Praying Through Gifts I'd Give My Children

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GIFT #1 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE BIBLICALLY BASED AS A PEOPLE.

• Pray that God's word would be our authority, conscience and guide in everything.
• Pray that we would follow Ezra's example and "set our heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." (Ezra 7:10)
• Pray that we would be believe Proverbs 3:15-17 and respond accordingly. Pray that we would not "walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers" but that we would delight ourselves "in the law of the Lord and on that law meditate both day and night." (Psalms 1:1-2) Pray that we would take "the things which we have heard in the presence of many witnesses and entrust them to faithful men and women who will be able teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:2) Pray that Deuteronomy 6:1-7 would be our testimony and practice.

GIFT #2 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD HAVE A LOVE FOR, AN ADORATION OF AND A DESIRE TO SURRENDER TO CHRIST IN EVERYTHING.

• Pray that we would have a passion for Christ-likeness.
• Pray that it would be obvious to all who know us that Jesus is Lord and head of this church, and that it is for Him that we exist. Pray that full devotion would be seen as normal for believers at Watermark.
• Pray that everything we do would exalt His name and further His kingdom.
• Pray that we would desire to emulate the attributes of Christ and increasingly be conformed to His image.
• Pray that we would master the Master's life and that our upcoming study of the book of Mark would deepen our awareness of what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Christ.
• Praise the Lord that He loves us just the way we are but too much to leave us that way.
• Praise Him that He wants us to be just like Jesus.
• Pray that we could say with increasing boldness, "Imitate me as I imitate Jesus" (1 Corinthians 11:1).

GIFT #3 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE AWARE OF OUR NEED FOR, THE BENEFITS OF AND THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO GRACE.

• Pray that we would acknowledge our complete dependence on the goodness of God in everything.
• Pray that we would never forget how we ourselves have benefited from the kind intention of His will' (Ephesians 1:7) and that we would
• therefore eagerly extend it to others.
• Praise God that 'He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.' (Psalms 103:10)
• Pray that we would be known as a people who boast about nothing but the goodness, mercy and grace of God in our lives.

GIFT #4 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE CONSISTENT IN OUR PASSION FOR PRAYER.

• Pray that we would consistently pray and make petitions on behalf off all men, for kings who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (2 Timothy 2:1-3)
• Pray for our first Saturday of the month prayer time (we meet for the first time next Saturday, 6:30-8 PM at the Watermark offices) that it would become a consistent time of encouragement, community and worship for our body.

GIFT #5 - PRAY THAT AUTHENTICITY, INTEGRITY, OPENNESS AND SINCERITY WOULD DEFINE US.

• Pray that Watermark members would be known by the fact that the goal of our instruction is love, from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.
• Pray that we would be driven by our genuine love for God and others, not selfish gain, ulterior motives or opportunism.
• Pray that we would be free from hypocrisy. Pray that our lives would answer the questions the world is asking:
  • Do you love me?
  • Are you real?
  • Does it work?

GIFT #6 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE COMMITTED TO THE UNCOMMITTED.

• Pray that we would be active in sharing our faith, so that we will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. (Philemon v.6)
• Pray that our 'light would shine before men in such a way that they will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven'. (Matthew 5:16)
• Pray specifically and by name for lost friends, neighbors, co-workers and family.
• For the unchurched and dechurched: Pray that we would learn to love them, develop authentic relationships and friendships with ever more of them.
• Pray that we would always treat them as people and not as projects.
• Pray that God would cause us to weep at the thought of them living another day without Christ.
• Pray that we would be a community of salt and light that God would choose to use to draw His sheep to Himself.
• Pray that this would be a church that lost people grow to know and trust as a place where truth is taught with grace, where the wayward and struggling are
• welcomed but also where many are regularly transformed into followers of Christ.
• For the dead-churched and unmoved: Pray that they would be challenged by our sincerity of faith and passion for Christ. Pray that they would be moved to inquire about our lives of obedience and joy. Pray that our responses would be kind, reverent and that God would protect us from pride, elitism and judgementalism.
• "May it never be that we should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to us and us to the world". (Galatians 6:14)

GIFT #7 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE RELEVANT, INNOVATIVE AND FLEXIBLE.

• Pray that we would be powerful in our presence, humble in our possession of God's truth, useful to His purposes, innovative in His work and relevant to the world.
• Pray that we would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
• Pray that we would be creative in the way we take the never changing message of the gospel to an ever-changing people.
• Pray that we would do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit but that with humility of mind we would treat others as more important than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
• Pray that we would not fall in love with types of 'wineskins' but rather that we would always creatively and wisely package and serve the wine. (Matthew 9:17) Pray that we would always carefully scrutinize everything we do, and change within biblical parameters, in order that we "by all means possible might save some."
• Pray that we would always decorate our lives, both individual and corporate, with that which is welcoming, useful and challenging to the hurting, hopeless and curious.
• Pray that we would welcome what is unfamiliar to us so that we can allow others to grow familiar with God.

GIFT #8 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD INVOLVE OURSELVES DEEPLY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND SHARE ALL OF LIFE TOGETHER.

• Pray that we would know what it means to have friends worth having.
• Pray that we would live out the one another's of Scripture…specifically that we would love one another, care for one another, serve one another, admonish one another, show forbearance to and forgive one another; keep fervent in our love for one another, are hospitable towards one another and employ our gifts in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; greet one another, be of the same mind toward one another, be kind to each other and speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; build up, comfort, pray for, encourage, live in peace with and seek after that which is good for one another.
• Pray that we clothe ourselves in humility toward one another, live in subjection to one another, stimulate one another on to love and good deeds, confess sins to one another, live in peace with one another and give preference to one another in honor; and pray that we encourage one another day after day lest any of us become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

GIFT # 9 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD ALWAYS HAVE THE WISDOM TO ASK OF EACH OTHER SOMETHING GREAT.

• Pray that every one of us would employ are gifts in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)
• Pray that each of us would be active in serving within our area of passion and giftedness, both in the church and the community.
• Pray that God would awaken an entrepreneurial Spirit in each one of us and that we would be creative in our ministries and service.
• Pray that we would give and live sacrificially.
• Pray that each of us is valued in their area of giftedness and that all of us serve with joy and without selfish interest or ulterior motive.

GIFT #10 - PRAY THAT WE WOULD KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO FIGHT TO THE BETTER END.

• Pray that we would walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
• Pray that we would understand the difference between "I'm sorry" and "Will you forgive me?"
• Pray that we would overlook small offenses and yet never ignore things which are dishonoring to God, damage relationships between individuals, hurt other people or diminish a person's usefulness to God.
• Pray that we would see conflict as an opportunity to glorify God, serve others and to grow in Christ-likeness.
• Pray that we would as far as it depends on us, be at peace with all men'. (Romans 12:18)