Prayer and Scripture go together. Both strengthen us when we apply them as a unit. Scripture is only truly opened up to the reader when they pray about what they are about to read, what they are reading and what they have read. Our prayers are also strengthened by the Scriptures when we can affirm who God is, who we are in Christ and what God’s will is for us as His Child. Meditative prayers are contemplative prayers used while spiritually discussing your thoughts and feelings with God. We are especially called to meditate on Scripture. Paul instructed Timothy to study and meditate on what was important as a follower of Christ. 1 Timothy 4:15 and many of the Psalms resonate the importance of meditating on God, His Word and His works. I find it heartwarming that in Gen 24:63 Isaac had gone out into the fields to meditate and then he saw his bride Rebekah arriving. That passage reminds me that God often cares for us through other people and wants us to be a blessing to others too.
Clarity And Direction Prayer
This Clarity and Direction prayer is to pray for gaining direction and clarity during a time of personal struggle. There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
Cleaning The Mind Prayer
This Cleaning The Mind prayer is to help us focus on inviting Jesus the Christ to cleanse our whole mind: imagination, intellect, memory and will. There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
Dobson’s first chapter on spiritual growth (p29-40) is dedicated to cleansing our mind. His Sample Prayer to cleanse the psyche was very detailed and three pages long. I have read numerous books on spiritual growth where we are encouraged to take our thoughts captive and think about things pleasing to God. However, Dobson has his readers cleanse their psyche first in chapter one, due to the many years of habitable misuse of their imagination. I found this type of prayer to not be a one-time prayer, but a prayer I used often when I first started praying for Spiritual Growth. My biggest problem was my stubborn Will. Jesus helped me pray concerning my stubbornness and I have a prayer dedicated to it, called the “Stubborn Persistence Prayer”. I also had a big problem wanting to lead Jesus rather than following him. After using my imagination to see Jesus holding my hand and leading me, my prayers began to bring me the peace and contentment I was seeking.
Relax, Listen and Learn Prayer
This meditative prayer to Relax, Listen and Learn from God is always a blessing for me. Enter into this prayer boldly, because you know who you are in Christ. I must confess, I had a few times where I needed to first deal with some unresolved feelings towards God before I could pray this prayer. There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
In Dobson’s book (p46), How To Pray For Spiritual Growth, A Practical Handbook Of Inner Healing. He recommends relaxing in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands comfortably positioned. The point he was making was to relax without falling asleep because, you are going to learn from God. I personally found my chair uncomfortable. I was struggling with this prayer as I was sitting on my bed and praying about my Dilemmas; then I heard the Holy Spirt say, “Relax, Listen, and Learn”. I then realized I needed to relax about the listening prayer in more ways than one. From that point onward I started calling my listening prayer, the Relax, Listen and Learn Prayer. If you have trouble being quite at the listening part, like I did, try to just quietly focus on a picture of Jesus or what it feels like to be in his presence. Solitude and Listening to God is a Christian Discipline. In the Study Guide for his book on Christian Disciplines, Whitney, (p80) states solitude and silence is practiced in an effort to hear God more clearly. Just remember to be rested before you try this prayer, so you are alert and ready to learn before entering into this prayer.
Christian Spiritual Disciplines Prayer
This prayer is for strengthening our Spiritual Disciplines. I learned as a new Christian to always pray about our plans before we even start planning. I even had a Minister advise us to even pray about our prayers and prayer life! As we begin anything, it is always best if we take a moment to focus on God for clarity, guidance and His support, by bathing all our plans, dreams and ambitions in prayer.
There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
Balanced Life Prayer
This Balance Life Prayer is still something I work on. There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
I have to confess that I never prayed for balance before reading Dobson’s book, How to Pray for Spiritual Growth, A Practical Handbook on Inner Healing. I did not see the need for a Balance Prayer. However, I have changed my mind due to some bad habits. I thought this would be a weak prayer, I was wrong. Dobson’s Sample Prayer was roughly three pages long. My personal guideline prayer is much shorter; however, God has taught me that there are not any weak prayers or small gifts from Him.
