Fighting Pride

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-fight-the-sin-of-pride-especially-when-you-are-praised


Lord,

I am not self-existent; only you are. Only You are absolute, but I am contingent. I am utterly dependent on You for my origin and for my present and future existence.

I am by nature a depraved sinner and that, in all my sinning, I have treated You with contempt, preferring other things to Your glory. I take stock that I have never done a good deed for which I don't need to repent. Each one is flawed because perfection is commanded. Therefore I realize that You owe me nothing but pain in this life and the next. This condition of mine is so desperate that it could only be remedied at the cost of the horrid death of Your Son, to bear my punishment and provide my righteousness. I revel in the forgiveness and righteousness that is mine in Christ.

Clothe me with humility towards others. You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble. Help us to humble ourselves under Your mighty hand so that you may exalt us at the proper time. Remind me that the least among us shall be great. May I see these thruths for what they really are. Help us to feel them with a sense of the meekness and lowliness and brokenness that corresponds to their true weight.

I renounce desires for praise and notoriety and esteem when I see them rising. I turn my mind toward the beauty and truth and worth of Christ.

I try to receive all criticism — from friend or foe — with the assumption that there is almost certainly some truth in it that I can benefit from.

I strive to cultivate a joy in Christ and his wisdom and power and justice and love that is more satisfying than the pleasures of human praise, with the goal that, by the Spirit, I would be granted the miracle of self-forgetfulness in the admiration of Christ, and in love toward people.

In Jesus' name,
Amen


Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5-6, James 4:6-10, Luke 9:48, Mark 9:35, Matthew 20:26, James 1:19

Leading Up

Adapted from The 360 Degree Leader by John Maxwell

Lord, I pray for my leaders and those in authority. I ask that you grant them wisdom and strength so that they may lead well.

Help me to Lead myself exceptionally well.

Use me to lighten my leader's load.

Make me willing to do what others won't.

Help understand my leader.

Let me be prepared when I take my leader's time.

Give me the sense to know when to push and when to back off.

Help me to become a go-to player.

Grant me the wisdom and perseverance to be better tomorrow than I am today.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen


Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pride

Lord,

In whatever I do or say, let it all be done for Your glory and not my own. What do I have that you have not given me? If everything I have is from You, why do I boast as though it were not a gift? Lord forgive me for my pride. May I not demand my own praise or push for a place among the great. May I wait on you and trust in you, giving you praise and honor for the things You do.

Amen


Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Proverbs 25:6-7,

Forgiveness

Lord,

Help me to make allowance for the faults of others rather than trying to eliminate the faults of others. May I forgive others who offend me. Help me to remember how much you have forgiven me and to offer that same grace and forgiveness to others.

May I be kind and compassionate to others, tenderhearted, forgiving others as you have forgiven me. Help me to bless those who curse me and pray for those who mistreat me.
Please remove any root of bitterness from my heart.

In Jesus' Name
Amen

Scripture: Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:12, Luke 6:28, Hebrews 12:15

Kindness and Gentleness

Dear Lord,

Clothe us with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Help us to make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends us. Help us to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Above all, clothe us with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in our hearts. May we live in peace and always be thankful.

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-15

Worthless Things

Lord,

Turn my eyes from worthless things and give me life through your word. Fix my eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. This world and it's desires are passing away. Thank you for dying for my sins so that I can live forever. May I not store up treasure here on earth, but help me to store up treasures in heaven. May I seek your Kingdom first. May I consider everything else as worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing you.

Scripture: Psalm 119:37, 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV), 1 John 2:7, Matthew 6:19-20, Matthew 6:33, Philippians 3:8

Ephesians 1:16-20

I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭16-20‬ NLT)