Prayer Diary for January 2012

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth
Matthew Chapters 9:35-10:42, 13:1-52 & 18:1-35

 

Matthew’s Gospel was written initially to the Jews, who already had a firm understanding of the Old Testament. For this reason Matthew (unlike Mark, who wrote initially to non-Jews) quotes extensively from the Old Testament, showing that Jesus is the Messiah whose coming was extensively prophesised.

Matthew’s Gospel also is, in some ways, like a manual for believers. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) he records Jesus’ instructions on the standards and values of the Kingdom of Heaven, together with how the citizens of that Kingdom are to conduct themselves.

In the three passages from Matthew’s gospel through which we are praying this month, he records Jesus’ instructions to his followers concerning evangelism – the need for evangelism, how to do it and the responses that will be encountered whilst evangelising.

So in Matthew 9:35-10:42, Jesus modelled the pattern for evangelism by demonstrating a heart of compassion for the lost, who were like sheep without a shepherd. The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few for the great work that there is. The problem is therefore not the harvest but the labourers. So we are urged to pray for more workers to come forward as evangelists and witnesses for Jesus, (remembering to include ourselves in that number!)

In Matthew 13:1-52, Jesus explains the kind of world in which we are evangelising and the reaction to hearing the gospel. Some people will react like seed on a path that is quickly snatched away from their minds by the devil. Others will hear and respond but fall away because of criticism or opposition or the cares of this world. But the minority who do respond, produce a disproportionally large response or harvest. From small beginnings, the church will grow like a mustard tree or yeast in bread. Some people will appear to be following the Lord, but in reality are false, like tares among the wheat. It is for the Lord to sort out the weeds from the tares or the good fish from the bad. Our job is to sow or to see the nets are filled.

In Matthew 18:1-35, Jesus describes the attitude he expects from his followers, one of childlike trust and humility. If there are disputes amongst believers these are to be resolved. God has freely forgiven us an unpayable, large debt of sin. In turn, we are to forgive others, whose sin against us is minimal in comparison and the consequences are grave if we choose not to.

As we pray through these passages this month may God fire our hearts with compassion for the lost, zeal for the harvest and desire to live right before him and one another.

1^st – Matthew 9:35-36 Compassion for the lost

1. 1. Lord, give us a heart of compassion for the lost just like yours, we pray
   2. Help us to find opportunities to share our testimony with others to help them come to faith in Christ as their Lord and Saviour, we pray
   3. Even though people may be outwardly hostile to the gospel, help us to see them as they are in reality, lost and heading for eternity without the Lord, we pray
   4. Give us the boldness, O Lord, to pray for the sick expecting to see you answer prayer
   5. In all things, Lord Jesus, help us to model ourselves on you, we pray

2^nd – Matthew 9:37-38 Workers for the harvest

1. 1. Lord, we pray that you would raise up workers from within our church who will be willing to take the message of the gospel out and about
   2. Help us not to look first to others to be obedient to your calling, O God, but to put ourselves forward with willing hearts
   3. Make us fruitful, we pray, as we seek to serve you, O Lord
   4. Help us to led others to Christ, we pray
   5. Here I am Lord, send me

3^rd – Matthew 10:1 The authority delegated by Jesus

1. 1. Lord Jesus, help us to understand the reality of the fact that you have delegated to us the power in your name to wage spiritual warfare
   2. Give us the boldness, wisdom and the faith to minister effectively in the power of your name, Lord Jesus
   3. May we see healings as we exercise the courage to simply believe in the power of the name of Jesus to command the sick to be well
   4. May we use the delegated power of Jesus wisely as we bind the powers of darkness
   5. Guide us in our intercessory prayers as we use the delegated authority of Jesus, to see the impossible become possible, we pray

4^th – Matthew 10:2-7 Preach the message

1. 1. Help us to be able to share the testimony of our faith in Christ clearly, succinctly and persuasively, we pray
   2. Holy Spirit, bring to our remembrance at the right moments all the things we have learned and read in the Bible
   3. May we have the grace to speak the truth about the gospel in love to whomsoever we meet, we pray
   4. May we not be concerned about winning an argument but rather winning the lost soul to Christ
   5. Give us the grace to speak with gentleness and patience to all those we share the Good News with, we pray

