from “The Winding Path of Transformation“ by Jeffrey Tacklind on IVPress

 It seems like our social media, financial, and email accounts get hacked now and then. When that happens, we change our passwords to protect our privacy since we don’t want intruders to have access to our accounts. Passwords protect our accounts.

I recently heard a message that spoke to my heart about guarding my heart just as I protect my Internet accounts.  We read in God’s Word that we are to guard our hearts. In Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  Don’t let the enemy hack your heart.

How Do We Guard Our Hearts?

We can protect, defend, and shield our hearts from Satan by developing an intimate relationship with God. Paul tells us, “Set your hearts on things above . . . Not on earthly things.”(Colossians 3:1, 2) The enemy wants to rob our hearts; he tries to get us overwhelmed, defeated, tired, and so busy that when God wants to get our attention, His call goes to “voice mail”. As grandparents, we can set an example by demonstrating that our relationship with God is a high priority for us.

We must guard our hearts because God valued our hearts and the hearts of our grandchildren and their parents so much that He sent his Son, Jesus into the world to die on the cross for our sins.

Do you have a password to guard your heart against the distractions and business of your life?My favorite password is Joshua 1:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. When the enemy tries to hack my heart, I claim my password. Do you have a password to keep your heart from being hacked, if you don’t have one already?

If we as grandparents guard our hearts, we will have a part in nourishing the souls of our dear grandchildren by our example. Our grandchildren need grandparents who will model how they guard their hearts.  

Our grandchildren are living amid a cultural and spiritual battle; a brutal and vicious war against a subtle and friendly enemy (Satan) who knows his time is short. We have a responsibility to pray for them and encourage them to guard their hearts.

Don’t let the enemy rob your heart;he tries to get you overwhelmed, defeated, tired, and so busy that when God wants to get your attention, His call goes to “voice mail”. Spend time in His Word. Don’t forget your password when you need to guard your heart against your busy schedule, and you don’t have a chance to cover your grandchildren and their parents in prayer.

This is the reason Christian Grandparenting Network is asking grandparents throughout the world to unite in prayer for their grandchildren and their parents.

 Sunday, September 8, 2019, is the National Grandparents” Dayin the United States, but we are asking grandparents throughout the world to join us, making it a Day of Prayer. If you cannot schedule and event on that day, do it sometime in September when it is convenient or whenever you have a Grandparents’ Day in your country.

Many grandparents have signed up to participate and volunteered to organize events because they realize the urgency for a Day of Pray for their grandchildren.

We have two ways that you can participate in our website.www.grandparentsdayofprayer.com

1. Click on “I will pray” button and give if you will commit to joining us as a prayer warrior on Grandparents’ Day of Prayer.
2. If you are willing to organize an event in your church, home, or retirement complexes, etc. click on “To find out more about becoming a volunteer” to follow the process

If you realize the urgency for a Day of Prayer for our grandchildren and their parents, will you help us call grandparents to join in prayer on September 10th? Christian Grandparenting Network is prepared to provide step-by-step guidelines, resources, and online tools for creating successful events.

Please check our website http://www.grandparentsdayofprayer.comfor more information, testimonials, promotional materials, and free downloads.

Thank you for your consideration to participate in this event.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact us.

Lillian Penner lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

Sherry Schumann sherry@christiangrandparenting.net

Deborah Haddix  Deborah@deborahhaddix.com

My prayer is that you will experience

God’s most abundant blessings as you pray for your grandchildren,

invest in the spiritual lives of your grandchildren, their parents, and future generations. In Jesus’ name.

ZOOM Interview Questions

(1)    You advocate for prayer and church renewal across a variety of social media platforms, tweeting avidly and blogging at https://churchleaders.com/, https://discipleshipnetwork.ning.com/, https://praynetwork.ning.com/, and https://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/. Please share with us your strategy for ministry.

• My strategy is launched from Romans 12:2 (my paraphrase and application to prayer):
  • Don't be limited to the prayer customs and traditions of your church experience, rather, transform you praying by a Holy Spirit initiated and directed renewing of your mind, so that your praying demonstrates that God and God's will are good for us, produce pleasure for us, and are perfectly suited to our needs.

(2)    How is it that you came to be involved specifically in prayer ministry?

• A Holy Spirit interruption in a Sunday morning church gathering that led me to pray with pastors, that birthed in me a passion to find and launch pastors' prayer groups, first in my city then across the nation and across the globe.
• www.NPPNblog.blogspot.com

(3)    To many of us it seems that there is an increasing focus on prayer in the churches in America and around the world. What is your view? Are we on the brink of a revival? What are the signs?

