Pray Network Forum

As Ramadan has come to a close, pray for freedom from a religious spirit that keeps people in bondage to faith in their own works. Pray that believers will live out their faith in front of their neighbors and co-workers in a way that will attract them to Jesus Christ. Continue to pray that locals will have dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. Pray that they will hunger to know Him for who is truly is and connect with believers who can help disciple them.

 

 

Prayer Points

1. With the concentration of Saudi citizens in this area, pray that the Lord would send out Christian workers to this city who are willing to connect with the people of Jubail on a personal level bringing the Gospel in their conversations.
2. Pray that the local church would not only thrive in their passion for Jesus but that it would be brought out to the marketplace and proclaimed to those living in this city.
3. With Western influence entering this region, pray that the Gospel would also enter this region through YouTube, Facebook, television and radio. Pray that follow up and deep discipleship would occur. 

View & pray along with this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7YuuXl4SIo

A colleague asked a Christian worker for a copy of the Bible because she has close friends who are believers and is curious to know what it has to say. Pray that she will actually read the Word with an open heart, and that God will speak to her and open her eyes to the Truth in reading the Word. 

Pray for 20-year-old Fouzi. His mother came from a Christian Arab background but later converted to Islam.  Nevertheless, this background made Fouzi more open in listening to the gospel from his Christian professor. The friendship continues. Pray that the realization of needing a Savior will sink deeply into Fouzi's heart.

A rising number of people have recently been asking Christian workers about the Christian faith, and deep spiritual conversations with back-and-forth dialogue and listening. Please pray that the conversations lead to fruit.

We don't hear the word blessed much in these days although it is probably not in danger of dropping out of the English language. We need a word for what God alone can do in our lives. There is a sense in which every person and every creature on earth is blessed by God. He gives us food and drink and every breath of air we breathe. But we find the fullest expression of blessing laid out by Jesus in His declaration of blessedness in Luke 6 and Matthew 5. In Luke the blessings are set against woes.

These blessed statements clearly represent the values given by Jesus to be sought by His followers. They, however, are counterintuitive. They go against our innate tendencies and the world's definition value and success. Jesus begins in Luke 6:18 with "Blessed are the poor." Who thinks poverty is good? He concludes the Matthew 5 passage by saying, "You are blessed when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you on account of me."

There are at least three crucial perspectives of these beatitudes given us by Jesus. First, we are blessed in spite of these things. You may be poor in the world's goods, but you have become a child of the King! James 2:5 says God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love God.

But we are also blessed by these difficult things. God uses difficult and painful things to develop the character of His children. So James chapter 1 tells us to count it all Joy when we fall into all kinds of trials. These blessings are not merely external like the things the world values. There is a couplet in my book of poems from The Gospel of John[1] that reads.

"Then you will come to know and understand

All that you longed for, but you couldn’t be."

God uses difficulties not simply to give us things, but to make us into joyful people. He makes us meek rather than people who manipulate to get what we want. We become merciful rather than pointing out how life is not fair to us. And all the worldly desires are removed so by our pure hearts we come to see the face of God.

Finally, we are blessed eternally by these values. The beatitudes must be seen in God's perspective of time. All the good things of this world will end in loss and sorrow and grief. But the good brought about in our lives by the Spirit of God is eternal.

www.daveswatch.com/

www.thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

WWW.Watchinginprayer.blogspot.com

We don't hear the word blessed much in these days although it is probably not in danger of dropping out of the English language. We need a word for what God alone can do in our lives. There is a sense in which every person and every creature on earth is blessed by God. He gives us food and drink and every breath of air we breathe. But we find the fullest expression of blessing laid out by Jesus in His declaration of blessedness in Luke 6 and Matthew 5. In Luke the blessings are set against woes.

These blessed statements clearly represent the values given by Jesus to be sought by His followers. They, however, are counterintuitive. They go against our innate tendencies and the world's definition value and success. Jesus begins in Luke 6:18 with "Blessed are the poor." Who thinks poverty is good? He concludes the Matthew 5 passage by saying, "You are blessed when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you on account of me."

