6 Reasons to Pray Colossians 1:9

Scripture gives us some wonderful verses to pray. 

For example, there's a great prayer to pray for yourself and your loved ones in Colossians 1:9-14 asking God to "give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding."  

Paul explains the purpose of this prayer:

1. So we'll live lives worthy of the Lord - v.10.
    (Matthew 10:37-39).

2. So we'll please Jesus in every way - v.10.
    (Ephesians 5:8-17). 

3. So we'll bear fruit in every good work - v.10. 
    (Ephesians 2:10).

4. So we'll grow in knowledge of God - v.10. 
    (Jeremiah 9:23-24; Proverbs 9:9). 

5. So we'll be strengthened with God's power - v.11. 
    (2 Corinthians 12:9).

6. So we'll have endurance, patience, and thankfulness - v.11-12. 
    (Romans 5:3-5). 

And why do we want to pray for these?

Because God "has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." (Colossians 1:13-14) 

Wow! If that doesn't knock your socks off, I'm not sure what will.

You might also enjoy these 1-minute devotions:

5 Ideas for More Effective Prayer

Passages and Prayers

6 Good Prayers from the Epistles

And don't miss today's Bite Size Bible Study on this devotion.

 

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the book Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full description of the book Lies in Disguise. A much needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

Powerful, Purposeful Prayer

These 1-minute posts are designed to encourage and enhance our prayer lives. Enjoy!

God Wants to Give Us More

Psalm 81:10 contains a wonderful principle that we each should apply to our lives.

A Prayer to Pray for the Oppressed

If you sometimes feel at a loss for words when praying for victims of crimes, this prayer from Scripture can help.

5 Requirements for Effective Prayer

This 1-minute devotion describes 5 requirements of prayer that are found in Scripture. God wants us to have effective prayer lives.

What it Means to Prayer Continually

What does it mean to "pray without ceasing"? Sounds Impossible. This 1-minute devotion explains and encourages us to do it!

Have You Folded Any Socks Today?

t may sound crazy, but read this devotion and see if you don't agree. Have you folded any socks today?

Every time I Drink a Glass of Iced Tea 

Try this fun and easy way to remember to pray for special prayer concerns. You won't forget it!

Can You Speak God's Language?

 Scriptures says there are words that only Christians understand. This 1-minute devotion encourages us to become fluent in God's "language."

A Prayer for New Years and All Year 

A wonderful prayer with Scripture references. You'll want to pin it and recite it often!

10 Good Prayers from the Psalms

This short devotion provides 10 prayers from the Psalms. There's power in praying Scripture.

6 Good Prayers from the Epistles

Praying Scripture can be powerful. This devotion offers 6 good prayers from the Epistles.

Is Repetitive Prayer a Sin?

Is repetitive prayer a sin? That depends. Scripture addresses it from two perspectives.

 

Alphabetical Prayer 

This is a fun way to add meaning and depth to your prayer life. It's not a magic formula, simply a way to help your prayers flow more readily. Check it out.

 

Unanswered Prayer 

There's actually no such thing as "unanswered prayer." This 1-minute devotion explains the true meaning and why we should be grateful for it.

5 Steps to Avoid Depressive Prayer

This 1-minute devotion shares 5 Ways to Process Problems (each with Scripture Reference).

Photos and Prayers

Try this practical idea for staying focused in prayer. It might just revolutionize your prayer life.

Prayer is a Wonderful Mystery

Why pray if God already knows everything? This 1-minute devotion addresses that question.

Prayer is Part of Lifetime Renewal

Sometimes we fail to understand what prayer does to us. This 1-minute devotion explains. 

 

Passages and Prayers

If you've never tried adding this to your prayer life, you'll be pleased with the power and wisdom it gives.

Prayer Language: Prayer for the Nations

God Expects All of Us to Speak This Language. Know what it is?

Thankfulness - an Important Aspect of Prayer

This 1-minute devotion offers a practical and relatively easy way to enrich your prayer life.

3 Benefits of Praying with a Friend

This 1-minute devotion offers 3 excellent reasons to find a prayer partner.

Prompts and Prayers
Most of us could use some reminders to pray for the persecuted, the oppressed, government leaders, and other important areas. This 1-minute devotion offers an easy, practical way to be more effective in prayer.

Prompted by the Spirit
If we are "watchful" we just might hear God prompting us to pray for a specific situation or person. This 1-minute devotion offers Scriptures about prayer.

4 Ways to be more Effective in Prayer
These 4 tips can help you be more effective to pray for others and for your own family. 

Praying for Those in Your Path
This devotion suggests a way to "pray continually" making every activity an adventure in prayer!

Attention Spans and Prayer
Some interesting facts about TV, attention spans, and Bible study. This 1-minute devotion explains the connection.

