the thought life & prayer life of the people on staff at your church.  

Your pastor loves you & prays for you on a regular basis

Our prayers for our church's staff matter.  It matters to God that we would care enough to lift up the shepherds He has ordained for us, but it also matters to God because it's an outward sign of our submission to His order.  God established the order of the church.  Leaders & congregations both have special, ordained roles in God’s plan & when we pray for our leaders we are communicating to God that we believe His ways are right. 

Many things happen to a pastor in the course of a week that can mentally, emotionally, physically & spiritually tear him/her down.  Unfortunately, this often comes directly from the people that our pastoral staff is serving.  Unless our leadership is asking us to do something against God's commands, we need to lay aside our personal preferences to follow our leaders with joy.  We should make their job easier by the way we view their leadership & honor them by our words & actions.  

We need to remember as a people of God that our preferences aren't God's or our pastor's primary concern.  Decisions & vision must be given through leadership that is for the betterment of the whole church & often those don't line up with our desires.  This is not the time to complain to your pastor or anyone else, or even to leave the church.  This is the time to humble yourself before God in prayer for your church staff & ask God to protect them & line your heart up with their decisions.

Here are some ideas of where to begin praying for your pastor:

Ø Pray for Protection from the enemy ~ If Satan is able to destroy a shepherd of a congregation, then he has a way in to scatter the people of that congregation.  Roots of bitterness, wounds & confusion can quickly take hold of a people whose leader falls prey.  Your pastor needs divine protection because he or she is on Satan’s radar constantly. 

            Father, I pray for my pastor’s complete protection from the devil that roams around like a roaring lion trying to destroy him/her.  I pray that my pastor would be alert & watchful for any area of his/her life that is open to attack.  Give him/her supernatural protection.  {1 Peter 5:8}

Ø Pray for Spiritual Encouragement for your pastor ~ Ministry is brutal & pastors are in the middle of stressful situations constantly because they are the ones who help others through life's issues.  Because of this, it is common for pastors to be discouraged especially when they don't get encouragement from the people they work so hard to serve & shepherd. 

            Lord, encourage my pastor through Your Spirit. Let me be a source of encouragement to him/her & let others come alongside him/her to lift him/her up in spirit.  Let my pastor see his/her work as eternal & not temporal.  Let him/her be refreshed through knowing that Your grace is sufficient for him/her.  {Romans 1:11-12, 2 Corinthians 12:9}

Ø Pray for your pastor to have a healthy body ~  The stress of ministry can take a dreadful toll on a pastor's body. Long days & nights of ministry, high-stress situations & constant discouragement can wear down the physicality of a body.  Pastors need both spiritual & physical strength.  They are, like everyone else, made up of body, mind & spirit. 

            Father, please give my pastor supernatural strength but also wisdom to know how & when to rest so that he/she can stay physically healthy.  Sustain him/her by your strength.   Keep him/her from any sickness of the body & any instability of the mind.  {Isaiah 40:31}

Ø Pray for a strong marriage & family ~ You would be surprised how easily a marriage or family can fall apart when someone is involved in full-time ministry. Satan wants to damage & disrupt all families, but the ones of those involved in full-time ministry are especially crucial to the unity of the church as a whole.    

          Lord, I pray that my pastor & his/her spouse will have a strong union in You.  That You will highlight areas of their life that need to be addressed & communicated about & that You will give them time together to enjoy each other.   Let my pastor’s family have fun together & keep any seed of bitterness from taking root. Let them love the church deeply enough to want to stay healthy together & let their bonds be strong. {1 Timothy 3: 2-6, Ephesians 6:4}

Ø Pray for wisdom to lead the church ~  Your pastor is not just responsible for leading his/her congregation because it's his/her job, he/she is actually responsible for answering to God for the decisions made & the words spoken to you under his/her leadership.  

