A Prayer for Freedom from Striving and Performing

This prayer was adapted from our Elijah House Training School Prayer in year one of www.NowFaith.TV .  One of the hardest areas to bring to death, is our perpetual drive to earn acceptance, approval, or salvation (vs. accepting God's unconditional love and acceptance, based on what Jesus has provided, by His death on the Cross.)

PRAYER:  Lord, I have come to see my performance orientation.  I confess to You that although my head believes salvation is by grace, my heart strives to earn favor to be good enough, to present myself to others and to You.  I admit that I cannot change myself.  The fear of not being accepted or loved is so overwhelming it puts me into gear and I begin performing again.  When acceptance is given with no strings attached, I cannot receive it. 

I ask You into my heart to do the work in me for me.  Bring my striving to death. I want to rest in Your love.  Help me remove the hindrances I have erected which prevent me from entering into Your love.  Bring all my fleshly self-effort to death on the cross.

Lord, I have been angry with You for putting me into this (family, situation, team) I don't want my anger to keep me from You.  So I ask that You restore my heart.  I forgive my (friend, family etc.) for ___________(list the woundings that helped form performance orientation or fueled it).  I ask Your forgiveness for my angry responses, my fear and insecurities, my impure motives, and for not believing the truth:  You love and accept me unconditionally, when I perform well and when I don't.

Lord, I renounce the family lies _______________________________(name them specifically).  I accept my true identity as Your child.  Help me learn how to live my true identity, according to Your Word, in my daily life.  Help me to know within me that success is being Your child.  Help me to be like You, Lord.

I ask You to bring to death in me the structures, the habit patterns, of performance I have created:  I ask You to minister to the ambivalence in me when I want correction but cannot receive it or when I want and need compliments but cannot believe them.  Likewise, be the Lord of my tongue so that with wisdom and kindness permeate the correction and compliments I give.  Help me take my eyes off my needs and fears.

[Lord, I resign from managing the universe!]  I give to You my compulsive need to control people and situations.  I recognize I have wounded _________________ by not affirming their contributions - I always had to edit, add or correct.  [Now I am reaping what I have been sowing.]  I could always do it better.  Forgive me

Lord, for both my insecurity and my arrogance as well as for the wounds I have caused.  Help me believe I am not responsible for all that goes on around me.  Forgive me for always being a Martha.  And help me to hear when You call me to be a Mary.  Show me where I have taken on jobs or duties for the wrong reason and give me the wisdom to resign from them if necessary.  [Each day, let my prayer be: Lord, show me my assignment and I will only do what the Father says to do.]

Help me to fall in love with you Jesus, so that what others think of me is not important.  You have said that it is You working in us that enables us first to will and then to act according to Your good purposes.  I want to be a good workman but only with Your strength and Your will.  Help me to not only be like You, Lord, but to yield to You so that YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE THROUGH ME!