• More of the same kind of praying will not bring transformation, breakthrough, revival
• More weak prayers cannot produce strong prayers
• We are better at listing our requests than listening for God's requests (the leading of the Spirit)
• ..But I believe, if we follow God in the revising of the Church, we will see a reviving of the Church (if we look for new and different markers)

(4)    What is the secret to founding and sustaining movements of prayer?

• The Holy Spirit is the secret. Find out what God is inviting you into then surrender, give 110%
• A new discipline in prayer: Ask.
  • A = Ask. Rather than ask first for a "thing" (help me, heal me, fix me), ask a questions ("Holy Spirit, how should I pray about my need today?")
  • S = Seek. Seek by stopping (that keeps us from asking too quickly for that thing we think we need but have not consulted the Lord on). Seek by looking into scripture(seek the mind of Christ). Seek in silence ("Be still and know/experience God"). Seek by singing. Seek by scribing (write your thoughts, your prayer...)
  • K = Knock. Knock on the door of heaven. Expect to enter. In fact, you are already seated in the heavenlies with Christ (Ephesians 2:6), so join in the divine trialogue: Mighty God, Lord and Savior, Holy Spirit in communion and communication. "Knock" loudly ("Come boldly into God presence")

(5)    What would it mean for the church to be united today? How would we recognize this unity? What can we do as Christians to pursue the unity for which Jesus prayed in John 17.

• John 17 unity is relational more than religious, organic more than organizational, prophetic rather than political, responsive more than regulating …
• Unity is built when Christian leaders:
  • Communicate how God is at work in their midst through their ministries to impact their communities
  • Connect for prayer
  • Convene for Spirit-led discussion and interaction, all of which eventually leads to
  • Collaboration; unity that is expressed by:
    • Activity coordination, or
    • Ministry cooperation, or
    • Authentic collaboration (beyond helping or serving one another; designing a true partnership)

The Gospels were written in Greek. But in all of them certain Aramaic or Hebrew words are included and are usually translated. 

One of the reasons for this is that the writer was present when striking Hebrew words were spoken. They were so vivid in Mark's mind, that he quoted them. I believe that is true when Matthew and Mark quote Jesus on the cross saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani," "My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me!" Although this is also a quote from the 22nd Psalm.

One particular case of this is found in the raising of the daughter of Jairus. Jesus had entered the home of Jairus the Synagogue Ruler whose daughter had died. Jesus allowed no one to go with Him into the girl's room, but her mother and father, Peter, James, and John. There Jesus raised the child from the dead. Mark 5:41-42 reads,

"Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement."

But we know Mark was not there to hear those words spoken by Jesus. Jesus only allowed the child's parents, and three Disciples into that room. However, what is considered to be reliable tradition tells us that Mark was the protege of Simon Peter. I suspect Peter's description of this event was so vivid that Mark couldn't help repeating it. And we see several things from this.

First we have an eye witness reflection of the tenderness of Jesus. "Talitha" was an Aramaic endearment for a little girl. I cannot read this story from Mark without melting at our Master's tender voice. I would like my voice to reflect His love as I tell His story.

We have here an eye witness reflection of the authority of Jesus. The authority of Jesus is reflected in who people were saying He was. People were perplexed about who Jesus really was. He didn't just heal a person here and there. When He entered a town or region, hundreds of sick people were brought to Him and He healed them all. But this healing was different. The little girl was dead. And while Jesus charged them not to tell anyone, those in the room witnessed His authority over life and death. I want to know and share the One with that authority.

Finally, we have an eye witness reflection of the reality of the event. The use of the very words of Jesus brings us into that room as well. I think it is interesting that Mark tells us that she got up and walked because she was 12 years old. Have you ever addressed a 12 year old as a little child? If so, you did not please the child. Of course it was fitting for Jesus to call her talitha in the aftermath of the tragedy. But Mark explains that she was nearly grown. Luke also records this event. He tells us Jesus told the parents to give her something to eat. They were evidently too overcome with joy and amazement to think about what they needed to do for her. That would have been a detail too mundane for a myth. This is evidence of the reality of the event.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

