女兒，這是爸爸在工作崗位上看到這本書 <Principles of Prayer, by C.G. Finney, 1980> 之後，一個一個字打下來的禱文，希望這份禮物，能成為妳們一生的祝福
禱告要有果效，就必須發自正確的動機
禱告不應該出於私心，而應該出於對上帝之榮耀的極度關切
From Principles of Prayer - by Charles G. Finney
CONTENTS
Prevailing prayer
1. the truth and prayer
2. pray for something definite
3. pray for the will of God
4. pray submitting to God's will
5. pray with worthy desire
6. pray with right motives
7. persevere with the Holy Spirit
8. pray often, Renouncing sin, in Christ's name
9. pray in faith
10. why God requires strong desire
11. prayer brings unity and blessing
12. a final remark
* sources for prevailing prayer
Prayer of faith
1. what to believe when you pray
2. pray for God's promises
3. pray for prophetic declarations
4. pray when signs indicate a blessing
5. prayers of faith obtain their object
6. how to pray a prayer of faith
7. the prayer of faith
* sources for prayer of faith
The spirit of prayer
1. why we need the Holy Spirit
2. the Holy Spirit and Scripture
3. the Holy Spirit and Salvation
4. the Holy Spirit and providence
5. distinguishing the Holy Spirit
6. distinguishing the Spirit
7. to receive the Spirit's influence
8. prayer and the church
* sources for the spirit of prayer
Be filled with the spirit
1. you may and must have the spirit
2. what prevents being filled
4. results of being filled
5. the state of the ministry
6. the blessings of being filled
7. effects of spiritual emptiness
8. necessity of divine influence
9. true Christianity
* sources for be filled with the spirit
Meeting for prayer
1. purposes of public prayer
2. how to conduct public prayer
3. hindrances to public prayer
4. the necessity of public prayer
* sources for meeting for prayer
1. The truth and prayer
O God, send your holy spirit into my life that I might be changed; that I might be conformed to our will. Convict me of the truth through the Good News of your son. Empower me with a true lover for sinners that I might desire to keep them in my prayers and share with any the truth. Amen.
2. Pray for something definite
Dear Heavenly Father, my mind wanders so in my prayers to you. My attention span is short; and I am soon off on other pursuits. Fix in my mind those people, events, or things for which I am to pray. Help me to fix my mind steadily, without wavering, on one purpose only, that I might accomplish through prayer at least one thing for your glory. Amen.
3. Pray for the will of God
Dear God, I confess that quite often I do no know how to pray as I ought, and I compound my sin by blundering on ahead at full steam anyway. Help me to dig deeply into the Scriptures that I might apply what I learn to my prayers. Help me to be more sensitive to the divine dimension in life around me that I might pray according to your providential governance. Bless me with a greater awareness of your Spirit as He moves within me that I might pray for whatever you would desire of me. Amen.
4. Pray submitting to God's will
Dear Father, I always end my prayers be submitting to your will; but now it appears that I sometimes do not pray earnestly for what I desire and the good that I would accomplish, but simply turn it all over for you to take care of while I try to be satisfied with the results. Help me to wrestle with the strength and will of Jacob in my prayers, and then submit to obeying whatever you ask of me. Amen.
5. Pray with worthy desire
O Lord, there is much about prayer that I do not understand. How can I pray and prevail? Do my needs and desires that seem so paltry really merit the pleading and agony which men like Jacob, Moses, and Jesus expressed in their prayers? Open my eyes beyond myself that I might see the great needs of your Church and your world, and enable me to pray for these needs with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Amen.
6. Pray with right motives
Dear Father, help me to examine myself and my prayers that I might determine if they are truly from right motives. I have never thought about the seriousness of some of my petitions. I have offered up my needs and the needs of others, and I have failed to see that many of these petitions, though seemingly good on the outside, were really rooted in selfishness. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.
7. Persevere with the Holy Spirit
O Lord, when I compare my feeble attempts at prayer with the standards for effective prayer, I confess that I do not pray to you but simply play a prayer. Forgive me for that I have not been willing to persevere as I should, but have so soon given up and have turned the matter too quickly to you. Fill me now with the Spirit and the desire for persevering prayer. Amen.
