Recently we had a Prayer Conference with Mark Batterson.  I have been pondering three thoughts that personally challenged me from the conference and thought they were worth sharing. 

First, Mark emphatically stated, “That everything begins with prayer.”   This is important to me because I have to confess that even though I am the Prayer Pastor and pray a good deal, not everything I do starts in prayer.  I sometimes run ahead of God, and those times are easy to pick out because they are flat and not very useful.   I don’t think I am alone in my struggle.  You may need to hear this concept also.  I think he is right. Prayer is to be where we get inspiration to move forward with a project or the wisdom to deal with a tough situation.  Prayer is where the compassion comes from to walk with another through a trial and the fortitude to be the only one left standing when that is necessary.  Prayer is indeed where everything starts, at least anything of any value.  For Bible support you could look to Acts chapter 10 and the opening of the church to the gentiles that came out of Cornelius prayers or Acts chapter 13 and the sending out of the first missionaries that was formulated after fasting and prayer in a prayer meeting of the early church.

Mark’s approach to personal consecration was very powerful also.   He asks the Lord to forgive any human strategy he has pursued that was not conceived in prayer.   I have never heard anything like this before… talk about setting a high standard.  I wonder how my life and ministry would be different if I asked the Lord to forgive me for everything I do that was not birthed in prayer.  I have a feeling this would be revolutionary.  I intend to see!  

Would you be willing to stop striving and pursue God for your marching orders?   This sounds like an incredible step of faith but I bet it would be worth it. 

Jesus reminded us in Matthew 7:21- 23,  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’

There are lots of ways to view this passage.  Some would deal with salvation and others hypocrisy.  Another view might be in the last times there will be lots of people running around doing this “for the Lord” or that for “for the Lord”.  But few of these actions will have been birthed in prayer.  Those plans and initiatives (the ones conceived in prayer) will be most valued. 

The third point Mark made was most practical.  Mark believes that the Bible was meant to be prayed.  As you read the Bible, God will speaks to you about something from His word.  That thought is where you should start your prayer time for the day.  We have been taught that prayer and Bible reading are two different things.  But Batterson puts a whole new light on these disciplines.  Although I have been working on this for a while, Mark has fired me up to grow in this area. The more I practice this principle, the more I like it. 

Paul Cover is the Prayer Pastor at Central Christian Church a mega church in Mesa AZ and the author of Threshold: Transformational Prayer; Transformational Prayer Leadership.  His book is available at Amazon.

I am not the only one who has had this experience. I was praying through a prayer list today and something distracted me. I continued to go down the list without my full attention. I regularly pray through a number of prayer lists. I have a list of movie people. I have a list of authors I ask God to work through. I pray for lost people God has brought into my life. I pray daily for a list of missionaries around the world. And it can be difficult to pray through these lists without distraction. I had gone some ways down the list today before I realized I was not focusing on my prayer.

Of course sometimes when I am distracted I need to pray about what is distracting me, changing the subject of the conversation, if you will. And I need to focus my mind on that until I pick back up where I was on the list. I also pray daily through several extended passages of scripture that I have memorized. I regularly find myself going through these without my mind fully focused on a passage. Prayer demands focus. You must focus on God and on the concerns you are lifting up to Him. I find I need to regularly stop and bring my prayers back into focus. I also regularly ask God to help me focus on what I am praying about.

http://daveswatch.com/

The believer's role in advancing the Kingdom of God is described by Jesus in Luke 10:1-9. In this passage Jesus instructs His disciples to go into cities and do four things which constitute the Prayer Evangelism model that Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin engaged us tonight to know the proper order to winning souls:

1. Bless the people they meet: 
Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house'.
2. Fellowship with them: 
Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.
3. Pray for their felt needs: 
Heal those in it who are sick …
4. Proclaim the Kingdom: 
Say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.

When we follow these steps people will be ready to hear us. That is why four years ago, we set the goal to have all the streets of the city prayer walked by believers prayer walking their streets weekly. Jacksonville is the largest city geographically in the country and has more streets than any other city - 18,000. For the last two years, we had 12% of the streets of the city regularly prayer walked.

The result:  the city's crime rate dropped 12% two years ago, another 12% last year and so far, it is down 8% this year. This means crime has dropped an accumulative 39% in the last two and half years. Crime is at a 40 year low!

Also four years ago, we challenged churches to prayer walk the elementary, middle or high school near them on the Sunday afternoon before school starts in the fall and the Sunday afternoon after school starts again in January. In the process, relationships were established between the neighborhood schools and churches.

The result:  124 of the 169 public schools in Jacksonville now have a 220 formal church/school partnerships in which the churches serve the schools by meeting expressed needs of the schools for tutors, assistant coaches, landscaping, secretarial assistance, food pantries, clothes closets, etc.