Benefits of Praying Philippians 1:9-11
There are some powerful prayers in Scripture. Philippians 1:9-11 is one of them. This devotion explains.

Praying for the Persecuted
She'd lived under Communism most of her life, and her story reminds us of an important responsibility.

6 Reasons to Pray Colossians 1:9
Colossians 1:9 is a fantastic Scripture to pray for yourself and others and this 1-minute devotion explains why.

Joyful Grandparenting: Praying for Grandchildren
Grandparents can have a wonderful impact on their grandchildren by praying for them. This short devotion offers insights and practical ways to effectively pray.

Does God Answer Stupid Prayers?
The One Reason God Might Answer A Stupid Prayer. This 1-minute devotion uses Scripture to explain.

Paper, Pen, Prayer, and Learning Style
This 1-minute devotion encourages us to use our learning style to enhance and enrich our Quiet Time.

Purity and Prayer
This 1-minute devotion explains the effects of purity (self-examination and repentance) on our prayer life.

Recording Answered Prayer
This 1-minute devotion talks about the importance of recording answers to prayer. 

Behind-the-Scene Prayer Warriors
Don't underestimate these behind-the-scene prayer warriors. This 1-minute devotion shares one of their stories.

Understanding Prayer in Context 

Prayer is often misunderstood because we often form beliefs based on partial knowledge of Scripture. This 1-minute devotion includes multiple Scriptures on prayer to avoid that problem.

Key to Answered Prayer 

God longs to answer our prayers, but this 1-minute devotion shares the key to answered prayer.

 

5 Ways to Process Problems   

This 1-minute devotion shares 5 Ways to Process Problems (each with Scripture Reference).

5 Ideas for More Effective Prayer.
These 5 ideas can make your prayer life more effective. They are all practical and tested. See if any of them work for you. 

The Prayer Excuse 

James 2 warns us of using prayer as an empty excuse. This 1-minute devotion explains.

Praying Grandparents are Joyful Grandparents!

Being a joyful, deliberate grandparent means taking our role seriously.

In Part 1, we discussed Sharing Our Gifts. In Part 2, we discussed Sharing Our Faith.  And a third way to have an important impact is to Pray For Our Grandchildren.

Our age, experience, and love give us special wisdom in praying specifically for our grandchildren’s hearts and lives.

Here are some ideas to make your prayers more regular and effective:

1. Pray Scripture. 

For example, use Philippians 1:9-11 filling in your grandchild's name:

"And this is my prayer: that           's   love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that           may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

This 1-minute devotion explains more: The Benefits of Praying Philippians 1:9-11. 

To better understand why Scripture prayers can be so powerful, check out this 1-minute devotion: Passages and Prayers.

For other good Scriptures to pray over your grandchildren, see these 1-minute devotions:
6 Reasons to Pray Colossians 1:9
10 Prayers from Psalms
6 Good Prayers from the Epistles

2. Pray for the specific challenges related to your grandchildren's ages and stages in life. 

This is easier to do if you've been deliberate about getting to know your grandchildren and asking them good questions.

3. Give yourself reminders.

Keep a wallet photo of your grandchildren in your Bible, purse, or pocket and pull it out as a reminder to pray for them while waiting for appointments. Each time you pass their framed photos on your wall, say a quick prayer. Set your alarm for the hour they start or finish school and pray for their schoolwork and relationships. When they sleep over, spend time in prayer for them after they've fallen asleep.

For encouragement and inspiration see this collection of 1-minute devotions about effective prayers: Prayer Series.

4. Form a Grandparents Prayer Group.
Plan to meet each week with other grandparents to pray for your grandchildren. This will help you remember to pray regularly.

5.Pray often.
Prayer for our grandchildren is one of our most important ministries at this stage of our lives...let's do it deliberately and regularly.

What are some creative ways you pray for your grandchildren? Please leave a comment and share your ideas with me and other readers.

💙Be sure to check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. It's a great devotional to go through with older grandchildren and for your personal use as well. It's discounted on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD. 

And you can also sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes 1-minute devotions HERE.

This is part of an article that I wrote for Reach Out Columbia, September 2012.

Every Time I Drink A Glass Of Iced Tea

I admit that I often just focus on my family and my immediate needs when I pray, but I genuinely want to pray for other things too.

For example, I want to pray for victims of sex trafficking. My heart breaks for little girls sexually abused every day of their lives while I enjoy freedom and safety. My heart breaks…but I rarely remember to pray for them.

So I came up with an idea--a way to be more faithful in prayer: 

I try to remind myself to pray by associating certain prayer needs with my daily activities:

• When I drink a glass of iced tea (I like iced tea), I’ll pray for those little girls, even if it's just a quick silent prayer at a restaurant. If you drink coffee or hot tea daily, you can let those be your reminders.
  