8. Pray often, Renouncing sin, in Christ's name
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I take the easy way in prayer, doing most of it as I recline in the comfort of my bed or sitting in the chair of my desk. I don't really humble myself before you or work at prayer as I do anything else of importance. Forgive me and help me to renounce my foolish ways that I might accomplish great things through prayer for the glory of your kingdom. I pray in the Name you honor, even Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
9. Pray in faith
Lord Jesus, I do believe, but help me unbelief. I long to feel the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life, and I long to praying faith knowing my prayers will be answered. It is a new insight for me to know that the sober and rational and intelligent decisions of my life made prayerfully can be the leading of the Spirit of God rather than emotional impulses. Help me not to take too much for granted, but to look to the truth that real faith brings to those who seek to serve God. Amen.
10. Why God requires strong desire
O Lord, my God, I love my friends, and I love those within my church, my Bible class, and my prayer groups, but I hardly love the sinner. I confess that I still have feelings of resentment and sometimes even hate for those who have personally wronged me or the church. Please teach me to love and have feelings for all people, especially those who have wronged you and dishonored your Name. I turn them over to you now in childlike faith that you will hear my prayer. Amen.
11. Prayer brings unity and blessing
Dear Heavenly Father, unite me more firmly with your Son, Jesus Christ. Fill my heart with His benevolent love for all people. Give me a real concern for those who are lost around me; those who have no one to turn to, and help me to share the message of Christ's love for us all, with them. Keep me humble and ever aware that every accomplishment for you is your work in me and in the church I serve. Amen.
12. A final remark
Dear God, you have shown me through the teachings of Jesus, His apostles, and the prophets that you desire to hear and answer my prayers. You desire that my prayers prevail with you for the salvation of the lost, the growth in grace of the church, and the deepening of my own relationship with you. May I no longer take prayer for granted, but really dedicate myself today to practicing what I have learned from a master on prayer, and through practice experience the joy and glory pr prevailing and travailing with you. Amen.
13. what to believe when you pray
Dear Heavenly Father, these are deep and weighty thoughts for me. I have always prayed "The will be done," because I didn't dare believe that you would always give me whatever I asked. Help me to understand these truths fully that I might ask rightly, that I might always pray for the very things that you would have for me. Amen.
14. Pray for God's promises
O Lord Jesus, shine the light of you Holy Spirit into my mind as I more diligently search the Holy Scriptures for the promises you have for me and the world about me. Call to my mind those things that I have read when I am in time of trouble and distress that I might pray rightly through the application of your promise to my need. Amen.
15. Pray for prophetic declarations
O Lord, guide my reading of the Scriptures that I might have greater discernment of the truth, that I might discern the words of prophecy that apply to my life and my time, Guide me in my prayers for the fulfillment of your Word that I might pray rightly, that your plans for the future may be achieved for your glory and honor, and the salvation of many. Amen.
Discernment KK [dɪˋsɝnmənt], DJ [diˋsə:nmənt] 1. 洞察; 識別
16. Pray when signs indicate a blessing
Dear God, make me more sensitive to life around me. Help me to face the world and other people with eyes wide open-open to the possibilities of service and salvation through work and prayer that are ever before me. Make me more sensitive to the work and movement of the Holy Spirit in my life that I might know the difference between the groaning of the Spirit and my own feelings of melancholy or depression. Amen.
17. Prayers of faith obtain their object
O Lord, these words are hard to understand. Help me to more carefully think through what I can pray for in faith before storm the throne of grace. Help me to carefully weigh the promises of Scripture and prophetic declarations, the signs of the times, and the groaning of the Spirit that I might pray the prayer of faith based upon the evidence before me. Tell me, Father, when I have failed to pray the prayer of faith, so that I can see more clearly your never failing answers to my prayers. Amen.
18. How to pray a prayer of faith
Lord Jesus, I desire to know your Word, and I long to read it intelligently and apply it to my life. As I pray the prayer of faith, fill me with freshness of your Sprit that I might long to pick up the Scriptures and hear the wonderful words of life. Amen.
19. The prayer of faith
O Lord, my God and Savior, I consecrate myself to you, right now, to you and your use-my mind, my heart, my soul, my talents, my time, and my treasures. I dedicate my life to serving you in all ways and to following you wherever you lead. I feel free, O God, knowing that you possess me fully and that you will guide me in the prayers that you desire to answer. Amen.
20. Why we need the Holy Spirit
O God, send the power of the Holy Spirit into my life. Excite me now about what I am to pray for. Lead me to dwell on those things that will overpower my feelings and bring love and compassion for people who need to know of salvation. May I feel a deeper love for the church, and seek to pray for the accomplishment of her mission. Amen.
21. The Holy Spirit and Scripture
Come Holy Spirit, come as the light of the mind and the fire of the heart. As I immerse myself in the holy Word of God, as I endeavor to apply the promises of God to my life, enlighten me regarding those truths that are hidden from my sight because of my lack of concentration and failing memory. When I bring my troubles and my joys before my Father, share with me the words of life that were written so long ago. Amen.
22. The Holy Spirit and Salvation
Dear Heavenly Father, giver of live and salvation, I pray this day that you would reveal to me by the power of your Holy Spirit a person who is in need of salvation or the healing touch of your loving hand. I do not completely understand the mystery whereby you seek to save others by my prayers and the truth I proclaim, but I do know that you desire to be a co-worker with your children. Amen.
23. The Holy Spirit and providence
Dear Father, lead me by the power of your Holy Spirit to see your guiding hand in the daily occurrences of my life and in the daily events of my community and world. Bring revival to my heart, my home, and my church and community. Help me to see signs of that revival. May I be willing to do what is necessary, despite opposition, that I might lead others to commitment to, and knowledge of, Jesus Christ. Amen.
24. Distinguishing the Holy Spirit
Dear Heavenly Father, quite often I have expected you to do more than is necessary to convince me that I am in possession of your Holy Spirit, or rather, that your Holy Spirit is in possession of me. Help me to channel my thoughts and my feelings along constructive paths, making me ever concerned about building up your kingdom and ministering to the lost. By loving thoughts and actions, enable me to distinguish the Spirit in my life. Amen.
25. Distinguishing the Spirit
Lord Jesus, sometimes I am selfish, wanting to experience things for their own sake, wanting to feel the Spirit in order to feel good, reassure myself of salvation, or guide me to some exotic place or person. Help me to be directed toward the needs of the other people in my life and world. Help me to feel love and compassion for the physically and spiritually need. Help me find intelligent and loving ways to meet these needs, and then I will know I am led by the Spirit. Amen,
26. To receive the Spirit's influence
Come Holy Spirit, abide in my life and influence me with your quiet stirrings of the mind and the heart. I confess that I have desired to know you for self-centered reasons, and I forsake now all selfish desire for you. I ask only that I may know you to glorify Jesus Christ in my life, and that I may lead others to come to know and accept the way of salvation. Amen.
27. Prayer and the church
Dear God, holy, loving, and merciful, I desire to pray rightly with all my heart. There is much that I must learn and digest if my prayers are going to be as effective as they can be. I know you hear even the feeble prayer of the sinner, but still great power for revival and the spread of the Gospel must come from the intelligent, Spirit-influenced prayers of the saints. May I pray the prayer of the saint, and not the feeble sinner, that your kingdom may come on this earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
28. You may and must have the spirit
Dear Heavenly Father, I tend to take my faith for granted. I don't understand the importance of the gifts that you want to bestow upon me for the sake of your kingdom and my salvation. I know that you want me as a co-worker with you, and I am overwhelmed and humbled by that honor and responsibility. Over these next few days, guide me and fill me that I may be of holy service to you by the power of the Spirit. Amen.
