By If you’re like me then you’ve probably went through most of your Christian life praying simple prayers like: “Lord, please help me to have a blessed day. Please provide for me” and “God please help me with this” or “God I pray that my week goes well” etc.
Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with that, but what I am saying is that if you want to actually grow and mature in your walk with God and see real transformation begin to happen in you and in your life and enter into deeper levels in your faith walk – then that’s going to require you to pray some bold and dangerous prayers.
Before I get into it with the 4 bold prayers I want to give you a quick word of advice:
Be careful and be prepared for what you pray for because God will answer you.
So let’s get into it with 4 bold and dangerous prayers guaranteed to transform your life!
1. Remove the people in my life that are NOT good for me
Oooh y’all THIS one’s going to hurt. Imagine you have an open wound and a band-aid right over it and you just rip that right off – that is what this prayer is going to do!
Now before you stop reading I’m going to be very honest with you and admit that I know a lot of you are probably NOT going to want to prayer this prayer because… well, I was one of those people!
It took a lot of strength for me to pray this because I knew I would have to face some painful losses, but you see to the devil one of the absolute most scariest and threatening things you can do is grow – it’s maturing in your faith and walk with God.
Let me tell you why this prayer is so needed:
There is no such thing as a neutral relationship. This means that every relationship in your life (and I’m not only talking about romantic relationships either): your friends, the people closest to you, your day 1’s, the people you associate with are all either helping you grow or hindering you in your Godly purpose and calling.
Maybe you’re thinking the same thing I was before I decided to pray this prayer which is that you’re afraid of letting go of someone or something that has been in your life for so long because of all the time that has already been invested… but just think about this great analogy from Pastor Jerry Flowers: just as we outgrow the chairs we once sat on in kindergarten the same happens in our life as we continue to grow.
This is why the 8th grade chair and the pre-school chair are not the same size, because as we continue to grow and evolve there are going to be some places that we could no longer sit. There are going to be some people you should no longer hang around and there are going to be some relationships that are only compatible with the old version of you.
Maybe the relationship you’re currently in is only compatible with the version of you that only lived to please your flesh. It’s only compatible with the version of you that wanted to go out every night and get drunk and party until the morning and just “doing you” and “doing your own thing” – whatever that means. But as soon as you decide you want your life to actually have real purpose and real meaning and you actually want to learn and discover God’s calling for you… then you are no longer compatible. This is because the relationship was only compatible with the old version of you and not the one that has evolved.
This is why a toddler’s shirt or a baby’s shirt and a 10 year old’s shirt are not the same size. It’s because you should no longer be able to fit into certain places or things that were once comfortable for you when you start evolving and growing.
This is why praying a prayer like this one and asking God to remove the people or things in your life that are not good for you is so dangerous – because it’s going to require you to step out of your comfort zone! It’s going to expose some distractions in your life that you probably didn’t even know are distractions.
Distractions or distracting relationships don’t necessarily always mean that you can’t focus, but as Jerry Flowers said, it can just be mismanaged focus. In other words, you are still focusing on something, but it’s just your focus is on the wrong thing and not on God or where He wants to take you.
Remember these 2 things:
- God will never remove a person or thing in your life that you NEED. God will only remove what He knows will hold you back.
2. God will never allow someone or something to be removed from your life IF He doesn’t have something BETTER in store for you.
BUT… God also operates by faith meaning you’re going to first have to let go of that thing or that person. Why? Because it wouldn’t require you to have faith if God just revealed every detail of His plans for you. You might have to go through a process of learning to trust God and His timing, but as long as you don’t give up in the middle of it and you choose to stay close to God no matter what, then you’re going to receive His blessing for you in the end. Then, everything you had to sacrifice, the wrong people and relationships in your life you had to let go of, will all be worth it to you in the end.
2. Make Me Stronger
I’m just going to tell you right off the bat that when you ask God to make you stronger, whether you want to be stronger in your faith, stronger in your walk with God, stronger in your purity, etc. just know that you ARE going to be tempted and tested.