• When I get in my car, I’ll pray about my concerns for the unborn babies killed through abortion. You could also do this when you exercise or clear the table after supper.
  
• When I brush my teeth...take a shower...open my email...

Well, you get the idea. Anything we do on a regular basis can become a reminder to pray.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

Would you join me in this prayer experiment and ask God for ways you can remember to pray for things that you might otherwise overlook?

💙💙💙

I encourage you to read this 1-minute devotion for additional encouragement: 4 Ways to Be More Faithful in Prayer.

💙Be sure to check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. It's discounted on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD. 

And you can also sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes 1-minute devotions HERE.

Why Salvation Requires Repentance

Today's devotion offers additional insights and Bible study in the notes below. I encourage you to take some extra time to do this additional study because this subject is of vital importance and we need to accurately understand it. You can also listen to Gail sharing this devotion on YouTube HERE.

Matthew 7:21-23 and 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 address two groups of people who think they are serving God. Both groups are self-deceived. Their works count for nothing.

But the people in 1 Corinthians go to heaven and those in Matthew go to hell. (read the full passages at the bottom.)

Matthew 7:23 is key.

Jesus says He never knew the unfaithful in Matthew, even though they professed Him as their Lord. He calls them "evildoers." They appear to think they are saved because they've done ministry in Christ's name, but Jesus knows they've justified certain sins in their lives instead of repenting. They thought they could serve God while ignoring some of God's commands.

Metanoia is the Greek word most commonly translated repentance in the New Testament and it means more than speaking words of repentance. it means a "change of mind, change in the inner man."

Sin separates us from God. If a person genuinely follows Jesus, their sins will bother them. They won't excuse them or ignore them. They will face them and repent. 

The genuine believers in 1 Corinthians 3 wasted their lives on useless pursuits; but they've obviously repented of their sins and genuinely believed or they wouldn't be saved. 

If we think we can just "get by" in our faith and fall into the 1 Corinthians 3 group, we might be mistaken. We may actually be in the Matthew 7 group. 

Our heart's desire should be to seek God fully, honor His commands, and genuinely repent of our sins.

Additional Notes and Bible Study Suggestions

Important notes:    

➯ We don't "lose our salvation" when we sin. All Christians sin. But genuine believers repent of their sins and refuse to live sinful lifestyles. 

➯ We can identify bad fruit in the church (Matthew 7:15-17), but we aren't able to see people's hearts and accurately identify all true and false converts. That's not our job. 

➯ But we can and should examine our own hearts (2 Corinthians 13:5). Do you have doubts about your salvation? Do you have doubts about the "building materials" of your faith? Please pray about these things and seek godly counsel.

➯ Sometimes we equate a sinful lifestyle only with sexual immorality, but 2 Timothy 3:1-5 lists quite a few lifestyles that reflect people who "have a form of godliness but deny its power." And Galatians 5:19-21 also lists lifestyles of unsaved people. In addition, Matthew 6:15 and Matthew 18:21-35 contain a strong warning in relation to genuine salvation.

To do more Bible study on this topic:

➯ Use a concordance to discover how often Jesus said "repent." If you have difficulty repenting of your sins, please take time to read each of the 1-minute devotions in the collection called Our Need for Repentance. I especially recommend 6 Aspects of Godly Sorrow and 4 Things that Happen when we Fail to Repent.

➯ Study these passages and note how repentance and obedience are necessary aspects of the Christian life: 
Galatians 5:19-21
Hebrews 10:26-31
1 John 1:8-10
1 John 2:4
1 John 3:6-10
John 14:21
3 John 1:11
2 Timothy 2:19

➯ Ask God if you are doing His will, using your life for His purposes, and building your faith on sound teachings. None of us want to build with wood, hay and straw when we could be building with gold, silver, and costly stones. See Romans 12:1-2 and Ephesians 2:10, and pray Colossians 1:9-14 for yourself and your loved ones. See 6 Reasons to Pray Colossians 1:9.
 
Full passages discussed in this devotion:

Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

1 Corinthians 3:10-15: "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames."

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the book Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full description of the book Lies in Disguise. A much needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

Bible Love Notes

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What it Means to "Pray in Jesus' Name"

It's important we understand that praying "in Jesus' Name" doesn't mean our prayers are only answered if we use certain words (Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayer is about communicating with God, not about superstitious word choice.

To pray in Jesus' Name means:

1. We pray "in Christ."
We pray as believers in His Name, depending on His strength and power.
Romans 8:26-27

2. We pray in line with His commands.
God doesn't answer prayers for sinful or selfish motives.
James 4:3

3. We pray for Jesus' will and purposes, not our own.
We should strive to do all things in Jesus' Name.
1 John 5:14

"In Jesus' Name" is not a magic phrase.