I pulled up to the drive-thru window at the burger restaurant with money in hand, only to be greeted by a smiling teenager saying, “Your meal has been paid for, sir.” When I asked for an explanation, I was told the person in line in front of me had paid for my meal and left a message to “Pay it forward!” I have no idea who was in front of me, or why they chose to pay for my meal, but I followed suit and asked how much the bill was for the person behind me in line, hoping they had not ordered double cheese burgers and giant sodas for their entire family. They had not, so I paid it forward and left them a message to do likewise. Interesting cultural practice. I have another idea. I have an e-mail based prayer team of several hundred people. (BTW, if you want to join that team, reply with your name and e-mail address and I will add you to the list.) I’m sure some, if not all, of them have prayed for me recently. So I’m going to PRAY it forward. I’m going to start through that list, praying for everyone listed there. Why not? First Samuel 12:23 indicates it is a sin to refrain from doing so – “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” and that is just one verse instructing intercessory prayer. My friend and colleague, T.W. Hunt took the time to research, and discovered that 7/9 of the prayers in the Bible, where an answer was given, were intercessory prayers, that is, prayers prayed for someone other than self. Have you been prayed for this week? Surly there is someone who has remembered you in their intercessory prayer – a spouse, parent, grandparent, or friend? In response, you could pray for your family, your minister, your neighbor, or your friends. Why not PRAY it forward?

Do you take a Sabbath from your writing. I recommend it, if you can. I say, if you can, because many of you write while maintaining a real job. And you won't write much if don't write in every free moment you can muster. 

But after retiring from active pastoring, I began trying to write full-time. At that point, God was convicting me of not taking days off, or taking time for spiritual and physical renewal in my 45 or so years as a pastor. So I begin full-time writing with a Sabbath. I don't write or work on my writing from Friday evening to Saturday evening. And I have found it rewarding in a number of ways. 

First, I have not had to deal with burn-out. Most of the time I chaffe when I quit at 6:00 on Fridays, because the juices are flowing. Frankly, this keeps me motivated. The break always refreshes my passion for what I am writing. 

I also gain inspiration in a Sabbath. I do not necessarily recommend that you stop thinking about your writing on a Sabbath, whenever you try to take it. But some of my best ideas come when I am not thinking about writing at all. If I didn't discipline myself a little, I would hardly ever have a time I was not thinking about my writing. And I discipline myself not to write down ideas that come to me in my rest. I will not argue with you who are shocked by that. But I feel like great ideas will continue to nag at me after the Sabbath. In a question and answer time at a Writers' Conference, Steven King was asked about keeping a Writer's notebook. He said "I think a Writer's notebook is a great way of immortalizing bad ideas." And if the Holy Spirit is my muse, I can trust Him to bring good ideas back to me.

Finally, and most closely related to Biblical observance of the Sabbath, by taking a break I acknowledge that God is the source of all writing. I show that I am trusting Him to help me think. I am asking God's help in finishing what I working on. A Sabbath declares that everything I am and have and do comes from God. I give it to Him much like I worship with a tithe of our income. 

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Guest Blog by Cavin Harper, Executive Director of Christian Grandparenting Network

Pray for Protection and Victory in the Battlefields of Life

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10, 11).

A grandfather understands the nature of warfare and that our grandchildren are prime targets for the enemy who is seeking to devour them (and us). Gentlemen, we are soldiers engaged in the battlefield of war for the hearts, minds, and souls of our grandchildren. If we fail to engage in battle, then we set the enemy loose to do whatever he wants with our children and grandchildren.

Our grandchildren need grandfathers who are good soldiers—soldiers who understand they are not on vacation but at war. Men who grasp their calling committed to fulfilling it and pleasing our Commanding Officer (Christ). Men who have learned how to endure hardship with courage and faith, and clothed themselves with the full armor of God and are engaged in fervent prayer on their grandchildren’s behalf.

Such soldier grandfathers will pray that for their grandchildren to grow strong in their walk with the Lord. They will pray for and show them the importance of the armor of God to stand firm against schemes of the devil who will tempt them to lie, to cheat, to disobey their parents, and to follow all the ways of the world. The enemy is cunning, deceptive, and powerful. He will do everything he can to distract our grandchildren from walking with the Lord and seek, instead, to gratify the sinful desires of the flesh.

Grandfathers, pray that your grandchildren will:

1. Recognize the deception of the world and resist temptation.
2. Gird themselves with the belt of truth (God’s Word) and stand firm in the truth
3. Take up the shield of faith so that they may stand firm against and extinguish all the

      flaming arrows of the evil one.

4. Put on the helmet of salvation by the Holy Spirit will guard their hearts and minds,

      and fill them with hope and courage to live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus, their

      Lord and Savior.

5. Be alert, self-controlled, and firm in faith—faith in God and the work of Christ on

      the Cross-.

6. Persevere and endure hardship in the face of hostility and ignorance.

One final thought for grandfathers…

Men, soldiers are not supposed to fight the battle alone. They fight as a company or platoon, part of unit watching out for each other’s back. The Scriptures are clear as well that we are to fight this battle as a unit—we are the body of Christ. I urge you, therefore, to band with two, three, or more brothers who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and you with them, to do battle for the hearts and minds of our grandchildren (and children). A band of righteous men gathered to pray is a powerful force against our enemy.