         God, I pray that my pastor will make godly decisions & that You will guide him/her to have a shepherd's heart.  I pray that he/she will yield to You & always speak the truth boldly with love.  I pray that he/she will have the courage needed to speak Your truth & Your ways over difficult & sensitive subjects.  I also pray that You will illuminate scripture in his/her heart so that he/she has revelation directly from you. {2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:28}

5 Scriptures to Pray for Your Husband

The righteous man walks in his integrity;
His children are blessed after him.  {Proverbs 20:7}

It’s easy to want God to be our genie, especially when we want our spouse to change in a particular area.  I prayed for years for my husband to care about his health.  I tried to tell him all the information I knew, nagged him, only fed him carrots & celery, all to no avail.  As long as I was the driving force, it wasn't going to happen.  But when the time came that God began to move my husband's heart about his health, my hubby became active, started eating right & caring about what he put into his body.

There have many other circumstances that I have prayed about for my husband over the years.  And God has always, always come through. He has worked the impossible for my husband in his career, softened his heart toward a decision that he was stuck on & grown my husband's character beyond anything I could've ever even hoped for him.

And in all that praying God did something I didn’t expect.  He worked behind the scenes to strengthen our marriage & show me how to be a wife.  So I benefited from praying for my husband as much as he has benefited from me doing it. 

Only God can be a lasting motivation for someone to change their life.

Here are 5 verses that I pray for my husband on a regular basis; I hope these will help guide you as you walk alongside your man too.

Ø Lord, I thank You for the way You uniquely created my husband.  Thank you for the gifts & talents You have given him.  I pray that You would guard his heart & mind against every dart the enemy launches at him & that You will fill him with Your strength to turn so that he will turn to You for guidance & protection.  Give him a hunger for Your ways.  {Psalm 107:9}

Ø God, I am so grateful that You are the perfect example of a Father.  Help my husband’s parenting to reflect You so that our children see Your heart for them.  Make his relationship with each of our children strong & let them have a deep love for one another.  {Ephesians 6:4}

Ø Father, bless my husband in his work.  Let him be diligent in all he does, working for You & not for man. Give him wisdom & let him be successful so that he stands before men in great authority & that Your light would shine in him in such a way, people would marvel at Your work in his life.  {Proverbs 22:29, Colossians 3:23}

Ø  I pray that my husband would have the courage to stand against any wrongs he encounters in this world.  Let him be an advocate for those in need & for those who cannot speak for themselves.  Give him boldness to stand for Your ways & not back down in the face of a world which wants him to compromise. {Proverbs 19:23}

Ø  I pray that my husband’s relationship with You & his desire for time in Your word would be above all else in his life.  Give him a burning passion to seek Your truth & speak Your ways everywhere he goes.  Let him run the race of faith with endurance.  {Acts 20:24, Luke 10:27}

Love,
Cara

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7 Scriptures to pray for your kids

Prayer is a gift to us from God.  It gives us direct access to our Father in heaven & allows us the ability to worship Him & bring our needs before Him.  The Word tells us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy & find grace to help us in our time of need.” {Hebrews 4:16}  And specifically praying scripture, which in itself is living & active, brings life & healing that only God can provide. {Proverbs 4:20-22}

It is impossible for us to physically & emotionally protect our kids from everything the world, more specifically the enemy, wants to throw at them.  But we can protect them in a more powerful way than our own feeble, physical attempts by bringing them before the Lord & letting Him protect, guide & teach them.  

As parents, our role in our children’s lives is crucial.  But our leading them to the Father is the most important thing we can do.  

Praying scripture for our kids, helps us view their lives as a whole process of god defining moments rather than our desire for a momentary behavior modification event.

Let me explain what I mean:  If my child is involved in a behavior that is defiant, disrespectful or otherwise concerning in any way, then as a parent I most definitely want to correct that behavior. The issue we face as parents is that we can often discipline a behavior but it may still continue down the road.  This is because all humans behave out of the fullness of their heart, {Proverbs 27:19} and only God can change someone’s heart. {Jeremiah 24:7}

I want my children to behave from day-to-day but more importantly, I want their hearts to mirror God’s ways of living.  Praying scripture definitely helps me keep the greater goal in mind & gives me a comfort & peace to remember that God is working in their lives & on their behalf for a greater purpose.

Below are 7 scriptures that you can apply & pray for your kids.  My hope is that these would be a springboard for you to find other scriptures the Lord highlights to you that apply directly to areas your own child is faced with in life.

