A spiritual retreat is a time when one withdraws from people and from all else, in order to be lost in God, listen to Him, hear Him, make a plan to obey Him and do something with Him that is best done in seclusion.
It is a time when in response to the call of God to come apart and be with Him alone, a lover of the Lord obeys and so finds himself alone with God.
It is a time when all other voices and noises are shut out of the heart and mind and all attention is directed to the Lord – on hearing His voice and doing His bidding.
It is a time when a person goes away from the presence of men and their distractions, to be alone with himself, in order to concentrate on a God-given task.
In the pages following, we have used the fifteen periods of one minute each, since most believers will be able to have enough to talk to the Lord about any topic for one minute, whereas some believers may not have enough to say to the Lord about a topic for three minutes.
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SUGGESTED PRAYER PROGRAMME FOR A FIFTEEN MINUTE RETREAT
A. IN THE MORNING
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First minute : Thanksgiving for the night. Thanksgiving for a new day. Thanksgiving for the good works pre-planned by the Lord for that day.
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Second minute : Consecration to the Lord. Receiving the infilling with the Holy Spirit.
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Third minute : Asking for daily bread. Asking for other basic needs: transportation, and so on.
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Fourth minute : Placing your body, life, job, finances, feelings, mind and will under the blood of Jesus. Placing all you love and all that is theirs under the blood of Jesus for protection from the attacks of Satan.
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Fifth minute : Praying for your job and all that is happening there and will happen there that day.
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Sixth minute : Further praying for your job.
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Seventh minute: Praying for the right attitude to all you will meet that day.
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Eighth minute : Ask to be led to the person you will witness to that day.
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Ninth minute : Ask that the person to whom you will witness to that day be saved.
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Tenth minute : Pray for all the appointments you have during the day.
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Eleventh minute: Pray for your family members.
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Twelfth minute : Pray for your friend, friends and all you love.
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Thirteenth minute: Pray about your physical appearance: what you will wear and how you will wear it.
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Fourteenth minute: Pray about your attitude to time for the day: how to use it; how to redeem it and how to prepare to account for it at the Judgment Seat of the Lord.
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Fifteenth minute : Ask the Lord to prepare your heart for all the unexpected events and all the unexpected people who will come your way that day.
Praise the Lord.
B. AT NOON
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First minute : Confess any sin committed since morning. Receive the infilling with the Holy Spirit.
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Second minute : Thank God for all that has happened since morning. Mention specific items and thank Him for answered prayers.
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Third minute : Pray for your assembly.
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Fourth minute : Pray for your spiritual leader.
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Fifth minute : Pray for five people who have not yet believed.
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Sixth minute : Pray for the next five people on your list who have not yet believed in the Lord.
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Seventh minute: Pray for five believers.
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Eighth minute : Pray for five backsliders.
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Ninth minute : Pray for two organizations (ministries) serving the Lord’s interest in your country or in any part of the world.
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Tenth minute : Pray for the ministry that you are a part of physically or financially.
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Eleventh minute: Continue to pray for the ministry that you are a part of.
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Twelfth minute : Continue to pray for the ministry that you are a part of.
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Thirteenth minute: Pray for an unevangelized area or country.
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Fourteenth minute: Pray for the leaders (political) of your nation.
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Fifteenth minute : Thank the Lord for the privilege of praying. Thank the Lord for this prayer session. Sing a song unto the Lord.
C. IN THE EVENING
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First minute : Confession of all sins committed in thought, word and deed since the afternoon. Repentance and a forsaking of sin and the sinful way. Receive the infilling with the Holy Spirit.
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Second minute : Pray for your prayer life.
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Third minute : Pray for any outstanding needs in the direction of your spiritual growth and progress. This could include problems in fasting.
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Fourth minute : More praying for any outstanding needs in the realm of your spiritual progress and growth. This could include problems in ministry.
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Fifth minute : Further praying for any outstanding needs in the realm of your spiritual progress and growth. This could include problems in the realm of Christian character.
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Sixth minute : Pray for personal ministry to the Lord.
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Seventh minute: Pray for personal ministry to the Body of Christ.
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Eighth minute : Pray for personal ministry to the world.
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Ninth minute : Pray for guidance about the expansion of personal ministry.
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Tenth minute: Pray for co-labourers.
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Eleventh minute: Further prayer for co-labourers.
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Twelfth minute: Pray for the ministry of your friend and/or loved one.
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Thirteenth minute: Pray for the enemies of your ministry
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Fourteenth minute: Pray for growth in spiritual experience.
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Fifteenth minute: Thanksgiving for all that has happened. Write down the key things to be remembered.
D. AT NIGHT
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First minute: The confession of all sin committed since the last time of prayer. Thanksgiving to the the Lord for all that was accomplished during the day and especially since one last prayed.
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Second minute: Pray for signs to follow personal ministry.
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Third minute : Pray for signs to follow the ministry of another minister.
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Fourth minute: Pray for the expansion of personal ministry.
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Fifth minute : Pray for the healing of some believers.
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Sixth minute : Pray for the healing for some unbelievers.
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Seventh minute: Pray for any financial needs.
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Eighth minute : Pray for any material project you are involved in.
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Ninth minute : Pray for Bible translating and producing organizations.
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Tenth minute : Pray for the advance of the gospel in a particular Moslem country.
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Eleventh minute: Pray for the advance of the gospel in a Hindu country.
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Twelfth minute : Pray for the advance of the gospel in China.
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Thirteenth minute: Pray for the advance of the gospel in an unreached tribe like the Pygmies.
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Fourteenth minute: Praise for the blessings you have received in Christ.
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Fifteenth minute : Praise and thanksgiving for the accomplishments of the day. Commitment of self and all those whom you love to the Lord for protection throughout the night.
You may find that there is more to pray about than the time allows you and that what was intended to take one minute takes two, five or ten minutes. There is no problem with that. It only means that you have to shedule other prayer times to accomplish your programme. Endeavour to do that.
