Sample prayer

Lord God, You speak the truth and declare what is right (Isaiah 45:19). I praise You, God of Truth, author of the book of truth (Daniel 10:21, Psalm 31:5). Thank you for guiding us into all truth through Your Spirit of Truth (John 16:13). Your Son Jesus is full of grace and truth. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 1:14, 14:6). In a world that claims there is no such thing as truth, You are the ultimate standard of truth.

Your Word tells us how much You abhor dishonesty (Psalm 5:6)! Lord, I don’t want falsehood to hinder my prayers; rather, I desire to be one who speaks the truth from my heart so I can enjoy being in Your presence (Psalm 15:1-2, Psalm 101:6-7). In humility, I ask Your forgiveness for the times I have been less than entirely honest. I consider myself to be completely honest in the big things and almost pride myself in being honest in the little things, too. Pride precedes error and it is so easy to slip up on half-truths, exaggerations or with embellished truths. Please send Your Spirit to guide me in all I say and do. I want to be a reflection of You.

I thank You for blessing my children, ________ and ________, with ________ (list character qualities relating to honesty). Impress on them 1 Peter 3:10-12 which states, “…Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Please inspire my children to be people who refuse to speak anything but the truth. May they choose lives of righteousness and integrity so You can allow them the privilege of entering Your presence and the blessing of answered prayer (Psalm 24:3-4, Psalm 34:15).

Satan will come to my children and tell them it is okay to tell a little lie, that lying is acceptable because “everyone does it” and that no one will find out about their lie. Please send Your angels to remind ________ and ________ of how much You detest lying lips and how much You delight in people who are truthful (Proverbs 12:22). Give them the strength of character to tell the truth despite expected punishment or pressure from peers. I pray that they will share David’s prayer of Psalm 119:29-30: “Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through Your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on Your laws.”

I ask that our family will be characterized by integrity. May we highly esteem truth-telling and be known as those who can be trusted to tell the truth, regardless. Thank you for Your promise to watch over us when we choose the path of righteousness for our lives (Psalm 1:6, Psalm 25:20-21). Amen.

Scripture-guided prayer for parents

Pray through one or more of the selected Scriptures under each heading. Focus on listening to God and allowing His Spirit to direct you as you pray.

Character focus

Begin by letting God know how much you appreciate that He is the God of Truth.

Psalm 33:1-5 | Isaiah 45:18-19 | John 1:14 | John 14:6 | John 16:13

Heart search

Acknowledge where and how you are tempted to be dishonest.

Psalm 24:3-4 | Psalm 26:2-4 | Psalm 101:7 | Proverbs 24:12 | Zechariah 8:16-17 | Colossians 3:9-10

Gratitude

Thank God for ways you have seen honesty exhibited in your family.

Family requests

Ask God to inspire you and your children to be passionate about telling the truth.

Psalm 25:4-5 | Psalm 51:6 | Psalm 119:29-32 | 1 Corinthians 13:6 | Philippians 4:8