  • Father, I pray that _______ would have a boldness for You that would cause people to marvel at Your goodness in him/her. {Acts 4:13}
  • I pray that _______ would never be ashamed of the gospel, which has the power to save the lost. {Romans 1:16}
  • Keep _______ from the evil one & let her know Your Word is truth so that he/she will be a world changer for Your kingdom. {John 17:15-18}
  • May _______’s eyes be opened to the ways You are working in his/her life.{2 Kings 6:17, 2 Corinthians 4:18}
  • I pray that _______ would love You with all his/her heart, soul & strength. {Mathew 22:37, Deuteronomy 6:5}
  • Father, may _______ have understanding of how long, how wide, how high & how deep Your love is for him/her & may You do exceedingly above anything I could ever ask or think for _______’s life {Ephesians 3:18-20}
  • Lord, I pray that _______ would have a heart to do all of his/her work for you. Let him/her never look for the praise of man but instead do everything with the mindset of pleasing You & walking in Your ways.  {Colossians 3:23}
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Love,
Cara

7 Scriptures to Pray Over Your College Student

The last 2 years, just before the time when parents drop kids off miles from home, I have published devotionals with scriptures that parents can pray for college students. 

I know the anxiety I feel each year when my kids start school hasn’t lessened with my child who is in higher education.

I am a mom who is naturally bent toward worry & fear over what my child faces in this world. Some of it is valid because a real enemy is seeking to destroy my kids, but some of it is very exaggerated in my own mind because of how hard I know life can be for students in their college years.

The only way I can calm myself down is to plant my thoughts in the soil of God’s protection for my child.  He is our defender & our protector. {Psalm 91:1-2}

Children enrich your life in a way that can't really be explained & the sudden absence that is left when they leave for college can't be filled by anything else. College is an exciting time in the lives of families, but just as it is a new experience for students, it is a unique situation for parents too.

Praying for our children is effective.  When God entrusts our children to us, we are given spiritual authority in their lives.  This means when we approach the throne of God for our kids, great things happen.  

God's Word is the greatest weapon we have against the enemy.  It is "living & powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword" {Hebrews 4:12} so using it as our weapon of warfare will help us to see mighty things happen in our child's life & weaken the plans the enemy has to deter his or her future.  I hope that the scriptures below will just be a starting point for you & that the Lord will give you other scriptures specific to your college student.  May He makes us so strong in His power that we will block the enemy from our children through our prayers.

Here are 7 scriptures to get you started praying for your college student this year:

{Fill in the blank with your student’s name}

Ø Lord, I pray that _______________ will develop a heart for You & Your ways.  I pray that You will silence all the ways the enemy wants to call out to her {him} in this world & that she {he} will hear Your voice as her {his} true guide.  {John 10:27} 

Ø Lord, I pray that _______________ will have clear discernment to choose right over wrong.  I pray that he {she} will shape opinions & choices about life based on Your Word & what is right in Your sight.  Reveal Yourself to him {her} as he {she} walks through life & let him {her} trust in You with all his {her} heart & not lean on human understanding. {Proverbs 3:5-6}

Ø Father, as _______________ deals with the pressures of school workload & social relationships, in addition to other responsibilities, I pray that You would keep her {him} free from any anxiety that would weigh her {him} down. Keep her {his} spirit & attitude in a good place of focus on You & keep her {his} mind on positive things.  {Philippians 4:8,
Proverbs 12:25}

Ø Father I pray that you would keep _______________ in complete health. I pray that _______________ would see that good health is a gift from you & that he {she} would be smart in all decisions regarding his {her} body.    Would You touch & heal anything in his {her} body that is not fully well & let him {her} know that you are the Healer. {Jeremiah 17:14}

Ø  I pray that _______________ would have fulfilling, godly friendships that will have a positive influence in her {his} life.  Enable her {him} to be discerning about who she {he} spends time with & trusts with the inner parts of her {his} life.   I pray that those friends will be influencers of Your love & give her {him} good guidance & advice.  May all her {his} relationships be equally yoked. {Proverbs 13:20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-15}

