7 Simple Prayers That Changed My Life
For the last 25 years I have prayed everyday with all kinds of prayers and requests, however, there are 7 prayers that stand out among the rest. Although simple in nature, God has powerfully answered each one and they have produced great spiritual growth in my life.
Here are the 7 simple prayers that have changed my life:
1. "What is my purpose in life?"
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I began praying this as a new Christian and prayed it daily for years. God answered this prayer 10 years after first uttering it by dramatically encountering me during my daily devotions with my call to the ministry. Because I persistently sought God in prayer regarding my purpose, I am now living His dream for my life.
2. "Anoint me for what I am called to do."
God's empowerment on what we do for Him delivers supernatural results. I proactively prayed this long before my calling was revealed. I knew that whatever my purpose, I needed God's power to do it. I am still desperate for God's anointing, so I continue to pray this everyday.
3. "I need wisdom and discernment."
Viewing people and circumstances through God's eyes is crucial to accurate understanding and intercession. I ask Him to give me the amount of wisdom and discernment needed in proportion to the call on my life. I pray this at the start of each day as well as throughout the day and as needed. This remains my most frequent prayer request.
4. "Root all selfishness and pride out of my life."
The opposition to the Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Me and, oh boy, did I have a lot of me when I became born-again (pride still tries to rear its ugly head)! God answers this prayer by using the people and circumstances in my life to cause me to die to self and walk in Christ-like humility. This ongoing pruning process is always very painful, but absolutely necessary in order to produce much fruit … which leads me to the next prayer …
5. "Increase my pain threshold."
We will grow as a Christian only to the level of our pain threshold. I never want to draw a line in the sand and say, "No more pain!" If I do, I will stymie my growth. No pain, no gain. I always want to be painfully stretched, taken out of my comfort zone, and receive needed correction. I also want to be able to deal with challenging change, make difficult choices and work hard. And then there is the pain of rejection, the ache of forgiving someone who has wronged you, the sting of persecution, the throb of nailing your flesh to the cross and the list goes on and on. I pray this so that all limits are taken off of my growth.
6. "I ask You for one divine appointment per day."
Winning a vast harvest of souls has always been my foremost goal and I know it is accomplished one person at a time. Wow, does God answer this prayer! Everyday God leads me to at least one lost soul and uses me to bring them one step closer to Jesus. I marvel at how He sets up divine encounters in the least likely of places and circumstances (oh snap! … material for a future blog).
7. "Expose what needs to be exposed, reveal what needs to be revealed and bring into the light that which is kept in darkness."
Darkness is the devil's playground, therefore asking God to expose the adversary's plots and plans is crucial to winning in spiritual warfare. When God uncovers the devil's schemes in my life, He makes the invisible visible and the subtle blatant. This prayer can make the difference between victory and defeat.
I would love to hear what life-changing prayers you have prayed. What prompted you to pray them? How has God answered them? What effect have they had on your spiritual growth?