Transform Jacksonville and Northeast Florida also seeks to develop strategies to reach the key influence areas of the city - government/military, education, business, arts, media and the family and help a new generation of change agents leverage the power of the institutions, neighborhoods, and intermediaries of our city. Currently, we have a leadership team in education, family and business areas. 

We believe God is telling his people where the battleground is. It was right here in our city where culture will be won or lost. Our assignment is to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper" (Jeremiah 29:7). Therefore, we are convinced that this Christ-centered approach to city transformation is absolutely essential to the renewal of our education sector and the other sectors, institutions, neighborhoods, and intermediaries of our city.

If you missed tonight's message, please log on to the website:

http://www.tphim.org/feb-19-four-steps-of-prayer-evangelism-bishop-vaughn-mclaughlin/

Can we learn to love those who are different than we are with the love God requires of his people? Yes but only as we pray for, learn about and serve them - blessing the nations among us. Through prayer we gain the heart of God for the strangers among us as we embrace God’s love for all people. Through the Ethnic Embrace USA prayer journey you will......

Encounter 40 different people groups, who now call the USA home. Many of these people are far from Christ. These “nations” include Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others.

Explore 40 different Scripture passages that tell us about the love God has for the “nations.” There is a story that runs throughout Scripture that we must embrace to love the “nations” as Jesus does.

The Lord is bringing the “nations” to us and has called us to embrace all peoples with his love. Are you ready to respond? Through the Ethnic Embrace USA prayer journey we pray you will be.

The recently released print version is beginning to be used by individuals and churches to equip for being the blessing we are called to be. Order a single copy for yourself or 300 like one church in Birmingham did and use it to inform and train your people.

Place your order at: http://www.ethnicembraceusa.net/Take-the-Journey.html

LET LOVE RULE

IT MIGHT BE TIME FOR A HEART CHECK

By Phil Miglioratti

Whenever a particular colleague would call me on the phone, I would immediately freeze up. Our ministry was suffering from his seemingly self-serving decision-making and destructive actions. When confronted, he refused to repent or resign.

Somehow I survived that situation. But when he called, more than a decade after he finally moved on, I hesitated to pick up the phone. 

But I’m glad I did. This time he was calling to confess that he was taking responsibility for the failure of our ministry relationship. And he recognized that I had sought reconciliation. That surprising call led to a few more calls, a few emails and, eventually, an invitation from him to lead his members in a prayer weekend.

I was ready to respond positively to him because, from the beginning of that troubled time, I had done my best to resist the urge for revenge and the feelings of resentment. I had resolved to love him in my heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Every day multitudes of Christians are praying for revival by petitioning the Lord to change hearts, forgive sins, cleanse lives, and fill churches. God calls us to pray this way. But perhaps we have failed to anticipate that when the Lord answers those prayers, He also expects something else to change—the heart of how and why the Church prays.

In his epistle, Jude wrote, “Dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (1:20–21).

Every renewed relationship requires a change of communication patterns. Jude makes it clear that for Christ followers to keep their revived relationship with the Lord, prayer is an essential component.

“Praying in the Holy Spirit” enables us to stay “right at the center of God’s love” (Jude 1:20–21, MSG).  Our call to pray is a call to experience and express God’s love. He wants His love to reign—to be central at the core of our praying—now and always.

Love Motivates a Revived Church to Pray

If it is true (and it is!) that without love, we are nothing (1 Cor. 13:1–3), then it may also be true that loveless prayers produce precisely nothing.

Few of us would admit to “loveless” praying, but our need for sweeping revival in the Church is an indication we have “abandoned the love [we] had at first” (Rev. 2:4, ESV). If praying is a sign of staying in love with God, then abandoned prayer meetings reveal a Church that has grown cold, content with the status quo.

If a sign of love is caring more about the one you love than yourself, then our “heal me, help me” prayer lists reveal a self-centered Church. Is our longing for revival actually a response to our Lord wooing us, warning us that the love we had at first is gone?

Action Step:

Ensure that love is the motivating factor in every spoken or silent prayer. Instruct those you lead in prayer to include phrases such as these:

• Because of Your great love . . . 
• With gratitude for Your love to us through Christ . . .
• Grant us the Father’s heart of love as we pray . . .
• Break our hearts over the people and problems that break your heart, Lord. . . . 

Love Shapes the Way a Revived Church Prays

Loving our Savior—easy. Loving a changing and crumbling culture—not so easy. In fact, many of us are becoming alienated from and fearful of our postmodern, increasingly anti-Christian, society. What was once an “in God we trust” nation seems to have become antagonistic toward Christianity. Sometimes society feels like our enemy.