There are at least three crucial perspectives of these beatitudes given us by Jesus. First, we are blessed in spite of these things. You may be poor in the world's goods, but you have become a child of the King! James 2:5 says God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love God.

But we are also blessed by these difficult things. God uses difficult and painful things to develop the character of His children. So James chapter 1 tells us to count it all Joy when we fall into all kinds of trials. These blessings are not merely external like the things the world values. There is a couplet in my book of poems from The Gospel of John[1] that reads.

"Then you will come to know and understand

All that you longed for, but you couldn’t be."

God uses difficulties not simply to give us things, but to make us into joyful people. He makes us meek rather than people who manipulate to get what we want. We become merciful rather than pointing out how life is not fair to us. And all the worldly desires are removed so by our pure hearts we come to see the face of God.

Finally, we are blessed eternally by these values. The beatitudes must be seen in God's perspective of time. All the good things of this world will end in loss and sorrow and grief. But the good brought about in our lives by the Spirit of God is eternal.

www.daveswatch.com/

www.thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

WWW.Watchinginprayer.blogspot.com

At the beginning of a new year it is worthwhile to consider God's perspective of time. While we indeed pray to the God who cares about you every day and every moment, we also pray to God who holds all of history in his hands.

In Isaiah 46:10,11 God says, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish my purpose. . .  I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.’"

God sits above time. And He hears and answers prayer from that perspective. Look with me at Romans 8:26-30.

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

This is a powerful passage to meditate on at this or any time of year. I am convinced that you will get more out of this by memorizing these verses and praying over them than by anything I can write here.

But let me point out some important truths about prayer in this passage. When does God hear and answer your prayers? God who is omniscient heard your prayer before the beginning of time. In His great love God invited you to pray before the foundation of the universe. God planted you as a prayer warrior in this moment of history. And He does whatever needs to be done down through the tapestry of history to answer your prayer.

God created beings that could love Him by giving us choice. But angels and men have chosen evil over God. And now we live in a broken world. Yet God has promised to weave His goodness into a tapestry of good in the lives of His own people. A poem on John 8:32 from my book I AM has the lines

"Then you will come to know and understand

All that you longed for, but you couldn’t be."

God is working everything together in your life for good.

And God is weaving the glorious tapestry of your eternal destiny. The final verse that I printed from Romans 8 tells us that God has justified those whom He has called. And everyone whom He has justified, He has already glorified. God also hears your prayer from the end of time. And He sees His completed glory in your life and in all of history.  

http://daveswatch.com/

Qatar, Arabian Peninsula

Day 14 - July 1, 2015

As Muslims are praying and fasting during Ramadan, we pray for them.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one- I in them and you in me-so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Christians in the Arabian Peninsula are asking us to pray John 13:34-35 & John 17:22-23 over Qatar.

Qatar is a relatively politically stable country. But what we do see is a struggle to maintain its cultural and especially its religious values amidst ongoing and aggressive modernization and development. Pray that the government's response, which can often be influenced heavily by Islamic fundamentalists, will be driven by the desire to embrace that which is honoring to God-respecting and protecting the rights of especially the majority expat workers through the observation of international labor laws and basic human rights.

We praise God that Qatar has granted property for the building of churches and places of worship. But the reality is that there is simply not enough space on the compounds to accommodate the large number of Christ followers. Pray that the government will grant permission for groups to meet outside of the compounds in places like restaurants, hotels, etc. Please pray for the various fellowships, that God would bring increasing unity among them. Pray that God would use the existing fellowships to meet the growing needs of the very poor migrant communities, especially in the labor camps, and that they would be bold to proclaim the Gospel to these people.

