Lord, Teach Me To Think Rightly

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A powerful prayer for every situation: Lord, teach me to think rightly. By Jamie Rohrbaugh | FromHisPresence.comI was struggling this morning with my thought life.

It was all innocent enough. I was spending time with the Lord, reading the Word, and praying about my day. One of the things I have on my schedule today is a worship and intercessory prayer service (“The Furnace”) at my church tonight that I am in charge of (with a leadership team, but I’m in charge of the leadership team). And when I started praying about that service, I began to struggle.

Here’s why:

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    • Every person that comes needs an encounter with Jesus, not with me.
    • So I need to get out of the way.
    • But yet I still have to be there and lead, so “getting out of the way” doesn’t mean I get to disappear or anything. I’m accountable. I still have to be there and minister, as does the rest of our team.

    And also…

    • I want to follow the Holy Spirit’s plan for both worship and intercession.
    • I want to focus on Him and follow Him precisely. I want the Holy Spirit to utterly and completely and totally have His way with us and do the ministry with power.
    • But I can’t go in with no plan at all, because that would be irresponsible.
    • And yet I have to let my plan completely yield to His plan.

    Well, when you put all these things together, I began to feel like my thoughts and prayers were just going in circles. Have you ever felt that way? I didn’t really know how to pray or what to pray for. All I knew was that I am hungry, and I want God, and I want to encounter Him tonight, and I want every person at this meeting to encounter God too.

    And in the midst of all those thoughts, when I realized that I don’t know how to pray about this or what to ask for, this one prayer came bubbling up out of my spirit:

    “Lord, teach me to think rightly about The Furnace.”

    It was a simple prayer. It seemed to come out of nowhere (but I know it came from the Holy Spirit). And it immediately brought my thoughts into a state of peace.

    Why?

    Because Jesus said:

    Start-quoteI am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

    Did you get that? “Without Me you can do nothing.” 

    I can’t do anything without Jesus. That means I can’t walk, talk, eat, breathe, pray… or think.

    Without Jesus I am incapable of thinking rightly. I don’t know what to think about things, or what things to think about. I don’t know what to pray for or how to offer my prayer worthily (Romans 8:26-27). So I need His help.

    Starting at the very beginning, I need His help.

    So as soon as I prayed “Lord, teach me to think rightly about The Furnace,” I felt instant peace.

    It was like He brought me back to the very most basic point there was. I can’t do this without Him. He has to do it all, even though He will use my team’s hands and feet and voices to do it. But I can’t do it, and I can’t even think about this thing rightly without His help.

    And there was a powerful freedom in admitting that.

    What’s going on in your life? Do you need God’s help to think rightly about something too?

    • Maybe it’s a tough marriage. Maybe your most basic, most desperate prayer would be: “Lord, teach me to think rightly about my marriage and my spouse.”
    • Maybe it’s an awful work situation. “Lord, teach me to think rightly about my job and my boss and my coworkers.”
    • Maybe it’s yourself. Maybe you’re struggling with shame and self-hatred. “Lord, teach me to think rightly about myself.”

    Whatever it is, let’s pray about it now, shall we? Pray this prayer with me:

    Dear Heavenly Father,

    I come before You in Jesus’ name. Father, thank You for letting me approach you. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for adopting me and making me Your child through Christ. Thank You for loving me and having a good plan for my life. Thank You for helping me in all things, for protecting me, preserving me, and keeping me alive. Thank You for the air in my lungs and for sustaining the beating of my heart.

    Daddy God, please help me. I need You. I am desperate. I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know how to pray about my situation. But Daddy God, You know I am dealing with ___________. And Lord, I don’t know how to think about it. I don’t know what to ask You for or how to ask. 

    So Lord, I need Your perspective. Heavenly Father, would you teach me to think rightly about _________? Please take my thoughts and line them up with Your thoughts. Take my perspective and line it up with Your perspective. Change my heart. Take away my stony heart and give me Your heart. Take away my old spirit and give me Your Spirit. Change me, Lord, and make me like Jesus. Teach me to think rightly. Your Word says that I have the mind of Christ, so please take all my thoughts and conform them to Yourself today.

