A prayer based on 2 Peter 1:16-2:10.

<aside> 🙏🏻 Sovereign Lord, We praise you for your Word. Your Word in which you reveal yourself and make known your mind to us. We praise for the good news it contains. Good news for us that there is a Saviour, Jesus, who can save us completely from our sin. From its penalty. From its power. From its pollution. From its presence. And that if we come to you through Him we can be certain that you will receive us as your children who you love, and are well pleased with. This Lord, is not what we deserve, but is a gracious gift from you.

Assure us, we pray, that this good news, this gospel message, really is true. That it is not a made up story. But rooted in history because your Son came into the world. Humbling Himself. Taking on flesh. Being born as a man. Living a righteous and sinless life. Revealing His glory. Dying in the place of sinners. Rising again to defeat death. And all this was seen by eyewitnesses who have testified to what they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears.

We thank you that we have this testimony before us in the Scriptures. Along with every other word you have spoken that you want us to know. We marvel at how your Spirit worked in and through those men who wrote down your Word That what they wrote was exactly what you wanted them to. That there are no mistakes. And that we can be confident that it contains your mind and your will. Help us then to pay careful attention to your Word when we hear it read and preached. Give us minds that are able to understand what it says. Give us hearts that believes every words. Shape and mould and fashion our lives by it. May it be a lamp to our feet and a light for our paths. Lead and guide us by it day by day.

Lord, you know all things, and we thank you for revealing to us what we need to know. Including those warnings that you give to us. You have said that in the church will come false teachers. And we are aware that there are churches that have been deceived by them and because of this are denying the truths found in your Word. This grieves us because of the dishonour it brings to you as people happily live in error, and also because of the danger it puts those who have been taken in and led astray by them in. We pray that you protect this local church from this ever happening. That you would make us able to spot error, even the most subtlest forms, and that we would not approve a false teacher into a position of leadership. How grateful we are that the presence of false teachers in your church is not outside of your control, nor will this prevent you from carrying out your purposes to save many lives. We look forward to the day when your kingdom comes, and those who oppose you won’t be able to anymore. While we wait, loving Father, restrain their influence. Silence their voices before further harm comes to your people.

Our God, we know that one of the reasons why false teaching is so attractive is because it lessens the seriousness of sin. It softens your commands. It appeals to our sinful nature. And we feel the pull. The temptation to want to believe this to be true, is real. Strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to fight the sinful desires that come up from within. To not go soft on the things that God hates. To be distressed by the widespread immorality we see all around us. To take no pleasure in what your Word says is sin. So that we keep ourselves pure and holy, and walk up rightly. We thank you that you are able to rescue us from temptation, and keep us from falling away from you. Would that encourage us to stick to the narrow way that leads to eternal life. That you the only God and Saviour may get the glory, majesty, power, and authority. Now and forever. Amen.

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