Decide right now to ask other grandfathers to form a band of grandfathers who will pray together and develop a strategy for fighting in the power of God on the battlefield for life. Grandparent’s @ Prayer is a perfect staging area for this purpose. Talk to a few other men in your church, neighborhood or place of work, and ask them to join you to form a Grandfather’s G@P group—a band of brothers who will do battle for the souls of the next generations. Our Commander In Chief has issued the call. Will you respond?

I would also like to invite you to join a “Grandparents’@ Prayer” group. If you have any questions or would like additional information, go to

https://christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-at-prayer/

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” III John 1:4.

Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ-followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage those we live among with the Gospel.

Of all the stories we will share as we engage others in faith conversations, the story that must be shared is God’s Story.  The Gospel Story.

Today, we turn our attention to the second part of The Story – The Fall.  In The Fall, we come to understand why the world in which we live is so messed up.  We discover the answer to the question…”What went wrong?” 

As we saw last week, life in the Garden was amazing!  We are so surrounded by imperfection and the effects of sin, it’s hard for us to imagine a place of perfect harmony and peace and joy.  A place where God and man walked together, spoke face to face, laughed together and thoroughly enjoyed each other. 

Placed in the Garden to oversee all that God had created, man had everything he would ever want or need.  And out of His deep love for them, He gave them clear instructions on maintaining harmony in the Garden.  All they had to do was to obey this one command.

In Genesis 2:16-17, we read…”And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

One command….given out of love for their own good and protection.  This was the command that would test their loyalty and their trust in God.  It was far from restrictive for outside of that one tree, they could eat from any tree they so desired in the Garden.  All they had to do was not eat from that tree.

This is where the story turns dark as Satan enters the picture - a fallen angel who despises God and will do anything he can to disrupt the harmony and the freedom that man enjoys in the Garden.  Arriving on the scene as a serpent, this master of lies and deception engages Eve in conversation.  Distorting the very word of God so as to create skepticism and doubt in her mind, he asks her in Genesis 3,

“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Genesis 3:1-5

He convinces her that God is holding out on them.  They will not die…they will become like God.  There will be no consequences to their sin.  Instead, there will be a great reward for their eyes will be opened to new revelations and insight.  They will know good and evil. They will have greater knowledge.

Thus in Genesis 3:6 we read these words…

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

In that one act of eating from the one tree that God told them not to eat from, they rebelled against God.  They chose Satan’s lie over God’s truth.  They had everything they needed but they chose to take more.  And in that moment, their eyes were opened just as Satan said they would be.  However, it was not what they were expecting. 

Overcome with shame, guilt and fear, they hid from the very God whose fellowship they once so enjoyed.  Sin had now entered the picture.  Their intimacy with God and each other was broken. The consequences were severe – spiritual and physical death, pain in childbearing for Eve, pain in physical labor for Adam, a desire to rule over and dominate each other, and being cast out of the garden.

But their sin didn’t affect them alone.  It also impacted all of creation as it was subjected to brokenness, death, and decay as well.

And it set into motion the downward spiral of mankind for the sin that had so infected and corrupted Adam and Eve has now been passed down from generation to generation.  As a result, every single human being is fallen at the core of their very being…born a sinner deserving eternal separation from God in hell.

Their one decision to rebel against God, choosing their way over His, has placed every one of us in a desperate state of need…spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally, and morally.

And we have no way to help ourselves.  Is there any way out?  Is there any hope?  Can anything be done? 

The Good News is Yes!  While God removed Adam and Eve from the Garden because of their sin, He did leave them with a promise of rescue and hope.  It is that promise and the rescue that followed that we will examine next time as we continue our journey through the Gospel Story.
 

 
John Whaley
National Pioneer, The Rooftop US

I consider these makers as basic objectives of effective praying:

• Spirit-led:  Seek first the Spirit ... "What is the mind of Christ (topic/focus that is prompting me to pray?" Be still and wait for direction and the discernment to know who to pray in concert with Jesus as he intercedes to the Father. Begin with listening, not listing.

• Worship-bred:  Every prayer must be born out of worship; praise, petition, posture ...

• Scripture-fed:  Launch your prayer from the word of God; scripture is foundational. The Holy Spirit is waiting to guide you into praying; launch your prayer by reading or reciting scripture.

• Corporate-said: Pray with others but pray as in a concert (each person makes a different sound but plays from the same sheet of music), not as in a recital (each person takes their turn and simply goes down their list). Make a joyful noise; together.