Ø Father, I pray that even when _____________doesn’t feel like it & circumstances don’t show it, ______________ will know You are with him {her} & that he {she} will hear Your voice telling him {her} that he {she} is a valiant warrior for You
{Judges 6:12}

Ø Thank you God that you have given _______________ a calling and gifts that are irrevocable.  I pray that he {she} will have the wisdom to seek your ways in those areas & use them to further his {her} sense of purpose in what You have called him {her} to.  {Romans 11:29}

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Love,
Cara

The How & Why of Praying Scripture

This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  1 John 5:14  

The other day I was praying with my daughter & when I finished she laughed & said, “you talked to God just like it was a conversation with another person!”

Praying should be just that, a conversation between me & God.  Over the years I have grown in my relationship enough that I talk to Him a lot, about a lot of different things all through the day.  Of course, I have concentrated prayer times, but a lot of what goes on in my communication with Him is a casual conversation between my heart & His.    

Just think if I went around only having long, formal conversations with the people in my life.  Sure, there are times when that type of communication is needed, but general conversation between family members & friends is made up of short bits of information, encouragement & concerns.  Talking about our day, talking about upcoming plans, discussing the lives of other people that we love.  Those same things are what we need to discuss with God.  

Our prayer life isn’t meant to be a liturgical ballad that makes angels stop in amazement; it’s meant to be a conversation with our Father who loves us.  

I have 2 kids & I love it when they talk to me.  However, they have entirely different styles of communication.  One is bold & says everything that comes to mind, the other is more analytical about words & gives me pieces of thoughts over time.  Either way, I don’t care because if my kids want to talk to me, I am willing to listen.  I don’t care if it's in-depth details about their day, silly antics of the time they spent with friends or dreams & desires they have in their heart.  I just want them to tell me about it.  

God is the same way. He understands we all have different ways of communication because He created us all differently.  He doesn’t care how you communicate with Him; He just desires that you do it regularly.    

He wants us to keep praying, keep talking & keep communicating with Him enough to learn that He will communicate with us as well.  God wants us to have the kind of prayer life that draws us to the understanding that He wants more for us than we could ever imagine.  {Ephesians 3:20-21}  

Too often we over-spiritualize prayer by making it such a religious act that it becomes dread or just something on the to-do list.  God sees us as His righteous child; He wants to hear from us & make our relationship with Him significant through our prayer.  

Sometimes we also use our own agenda in our prayers with the thought that it will somehow sway God’s viewpoint to that of our own.  

The problem is, my flawed human desires are so askew from God’s holy desire for my life.   This is where praying scripture is vital because praying our own inclinations for our lives will just wear us out & keep us feeling stuck, but praying God’s Word over our lives changes our perspective & aligns our hearts with God’s desires for us.  

When we pray His scripture, our spiritual eyes are opened & we see that God is not slack regarding His promises to His children. {2 Peter 3:9}  Praying scripture is simply taking the words of a verse or a passage & applying them to whatever situation you are facing.  The great thing about God’s Word is that it has one meaning but many applications.  “Interpretation of the Bible is singular, but the application is multiple because it is the job of the Holy Spirit to illumine the heart.”1  

The only way praying scripture works is if we enter into prayer with a heart that is willing to hear from God & receive what He wants for our lives.  He has a more excellent plan for us than we could ever dream up, but a hardened, selfish heart isn’t open to what He wants for our lives. We must first set aside our thoughts & intentions for situations in our life & be willing to look at them through the Father’s grand plan.  

So here are 5 prayers with scriptures that I have found valuable & I hope they will help you too:   

Father help me to know which way to go when I need to make a decision.    "Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." {Isaiah 30:21}  
Father help me to use the weapons you have laid out for me.  Weapons that help me exhibit the fruit of the Spirit & cause me to choose Your holiness in everything I do.     "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."  {2 Corinthians 10:3-5}  
Father help me to remember that You will work all things out for good in my life.  Right now, I can’t see past the circumstances of this trial, but I know You can.  You have everything I need to make it through & I trust in You.     "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God & to those who are called according to His purpose."  {Romans 8:28}  
Father help me to have a merry heart in all circumstances, not just the ones that make me happy. Let my joy come directly from you & let me keep my focus on the fact that You are bigger than everything that occurs in life.      "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."  {Proverbs 17:22}  
Father, thank you that you renew my spirit & that the things in this world that wear me out physically, emotionally & mentally feel like they may overwhelm me, I can find refuge in You that is refreshing to my soul.     "We do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day." {2 Corinthians 4:16}   

We can experience God’s character as we become aware of His presence through prayer.  Praying His own Word back to Him increases our intimacy with Him.   

