students (8)

Pray for Seekers and Lone Believers

Give praise that a new, local believer was able to share with a couple of family members in a celebration of Christ's birth, even though they are not yet aware of her decision to follow Jesus. Pray that the many who have heard the gospel story will receive and accept confirmation of its truth by revelation, signs, wonders, dreams or visions.

A young woman told her believing friend, "I need a new life." Please pray that she and many others will open their hearts to the Lord and be able to experience Him for who He truly is, and will find new life in Him.

As two men continue in study of the the Word, pray that their eyes will be open to its truth and they will desire to know more of Him. May they accept His gift of salvation and be witnesses for Him in their community.

Continue to pray for those lone believers who have no opportunity for communal worship, study, and fellowship. Pray that they will grow stronger in faith and trust in the Lord. Pray that they will find ways to safely share their faith with others and become His church where it is not yet established.

A couple of university students are on a spiritual journey together seeking to know more about Jesus. Pray that nothing will prevent them from continuing this journey and surrendering to Him as Lord and Savior.

Please pray for "Jennifer" whom we have prayed for in the past.  She is the local woman who is suffering from the effects of black magic.  The good news is that her believing friends continue to love her and share the gospel with her.  The bad news is that she has been moving away from them recently.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in her life, bringing her back to her friends so that the light of Christ would continue to shine in her dark life.  Pray that the Father would speak to her through the Bible which she has access to and also through dreams of Christ which she has had in the past.  Let's continue to pray for her salvation!

Also pray for a local man in the same country who is also hearing a lot of the gospel from a believer.  Both of these locals need the Holy Spirit to break through and change their hearts and minds completely.  Pray that God would do so.

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New Season

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.

Be in prayer for university students who are seeking Jesus Christ and reading the Word. Pray that they will read with hunger and understanding and that they will come to be saved by faith in Him. 

Pray for a new believer who is standing alone. Pray for strength, sweet time in the Word, opportunities for discipleship, rapid growth in intimacy with the Lord, and a deep and enduring faith that will carry through no matter the circumstances.

Please pray for a small neighborhood where much Good Seed has been sown, and there has been a lot of interest and response. After some years of friendship and spiritual discussion, local families were interrogated about their western Christian friends. About the same time, there were several accidental deaths in the same small neighborhood. Although the western Christians stopped visiting for the sake of their friends, some local believers remain. Please pray for them and for the growth of the Church in that place.
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Second Generation Believers

We know that most of the believers in the Arabian Peninsula are first generation believers. Islam is so strong here that this is not surprising. However, there is a second generation of believers too! Though very small in number, they do exist. Please pray for them. Pray specifically for the teenage son of one local mother. He became a believer through his mother. She has asked us to pray for his studies, that he would be a good student in school who is disciplined and focused. And also, pray that he would be a faithful witness to Christ to other high students through his life and his words. Pray for protection since persecution is inevitable when other students find out about his faith. Pray that the Lord would bless him and cover him with favor as with a shield (Psalm 5:12).

Also, pray for his mother who feels attacked by the evil one. She is trying to help "Jennifer" whom has been highlighted in our prayer emails the past few months. Now this believer feels that the evil of black magic from Jennifer's life is affecting her. Therefore, she has started fasting. Pray that the Lord would protect this believer from all evil. Continue to pray for Jennifer who is still searching for answers. Pray that the Lord would mightily use this believer to minister effectively to Jennifer.

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PrayNetwork Spotlight: Pray4Schools

9651022072?profile=originalAs the summer draws to a close, our thoughts naturally turn to the beginning of the school year.  Students today - from Elementary through College - face challenges not faced by previous generations.  The declining morality in America, emphasis on individual freedom and situational ethics, and a general crisis of faith combine to push students toward destructive patterns, such as drugs, sex, gangs, and even suicide.  On the surface, the situation appears increasingly desperate.  Below the surface, however, is a God who hears and answers prayer.

