Author: Christine Wyrtzen

But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.  2 Cor. 11:3

Corrupted ~ Changed from good to bad, destroyed, degraded.

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Lord Jesus, when I love You completely, no one can talk me out of it.  When others tell me my faith in You is foolish, weak or misplaced, I shake it off easily.  At those times, my love is like iron and cannot be corrupted.

But what about other times?  Satan is always lurking.  He knows what has happened to me in my life.  He knows that, in certain areas, it will be harder for me to believe that you are caring, fair, and loving.  He knows exactly where I could find it hard to trust you.  So, he comes and accuses You to me.  He knows just how to word it and just what event to target.

Help me be strong against his accusations.  He is a liar after all.  He weaves vicious rumors with NO foundation.  Each one is designed to corrupt my love and make me back up from you.  If I don’t trust You, I have nothing.

I need Your voice in my ear and I know where I need to go to hear it.  I vow to preserve my time with you at all cost.  Your Word is Your story, and my story, and I live in the wonder of it.  When Satan comes accusing, I will say what I have taught my children and grandchildren.  “Be gone, in Jesus name.”  It’s pretty simple.  Give me spiritual backbone, holy cunning, and airtight strategy.  In Jesus name, Amen

PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM FEAR

Since then the children [of God] share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.  Hebrews 2:14-15

Deliver (yasha) ~ avenge, preserve, save

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Lord, I am Your child.  I am flesh and blood.  Before I was Yours, I was completely at the mercy of the evil one, Your enemy.  I was his, not Yours.  So You came and took on flesh and blood, too.  You put Yourself at risk, within Your Father’s will, at the hands of fallen men.  You were misjudged, physically abused, rejected, frustrated by the religious arrogant, and in every way, you experienced whatever I face today.

Oh, but we are not alike.  You died as the perfect Lamb in order to make a way for my adoption.  Once I said “yes” to You and asked You to rescue me from slavery to my own sin and make me Yours, You acted immediately.  You didn’t leave me in Satan’s hands for one more minute.  All the things I was deathly afraid of were no longer threats.

I am not afraid of You.  We are at peace.  I am not afraid of Your anger.  You call me Your friend.  I am not afraid of dying.  My first sight will be of Your face.  I am not afraid of failing.  You redeem all things I put in Your hands.  I am not afraid of being hated.  No matter what, You love me.  I am not afraid of being disowned, no matter how much I sin.  My adoption papers were finalized, sealed by Your hand.  I am not afraid of an enemy who is parading around as though he is victorious.  You already defeated him and his charade is short-lived.

Whatever threatens me today, remind me that I am no longer a slave to the fear of it.  There is no threat that can destroy my soul when I live in the truth of Your love and power.  The body, they can kill.  But my eternal future is untouchable and incorruptible.  In Jesus name, Amen

PRAYER FOR THE ONE WHO LIVES WITH CRITICISM

Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises. Psalm 9:13-14

Recount (tanah) ~ to commemorate, rehearse

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         It is lonely to walk in Your footprints, Jesus. In these days, not only am I despised by unbelievers but those who call themselves Your children. My pride is easily wounded and I forget that the friction I feel is a holy one. Why am I feeling shame? This is the cross I promised to carry when I became Your disciple.

         It is not Your intent that I should be weighed down by other’s rejection. It is not Your desire that I be crippled by their criticism, though it is hard to hold my head up in the company of those who censure nearly everything I do. They take issue with most of my words.

         I realize that this is not about me at all. It is about You and the way I will teach others how to thrive in Your love amidst condemnation. I will be energized to recount how You care for me; how You lift me up when I am cast down. You modeled this journey. You lived amongst enemies and forgave them even though they didn’t ask for it. You didn’t retreat and hide from their anger. You didn’t choose silence because You feared the repercussions of opening Your mouth. You spoke when it glorified Your Father and You withheld language when it glorified your Father. Shame and fear didn’t dictate Your strategy.

         Let me learn what I need to learn in this school of contempt. Pride and ego are not mine to manage. You hold my heart in Your hands. I am secure in Your love and held high in Your esteem. For every note of sarcasm directed at me, You are rejoicing over me with singing. Your songs resurrect me from condemnation and I will rise to praise You. I will rehearse the promises You give me in the dark so that others may see Your light.