 

1  The Nelson Study Bible, copyright 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission

Love,
Cara

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Praying for Your College Student

Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord & lift up your hands for the lives of your children....Lamentations 2:19

Having a child in college changes your prayer life.  When kids are at home under our roof, we sometimes pray for them with the belief that we are in control of the situations they are facing.   Though God has made us a spiritual authority in our child’s life, ultimately, the decision to claim faith & live it out, comes down to the choices our children make.   

Children enrich life in a profound way & the sudden absence that is left when they leave for college can’t be filled by anything else.  Though it is an exciting time in the lives of families, college is as new of an experience for parents as it is for students.  When children are out of the house & away at college, they are in essence, on their own.  Which is a very different scenario from the 18 years they spent living at home. 

Parents & kids enter college with expectations of what will be, but we also are grieving what was.   The way things were in our family dynamics will change and will never again be the same as before we took our child to college.    Parents will become increasingly less of a critical part of their children’s daily lives.  We become advisors to our kids & no longer disciplinarians in their day-to-day activities. 

We have once again moved our son away for another year of college & I am once again filled with the same desperation I felt last year for God to move into the vast expanse of the miles between us & fill my child with the grace only He can give. I want God to show up in my child’s life & reveal Himself in ways that will refine my son’s walk as a mighty man of God.

Here are some of the prayers I’ll be praying for my son as he’s away this year.  I hope these will be helpful to you as you build a reserve of scripture prayers for your child as well.

  • Lord, I pray that _______________ will develop a heart for You & Your ways.  I pray that You will silence all the ways the enemy wants to call out to her {him} in this world & that she {he} will hear Your voice as her {his} true guide.  {John 10:27}
  • Thank you God that you have given _______________ a calling and gifts that are irrevocable.  I pray that he {she} will have the wisdom to seek Your ways in those areas & use them to further his {her} sense of purpose in what You have called him {her} to.  {Romans 11:29}
  • Father, as _______________ deals with the pressures of school workload & social relationships, in addition to other responsibilities, I pray that You would keep her {him} free from any anxiety that would weigh her {him} down.  Keep her {his} spirit & attitude in a good place of focus on You & keep her {his} mind on positive things.  {Philippians 4:8, Proverbs 12:25}
  • Lord, I pray that _______________ will have clear discernment to choose right over wrong.  I pray that he {she} will shape opinions & choices about life based on Your Word & what is right in Your sight.  Reveal Yourself to him {her} as he {she} walks through life & let him {her} trust in You with all his {her} heart & not lean on human understanding. {Proverbs 3:5-6}
  • I pray that in the midst of living life independently, that _______________ would learn to live life in discipline as well.  Show her {him} that there is a path that leads to destruction & a path that leads to an abundant life.  {Matthew 7:13-14}
  • Father I pray that you would keep _______________ in complete health.  I pray that _______________ would see that good health is a gift from you & that he {she} would be smart in all decisions regarding his {her} body.    Would You touch & heal anything in his {her} body that is not fully well & let him {her} know that you are the Healer. {Jeremiah 17:14}
  • I pray that _______________ would have fulfilling, godly friendships that will have a positive influence in her {his} life.  Enable her {him} to be discerning about who she {he} spends time with & trusts with the inner parts of her {his} life.   I pray that those friends will be influencers of Your love & give her {him} good guidance & advice.  May all her {his} relationships be equally yoked.  {Proverbs 13:20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-15}

 

related topics:  7 Scriptures to Pray for Your College Student

Photo by Catherine Price

Photo by Catherine Price

Love,
Cara

Praying Scripture

No matter how long we have walked with Christ, prayer is one thing that will continue to be a necessary part of our walk.  However, prayer does not need to be a dread as though it is just a task to check off the list.  In fact, with time & practice, prayer can become second nature to breathing.  

