Dear Alliance Prayer Warriors,

As you’ve been giving extra time to prayer during these 40 days, I pray that you are experiencing more of His presence. In week one, we worshiped the Lord in His perfect holiness. While our Lord is holy, let’s humbly admit that we are not. Therefore, Jesus teaches us to pray: “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). When Jesus talks about our debts, He’s talking about our sins or trespasses. He’s teaching us to pray in this way because we are all still imperfect and sinful. We need to confess our sins and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. It’s also possible, as we pray these kinds of prayers, that we may need to go ask someone else for forgiveness as well, someone who has been negatively impacted by our sin.

And while we are asking for the Lord’s grace to forgive us, we also need to ask Him for the grace we need to forgive others. We are sometimes hurt by the sins of other people. Jesus would teach us to not hold a grudge or become bitter. This is not easy. It’s a struggle that will only be won in prayer. Frame your prayer focus this week with these three questions: What do you need God’s forgiveness for? Whom do you need to seek forgiveness from? Who do you need God’s help to forgive? Allow the Spirit to probe deeply, and then be humbly willing to confess what He reveals.

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Keep the faith!
Terry D. Smith
Vice President for Church Ministries