A Prayer For Opportunity and Boldness

I wrote you in my earlier letter that you shouldn't make yourselves at home among the sexually promiscuous.  I didn't mean that you should have nothing at all to do with outsiders of that sort.  Or with crooks, whether blue- or white-collar.  Or with spiritual phonies, for that matter.  You'd have to leave the world entirely to do that!  But I am saying that you shouldn't act as if everything is just fine when a friend who claims to be a Christian is promiscuous or crooked, is flip with God or rude with friends, gets drunk or becomes greedy and predatory.  You can't just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior.  

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 MSG

Dear God, give me boldness to walk with people right where they are.  Give me opportunities to go places and approach strangers who need a friend.  Although their life consists of sinful acts help me to love them and lead them to you.  May the Holy Spirit give me wisdom to know the words to say and give me compassion on the lost and sinful.  Let my actions be that of love and acceptance of a person while being strong enough to reject the sin and lifestyle.  I will never reach people by being better than them and staying away from all kinds of sin.  Give me strength to live among the sinners who don't know you.  But, Lord, also give me boldness to stand up to a friend who claims to be a Christian and is living outwardly as a sinner.  Remind me, daily, of the sin in my own life and the mercy that I have been given.  May your Spirit give me wisdom to approach the sins of a friend withouth sounding judgemental and proud.  Help me to recognize a friend who is sinning and don't let me act as if it is just fine.  Convict me when I am joining in and looking the other way.  Take away my need to have everyone like me and give me stregth and words to lovingly rebuke them.  Show me how to distance myself from a friend who is sinning and bringing others down.  Help me to pray for that friend and continue loving the person while rejecting the unacceptable behavior.  Give me words of correction and encouragement instead of judgement and degradation.  In Jesus' Name     Amen