“whoever believes in him” within John 3:16

How many people who struggle with sin become frustrated over their lack of control within their self-will? Some may even give up on praying.

Consider our heart being like a measuring cup. Prior to being “born-again,” our cup was totally filled with self-will. Praying to God to stir this mixture in an attempt to overcome sin is likely to produce minimal results.

• The focus of our prayer needs to ask God to fill our cup with His will. Over our lifetime, as the volume of our self-will decreases, sin will lose its importance in our life.

• God’s priority is our heart, not our habits. Prayer that yields our hearts to the Father’s will can achieve this. The danger of sin is not the sin itself. It is forgivable. The danger of unrepentant sin is that it adds to the volume of self-will within our heart. 

Repent, for God forgives completely!  He wants our sin behind us so that we can regain our focus in learning those lessons in His righteousness which are needed for heaven.

How might we surrender our self-will to God in prayer?

• Dear Heavenly Father, I have placed a lifetime of selfishness ahead of Your will and wish to turn from my sin. I ask for Your forgiveness. I give to You my entire existence, my hopes, my dreams, and my ambitions. Please be my “Lord” so that I may submit to Your desires ahead of my own. Allow Your will to become my motivator for the remainder of my life. Amen

If you have yet to experience spiritual birth, actually praying this prayer in humility may reveal something that you did not know existed. Some experience a physical sensation of the Holy Spirit for the first time. More important is that this surrender can open one up to a whole new world of spiritual learning. Compare it to an infant opening his eyes for the first time to a new world of learning. Thus, the term, “born-again.”

In addition to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 being prayed as suggested in Chapter 1. Other Scriptures on love, such as Matthew 22:36-38, can be prayed in the same way:

Ask to love God with all of your mind promotes “knowing.”

 

Ask to love God with all your heart promotes “the willingness or motivation.”

 

Ask to love God with all of your soul asks to "love God’s-way." This can lead to a life that will bring honor to God.

Similar prayers derived from Scripture can grow our love for others; for example, Matthew 22:39-40 and Matthew 6:9-13.

Chapter 5: “shall not parish but have eternal life”