“And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught also his disciples.’ So he said to them, ‘when you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one’ ” (Luke 11:1-4, KJV.)
Fully convinced that it is not only necessary to stir up people to pray but also to help them to know what to pray about, we have written the next two books in this series. The books are, Practical Helps for Praying Believers, Volume One, How to Pray for Yourself; and Volume Two,How to Pray for Your Local Assembly. Below is a chapter from Volume One on the part, “Praying for Your Family.” Pray through them and see if they help you to be more fulfilled as you pray for your mate. Praise the Lord!
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Thank the Lord for him in a general way but for specific items.
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Thank the Lord for His goodness to him yesterday:
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protection,
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needs met,
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and so on.
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Thank the Lord for the things that He enabled him to accomplish yesterday in the following domains:
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God’s service,
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at his place of work,
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In the home.
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Pray that the Lord should enable him to plan every day in advance and that the plans should be God-directed.
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Pray that he should plan the day of tomorrow today and that there should be a clear goal to be accomplished.
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Pray that he should keep to the plan for today and labour to ensure that the goal set for today is attained.
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Pray that he should write down the plans and in the evening have the courage to face them for evaluation.
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Pray for his time of meditation:
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that he should be disciplined so as to keep to the scheduled time,
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that he should hunger to meet God,
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that he should actually meet God and not just analyse and apply the Word,
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that he should receive a touch of the Lord that will be his strength for the day,
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that he would obey the Lord in the things that He spoke to him about.
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Pray for his prayer life, that:
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his eyes should be opened increasingly to the priority of prayer,
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he should make prayer his priority,
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his prayer times previously fixed should be respected,
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his prayer times should be protected from the attacks of the wicked one,
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he should enter into communion with God in prayer,
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he should ask and receive from the Lord what to ask in prayer,
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he should be given faith to believe God as he asks in prayer,
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he should listen to God during his time of prayer,
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God should speak to him as he prays; so that it should be a dialogue and not a monologue,
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he should fulfil his office as the priest of the home by interceding for his wife, each of his children and any other members of his household,
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he should know how to mingle his asking with thanksgiving to the Lord,
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he should be enabled to fulfil part of his office as the prophet of the home by leading in teaching the Word during family devotion in the morning,
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he should be burdened to pray more.
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Pray for his job and professional life in the following way:
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Thank the Lord for his job and all the income he has earned in the past.
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Thank the Lord for his previous professional performance. Be very specific.
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Pray that the Lord should enable him to put on and maintain the attitude of a servant at his place of work.
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Pray that he should be loyal to his boss, obedient and respectful to all his seniors and kind to his juniors.
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Pray that he should work very hard, so that the Lord may be glorified in his professional life.
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Pray that he should not do Christian work instead of his professional work at his place of work, so that his salary should be justifiably earned.
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Pray that the Lord should enable him to make a distinct professional contribution.
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Pray that as the Lord opens the door, he should witness to his colleagues and win them for Christ.
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Pray that he should not be persecuted, unless the Lord has designed it to be so, because of his faith.
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Pray that he should be promoted when he deserves promotion but that he should not be moved by elevations in the world.
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Pray that he should have professional fulfilment at his job.
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Pray for his relationship with his wife, that:
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he should love and cherish her increasingly,
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he should honour, encourage, and appreciate instead of depreciating her,
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he should have the courage to correct her in love,
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he should be gentle, kind and considerate to her in all things,
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he should be faithful to her in thought, word and deed as unto the Lord,
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he should be protected from the attractions of other women,
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he should give a helping hand joyfully with house work as the need may be,
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he should pray for her daily and also pray with her daily, even if it is just for a few minutes,
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his wife should find fulfilment in him and blossom as a woman,
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he should bear with her faults and weaknesses and help her to overcome them.
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Pray for him as a father, that:
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he should love each child deeply,
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he should encourage each child by word, letter or gift as the need may be,
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he should notice the weaknesses of each child and labour to have them taken away by prayer and practical application,
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he should pray for each child in a specific manner,
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he should apply Spirit-controlled discipline to the children where necessary,
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he should be sensitive to the needs of each child and labour to meet them,
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he should thank the Lord for each child and consider it a privilege to be his/her father,
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he should set a good example in everything before the children,
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the children should love and obey him in all things,
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the children should be at home with him so that they can share their problems and needs freely with him,
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he should be fulfilled as a father.
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Pray for his attitude to money throughout the day, that:
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he should consecrate all the money he is to use to the Lord,
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he should seek the Lord’s will about every franc before use,
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he should be transparent to his wife about all monetary matters,
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he should record all income and expenditures,
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he should be fully aware that he may be called up by the Lord that day to give an account of his financial stewardship.
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Pray for his ministry to the Lord, the Lord’s people and the lost, that:
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he should become a minister to the Lord by being a true worshipper who worships the Lord in Spirit and in truth and that he should seek to know the Lord’s needs and to minister to Him according to those needs,
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he should carry his ministry to God, the saints and the lost on his heart and that it will weigh on him,
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he should relentlessly pursue the goals that he received from the Lord for his ministry,
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he should pursue the goal that he set for that day and do all to accomplish it,
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he should make prayer the priority of his ministry to God, the saints and the lost,
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he should be delivered from the sins of comparison, pride and jealousy and should labour to satisfy the Lord alone,
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he should sacrificially put in his all: time, money and energy into the call of God on his life.
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Pray for his points of strength, which are:
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and so on.
That:
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the Lord should bless him more and more,
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the Lord should enable him to further develop in these areas,
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the Lord should deliver him from the fatal sin of pride.
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Pray for his points of weakness, which include:
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and so on.
That the Lord should:
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open his eyes to see them,
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enable him to accept himself with his weaknesses and not develop an inferiority complex,
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enable him to humble himself before the Lord, desiring and requesting to be delivered,
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enable him to co-operate with Him for his deliverance, so that his weaknesses can be taken away.
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Pray that the Lord should deliver him from the following sins that plague many men:
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a) lust,
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b) impatience,
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c) covetousness,
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d) Discouragement.
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Pray that he should see the gravity of each of these sins before the Lord.
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Pray that he should have an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit; so that he should be deeply convicted, should he fall into any.
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Pray that when convicted he should repent immediately and genuinely and seek the Lord’s forgiveness and restoration.
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Pray that he should be filled with the Holy Spirit daily; so that he should know a continuous walk in purity.
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Pray for his physical health that he should be delivered from all the attacks of the Enemy through:
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his ministry to the Lord,
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his ministry to the saints,
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his ministry to the lost,
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his attitude to Satan,
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his attitude to a judged and condemned world;
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his attitude to the flesh,
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his attitude to the self-life in him.
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Praise the Lord for having enabled you to pray for him.
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Amen.