This week our focus is on understanding and praying through 7 Hindrances to Discipleship Growth drawn from the book, ‘Overcoming the 7 Obstacles to Spiritual Growth’ by Dwight Carlson.

Mar 20 – Father, we pray today for the Dutiful Christian, the one who strives to please You by obeying the rules, and measuring one’s success by how much praying and reading he or she does.

This is a Legalist who is performance based, who can easily lose the joy of a heart to heart relationship with Your Son, and is driven to succeed but liable to spiritual burnout along the way.

Thank You, Lord, that when an issue is brought to the fore it allows the opportunity for conviction, challenge and change to occur. We pray for the principles of Romans 8 to become paramount instead: of no condemnation in Your Son, of an abundant resurrection life, adoption by Your Spirit, hope in the Intercession of both Your Son and Spirit, and for the joy of the soul because of the renewal of the inner life. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 21 – Father, we pray today for the Corporate Christian. One whose life can easily get consumed by Church, conformity to it rules, and so caught up with its busyness that the importance of Your people can be lost.

We pray that any within this category in our church may be led into a new revelation of Your love, what that means for them, and the victory of Your love overwhelming them with Your Son’s grace.

May they be led into a place where every one of their gifts, talents and personal sacrifices are laid on Your altar – the place where the true redemption of everything we do and bring to You begins. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 22 – Father, we pray today for the Expert Christian. One who becomes focussed on knowing the truth about You at the expense of actually knowing You, the God of all truth, more intimately.

This one fails to allow Your Son’s love to become the controlling and motivating factor in life. It is a manner of being which divides and assesses others in relation to one’s own fully formed views – instead of with humility in recognition of Your Truth and Guidance also in the lives of others who may not necessarily hold the same theological or ecclesiological views.

We pray for a mindset of grace – for an attitude of affirmation instead of argument, constant graceless challenge and obvious disapproval. In Jesus’ name.  Amen

Mar 23 – Father, we pray today for the Grace-Abuser. The person who claims to know everything about You, to be intimate with Your Son, but presumes upon His forgiveness and grace; a person likely to become antinomian throwing off any conformity to Your commandments while viewing sinning by the believer as simply a mistake rather than an action or attitude that requires forgiveness, repentance and redemptive restoration.

We pray for any in our church in this place to have a revelation of the benefits of godly character development, godly habits and the adherence to the values and principles of the Kingdom. This is only truly possible by being filled with and led by Your Spirit – may such a fullness fill all within our church. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 24 – Father, we pray today for the Resistant Christian, a person who is possibly disappointed with You or Your Church because of a perceived failure to live up to promises, meet their expectation of what should happen, provide adequate support, fulfil a word into their life, or in a loved one’s life.

We pray for any in such a place today with sensitivity and love. We ask for a Redemptive Pathway to be opened which allows the pain and disappointment to be moved to the Cross of Your Son, and them to experience a release from disappointment’s smothering burden.

May they be able to breathe the clear air of the developing renewal of trust and surrender to the Lordship of Your Son. In His name. Amen

Mar 25 – Father, we pray today for the Emotional Believer who is swayed by his or her emotions. Those whose faith is strongly influenced by an emotional spirituality at the expense of conforming to Your word in a rational, deliberate submission to Your Son.

As a result, this one is likely to be constantly swinging wildly between heights of apparent devotion and depths of despair turning their back on You.

We ask that any within this group in our church may start to understand that it is wise to also explore the principles of the history of the Church, and its core values – along with an intellectual renewal of the mind while acknowledging the benefits in the advances of science – so as to really grow as a disciple.

We are asking for godly character development which enhances the important emotional, experiential side to their lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Mar 26 – Father, we pray today for the Runt Christian. The one who never seems to make any headway in maturing as a believer, is still at the early milk stage after a number of years in the Faith; perhaps full of doubt or who dislikes the idea of conforming to Your desire to place them in fellowship with other believers.

Lord Jesus, You had time for ‘doubting Thomas’ and were willing to work with him in his doubt, still use him, and bring him through into a place of strong trust by allowing Him to experience Your reality.

May You grant such a revelation of Your reality to touch and transform the spirits, souls and bodies of any Runt Christians in or associated with our fellowship. Amen