Excerpt from 3 Colours Prayer Guide By Rev. Curtis Peters
The theme of this week’s prayer guide is the quality characteristic: Passionate Spirituality. Our spirituality can be expressed in a multitude of positive ways, but all of us will find that certain ways stir greater passion in our hearts for God and his mission than others. The question is: does our personal connection with God create a passion within us to follow God and embrace his mission? Does the way we relate to God motivate us to go ‘all-in’, giving everything we have to pursue the things that are on God’s heart. The key here is intimacy. If we express our spirituality in a way that leads us to an intimate relationship with God, our hearts will become more and more aligned with God, and we will become more and more passionate about doing whatever it takes to see God’s dreams for the world become reality.
The Trinitarian Compass uses 3 colors (red, blue, and green) as a tool to help us understand the various ways that passionate spirituality can be ignited in our lives. For Christians in the red zone, passionate spirituality is ignited through the study and sharing of the Word of God. They feel closest to God when they are studying the Word or sharing it with others For Christians in the blue zone, passionate spirituality is ignited through the presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit. They feel closest to God when they are being led and empowered by the Spirit to do what God has called them to do. For Christians in the green zone, passionate spirituality is ignited through experiencing God in the world. They feel closest to God when they are immersed in the beauty of creation, or when they are helping to restore the created order to the way God intended, by caring for the environment or helping the poor and caring for the needy.
Although we are all more naturally drawn into intimacy with God through one of these ways more than the others, the more we can connect with God through the Word, the Spirit, and the world, the more passion will be ignited in our hearts. As such, we should strive to learn from others in the body of Christ so that we can become more holistic in the experience of our spirituality. This prayer guide will help us to pray through each of these colors of our spirituality, asking God how he wants us to grow in each of these areas.
Monday: Spirituality based on the Word (Red)
Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17; 4:1-5
Reflection Questions:
- How do you use the Scriptures to equip yourself for every good work? (3:16-17)
- Are you prepared in season and out of season to share the Word with the people around you? (4:2)
Prayers of Intercession:
- That God’s Word would equip each of us for the good works he has called us to do.
- That we would be lovers of God’s Word.
- That we would not be deceived by false teaching.
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, how can I be more prepared at all times to share your Word with others?
Tuesday: Spirituality directed by the Spirit (Blue)
Bible Reading: John 14:15-21, 25-27
Reflection Questions:
- Do you live your life based on the counsel of the Spirit of truth? (vs. 16-17)
- What is something the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, has taught you this past week? (vs. 26)
- How does the presence of the Spirit in our life give you peace? (vs. 27)
Prayers of Intercession:
- That God would teach us to listen to the promptings (counsel) of the Holy Spirit.
- That the Spirit would remind us at just the right time what Jesus has taught us.
- That the presence of the Spirit within us would fill us with peace (we are not orphans; God is with us – vs. 18).
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, how can I live my life more fully directed by your Holy Spirit?
Wednesday: Spirituality that encounters God in the World (Green)
Bible Reading: Psalm 19
Reflection Questions:
- In what ways have you experienced the glory of God through his creation this past week? (vs. 1-4)
- In what ways do you work to preserve the beauty of creation? How would taking care of creation be an act of worship to the Creator?
Prayers of Intercession:
- That our lives would join the song of creation in giving praise to the Creator.
- That our care for creation would be an expression of our gratitude to the Creator.
- That we would delight in God’s Word – spoken to us both through his creation (vs. 1-6) and through Scripture (vs. 7-11).
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, is there anything you want to say to me this week through creation? Help me to hear you speak.
Thursday: Spirituality based on the Word (Red)
Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:1-13
Reflection Questions:
- Does your soul delight when you listen to God’s Word? (vs. 2-3)
- Do you seek to know God’s thoughts, revealed to you through the Word? (vs. 6, 8) How could you seek after God this week?
- Does God’s Word nourish your soul like a fresh spring rain? (vs. 10-11)
Prayers of Intercession:
- That God would help us to hear him speaking to us through his Word, and that it would give life to our souls every day.
- That every time we read the Bible it would accomplish something beautiful in our lives, like rain nourishing the ground.
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, how can I find greater joy through my times in your Word?
Friday: Spirituality directed by the Spirit (Blue)
Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21
Reflection Questions:
- What do you think it might look like for you to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (vs. 19)
- What practical difference does it make in your life that God can do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within you?
Prayers of Intercession:
- That God would strengthen you with power through his Holy Spirit.
- That the Spirit within you would enable you to experience the depths of God’s love for you, and that he would fill you with that same love for others.
- That your church would be marked by the presence of the Spirit among you.
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, how can our church experience greater fullness of the Spirit among us?
Saturday: Spirituality that encounters God in the World (Green)
Bible Reading: 1 John 3:11-24
Reflection Questions:
- What is one way that you have laid down your life for someone this past week? (vs. 16)
- How do we know that we belong to the truth and can have rest in God’s presence? (vs. 17-19)
Prayers of Intercession:
- That God would root out any hate or bitterness in our hearts, and fill us with love for one another.
- That God would fill us with compassion for the needy and stir us to action.
- That we would find joy in our relationship with God by being agents of transformation and healing in the lives of the people around us.
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, is my heart clean before you such that I can have confidence before you to ask anything? (vs. 21-22) Please show me anything that I need to confess or change in my life.
Sunday: Passionate Spirituality: Bringing the 3 colors together
Bible Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-11
Reflection Questions:
- Red: What are some of the very great and precious promises from God’s Word that have impacted your life? (vs. 4)
- Blue: How has God’s Spirit given you power for living a life that pleases him? (vs. 3)
- Green: Which of these qualities do you most need to add to your life to be more effective in your service to Christ in the world? (vs. 5-8)
Prayers of Intercession:
- That our lives would be built on the precious promises of God’s Word.
- That we would be empowered for life and godliness by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.
- That we would be effective and productive in our service to God in the world.
A question to ask (listening prayer):
- God, which color do I most need to work on in order to grow in passionate spirituality?
