A Declaration of Holiness for Our Church Family
Scripture Reading:
Reflections of the Heart:
Let us give our bodies to God because of all He has done for us. Our bodies are to be living and holy sacrifices — the kind God will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Romans 12:1 NLT
Scriptural Prayer:
Loving Father, we thank You for knowing each of us intimately. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and Teacher. Thank You for blessing us socially, academically, relationally and emotionally. Father, we sing praises to You, our God and strength. We will sing, beat the tambourine and play the sweet lyre and harp. Your dwelling place is lovely. We faint with longing to enter Your courts with our whole beings, bodies and souls. We will shout joyfully to You, the living God. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how we praise You! We will praise You as long as we live; we will lift up our hands to You in prayer. You satisfy us more than the richest feast. We will praise You with songs of joy.
Sovereign King, we understand that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we give our bodies to You as living and holy sacrifices — the kind You will find acceptable, for this is truly the way to worship You. We will not copy the illicit behavior and customs of this world, but we will let You, Father, transform us into new people by changing the way we think. We will learn and grow in Your Word, which is good and pleasing and perfect. We will know You and all of Your fullness. We will worship You and be thankful. We will not do vile and degrading things with our bodies. We will not trade the truth about You for a lie. We will not worship the things You have created, instead of You, the Creator, and they will not be abandoned to shameful desires. In Jesus’ Name, we declare that our daughters will not lust for other girls and our sons will not burn with lust for other boys. Matter of fact, our sons and daughters will not have sex until they marry. We cancel every generational curse of perversion. We will not partake in pornography, fornication, homosexuality, bestiality, or any other sexual perversion. We confess that they will unashamedly run from sexual sin.
I commit to praying for the following this month:
Holy Spirit, our Deliverer, some are ensnared by the perversions of this world. Please remove the scales from their eyes and circumcise their hearts so that they can see themselves reflected in God’s Word. Deliver them from the shame and anger that perversion and sin creates in their hearts and minds. Remind them that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus and that nothing can ever separate them from the Father’s love that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Help us all to make Godly choices. Convict us when we watch, read, listen to and visit internet sites that are ungodly. Remind us to surround ourselves with strong Christian friends who will support us and hold us accountable when we are wrong. Lead us to people who love Christ more than culture.
Merciful Father, forgive us for all acts of sinfulness, including pornography, fornication and homosexuality. Forgive those of us who do not value our bodies. Forgive those parents and guardians who have not created holy environments in their homes and lived as models of righteousness and integrity. Forgive those single parents who are not living celibate lives. Forgive those married parents who are engaged in extra-marital affairs. Forgive those parents who are involved with pornography and have made pornographic material accessible to their children and youth. Lord, forgive me for (list any sins that you have committed). Holy Spirit, remind us all of those we need to forgive and help us to be quick to forgive. As for me, Holy Spirit, bring to my remembrance those I need to forgive. (Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal names or faces of people that you may need to forgive. As He reveals them, say, “I forgive name of person(s).” Now, trust the Lord to heal any wounds in your soul caused by unforgiveness.)
Holy Spirit, help us all not to yield to temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Almighty God, You are the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to You who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture References for the Written Text: John 14:26, Psalm 81:1-2, Psalm 84:1-2, Psalm 63:3-5, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 1:21, 24-27, I Corinthians 6:18, Acts 9:18, Deuteronomy 10:16, I Peter 2:9, Romans 8:1, 39, Matthew 6:13, Revelation 22:13, Revelation 5:13
Today, I will trust God to:
