"Why I Abandoned Calvinism" and "Verses to Pray"
First things first: Here's a 22-minute video from a guy who recently left Calvinism: Why I Abandoned Calvinism. He's got some wise insights to share. Give it a listen.
And now:
(I added new verses to a list I already had on my other blog, and I want to post it for my own reference. But since I'm not adding more posts to my other blogs, I'm going to post it here.)
I've written a lot about prayer before (on my other blog) and, in particular, on "praying Scripture." But something interesting (and important) that I didn't know for the first few decades of being a Christian (not until I heard Tony Evans preach on it a few years ago) is that the “Sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) is the spoken Word of God.
In order to be used as a weapon against evil, the Word is meant to be spoken out loud. I never knew that. I always just thought it meant that it was good to read the Word, know that Word, meditate on the Word. And it's true, these are good - great! - things to do. But the "sword of the Spirit" is a different thing; it's when we speak God's Word out loud in a moment of need, of temptation, of spiritual battle. And even Jesus Himself demonstrated this when He used Scripture (and only Scripture) three times to defeat the temptations Satan was throwing at Him in the desert.
There is power in God's Word - particularly when it's spoken out loud - to battle the enemy, to defeat evil, to protect our hearts and minds, and to overcome the sinful strongholds in our lives. Yet how often do we lean on ourselves, our own wisdom, our own Christianly tactics instead, to try to fight our spiritual battles - battles that were never meant to be fought in our own power?
Stop trying so hard on our own.
[And for Calvinists: Stop thinking that everything's been predetermined and so our prayers won't have any real effect or change anything. Scripture gives a totally different picture of prayer than that. It really does matter. It really does affect what happens. And it's really up to you to pray to get God's Will accomplished in your life. What a brilliant scheme of Satan's - to convince us that everything's been predestined and that God alone controls everything and so our prayers really don't matter. What a great way to keep us useless, to keep us from getting God's Will accomplished, to make us waste our lives!]
Use the weapons God gave you: prayer and His Word.
Better yet, combine prayer and His Word.
Awhile back, I was going through some bad times and felt like I was spiraling out of control, falling into an abyss of hopelessness, depression, and anxiety (still clawing my way out of that one). And I was trying everything I could think of to manage it, to defeat it, to get myself out of that hole. I needed something to grab onto, something to keep me afloat, something to stop my spiraling. But nothing I tried worked. I didn't know what to do, and I was tired of trying so hard to handle it myself. I wasn't enough on my own. I needed something else, something bigger than me to help me.
And so I decided to do something I never did before but always knew I should: turn verses into prayers.
And this helped me in a way that nothing ever did. It reached down farther into my soul than anything ever had before. I think there is supernatural power when a believer uses Scripture in prayer, praying God’s own words back to Him, reminding Him of what He’s promised us and showing Him that we believe Him.
[Contrary to what Calvinists think, God has not predestined everything that happens. He has chosen to carry out His plans in cooperation with mankind, though our obedience and our prayers. If we do not pray and obey, we do not get what God intended for us. So do not think that nothing you do really affects anything, or that prayers are just formalities because everything's already been planned (according to Calvinists). Your actions, obedience, choices, and prayers matter. They make a difference. And you are responsible for them. And that's just the way God created it to be when He gave us free-will. God has given us the tools we need to live this life well. Use them!]
When a moment of need comes - a spiritual battle or temptation you're facing, a moment of weakness or fear or hopeless, a time when you need to pray but don't know what to say - find some verses that relate to what you're going through and either speak them out loud as they are written or turn them into prayers, changing the wording slightly to fit what your heart wants to tell God.
Write them down, starting a collection of verses and prayers that fit your circumstances, your needs, and your heart’s cry. Read them often, preferably out loud. Write them out with pen and paper. (Writing them out helps us remember them more.) Carry them around with you so that you can mediate on them when you are standing in some boring line somewhere. Anything we can do to get more of God's Word into our lives will help!
Take God seriously when He says that the Word is the sword of the Spirit, a offensive weapon against evil. Plant your feet on His Word. Declare His Word. Align yourself with His Word. Obey His Word. And use His Word like the Sword that it was meant to be, the way Jesus used it. And watch Him do what you are powerless to do. Watch Him work miracles and healing in your life. Watch Him get you out of hopeless places. If you are faithful to Him (even if you are scared and don’t feel like being faithful), He will be faithful to you (Psalm 18:25).
[For more on this, see these posts on my other blog: "Using Scripture in Spiritual Battles" and "War Rooms, Praying Scripture, and Spiritual Warfare" and "Using God's Word in Emotional Struggles" and "Scripture-based Prayers for the Hardest Times". And here's "Prayer Matters" from this blog, where I compare the Calvinist's view of prayer to the biblical view of prayer.]
Deuteronomy 20:4: “For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
Deuteronomy 31:8: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."
2 Chronicles 14:11: “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against You.”
Psalm 3:3-6,8: “But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side…. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.”
Psalm 9:9-10: "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who hope in your name will trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
Psalm 16:11: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Select verses from Psalm 18: “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears…. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters…. The Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me … To the faithful, you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble and bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle… You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me…”
Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:5: “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”
Psalm 27:7-11: ““Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path …”
Psalm 27:13-14: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”
Psalm 34:4: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
Psalm 34:17-18: "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."
Psalm 37:23-24: “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
Psalm 40:1-3: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”
Psalm 46:1-3: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 51:1-2: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 55:16-17: "But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice."
Psalm 55:22: "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Psalm 56:3: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”
Psalm 91:1-2, 5-7, 9-12: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' ... You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you…. If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
Psalm 107:13-14: "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains."
Psalm 116:1-9: “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
Psalm 118:1: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Psalm 118:5-7: “In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper.”
Psalm 118:8,13-14: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.... I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 121:1-2: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 145:18: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 16:9: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Prov 18:10: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."
Proverbs 28:25: “… he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.”
Prov. 30:5: "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace he whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
Isaiah 40:29: "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:13: “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’”
Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.””
Lamentations 3:22-24: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'"
Lamentations 3:25-26: "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
Matthew 5:3-10: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 6:25-26: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Matthew 6:27: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Matthew 6:33-34: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 26:39: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Mark 9:24: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
Luke 1:37: “For nothing is impossible with God.”
Luke 12:6-7: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
John 6:68-69: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
John 10:10: "The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Romans 5:3-5: “… we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Romans 8:26-27: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:31: “… If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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."
Romans 10:11: “… ‘Anyone who trusts in him will not be put to shame.’”
Romans 10:13: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (And remember that “God is love” – 1 John 4:8)
1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always gives yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 5:7: “We live by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Ephesians 3:12: "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."
Ephesians 6:10-18: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the [spoken] word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Philippians 1:6: “… he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Phil. 3:13: “… Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 1:9-14: “… we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 3:2: “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus you are serving.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 4:18: "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 13:5-6: “… God has said, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”
James 4:7-8: "Submit yourself, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."
1 Peter 5:6: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1 Peter 5:7-9: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith …”
1 Peter 5:10: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
1 John 4:4: “… the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