29. What prevents being filled
O God, may I take the time to examine myself and my motives for conduct and desire for the Spirit. There are many things that may not be willing to give up for the Spirit, and so I am blind to these faults that grieve the Spirit of God away. Shine the light of your truth upon my life as I attend to public worship, Scripture reading, prayer and service. Alert my conscience that I might see what is keeping me spiritually empty, and strengthen me as I willingly try to conform my life to your will. Amen.
30. Results of being filled
Lord Jesus, may I not be afraid but ask boldly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into my life. May I not be afraid or shrink from accusations or ridicule of others but be willing to stand up for your kingdom. Help me to see clearly and know that the Spirit will lead me into greater wisdom and love, even though your wisdom and love may appear as foolish to the world. Amen.
31. Results of being filled
Dear Heavenly Father, my expectations of the Christian life were so radically different from what I experienced once I began to take you seriously that I was confused and doubted the substance of my faith. Help me to pray for those who oppose me, and enable me to keep silent, except where motivated by a spirit of love and intelligence. May I not strike out at others because Satan is striking out at me. Amen.
32. The state of the ministry
Lord Jesus, I grieve over the state of the ministry, the laity, and the church, wherever there is spiritual deadness and apathy. I particularly pray for the ministry, a converted ministry, that will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is true, and pray for the outpouring and influenced of the Holy Spirit in the lives of every person to make the truth effective. May the ministry be characterized by a devout and holy life, as an example to the Christian and the unconverted. Amen.
33. The blessings of being filled
O Lord Most High, fill me with your Holy Spirit. I come not with selfish reasons but with a real desire to glorify you and our Son Jesus Christ. My life is often in turmoil and in affliction; but I know that through the presence of your Spirit, I can be a calm and steadfast witness to the peace which passes understanding. In Jesus' Name and for His sake, Amen.
34. Effects of spiritual emptiness
Lord, I pray for that Christian, spiritual consistency that is the fruit of being filled with your Spirit. Some of the effects of spiritual emptiness I find in my life now, and I know that they can be remedied only by my desire for and your gift of the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. I commit my life anew to you now, and await for the spiritual awakening that will take place as I learn and practice your truth in my daily life. Amen.
35. Necessity of divine influence
O Lord, the weight of the necessity of spiritual influence in my life, and in others, is upon me. I desire to preach, with real power, release to the captives. However, I know now that there can be no release apart from the anointing influence of your Holy Spirit. May no person's future or eternal salvation be hindered because of my lack of prayer or my failure to ask that my words be guided by your spirit in the presentation and reception of the truth. Amen.
36. True Christianity
Come Holy Spirit, convict me of laziness in seeking your will through the Word you inspired. Forgive me for testing my feeling for some mysterious sensibility of you, while neglecting to reasonably think through and apply the will of God as expressed in the Scriptures to my life here and now. May I continue to approach true Christianity that my life may be a witness to others. Amen.
37. Purposes of public prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, may I find a way for group prayer in my life. May I find two or three of like mind to pray with in covenant, for each other and the growth of your kingdom. May we be changed to be able and willing to accept the blessings you would bestow, and may we find others to share this joy of faith in your Son Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Amen.
38. How to conduct public prayer
O Lord, I often pray in the privacy of my bedroom or office, but I long for group prayer and a means of praying as a group for particular blessings. Please show me a Christian people of like mind, and enable me to begin with these principles in the faith that you will honor them now even as you did in the past. Amen.
39. Hindrances to public prayer
Dear Father, there is much to learn about prayer. There are many helpful principles and many dangerous pitfalls as well. May I not be so concerned with the "letter of the law" in my prayers but with the "spirit of the law" that great effectual prayer may be wrought in my life as well as in the lives and purposes of the people who pray with me. Amen.
40. The necessity of public prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, if there is no prayer meeting in my church, let it begin with me. I pray that my minister and leaders in my church may see the need of some type of coming together for prayer. Perhaps, O Lord, others have been waiting for me to come forward and propose a weekly time of prayer. Open the hearts of my Christian friends, and open their minds to such a proposal. Show me the way to begin this ministry for the spread of your Gospel. Amen.
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