Day 2: Prayer
of Surrender
from the Ministry of Jim and Kaye Johns
e3 Prayer
Father,
I acknowledge that where our prayer life and our personal love relationship
with You are concerned, none of us ever arrives. We are always “under
construction” as Your Holy Spirit makes and molds us into the image of Your
Son.
I know
it is important to spend time with You every day, that that’s the only way I
can make myself available to You, to learn who You are, and all that You desire
me to be. But sometimes simply finding the time every day to come into Your
presence is difficult. I seem unable in my own strength to find the discipline
to take those first basic steps.
So I ask You to help me. Enforce every right
choice I make with Your enabling power. Teach me to pray, beginning with a
prayer of surrender, presenting myself to You as a living sacrifice. Help me
not to conform to this world, but to be transformed and renewed in my mind.
Help me to learn more about denying self, letting go of self-confidence,
self-reliance, self-importance so that I can totally depend on You.
Help me to understand Your Word.
Teach me how to apply it to my life today. Enable me, in Your wisdom and
strength, to make choices that are obedient and pleasing to You. Grant me,
wherever I am on the path to spiritual maturity and the fullness of a personal
love relationship with You, to draw closer to You than I have ever been before.
In
Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures
to Guide a Time of Personal Surrender
Father,
I come to surrender myself to You today, totally, completely as inspired by
Your Word…
I
begin with offering my body as a living sacrifice…
Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1, NIV)
I
release to You my mind…
Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2)
Those
who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that
nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their
minds set on what the Spirit desires. (Romans 8:5)
The
mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and
peace…. (Romans
8:6)
We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ. (2
Corinthians 10:5)
Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy — think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
I
give You my heart…
Jesus
replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-40)
“A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another.” (John
13:34)
And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:5)
And
now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is
love. (1 Corinthians
13:13)
But
I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…. (Matthew 5:44)
I submit to Your will…
“This,
then, is how you should pray. …your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9, 10)
Going
a little farther, [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will,
but as you will.” (Matthew
26:39)
Then
he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23)
By
myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I
seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)
“My
food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his
work.” (John
4:34)
“The
one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what
pleases him.” (John 8:29)