         Through this crucible, You are fashioning me into a dazzling witness of grace. The more I am oppressed, the more I will discover that I am the apple of Your eye and the greater will be my testimony. I am tall and robust in Your light. In Jesus’ name, Amen

PRAYER FOR GRACE, EVEN DELIVERANCE

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 

Help (boetheia) ~ At the first cry for help, there is the sound of running to give aid.

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         Lord, I can hear Your people singing as they make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The stress of their lives had been unbearable but they held on to hope. They knew that they would be making their way to Your holy city. When they looked up to catch their first glimpse of the city walls, they no longer felt fatigued. They were infused with new strength to run the last mile.

         I am on my way home to you.   My heart has been weighed down by the what’s in front of my eyes. My vision has been earthbound as I’ve watched the unrighteous prosper. Cries have been stuck in my throat. Right now, I lift my eyes to the hills of Your holy mountain. Draw my soul out of the despair of deep waters. Lift my head to behold Your dwelling place and hold my gaze. Lock Your eyes upon mine. I choose to believe that with Your help, I will be able to prevail. Send help from Your sanctuary and support me from Zion. Psalm 20:2

         Thank you for taking my cry seriously. You don’t tell me to wait. You don’t rebuke me for needing You. You don’t promise help for another day. You don’t send less than I need. You are my Perfect Father. You hear Your child’s cry and You run immediately with grace to sustain. You even promise deliverance when it’s perfect timing. Don’t let me judge You when you send grace instead of deliverance. How often I have felt disappointment and stumbled over Your perceived inactivity. My hope plummeted when my expectations were not met.

         If today’s answer is grace instead of deliverance, I keep my eyes fixed on the hills of Your dwelling place. I rest in Your promises and rehearse Your comforting words that impart supernatural strength. My legs are no longer collapsing beneath me.

         Oh, but if today’s answer is deliverance, come with haste O righteous King. Deliver us with power. Expose evil. Save Your people. Save me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

PRAYER FOR STAYING ALERT

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13

Girding up the loins of your thinking, gathering in the strength of your spirit. To spiritually optimize your way of thinking so you can be on full alert.

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         Holy Spirit, let me hear You praying for me. Give me Your words as I seek to expand this scripture.

         These times are perilous and frightening. Don’t let me do what I naturally do. Frightened and overwhelmed, I try to distract myself and escape the stress. Instead of feeling alert, I welcome numbness. Instead of seizing opportunities, I run from them. Instead of focusing on the hope of seeing You, I embrace despair. I’ve never functioned well in emergencies but Your Spirit does and You want to fill me and live through me. It’s not about how I react but how You react.

         You planned my birth from before the foundation of the world. You designed for me to live at this time in history. You had a plan for me and I am in the center of my destiny. You have equipped me with everything I need to spiritually thrive, to know the joy of seeing You shine through my life. Though the world is entering lawlessness, You increase order and stability in the life of Your child.

         So expose my mindset. Is it hopeless or hopeful? Is it faithless or faith-filled? By the power of Your Spirit, harness my mind for Your glory. Let every scripture planted there rise up to wield its influence. Let Your Words kill the weeds of deception. Let Your Words shape the way I process the news and current events. Let Your Words give me victory over my own flesh. Let Your Words give me the discipline to watch well, to wait well, and to make the most of these days.

         I hug Your Word tightly. I breathe it. I meditate on it. I study it. I let it judge every thought and emotion. I invite You to gird up the loins of my thinking. I will be submissive to whatever that process means. I won’t resist. Don’t let me miss one single part of what You intended for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen

PRAYER FOR YOUR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL

The prayer of a righteous person is effective as it is working. James 5:16

‘Effective’ ~ engaged in, intensifying, working in a situation which brings it from one stage to the next.

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I praise You for Your promise that the prayers of the righteous will be effective as they do their work. I am not investing time or crying tears in vain. Encourage me with the truth that these prayers will go out and continue to work far beyond the time I am speaking them. Use these prayers as a catalyst to display Your power and glory.

• I pray in advance for my children who will feel the pressure of their peers.  Help me raise up Daniels!  Infuse my children now with the strength to stand boldly, to be filled with your Holy Spirit so that your voice will be heard in a godless place. Help me teach them to be kingdom warriors; tough enough to stand and tender enough to bring the broken to Your embrace. I pray this scripture over each of my children ~ “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I John 4:4

• Lord, I pray that You will remove the demonic glitter from drugs and alcohol.  Let their eyes perceive things as You see them. As they are faced with temptation, in Jesus’ name, I restrict the enemy from deceiving them.  May they see the evil and run to You.