For some, this takes away the motivation to pray with love. Others interpret it as permission to pray with anger and judgment. But we know our Lord’s command: “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Love and prayer are inextricably linked—even in difficult situations. Especially in difficult situations.

God gave us His love as the ultimate weapon of warfare. So when He calls us by His Spirit into prayer, He calls us to extol His love in praise and to declare His love as the ultimate purpose of our petitions. Being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2) is more than a cerebral absorption of Bible information. It is a transformation of all we are and all we do, including how and why we pray.

The Apostle Paul’s prayer becomes our model: “That your love may abound more and more” (Phil. 1:9). And as our love for God abounds, our love will also abound for what God longs for: “For the earth [to] be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). Now that’s love!

Action Steps: 

• Encourage others to join you in praying that your praises and petitions will become saturated with love—authentic love for Almighty God.
• Pray you will grow in love for others in the Body of Christ, as well as in redeeming love for the hard to love.  
• Pray with love for those who are lost (that they will not perish), those with the least (the poor and the powerless), and those who lead others (often easily deceived by the enemy or deluded by the evil dark enticements of greed or power).  

Love Portrays the Message of a Revived Church

If we pray for the spreading of God’s love to all the nations but outwardly express a lack of love for individuals or a lack of compassion on relevant issues, we are only making noise (1 Cor. 13:1). In fact, worse than noise, our culture perceives us as hypocritical and judgmental, like twenty-first century Pharisees.

The Church has not so much become irrelevant as we have been exposed as irreverent, unable to practice what we preach—and thereby disproving the gospel in the minds of those who need Christ. Great-Commission praying requires a Great-Commandment lifestyle of love.

For instance, in many areas our children’s schools have become off limits to the gospel, and Christians are often considered persona non grata. But that did not deter a pastors prayer group in Southern California. Having heard that the nearby high school had a serious dropout problem, they began praying together for the school and the students.

Their concern became a burden, which led them to pray on site, knowing that the best insight comes only from seeing and feeling the burden of the situation firsthand. They were careful to stay on public property and did not behave in an offensive manner (preaching or waving Bibles). They simply prayed silently or quietly as they walked the campus. Soon, students who attended their congregations began to engage them in conversation, asking “Why are you here? What are you doing?”

This gave the pastors opportunities to explain their purpose (to ask God to help the students succeed at their studies) and their motive (because they truly cared about all the children at the school). Coinciding with the time frame of their on-site prayers, the dropout rate drastically declined. And the school district, to the pastors’ surprise, asked them to pray at other troubled schools in their district.

“Make love your aim” (1 Cor. 14:1, RSV) refers not only to God-focused praying but also to outward-focused living. Christ’s love compels us to love one another in the Body of Christ (1 Thess. 4:9) and to love our neighbors (Matt. 22:39) who are not yet part of God’s family.

Jesus prayed that we, His Church, would be proof to the world that God loves them (John 17:23). Actually, loving them—through our love-motivated prayers—is the only way to accomplish that.

Action Steps:  

• Ask the Holy Spirit to identify the individuals He wants to reveal His truth to through your words and deeds of love. 
• Create a list at praycareshare.com to receive an automatic weekly reminder to pray.
• Ask the Lord to show you how to demonstrate your love in ways each person will best appreciate—an act of mercy or hospitality, or problem-solving resources.  
• As Paul instructs us, “Pray also . . . that whenever [you] speak, words may be given [you] so that [you] will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which [you are] an ambassador” (Eph. 6:19–20).

Everyone is created in God’s image and desperately needs at least one saved-by-grace, filled-with-the-Spirit person to pray for them, show them love, and tell them the gospel truth. And that means picking up the phone when you dread talking to the person on the other end! God loves the world through those who love Christ. You and I are those ambassadors of God’s love. 

PHIL MIGLIORATTI is COO of Mission America and national coordinator of Loving Your Communities to Christ. His passion is to network pastors, prayer, and city transformation movements. He blogs at Philsblog.net.

Love Help Center

Here are some resources to help you pray with love as your heart motivation:

• An email reminder to pray for lost persons: praycareshare.com
• A website stocked with stories and resources devoted to the prayer-care-share lifestyle: LOVE2020.com
• Video clips to help you cast vision and train Christ followers in loving their neighbors and their communities for and with and to Christ: youtube.com/LoveGodOthers
• Scriptures and links to articles: #Love2020
• Podcasts and commentary: facebook.com/makeloveyouraim

(c) 2014 Prayer Connect magazine.