I believe with all my heart that every situation in our life that does not reflect God’s love & truth is tied to a sinful stronghold.  Whether it is mental, physical or emotional, a worldly stronghold is anything “that sets itself up against the knowledge of God”. {2 Corinthians 10:3-6}  According to the dictionary definition, a stronghold is a “well fortified place”.   This sounds much like the things in the world that keep us in bondage & keep us from living an abundant life.  

Over 15 years ago, I came to a serious realization that my marriage was in the bottom of a dark pit.  I remember clearly the day I cried out to God & told Him if He didn't do something, it would all be over.  I tell you in all seriousness, that without praying scripture over my situation I don’t know how things would’ve turned out. 

What God did was change my perspective.

Unfortunately, in the beginning, my prayers were somewhat wasted with my own agenda & desires for what I wanted for my marriage & what I wanted my husband to be.  

After realizing this method was wearing me out & allowing my circumstances to get the best of me, I knew I needed a different battle plan.

I began praying scripture over the circumstances that had brought my marriage down.   The shift in my mindset was nothing short of miraculous.  I began to realize through praying God’s word over my husband, my thoughts about my marriage & my spouse aligned with what God wanted, instead of my flawed human desires.  Over time, God’s desires for my marriage became my full focus.  It was an amazing turnaround that used the power of God’s Word to rescue my marriage & restore us to a place of living in love & grace daily.  

I have found a passion for praying scripture over every relationship & area of my life because it pulls me out of my own tunnel vision & takes me to the One Who’s ways are higher than mine. {Isaiah 55:8-9}  I have also come to realize, in opposite contradiction to the spiritual warfare of strongholds, that according to Psalm 18:2, God can be a stronghold as well.  This means that I am not bound to my own failures or this fallen world but I am bound to the stronghold of God Almighty & He is my “well fortified place”.

Too often, we pray with our own agenda...

...we don’t see changes in life or relationships that we want, so we just give up.  We stop praying because our natural eyes don’t see God at work, but when we pray His scripture, our spiritual eyes are opened & we begin to realize that God is not slack concerning His promises. {2 Peter 3:9}

Praying scripture is simply taking the words of a verse or a passage & applying them to whatever situation you are facing.  Here are some examples:

If I need to make a decision, I might take Isaiah 30:21 to the Lord.  “Whether you turn to the right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’.  I would quote that verse to the Lord & ask Him to help me to hear His voice specifically guiding me in the way He wants me to go.  

If I have a relational conflict that needs divine guidance, I might pray Ephesians 4:29-32.   I would say, ‘Father keep me from unwholesome talk & let my words be life giving.  Cleanse my heart of any bitterness & anger & let kindness & compassion fill its place.’

If I am in a situation where my mind {or someone else’s mind} needs to change, I would ask God to help me set my mind on things above & remove my thoughts from earthly things.  I would also ask Him to transform my mind & renew my thoughts.  {Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:2-3}

Of course these are only a few examples {I have made a list for you of a few other scriptures & topics below}, but you can see how our own pre-conceived thoughts or emotion about a situation can change to line up with what our Father wants for our lives.

Here are some ideas about how to begin to pray scripture in your own life:

Ask Your Father For Help ~ The only way praying scripture works is if we enter in to it with a heart that is willing to hear from God & receive what He wants for our lives.  He has greater plans for us than we could ever dream up, but a hardened, selfish heart isn’t open to what He wants.  We must set aside our own thoughts & intentions for situations & be willing to look at them through the Father’s great plan.  {Ephesians 3:20, Ezekiel 36:26}

Write It Down ~ I keep a stack of Bible verses that move my heart when I read them.  This can be a good place to start when we need to find a scripture to pray. We are in a battle against an enemy that wants to destroy every part of us including our relationships, identity, faith & our heart.  Having a stack of scripture cards is like keeping the ‘shield of faith’ readily at our side to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. {Ephesians 6:10-18}

