Captivating...

I am in the middle of reading Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge and at the end of the book (I know, I know…I always do that, I read the end of the book before I even get there, same way I will read a magazine from the back… Just something I do :) there is an amazing prayer that I want to share with you. It truly touched my heart and resonated with me.

It’s called:

A Daily Prayer For Freedom

M y dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you- to renew my place in you, my allegiance to you, and to receive from you all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my sovereign Lord, and I surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to you. I give you my body as a living sacrifice; I give you my heart, soul, mind & strength; and I give you my spirit as well. I cover myself with your blood- my spirit, my mind, soul & my body. And I ask your Holy Spirit to restore my union with you, seal me in you, and guide me in this time of prayer.

Dear God, holy & victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship, my hearts devotion, all my praise and all my trust and all the glory of my life. I worship you, bow to you, and give myself over to you in my hearts search for life. You alone are life, and you have become my life. (I love that part!)

I renounce all other Gods, and idols, and I give you the place in my heart and in my life that you truly deserve. I confess here and now that it is all about you, God, and not about me. You are the Hero of this story, and I belong to you.

Forgive me for my every sin. Search me and know me and reveal to me any aspect of my life that is not pleasing to you, expose any agreements I have made with my enemy, and grant me the grace of a deep and true repentance.

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true father- my creator, my redeemer, my sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you; I trust you; I worship you. Thank you for proving your love for me by sending your only son, Jesus, to be my sacrifice and my new life. I receive him and all his life and all his work, which you ordained for me. Thank you for including me in Christ, for forgiving me my sins, for granting me his righteousness, for making me complete in Him. Thank you for making me alive with Christ, raising me with him, seating me with him at your right hand, granting me his authority, and anointing me with you Holy Spirit. I receive it all with thanks and give it total claim to my life.

Jesus, thank you for coming to me, for ransoming me with your own life. I honor you as my Lord; I love you, worship you, trust you. I sincerely receive you as my redemption, and I receive all the work and triumph of your crucifixion, whereby I am cleansed from all my sin through your shed blood, my old nature is removed, my heart is circumcised unto God, and every claim being made against me is disarmed. I take my place in your cross and death, whereby I have died with you to sin and to my flesh, to the world, and to the evil one. I am crucified with Christ. I now take up my cross and crucify my flesh with all it’s pride, unbelief, and idolatry. I now bring the cross of Christ between me and all people, all spirits, all things. Holy Spirit, apply to me the fullness of the work of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for me. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my life. Jesus, I also sincerely receive all the work and triumph of your resurrection, whereby I have been raised with you to a new life, to walk in newness of life, dead to sin and alive to God. I am crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. (AMEN!)

I now take my place in your resurrection, whereby I have been made alive with you, I reign in life through you. I put on the new person in all holiness and humility, in all righteousness and purity and truth. Christ is now my life, the one who strengthens me. (Thankful for that!!)

Holy Spirit, apply to me the fullness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for me. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my life.

Jesus, I also sincerely receive you as my authority and rule, my everlasting victory over satan and his kingdom, and I shall receive all the work and triumph of your ascension, whereby satan has been judged and cast down, his rulers and authorities disarmed, all authority in heaven and on earth given to you, Jesus, and I have been given fullness in you, and Head over all. I take my place in your ascension, whereby I have been raised with you to the right hand of the Father and established with you in all authority.

I bring your authority and your kingdom rule over my life, my family, my household, and my domain. And now I bring the fullness of your work- you cross, resurrection, and ascension against satan, against his kingdom, and against all his emissaries and all their work warring against me and my domain. Greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. (YEAH!) Christ has given me authority now over and against EVERY enemy, and I banish them in the name of Jesus Christ. Holy spirit, apply to me the fullness of the work of the ascension of Jesus Christ for me. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my life.

Holy Spirit, I sincerely receive you as my Counselor, my comforter, my strength, and my guide. Thank you for sealing me in Christ. I honor you as my Lord, and I ask you to lead me into all truth, to anoint me for all of my life and walk and calling, and to lead me deeper into Jesus today. I fully open my life to you in every dimension and aspect- my body, my soul, and my spirit- choosing to be filled with you, to walk in step with you in all things. (LOVE THAT!)

Apply to me, blessed Holy Spirit, all of the work and all of the gifts of Pentecost. Fill me afresh, blessed Holy Spirit. I receive you with thanks and give you total claim to my life.

Heavenly Father, thank you for granting to me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. I receive those blessings into my life today, and I ask the Holy Spirit to bring all those blessings into my life this day. Thank you for the blood of Jesus. Wash me once more with his blood from every sin and stain and evil device. I put on your armor- the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness of the Gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation. I take up the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, and I wield these weapons against the evil one in the power of God. I choose to pray at all times in the spirit, to be strong in you, Lord, and in your might.

Father, thank you for your angels. I summon them in the authority of Jesus Christ and release them to war for me and my household. May they guard me at all times this day. Thank you for those who pray for me; I confess I need their prayers, and I ask you to send forth your spirit and rouse them, unite them, raising up the full canopy of prayer and intercession for me. I can forth the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ this day throughout my home, my family, my life, and y domain. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, with all glory and honor and thanks to him.

WOW, It was a long prayer, but so touching. I want to want Jesus with ALL of my heart; I don’t want to ever put anything before Him. This prayer helps me realize the greatness of what He did for me, for us! He is worthy of 100% of me. I surrender all to Him. I wrote in my journal the other day that the reason I seek God so intently is that I’m afraid to be away from Him. Without Him, I am not me… without Him, I can do nothing. Without Him, I am empty and unfulfilled. Without Him, I have no purpose or no reason for living. He is ALL I want or could ever need.