 

Pray4Schools.us is an initiative that seeks to raise up believers to pray for schools and for students.  Public schools in particular have recently been made into a political battleground over religious freedom, but the battle is at heart a spiritual battle.  Pray4Schools recognizes this and urges believers to join the battle with our most effective spiritual weapon - prayer.

 

The mission of Pray4Schools is to

  • Inform the church about the challenges in our schools & the emerging generations, the need for extraordinary prayer, and the amazing school prayer opportunities and resources that already exist.
  • Inspire the adoption of schools for the purpose of focused, insightful, extraordinary prayer.
  • Invite the church of America to join together in 30 days of united prayer and fasting for schools each September, utilizing an online  common prayer calendar.   

Pray4Schools is more than just a prayer movement.  In the true spirit of unity, P4S also promotes other school prayer movements and general prayer movements and resources (including PrayNetwork!) on their developing website. 

 

It would be hard to imagine a more strategic spiritual battlefield than our schools.  As the Lord leads, we encourage you to download the 30-day prayer calendar (attached below) and pray through the month of September and beyond for our schools and students.  Check out P4S's  School Prayer Resource page for more ideas.

Pray4Schools 30-day prayer calendar

 

PrayNetwork.org Spotlight by Andrew Wheeler.
See Andrew's website at www.togetherinprayer.net

 

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PTAP: The Courage to Trust

In Matthew 6:36, Jesus talks about how God cares for us. Pray this verse for those who love Christ but are struggling with feeding their families. They cannot find jobs in an economy that is failing. Their needs are great. Ask God to provide in miraculous ways for the poor who love Him.

 

Pray for those who are suffering from fear in cities which are being bombed or where fighting has broken out. Others are feeling hopeless and depressed, wondering about their future. Pray that Christ will appear to them in visions and dreams, giving them hope. Pray that many will come to know Him during this time of turmoil in their nation.

 

Please pray for the on-going gathering of several university students as they meet with a believing mentor. Pray they will have minds that understand and acknowledge the truth as well as hearts that receive with great joy what they are hearing. May the Lord do a great work in this small beginning so that many will come into His Kingdom.

 

A Believer in Christ is worried about his mother. She has many health problems and needs to get medical help outside of the country. Due to unrest in her country, it is impossible for her to leave at this time. Pray that God will heal her. Pray that she will accept His love for her.

Testimony
"Saeed", a Shiite Muslim collegian, has heard the gospel several times from his professor, "Daniel" - in the classroom, and privately in personal conversations.  They have become friends in their honest interaction.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will impress on "Saeed's" heart the reality of all he has heard, and grant him the courage to trust in Jesus.
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PRAYING FOR SEMINARIES

Last week I began a series of blog posts calling for extraordinary prayer that in the power of God might sweep the earth. Such extraordinary prayer will need to come from several fronts. One of the most important focuses of our prayer needs to be Bible colleges and seminaries. If we look back through history at times when God moved mightily on human society, we see that He always raised up men to work through. So it stands to reason that if we want to be a part of an end-time revival, we should direct extraordinary prayer toward young people who sense the call of God on their lives.

We have begun this on one campus of a large multi-site seminary on the west coast. The students, faculty and staff were given questionnaires with questions about how we could pray for them. We also invited volunteers and support staff to fill out prayer questionnaires. Janitors and secretaries play an important part in what God is doing on campuses. They are often used by God to impact the lives of students. Brother Laurence touches lives to this day. He was a dishwasher in an obscure monastery.

We compiled the answers given, put them on flash drives and asked people at a regional denomination meeting to commit to pray for the seminary. People signed up pray leaving their e-mail addresses where they could be sent additional prayer requests. All of our prepared flash drives were given out before the program could be announced on the floor of the meeting.

This ministry could be contagious. Students could be sent to speak in churches asking people to commit to pray for the students and the school. Pastors’ could encourage church members to sign up. People who have hardly prayed for anyone but themselves could catch the vision to pray for a new generation of spiritual leaders.

