Dive Deeper

          Before you dive deeper into Beyond the Stars, find a quiet place so you can sit and think without being interrupted. Take a minute to breathe deeply, and quiet your heart and mind  as you read Matthew 26:36-46. This study will be different from the others as it will be extremely interactive. This Dive Deeper is designed for you to pray to God and seek Him as Christ sought God in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. To begin this time of prayer, pray and invite the Holy Spirit to be with you,  and know that He comes when you ask. Pray this prayer out loud. 

Holy Spirit, I ask you to come and dwell in this room with me as I pray. Dwell in my heart, pray the prayers I cannot pray, and move as you desire today… Amen

          Envision yourself entering the garden for the first time. A blanket of stars covers you as you follow a path to the top of a small hill. As you come to the top of the hill you find a larger rock underneath a tree, almost like a table in the outdoors. As you approach the rock, you hear the babbling of the brook to your right and the chirping of the crickets as a cool summer’s breeze rushes by. 

          You kneel and fold your hands in a praying position…. You lift your head and look to the stars which glow like permanent fireflies in the night sky… As you pray, I want you to remember to keep your head up, look to Jesus….

Prayer 1: Confession…. Confession is the act of revealing truth before another person/witness. Acts of confession are typically given by a person who has committed an offensive action towards another person. For instance, if we speak ill of others or mistreat them, we will feel guilty or convicted of our wrong doings. Christ, however, tells us what we are able to do in these situations. We are told in scripture that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Take this time to confess your sins before God, handing them over to Him, and knowing He paid for them on the cross. Imagine you are taking off a jacket with the offense you have committed written on it and handing it over to Christ, as you pray this prayer in the garden… 

Father, I confess I have sinned against [insert the name of a person, group, self, or God, here] and have desired the ways of the earth rather than the ways above. I confess I have bought into these sins and have chosen to be [insert sin struggle here: lustful, prideful, envious, jealous, deceitful, dishonest] and believed they could bring me satisfaction in my heart when only You can. I confess these sins to you, Father, and ask you to reveal any other sin-barriers between You and me so I may confess them before You… Amen

Prayer 2: Seeking Forgiveness… As we forgive, we are forgiven. The Bible tells us our Father in Heaven is just to forgive us of our sins and will purify us as we confess and as we forgive. Forgiveness takes place as we allow the offense before us to be transformed and resolved so it no longer stands between us and the other person in our heart. In doing this, we are able to see and love others as Christ loves. As we are able to receive forgiveness, we must also forgive others. To seek forgiveness from God, ask for it in prayer, but to seek forgiveness from others you must ask for it from them. We must forgive them of any wrongdoing against us if we wish to bring healing to the relationship. Forgiveness may feel like a process and oftentimes it is, but begin this process today. Pray this prayer in the garden…

Father, I am humbled before you and thank you for your forgiveness. I pray and ask for you to forgive me for my sin and help me walk in your ways. Father, I release [enter person’s name here] to you and ask you to bless them in the name of Jesus. I forgive them of [enter offense here] and release them into your hands. Father Help me to bless those who have hurt me so I may walk in righteousness and be close to your side, showing your love all the days of my life. Help me to understand the great depths of your love so I may come to greater understandings of your forgiveness and grace every day. Help me love others as you love them… Amen

Prayer 3: Repentance… Now that we have confessed our sins, asked for forgiveness, and forgiven (released the offense done against us), we are ready to begin walking in a new direction. In order to walk in this new direction, we must repent of our sins. To repent from something means to turn away from it. Therefore, as we have sought after the Lord and received His forgiveness we must turn away from these old ways and walk in the ways of righteousness.  Pray this prayer of repentance and see yourself turning away from these old habits and turning to the Father in the garden.

Father, thank you for your unfailing love towards me. I repent from my old ways and turn to you, seeking you with all my heart. Father, I no longer wish to walk in this sin but desire to walk by your side. Help me to desire the things above rather than the sinful desires of my heart so I may know the depths of your joy, peace, love, and hope given to me through the sacrifice of your son. 

[now pray through the first 12 verses of Psalm 51 below]

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Prayer 4: Rejecting Lies and Accepting Truth…           Now that you have turned from your old ways, it is time to reject these lies of the enemy you have once bought into and accept the truth of God. The enemy, Satan, has been trying to make you feel shame, guilt, etc. and see yourself poorly as you confess these truths, so you will not seek the Lord in them. However, God does not see you this way. Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39 “38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Therefore, you have confidence in knowing you can never be separated from God once you have asked Him into your heart. Choose to no longer walk in your sin but to experience the freedom and healing in Jesus Christ. Reject the lies and walk in the light of your Father’s love for you. Pray this prayer as you reject these lies in the garden and accept God’s truth in your heart today. 

Father, I reject the lies of the enemy and turn to you. Thank you for forgiving me, for listening to my prayers, for working in my heart. Father, I see how you have been present in my life and ask you to remind me even now of your love for me. [If you wish to follow after Christ and experience this freedom, pray this prayer: Father, I ask you to come into my heart today. I give my life to you in surrender and choose to live for you and you alone. I confess you are real and thank you for what you have done on the cross so I may be adopted into a holy and eternal relationship. Thank you for dying on the cross, for taking the weight of the world’s sin upon your shoulder, and thank you for the hope you have given us as you arose from the grave and defeated death and sin to give us this new covenant in you] Thank you for your forgiveness unto me, and I ask you to help these truths to resonate and grow in my heart as I declare them with my mouth. In Christ, I can do all things [Phil.4:13], I am free from all bondage [2 Cor.3:17, Gal. 5:1], I have been given a spirit of power, love and a sound mind [2 Tim. 1:7], I am led in triumph [1 Peter 5:7], I am cared for and do not need to worry [Mt 6:25-32], I have confidence for Christ has overcome the world and its tribulations [John 16:33].

Prayer 5: Listening… After you finish the prayer above, take this time to sit quietly and listen for what the Father is speaking to you. Write down anything you feel God has spoken to you or shown you and then pray over these words/vision asking the Lord to reveal His truth to you.

[Listen]

          After you have done this, see yourself now standing and leaving the garden. What does the air feel like? Do you feel lighter? It is my prayer you will have experienced the healing, forgiveness, and love of Jesus Christ. When you are ready, walk through this process again and know that as you send your prayers beyond the stars, He is listening…