Hey NLC Family,
I love the start of a new year! It’s a fresh start for many and the best time to let God renew our focus on Him! We do this together as a church by setting aside time to fast and pray as we seek His presence.
It’s clear that we live in complicated days. Many have lost their fear of God. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This means that the lack of wisdom all around—the foolishness of our day—is the direct result of us losing our fear of God. So what do we do? How does the church return to fearing the Lord above all other things?
We ask for His help. We set aside time, and other priorities like food and media, to seek Him. We draw near because we love Him and need His help if we’re going to love Him more. To have a good relationship with anyone you love, communication is vital! Prayer is our way of communicating with our Lord. It goes two ways: from us to Him, and from our Lord back to us. As we pray, He will give us a greater respect for His name and wisdom to live in a way that glorifies Jesus.
So, we created this guide to help! It is designed to help you know how to pray for your own life, for the church, and for our nation. It has scripture about some of life’s most pressing issues, so you can quickly stand on the Word as you pray!
Pray these Scriptures out loud. When you do that, you declare the truth and power of God’s Word over your life. When we choose to agree with what God has said in His Word, we surrender our feelings and align ourselves with His truth and purpose for our lives.
Join me in prayer for 2024.
May God bless you, New Life Church!
Pastor Rick and Michelle Bezet
Praying For
Yourself
A PRAYER FOR YOURSELF:
Father, I thank you that You know everything about me and You love me deeply. Before I was formed, You knew me. You have loved me with an everlasting love and You even gave Your only Son for me. I thank You for Your mercy and faithfulness in my life. I cannot get over how good You are to me!
Father, will you bring to the surface what I can’t see? Where have I sinned against You or others? What have I looked at, listened to, or spent time doing that does not honor You? Have I spoken words that harmed others or grieved You? I confess _____________________ (sinful words/actions). Please forgive me and cleanse me of this unrighteousness. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Lord Jesus, who do I need to forgive? What difficult memories are on repeat in my mind? Today, I choose to forgive _____________________ for how they treated me. I felt _____________________ (ex: discouraged, embarrassed, ignored, rejected, betrayed), which You understand firsthand. Jesus, I release them from the debt they owe. I pray You would bless them in their relationships with others and in all that they do. Thank You that Your Spirit enables me to do what I can’t do on my own! Thank You for forgiving me when I need it.
- Pray for provision, blessing, and physical healing.
- Pray for freedom from fear, anger, unforgiveness, and depression.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth to any areas of deceptive thoughts.
- Pray for an increase in seeking God and hearing His voice.
Lord, help me to hear Your voice and obey Your leading even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. Today, help me to pause and pray before making decisions. I trust that You will direct my path. Lord, is there anything You want to say to me? I welcome Your leading.
Personal Prayer Challenge:
Set aside time you would typically use for yourself today (car ride, free time, eating, entertainment, etc.) and spend that time with the Lord. Write down major prayers for the week and keep a journal so that as God highlights scripture or speaks to you, you have a way to remember what He is showing you!
Praying For
Your Family
PRAYER FOR SPOUSES:
Thank You, Lord, for my spouse. Thank You that what You’ve brought together in our covenant of marriage, no man can separate. I pray that my husband/wife’s relationship with You would grow daily. Let their desire for and understanding of Your word increase. I pray for Your protective covering over our communication, friendship, and bond of love. Let our marriage bea reflection of who You are to the world around us.
PRAYER FOR CHILDREN:
God, I thank You that You’ve been a parent much longer than I! I ask for Your favor and blessing over my family. Your word says You freely give wisdom to those who ask. I ask for supernatural wisdom to lead my home. I confess my dependence on You. I pray that unity, delight, and joy will fill the atmosphere of our home. I ask for Your supernatural protection over my kids’ purity, faith, innocence, and their relationships with You and their family. Bless them with sound minds and protect their health. I pray their bond to You as their Heavenly Father will be strong all the days of their lives. I pray they would be rooted in Your Word, have strong Biblical convictions, and be surrounded by friends who spur them on in their walk with You. Help us, God, so that every family unit would be a representation of You to the lost world around us.
PRAYER FOR PARENTS:
God, I ask that You would bless my parent(s). Bless their minds with peace and hearts with joy. Bless their finances and help them make good decisions. I ask that You protect their health. Help me to honor and obey them. Help us to show love to each other in Jesus’ name. (For aging parents: Lord, guide me in how to best care for and serve their needs. I ask for wisdom in all decisions and for compassion for their season. Help me to love them well!)
