blessed - Pray Network Forum - The Reimagine Network

The Apostle John trembled as he was given this wonderful promise from heaven.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them."

What does it mean to die in the Lord? Whatever it means, I am sure you know the only way you can die in the Lord is to be living in the Lord when you die. This is one of those verses that are so full of truth that it continually spills out on you. God is so anxious to give this promise to you that you cannot read it without hearing His voice speaking to your heart.

This phrase is very like Paul's modest depiction of himself as "a man in Christ." (2Cor.12:2) Being in Christ means being swallowed up in Him. Most pertinent to this blog is being in communion with Him. Are you listening to Him? How much time do you spend each day in prayer.

Being in communion with Christ means being in fellowship with His church. A primary way God speaks to us is through the church. Of course He will speak to you through the teaching and preaching in the church. And God has often spoken to me as I spoke to Him in worship. God also speaks to us through other people in the church. If you allow Him to, the Lord will speak to you through someone who is less mature spiritually. But I believe we experience our closest fellowship with God when we pray together with other believers in church.

Are you in communion with the Lord?

This past weekend, I had the privilege of prayer walking the grounds of some local schools with area residents, ministry leaders, students, and even an alumnus of the schools! While many simply consider the concept of prayer walking (walking while praying) or praying on site, just another way that one can pray, I can tell you that people participating left excited, enthused, and invigorated! Yes, invigorated. That's a word I seldom, if ever, see paired with the word, prayer.

Here are just a few things that people shared following walking the grounds in prayer.

* "Prayer Really Works!" That's a fairly easy idea to intellectually agree with, but when those in attendance heard reports of specific ways God answered specific things he had people praying during last year's prayer walk, everyone was encouraged and energized to continue praying- during and even long after the formal prayer walk concluded!

* "I now have new ideas and ways to pray for students, teachers, administrators, and supporting staff on these campuses. God has revealed to me people and matters affecting students here that I can pray about every time I drive past this place."

* "I've never thought about praying on site at the schools before. God brought so many different ideas to my mind to pray about while I was here today. It wasn't until I followed Him here that He brought these to light. I can't wait to do something like this here again!"

Blessed Are Your Feet

Romans 10:15b- As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (NIV)

Paul's words are associated with missions outreach and the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But let's also remember that prayer is an active, ongoing, aspect of missions and the gospel going forth into the world! Without prayer, the gospel often falls upon deaf ears or hardened hearts. With prayer, eyes are opened, ears unstopped, and hearts softened to salvation through Jesus Christ.

Prayer walking, and praying on site, as mentioned above, is often used by God to reveal new people to pray for and circumstances to engage in prayer.

We walk and travel many places each day. A key difference between walking and prayer walking is whether one's heart and mind are engaged with God or not. Much of our time and our daily movements can be infused with prayerful conversation with God. If that's a new concept, or if it seems difficult to implement, ask God to help you turn your thoughts to Him- or to help you see others, or circumstances you encounter, with His eyes, heart, or mind. He'll be happy to help you see and experience things His way, and then help tune your heart to pray accordingly.

By doing these kind of things (seeking to see and experience people and matters through God's eyes, heart, and mind), we become missionaries actively engaged right where we are! God blesses our feet as we walk, drive, and move about- and He does so as a result of aligning our hearts, minds, and other senses with His!

Praying for Missionaries

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. - Ephesians 1:15-17

We may not actively consider ourselves missionaries- especially if we're not formally serving with a church denomination, ministry, etc. But by praying on site, and by prayer walking, we can personally take an active role in missions each and every day; right where we are!

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians (noted above), we can pray for one another to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation- so that we may know Him better (and while doing so, also help others know Him better as well). This mindset of prayer can help us pray for missionaries near and far- including ourselves and every other Christ follower around us. This kind of missions mindset (beginning with prayer in knowing God better) is a powerful way to glorify God and seek His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)!

Carrying Prayer Everywhere

As we've seen, prayer can easily be carried everywhere. Whether one uses their feet, a motorized vehicle, or some other method of transportation, the key is our focus upon God, His heart, mind, and will- moment-by-moment.

This moment, I encourage you to pause and ask God to reveal to you something around you He sees that you might be missing. Ask Him if there's a way He'd have you pray about what He's revealed to you. Then, if He does, pray accordingly. It's a model you can apply to and throughout your day- wherever you are, wherever you go, or around whomever you meet.

Let's pray with our feet today!

blessed (2)

IN THE LORD

Praying with Your Feet

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