• I am not the only one praying for my children in this school. I pray that You would make all your intercessors divine strategists, ‘wise as serpents while harmless as doves.’ Cause us to see the spiritual carnage of the school as Ezekiel saw the carnage in the valley of dry bones. May we rise up to say, “Prepare to hear the Word of the LORD.”

• I pray that You will touch the hardened hearts of students who don’t know you, the ones who have only seen evil in their homes and in their world. Awaken them to righteousness and hope in the face of Jesus Christ.

• I pray for each student who lives, privately, in a war zone. Cup Your hands around their spirits, return their innocence and protect it so that they can trust You and believe Your promise of salvation.

• I pray for each student who is a church-going Christian and is half-asleep. I say to them, in Jesus’ name, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14 I ask Your Spirit to say to them ~ “Be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:15

• I pray for their Principal ~ that he will be influenced by Your Spirit to rule wisely and justly. Clothe him with power and peace. Gift him with faith, courage, and savvy to know how to advance the kingdom of heaven within his sphere of influence.

• I pray today what Jesus prayed, over each child and each faculty member. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

• I pray for revival in our school. “Deliver us from the power of darkness and convey us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13 I pray for eyes to be opened to see Your glory, Your signs and wonders, and Your power. Let them see the forces of darkness tremble and flee.

• Finally Lord, I enforce the victory of Calvary over this school. I pray that Satan and all his angels will be prevented from acting out all they are plotting from the gates of Hell. Bring the execution of his plans into a state of confusion. You rule by Your might forever. You keep watch over the nations. Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Psalm 66:7 In Jesus’ name, Amen

PRAYER TO DISCERN WHAT IS HIDDEN

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word! Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word. Psalm 119:169-170

‘Give me understanding’ ~ to finally realize, have skill with concepts, perceive with accuracy.

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         I have a huge decision to make, Lord. I know in my spirit that something is wrong with a certain situation, Lord. I have no peace in my spirit. The weight of indecision is crushing me. When I think about it, I can find what appears to be righteous but is it all a smokescreen? Is it really of Your kingdom or is it all unrighteousness? I know that the evil one is good at masking what is unholy. My discernment can be skewed. May it not be!

         God, I cry out for understanding. I need to come to a divine realization about what is really happening. I need to be skillful with the concepts of the kingdom in order to diagnose it correctly. I need to perceive what is in front of my eyes with Your wisdom. Help me see behind all the posturing and pretension.

         I am grateful beyond words that my cries are not made in vain. They do not dissipate into thin air. They come directly to You and You listen compassionately. You are vested in every care that concerns me. You love the prayers of Your children. You take pleasure in answering and giving wisdom to those who seek it. I am the seeker today. I am the one pleading for deliverance from what is elusive and obscure.

         Let the truth come forth as arrows coming to my heart. Let me rejoice in the relief that truth brings. Melt away the stress of indecision. Put an end to the wrestling that has plagued me day and night. Bring deliverance and then give me the courage to act on whatever truth You reveal. I am bold because I stand as one loved, and as one holy, in Your presence. All because of Jesus.

         Let my soul live and praise You, and let Your rules help me. Psalm 119:175    In Jesus name, Amen

Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.  I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan.  Psalm 42:5-6

         Lord, I want to pray like the one who wrote this Psalm.  When his heart failed because He couldn’t see Your power, he stopped the cycle of despair.  He preached to his own soul.  He told himself to hope.  My faith is not based on what I can see or perceive.  Can I see into the heavens?  Can I see the future?  I am mortal and live in the moment.  You are eternal and live in eternity.

         The one who wrote this Psalm hopes in You as he remembers You from the land of Jordan.  I follow his lead!  My hope is in you.  My expectation of You working all things for good is solid.  My faith that You are aware and working behind the scenes may be tenuous but I strengthen the cord of my faith with the promises of Your Word.  I remember what You have done for all my spiritual ancestors.  You did not fail even one of them and You will not fail Your children in the midst of devastating news.  You reign and You answer the prayers of the saints.

         Lord, take me back to one time in our story when Your intervention and power overwhelmed me.  Make my heart re-live the memory.  “Remember and review,” You told the children of Israel.  So, as I remember a piece of our story today, I see that I despaired for nothing.  My faith in You was well founded.  Every promise I hung on was true.  Everything the enemy told me about You was a lie.  Everything I worried about, You provided for.  For every crisis of faith, there was a Word from You.  I remember – and my despair is stilled.   In Jesus’ name, Amen