Please pray for me as I write college and seminary presidents to present this idea. Pray that they will be receptive. Pray that they will become passionate for this. This will require busy staffs to take on new responsibilities. This will cost time and money. Pray for God to provide. And such an undertaking will certainly arouse spiritual opposition. Pray for spiritual protection for schools, students, and churches we will ask to become involved. And watch with me as God glorifies His name by raising up a mighty spiritual army to touch the world in these days.

 

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Revival at William And Mary

This article is excerpted from the Campus Renewal Magazine at

http://www.campusrenewal.org/revival-at-william-mary/

The College of William & Mary was chartered in 1693 and has rich history embedded within its well-worn brick pathways and aged brick buildings. It is said that students who go to William & Mary enter in with aspirations of changing the world and leave with the ability to do so. Within the nation, the university is known as an academically rigorous “Public Ivy League” and a very liberal school. By most people’s standards, revival and Williamsburg, Virginia are two of the last things that would ever go together.

And yet, God is moving.

The Beginnings of a Movement

“It’s quite difficult to describe how exactly this got started on our campus, simply because it’s difficult to describe what exactly this is,” says Jena Gray, a junior at William & Mary. “The best I can do is say that this is a very clear move of the Lord and that joy and freedom are racing each other throughout our campus, laughing the entire way.”

Though she has been a Christian for many years, Gray says she only truly began following Jesus during the second semester of her freshman year. Since then, she says the Lord has directed her heart towards her campus and she has been praying for revival, freedom, and joy for about a year and a half. Sophomore year, she says, felt dry and barren and much like a season of “pruning”. But this semester, things started to change.

“The state of Christianity on our historic campus has been viscous to the onlooker, seemingly stagnant but upon close scrutiny, there was movement – slow and steady,” Gray says. “Yet like all viscous liquids when heat is applied, energy increases, and similarly, the fire of the Holy Spirit has been fueling a movement and the flow of Jesus-lovers has been pouring out into all areas of the campus this semester.”

Worship, Prayer and Everything In Between

According to Gray, many opportunities for united worship and prayer have been springing up on the William & Mary campus. On Wednesdays at 9pm, students gather together in one of the campus buildings for “Worship Wednesday” – a gathering where Christian students can meet, worship and pray together. Birthed out of a prayer night held in March 2014, “Worship Wednesday” launched last Fall and has since become a weekly event that many students look forward to.

A partnership has also formed between W&M students and students from Christopher Newport University, a neighboring campus about 25 minutes away. “One Sunday night I called up one of my friends at Christopher Newport University,” says Gray. “I asked John if he or anyone from CNU could lead worship the following night at 8pm and Monday evening, 9 CNU brothers and sisters showed up. It was a beautiful time of worship with 9 CNU students and 10 W&M students in my friend Catherine’s living room.”

Gray believes God is working to cement the relationships between CNU and W&M students. “I was overwhelmed by how much God wanted this to happen and by how much of a bond [Christian] brothers and sisters have – that these friends and Jesus-lovers from CNU would pile into two cars on a Monday night to worship with us,” she says.

Missional Living

Gray and her friends have also been looking for ways to be missional and provide alternate settings where Christians can express their faith, while creating a safe place for non-Christians to attend, ask questions and hopefully encounter God.

“Catherine and I began ‘Creative Space’ at the Hearth (the name of Catherine’s house),” Gray explains. “The heart behind having people over to The Hearth is to have an open gathering for those interested in all art forms: poetry, baking, knitting, painting, instruments, and the like; to create a platform through which authentic conversations can be sparked, eventually leading to relationships founded on the commonality of art in order for the Gospel to be shared.”

“Basically, we want to reach the hipsters on our campus,” Gray says with a smile.

Once again, CNU students teamed up with her, and brought art supplies and canvases to The Hearth. But it hasn’t been without challenges. Gray says she found herself disappointed when not as many students showed up as she would have liked. It was on a trip to a local campus coffee house that her perspective started to shift. “As I walked inside the small house entrenched in darkness and despair, I knew this is where the people I most wanted to reach were. I felt the Lord say to me, ‘Jena, how do you expect people to come to you if you don’t go to them?’”

