Dear Lord God almighty, my heavenly Father,
You have called us to love – freely, fully, unconditionally. You gave us Your word to teach us what loves does. You have sent Your Son to show us Who love is.
Yet I have chosen to live selfishly. No matter how hard I try, I cannot love like You. My failure to love has created for me a twin burden that I carry, namely guilt and shame. But in spite of all my selfishness, You have not turned away from me. Jesus came from heaven to die on the cross to pay for my self-centered failure to love. He rose again, ascended to heaven, and sent His Spirit to live in me. Now I have the divine ability to love like You.
Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live in me and through me. Thank You that the gift of Your Spirit identifies me as Your own, guaranteeing that I will be saved on the day of Your redemption. Help me never take the gift of Your Spirit for granted. Help me never to bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit by the way I live. I don’t want to break His heart.
Help me to embrace Your truth and to tell Your truth to others. Remind me that in Christ’s body – the church- we are all connected to each other. Show me that when I don’t tell the whole truth I end up not only hurting myself but also everyone else. So, help me put away all falsehood.
Lord, help me to be angry only with what makes You angry. Save me from any sinful, selfish kinds of anger that linger on and on – that I take to bed with me. May I never use anger as fuel for revenge. Save me from self-seeking anger that can give the devil a foothold in my life.
Help me not be a taker, but a giver. Guide me into my career calling so that I will use these hands You’ve given me for good hard work so that I might give generously to with anyone in need.
Help me to watch the way I talk. I don’t want to corrupt anyone with my speech. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of my mouth. Instead, help me be intentional to build others up – to say only what helps. May everything I say be good and helpful, so that my words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. May my words be gifts to bless others’ lives.
Teach me how to make a clean break with bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander along with all malice. Help me to be gentle with and sensitive to others. Thank You for forgiving me though the gospel of Christ. How could I not forgive others as quickly and as thoroughly as You have forgiven me? May more and more of Your kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness flow from my life to others.
Thank You for enabling me, by Your Spirit’s power, to love like You in Jesus’ name,
Amen
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This prayer has been inspired by Ephesians 4:25-32. Some of the words and phrases in this prayer have been taken directly from the English Standard Version, the New Living Translation, and The Message.
