How's Your Prayer Life?
Are you praying on a regular basis? Are you meeting Him and sharing your heart? Whether you are or you aren't, we all need help when it comes to a consistent and meaningful prayer life.
Prayer is one of the most important things a Christian can do. It is a time we are communicating with God, and while there is deep theological meaning in prayer, it doesn’t have to be something that is complicated or difficult. It’s something anyone can do anywhere at any time.
Prayer Guide
- Sunday, April 19th: Everlasting and Merciful God, You alone have created a new covenant with us through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus on the cross. You raised Him from the dead and given us new life in His Name. Help us O God to walk in this newness of life through the power of Your Holy Spirit, for the glory of Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Monday, April 20th: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. Paul wanted to remind his listeners (this was a letter that was read to people) of the good news on which they take a stand, and that they hold firmly to it. Can you say the same thing about yourself and the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you “take your stand” on the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, or can you be swayed from it? Have you been harassed because of it in any way? How have you had to hold firmly to it in your life? What was that like?
- Tuesday, April 21st: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:3-6. How important did Paul feel this information was to the Corinthian believers? Do you feel the same way about this? Why or why not? How much do you know about the specifics about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection? Are you comfortable sharing His story with other people? How do you begin such a conversation?
- Wednesday, April 22nd: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:7. James is not one of the apostles called James, but rather one of the Lord’s half-brothers (see Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 7:1-5) and he eventually became the leader of the Jerusalem church with Peter (see Acts 12:17). He also wrote the epistle of James in the New Testament. Interestingly, James and Paul are the only two unbelievers Jesus appeared to after His resurrection. We do not have any information on Jesus’ conversation with James post-resurrection like we do with Paul. How does it help you to know that even Jesus dealt with unbelieving family members, but eventually at least one brother became His follower? Take time today to pray for those close to you who are unbelievers.
- Thursday, April 23rd: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:8-9. How does Paul describe himself, and why does he do so (for more context, see Acts 7:54-8:3, 9:1-19)? If the Lord is willing to forgive Paul and extend grace to him, how does that make you feel when the enemy whispers in your ear that you have gone too far and your sins are too much? What other Scriptures or references do you turn to that remind you that God’s grace is ALWAYS greater than our sin? If you don’t have any, take time today to find at least five passages (use the app Biblehub or Google) so that you have them available the next time you need them.
- Friday, April 24th: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 10-11. “It is by God’s grace I am what I am.” How do you apply this to yourself? How do you see His grace at work in your life at this present time? Paul saw it that he was able to preach and the Corinthians believed. How is God’s grace at work in your life so the Kingdom is advanced? Take some time to pray through this and journal about what He is doing in your life.
- Saturday, April 25th: Review each of these Scriptures, questions, and prayers that you have worked through this week. Which one, or which theme, resonated with you? Pray through these things again as the Spirit leads you!
- Sunday, April 26th: Gracious Lord, on this Third Sunday of Easter, we are still so joyful as we remember that first Resurrection morning, and the women discovered the empty tomb. We thank You for the gift of resurrection hope — how this hope renews our faith, gives us strength day by day, and reminds us that You alone redeem everything – even death! Help us always to always keep our eyes fixed on You, regardless of what comes our way, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
- Monday, April 27th: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. What is the core message of this passage? Why does Paul feel the need to bring this topic up to the Corinthians? Do you think he would need to bring this particular topic up to the American church if he was writing a letter to us? Why or why not? How do you personally respond to this passage?
- Tuesday, April 28th: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Do you think these verses would be helpful if you were sharing your faith with an unbeliever? What would be worthwhile in such a conversation, and what parts would not? Do you think there are unbelievers who believe in some form of the resurrection, even without realizing it? How might that be helpful in in drawing them to Christ?
- Wednesday, April 29th: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:20. What is the first word that begins this verse? Why is this such a critical word (I suggest you circle this word!)? How does this, in effect, negate the argument from the previous verses? Consider Ephesians 2:1-4 where this word is also used, and spend some time in praise and prayer for the immensity of all that the Lord has done for His people!