An ongoing struggle continues to be unity and community among the Christian workers in Qatar. Several years ago, the government cracked down on Christian workers, resulting in a few getting deported and causing the community to fragment and become fearful. Most recently, one of our workers was temporarily detained. Since then, this particular couple has been under very obvious scrutiny resulting in many of the other workers cutting off ties with them. As you can understand, they are feeling very lonely and discouraged. Pray for God to break the spirit of fear and that He may rebuild the trust and unity of the workers so that they can begin to work in concerted effort again. Pray that the workers would even be willing to come together to pray and fellowship together. Pray that God would grant the different fellowships a united heart to impact Qatar with the Gospel. Source: Christian leader in the Arabian Peninsula

Qatar makes the news because of World Cup Football, their airlines, and their financial support of Daesh (ISIS), al-Qaeda and other violent Islamic groups. After the killing of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya, Egypt criticized Qatar for their funding of such an organization. Pray that Qatar will stop any and all funding of radical Islamic groups. Pray that the grip that this form of Islamic terrorism has on them will be removed and be replaced with freedom in Christ. Pray for the very few Qatari believers in Jesus to grow in their faith and their love of God (The Bible, Ephesians 3:14-21). Source: The 10/40 Window Prayer Points for Every Nation (April 2015)

"Stop calling some neighborhoods good and some bad!.... It categorically denies the dignity, worth, and value that God places in every human being, meanwhile, minimizing the ugliness and sin that exists in our own hearts and the lives of those who live in neighborhoods we think of as good ones," says our friend, Ruth Arnold, the Director 2nd Mile Ministries.

If we read and absorb this blog, I believe we will find that Ms Arnold has pulled a fast one on us–showing that the “edge” of culture is actually the Center of the Kingdom. It takes a woman to know that, and it takes faith to believe it!

http://allpeople.blogs.efca.org/2015/05/good-neighborhoods/

In Matthew 10 and in Luke 10, Jesus sends out the disciples to do ministry. They are to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the Kingdom of God. The disciples are to find a man of peace or a house where peace remains. Can you just imagine the places they went, what was the buzz going on in the villages and cities? This was before TV and the internet, so these disciples and the work they were doing became the talk of the town. The news about them must have been great, and they must have kept having to say, "No it is not us, it is Jesus." There is no way this was a stealth ministry. The villages knew what was happening. "Grandma was healed and is up on her feet." "What! Our uncle who had that demon is now walking around in his right mind." That really is good news. Jesus sent out His disciples to be and to tell good news.

PRAY:

Pray for a greater increase in the doing and telling of the Good News in the AP.

Pray that as believers say to their local friends, "Peace be to this house" and "The Kingdom of God has come near to you", that they too would enter into the Kingdom of God and experience the peace that passes understanding that can only be found in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).

Pray that God would raise up men of peace all throughout the AP who will welcome believers into their homes and communities. This way, many doors will open to the Gospel message of salvation and hope in Jesus alone.

Pray that the Kingdom of God would manifest itself through spiritual salvation and the meeting of physical, felt needs. Pray for wholeness and restoration of all things in Christ (Acts 3:21).

“Nowadays truth is the greatest news.” (Thomas Fuller, 1732)

Scanning today’s headlines, it’s difficult to discover any good news. In the Philippines, at least 21 are dead and 1,000 homes have been destroyed by Typhoon Hagupit. In Iraq, Kurds are in a stalemate battling the Islamic State militants. In Abu Dhabi, a monstrous killer stabbed to death a kindergarten teacher. In Afghanistan, a thousand additional U.S. troops will remain in response to increased Taliban attacks. In Iraq, Iranian jet airstrikes against ISIS are raising suspicions that Iraq is sharing intelligence with Tehran. In Mexico City, tens of thousands are protesting attacks on students by corrupt police and drug cartel gunmen. In California, violent crowds are protesting the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York and the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Daily news is mostly negative.

True, over the last year a few extraordinary people did exemplary things. Former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates, suffering from ALS, unable to walk or speak, wheelchair-bound, inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and raised more than $100 million to fight the disease. Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA, outlined a technological roadmap for discovering potentially habitable worlds beyond earth. Kathleen Connors, surgical nurse, stopped at a Vermont diner for breakfast, then paid the bill for a neighboring pair of strangers, triggering a chain that repeated itself 46 times over the day.

Yet tough questions remain—even if a cure for ALS is found, will we acknowledge our mortality and live in light of our accountability to our Creator? Would it really be good news if we could land a human on Mars, if we’re still killing each other on this planet? Do a few random acts of kindness cancel the predominance of heartlessness in the world?