    I fall at Your feet right now, Jesus, and thank You for helping me. I know I can’t think rightly on my own. But Jesus, You said You would help me. So Lord, here I am. Your grace is sufficient for me. Let Your strength be made perfect in my weakness right now. Mold my thoughts, my words, and my heart to be shaped like Yours. Teach me to think rightly, and help me to humble myself before You and receive Your truth, Your guidance, Your strength, and Your peace. 

    Thank You, Father. I love You, and I thank You for hearing and answering my prayers. I give You all the glory, and I thank You for what You’re doing and for what You’re going to do.

    In Jesus’ name, amen.

    Does this message encourage your heart today? If so, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

    61 Comments

    1. Cindy Williams says:

      Thank you so much, I really really needed this today! I have so much going on in my head lately, and I am so overwhelmed! I love the prayer! I plan on coming to The Furnace tonite! Have a blessed day!

      1. Hi Cindy, thank you so much for reading and for sharing! I’m so glad Papa touched you, and I hope He blessed you last night! It was great to see you at The Furnace. Thank you for coming. Have a great day!

        1. Denise Foster says:

          Thank you, Jamie for those words Lord teaches me to think rightly in all things.

      2. Thank you so much for yielding to the Spirit and sharing this word. My mind is flooded with so many things and the realization that I just need Him to teach me how to think is simple and so needed. Today I yield my heart and my mind to Jesus. Amen! Continue to let the Holy Spirit lead you! God has given you things people need to hear.

        1. Amen! Yes, life would be so much easier if we just line up our thinking with His Word. Blessings to you as you submit to His teaching and His shaping of your thought life! And thank you so much for your encouragement. 🙂 Have a wonderful day!

        2. Thank you Lord for this beautiful prayer.

      3. Yvette Quizon says:

        Thank you through Jamie,Lord that i came across this prayer..it is what i wanted to tell You.
        God bless you jamie

    2. Rafael-Olivier Somma says:

      Jamie, I think your spirit is connected with mine lol. Seriously, another prayer that I needed at the right time. Thank you for this, Jamie, may God be with you.

      1. It’s the Holy Spirit who’s connected with you, bro! Praising God with you for blessing you! Thank you for reading and sharing, as always. May you have a wonderful day of abiding in Jesus today! 🙂

    3. Cyndi Sliger says:

      Thank you for your word on this today. My mind has been in circles all morning trying to pray and it has strayed and been interrupted several times. I am glad I can count on Jesus to Always make sense of it .

      1. Cyndi, thank you. Yes, Jesus understands even when we can’t make sense ourselves! I’m so thankful for His mercy and grace, and the help of the Holy Spirit!
        Have a wonderful day! Thank you for reading, and for letting me know Papa blessed you!

    4. Marie Lindsay-Redhead says:

      Thank you Jamie for sharing your dilemma and heart with us. I too have struggled today as to what to do with my job situation. Should I stay or go. Could you pray for me too I need the council of other witnesses.

      1. I will pray for you, Marie. May the Lord give you grace and peace about the right decision, even if it requires a step of faith. JESUS is on your side. If God be for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31) 🙂
        Have a wonderful day!

        1. Marie Lindsay-Redhead says:

          Thank you sister ♡

    5. Exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you 🙂

      1. Cool! Thank you for reading, Jennifer, and I’m so glad Papa blessed you! Have a great day! 🙂

    6. Jamie thank you for your posts. I am blessed mightily by them.
      Please pray for me. I am swimming in debt and need to know what Daddy wants me to do. I also have a situation with a house guest that needs to leave, & need to know how Daddy wants me to proceed.
      Thanks
      M

      1. Rafael-Olivier Somma says:

        Hi Marilyn,

        I know it’s not the choice we like to make, but sometimes it’s better to file for bankrupty and have peace of mind instead of always feeling bad because of our debts. I waited and waited but at one point I realized that bankrupty was my only option. It’s your choice, but don’t discard it because of what others might think.

        1. I don’t necessarily agree, Rafael-Olivier, but if you’re currently rebuilding your financial life, I’d encourage you to also check into Dave Ramsey’s book The Total Money Makeover. It will help you solve the core issues that cause debt, and rebuild your life so that you can set up a well-built and prosperous future.
          Also, I hope things are going well for you in your situation this week, and that it turns out well for you. Daddy God loves you very much and has such a good plan for your life. One step at a time, He will bring you into it. 🙂
          Have a wonderful day!

