Prayer for the Leading of the Holy Spirit

Jesus our God, our guide, our leader, we surrender ourselves to you; asking that you release us from any fears; any selfish ambitions; and any sins that hinder us from seeking and serving you. We cry out to you saying: "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us, Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us."

Living God we confess our need for you, we confess our need for your Spirit to dwell in us. Jesus, we remember the promise of your Word, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth”. Because of your promise we believe we can lead, love and serve in this world with confidence through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as we pursue your truth and guide all with ears to hear to your truth. We your children live with assurance that because of you we have power to overcome the devil who walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Therefore, we can live victoriously through the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus reminds: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”.    

Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Us. We give you thanks dear God, through the Holy Spirit, we are without limitations. Again we remember the words of Jesus, “humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Hence, we give glory to God as we strive to live faithfully and as we humble ourselves, we ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and eyes to the sins we have committed against our God and our neighbor. We invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with compassion so that we might: “bring good news to the poor; proclaim that the captives will be released; that the blind will see; that the oppressed will be set free; and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come”.

Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Us. In submission to your will, we strive to forsake the ways of the world, which is why we invite the Holy Spirit to continually fall afresh on us. As we prepare to face this day and the next, our prayer is that we discover and rediscover the gift and power of the Holy Spirit that melts us, molds us and fills us with love and determination to follow, lead, learn, love and serve effectively for God’s Glory.

May the words of Paul constantly remind us of our need for the Holy Spirit - “But it was to us that God revealed these things by His spirit. For His spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets”.  With each rising sun, may we avail and submit ourselves to the leading of the Spirit that we know how to love, how to pray and how to serve. O Lord hear our prayer, it is in Jesus’ name we pray. Spirit of the Living God Fall a fresh on us, Amen!

Prayer: Remembering the Holiness of God

Holy God we humbly lift your name High, we your creation, confess in your presence we struggle with submitting ourselves to you.  Remind us that you are God of the universe, maker of heaven and earth. Amid a culture that exalts everything above you, we pause to remember that you are God; you are holy; you are present among us and yet, you are beyond this physical world and our intellectual sensibilities. Oh God we cry out to you, help us remember, that you dwell with us and that we are not to take your holiness for granted. We recall what you told Moses, that we are to honor your holiness – (Exodus 3:5 – 6) “Do not come any closer, take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” So, like Moses, with fear and deference to your holiness, in humility we too, cover our faces from your glory to receive the gift of your presence.

We give thanks to you merciful God for meeting us where we are – in the messiness of life – as we strive to live, love and follow you – you meet us right in our messiness, calling us to remember that you, God, are greater than our circumstances. You invite us to remember and consider like the Psalmist (Psalm 77), “O God, your ways are holy, Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrated your awesome power among the nations”. Right now God we reject the ways of the world and bow before you, submitting ourselves to your majesty and your holiness that beckons us to live and love like you.

We dare to remember with Peter who said to Jesus, (John 6:69) “Lord to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and know you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus we exalt your name, for there is none like you, (Colossians 1:16-17) “for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see… He existed before anything else and he holds all creation together”. Help us, Holy God to remember in all aspects of our lives to exalt you, because you are holy and life-giving, remind us as we serve, as we follow, and as we lead to do so in reverence to you remembering your Word points us to you and challenges us to live for you stating: (I Peter 1:16) "Be ye holy because I am holy!" O Lord hear our prayer, it is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

As we consider the holiness of God and that God invites us to "Be holy because I am holy", we are challenged to consider:

                    (1) How does my life reflect the holiness of God? 

                    (2) What does it mean to be in relationship with a God that is holy? 
                    (3) What does the culture ask of me? What does God asks of me? 

                    Which leads me toward holiness?

"Do You Know When People Really Become Spiritual?"

From Interior Castle by Saint Teresa of Avila

"Oh, my sisters, how little one should think about resting, and how little one should care about honors, and how far ought to be from wishing to be esteemed in the very least if the Lord makes his special abode in the soul. For if the soul is much with him, as it is right it should be, it will very seldom think of itself; its whole thought will be concentrated upon finding ways to please him and upon showing him how it loves him.  This, my daughters, is the aim of prayer; this is the purpose of the Spiritual Marriage, of which are born good works and good works alone. . . .

Reflect carefully on this, for it is so important that I can hardly lay too much stress on it. Fix your eyes on the Crucified and nothing else will be of much importance to you. If his Majesty revealed his love to us by doing and suffering such amazing things, how can you expect to please him by words alone? 

Do you know when people become really become spiritual? 

It is when they become the slaves of God and are branded with his sign, which is the sign of the Cross, in token that they have given him their freedom. Then he can sell them as slaves to the whole world, as himself was sold, and if he does this he will be doing them no wrong but showing them no slight favor. Unless they resolve to do this, they need not expect to make great progress. For the foundation of this whole edifice, as I have said, is humility, and if you have not true humility, the Lord will not wish it to reach any great height; in fact, it is for your own good that it should not; if it did, it would fall to the ground.

Therefore, sisters, if you wish to lay good foundations, each of you must try to be the least of all, and the slave of God, and must seek a way and means to please and serve all your companions.  If you do that, it will be of more value to you than to them and your foundation will be so firmly laid that your Castle will not fall."