Countdown!
As the 40 days of prayer draws near, I pray that God will prepare our hearts, minds and Spirit for what is He wants to do.
I believe that as we participate together in drawing near to God and pray, that we'll receive precious revelations from Him over this time of prayer.
May the expectation and preparation in our hearts grow as the countdown towards the 40 days of prayer starts!
(click on the comments link below to follow the countdown)
6 comments:
7 Days to go!
Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure - DL Moody
No Man can do a great and enduring work of God, who is not a man of prayer, and no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying - E M Bounds
6 Days to go!
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." - James 5:16 (NKJV)
"The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil." - 1 Pet 3:12 (NLT)
5.. uhm..ahem.. actually 4 days to go!
I going to share a few thoughts on prayer from a book called "Becoming a Prayer Warrior" by Elizabeth Alves.
The Ministry of Prayer
Ministry to God must come before ministry to people. First Peter says that you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him, who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (2:9)
The Relationship of Prayer
The Bible says that you are Christ's Bride (John 3:29 NIV). Your marital relationship with Him will deepen as you spend time alone with Him, sharing heart to heart. Prayer is that unique channel of dialogue between you and the Lord. Intimacy is cultivated as you invest time in your relationship with Him. The result will be knowing His will and makng His will known to the people.
The Sacrifice of Prayer
As we follow Christ's example, we too must freely give ourselves to prayer. Prayer is an unselfish work that is often unseen and unappreciated by others; they only experience the results. When we pray, we are not seeking to be seen by men, but rather to stand in the presence and pleasure of the Lord (Matt 6:5; Heb 7:25). Our times with God the Father bring us into oneness of heart with Him. We are then able to experience His heartache over the lost, His compassion for the hurting and His love for others - even our enemies. Prayer is a love response to the burdens of others. See Paul's model for unselfish prayer in Phil 2:3,4.
The Word of Prayer
As you spend time talking with the Father and reading His Word, your prayers will begin to reflect the heart, mind and Word of the Lord. God's Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. Praying God's Word brings results and answers, because God Himself said that His Word will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing what He desires, and without succeeding in the matter for which He sent it (Isa 55:11).
The Kingdom Partnership of Prayer
Prayer makes a way for God to act sovereignly on earth. Jesus said to pray, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10). God has chosen to work through people, not around them. Therefore, He also says, "Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt 18:18). The obvious inference is that God has limited some of His activities on the earth and will respond only to the prayers of His children. Heaven waits for those of us on earth to pray for things to happen!
3 Days to go!
"Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" - Matt 18:20
"A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." - Eccl 4:12 (NIV)
The Power of a Praying Church (taken from 'The Power of Praying Together' by Stormie Omartian)
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, a group of 120 prayed together every day and became the first recorded church of the New Testament. They were unified in their beliefs, and they moved "with one accord in prayer" (Acts 1:14). The very first church was a praying church.
A little later, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 3000 people ware saved, and they, too, "continued steadfastly...in prayers" (Acts 2:42). When some of these people asked God to give them the boldness they needed in order to speak His Word and see signs and wonders done in Jesus' name, god answered them in power. "When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31). This ealy church had one long continuous prayer meeting, and when they prayed, things happened.
The power of the church today is still prayer. And we, the body of Christ, can also be shaken up in the world around us if we are willing to pray as fervently and as unceasingly as the ealy church did, mirroring also their faith and unity.
2 Days to go!
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. - Col 4:2 (NLT)
Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. - Col 3:13-16a (NLT)
1 Day to go!!!
May we experience real intimacy with God over this 40 day period of united prayer.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. - Ps 23:1
Shepherding has not changed much in Palestine. A Palestinian shepherd lives with his animals night and day, establishing true intimacy with them. He calls each one by name, and they, knowing his voice and responding only to his call, follow him. By sleeping in the makeshift sheepfold, he protects the sheep from thieves and from preying animals who would devour them at night. The sheep sense his watchfullness and fear no evil. He provides pasture and water for them even in the wilderness.
If there can exist such a tender intimacy between a man and this sheep, how much more so between Jehovah and man, whom He Himself created?!
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