5^th – Matthew 10:8-10 Freely give

1. 1. May we always prioritise our time, O Lord, so that we freely give to you of our best
   2. May we use all the practical gifts and talents you have given us to help build your Kingdom, O Lord
   3. May we use all the charismatic gifts you have given us for the furtherance of your Kingdom, O Lord
   4. Give us the softness of heart to always be willing to give out of our financial resources whenever you touch our heart to do so, we pray
   5. May we be a people, who because we have freely received forgiveness, in turn freely forgive all those who hurt us, we pray

6^th – Matthew 10:11-16 Wisdom and innocence

1. 1. Whenever we lack wisdom in any given situation, Holy Spirit, we pray that you would give us the wisdom we need to speak and to act at that moment
   2. May we not be ignorant of the plans and ways of the devil, O Lord, but rather have the wisdom to foresee the traps he would seek to lay before us
   3. May we be people who bring peace to the troubled lives of others because we know how to speak and act with the same wisdom as the Prince of Peace
   4. Give us the wisdom to keep away from worldly activities that bring us no benefit but which would rob us of godly innocence, we pray
   5. Enable us to have the humility to be childlike without becoming childish, we pray

7^th – Matthew 10:17-20 Boldness amidst persecution

1. 1. Make us fearless in the face of opposition to the Gospel, O Lord
   2. Help us resist every spirit of antichrist that comes our way, O God
   3. May we not hide the light of Christ within us, we pray, but recognise that light is brightest when surrounded by darkness
   4. Help us not to be conformed to the ways, thoughts and values of this world, O God but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds
   5. We pray for all our brothers and sisters who face persecution daily simply for following Christ; make them strong, we pray

8^th – Matthew 10:21-25 Like Jesus, like disciples

1. 1. May we not be surprised, Lord Jesus, when we face ill-treatment for following you, understanding that if people ill-treated you, they will do the same to us
   2. Make us just like you, Lord Jesus, in the way we relate to Our Heavenly Father we ask
   3. Make us just like you in your passion to carry out the Father’s will, Lord Jesus
   4. Give us the same servant-heartedness that you have, Lord Jesus
   5. May we be able to pray also, ‘Not my will, but your will be done, O God’

9^th – Matthew 10:26-31 Fear God who loves you

1. 1. Give us a heart that always fears to sin, O God
   2. Help us to see sin as you see it, O Lord, and as a consequence to do all we can to avoid  succumbing to sin’s temptations
   3. Develop our relationship with you so deeply, Heavenly Father, that your perfect love casts out all fear we may have within us
   4. May we fear nothing in this life, O Lord, except the fear of missing your will in any and every part of our lives
   5. May our love for you be so deep, O Lord, that we would only ever desire to do your will, we pray

10^th – Matthew 10:32-33 Acknowledging Jesus

1. 1. Lord Jesus, may we live out our lives daily in a way that clearly acknowledges you not only as our Saviour but as the Lord of every part of our lives
   2. May we not deny you, Lord Jesus, by living in a way that contradicts our testimony that we are your followers
   3. Help us to speak out boldly and with wisdom whenever the opportunity arises, we pray
   4. Help us not to be intimidated by those around us who ungodly or anti-christian, but to stand firmly for the truth
   5. Cause us always to be ready to count the cost of following Jesus and to spurn any rejection or ill-treatment that may follow as a consequence

11^th – Matthew 10:34-36 Divided households

1. 1. Lord, we pray for all unsaved members of our families; bring them to the place of salvation in Christ
   2. We bring before you, O Lord, the unsaved husbands of wives in the church; may these wives have the joy of seeing their husbands saved
   3. We pray for the unbelieving children of parents in the church; may the children give their lives to Christ
   4. We pray for every unsaved parent of those in the church; cause them to repent and accept Christ as Saviour and Lord
   5. We pray for each of our relatives who have not given their lives to Christ; save them O God

