Introduction:

In this Freedom Prayer Guide, we are going to take time to prayerfully:

• Identify places we have walked in rebellion

• Confess and repent of the ways we have walked in rebellion.

• Replace our rebellion with submission to Jesus.

Biblical Foundations:

In the world, we're taught that freedom comes through rebelling against external leadership, authority, and commitments - that being unencumbered by these “chains" means true liberty. However, Christian freedom teaches the opposite: genuine, lasting freedom comes through surrender and submission to Jesus Christ's good, wise, and loving leadership.

Psalm 68:5-6 (NIV): “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the __________ live in a sun-scorched land.”

Isaiah 53:6 (NIV): “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us ____________ way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV): “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must __________ and take up their cross and ____________. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’”

Psalm 23.1-3 (NIV): The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He __________ in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the freedom that comes through submitting to your Lordship. Please search my hearts, my thoughts and my ways for where I have been walking in rebellion to you and your ways, and in so doing have opened my life up to the destruction that rebellion brings (1 Samuel 15.23, Proverbs 29.1, Proverbs 3.5-6).

Confession:

During this phase of the freedom journey, we want to turn to God’s Word and God’s Spirit to highlight to us place where we have walked in rebellion, and then we are going to take time to prayerfully confess this.

Rebellion Inventory:

Here are some examples from Scripture of ways people walked in rebellion against the Lord. Read over these examples and note any that you can relate to from your own life.

• Adam and Eve: In Genesis 3, the first humans rebelled against God’s leadership in their lives by wanting to be their own gods and chart their own path. This rebellion unleashed death and destruction in its wake.

• King Saul: In 1 Samuel 13:8-14, Saul grew impatient waiting for Samuel to arrive and offer sacrifices before a battle. Saul did not want to wait on God’s timing and took matters into his own hands in a way that violated God’s commands. The fruit of this rebellion cost Saul the kingdom.

• King Absolom: In 2 Samuel chapters 13-18, Absolom rebelled against God’s leadership in his life by rebelling against his family. The fruit of his rebellion brought destruction to his own life and civil war in his nation.

• King Solomon: In 1 Kings 11, Solomon rebelled against God’s leadership in his life, by pursuing relationships the Lord had told him not to pursue. The fruit of this rebellion brought destruction to his kingdom.

• Jezebel: In 2 Kings 9:22, Jezebel rebelled against God’s leadership in her life through practicing sorcery in order to control and use power for her own ends.

• Jonah: In the Book of Jonah, the prophet Jonah rebels against God’s leadership and direction for his life because of his bitterness toward the people of Nineveh

• The Israelites in the wilderness: In Numbers 14, the Israelites rebelled against God’s leadership by refusing to enter the Promised Land due to fear of its inhabitants. This rebellion resulted in 40 years of wandering in the desert.

• King Nebuchadnezzar: In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar rebelled against God’s leadership by exalting himself and refusing to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. This rebellion led to him being driven from human society for seven years.

• The Pharisees: They rebellion against God was expressed through their valuing things opposite of God’s values (Matthew 23:23-24)

• Ananias and Saphira: In Acts 5:1-11, this couple rebelled against God’s leadership in the early church by lying about their offering. Their rebellion resulted in immediate judgment and death.

Places of Bitterness

As you review the above list, prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any way you have walked in rebellion like those above, or other things like these that may not be mentioned on this list. Write down what the Holy Spirit brings to your remembrance.

Repentance:

A working definition of repentance encompasses experiencing godly sorrow over your sin (2 Corinthians 7.10), turning away from that sin and turning towards the Lord (1 Thess 1:9), as well as bearing the fruit of genuine change (Matt. 3.8). The Lord extends mercy and forgiveness to the repentant (Isaiah 55.7).

After you have prayerfully considered the Rebellion Inventory, we have an opportunity to experience the freeing power of Jesus as we confess and repent of these places of sin and receive forgiveness and grace for freedom.

Guided Prayer of Confession, Repentance and Receiving Forgiveness:

Lord, I confess that I have been rebellious toward ___________________________ by ________(say what you did specifically)__________. Thank You for forgiving my rebellion. I choose now to be submissive and obedient to Your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Replace & Restore:

Repentance leads to sin being replaced with new life, healing and renewal.

Underneath our rebellion are often places where we are brokenhearted by fear, grief and pain. As we repent of our rebellion, Jesus wants to replace it with healing for our broken hearts (Luke 4.18) that we might live out our calling to follow Him.

Use this guided prayer to receive a fresh healing in the place of the fears, grief and pain that has undergirded your rebellion.

Jesus, thank you that you see my fear, grief and pain and want to heal me. As I repent of my rebellion and walk in submission to you, I open up my heart and life to you in a fresh way and ask for you to heal my heart.

Take time to sit in silence for 1-2 minutes and listen to the Lord. Pay attention to what you sense the Holy Spirit doing in you and speaking to you during this time.

After a minute or two have each person in the group share what they sense the Spirit speaking or doing in them.