God’s Word is the food of life for a Christian, and prayer is the breath.
Prayer is the most powerful spiritual tool available to a believer. Through an open heart and a willingness to be immersed in Scripture, people will find that they are covered by God’s Spirit. When people completely depend on God, they find that they are richly blessed and forgiven, and all of their needs will be met by God and His grace.
Written by bestselling author Jack Countryman, God Listens will help revive the prayer life of readers from any background. The book opens with sections of Confession, Thanksgiving, Praise, Supplication, and Intercession. Then come prayers for twenty specific needs ranging from physical healing, financial needs, worship and hope, to salvation and eternal life. Each of the more than 100 prayers is based on Scripture. Every prayer reflects a believer’s sincere, heartfelt desire to be more of the person God calls His people to be. Journaling space is included for writing your own prayers.
God’s Word is the food of life for a Christian, and prayer is the breath.
Prayer is the most powerful spiritual tool available to a believer. Through an open heart and a willingness to be immersed in Scripture, people will find that they are covered by God’s Spirit. When people completely depend on God, they find that they are richly blessed and forgiven, and all of their needs will be met by God and His grace.
Written by bestselling author Jack Countryman, God Listens will help revive the prayer life of readers from any background. The book opens with sections of Confession, Thanksgiving, Praise, Supplication, and Intercession. Then come prayers for twenty specific needs ranging from physical healing, financial needs, worship and hope, to salvation and eternal life. Each of the more than 100 prayers is based on Scripture. Every prayer reflects a believer’s sincere, heartfelt desire to be more of the person God calls His people to be. Journaling space is included for writing your own prayers.
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Overview
God’s Word is the food of life for a Christian, and prayer is the breath.
Prayer is the most powerful spiritual tool available to a believer. Through an open heart and a willingness to be immersed in Scripture, people will find that they are covered by God’s Spirit. When people completely depend on God, they find that they are richly blessed and forgiven, and all of their needs will be met by God and His grace.
Written by bestselling author Jack Countryman, God Listens will help revive the prayer life of readers from any background. The book opens with sections of Confession, Thanksgiving, Praise, Supplication, and Intercession. Then come prayers for twenty specific needs ranging from physical healing, financial needs, worship and hope, to salvation and eternal life. Each of the more than 100 prayers is based on Scripture. Every prayer reflects a believer’s sincere, heartfelt desire to be more of the person God calls His people to be. Journaling space is included for writing your own prayers.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781400323777 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nelson, Thomas, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 11/12/2013 |
| Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishing |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 192 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Jack Countryman is the founder of JCountryman gift books, a division of Thomas Nelson, and is the recipient of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Kip Jordan Lifetime Achievement Award. Over the past 30 years, he has developed bestselling gift books such as God's Promises for Your Every Need, God's Promises for Men, God's Promises for Women, God Listens, and Red Letter Words of Jesus. Countryman's books have sold more than 27 million units. His graduation books alone have sold nearly 2 million units.
Read an Excerpt
GOD LISTENS
PRAYING with PASSION and POWER
By Jack Countryman
Thomas Nelson
Copyright © 2013 Jack CountrymanAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4003-2377-7
CHAPTER 1
CONFESSION
* * *
Confession—acknowledging our sins before our pure and holy God—is the path we take when we want to enter His presence. When we go before the Lord with a repentant heart, the Holy Spirit will show us those things in our lives that are displeasing to Him. Then, when we confess those sins and ask our heavenly Father's forgiveness, God hears our prayers, forgives our sins, and declares us completely cleansed of all unrighteousness. After all, that is His blessed promise to us in 1 John 1:9—"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Instruments of His Righteousness
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:13–14
Holy God, I confess that I am a sinner seeking Your forgiveness. I confess those things I have done that I ought not to have done. And I confess those things I didn't do but ought to have done. Cleanse me, O Lord, that I might know the sweet fragrance of Your mercy and the joy that only You can give. Then enable me, I pray, to not return to those sins You forgive. Break the power of sin so it no longer has dominion over me—and enable me to live, under grace, as an instrument of Your righteousness, in a way that pleases You and brings glory to Your name.