Despite rare benevolent acts, 2014 has generally been a year confirming the corruption of the human heart. Ebola, ISIS, downed planes, and racial unrest have only served to confirm our assessment of the evil rampant in the world. This year, like all the others that preceded it, had plenty of bad news.

We’re in a fix that only God can get us out of. We cannot survive unless God helps us. We cannot have tomorrow unless it comes as a gift of God.

Advent is a holy season reminding us of God’s gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love. In a despairing world, Christ’s promise of heaven brings us hope. In a warring world, Christ’s power in our lives brings us peace. In a sad world, Christ’s presence in our hearts brings us joy. In a hateful world, Christ’s pardon of our sins teaches us love.

In our century, as in all centuries, truth is the greatest news. Truth liberates our spirits, enlightens our minds, and cheers our souls. And that’s really good news. In fact, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest news ever announced to the human race.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

CLICK TO READ PART 1 HERE

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him(James 5:14-15)

The Lord promised that "in this world you will have tribulation (or trouble), but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world" (John 16:33b). How does someone do that when the enemies of God are systematically destroying His people....when many are losing hope....when the numbers of "nones" (those who believe in nothing) grow exponentially....etc. etc..

These are the Biblical end times which are in view, primarily, to those who are saved and called by Christ into the Kingdom. We are seeing a plethora of incurable diseases, deadly viruses and inexplicable things all around us. Cancer is on the rise due to the many different things - lifestyle, quality of food and environment etc. In fact, if you act even the dearest Christian, there seems to be a sense of resignation and defeat.

This is both understandable and wrong at the same time. We see an exhortation from James here which is hardly called upon, in times of need, even by those who call themselves strong believers.....and that includes pastors. On average, you hear pastoral prayers about "Lord heal so and so, touch brother X, remember sister Y....etc.." But is there the strong biblical prayer system for healing, whether Body, Soul or Mind, which lines up with James 5:14, 15? Not really!  This sort of healing and restoration requires Faith and Trust in the Promise AND persistence in prayer.

Too many modern seminaries, and thus, the pastors they put out, have removed the spirit of this Scripture which says that such faith for healing, anointing with oil and restoration "is only for Bible times" and not now! I have heard that so many times, I don't even listen to it anymore. Because the Living Word who abides in the Christian testifies that the entire Word of God - all 66 books - are for now and for you and I. Therefore, even if the elders don't pray for the church and the sick as they should - YOU DO IT!

To drive home that point, the Lord gave us the account of the man of God - Elijah - who was sent to a place of famine and a poor woman in Zarephath. 
Read the full account here from the flowing narrative of God's Word Translation:  8 Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: 9 “Get up, go to Zarephath (which belongs to Sidon), and stay there. I’ve commanded a widow there to feed you.”

10 He got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town’s entrance, a widow was gathering wood. He called to her, “Please bring me a drink of water.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE READ OF THIS MESSAGE

Most Believers cling firmly to the promise of God in Romans 8:28. I am no exception. But it is important to note that this promise is linked with the promise in verse 26 of God's help in our prayers. Am I saying the promise only applies if you are praying about your difficult circumstances? No, I am not saying that. But I do believe God will use difficult circumstances to teach you to pray. Growing your prayer life is part of the good God is working in your life.

God's work in your life depends on His teaching you to pray. The Spirit's intercession for us informs our understanding.  I suppose the Spirit prays things for me without my understanding. I want God to help me keep my job, but the Holy Spirit is praying for me to learn to trust God to care for my family. He may even be praying for God to move me to a place where I will have a greater witness. However, the primary way the Spirit prays in me includes growing my understanding. He shows me Scripture verses or simply whispers into my heart. In John 15:15 Jesus said He no longer calls us servants because a servant does not know what his master is doing. He works in me, teaching me to pray for things that I would never have longed for without His intervention in my life including my thinking and praying.

http://daveswatch.com/

“I can’t decide whether to watch the evening news, and be unable to eat;

or to watch the nightly news, and be unable to sleep.”

- Anonymous

The person who said this would have an even bigger problem these days.

Up-to-the-minute 24/7 news keeps us informed of the global turn of events—

events often so discouraging, we begin to wonder how the world even holds together.