PRAYER FOR SIBLINGS:
Father, I pray blessings over my brother(s) and sister(s). I pray they would seek You above other things. I pray our relationships would be healed and filled with grace and love for one another. I pray they would be protected from the enemy and that they would experience true freedom in Christ!
PRAYER FOR LOST FAMILY MEMBERS:
Father, I lift _____________________ to Your throne. I pray You would draw their heart to the truth of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, reveal their need for repentance and salvation found only in You! I pray they would encounter You in their dreams and thoughts, and that eternity would be on their hearts and minds. I bind deceptive lies that keep them from the truth about You and themselves. I ask that You would release truth in place of lies and light in place of darkness. May their names be found in the Lamb’s book of life in Jesus’ name (Luke 10:20)!
- Pray that our families seek God together in prayer, worship, and the Word.
- Pray that our families and households are blessed and protected in their provision and health.
- Pray that marriages grow in love and are honored, protected, and restored.
- Pray for parents and kids to have healthy, loving relationships that honor Jesus.
- Pray for salvation for lost family members and healing in broken relationships.
Lord, help our family to seek You together and follow Your guidance! I pray that You would be first in our family. Help us grow together in the Word and serve each others’ needs. Is there anything You want to say to me, Lord?
Family Prayer Challenge:
Gather with your family or household today and pray together. Have a conversation about how you can be praying for each other this week, write it down, and put it somewhere you can see as God answers.
Praying For
The Church
1. WE SEE A CHURCH THAT IS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AS WE FOLLOW JESUS.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. John 16:13
Pray that we, as the Body of Christ, would be led by the Holy Spirit in
all we do. Pray the Holy Spirit’s blessing and leading over our:
- Pastors
- Life Group + serve leaders
- Every member of our church
PRAYER TO BLESS YOUR PASTORS:
I bless_____________________ (my pastors by name) in the name of Jesus, that the fullness of God’s peace may flood their heart and mind, sinking deeply into every part of their being and life. I bless them, that their body may be strengthened and healed, so that they are free to walk in the joy of the Lord.
In Jesus’ mighty name!
2. WE SEE A CHURCH THAT IS POURING INTO THE NEXT GENERATION.
Train up a child in the way he should go. Proverbs 22:6
- Pray for our children and students to have encounters with Jesus that lead to salvation and a boldness to follow Him in every area of their lives.
- Ask God to provide and sustain Godly leaders that invest in the next generation.
- Pray for protection, blessing, and refreshing over our next gen pastors.
3. WE SEE A CHURCH WHERE OUR PEOPLE HAVE AN INSATIABLE HUNGER TO GROW.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19
- Pray for an increase in desire for God through prayer and His word above all!
- Pray for our people to receive freedom from sin and a maturing in Christ through the Holy Spirit!
- Pray for families and marriages to grow in Christ together.
- Pray for new leaders to step out and lead Life Groups!
4. WE SEE A CHURCH THAT SERVES ONE ANOTHER.
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:12-14
- Ask God to give us humble hearts, eager to serve like Christ.
- Pray for leaders and volunteers to grow our serve & outreach teams.
- Pray that as we serve our community, the Gospel of Jesus would be revealed and many would come to follow Him.
5. WE SEE A CHURCH THAT LIVES ON MISSION.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19
Our mission is to reach our friends with the life-giving message of Jesus and see them become fully devoted followers of Christ.
- Pray that the Gospel will be shared in everything we do (weekend services, Life Groups, serve groups, outreach ministries).
- Ask for an awareness of “God opportunities” with people around you.
- Pray for many people to accept Jesus as their Lord, be water baptized, and be discipled!
A PRAYER FOR YOUR CHURCH:
Father in heaven, Holy is Your name! All power, all authority, all glory belongs to You! How great is Your love to those who fear Your name. Your kingdom come and Your will be done on Earth, through Your church, as it is in heaven!
Lord Jesus, forgive us for not denying ourselves to follow and obey You. Forgive us for disregarding You as a Holy God and treating You like an add-on to our lives whenever we find You convenient. Help us to return to our First Love. We thank You for Your kindness to help us in our time of need! We need You, Lord Jesus!
- Pray that our people would love God more than they love sin, entertainment, or other relationships.
- Pray for the above 5 areas of vision.
- Pray that our entire church would grow strong in the Spirit and in truth.
Church Prayer Challenge:
Meet up with your group at church (Life Group, serve team, ministry team, etc.) sometime today and pray for one another and the church. Pray for pastors and their families by name and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your team as you pray.