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED …

Q. In Sunday School we talked about God’s will; how do I know if I’m praying outside the will of God?

A.  There’s an easy test … “is my prayer consistent with what Scripture teaches?”  Let me suggest an obvious scenario to show what I mean.  Suppose we have Christian who has been unemployed for some time.  He needs money, so he begins to pray that he won’t get caught when he robs a gas station.  That’s praying outside the will of God.  Scripture teaches … “Do not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)  Here’s a less obvious example.  A Christian woman is asking God to bless her upcoming marriage to a non-Christian … is that praying in or out of God’s will?  We read in Scripture, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)   It would appear that God has already declared His will concerning that.  Now situations may come up where answers can’t be found in Scripture.  In this case, find a person who is mature in the faith and seek his/her counsel.  Finally, listen to your heart.  If you have sincerely prayed about something, and don’t have a peace about it, that’s probably The Holy Spirit prompting that what you’re about to do isn’t God’s will for you.  Hope this has been helpful.
I’ll see you in Church (& Sunday School) …
 Rande

Earlier today I was talking with someone who was ordering copies of Seek God for the City 2014 for eight churches of her community. She asked me how it was that I came to write and publish these prayers. “Could I tell that story and put the video online?” she asked.
 
My reply was “Yes. I think that might be a cool idea. We can do that.” (So watch for that among the resources on our website). But I went on to tell her that the reason people find the prayers compelling is not because of how God led me and many others to pray for communities up and down the west coast of California. Although that’s an interesting story, it’s not why people find the prayers helpful.
 
I think that the reason these prayers are compelling is that in the midst of the dismay and mind-numbing darkness of our day, God’s Spirit continues to breathe a living idea of hope into our hearts: God will do great things. And that’s why it’s so critically important to pray great things. Yes, we need to pray for some specific needs and urgent requests. But what makes sense to those who love Christ and His appearing is that we should do more than merely seek God’s providing and protecting hand. We have got to seek His face. We yearn to seek the glory His kingdom.
 
This year’s Seek God for the City is designed around these very things. The first 11 days focus on seeking God’s face. The next 29 days guide us to seek His kingdom in our communities. They are prayers of substance, expressing the irrepressible hope that God will outdo Himself to bring light in the midst of the growing darkness of our day.
 
Allow me to remind you to order copies for yourself and others in your church or city. Many have already downloaded the companion app that is designed to heighten the value of the booklet with a few extra features. The app makes it possible for many to keep praying in the midst of hectic schedules. I find it tremendously encouraging to know that I am seeking God along with many thousands of others in these great days.
 
Gladly for His glory,
 
Steve Hawthorne
Director, WayMakers
 
PS: It all starts in one month from today on March 5. The forty days end on Palm Sunday, April 13. Contact our team today at 512.419.7729 to order copies or order online at www.waymakers.org. We still have some copies in Spanish available.

God has given us gifts called time and prayer that coincide within our lives. Prayer is intended to be an ongoing conversation, personally and/or corporately, with God- at all times and in all places. Yet often, prayer is treated like it functions on a light switch; being turned on, then off, then on again as we have needs. Then off again when things seem under control and we can manage things going forward.

Solomon talks about the matter of time in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 14:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

What about time to pray? In verse 7, Solomon mentions there's time to be silent and a time to speak. So, does that mean we can shut off prayer? No it doesn't. Prayer (communicating with God) is intended to be an ongoing two-way conversation within our personal relationship with Him. That means we share with God what's on our hearts, AND we stop so we can listen to His reply. Listening to God will help us consider which season of time we're in- and/or how He'd have us respond within that given season! Listening to God also can inspire worship- something He's worthy of receiving at all times and in all places as well!

Paul, in encouraging all kinds of prayer, states the matter this way:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Rejoice, pray, and give thanks- always, continually, and in all circumstances. All, means everything, or without exception. Continually, means without ceasing or stopping. Many Christians believe prayer is the most powerful and active gift God has given us. If that's true, why are we as Christians so quick to stop praying once we begin?

Prioritizing Prayer

“Our devotions are not measured by the clock, but time is of the essence. The ability to wait, and stay, and press belongs essentially to our intercourse with God.”  ― E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer

Often, like young children called to the dinner table while playing games with friends, we set our hearts on other things that can have an immediacy or importance in the moment, but are secondary to what matters most. Children don't see the bigger picture that parents do. Children quickly sit down and eat with hopes they'll return to their friends and continue the game, but often find their parents want to keep them at the table longer than they desire. There's friction, squabbling, and sometimes some tension as the children wrestle to get their way. But for their greater good, the parents keep them at the table until the meal, and conversation, is finished.

Often, when God calls us into a time of focused prayer (maintaining our ongoing prayer mindset of speaking and listening with Him, but pressing further into Him still), it may seem to come at an inconvenient time to us. We may be focused on our schedule, a task, some form of entertainment, or something else entirely. The matter we're involved in wrestles to take precedent over what/whom God is calling us to be in prayer for in the moment.

We immediately face some choices.