Reviewing today’s CNN headlines does little to encourage an optimistic outlook for the future—

ISIS executes Yazidis who refuse to convert, crucifying people and bragging about it online;

Ebola outbreak has killed 961 people, triggering international public health emergency;

St. Louis suburb scene of looting and violence, following shooting of teen by police;

West Bank clashes in Hebron turn deadly, as Mideast spirals in war and terror;

Iraq President appoints new prime minister, complicating power struggle;

Tens of thousands of Yazidis flee trying to escape ISIS in Iraq and Syria;

Iraqi tanks surge toward Baghdad, threatening the U.S. Embassy.

In an effort to end its broadcast on a good note, a major network has a “Making a Difference” segment.

It’s nice to hear about occasional sparks of goodness in a fallen world, gleams of hope in the shadows.

However, when “everything nailed down comes loose,” we ask what in the world will happen next.

Jesus warned of “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6)—as always, it turns out He’s right.

He said “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Nothing short of Christ’s return can bring peace to this troubled world.

Believe it or not, this dream of universal peace will materialize.

Revelation could be summarized—relax, we’re going to win!

In the midst of all the bad news, here’s some good news that’s a promise we can count on coming true—

“As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west,

so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”  (Matthew 24:27)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized (copy, paste to browser for blog & bio)

On the Wednesday morning of Isaac’s landfall into Louisiana, I prayed. Not for judgment and destruction. Not for God’s wrath against New Orleans to be displayed. I prayed that God would be merciful and that the distraught people, whose lives were in one way or another affected by the hurricane would turn to Him with all their hearts and find strength through faith in Christ. Desiring calamity and retribution upon others for their sin, regardless of the nature and enormity, is not the heart of God and exposes a wrong spirit. In the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah displayed unrighteous anger towards God and the people of Ninevah when he was commanded the second time to preach judgment to Israel’s fierce enemies. He knew that if they repented of their evil, God would forgive them. Jonah wanted them annihilated. That was not the heart of God. In the New Testament, Jesus rebuked James and John, His own faithful disciples when they requested to call down fire upon the Samaritans to which Jesus replied, “You don’t know what spirit you are of”.  In other words, that was not His Spirit working in them, but the devil’s. We need to be careful not to play God’s advocate, in the sense that we know how He should act towards those we detest. In Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, both the priest and the Levite passed by the wounded traveller as he lay dying on the Jericho road, assaulted by thieves. It was a despised Samaritan who showed compassion and came to the helpless man’s aid. Perhaps their religious minds convinced them that “He must have got what he deserved, sinner that he is!”

Years ago, when I would read the account of David and Nathan the prophet, who finally confronted the King of his covered up sin with Bathsheba, I read it imagining that fire and brimstone were pouring out of Nathan’s nostrils as he pronounced God’s judgment against David’s wickedness with lightning bolts shooting out from his smoking mouth. I saw him absolutely hostile, red in the face and full of rage in his fierce indictment, “Thou art the man!” Thank God, I don’t believe that anymore. Psalm 145:8 reveals God’s true heart and nature towards sinful man. “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy”. And so once again, with Isaac, mercy triumphed over judgment. I believe the prayers of God’s people had much to do with the reprieve of judgment upon New Orleans. But what will they do with that mercy? Will they acknowledge their sin and turn to God in repentance? Let’s go further-- Will we, as God’s people, acknowledge our sin and turn to God in repentance? Remember that judgment begins in the house of God. The only safe place is to be living clean in daily repentance under the shadow of His wing. Hurricanes, earthquakes, famines, wars and diseases will continue to increase upon the earth in the remaining four months of 2012 with more intensity and frequency all in an effort to turn wicked hearts back to God’s grace, mercy, love and forgiveness.

And so we pray with the prophets of old, “In Thy wrath, O God, remember mercy!” That is His constant heart. Yes, we reap what we sow and there will be present and eternal consequences to our unrepentant sin—but pray that mercy will still triumph over judgment according to God’s heart while the door of grace remains opened. In the end, the Judge of all the earth will do right according to His justice and His unchanging Word for which at that point, we will be without excuse.