• It's an attitude of respect and awe for Jesus. 
• It's a statement that we are His child. 
• It's a desire to see His will done.

Whether we speak the words or not, we can pray and live in Jesus' Name (Colossians 3:17). It's not a matter of words. It's a matter of the heart.
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I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE.  

 

I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

Prompted to Pray

"Is everything okay with little Scooter Pie?" I asked my daughter.

"Yes, why?" 

"Well, last night before bed, I had the strongest prompting to pray for her." 

My five-year-old granddaughter was with her siblings at their other grandma's house, and only later did we discover that she'd been bitten by fire ants and refused to let anyone treat her. Her hand had gotten badly swollen, and that's why I believe God prompted me to pray.

I'm not always sensitive to God's Spirit, but I imagine these promptings happen more than we realize if we are "watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2). 

We may think we choose to pray for someone or something on our own when it's actually God's Spirit prompting us. 

It's an aspect of "praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18), and it's a good reason to pause and ask God to direct our prayers.

If you'd like to do a short Bible study on this devotion, check out today's Bite Size Study.

Bible Love Notes

Anytime Day or Night, for Any Reason … Incredible!

Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, I pray until I drift back to sleep. 

I also pray at other times during the day—in the car on the way home from errands, while preparing a meal, on a walk through the neighborhood, etc.

I’m sure that many of you also pray during your normal daily activities, but have you ever stopped to think how very incredible that is? 

If I wanted to talk to my best friend about something that wasn’t urgent, I wouldn’t feel comfortable calling her in the middle of the night. 

If I wanted to talk to my pastor, I wouldn’t expect him to drop whatever he was doing to talk to me. 

If I wanted to talk to someone famous or important like the leader of a country, it wouldn’t be possible. 

But anytime night and day, I can talk to the Creator of the world, the wisest, most loving Being in the universe, the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). And He knows me better than anyone else because He knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-17), prepared plans for my life (Ephesians 2:10), and even knows the number of hairs on my head (Luke 12:7)!

Think about it! It's incredible!

💙💙💙

I encourage you to read the 1-minute devotions Pray Continually...How? and Practical Prayer Prompts. But before you do, think about the blessing of God's availability while reading through the verses below.

Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 

1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray continually."

Ephesians 6:18: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Colossians 4:2: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

Hebrews 4:16: "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Bible Love Notes

Passages & Prayers

God isn’t impressed with flowery, poetic, or grammatically correct prayers. He listens to our hearts. We don't have to say certain words in order to be heard. Our heavenly Father loves us and wants us to talk to Him throughout our day.

And while there isn't anything magical about praying Scripture, some passages especially lend themselves to this purpose and can be a powerful and meaningful addition to our prayer life.

We should read Scripture, recite it, memorize it, obey it, trust it, and pray it because “the word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). 

Sometimes I type Scripture passages on cards and pray them for specific people.

Today, I’m going to pray for you as an example, and “this is my prayer: 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 until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 

As you consider praying Scriptures, these resources can be especially helpful. I encourage you to pin or bookmark them so you can access them easily:

6 Good Prayers from the Epistles

Benefits of Praying Philippians 1:9-11

6 Reasons to Pray Colossians 1:9

10 Good Prayers from the Psalms

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the book Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full description of the book Lies in Disguise. A much needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

Bible Love Notes

When to Pray and When to Act

Sometimes all we can do in a situation is persevere in prayer. 

For example, when an unsaved loved one refuses to let us share Christ with them.(1) 

Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." 

Sometimes when we pray, God tells us to wait and gives us time to prepare. 

For example, we may pray about a job, a ministry opportunity, a relationship, or a move to another location, and God tells us to wait because it's not the right time yet.

Isaiah 40:31: "Those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength." 

Sometimes we need to follow our prayers with action. 

For example, when praying about a relationship problem, we shouldn’t use prayer as an excuse to do nothing. We can do a number of things commanded in Scripture.

Romans 12:18: "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." (See the whole passage: Romans 12:9-21.)

So let’s pray about everything (Philippians 4:6). Then let’s persevere, wait “constructively,” or act. 

To read more, see the 3 Results of Prayer Series.

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(1) This 1-minute devotion offers 6 things we can do: When Loved Ones Aren't Saved.

(2)  Sometimes God only gives us 1 piece of the "puzzle." This 1-minute devotion offers 4 good reasons why God sometimes makes us wait: 4 Puzzle Pieces.

(3) We need to be sure we don't use prayer as an excuse to do nothing: See The Prayer Excuse. See also Colossians 3:12-14.

 

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