P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Today we will look at how the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and produces in us holiness.
Together we will pray (P.R.A.Y.) each day – ‘P’: Pausing to be still as we come into the presence of the Lord. ‘R’: Rejoicing as we remember who our God is and what He has done, and Reflecting on His word. ‘A’: Asking God to help us and others. And ‘Y’: yielding to His will in accordance with His word.
As I come before you to pray, I still my thoughts and quiet my mind. I seek to make you the center of my focus.
Prayer of Approach
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me now as I seek your face, Lord. Still, my mind and heart as I prepare to meet with the God of my salvation. I invite you to invade my thoughts, Lord, and to fill me with your peace. Finely tune my hearing so that I can hear clearly what you have to say. I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus.
-Mark Rosewell
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 104:
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.
He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
Psalm 104:16-23
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture, where we read:
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:8-11
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:12-17
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:16-24
The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin in this life and produces in us holiness. We see clearly in these verses that the flesh and us living in the flesh leads us to death. That the sin that clings so closely to us does not have to be the end of our story. That God has provided us with the Holy Spirit to purify and cleanse us of our sins. The Holy Spirit brings to light the sin in our lives and by his power transforms us to look like Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit that we see in Galatians 5 is not external to the Holy Spirit, but those fruits grow in our lives when we are connected to the Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit is here to be our Helper, so go to him!
Jesus, would you give send the Holy Spirit upon me now? Show me and convict me of the sin in my life. Don’t leave me there though. I ask that the Spirit would intervene and transform me so that the fruit of my life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
1)Do I believe that the Holy Spirit has the power to convict and transform my life?
2)Where in my life is the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin?
3)Will I go now and ask for his help to be purified and set free from the bondage of that sin?
Lord, we ask that you would pour out your Spirit on your people in a supernatural way for this season of time. As we seek your face would you give us your Holy Spirit to empower, purify, reveal, and unify your people? We are expectant for a movement of your Spirit in our world!
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word.
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:8-11
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:12-17
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:16-24
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I lay down my life at your feet. I surrender to the life and behavior that you have called me to, not to one that I create myself. Let me be in your Word so I know what my life should look like and let me yield to it in all areas of my life. Convict me by your Spirit and give me life-transforming power to break free from addictions, worries, anxieties, fears, and sinful behavior. I trust in your power to move in my life.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
John 14:16
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank you for choosing me to be your messenger today. I am willing, Lord. Send me out from here to speak the good news of Jesus with boldness and clarity. Equip me with your Spirit and pave the way before me. Prepare the hearts of anyone I will come into contact with today. That they may see Jesus, not me, and be transformed by Him.
-Mark Rosewell
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.