Being The Church

That opportunity soon presented itself on a frigid February Monday night when their regular prayer gathering coincided with a roommate’s party at The Hearth in celebration of classes being canceled the next day.

“Charlotte knew we were having worship from 8pm-10pm but it was fine with her that we were going to worship while her friends were over,” Gray recounts. “As Christian after Christian poured in, the non-believing hipsters poured drink after drink, staying pretty much in the kitchen or on the porch smoking all sorts of things. As our friend Jeremy began worship, everyone was slightly uncomfortable. No one had ever been in a situation quite like that before,” Gray says in bemusement. “All in all we had 26 Christians there worshipping and there were about 15 of Charlotte’s friends in a small house on a snowy night.”

What could have remained an awkward situation soon turned into spontaneous collaboration as one of the non-Christian guys picked up a violin he happened to have brought and joined in the worship. Over the next two hours, intrigued by the worship music, some of the non-Christians drew near to the living room, allowing for spiritual conversations to ensue.

At the end of the night, as the group transitioned to an a Capella rendition of “Nothing But The Blood”, the entire house fell silent. “Absolutely no one was talking but everyone was listening to us singing ‘Oh precious is the Lamb’ at the top of our lungs,” Gray says. “It truly felt as if the strongholds on our campus were being shaken loose from the sheer volume of our voices. Upon the final verse, I closed us in prayer and I distinctly remember not a single sound as everyone, all 40 people were listening to me talk to God about the life, joy, and freedom that is found in Him and how I was praying for our campus to discover those things in Jesus Christ.”

A Campus Awakening

In the last year, Gray has joyfully watched as the Christian community on her campus has grown from her and 2 friends fervently praying for revival to a thriving group of 18 students continuously interceding for the campus. Lives are being transformed, and they have even seen things stirring among athletes as 2 senior football players and a junior female lacrosse player have surrendered their lives to Christ. In total, there are over 300 Christians spread across 14 campus ministries, of which 20 student leaders meet regularly to pray and worship together outside of their regular ministry meetings. According to Gray, the number of students who label themselves as Christians far exceeds 300, but currently, 300 are active members of a church and/or ministry on campus. And Gray is confident that this is only the beginning.

“God is pouring out His Spirit over Williamsburg, and William & Mary will never be the same,” Gray says. “Laughter will replace stress; life will replace suicide; and joy will replace depression. Most of all, Jesus will reign over our campus now and forevermore. Revival is here.” Most recently, Gray has signed up with Campus Renewal, pledging to personally pray daily, pray weekly with others, fast monthly and host an annual gathering on her campus.

“I chose to ‘join the movement’ because God is doing a big work here and any resources that He can provide us through Campus Renewal are vital and will be put to use,” she says emphatically. “Our campus is being transformed by the Lord through prayer and worship so we are joining the movement alongside other believers and other campuses and declaring that the movement of the Holy Spirit is welcome here at the College of William & Mary.”

Written by Kimberly Chung

Kimberly Chung is the founder of the National Media Department at Campus Renewal and served as National Media Director for 8 years. She now serves as the Student Leadership Development Director, helping to develop and mentor student leaders who she hopes will impact the next generation for Christ. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Campus Renewal Magazine and enjoys writing and reporting on stories of what God is doing on college campuses around the nation.

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Making Every Day a Holiday (Holy Day)

As we near the annual holidays of Thanksgiving, the celebration and remembrance of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the celebration of New Year's, we enter a season where many of our routines are interrupted with different activities and interactions.  Family, celebrations, and travel, bring many people a respite from the routines established in daily/weekly life.

For many, holidays seem to accelerate our busyness- darting from home-to-home or place-to-place; sharing time with friends and family members not regularly seen.  For some, a return to the routine after the holidays may even seem like a relief!

But routine or no routine; how many of us as Christians make every day a holiday with God?