Don’t Stop Short ~ It is so easy to have good intentions about prayer without full follow through.  Because there is a holy mystery about exactly how God uses this specific channel of communication with His children to bring Heaven to earth, we too often stop short of giving our full passion to prayer.  The fact that God ordained this way of inviting His holy power into our circumstances should be enough for us to keep at it, but too often we stop just short of His breakthrough.  Praying scripture truly helps keep us engaged by focusing on God’s will over our own desires, because it will bring a movement of God that we might otherwise miss. {Matthew 6:5-13}

What area do you need to apply scripture to in order to shift your perspective from earthly to heavenly?  Where is your Father calling you to give up earthly strongholds & let Him be the stronghold of your life?

Here are a few more topical scriptures you might want to consider:

Related Topics:  How to Pray, 7 Scriptures to Pray for Your College Student, 7 Scriptures to Pray for Your Teen

Love, Cara

How to Pray

Prayer is something I love but this wasn't always the case.  I used to be extremely intimidated by prayer.  When I was a little girl, I thought prayers had to be long & very formal with big words that needed Webster to define them.  I believed that somehow when I was grown my prayers would naturally morph into a liturgical ballad.  As I got older, my angst for praying grew as I felt like everyone around me could pray amazing prayers, hear clearly from the Lord & speak words that made angels stop in amazement.

My desire to have a good line of communication with God, however, spurred me on to keep at it.  After reading countless books on prayer, I began to gain understanding that prayer is an intimate & crucial part of our relationship with our Father who loves us.  Practically, I forced myself to pray in group settings, to spend time praying daily & keep a prayer journal.   I also learned to love praying scripture, which has been the key for me to unlock consistent & perpetual prayer with God. 

I have 2 kids & I love it when they talk to me.  They have completely different styles of communication.  One is bold & says everything that comes to mind, the other is more analytical about words & gives me pieces of thoughts over time.

Either way, I don’t care.  If my kids want to talk to me, I am willing to listen.  I don’t care if it’s about deep details of their day or silly antics of time spent with friends.  I just want them to tell me about it. 

God is the same way.  He understands we all have different ways of communicating with Him because He created us all differently.  He doesn’t care how you communicate; He just desires that you do it regularly. 

We need a prayer life that is persistent enough to keep discouragement from derailing us  

He wants us to keep praying, keep talking, and keep communicating.  His desire is for us to tell Him the good, the bad & the ugly.  We need the kind of prayer life that believes that God wants more for us than we could ever imagine.  {Ephesians 3:20-21}

We must stop over-spiritualizing prayer by making it all about religion & begin to measure ourselves through the eyes of God to make it all about relationship.  He sees us as His righteous child.  He wants to hear from us & He doesn’t compare us, or our prayers, to anyone else. 

Here are some things I’ve learned about communication with the Father:

A willing heart is all it takes ~ Take a tip from Nike & Just Do It!  Start with a few words, start with the Lord’s Prayer, start by writing out things you can thank God for, but just start.  You would never dream of having any relationship with a human being that you didn’t talk to.  God is your Father & your Friend & if you do not talk to Him, your relationship can’t grow.  Ask Him to show you how to make prayer a more comfortable action in your life.  {2 Corinthians 8:10-12, Colossians 4:2}

Let God’s words be your words ~ Jesus Himself gave His disciples words to pray.  If Jesus pointed people to pray scripture, we need to take special heed to how important God’s own words are to Him.  It’s not because God is boastful & thinks His words are the only words, but it’s because He wants to know you value His principles & hide them in your heart.  Praying Psalms is also another great place to start because they are so real.  There is so much praise & so much real life wrapped up in the book of Psalms.  {Luke 11:1-4, Psalm 119:105}

Be relentless in your prayers ~ Your enemy is scheming constantly to do harm to you.  If you stop praying you will essentially be giving your victory over to the devil.  In Ephesians, not only does Paul tell us to put on the Armor of God to stand firm in our faith but he tells us that we need to pray persistently at all times.   Being a person of prayer lays claim to the victory God wants for you.  {Luke 11:9-10, Ephesians 6:18}

What is your next step in prayer?  Do you need to make it a daily habit, pray out loud in groups or be bold enough to pray for a neighbor or co-worker?  Ask the Lord to help you to deepen your communication with Him. 

