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A Prayer For Teens - Character By Pastor Kevin Feder

What should a teens priority in prayer be? How should a parent of a teen be praying for them? No doubt there are many practical needs that bring urgency to certain priorities in prayer. However, urgency or immediacy should not replace biblical priorities for prayer. Keeping a biblical perspective, here is a prayer based on Romans 5:1-5.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Father in heaven, I praise you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, on my behalf so that I can have peace with you. It is hard to believe that you would endure the pain of watching your son suffer for sinners, just to make peace with me who has declared war on you when I sin against you. You truly are a great and awesome God. I confess my sin to you. I confess how selfish I can be and how little I value the fact that I have peace with you through Christ. Help me to see that you are a father who loves me and sometimes allows difficulties to enter my life so that I can grow in character. I confess that having ease and comfort and certain worldly things are more important to me than having peace with you and growing in character as a child of God who shares in the holiness of God. Help me to align my priorities with your priorities, especially when I face affliction. Help me to want godly character more than I want the things of this world. Help me to trust that you are in control of all things. Help me to accept trials as a gift from you that is going to produce character and hope in me that will bring glory to you. I thank you for your patience and your kindness to me in Christ. Thank you for your Word that guides my thinking and shows me that you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and patience. In Jesus name I pray these things, AMEN.

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