Prayer of Intention by John Coe

Ways to Pray without Ceasing 1 Thess. 5:17

Dr. John H. Coe

Director, Institute for Spiritual Formation, Talbot School of Theology

© Copyright 2010 John H. Coe. All rights reserved.

To protect the heart from moralism and the flesh

To protect the heart from under-effort and the flesh

To open to the filling of the Spirit in all things and no longer be alone

1. Prayer of Presenting Oneself as a Sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2): the spiritual discipline of presenting oneself to God as a living sacrifice, open to Him and His will in all things.

Prayer of Intention: “Lord, I am here, I present myself to you. Here I am.”

This protects the will from becoming asleep to the will and Person of God.

2. Prayer of Recollection (Phil. 3:7-9): the spiritual discipline of reminding the self of its true identity in Christ (full pardon, full acceptance) and “Christ in me” (that I am not alone).

Prayer of Intention: “God, whatever I do today, I want to do this in you. I don’t want to do this alone, in my own power or as a way to hide and cover. I don’t want to find my identity in anything but Christ. I am in Christ and that is my true identity.” (Confess any idolatry)

This protects the life from idolatry, false identities and moralism or making decisions from false guilt, shame in life in the power of the self.

3. Prayer of Honesty (Ps. 15:1-2, Ps. 139:23-24): the spiritual discipline whereby we open to God and ourselves in what is truly going on in our heart in order for truth-telling to take place in our relationships and life in general.

Prayer of Intention: “Lord, what is going on in my heart right now with You, with others, with my life, my situations? Search me, O God, and know my heart. Open my heart to you today in truth, lest I deceive myself.” (Confess any idolatry)

This protects us from superficial obedience, from presenting ourselves in arrogance, closed heartedness, dullness of heart, etc. Let the heart be a mirror to the truth and open to God.

4. Prayer of Discernment (Eccles. 7:13-14): the spiritual discipline whereby we learn to watch what the Spirit is doing in us and not merely our work, to “consider the work of God,” what His will is in all things versus ours or the devil’s so that we can bettercooperate with the Spirit. Here we seek wisdom on how to respond to His work that is ongoing within us.

Prayer of Intention: “Lord, what are you doing and what is it that you want me to become and do if I am to do your will?”

This protects us from responding to false calls of guilt of what to do in our life, to fantasy, to the demonic, to our grandiosity, to working alone. Here we learn to wait on God and watch His work more than our own.

5. In receptivity to the Spirit, hear the Word of God (Lectio Divina [Heb. 4:12])

(Jn. 15:5) “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Prayer of Recollection by John H. Coe

To rouse our soul and prepare us to meet with God in truth (Ps.15:1-2).

To put away all falsehood and awaken to our true identity in union with Christ by the Spirit (Col. 3:1-4).

1. Present and open your heart to the Lord and intend to learn from Him.

Prayer of Presenting: Lord, I am here; I present myself to you. Open my heart to the truth of what is
going on in my life. (Rom. 12:1-2)

2. Open to the truth that in Christ and by means of Christ in you that you have already died with Christ to the old Adamic nature that used to live apart from God. Remind yourself in prayer that by the Spirit, who is your new existence at the core of your personality, you have already (indicative) put off and put to death the old nature’s habits such as excess anger, wrath, malice, excess fear, worry, pride, arrogance, selfishness, impatience, unkindness and all the deeds of the flesh. Open to the truth of these matters and talk to the Lord about this, whether you still struggle with these matters of the flesh (Col 3:9).

Prayer of Detachment: At the core of my spirit, I am no longer an angry person, a fearful person, a worrier, arrogant, prideful, envious, distrustful, unkind, impatient, jealous, full of malice, wrath. At the core, my identity is not longer being a sinner, wicked, rebellious and unloving. I am not a . (Confess any sins of the heart that are brought to consciousness by the Spirit)

3. Affirm to your soul and the Lord your true identity in Christ and as Christ in you, so that being in union with Christ, you are no longer condemned but accepted in Him, your debt of sin being cancelled. And open to your true self by the Spirit, that you have already (indicative) put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, trust, love, self-control, peace, goodness and all the fruits of the Spirit. Be open to the truth of this, whether this is truly
what you experience or not and talk with the Lord about this (Col. 3:10).

Prayer of Attachment: I am now clothed with Christ's righteousness, with full pardon from guilt and full acceptance from God. I am precious in God's eyes. God calls me His beloved. And by the Spirit, at the core of my personality, I have put on His fruits of love, compassion, humility, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, self-control, peace and goodness. That is who I truly am. (Confess any unbelief.)

4. Resolve in your heart and in prayer to obey the Lord, to put off the old and put on the new (the biblical imperatives) by setting your mind continually on Christ, who is your life, and as the appropriate moments arise, to let go of any sin or “old self” residue and to live out who you are from the heart (Col. 3:1-4, 8, 12).

Prayer of Obedience: Lord, may my mind and heart all day open to Christ, who is my life. And may I have the wisdom when the time is right to lay aside the old person residue and its ways and to simply
put on Christ, to obey you in all things and to reaffirm who I really am in Christ. Lord, have mercy.

5. Hear the Word of God Col. 3:14 Beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

PRAYER OF RECOLLECTION IN COLOSSIANS Dr. John H. Coe Director, Institute for Spiritual Formation, Talbot School of Theology © Copyright 2012 John H. Coe. All rights reserved.