1. Will I immediately press into God in prayer about this, or will I make Him wait?

2. Will I neglect or pass on praying altogether in favor of what I'm doing currently?

3. If I press further into God about this, will I remain with and in Him until He declares it settled, or will I just give God a few seconds or minutes, then hurry back to what I am doing?

Prayer often changes us more than what/whom we pray for! How we answer these questions will determine how much we'll permit God to change us as we pray. It will also affect how we see God answer that burden He invited us to be in prayer for. Make no mistake, He will accomplish His will fully- whether we obediently pray in that moment or not! How much we're allowed to see and experience of that answer may directly relate to the decision we make and time we invest.

Is it any surprise that our adversary would do all he could to keep us from using the most powerful weapon God's given us in spiritual warfare? A bumper sticker was recently seen that read, "If Satan can't make you immoral, he'll make you busy."

Busyness is an adversary to prayer- and keeps many Christians from utilizing their most important and powerful weapon! Busyness also hinders many from growing in deeper relationship with God through prayer and the reading of Scripture. How busy are you? How much time with God are you losing each day because other priorities take precedent over communication and communion with Him?

Poor Modeling of Prayer

Whether we care to admit it or not; how we pray, or choose not to pray with or around others impacts how they think about prayer.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul states, "Do not quench the Spirit." Quench means to sadden, disappoint, or grieve the Holy Spirit. The idea of quenching the Spirit should make us uncomfortable. Yet is it possible to do so when we pray?

Often, like children at the dinner table, eager to return to playing with friends, we can back away and dart off from the dinner table (times of prayer) without a second thought. The Holy Spirit might caution or encourage us to stay longer in worship or prayer, but He won't force us against our will. When we dart off before He's finished, we cut off our individual or corporate prayer times abruptly; quenching Him and placing something other than God in higher importance in that moment. We also miss out on greater worship, truth, or power He may intend to share if we'd stick around with Him until He's finished in that time.

As others around us see prayer, worship, and/or the Spirit quenched, it may give the impression to them that it's okay to do such a thing. If they see it happen repeatedly, soon it can turn into an expectation, something's that anticipated, a common practice, and even possibly a tradition.

What if the Holy Spirit has something deeper to share or do if we'd stay with Him a few minutes more? What if He's starting a work in someone's heart in the midst of the prayer group that suddenly risks screeching to a halt because someone sees time on the clock butting against the traditional ending time of the prayer/worship meeting? Can we truly afford to stop praying deeply until He's given the okay to do so?

In corporate prayer settings, tradition often seems to trump the Holy Spirit. We all lose when this happens.

"Take the mind that God has given you, and use it as an instrument of worship; for that's what it was created for." - Ravi Zacharias

The Remedy- Liberty

Breaking the binds of traditionalism or the tyranny of the urgent (busyness) may simply be accomplished by extending liberty to all in attendance (speaking mostly within the context of a corporate prayer gathering). Prior to the group pressing in to pray, a leader may announce the intent to follow the Holy Spirit until He's completed all He desires to do during that time of prayer. Those desiring to leave prior to that time have full liberty to leave whenever they desire (as quietly as possible).

This extends both an openness and willingness to follow the Spirit, as well as freedom to allow those who need to leave earlier the ability to do so. If the Spirit leads 2-3 within the group to pray deeply for 2-3 hours (or longer), nobody leaving earlier need feel guilty- especially if the Holy Spirit has released them at that earlier time.

Our times of personal and corporate prayer will see much greater fruits of the Spirit when we permit the Spirit to begin, and complete, all He desires to do each time we meet together in prayer!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. - Galatians 5:22-26

“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.”
- Jonathan Swift

Today is Epiphany—the celebration of the revealing of Jesus as the Christ to the Gentiles.

The magi, Persian star-gazers, traveled four months from their home to see Jesus.

 This Child will mature beyond nativity until He addresses all human need—

consoling and cheering perplexed believers in their innermost being,

responding graciously to every sincere and desperate prayer,

giving answers greater than any questions ever asked.

We have not observed Christ’s star in the east,

but with faith eyes we can see Christ—

the light shining in a dark world,

the bright morning star.   

“God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

"The life of every [person] is a diary in which [he or she] means to write one story, and writes another;

[his or her] humblest hour is when [he or she] compares the volume as it is with what [he or she] vowed to make it."

—J. M. Barrie, from The Little Minister (1891)

January takes its name from the Roman god of doorways, beginnings, and the rising and setting sun—

a god named Janus with one head and two bearded faces looking in opposite directions.

This month is a good time to do some looking back and looking forward.

The looking-back part could recount the ways we have experienced God at work in our lives over the last year.

We could offer prayers of thanks for the help and blessings we received from our Heavenly Father,

and heartfelt repentance for times we failed to be the person  God called us to be.