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A Clean Heart
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:10–12
Merciful and gracious Father, I have sinned, so I ask You to do what only You can do: "Create in me a clean heart." Lift me up out of the pit of my sinful ways and renew my spirit. I yearn to live in Your presence, refreshed and energized by the joy that comes with my knowing salvation in You. May Your Spirit guide my every thought, Lord, and uphold me so that I will walk in Your ways and wholeheartedly praise Your glorious name.
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Healing Confession
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16
Lord God, You call me to confess my trespasses to a brother or sister in Christ, to bring that darkness of my soul into the light. Give me, I ask, the courage to do so.
My emotions have caused me to speak hurtful words to those whom You love, and my guilt is ever before me. Place within my mouth the words that will be well received and bring comfort and forgiveness from those I have sinned against. Once You have declared me righteous and I can confidently enter Your presence, help me to stay in close fellowship with other believers in Christ. Guide my prayers for their everyday concerns, for whatever they may need, such as Your healing touch, Your comfort when broken, and Your everlasting love, so that they might experience a closer walk with You.
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Cleanse Me!
Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1
Father God, I come before You as a humbled and needy child. Aware of how far short of Your standards I fall, I ask You to cleanse me from all filth and to wash away all the dirt of sin from my flesh and my spirit. Clothe me with Your holiness so that I will live righteously in Your presence. I know that holy and righteous living is not something I can do on my own, so, Holy Spirit, fill me with Your power that I might please my heavenly Father in all things.
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Pardon My Iniquity
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. Psalm 25:10–12
O Lord, Your paths are mercy and truth—yet I so easily and so often stray from them. I fail to obey Your commands, and, as You know, I like to be lord of my life. Forgive my great iniquity, my self-centeredness, self-absorption, and self-will. I do want to learn what You have to teach me about the ways You have chosen for Your people—for me—to live in this fallen world. Then may I show You my love, respect, and devotion by living according to the lessons You teach.
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CHAPTER 2
THANKSGIVING
* * *
First Chronicles 16:34 says, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" Indeed He is, and we have much to be thankful for. We have a heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love. He patiently waits for us to go to Him with a repentant heart, confess our sins, and receive His gracious forgiveness and acceptance. Our expression of gratitude to God for all His blessings is a key component of our prayer lives. Giving thanks to the One who gave His only Son brings us into His presence, enabling us to know joy and hope in Him as well as His transforming touch.
A Joyful Shout
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. Psalm 95:1–3
Great God and great King, You invite me to enter Your presence with thanksgiving—but may I not stop there. After I consider with gratitude all Your gifts to me, may I tell others of Your greatness and Your blessings. May I shout joyfully of the salvation I have in Your Son. With all my heart, I thank You, who are "the great King above all gods," for the ways You lift me up, guide me, strengthen me, and bless me with peace. And, Lord, I ask You to give me a new song every morning—a song that celebrates the power of Your great love, a song that praises Your mercy that endures forever, a song that proclaims the truth that there is no one like You!
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Give Thanks to the Lord
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1–3
How thankful I am to be in Your family, Lord God! You are good—and I am humbled by and deeply grateful for the many blessings You shower upon me daily. Help me, merciful and gracious Father, to be the person You desire me to be, to stand strong against temptation, and to make my relationship with You my top priority. Cover me with Your presence and empower me to share boldly and with thanksgiving the joy of knowing You!
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Set free from Sin
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:16–18
Holy and compassionate Lord, I give thanks that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins and that I have "been set free from sin." Words cannot describe the depth of Your compassion for those who are lost, for those who are "slaves of sin." By Your mercy and grace, though, You have forgiven me. Now, I pray, teach me to be a slave of righteousness who lives every day in fellowship with You. Fill me with Your Spirit so that my life will be a testament to joy in Your presence and a beacon of Your light to those who are walking in darkness.
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Joy in the Morning
Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:4–5
Sometimes, Lord, I find it easy to sing praises and give thanks to You, the One who gives my life meaning. Yet other times my heart is heavy, and my weeping does "endure for a night." So I cling to Your promise: joy in You—joy beyond comparison, joy without end—will come in the morning, and Your favor "is for life."
