I engaged in a study of what keeps us, believers, from
having an intimate walk with the Lord, our God. From the things I found that
hinder us, I was led to make a prayer that, although long in its content, helps
us to be mindful of the things that keep us out of that wonderful time of
communion with our Lord and will give Him free passage and authority to set us
free from all these hindrances. As always, to Him alone be all the glory.
Gracious and merciful Father, in the name of Jesus, we
ask that you help us maintain a spiritual climate where your presence can abide
freely and our intimacy with you can grow in a way that keeps all religious
coverings away from us and makes us free and unafraid to walk naked before you.
Thank you, Lord for drawing us close to you so that we can run to you with
excitement and joy as we hear you beckoning us. Thank you, Lord for in your
mercy and grace you remove all guilt, condemnation and shame for the sins
committed and the mistakes we made that came short of your will for us, so we
can boldly come before your throne in our time of need of you. Lord, your voice
is lovely, and we wait patiently for you to speak to us and show us your heart,
and tell us of your acts and power. Father, we pray that any shields in our
hearts and souls that are causing obstructions to our fellowship and cause us
to hide from your presence be removed. We ask that any and all stacked-up
shields and religious strongholds that have led us away from your truth that
sets us free be destroyed now in the name of Jesus.
Father, we confess our sins and ask that the blood of
Your Son Jesus Christ cleanse us from guilt and condemnation, so the enemy
cannot come before you to accuse us, nor can he release any lying, condemning
spirits to destroy us in our emotions. Help us walk in the light as you are in
the light for with you is where we find this cleansing through your Word of truth
that makes us free, and where your forgiveness and healing love is waiting for
us. Lord God, help us remove any masquerades that conceal deep-seated hurts
from our pasts. Father we have been wearing these masks so well and have walked
pretending all is well with our souls while holding you, Lover of our souls at
arm’s length. We have become pretenders that parade in a hypocritical lifestyle
with coverings that hide us from you, your light, and your truth.
But Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set at
liberty those that are bruised. For this reason we ask you, our wonderful
healer, to come to dig deep and touch the root of our pain. Probe and even
pierce through our festering wounds and allow the light of your unchanging love
to penetrate our inner most being. We surrender to you, and choose to forgive
those who have hurt us and offended us and also choose to sow blessings to
others instead. We choose to remain open-faced before you, releasing mercy and
forgiveness from the past and letting you do this in us. Father, deliver us
from the evil one that may come to taunt us to make our wounds more raw.
Because of this, Father, we ask for your forgiveness for any carnality we have
displayed and that may have led us to pray soulish and ungodly prayers against
others in judgment or that were prayed to manipulate people or our
circumstances.
Lord, help us to not be used of the enemy as hosts that
release words or prayers that curse what you have blessed, that murder instead
of speaking life, and that oppose those you have appointed to be part of our
lives, specially our leaders. Lord help us be completely led and enveloped by
your wonderful Holy Spirit to release blessings and your love for others
through our prayers and intercessions and wishes. Help the words of our mouths
and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto you. Shine your holy light
in our emotions, so we’re not harmful to ourselves or others nor become
stumbling blocks that make others fall. We renounce any anger and fear and ask
that you uproot any controlling spirits that may be using the wounds in our souls
to sin against you, ourselves, or others. Hide us, Lord under your wings and in
your secret place, Oh Most High God whose power no foe can withstand. Help us
to close all doors to the enemy as we renounce false teachings, traditions and any
untruths about you and who you created us to be. Make us strong in you and help
us to will and to do your good pleasure. Help us not be cautious observers
while others faithfully serve and walk with you in your power and authority
because we choose to operate with your counsel and in the right season and time
table for us.
Father, help us to not be concerned with the way we look
or what others think of us, or how we perform as you ask us to take steps of
faith. Help us to not hold ourselves back by the fear of rejection or the fear
of authority or the opinions of others. Help us, Lord to not be people pleasers
as we choose to exchange at the Cross the fear that paralyzes us for the faith
that propels us forward into our destiny. Father, we choose to be bold as lions
for Jesus’ sake; we choose to tread on those spirits of intimidation and be
more than conquerors. Thank you, Father that as we bask in your loving kindness
and unfathomable goodness, we know that you are for us, so who can be against
us, for you created us in your image and likeness as objects of your consuming
love.
Father, keep us also from the religious trap of criticism
of others and from becoming score keepers of the behavior of others. Blast away
our protective shields and strip us of those armors with the penetrating light
of your truth, level the mountains that we raised within us and make every
crooked mindset straight, knowing that truth may hurt for a moment, but we pray
and speak with the motivation of love that cleanses and sets us free. Lord
Jesus, help us to not impose limitations upon ourselves or others by believing
the lies of the enemy to the point of making strongholds of those lies in our
minds. We thank you for the light of the
truth of your Word that helps us to not agree with any negative words
sent from the camp of the enemy that are not in alignment with your will and
your word for us. Father, deliver us from these lies that the enemy uses to
confine us in small places of false expectations and hurts. Father, help us to not accept as unchangeable
the circumstances we go through and help us rise above hopelessness as we run
into the light of your presence. Father you love us and you have made us to be
more than conqueror fighters for your truth that wage war with the name and the
Blood of Jesus to break out of our boxed- imposed limitations through the cross
of our Lord Jesus where we are led to exchange our wills for yours.
Father help our vision become clear and focused with our
eyes focused on your Son so that we do not give in to the lust of the eyes by
giving our eyes to the enemy’s camp or by allowing tainted filters and visual
obstacles to block your prophetic presence. Help us to not hinder the
revelatory dimension of your presence in which you want us to walk with pure
eyes. Deliver us from impulses and temptations of our flesh. Crucify and cleanse
us from the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life because
we want your power to move through us, your human vessels that walk with clean
hands and pure hearts, and that are able to ascend to your hill and stand in
your holy place. Father, we present our bodies as living sacrifices holy and
acceptable unto you and as instruments of righteousness and holiness and alive
from the dead. We present ourselves to you to be sanctified and empowered as
you touch us with your fire ignited within us and that shine your light, so
others can be touched through our lives.
Father, help us to not be wise in our eyes, to not want
to receive the glory or the credit for the things you do by your grace and
mercy through us. We renounce self exaltation and pride, and with humble hearts
we choose to prostrate ourselves before you and worship and exalt you. We
choose to worship you and remove pride from its self-appointed throne in our
hearts because we recognize that worship is the most powerful tool we possess
in our spiritual warfare and we do not want to be opposed by you. Lord, may our
hearts become a dwelling place for your Son Jesus’ rule to be released in our
lives and for the works of darkness to be destroyed in our midst. King Jesus,
take your rightful seat of honor and authority in our lives as you draw near to
us and shake pride and haughtiness out of their illegal place for we do not
want to walk with a corrupt character, but want the character of your Son to
shine brightly through us, in our worship, in our intimacy and ministry to you,
in our congregations and communion together and in the things we do to advance
your kingdom. We choose to worship you extravagantly since we were created to
worship and give the glory and the honor to you alone.
Father we now choose to partake of the Cross of Jesus. We
choose to partake of the death and the life of your Son, so we can walk free of
barriers to our intimacy with you, for Jesus has already paid the price with
His blood to purchase our freedom to worship and serve you in righteousness and
holiness. Father of glory, wrap your arms around us and give us passion in our
hearts for your presence. Mark us to hear your heart and to live in intimacy
with you through your son Jesus Christ. We thank you and praise you for the
body and the blood of Jesus that have been given to us so that we can walk in
newness of life for the glory of your Son and for us to be one with Him as He
is one with you. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
