Day 1
Ephesians 5:3-4 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality… nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Before we proceed on any other prayers against the spiritual stronghold of sensualism, let us repent of the ways we have ourselves submitted to it. For many of us, if we are honest, we do not live up to the standard of “not even a hint of sexual immorality” and we find ourselves drawn more than we would like to admit to the worldview of sensualism, as might be reflected in what we read, what we watch, what we think about or our browser history. We are conflicted. But God is eager to help us when we repent and help us turn our hearts to him. And God can forgive our conflicted hearts in a moment, so we should not despair that our own sin makes our prayers ineffective.
Our Father in heaven, we acknowledge our guilt before you. We have not guarded our eyes and ears and mouth as you have commanded. We want to be your holy people, and we have indulged in sexual immorality. It is a lie that our sexual immorality is not as bad as that of others, and we repent. Help us to not be like the pharisee who gave thanks that he was not like other people, and help us to pray like the tax collector who pleaded with you to have mercy. Thank you that the sacrifice of Jesus covers all our sins and you empower us to follow your law. Give us your wisdom to recognize where there are hints of sexual immorality in our own lives. Give us grace to repent quickly and replace our immorality with thanksgiving.