The looking-forward part could involve commitment to grow in both faith and works,

and integrating sincere discipleship more fully into our daily lives.

We could ask “What would Jesus have me do?”—then do it.

We need to radically simplify our lives—“This one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13), not “these many things.”

We need to slow down, to “be still, and know” God (Psalm 46:10), wholeheartedly seek God  (Jeremiah 29:13),

sanctify our hearts (1 John 3:2-3), surrender to God’s will (Proverbs 3:5-6), and serve Christ (Colossians 3:23-24).

We need to sing His praises whatever our situation or circumstances (Psalm 138:1), and shape up (Isaiah 64:8).

There’s no doubt we have a lot of work to do. There are no shortcuts to spirituality. Christian faith is a lifelong process.

On New Year’s Day, many think in terms of resolutions—promises to make changes, many of which never happen.

We need more than resolutions—we need to ask for God's help in shaping us into who He calls us to be.

“One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

“The life of the church is the highest life, and its office is to pray. Its prayer life is the highest life, the most fragrant, the most conspicuous. When God’s house on the earth is a house of prayer, then God’s house in heaven is busy and powerful in its plans and movements. ‘For mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people’ (Isaiah 56:7), says our God. Then, His earthly armies are clothed with the triumphs and spoils of victory, and His enemies are defeated on every hand… The very life and prosperity of God’s cause - even its very existence - depend on prayer. And the advance and triumph of His cause depend on one thing: that we ask of Him.”  E. M. Bounds
 
There is supernatural power released when the Church in the city prays. What is needed in the worldwide Church at this hour is a unified, praying Church. We need supernatural power. Only the power of God will defeat the attacks of the enemy in our cities. When the Church in a city or region decides to drop its own agendas and decides to come together to pray, there is great spiritual power released into the atmosphere. Prayer will affect everything! It will affect time, places, occasions, and circumstances. A praying Church within the city brings success and supernatural power into that region.

We must get on our knees and seek God passionately together. 

The obstacles towards city transformation are many. We must believe that our cities can be transformed by the power of God. We must know that none of us has the answer to our city; only God does. He is the one who transforms and brings change. This is all about the Kingdom of God and intimacy with the King. We must stop our busyness, remove ourselves from the distractions all around us, and become passionate for God. It is time to seek the Lord. We all want transformation in our cities. In his book, E. M. Bounds on Prayer, Bounds emphasizes that a praying church is a successful church:

“Success is sure to follow a church given to much prayer. The supernatural element in the church, without which it must fail, comes only through praying. More time in this bustling age must be given to pray by a God-given church… More heart and soul must be in the praying that is done if the church would go forth in the strength of her Lord and perform the wonders that is her heritage by divine promise.”

Requirements for Transformation in Your City

God wants to come into your city with His presence. He is greatly concerned with your city and cares deeply about reaching the people who live there. We need to ask ourselves, “What are the requirements needed to bring God’s power into our city - power that will reach the lost and set the captives free? What is required for transformation in our city that will change the face of everything?” Here are some requirements that will help bring life and transformation into your city:

• Make prayer a priority. Fervent prayer will release God’s destiny for our cities. Be willing to persevere in prayer with a holy determination. Determine not to let go of God until He breaks through. Become desperate for God.
  
  
• Expect God to work uniquely in your city. Don’t think He will do the same in your city as another one. The work of God comes through prayer, and it is unpredictable and out of man’s control. God will show up in unexpected ways. We think our strategies are the way, but God sees things in a much more powerful dimension.
  
  
• Seek for unity among the churches in your city. Remember that God doesn’t need a majority but He only needs a few churches coming together with hungry hearts for the cause of revival and transformation of the city. The presence of God will bring supernatural unity as we cry out to Him for it. Only together will we see the results that God wants. Seek to unite with other churches in prayer for transformation.

Are we willing to pay the price for God to transform our cities through prayer? God’s heart is that your church becomes a praying church. For many of us God has brought us to the point of desperation. We are willing to lay down our own agendas and get on our faces before God for however long it takes. We have seen that our own methods and plans will never change the increasing darkness that is permeating our land. 

We are becoming desperate and that is a good place to be. Seeking the manifest presence of God in a region is risky, but it is the way towards a true and powerful transformation in our cities. In the Transformation video by George Otis, Jr., the following words were spoken that stress the requirements for transformation:

“It’s risky, aggressive, and brought about through prayer. It’s not predictable and out of our control. There is an unexpectedness of God. We are fooled by strategy. We lack God’s processing power. You can’t format God. We are proud and impatient. God’s approach is to come in through the back door. He shows up, not shows off. There is a flow with the Holy Spirit that is not stage-managed. He is willing to be invited but only on his terms.