- Thursday, April 30th: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:20-22. What key theology does Paul teach us in these verses? How does he compare the Lord Jesus to Adam? Why is this important? What came to us from Adam, and now what comes to us from Christ Jesus?
- Friday, May 1st: Prayerfully read or listen to 1 Corinthians 15:23-28. How does Paul describe the end of all things in these verses? Is this how you have understood how the Lord is going to overcome the enemy? Consider v. 28 in several translations. What do you think this moment will be like? Take some time to pray through that with the Lord, giving Him time to share with you His thoughts on this topic!
- Saturday, May 2nd: Review each of these Scriptures, questions, and prayers that you have worked through this week. Which one, or which theme, resonated with you? Pray through these things again as the Spirit leads you!
- Sunday, May 3rd: Risen Lord Jesus, we long to glorify Your Name in all we do, say, think and feel. Yet Lord, we confess that where You call us to love, we often choose selfishness. Where You call us to give, we often choose to hoard. Where You call us to forgive, we choose anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Lord, we ask for Your forgiveness, and fill us again with Your Holy Spirit. We do not want to live as the world lives, but rather as sons and daughters of the Kingdom. Amen.
- Monday, May 4th: Prayerfully read or listen to Exodus 4:29-5:7, 22-23. These passages establish the great showdown between Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (5:4) and the Lord God. What does Pharaoh say about God in 5:2 that reveals his heart? Do you think there are people today that have this same attitude? How do people come to have such a heart attitude? Were you ever someone who had this perspective? Are there people in your family, or among your friends or co-workers who feel this way? In your opinion, what do you think are the largest factors that contribute to this?
- Tuesday, May 5th: Prayerfully read or listen to Exodus 6:1. What aspect is highlighted in this verse, especially noted in the first part of the verse? How does this compare to what Pharaoh says in the last part of 5:2? How do you reconcile these two statements? Who is making the decisions regarding Pharaoh’s actions? Are you comfortable with this? Why or why not?
- Wednesday, May 6th: Prayerfully read or listen to Exodus 7:3-5. What does the Lord tell Moses is going to happen? Does it help to know the explanation as to why the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart, and you know what eventually transpires for the Hebrew slaves (remember, they had been enslaved for 430 years, and this was how the Lord freed them)? We often want to understand why the Lord does what He does, and we don’t get an answer. But right here, we have it spelled out for us – God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so He could do amazing miracles and, in doing so, the people who had been enslaved for hundreds of years would be set free. What events going on in the world today could be softened or balanced out for you if you had this sort of insight? Can you trust our King’s wisdom without having that insight?
- Thursday, May 7th: Prayerfully read or listen to Exodus 7:8-13. If you were in the room and saw these things take place, what conclusions would you draw, especially knowing that the Egyptians were simply doing “magic tricks” that were dependent upon sorcery and demonic powers? What would you think about Pharaoh when he refused to back down? What do you think of people today when the Lord so clearly reveals Himself, and yet unbelievers refuse to see His hand at work (for example, when someone is miraculously cured of an illness, and all someone will say is that it is “unexplainable”)?
- Friday, May 8th: Prayerfully read or listen to Exodus 12:23, 29-32. How exactly were the firstborn of Egypt killed? Who exactly caused their deaths? Do you struggle with this? Thousands of firstborn sons in Egypt (some very old all the way to children and infants) were killed in this way. They were not directly responsible for the Hebrews being slaves, yet they were all struck and killed. Do you think it could have been averted? How does what happened to the Egyptians show us why we must avoid a hardened heart, both personally, but also corporately? What can happen to a body of Believers that become hardened to the Word and the Holy Spirit? How can we avoid this personally and corporately?
- Saturday, May 9th: Review each of these Scriptures, questions, and prayers that you have worked through this week. Which one, or which theme, resonated with you? Pray through these things again as the Spirit leads you!
