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Beginning Suggestions to Kickstart Prayers for Your Church / Pray for your church Congregation
As a church leader, you probably wonder how you can pray for your congregation so that they will remain faithful to the Lord and serve Him joyfully. Prayer is a gift we give to those around us, and especially those we minister to every day. Prayers we can Pray for Our Church Congregation
Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
For all Biblical history, the power of prayer is what opens the doors of Heaven and blessings come forth. Everything we do needs to be guided from above. We find that direction by asking
The 12 prayers below will guide you as you pray for your congregation.
1) Growth / Personal
Christians need to grow in their faith and remain faithful to their relationship with God. You can pray for your congregation to grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Lord, bless this congregation you have given me to shepherd. Help them grow in their faith and relationship with you so that they will be ready for what you want to accomplish through their lives.
One of the major responsibilities of all shepherds, is feeding the flock. All Living Things need food to survive. It is no different spiritualy. A Healthy balanced diet of spiritual disciplines will help the child of God to keep growing and developing until that child is able to reproduce in their likeness. The spiritual disciplines are
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Studying the Word
- Fellowship
- Mediation
- Making Disciples
The best study I ever read on this topic was Richard Foster’s book called “Celebration of Discipline” it is golden. A good text for one of your classes.
2) Commitment
It’s important to pray for your congregation to remain committed to the work of the Lord and have fellowship with other believers. Life may present them with situations that can make their commitment to the things of God waver.
Lord, I pray for the commitment of every member of this church so that they will continue to show up and be part of our church community. Help them work through any life issues that may take away their commitment to be in your house.
We live in a time where there is a smorgasbord of churches that families can go to receive food. Pray God will give you the wisdom, the needed spiritual gifts to help feed your entrusted flock. People can exist on eating only Twinkies – but in the end, it doesn’t work out well.
3) Spiritual Gifts
Every member of the church needs to identify and use their spiritual gifts. Pray for God to reveal to each person the gifts He has given them.
Lord, thank you for giving us spiritual gifts so that we can build up the Body of Christ. Show every member of this congregation the spiritual gifts you have given them so that they can use them for your glory.
The understanding is that God provides Spiritual Gifts to strengthen his Children. A wise Leadership will pray that God will bring to them the needed spiritual gifts that his children at that location need. They will also keep their eyes open spiritually to see clearly what the Lord brings their way.
4) Guarding Against Deception
There is a lot of deception in the world today and many Christians are being drawn away by false doctrine. Pray for your church members that they will not fall for the deception of false teachers and prophets.
Lord, protect my congregation from false teachers and prophets, who you said would increase in the last days. Help each member of this church discern between the godly and the false, and help them to hold on to the truth.
The scriptures clearly help us understand taht their is a spiritual battle that is taking place on the spiritual plane. There are glimpses that are shared
- Satan was cast from Heaven ( Luke 10:18)
- Satan tempted Eve and got her kicked out of Garden (Genesis 3:21-24)
- Requested to very seriously to test Job’s (Job 1: 6-22)
- Satan Request to Test Peter (Luke 22;31)
- Satan Roams – looking to eat christians (I Peter 5:8)
- Satan’s End has been set – Satan is seeking to take as many with him as he can
- Our War is spiritual ( Ephesians 6:12)
- Satan Knows Gods Leaders, he seeks to destroy them, he also preys on the weak. ( Act 19: 13-16) Seven Sons of Sceva –
5) Purpose
God desires that we will know His purpose for our lives. You can pray for those who have no idea why God created them.
Lord, I praise you because you are an awesome God who cares for each of us, and you want to see us prosper and succeed. If there is anyone in this congregation who doesn’t know why you created them, please give them a revelation of your purpose for their lives.
I havw felt for along time our Brethren seek to be involved in something larger than themselves.
The wise Leadership Understands this. That Leadership that walks by faith and their Flock cannot wait to Follow. They desire and long to be involved in that type of Godly Vision
6) Evangelism
Many Christians find it challenging to share the gospel with unbelievers and shy away from doing it. Others believe evangelism is the work of the church and the pastor. Pray for them to be confident enough to share the gospel with others they meet.
Lord, give my congregation the confidence and courage to share the gospel with those who don’t know you.
Many Churches have lost the vision and reason Jesus came. To Seek and save the Lost. He is the great Physician – He gave his life to Save. Some desire to do this but do not understand how. That is why prayer is so important so that God would send them the gifts and vision they need to expand the borders of God’s kingdom
7) Prayer Life
Prayer is an important part of the Christian life and each person should have a daily prayer life so that they can remain connected to God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray because He knows how important it was in their lives.
Lord, Help my congregation develop a prayer life that will sustain them daily and prepare them to face each day. If they struggle to pray, grant them the grace to do so and teach them to pray the right way.
Prayer is a learned discipline. It is learned by practice – Jesus disciples saw Jesus prayer life and Said – Teach us to pray
(Luke 11:1) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
8) Reading the Bible
One important prayer you can pray for your congregation is for them to make it a daily habit to read the Bible. This will help their faith grow because they will know God more.
Lord, I pray that each member of this congregation will create time to read the Bible each day and grow their faith. Give them the grace to study your Word and to know it by heart.
God has given us the Ultimate Operators Manual – Instructions on our Origin – Our Purpose – Our Destiny
9) Living Righteous Lives
The world has many temptations that can make any Christian fall. This is why Jesus said that we should pray so that we don’t fall into temptation.
Lord, help my congregation not to fall into the temptations of the world. Show them how to live righteous lives that honor you. Keep them from being attached to the things of this world but to focus on things above in heaven.
10) Protection
We know that the devil prowls around looking for who to devour. There are other dangers that face us each day from which we need God’s protection. You can pray for the protection of your congregation always.
Lord, protect every person in my congregation from the enemy and dangers that threaten to destroy their lives. Send them angelic help to protect them and guard them in all their ways.
Jesus did this for Peter, Luke 22: 31-32, 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
We wish we could say that a Christian life is a life full of Roses. But Truthful Christians have given their lives – Been Beheaded – Been Burnt –
One of the most sobering books I ever read was Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – took my breath away
11) Healing
We all need healing from one thing or the other in life. We encounter hurt, betrayal, rejection, disease, etc. and we need God’s healing so that we can be whole again.
Lord, heal every member of this church from their broken hearts and faint bodies. Heal every part of their being and restore them to wholeness. Help them forgive anyone who hurt them to give room for your healing to flow into their hearts.
12) Families
You can pray for the families of your congregation for strengthening and unity.
Lord, I pray for every family represented in this congregation. Help them as they deal with their unique issues, and help them to remain united. Restore joy to them and may they put you at the center of their homes.
Lord, as I lift up the above prayers to your throne of grace, touch the life of every member of this congregation. Give them hope and let them see your sure salvation in their lives.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.