Leaders must be committed to a community. They must persevere through apathy and not give up. I can’t coast and there is no time to say, 'I’ll relax.' It’s not a quick start but a long run. The goal is to get to the last day and then face Jesus and through everything to direct men and women toward the Kingdom. God is looking for a man who will take the burden on himself for the nation. God is looking for leaders who will stand in the gap for their nation, who don’t care who gets the credit. They are not stakeholders but shareholders. They give God the glory. Revival leaders are often unlikely choices. The measure of leadership is not influence with the public but influence with God.”

Are we ready for transformation in our cities? Are we willing to enter into God’s heart in prayer that the Church in our city becomes a praying Church?  

A few years ago we started a month-long 24/7 House of Prayer in a central location in southern Spain. As we prayed, God began to fit everything into place. He provided in an amazing way a large 200-year old hotel. This place was set apart for the entire month to seek the face of God. Churches and individuals in the region dedicated time in the prayer room. They chose to unite and drop their differences. They were seeking God’s Kingdom purposes for that region. Individuals from several other countries came, dedicating large amounts of time in the prayer room. 

Cities around the world are beginning to seek God for transformation. Houses of prayer are starting all over the world. Here at the International House of Prayer (IHOP-KC) hundreds of individuals from all over the world come to learn how to start a House of Prayer and see transformation in their city. Join us for the free OneThing young adult conference (One Call, One Story, One Coming King) here in Kansas City through the webstream. We expect 25,000 young adults here and perhaps 30,000 through the webstream. It is good for all ages and is excellent preparation for the future.  See OneThing. 

It’s time to believe that God will transform our cities through prayer. There is power in a praying Church. God is inviting us to enter His heart for a praying Church. We invite you to pray this prayer for your city and believe God for a mighty transformation: “Lord, whatever it takes. Give me the grace to get there. I will live and die believing for my city to be transformed.”  

“The time has come to lift the bar of expectations. Transformation is attainable for God. This is the heartbeat of God. It’s not the work of man. It’s the finger of God. 'If you call on me, I will answer.’ He takes care of the problems. The church becomes a beacon of light and hope.” George Otis, Jr., Transformation video

• Great Christmas gifts! 4 books on prayer and intercession with a 20% discount on each book - Use the discount code – PL6G7Y59. See www.intercessorsarise.org.
• Have your friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here!
• Become a member of the Intercessors Arise International Network here. Connect with intercessors and what God is doing in prayer worldwide! Discover many resources and training on prayer in this network.
• Join and like the Intercessors Arise facebook page for daily encouragement in your prayer life. 

 
Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer (IHOP) KC Staff
deb@intercessorsarise.org
www.intercessorsarise.org

I enjoy candles so during the Christmas season, we love to see the Christmas lights illuminating our homes with candles lit on the mantle or the dining room table, providing a beautiful festive atmosphere. Many of us hang outdoor lights on our houses to share the Christmas spirit with others. I enjoy driving around our neighborhood to see the beautiful twinkling outdoor lights decorating the houses, trees, and displays.

As you, place the strings of lights on the tree or on your house this year enjoying the beauty of the lights in your home and your neighborhood. Think about what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “We are to let our lights shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.” 

• How will you illuminate God’s love to your family, friends, and your neighborhood during this Christmas season?

• What good deeds are you going to do to glorify God this Christmas?

• Pray for your grandchildren to let God’s love illuminate their world.

•  Pray for your grandchildren to glorify God with their good deeds showing their love for Him to others.

  Will you share how you plan to radiate God’s love to your family and friends during this Christmas season in the comments below?

May God bless you richly as you prepare for the Christmas season as you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By Lillian Penner
National Prayer Coordinator
Christian Grandparenting Network

Having examined the trends in our government, judicial system, the Church, and the culture as a whole, we must confess that we have come to the end of ourselves and are in desperate need of a Christ awakening in the nation. The Awakening America Alliance considers catastrophic a future without the Spirit’s extraordinary intervention. We have committed ourselves to the prescriptions and promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and are calling upon every ministry, church, and institution within our influence to join us in humbling ourselves before God, seeking His face, and turning from our present way of life.

We must recognize knowing about Christ and walking in an empowering, personal relationship with the Christ of Christmas are very different. What might a Christ awakening look like if we examine the incarnation narrative?