12^th – Matthew 10:37-39 Take up your cross

1. 1. May we never shrink back from taking up the cross you would have us to bear, O Lord, knowing that you only ever desire to lead us into your glory
   2. Teach us how to rejoice in adversity, O God, knowing that such things produce the Christlike character within us you desire us to have
   3. Enable us to learn, with all the demands on our time and our lives, the utmost  necessity of making you our first priority, O Lord
   4. Help us to demonstrate our love for you, O Lord, by keeping your commands
   5. May our love for you, O Lord, exceed our love for all other things

13^th – Matthew 10:40-42 Doing all for Jesus

1. 1. Help us to commit all we do into your hands, O Lord, so that everything we do, we do it as unto you and so to the highest standard
   2. Lord, we commit the work of our daily employment into your hands today; help us to be the most conscientious and loyal employees, we pray
   3. Lord, we commit into your hands all the work we do around the house today and for our families; help us to give and to receive everything in love, we pray
   4. Help us not to neglect the service and ministries for you that you have called us to do at this particular time in our lives, O God
   5. Help us to realise that whatever we do unto others with a Christlike attitude, we do it for you, O Lord

14^th – Matthew 13:1-9 People’s reaction to the gospel (1)

1. 1. Help us not to be disheartened when people we speak to reject the gospel, O Lord, recognising that, in reality, it is you they are rejecting
   2. We pray for those we speak to who do not want to listen to the gospel; remove the spiritual blindness from their eyes
   3. Deepen our prayer life, O Lord, so that we carry an increasing anointing to see the yoke of unbelief broken in the lives of those we witness to
   4. We pray for those we are praying for who lead shallow lives centred in the here and now; help them see the utmost importance of things eternal
   5. For all those we are praying for, who seek satisfaction in only what the world can offer them temporarily now, save them, O God

15^th – Matthew 13:1-9 People’s reaction to the gospel (2)

1. 1. We pray for those we are witnessing to whose lives are distracted by the cares and worries of this world; help them turn to the One who can meet all their needs
   2. We pray that you would lead us to those who are sincerely seeking after the truth about life and about God, that we may lead them to you, O Lord
   3. Lead us, we pray, to those who are sincerely seeking after God but are looking in the wrong places, that we may point them to Christ
   4. We pray for those we know who are sincere in their religious beliefs, but are sincerely wrong; enable us to help them come to know the truth about Christ
   5. We pray for those we know who started following Christ but have since fallen away; help us to encourage them to return

16^th – Matthew 13:10-13 Growing more in God

1. 1. Help us to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us, we pray
   2. Holy Spirit, help us to have hearts that are willing to have you change us each day more and more into the image of Christ
   3. As we daily read the Bible, cause us to understand more and more of its great revelations, Holy Spirit, we ask
   4. Speak to us in prophecies, dreams and visions, O Lord, and give us the wisdom to understand what you are saying so we can act upon it
   5. Holy Spirit, help us to grow stronger in putting the old nature to death and allowing our new spiritual nature to rise up

17^th – Matthew 13:14-17 Hardened hearts

1. 1. We pray for those who attend church meetings who have never given their lives to Christ; soften their harden hearts so that they respond to the gospel, O God
   2. We pray for all those we know who are agnostics; soften their hearts so that they can see the truth and reality of the gospel
   3. For all those we know who claim to be atheists, we pray that you would so work in their lives that they will see the folly of such views
   4. We pray for all the institutions in our nation that are growing ever more anti-christian; cause their actions to have the opposite effect to what they intend
   5. We pray for those who govern us who pass laws that are increasingly ungodly; frustrate the passing of ungodly laws, O God

18^th – Matthew 13:18-23 Producing fruit

1. 1. No matter how incapable we may think we are, help us, Holy Spirit, through our witnessing, to lead others to Christ,
   2. Cause us to remember, Holy Spirit, that is you not we who bring people to Christ; may we be effective channels through which you can work
   3. We pray for all those we have seen come to Christ in recent days; cause them to grow in their spiritual lives and start to become soul-winners themselves
   4. Help us to produce not merely converts but true disciples of Christ, we pray
   5. Give us the joy of seeing more people come to Christ and added to the church, O Lord