Praying For
Your City And State
A PRAYER FOR YOUR CITY/STATE:
Thank You, Father, that the gift of Jesus came at just the right time, when the land was covered in darkness! In Him was life, and this life was the light of all mankind. He is our Counselor, our all powerful Father, and our Peace. May the light of Jesus shine in the darkness of our cities and state and not be overcome!
Father, forgive us as a state for slowly pushing away our fear of You and turning to other things like the love of self, pleasure, or the worries of life. Forgive us for removing the honor of Your name and authority of Your Word from our schools and replacing You with false identities spoken over our students. Forgive us for being passive or silent rather than actively sharing who You are with the lost! May many more souls in Arkansas be saved!
- Pray for city/state leaders by name.
- Pray for repentance to flow from the local churches.
- Bless your city with promises from God (protection, provision, gospel advancing).
- Pray for revival in schools and public spaces (hospitals, offices, gyms, shops) through believers filled with faith for the harvest.
Heavenly Father, we lift up all who are leading our city and state. Please grant them wisdom and a heart to govern our people with justice and truth. Soften the hearts of those who are far from You and convict them to repent and turn to You for salvation. For those walking in darkness, shine the light of Jesus Christ upon them! Raise up righteous and wise men and women to govern who are bold to see Your will accomplished in Arkansas!
Governor: Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Beebe: Mike Robertson
Benton: Tom Farmer
Bryant: Rhonda Sanders
Cabot: Ken Kincade
Clarksville: David Rieder
Conway: Bart Castleberry
Little Rock: Frank Scott Jr.
Fayetteville: Lioneld Jorda
Fort Smith: George McGill
Greenbrier: Sammy Hartwick
Heber Springs: Kasey Griffin
Hot Springs: Pat McCabe
Maumelle: Caleb Norris
Mayflower: Danny Hester
North Little Rock: Terry Hartwick
Pine Bluff: Shirley Washington
Russellville: Fred Teague
Searcy: Mat Faulkner
Father, give us Your mindset to protect and provide for the vulnerable, give mercy quickly, and stay humble before You. Lord, is there anything you want to say to me?
City/State Prayer Challenge:
Take a prayer walk or prayer ride (via bike or car) around the city, schools, or even your neighborhood, and pray for God’s blessing, protection, and Kingdom to reign in these areas!
Praying For
the Nation
A PRAYER FOR THE NATION:
Lord God, we thank You for blessing our nation; we can only attribute it to You. The United States of America was Your plan and Your eyes are still upon us. May You receive glory from our land, for You are faithful, oh God.Forgive us as a nation for sinning against You. We have collectively refused to acknowledge You, rejected Your word, and replaced Your truth with “our truth.” Forgive us for shedding the blood of the innocent. Forgive us for not standing for justice and righteousness. Forgive us for declaring the right to live according to pleasure and desire instead of Your word. Please release a river of repentance over our nation. Forgive us for not making You the first and the last in our lives. We repent of turning to ourselves in place of You.
Help us, Lord Jesus, and heal our land.
As we go into an election this year, we ask for discernment so that we may choose leaders who fear You, live by Your word, and follow You with all they are. Raise up righteous and wise men and women to govern who are bold to see Your will accomplished. Thank You for the right we have to vote. Please lead us, and ultimately lead our nation, through this election.
Pray for national leaders by name.
- Pray for God to raise up national leaders who pursue His will.
- Pray for repentance to flow from the American church.
- Pray for our nation to seek God in sincerity and truth.
- Pray for a great harvest of souls to come as God opens blind eyes to the truth of Jesus Christ and the reality of sin and eternity!
Heavenly Father, we also lift up all who are currently leading our nation. Please grant them wisdom and a heart to govern our people with justice and truth. Soften the hearts of those who are far from You and convict them to repent and turn to You for salvation. For those walking in darkness, shine the light of Jesus Christ upon them! May Your Kingdom come and will be done in this nation as it is in heaven.
Father, give us Your mindset to protect and provide for the vulnerable, give mercy quickly, and stay humble before You. Help us to serve to meet the needs of the people. Lord, is there anything You want to say to me?
Nation Prayer Challenge:
Gather with two or three near a place of government (courthouse, state capitol) and pray for this nation. A prayer walk or ride may be easier than a meet up!
Pray Acronym
When you’re not sure what to say in your prayer time, remember this simple PRAY acronym:
Praise (give thanks and honor to God)
Repent (confess sin and turn from it)
Ask (request needs for self and others)
Yield (surrender and obey His leading)
