Connecting my heart to the heart of the Father

Loving Father, I come to You confessing that I too often live my life upside down, and act as if I am the potter, and You are the clay. O Lord, forgive me for the many ways that I try to shape You into my image, instead of allowing You to form me into Yours. You O Lord, are the potter, I am the clay, and this day I submit to Your hand once again (Pause and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the ways that you have acted as if you are lord instead of Him. Confess your sin to the Lord).

May I be one, who is always being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. Accomplish this in me by Your Spirit, I pray, and empower me to follow Your example, Lord Jesus. Your Word promises that those who set their heart on pilgrimage with You, will be blessed and given strength – this day, I set my heart on following hard after You and submit to Your formation of my life (Surrender your life once again to Jesus and invite Him to make you more like Himself).

My hope is in You, Lord, and I trust in Your great name. Use the circumstances in my life to shape me, Father. May nothing be wasted, but all things used for good to make me more like Jesus (Offer the difficult circumstances you are facing to Jesus and ask that the Holy Spirit use them for good in your life).

Help me to trust You more and more, until I trust You with all my heart. Keep me from leaning on my own limited understanding. Instead, teach me to acknowledge You, to notice You, to see You, in all of my ways. Make my pathway straight, O Lord. I submit to You Lord, and I trust in Your great name to deliver me from every snare on this formation journey that You have marked out for me (Thank Him that He will never leave you or forsake you and that He is at work on your behalf).

Instruct me and teach me in the way that I should go, counsel me and watch over me I pray, and may only Your plans for me prosper. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in my life I pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Father, You have called us out of darkness into Your wonderful light – may we as Your people increasingly declare Your greatness and praise Your name (1 Peter 2:9)!

Father, I thank You that You are always devising ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from You – and so I ask Lord, – call the prodigals home to Yourself! I lift up those represented by the ECB community of faith, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends. Those who have walked away from You, O God, draw them to Yourself once again. And I pray for those who wait for their return. Strengthen them and encourage them this day so that they do not lose heart (2 Samuel 14:14).

Father, I ask that You strengthen my brothers and sisters in Christ at ECB – strengthen me, I pray, so that we might live such good lives among the people of Bangkok (neighbours, co-workers, friends), that they will see our good deeds and glorify You. Help us to live as strangers in this world, and remind us continually that our true home is in heaven (1 Peter 2:11-12).

I ask Lord, that You give to us ‘godly sorrow’ that brings repentance and leaves no regret. Give us the gift of brokenness, humility and tears before You. Increase our hunger for holiness (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Father, I ask in Jesus’ name that You build up ECB into a spiritual house of living stones. May we as Your people come alive in the Spirit (1 Peter 2:4-5)!

May our love for one another Father, be increasingly sincere. May all prejudice, hatred, envy and strife be destroyed in Jesus’ name, and our love for one another increase and be sincere. Teach us what it means to love one another ‘deeply from the heart’ (1 Peter 1:22-23, 25).

Give us ‘God-sized’ dreams, Father, for the ministries that You wish to accomplish through us. Increase our faith, and embolden us to be risk-takers for the sake of Your kingdom (Hebrews 11:1,6)!

May we, as Your people, be increasingly wise and make the most of every opportunity that You give us as ambassadors of the Gospel (Ephesians 5:15).

Father, I ask that unwholesome talk would not be heard among us, but instead, may our conversations be full of encouragement of one another. May all bitterness, rage, anger, slander and all malice be eradicated from our midst and replaced with the kindness and compassion of Jesus. May we forgive each other as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:29-32).

Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are persecuted for their faith in You. Encourage them and strengthen them to stand firm.

Ask God to pour out His Spirit on ministries throughout the nation of Thailand that are proclaiming Jesus, and reaching out to the marginalized and exploited. Pray for a harvest of souls.

Thank You Father, for saving us from the empty way of the world! Guard our hearts, I pray, that we might not be led into temptation. Deliver us from evil (1 Peter 1:18-19; Matthew 6:13).

Father, Your Word is living and active, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. May Your Word increasingly be the only standard for our living. May all cultural preferences that are contrary to Your Word, fall away. Unify us under the culture of Christ I pray (Hebrews 4:12-13)!

Teach us the way of submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

Father, prepare the hearts of Your people today to worship You tomorrow. Prepare my heart, I pray! Pour out Your Spirit on us as we gather and change us into a people that is conformed to the image of Jesus! Give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us! May Your Word take root in our hearts and produce spiritual fruit (Revelation 2:7; Matthew 13:18-23).

Father, I pray for our pastors, elders and deacons, those who you have placed over us, and I ask that You give to them wisdom and discernment from heaven as they watch over the flock of ECB. Strengthen them with joy in Your presence, I pray.

Father, I pray for those who come to ECB seeking answers about who You are and what it means to follow Jesus, that they will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to salvation. May each of us extend the welcome of Jesus to those around us and may Jesus be so seen among us, that many will come to faith in Him. May there be salvation in Your house this Sunday! Open the eyes of the spiritually blind!