Forgiveness Prayer
This Forgiveness Prayer is my very favorite prayer. There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
I had never truly prayed successfully to forgive others, until I learned to forgive myself first. If you are having trouble with forgiveness, you might need to work through the Feelings Prayer first or the Christ in My Life: Healing Memories Guideline Prayer. Keep in mind, you will forgive best when you allow Jesus to lead you. If He takes you to another event instead of the Foot of the Cross to forgive yourself and others, that is okay. Forgiveness is something you give to yourself and to God. Dobson’s book, How to Pray For Spiritual Growth, A Practical Handbook Of Inner Healing, was well worth the purchase, because it helped me see forgiveness from a different perspective that finally worked for me. I am so grateful God gave me a generous sister that purchased many books to give as gifts and I was given one! I actually felt set free and at peace after working through unforgiveness in my life. Surprisingly, most of the unforgiveness I had in my life was directed at myself!
Deliverance Prayer
My Deliverance Prayer is no longer like my old deliverance prayer. I now have two prayers. There are two videos available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the Deliverance videos or the written prayers.
In the past, my prayer had been just a quick, deliver me from my enemy type of prayer or I prayerfully read Ephesians 6:10-18 while picturing myself putting on the Whole Armor of God. I started to see things differently after reading Dobson’s book (p 117) concerning deliverance while seeking Spiritual Growth. I see now there is a way to dig in a little deeper into Eph 6. Dobson explained that deliverance prayers should go hand in hand with healing prayer. A Deliverance Prayer’s goal is to assist the person in a state of wholeness (mind, body and soul) in Jesus’ love.
The way I understand deliverance praying for my own spiritual growth; If God helps me remove a persistent bad habit, I need to also allow God to help me add a good habit, or I will replace that space with something possibly even worse. That falls along the spiritual principal that Dobson referenced in Matt 12:43-45. I started to see for example a persistent bad habit might require doing a Healing Memories Prayer with Christ in my life, to see what the root problem is. Then both a Feelings and Balance Prayer to work on healing. If the bad habit is still persistent then I pray the Deliverance Prayer. The point is we sometimes may need God to make changes within us: remove, replace, heal and then even deliver-heal us from spiritual attacks like we are told about in Ephesians 6. Bottom line, I have found in every prayer, I am only successful when I trustingly put everything into the hands of Jesus. If you find you are struggling with your prayers and feel your prayers are not being heard. I recommend you go to the Salvation Prayer and affirm your position in Christ and/or the Feelings Prayer to affirm you are not dealing with unresolved feeling towards God.
Worship Prayer
This Worship Prayer is a meditative prayer for focus when privately worshiping God. You are encouraged to add favorite songs or Scriptures that remind you of why and how you love God. Worship should also be private for us and be a reflection of our personal relationship with God. It is a Spiritual Discipline that allows us to grow in our relationship with God and focus on Who God Is and Who We Are in Him.
Christ In My Life: Healing Memories Prayer
This Christ In My Life Prayer is used when praying for Inner Healing and Spiritual Growth concerning events in our lives. If, however, you have been traumatized or deeply wounded in some way it is best that you allow a trained professional like a Pastor or Christian Counselor to walk with you during the healing process. It is Jesus that heals, sometimes we also need human ears that God has called for the purpose of ministering to us, His wounded children. God loves you and wants you to get the best of care. I pray God will pour out His blessings on you and lead you to the healing He has for you. This prayer has been very instrumental and beneficial as I went through the grieving process of losing my mom. Rick Warren (p292) in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, reminded me that God teaches us through all of life events, when we let Him.
There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer and allow Jesus to walk with you through your memories.
Walking With Christ Prayer
This is a Walking With Christ Prayer to help us walk with the Messiah through the events in His life as found in the Scriptures. Memorizing, reading and meditating on Scripture equips us to live an abundant life in Christ. This prayer is for Scripture that is foremost Jesus the Christ lead. It is best if you read the Scripture that Jesus brings to your mind meditatively by using all of your senses and try to imagine you are with Jesus as a child of God while you read it. Whitney explains in his book (p 34) concerning Christian Disciplines, that “Meditation is the missing link between Bible intake and prayer. “
Feelings Prayer
This is a Feelings Prayer to pray about particular feelings you are dealing with. There is also a video available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the video or the written prayer.
This prayer is as much about positive feelings like joy and contentment as well as feelings of fear, anger, etc. Take your time as you pray and reason with God (Isaiah 1:18). Be open and honest as other feeling may or may not surface, so you can better understand what God is teaching you during this prayer about your feelings.
Feed My Sheep Prayer
This is the meditative prayer, Feed My Sheep. This prayer is for clarity and direction for those who are being called into some type of Christian Service. There are two videos available for those that prefer to listen and pray with someone. Go to this prayer page to use the videos or the written prayers.