• The shepherds were informed of the Savior by an angel and a great company of heavenly hosts proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14). They knew about Christ.
• They decided to go see this thing that had happened, which the Lord had told them about. They hurried to Bethlehem where they found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manager. They were in the presence of Christ.
• This encounter caused the shepherds to spread the word about the child in such a way “all who heard it were amazed” (Luke 2:18). They not only had a conversation about Christ, but they had conversation with God, glorifying and praising Him for all they had heard and seen.
• The Holy Spirit gave divine revelation about Christ to Simeon, who took Christ in His arms, praised God, and prophesied over the Messiah to His parents. Anna the prophetess, who lived a life of worship, fasting, and prayer, also “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). They embraced Christ and His mission of redemption.
• Joseph and Mary lived a daily life with Christ, observed as He astonished the religious teachers, and treasured the wonder of it all in their hearts. They had a consistent relationship with Christ.
• However, not until Mary and others like the beloved disciple John knelt at the foot of Christ’s cross, spent time in the Upper Room, and were empowered by the Holy Spirit did they truly know and experience the Christ of Christmas in the fullness of the Spirit.

Being engaged in a natural, ongoing relationship with Christ involves more than knowledge of His incarnation, enjoyment of His presence at Christmas Eve mass, or even public prayers prayed at the New Year’s Eve prayer meeting. We pray that you will be in consistent, Spirit-empowered communion with Him on a daily basis in the coming year as we CRY OUT to God for a fresh awareness of Christ in America. 

Join us February 17-19 in the Tampa Bay area for a national gathering of pastors and leaders as we collectively seek God and His blessing on our lives and churches.

This corporate, multiple-day experience of unscripted prayer, worship and Scripture will be conducted in the Prayer Summit format. Our time will be led by Daniel Henderson (National Director ofThe 6:4 Fellowship) and Dennis Fuqua (Director of International Renewal Ministries). Daniel and Dennis have collectively led hundreds of Prayer Summit experiences for leadership teams, pastors' fellowships, and entire congregations.

MAXIMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE BY BRINGING A TEAM FROM YOUR STAFF OR CONGREGATION!

JOIN US AND YOU WILL RECEIVE:

- Encouragement and fellowship with like-minded pastors

- Refreshment in God's presence through prayer

- Equipping in prayer leadership that you can take back to your church

- Discounts for 6:4 Fellowship members and spouses!

Visit www.64fellowship.com/prayersummit for more details and schedule.

As I was looking at the forlorn misshapen tree standing in the snow on the cover of a book I was reading last week, I was reminded of the Christmas tree we had at my house when I was a child.  

When I was six years old, my parents did not have much money to spend at Christmas. In order for my parents to have enough money to buy a present for me, they decided to cut a branch from our juniper tree in the yard for our Christmas tree. I remember at the time, I thought it was ugly, straggly, and misshapen and I was disappointed. I  wished they would buy a tree from a Christmas tree lot in town like other families. 

However, I recently found a picture taken that year with me standing by the branch (tree). After we had decorated it with a garland made of popcorn and cranberries, hung a few ornaments, and silver tinsel, the tree did not look too bad. 

Now when I remember what the straggly juniper branch looked like and compare it to the beautifully, decorated shaped tree in my home I see it differently. I see the straggly forlorn branch as a person’s life without God or one  depleted from nourishment and the beautiful shaped tree in my home as a person’s life filled with God’s love, purpose,  and decorated with ornaments representing the fruit of the Spirit.

God can take a straggly, forlorn life and transform it into a beautiful shaped fulfilled life. Jesus tells us in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”  He can change the straggly life into a beautiful new life, a flourishing life, filled with love, peace and joy if we believe in him.   

Often, our lives can become damaged and appear like a straggly, forlorn tree, misshapen by the trials, challenges, and disappointments of life. However, our lives can be transformed by the renewing of our minds with His Word into flourishing lives. 

God promises that when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, giving Him every area of our lives, we will take on a true and proper shape. We will become a flourishing tree pointing others to God. 

When you see a Christmas tree this year, I hope it reminds you of the new life we can have in Christ Jesus, everlasting life when we invite Him into our lives and trust Him with the challenges and disappointments of life. 

Do you or any of your family members feel like a tree twisted, damaged, and made crooked by the fears, circumstances, difficulties, or sin in their lives?

Do you or any of your family members feel all alone in this world?

God is waiting to give you and your family members' new life, nourishment, and fulfillment. 

• Ask God to show you, your family and friends areas that need to be humbly submitted to the Lord, laying down all before Him as the wise men did when they brought their gifts to baby Jesus.

• Ask God to help you, your family, and friends to give the damaged, flawed, and misshapen areas of life to the Lord, resulting in flourishing beautiful God-shaped lives for Him. 

• This post was taken from the book Grandparenting with a Purpose available for purchase at http://www.grandparentingwithapurpose.com 

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Training Up a Child

Call, text, or email us today.  Our contact info is below.  Together, we can equip our current and future peers in prayer and develop deeper relationships with Jesus Christ as we do!  Give yourself, or someone else, the gift of prayer this Christmas and beyond!

Rob Griepentrog

Executive Director, OnSite International, Inc.

317.506.7278

www.prayonsite.org
robg@prayonsite.org