Every Day a Holy Day
The word, holiday, stems from the term, "holy day."  The word, holy, simply means "set apart" or "unique."  Therefore, a holy day is set apart from all other days.

While it's true that no two days are exactly alike (there may be similarities in routine, etc.); do we ever consider setting apart each and every day as a holy day (holiday) for/with God?

Redeeming the Time

Jesus said, "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master." - Matthew 10:24-25

Jesus kept in constant contact with the Father in prayer and thanksgiving (spoken and silent).  In doing so, he was able to do and be who the world needed to meet, see, and come to know!  He was holy; that is, set apart from the world- yet while in the world.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we're called to do and be the same- just like our Teacher; our Master!

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. - 1 John 2:3-6

Read Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:15-16.  Jesus was busy, yet set aside time to pray privately.  He also constantly kept in communication with his Father in silent prayer as he served, ministered, taught, and more.

So, what could it look like to make each day a holy day?

All people- As you get up in the morning, praise God for who he is.  Share time with him.  Ask him to establish your steps (your plans, schedule, and more), and listen for his answer(s).  Throughout the day, continue asking him to revise your plans if he desires.  Obediently follow him if/as he does.  Ask him to help you realize opportunities to share your faith with others, then let him empower you (your words and actions) to do so.  Without realizing it, you've woven prayer and a closer ongoing connection with the Lord into and throughout your day.  The day has become more of a holy day!

Teachers- Begin as suggested above (All people).  Throughout the day, ask the Lord to provide you with his wisdom in instructing, correcting, teaching, and loving the children and/or students you teach and serve.  While correcting tests and homework, ask the Lord to bring you deeper insight into each child's life and thinking- so that you may more effectively pray for each one as the Spirit leads.  In doing so, the day has become more of a holy day for you- and for those you're in prayer for!

Businessmen- Begin as suggested above (All people).  Throughout the day, ask the Lord to speak to you truths about how he sees your dealings, service, networking, presentations, preparation, interactions with others, the spreadsheets you may review and revise, and more.  Invite Jesus to review and advise you in each decision, contact, presentation, and more throughout the day/night. Follow him as he guides you.  As you do, each day becomes more of a holy day- yielded and led by the Lord instead of man's earthly thoughts or wisdom.

Students- Begin as suggested above (All people).  Throughout the day, ask the Lord to instruct you in your relationships with other students or teachers.  Ask the Lord to sit with you and instruct you (help you learn what you're studying) as you read, prepare your reports or projects, and more.  Ask the Lord how he'd have you pray for others around you in class, between classes, or after school.  Obediently follow him and do what he instructs.  He's all-knowing and will always tell you the truth- with your best in mind as he sees and knows you personally.  As you seek and follow the Lord throughout each day, each day becomes holy and set apart for his glory- working in and through you.

Retirees- Begin as suggested above (All people).  The world would tell you that your best days have passed and that you should simply coast and surrender the latter days of your life until you pass away.  Nonsense!!!  Each day is a holy day where Jesus desires to minister to and through you!  Call or visit a friend or acquaintance (maybe someone you haven't spoken with in awhile).  Tell them what Jesus has been doing in your life recently.  Ask them if they've seen Jesus working in their lives.  Encourage them to read or listen to the Word of God (maybe suggest a Scripture passage to read/listen to).  Offer to pray for or with them in person, over the phone, via email, or another means.  Let the Holy Spirit instruct you as you pray.  The day becomes holy and set apart as you redeem the time in the Lord's strength and wisdom.  You'll also likely bring encouragement to that other person/people as you do (encouragement that might last far beyond that very day!).

There are very few limits in how we redeem the time and seek the Lord to help make each day holy.  Likely, the greatest limit we place on God is ourselves; how we choose to handle our time, plans, and activities- in our own way, strength, or knowledge. 

Let's redeem the time.  You can begin this very minute.  There's no need to procrastinate until tomorrow morning!

Finish this day by making it holy.  Then begin and practice making tomorrow a holy day... and the day after that... and the day after that...

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