          1. Rafael-Olivier Somma says:

            Thanks Jamie. Yeah, things are starting to go better day by day. I live one day at the time and I pray God for helping me throughout the difficult moments.

      2. Hi Marilyn, I prayed for you this morning. I am sorry you’re going through this. Are you familiar with Dave Ramsey? His book, The Total Money Makeover, changed my life. It’s amazing and oh-so-motivational and encouraging, as well as being VERY Biblically-based. It might be of great benefit to you during this time – I’d encourage you to check it out. Otherwise, I will certainly pray for you!
        Thank you for reading my blog!

    7. Sharon M. says:

      Hi Jamie, I just want to take the time to thank you for posting this prayer. I was searching the to find a subject that shows me how to pray rightly and chose your blog. I have so much going on in my life right now or should I say Not going right: been unemployed for a year now, no reliable income coming in, been dealing with back and siatica pain, depression, etc. The latest spiritual attack is my fridge compressor not working properly and unemployment is questioning whether I received funds I was not entitled to. I’m screaming here, when will I get a break! When will things start going right for a change. I feel damned if I do and damned if I don’t. My prayer life is inadequate to say the least. I start to pray then go blank, the words won’t come! It’s so frustrating! I have no reliable friends so I struggle on my own for the most part. I go to church but have not been able to make genuine friendship/s I see mostly religiousness not relationship there, it’s a lonely place to be when you are in a room full of people and still feel alone. Anyway, I know I’m being long winded but this is how I get when I find an outlet to express my thoughts and feelings hoping someone is there to listen. Thanks again for the words to help my pray rightly and sincerely. By faith, what little I have I’m believing God for a way out of my current darkness that light will shine in my life. Thanks for listening. May Daddy God continue to richly bless and increase your wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

      1. Wow, Sharon. Thank you so much for sharing. I praise God for using my blog to bless you. I am sorry you are going through such a hard time. I do have a couple of other posts on prayer that you might also find to be encouraging in these times:
        5 Prayers To Increase God’s Glory On Your Prayer Life and 10 Prayers That Draw Me Closer To God Than Any Other Prayers.

        You also may enjoy this prophetic decree for fullness of prosperity. God wants you to be blessed and not have to struggle financially or any other way! You are His beloved child; His bride; and He is a generous Daddy God who loves nothing more than taking care of you and lavishing His affection on you.

        Thank you so much for reading. I pray Daddy God would continue to encourage you and show Himself to you as your Glory and the Lifter of your head!

        1. Sharon M. says:

          Thanks Jamie for the recommendations l will surly look them up. I also found and started reading 21 days to the manifest presence of God. Thanks for your words of encouragement. God bless you and your family.

        2. Sharon M. says:

          Hi Jamie, I pray this message meets you in great spirits! This is an updated on my current situation: I am working now, since January. Glory be to Daddy God!!! I am overwhelmed with gratitude right now as I reflect back again on the past six months. Since I’m working I have insurance and can go therapy for my back issues, I got a brand new replacement fridge from the management where I live (I didn’t know they provided refrigerator and stove since I moved in with my own.), oh, and the best part of my situation is that before I could finish my probationary period…I GOT A RAISE IN SALARY!!! I that ain’t God at work than I don’t know what else to say. I know He’s not done restoring all that the locust have eaten. So if I can encourage someone with my testemony of God’s goodNess and renewed mercies then just know that no matter how hard and desperate things in this life seem to get just persevere keep crying out to Abba Father, keep praising Him in spite of how hard things are. I still get depressed but I still praise Him, am thankful to Him and acknowledge that He alone is in control and will see me through. I may have many storms come my way but Daddy God CAN calm the stormy season life. We just have to Trust and Obey. Blessing to everyone!?

          1. Sharon, thank you so much for sharing this testimony. I am wondering if you would be willing for me to send it out to my email subscribers in a special email, just to encourage them?

            1. Sharon M. says:

              Sure Jamie! If someone could use some encouraging then by all means, share becausu a lot if us don’t have a strong circle of friends or fellow believers to come along side us to help us through our Job like experiences. May we all learn to persevere with the Lord’s help. May your ministry be continually blessed.

      2. Rafael-Olivier Somma says:

        My God, this a carbon-copy of my life. It could have been written by me.

