God’s purposes for His people are clearly outlined in Scripture. When we pray according to those purposes, we are praying the very desires on God’s heart for His Church. Use one or more of these 36 scriptural principles to pray for your church:

1. That we pursue lost people as Jesus did (Luke 19:10).2. That we evangelize our circles of influence (Acts 1:8).3. That we worship God in Spirit and truth (John 4:22–24).4. That we love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength (Deut. 6:5; Luke 10:27).5. That we all become more like Jesus (1 Peter 2:21).6. That we all become radical followers of Jesus (Luke 9:23–26, 57–62).7. That we grow strong in faith, believing God for great things (Rom. 4:20–21; John 14:2).8. That we become disciplers of others, teaching all the things that Jesus taught (Matt. 28:19–20).9. That we learn to pray fervently and effectively (Heb. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1–2).10. That we preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2).11. That we encourage one another daily (Heb. 10:25).12. That we surrender our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1–2).13. That we quit being children and grow up in our faith (Heb. 5:12–14).14. That we no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus (2 Cor. 5:15).15. That we quit loving the world (1 John 2:15–17).16. That we become a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27).17. That we be holy (Matt. 5:48; 1 Thess. 4:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:16).18. That we be sexually pure (1 Cor. 6:19–20).19. That we share, break bread, and fellowship together (Acts 2:42–46).20. That we challenge, train, equip, send, and support missionaries (Acts 13:2–4, 16:5–10).21. That we be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).22. That we raise our children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).23. That we not forsake meeting together (Heb. 10:25).24. That we aggressively minister to “little ones” (Matt. 19:14).25. That we identify and exercise our gifts (1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12; Eph. 4).26. That we sing to the Lord (Col. 3:16).27. That we remember to give thanks in everything, good or bad (1 Thess. 5:18).28. That we give cheerfully and liberally (2 Cor. 9:6–10).29. That we trust God to heal our bodies (James 5:14–16).30. That we confess to one another our faults, failures, and weaknesses (James 5:16).31. That we are prepared to give a reasoned answer about our faith (1 Peter 3:15).32. That we resist the devil so that he flees (1 Peter 5:8–10; Eph. 6:10–18).33. That we forgive one another and make restitution (Matt. 6:14–15; Eph. 4:29–32).34. That we partake of the Lord’s table in a worthy manner (1 Cor. 11:26–30).35. That we follow the Lord in baptism (Matt. 3:14–17).36. That we love one another so intensely that the world sees and believes (John 13:35).

–Adapted from a list developed by Rev. Richard LaFountain. For more prayer guides developed by Richard, go to prayertoday.org.

(C) 2014 Prayer Connect magazine.