The only way to get stronger is to go through something! You want to be stronger in your walk with God? Ask God to give you strength in that area and don’t be surprised when your friends hit you up the next day asking you to go out to get drunk and party with them. You want to be stronger in your purity? Ask God to give you strength in that area and don’t be surprised when all of a sudden that ex you could never get over suddenly reaches out asking if you want to Netflix & Chill or hang out at their place. You want to be stronger in your faith and trust in God? Don’t be surprised when you receive an offer for something you’ve always wanted, but deep down you feel God convicting you to turn it down and that it’s not the right thing for you now or not the right timing.
My point is, with this prayer you are going to have to go through different tests or trials to grow your strength. The good news is though, if you endure the temptation and temporary hardship (because no hardship will last forever), you WILL get stronger and God will bless you all the more for it.
It’s like going to the gym. Everyone wants to be fit and toned and have a nice body, but you’re going to have to go through a tough process of watching what foods you eat and committing to working out even when you don’t feel like it. Well, your faith is about to go to the gym and God is going to allow you to go through a process that although it may be painful and it may hurt, it’s for your own good and in the end it’s going to help you grow and you’ll be able to see amazing results from it.
3. Break Me
Disclaimer: This one here is DANGEROUS!
And yes, you did read that correctly.
Along with praying for God to give you strength, pray and ask God to break you. We need to be broken and humbled because, let’s face it, a lot of us have too much pride built up and a lot of different things that stand in the way of God.
This is a prayer of vulnerability. It will require you to let down your ego and swallow your pride as God begins to reveal to you the things in you that He wants to fix and change for the better.
Let’s be real: nobody wants to suffer, but at the same time when life is going good too many of us forget God or take Him for granted. When you pray and ask God to break you, don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly faced with certain struggles you’ve never had before.
The thing is, when you pray for God to break you, your heart will start to break for what breaks God’s heart. You’re going to be given a new perspective. It’s as if you put on glasses not knowing how poor your vision was without them, and now all of a sudden you begin to see and look at things around you differently.
Bonus: This prayer also helps you find purpose. When we are humbled and let go of our pride, we are able to hear from God much more clearly. It’s far better to hurt with a purpose than it is to exist without having one!
4. Disrupt My Plans
Wait whaaaaaat? You’re probably thinking, “Disrupt my plans?! Are you crazy?”
Well, let me explain:
Most of us have a preconceived idea of what we think we’re going to do. Whether it’s where we’re going to move, who we’re going to date, what job we’ll have, etc. When you pray this bold prayer what you’re saying is, “God, whatever plans I came up with without you, if they are not your will for my life, remove them. Break them. Disrupt them.
The thing is, our plans are based on what we think will bring us more satisfaction and happiness in our life. God’s plans for you are what you actually NEED in your life. When you are walking in the will of God it’s guaranteed that yes, you’re still going to probably go through some difficulties and trials BUT you can rest assured that God will still give you peace and joy in the midst of it.
Happiness is temporary, joy is everlasting. You can be happy when you eat your favorite meal or happy when you earn an achievement – but joy. Joy is something only God can give. You may be facing a difficult break up and not know how you’re going to recover, but only God can give you joy in the midst of it. It’s the joy of hope that yes things may suck right now, it may hurt, but I still have joy in the middle of it because I know this means God has something better in store for me. Joy.
The only way to experience true joy, peace and fulfillment in your life is by having God disrupt your plans and exchange them for His plans for your life. His will, not yours.
I’ll end with these 2 sciptures:
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
Proverbs 16:9, NLT
and one of my favorite scriptures:
You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Proverbs 19:21, NLT
Very good video and oh so true. It is easier to just seek His ways in the beginning, and avoid a lot of unnecessary hurt, but who does that? And so we learn and come to the place where we say…your Will be done in my life and lean on Him to bring it to pass.
Thank you so much Jeff! And yes that so true 🙏🏼