        1. Sharon M. says:

          Hey Rafael, it’s so good to know that I’m not really alone even when I feel alone. I often remind myself that there is somebody out there more worst off than me so I try not to complain too much but at times it can get overwhelming. I try to keep Romans 5:3-5 in mind but most days it is so hard to do. Nevertheless, the LORD wants us to persevere in spite of our trials and I also remind myself that this too shall pass. God bless and keep you in all His ways.

    8. Shar Thomas says:

      Really needed this in tonight!!!!!! I just couldn’t stop praying after taking that in!!!!

      1. Well, Amen! That’s awesome! Praising God with you, and thanks so much for letting me know!

    9. This is just what I needed for a situation I am going through right now! God is so good!

      1. Praise God. Yes, He is! I’m so glad He brought you to this prayer at the right time! He hears and answers!

    10. Viv jones says:

      How awesome is our Father this popped up and was just what was needed for me at this time today , not like it is a long time emotion but I live daily waiting on the Holy Spirit and just felt flat today, thank you as each time I turn on my email and Pinterest I ask expectantly to enlighten me reveal and talk to me so as a good friend says boom done !!!! Thank you and bless you . So suoer excited to read below all the books you have please pray that I can get here in Sa and not only on line ???? Thank you and bless you

      1. Praise God! Viv, I’m so glad He encouraged you! Thank you for reading. All my books and teachings and music can be downloaded anywhere in the world from my store on Gumroad: http://www.gumroad.com/fromhispresence
        I pray that our Daddy God would continue to bless you overwhelmingly today! Have a wonderful Christmas!

    11. Carmen Fuentes says:

      Im so glad i found this website by mistake. I so desperately needed this prayer today and everyday. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m struggling with my health, mental, emotional and physical.

      1. I will pray for you today, Carmen. Perhaps it wasn’t by mistake after all! I pray the Holy Spirit would pour out His comfort on you today more than ever before. May you sense His love and affection, and feel His arms wrapped around you today.
        By the way, if you haven’t already read it, this post:
        https://www.fromhispresence.com/7-prayers-that-will-stabilize-your-emotions-and-bring-you-peace/
        might be encouraging to you. It contains my story about struggling with emotional stability, and how God healed me.
        Also, this one:
        https://www.fromhispresence.com/are-you-depressed-or-anxious-heres-gods-cure-for-anxiety-and-depression/
        contains my story about dealing with depression. I believe it will encourage you also. It is hard to be transparent about this stuff sometimes, but God uses our testimonies to lift others up.
        Have a wonderful day, sister! Thank you so much for reading and for sharing!

    12. Katherine says:

      I am so overwhelmed I am speechless at present. But I do want to say THANK YOU. I am praying that Jesus will help me absorb this website that He has brought me too. I have been praying and He has answered my prayer through you. Blessings and peace to you.
      A sister in Christ,
      Katherine

    13. ivonneangel says:

      Thank you so much I really needed this. Glory be to God who lead me to this site in Jesus Name. Amen

    14. Hello .. I just read the prayer .. It’s very soothing but m still upset .. I need help from God .. M struggling a lot with my love life .. It’s the only thing that affects me so much .. Please ask God to make things alright . I have always been good and kind enough .. I love him , he cheated me but yet he was always there for me and says that he loves me .. I want him to understand the value of love and me .. I want him to fight any situation in love like I can .. I want him to be loyal and honest as I am .. Pls god help me .. M not able to concentrate on anything .. Pls help me ! I need you .. I need him !

    15. Jamie – you wrote this on June 22 and I just came across it today, Dec 23 – and I desperately needed to hear this! Thank you so much!!!! I am really struggling with positive thinking toward myself. I could use lots of prayers as I trust my new therapist and lean on the Lord.

