us (3)

For Muslims in the region most of the very basics of Christianity are a struggle to accept and contrary to their view of God. To think of God as Father, or even more than that; as Daddy (Abba) is really difficult. As well,the concept of the Trinity is a big obstacle. It is believed God does not share his deity with another so it is hard then to accept Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Another difficulty is the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. It is believed that if Christ was God he would never have had to die on a cross set apart for criminals. As well, it is thought that no man can die for the sins of another, each must make restitution for their own wrongs. The people in this regions struggle with some of the most basic truths that come from God's Word.
 
Pray for the truth about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be revealed across the region. Pray that many in this region would come to understand what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be released over the hearts and lives of people in this region. Pray for a revelation of God's personal touch in this area of the world.
 
A young man is praising God for being with him in hard circumstances. God has promised that he will "never leave or forsake" his people. Pray for Believers in the AP who are struggling with their surroundings, whether it be physical hardship or lack of freedom to live openly for Christ. Pray that God will give them joy even in their suffering.
 
I look up to the mountains-
    does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!  Psalm 121:1
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Lord, Teach us to Pray

“It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." Luke 11:1 NASB

 

            Do we know how to pray as we ought? According to the bible we don’t. Since we don’t know how to pray as we should the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. The fact is, no one can teach us to pray but God. Others can give suggestions and advice, but no one can truly teach us to pray; except the one to which we pray.

            In this verse, we see one of the disciples first listening to Jesus pray. When Jesus finished praying it was as if the disciple came to Jesus and said, I want to pray like that, just like you did. I have been in the presence of some mighty men of God and stood in awe of their prayer. It was as if they were calling fire down from heaven. D.L. Moody gave testimony of traveling to England to visit with Charles Spurgeon. When Moody attended the Metropolitan Tabernacles service he said it wasn’t the heavenly choir that impressed him, nor was it Spurgeon’s masterful preaching, rather, he was impressed with the prayer.  Could you imaging being with Jesus while He prayed? These Jewish disciples of Jesus had no doubt been taught to pray from childhood. More than likely they prayed daily. However, they never prayed as Jesus prayed, but they wanted to.

            Jesus asked the disciples to do many tasks. He asks of us the same. The greatest of tasks is to go and preach the gospel to all creation. Of the many tasks Jesus asked of us we never find in scripture anyone asking Jesus how to do them. The only request of any sort is how to pray. The fact is, the tasks Jesus calls us to do are empowered by prayer. If we don’t pray we shouldn’t expect any power or provision.

            Yet, we so often do not know what to pray for. So, where do we start? Lord, teach is to pray. I don’t know how to pray as I should. Will You guide me? I have my own agenda and my own goals. Will you lead me to Yours? I am week and easily distracted. Will You keep me focused and on track. Prayer begins and ends with Jesus. Our level of dependency upon Him will determine the level of power in our prayer. We don’t put faith in our faith, nor do we put faith in prayer in and of itself; we put faith in Christ alone. For this reason, the beginning of all is, Lord, teach us to pray. Make that your daily prayer.

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God commands us to pray

God already knows our needs. He knows our hearts. He knows the outcome, but He still commands us to pray. Once or twice I have been awakened with a really strong impression, "Pray for this person.' So strong a message that I pray. I do not know 'why' I prayed sometimes, but the impression was so strong that I did.

Others have the same experience as in the following testimony my daughter shared with me.

The single woman who had her own business assessing properties felt the economic impact of the last few years. Few people called her with requests to have assessments done. In fact from November through March she had only two assessments. She sought work otherwise to hold her over, but was considering filing for bankruptcy.

As she walked her dog in the park one morning a young woman came up to her. "God told me to go to the park this morning and to pray with, pray for the woman with a dog. You are the only woman here with a dog, so I must be supposed to pray for you." She prayed for the business woman's needs and crisis and then left the park. No names exchanged as far as I can tell.

Within 24 hours the struggling business woman had 10 phone calls for assessments. After five months with only 2, she could only know that this had to be of God.

I was told of this God mandated personal prayer time from my daughter who is related to the woman. Because the woman has also struggled with her beliefs, I am praying it is a turning point for her faith to be deepened and her own prayer life to grow.
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