Like prayers taken directly from God’s Word that are powerful when spoken over the various areas of our lives.

This is especially true where we struggle.

So let’s address the issues we face as believers from head to toe. And these prayers include the help we need from the Bible.

Our prayers include: our mind, eyes, ears, mouth, shoulders, heart, hands, and feet.

Everything from our head to our toes.

Practical Prayers: Mind

Father God, You created my mind, so I submit it to Your care. Help me set my mind on eternal things. And give me power to take every thought captive, making it obedient to Your truth. I cast out every lie from the enemy. Help me meditate on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and excellent of praise. Let Your Spirit renew my mind daily in Your Word. Also, give me the mind of Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scriptures: Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 2:12 & 16, Romans 12:2a, Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 10:5)

Practical Prayers: Eyes

Lord, Your Word reminds me how my eyes can cause me to sin. So help me turn my eyes away from lust and temptations like overspending, addictions, and sexual immorality. Place in me a desire for integrity. Give me the strength through Your Spirit to not set things before my eyes that do not please You on television, devices, and online. Because those things never bring honor to You, but defile my flesh. And it stunts my growth in You. Instead, let my eyes be raised to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scriptures: Genesis 3:6a, 1 John 2:15-16, Psalm 101:3a)

Practical Prayers: Ears

God, I want to be a child who diligently listens to my heavenly Father’s voice. And to really hear Your truth. Show me the way by opening my ears to Your voice—never stopping up my ears like a stubborn child. But I want to welcome Your truth in my life and never turn away to myths. When I accepted Christ as Savior, I opened the door of my heart to You for the first time. Now, help me hear You knock so I may dine with You daily. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

(Scriptures: Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 30:21a, Zechariah 7:11, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Revelation 3:20)

Practical Prayers: Mouth

Lord, I pray the words of my mouth are acceptable to You and I keep my lips from lies. Set a guard over my mouth so that instead of foolish words, my words give grace and build others up. Let my mouth praise You with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scriptures: Psalm 19:14, Psalm 141:3, Proverbs 12:22a, Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 5:4)

Lord, I pray the words of my mouth are acceptable to You. Set a guard over my mouth so my words give grace and build others up. Let my mouth praise You with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name. Amen. #prayer @FridayKaren
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Practical Prayers: Shoulders

Lord, I carry burdens only meant for You. Please lift any worry and anxiety. Your burden is light and frees me to rest from the heaviness of life’s struggles. Grant me compassion to help carry the burdens of others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scriptures: Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 15:3-5, Galatians 6:2)

Practical Prayers: Heart

Father, since You look at the heart and not the outside, create in me a pure heart that hides Your Word there, so I don’t sin against You. Help me guard my heart, above all else. And give me the desire to trust and love You with ALL my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 51:10a, Psalm 119:11, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 22:37a)

Father, since You look at the heart, create in me a pure heart that hides Your Word there, so I don’t sin against You. Help me guard my heart, above all else. In Jesus’ name. Amen. #prayer @FridayKaren
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Practical Prayers: Hands

God, give me clean hands for righteous acts, not for evil. Let my hands do good and bring good to others. Help me lift my hands to praise Your holy name and not the false gods of this world. Establish the work of my hands in my job and in ministry for Your kingdom and glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scriptures: Psalm 24:3-4, Psalm 90:17a, Psalm 134:2, Acts 6:6b)

Practical Prayers: Feet

Lord, I desire beautiful feet like Jesus that bring good news and proclaim how You reign over all the earth. Let my feet spread the gospel of peace. Keep my feet on Your paths and on the solid rock—Christ. Help me walk in the light of Your glory and Holy Word to avoid the darkness so my feet do not slip from Your righteous path. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

(Scriptures: Isaiah 52:7, Psalm 17:5, Psalm 119:105a, Ephesians 6:15, 1 John 1:7)

Which practical prayer from head to toe speaks the most to you? Will you join me to pray them daily?

But, please also use these powerful prayers for your spouse, children, family, and friends.

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LINKUP is open. Join my friend @FridayKaren for practical prayers taken directly from the Bible that address the issues we face as believers from head to toe. Share your blog! #blog
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The post Practical Prayers From Head to Toe {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

For me, guilt is often an ulterior motive. Back in school, every time the teacher reprimanded the whole class for bad behavior instead of singling someone out, I was sure it was all my fault. Even now, if someone on a work team seems less than thrilled with an outcome, I’m instantly guilty.

My guilt has had a way of guiding me into people-pleasing and letting others take advantage of me for a long time. When pressed, I tend to insist it isn’t guilt, but that I just love helping. As a result, I’m easily beholden, serving with impure motives, deceived by my own heart.

Paul prayed this for believers:

“That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless” –Ph 1:9-10

“Living as a slave of men” can easily be my pattern. To fight this battle, it helps to be able to recognize my own motives.

Someone wise offered me this mechanism for helping discern my true (ulterior) motives:

If this (___________________________) is my motive, then what if (_________________________) isn’t part of the equation?

Perhaps this little mechanism will help you discern where ulterior motives tend to lead you astray, too. Here’s an example.

Step 1:

If you desire to go on a missions trip but aren’t sure if your motives are pure, think of godly motives to fill in the first blank:

-Setting aside time specifically to serve

-Rendering a service to someone who needs it

-Reflecting Christ while offering a service

Step 2:

For the second half of the mechanism, think of worldly desires that could distort your godly motives:

-Getting to take an exotic trip while looking righteous

-Building up an ego or a reputation for selfish gain

-Feeling like a savior or hero as mission recipients gives you thanks

Step 3:

Using the first examples from the lists, you might ask:

If this (setting aside time to serve others in the name of Jesus) is my motive, then what if (traveling to an exotic place) isn’t part of the equation?

Will you still take time to serve? Will you still see serving others in Jesus’ name as what you need to do with that time? What changes?

Your answers to this kind of question tend to reveal what you’re really motivated by. That’s helpful for gaining “depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best.” (Ph 1:9-10)

If your motives are revealed as impure it may indicate that a particular course of action isn’t God-led. Sometimes though, God wants to purify our motives first but still asks us to do what we were considering after all.

Uncovering wrong motives reveals an opportunity to repent and turn to God to cleanse your heart.
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When our motives are pure, we can be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (Ph 1:11)

It’s worth uncovering our ulterior motives so that we can rightly praise and glorify God!

{A version of this post was previously published here}

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Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

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LINKUP is open! This week, my friend @BethanyMcIlrath shares practical steps to help us find out the true motives of our hearts. Join us and share your blog!
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The post Uncovering Ulterior Motives {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.