    16. This was just what I needed! God bless you:)

    17. Thank you for the lovely prayer! I wrap myself in knots thinking, I want to do the right thing by people. I dont wish to be a bad person. But my feelings sometimes are the opposite as I feel at times that some people in my life take a great deal of advantage of me, without thanks or just a little compliment that shows I am doing the right thing. It is hard to know how to handle people correctly some people are so easy and others make life extremely difficult to get along with. I will keep this prayer as it opened a small window in my heart of God’s peace. Thanks

    18. I love the prayer you shared with me that was awesome i think God for peaple like you ,my name is deborah and i have 6 awesome childen that the Lord has blessed me with iam not married by church but i have been with the father of my children for 20 plus yrs and his name is Alejandro but here lately it has been the worst time of my life in 2015 he started beening really ugly with me and our children and i didn’t know why so me being the worried wife and mother i started investigating and found that he was cheating with a woman for 10 months i thought i was going to die i dident know rather to leave him and go about my life or stay with him and hope he didn’t do it again so i prayed and i said Lord i lift him up to you i ask that you break any bondage that there may be with any woman other than me i also pray that the Lord will help him be a loving husband and a loving father again i know that we are on the Lords time not ours so i have faith and trust in the Lord that he is going to change my husband i know that everything is going to be ok even though its very hard to not think about what he did but i do have faith in the Lord and trust him with all my heart i just wanted to ask for prayer for my family because my children are devastated by all this but there in Gods hands to

    19. sandra spencer says:

      I really love your prayer it really touch my life i have been going through some things needing my Father in Heaven hungry for him and his word . He is my beginning and my ending i cant do anything without him.
      So i give him all the praise he is my everything again Thank You for this lovely prayer it really touched me.

      1. You’re welcome, Sandra. Thank you for reading. I am so glad Papa blessed you, and I pray He would continue to do so today. 🙂 Grace and peace to you.

    20. I am glad that I found this on Pinterest. I need this kind of prayer to help me to do what He wants me to do online and only spend the time He wants me to spend.
      I go on for one thing, forget that and go here, there and everywhere. It is not to ungodly places but still not the best use of my time. God uses me online at Facebook and elsewhere but still I want to be where He wants me to and when He wants me to be online.
      This sure seems off the topic but reading what you wrote somehow got me thinking about this.
      I need to pray about what my eyes see what my fingers do online. I need to really think about all of this.
      Any thoughts about this would be appreciated.

      1. Hi CarolAnn, Psalm 32:8 came to mind when I read your comment. He will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, and guide you with His eye upon you! 🙂
        Thank you for reading. I pray our Papa would bless and encourage you today.

    21. I want to thank u I felt lost and been struggling in my marriage and been going on my thoughts and not of my Father’s needed guidens and I came up with this loving prayer and It remind me again that thanking him at all times and letting him do the works of my life my marriage everything that all things are possible threw him and he will never leave me or forsake me.. Thank you for ur guidens and this loving prayer to surrender to him all may our Father keep guiding u to help others and protecting u and ur family many blessing to u ?

    22. Thank You so very much!!! the Lord knows what you need and when you need it. He’s always right on time. Thanks for this blog.

    23. how do i pray for love and marriage to come in my life?

      1. Hello. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I’ve been out of the country on a mission trip and haven’t been able to access the blog.
        You’ve asked a terrific question. I need to write a whole prayer on that subject, for many people have the same desire. For now, I would encourage you to pray Psalm 37:4 and Matthew 6:33 back to God. Be sure you are seeking God first for His Own sake–seeking Him to know Him, love Him, and be like Him–not simply seeking Him so He will give you a spouse. But if you are seeking Him first, delighting yourself in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart.

    24. Gerri Murray says:

      Thank you,I know and agree about the Friday thing 🙂 .Right time prayer for me today. Your prayers and posts are a Godsend.
      May God continue to bless your ministry and you and your family.

    25. This is good stuff! Thank you for sharing! So many times I have trouble staying focused and even knowing what to pray. He is our helper in everythkng, so of course He will help us to think rightly! I sure needed this reminder. Love this article.

    26. Thank you! It is a wonderful prayer.

    27. Thank you so much for this word. I needed it. God bless you…

    28. Tammy say,Thank you I needed to see that wonderful prayer I read And it made me feel good to have someone else feel the way I feel about getting jumbled up about how to pray for certain problems,and things that are going on in your life.

      God Bless You

    29. This prayer puts in words what I could not! Thank you for your obedience! To God be the glory!

    30. I had a horrible dream and woke up at 1 20 am feeling very distraught about this dream . I found this prayer and I am grateful for your teaching and prayers because they do add comfort and clarity to me each time I read them . Bless you Jamie

    31. This was perfect for a situation I was grappling with inmy mind as I seek Jesus’s will for my life and family over my will. It is now at His feet and I trust Him to lead me right in a way that will give Him all the glory. Thank you God.

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