Love, Cara

 

 
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7 Scriptures to Pray for Your Teen

When I posted 7 Scriptures to Pray for your College Student, the response was overwhelming.  It is apparent how much we all love & value our children & how we want God’s best for their lives. 

Teen years are tricky ones.  Research suggests the teen brain is only 80% developed which is why teens can be so irrational & sometimes make poor decisions.  Praying for our teens is a way to fight for them behind the scenes.

Prayer is a gift to us from God.  It gives us direct access to our Father in heaven & allows us the ability to worship Him & bring our needs before Him.  The Word tells us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy & find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Praying scripture, which is living & active, brings life & healing {Proverbs 4:20-22} to situations that only God can provide.

Below are some scriptures that you can apply & pray for your teen.  My hope is that these would be a springboard for you to find other scriptures the Lord highlights to you that apply directly to your own child.

§  Father, I pray that _______ would have such a boldness for You that people would marvel at Your goodness in him/her. {Acts 4:13}

§  I pray that _______ would never be ashamed of the gospel, which has the power to save the lost. {Romans 1:16}

§  Keep _______ from the evil one & let him/her know Your Word is truth so that he/she will be a world changer for Your kingdom. {John 17:15-18}

§  May _______’s eyes be opened to the ways You are working in his/her life. {2 Kings 6:17, 2 Corinthians 4:18}

§  May You be the only stronghold that is ever present in _______’s life. {Psalm 18:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:4}

§  I pray that _______ would love You with all his/her heart, soul & mind. {Mathew 22:37}

§  Father, may _______ have understanding of how long, how wide, how high & how deep Your love is for him/her & may You do exceedingly above anything I could ever ask or think for _______’s life {Ephesians 3:18-20}

 

Love, Cara

7 Scriptures to Pray for Your College Student

I am in the season of life where sending a child to college is reality.  If this is your season too, I hope this will bless you ~ if you are not in this season, please share this with someone who is.  When college students are away, we as parents are not as involved in their every day life as we once were, which can make it a bit more challenging to have specifics to pray for.  I decided to come up with a list of 7 prayers to pray every day, so that when I don’t know the specifics of my college student’s life, the Father will cover them because the "Spirit makes intercession for us when we are weak & do not know what to pray" {Romans 8:26} .  

The value of praying for our children runs deep.   When God entrusts our children to us, we are given spiritual authority in their lives.  This means when we approach the throne of God for our kids, great things happen. 

God’s Word is the greatest weapon we have against the enemy.  It is “living & powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword” {Hebrews 4:12} so using it as our weapon of warfare will help us to see mighty things happen in our child’s life & weaken the plans the enemy has to deter his or her future.  My hope is that the scriptures below will just be a starting point for you & that the Lord will give you other scriptures specific to your college student.  May He makes us so strong in His power that we will block the enemy from our children. 

{Fill in the blank with your student’s name}

Ø  I pray _______ will find a loyal friend as Jonathan & David were to each other & that they will “love each other more than their own soul” {1 Samuel 20:17}

Ø  I pray that You will bring people into _______ life who will speak words of wisdom & life over him/her & assure _______ of Your faithfulness {Deuteronomy 31:7-8}

Ø  I pray that you will keep _______ safe.  Give your angels charge over him/her & may he/she say “the LORD is my refuge & my fortress” {Psalm 91}

Ø  I pray that _______will trust in You with all of his/her heart, mind & soul & that he/she will seek Your truth above all else {Proverbs 3:5-6}

Ø  I pray that even when _______doesn’t feel like it & circumstances don’t show it, _______ will hear Your voice telling him/her that he/she is a valiant warrior for You {Judges 6:12}

Ø  I pray that _______ will have a desire & a joy for learning from the teachers You bring into his/her life {Proverbs 23:12}

Ø  I pray that _______ will walk as Your light to the community he/she lives in & that his/her light will be so bright it cannot be hidden {Matthew 5:14-16 & Ephesians 5:8}

Be diligent in prayer.  God is doing great things!

Love, Cara