My Prayer Strategy #3 - Breastplate of Righteousness

Sharing with you my prayer strategy for the "Breastplate of Righteousness" from the Armor of God study the Girlfriend's of Faith did a few years back.

I encourage you again to write out prayer strategies for areas of your life: marriage, children (individually), work, neighbors, health etc.  It's a great way to have focus in prayer.  Buy a spiral notebook and begin to write them out today.

Today, Father, I put on righteousness according to Ephesians 6:14b "...and having put on the breastplate of righteousness."

The price of my breastplate was covered at the cross - imputed righteousnesss.  I am righteous because of you Father.

I don't need to purchase my own protection, my own righteousness. It was freely given to me according to Ephesians 5:2b: "...and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

I want to be an imitator of you O God "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children and walk in love, as Christ loved us..." Ephesians 5:1-2a.

I want to walk in love just as you loved me and gave yourself up for me.  I'm no longer a slave to my flesh, to sin, to unrighteousness.

Thank you for imputed righteousness.  Help guard my heart, affirm truth and align myself to you.  Help me to live out of my spiritual heart, so I can keep truth and align myself to right-side-up living.

Right living will deflect the enemy's darts.  Help me O God to let go of perfectionism - trying to be good on my own and in my own strength.  Scripture says "there is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10.

I'm asking you today Father to help me not try and seek my own righteousness but to understand yours.  I subject myself today to your righteousness that protects my heart.

I let go of striving to do everything perfect, not to chase perfectionism, not to compare myself, but to chase you O God.

I need your help to put off and put on.  I need the Holy Spirit to change me, sanctify me and be my helper to practice right-side-up living.  

I will cooperate with the Holy Spirit to make the necessary changes and to cut and prune me.

I will focus on cultivating health and wellness in Christ.

• I am righteous
• I am a child of God

Amen!

My prayer strategy #2 for the Belt of Truth from the "Armor of God" study:

Father, I need a strong core of truth.  I need stability and to not be injured in this battle nor cave to pressure.

Help me Father according to Ephesians 6:13-14 "therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth...."

Help me to stand firm when difficult times come.  Help me to resist caving into my emotions and fears, to be stable in your Word, so I don't fall.

Father, I don't want to be deceived by my emotions, by shades of reality.  I want to know your Word which is the true reality; to know it at my core; know that truth is your opinion; to live like your Word is the truth.

I want your truth, your word to be bound on my hands and forehead.

Like Moses, I want to know your ways not just what you can do or who you are.

Father God, I want to honor you, give thanks to you and have an erect posture that gets stronger each day through prayer and the Word.

Help me to not allow offenses to fester, to forgive quickly.

I will remember Ephesians 4:21 that the "truth is in Jesus". I will remember Psalm 119:160 that "the sum of your word is truth".

I want to advance forward - to "be before I do".

Expose things in me to the light like Ephesians 5:13 says "all things become visible when exposed to the light" and Ephesians 5:8 "for once I was full of darkness, but now I have light from the Lord".

So, Sharon, live as a person of light.  Freedom will come to me when I discover the truth in Christ and in His Word.

Help me walk in your truth, abide in your truth.  Order my steps Lord.  I want to be transparent, not hiding anything from you.

Your Word never changes!

I want to be guided with truth!

Protected by truth!

Amen

My Prayer Strategy #1 from the Armor of God Series

In the "Armor of God" study, Priscilla Shirer asks us to write prayer strategies taken from our "Actionable Intel" after each five days of homework during the week.  I'm sharing with you my first personalized prayer strategy to give you an example/idea.  Of course, your "Actionable Intel" will differ from mine when you write your prayer strategies.

(taken from my 2015 journal)

Father, I want my passion for you to return.  Passion to pray. Passion to read and mediate on your Word.  Passion for the lost. Passion for Bible study.  Passion to pray for others.  Passion to see our world revived.  Passion for your return.

I give you my past and all its regrets.  I believe at times I see prayer as a chore and not a privilege.  I repent Father God.  There are times as well I feel guilty if I don't pray, times of frustration when I do pray because it overwhelms me.  There's so much to pray for, so much to focus on.  I need your help Lord.

I need the want to in putting my armor on every day and "with all praying" - pray.  I feel I've lost my cutting edge.  I want it back Lord.  I want to see prayer as a tool against the enemy, to have great faith and not lag behind.

Please, Lord, stir up the passion in me again.  Help me to realize that it's only you who can do this. On my own I am weak and cannot make this happen.  I need my desire to be divinely recovered.  

So, Lord, I am reaching outward and upward to you.

I need the cutting edge of hope, faith and passionate confidence in you again.  Wind of God's Spirit blow on me again.

So:

• Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me - Psalm 51:10.

You said this: (personalized the scriptures)

• You will give me a heart to know you, for you are my Lord, and I will be your people.  You will be my God, for I will return to you with my whole heart. - Jeremiah 24:7
• I will call upon you and come and pray to you, and you will listen to me.  I will seek you and I will find you when I search for you with all my heart - Jeremiah 29:12-13
• Lord, you will circumcise my heart and the heart of my descendants to love you Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul, so that I may live - Deut. 30:6
• I will love you Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul, and with all my mind and all my strength - Mark 12:30
• You will give me a new heart and put a new spirit within me; you will remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh - Ezekiel 36:26

I will thank you Lord for doing this in my life.  I am grateful for your faithfulness and your goodness. I am thankful for what you did to defeat the enemy and open the way to a new passionate, vibrant walk with you.  I am asking you in faith, believing that what I have asked is according to your will for me and what you desire to give to me.

I now expectantly wait to receive this promise of newness and freshness from your Spirit for:

• You will come to me like the rain, like the spring rain, watering the earth - Hosea 6:3

Help me maintain the passion when it comes.

I praise you for it!  And I say yes to receiving and regaining my passion again!

Amen