19^th – Matthew 13:24-30 Living in a fallen world

1. 1. Give us the wisdom to discern who are wheat and who are tares, O Lord, so that we are not deceived and lead astray
   2. Help us to show people, not another religion, but a true relationship with God through faith in Christ lived out by the power of the Holy Spirit
   3. Give us the wisdom to discern and so overcome every plan of the enemy against us as individuals and against the church
   4. Help us not to be discouraged or disheartened by the words and actions of those who claim to follow Christ but in reality do not
   5. Give us the ability to grow strong and quickly in the knowledge of your Word, O Lord, so that we can easily discern truth from error

20^th – Matthew 13:31-35 Expanding the Kingdom of God

1. 1. You have said, Lord Jesus, that you will build your church; grant us the privilege of being willing instruments you use for this purpose
   2. We pray for every church in our location that you would visit them with a great move of your Spirit and cause them to flourish and grow
   3. We pray for those para-church organisations that operate good works out of love for Christ; use their works to be an effective vehicle for the gospel, O Lord  
   4. We bring every missionary organisation before you O Lord, which is seeking to bring the gospel in words and actions across the world; cause them to flourish
   5. We pray for all those who go out on the streets to share the gospel; use them to reach those who would otherwise never have the chance to speak to christian

21^st – Matthew 13:36-43 The horrors of hell

1. 1. Lord, may the knowledge that judgment and hell are realities be a great motivating factor for us to spread your word
   2. May the horror of the reality of hell never prevent us from telling the truth to a sceptical generation
   3. May the understanding of what we have been saved from cause us to seek to live righteously in all we do, O God
   4. May the reality of hell, which reveals the righteousness of a holy God, cause us never to backslide, we pray
   5. Help us to work, while the opportunities still remain, to bring as many people to Christ before it is too late, O Lord

22^nd – Matthew 13:44-45 True riches

1. 1. Help us to treasure our salvation in Christ, O God, and to understand exactly what you have given to us through Christ
   2. Give us the wisdom not to be motivated as the world is motivated but to appreciate and desire true spiritual riches, we pray
   3. Enable us to throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles so that we can run the race with perseverance and joy
   4. Help us to learn the secret, O Lord, of being content in any and every situation whether we have much or whether we have little
   5. Lord, no matter what circumstances we go through in this lifetime, help us never to lose the joy of our salvation which is worth more than all the world

23^rd – Matthew 13:47-52 Reaching everyone

1. 1. Help us to reach rich people with the gospel, O Lord, whose riches will not help them on the Day of Judgment
   2. Help us to reach poor people with the gospel, O Lord, so that they have the joy of experiencing true riches
   3. Help us to reach “good” people with the gospel, O Lord, enabling them to see that being “good” is not good enough to satisfy the standards of a holy God
   4. Help us to reach with the gospel all those who would not hesitate to break the law or to cheat, enabling them to realise there is a far better way of life
   5. Help us to reach with gospel all the religious people who trust in rituals and traditions without knowing the life-changing power of Christ

24^th – Matthew 18:1-4 Childlike but not childish

1. 1. We pray that you would make us as wise as serpents yet as harmless as doves, O Lord
   2. Cause us to desire to grow in all spiritual maturity that will affect everything we do, and everyone we have dealings with, O God
   3. In all our dealing with people inside the church and in the world, give us your wisdom, O God, in every situation so that we may be people of influence
   4. Help us to learn how to humble ourselves so that you can raise us up to positions of great influence both in the church and in the world, we pray
   5. Help us each to come to the place where you can trust us with your great anointing power, Holy Spirit, that can move all kinds of mountains