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Giving Thanks forever
So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations. Psalm 79:13
as one of the "sheep of Your pasture," Shepherd God, I am blessed each day by Your protection, provision, guidance, and love. When I fall down, You pick me up. When I am weak, You are strong. May I "give You thanks forever" and boldly proclaim to future generations Your goodness, Your mercy, and Your grace.
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The Lord Is Good!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Psalm 107:1–2
Lord God, You are good, and You are merciful. Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and His sacrificial death on the cross, You called me to be in relationship with You, to even be called Your child. You redeemed me "from the hand of the enemy," from the eternal consequences of my sinful ways. Knowing that this redemption is rooted in Your unwavering mercy gives me peace for today, for tomorrow, forever. May I therefore always give You thanks, for You are good!
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Thanks Without Ceasing
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–17
Gracious and generous Lord, Your command is clear: "pray without ceasing"—and without ceasing means more than keeping a regular daily appointment with You. Pray without ceasing is a call to walk through life with You, to be open to Your guidance, to be aware of Your blessings, and to thank You for those blessings. So, I ask You, help me make thanksgiving an integral part of my prayers. And may my gratitude for Your goodness prompt me to "rejoice always"!
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God's Good Work
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ... being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:3, 6
almighty God, just as Paul gave thanks in rememberance of the church at Philippi, I thank You for Your great faithfulness to Your people. As Paul did when he considered that body of believers, I also thank You for the "good work" Your Spirit has done in my life, enabling me to recognize both my need for a Savior and the truth that Jesus is the Savior. I thank You for growing my faith since that moment of salvation, and I thank You that You who have "begun a good work" in me will not stop until it is completed.
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* * *
Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. Psalm 147:1
CHAPTER 3
PRAISE
* * *
Thanking God for His many blessings and His gracious work in our lives is right and good; it is, in fact, a life-giving response to our heavenly Father. Also right and good is praising our Creator and Redeemer God for who He is, praising His infinite goodness and power, wisdom and love. God created us to worship Him, and He alone is worthy of our adoration and praise. So may the joyful cry of the psalmist be ours as well: "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being" (Psalm 146:1–2).
When praise becomes part of our daily lives, our attitudes will change and the presence of God will be manifested in everything we do. It is a lifestyle that God will bless, and it will allow us to walk closer to our heavenly Father.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! ... Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:1–2, 6
Majestic, holy, and gracious Lord, You command me to praise You with my every breath—the breath You have given me. And I marvel, Lord, that You, who by Your breath created all things, value my words of praise and adoration. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I am to praise You—and I want to praise You. So I ask You, Lord, to give me a heart that will choose to praise You always and in every circumstance. Establish in my heart an attitude of praise for Your love and generosity, your mercy and grace, an attitude that overflows in words and songs of gratitude to You. Fill me with a spirit of joy that I might sing Your praises.
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Praises every Morning and Night
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1–2
Holy and heavenly Father, You declare in Your Word that it is good for Your people to give thanks to You and to sing praises to Your holy name, to celebrate Your lovingkindness every morning and Your faithfulness every night. May I do exactly that as I walk with You and recognize Your presence in my life throughout each day. When I come to You with praise, I am truly blessed by Your mercy and grace. Enable me to live each day in the center of Your will so that I can serve You always with a grateful and joyful heart.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from GOD LISTENS by Jack Countryman. Copyright © 2013 Jack Countryman. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
God Listens.................... 2
Introduction.................... 4
Five Principles for Scriptural Prayer.................... 9
Prayer: A God-Given Priority.................... 10
Confession....................
Thanksgiving....................
Praise....................
Supplication....................
Intercession....................
Opening Our Hearts to God....................
SPECIFIC PRAYERS....................
Love....................
Joy....................
Peace....................
Temptation....................
Comfort....................
Healing....................
Financial Needs....................
Fasting and Praying.................... 93
Obedience and Blessing....................
The Lost and Unsaved....................
Worship....................
God Listens to Your Heart.................... 114
Hope....................
Prayers for the Brokenhearted....................
Protection....................
The God Who Hears.................... 130
Forgiveness....................
God's Promises....................
Communion with God.................... 150
Prayers for Eternal Life....................
Salvation....................
Servanthood....................
Patience....................
Pathway to Prayer.................... 169
Spiritual Commitment....................
A Closing Promise.................... 175