25^th – Matthew 18:5-6 A good example to children

1. 1. We bring all the parents in the church to you, O Lord, praying that you would give each one the wisdom they need to raise their children in the ways of the Lord
   2. We pray that parents in the church would always find time for family devotions with their children each day, setting the example to follow as they grow up
   3. Help each parent in the church be able to train up their children in the ways of the Lord through exhibiting a godly character even in the transparent environment of home
   4. As church members, help us to be good examples at all times to all the children that we meet inside or outside of church
   5. We pray for all in the church who teach children, either in Sunday school, or in state schools; give the grace and wisdom they need for this most important of jobs

26^th – Matthew 18:7-9 Avoiding sin

1. 1. Holy Spirit, make us sensitive to your promptings about anything that we need to change or cut out of our lives, we ask
   2. Help us to be transparent before you, O Lord, allowing the light of your holiness to shine deep into our hearts
   3. If we have failed you today, O Lord, we ask your forgiveness and help not to do so again
   4. We submit our plans and ambitions to you O Lord; prosper what we have discerned correctly and close the door on those where we have missed your leading
   5. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, O Lord

27^th – Matthew 18:10-14 Seeking the lost

1. 1. Keep us on the straight and narrow path, O Lord, so that we do not wander away from a close relationship with you
   2. We pray for those we know who have backslidden for one reason or another; help us encourage them to return to you, we pray
   3. We pray for all the children of parents in the church who have been brought up with a knowledge of the gospel but never responded to it; save them, O Lord
   4. Help us never to give up on those who have wandered away from the truth but to continue to bring them to you in prayer, O Lord
   5. Father, we commit into your hands the “99” that have not wandered from you;  give us the same compassionate heart that you have for those who fall

28^th – Matthew 18:15-18 Seeking reconciliation

1. 1. Give us the grace not to be easily offended, but to allow love to cover a multitude of sins, we pray
   2. Help us to speak the truth and to speak it in love, O God
   3. When we are in the wrong give us the grace and humility to admit it, O Lord, so that we do not become a stumbling block to you, your work and to others
   4. So far as it depends upon each of us, O Lord, help us to live in peace with all people
   5. We pray for any in the church who are out of fellowship with unresolved differences between them; bring them to the place of reconciliation, O God

29^th – Matthew 18:19-20 The power of agreement in prayer

1. 1. Give us a heart to pray both in our personal times of devotions and collectively in unison of heart, mind and voice, we ask
   2. Holy Spirit, reveal to us and each individual local church, the direction you would have us go in to fulfil the unique role you have called each one to carry out
   3. May we dwell in prayer together in complete unity, Holy Spirit, so that your anointing may flow down upon us in power to fulfil your will for us
   4. Help us to understand the power of agreement in prayer so that we can pull down many spiritual strongholds that oppose your work, O Lord
   5. May our prayer meetings be filled to overflowing as your people start to understand the enormity of the power of prayer, O God

30^th – Matthew 18:21-27 Forgiveness

1. 1. May we not be ungrateful to you, O Lord, by refusing to forgive others, when you have forgiven us so much
   2. Give us hearts that are not hardened to the plight of others but which are ready to demonstrate the mercy you desire of us, O God
   3. For any in our congregation who are out of fellowship with each other, we pray you would give them the grace to settle any differences, O Lord
   4. Help us, Holy Spirit, to come to the place where we can forgive others whether they deserve it or not, knowing that this is your perfect will for us
   5. We pray for all those who have hurt us and now chose to release themfrom any anger, bitterness of heart or unforgiveness

31^st – Matthew 18:28-35 Spurning the mercy of God

1. 1. Holy Spirit, we ask you to bring to our remembrance right now any person we still need to forgive and release, so that nothing may hinder you work in our lives
   2. We pray for all our unsaved friends, neighbours and work colleagues, who are in grave danger of experiencing the wrath of a righteous God against sin; save them, O Lord
   3. We pray for all our unsaved family members; save them we ask
   4. O God, teach us the truth of your words that, “it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” so that we may be motivated to reach the lost
   5. We pray for our nation, O Lord, that has turned its back on your mercy and grace; send one more great move of your Spirit in revival power