• Globally-spread: Our prayers are for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done. Effective prayer often begins after we have reviewed our lists (listing simply tells God what he already knows). 

Try this: Before you move from one request to the next, add "so that." The Spirit can use those two words to extend your praying from the obvious need to the greater will of God, no matter what the issue or need or problem. "Lord heal my friend ... so that ... he can return to work and support his family."

Phil Miglioratti

Pray.Network

 Since you received my blog last week, I am praying you have been thinking about how God would have you to influence other grandparents to pray intentionally for their grandchildren in their sphere of influence? I hope you have checked out our website with guidelines, endorsements, and testimonies.  Printed Prayer cards are also available for a small charge at https://christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-day-of-prayer/. It's only about 45 more days until September. 

U.S.–ONE OF THE WORST COUNTRIES FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING—

This is just one of many headlines I have read this week that makes me feel the Grandparents' Day of Prayer is an urgent need. Grandparents need to get on their knees, asking God to protect our dear grandchildren physically, emotionally, and spiritually, especially as they go back to school.

Because of the urgent need at this time, Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN) is partnering with the Legacy Coalition to invite you to be a part of this movement to intentionally pray for our grandchildren, our families, our nation, and our world making it a Grandparents' Month of Prayer.

Planning an event for grandparents during September is a great time to introduce a grandparenting prayer ministry into your church.  If it doesn't fit in the schedule at your church to plan an event for grandparents on September 8, you may do it any time in September.

A grandmother in Missouri shared about their Grandparents' Day of Prayer at her church last year. "We had a great time of prayer and reading the scriptures on Sunday. We had around 70 in attendance. We started with a box lunch then kind of followed the outline in the Resource booklet you provided. We had two testimonies of grandmas praying for their grands and how God answered prayer. Then we had the grandfathers read the prayers out of the book, and a grandfather prayed over them and did the same for the grandmothers. We had three different men who read scriptures. Then the pastor led us in a guided prayer time. We finished up by everyone reading the Grandparents Declaration than the Steve Green video of Find us Faithful. It was a good time of prayer and fellowship. I have heard great comments about it and people wanting to do it again next year. Thank you for providing all the great resources."

Check out the Free downloadable Resources available for you to copy at this website https://christiangrandparenting.net/product-category/free-resources/.

Will, you join many other grandparents in September planning to bring together grandparents in their sphere is influence to cover this next generation with prayer?

 Why a Grandparents’ Day of Prayer?

Where has time flown by? Many of our grandchildren will be heading off to school next month. Summer will be gone before we know it. We need to uphold them in prayer

as the church is becoming less significant today in our everyday lives, a moral influence becomes more important as they go back to school. Culture tends to shape our grandchildren by what it presents as normal, which is very different from the normal in which we grew up. Grandparents who love the Lord can help them and their parents navigate their worldly culture with prayer and godly counsel.

 I am going to share with you the story of Daniel because he was shaped by a godly example by his parents to obey God growing up in Judea.

Daniel’s story

Daniel was taken from his home country in Judea to captivity into Babylon, a very ungodly environment. Daniel was to be trained to serve in the king’s palace. However, he resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. King Darius made a decree that no one could pray to anyone other than him for 30 days. Daniel went to his room and prayed three times a day facing Jerusalem, giving thanks and praying as he always did to his God. He did not allow the worldly king to transform him into the patterns of Babylon. As a result, Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. God closed the mouths of the lions, and he was brought out unscathed because Daniel trusted God. King Darius acknowledged that the God of Daniel was a living God. Daniel was taught to trust and obey God while living in an ungodly culture.

I am sharing a brief summary of the culture our grandchildren, and their parents are navigating today.

Today’s cultural norm

Porn: Pray that God will protect the eyes of our dear grandchildren and give them the strength to flee from the temptation when they are enticed.

Alcohol and drug addictionis a result of the emptiness of the soul; it doesn’t take away the pain. Only their faith in Jesus Christ will give them fulfillment.

Entertainmentvies for the souls of our grandchildren in the movies, television, music, and video games.

Affluence & commercialism: Our grandchildren are exposed and influenced by a world of opulence, commercialism, and entitlement by our media today. Our goal should be to not shower them with material wealth but teach them to work and earn the things they want.

Sexual orientation: The Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Movement is an issue today. Our children are exposed to it at an early age in their families, in school, media, and peers. Homosexuality attempts to exchange their God-identity with self-identify.

Witchcraft:Wicca is among the fast-growing religions. Wicca has effectively repackaged witchcraft for millennial consumption. Wicca’s website is one of the most visited religious sites on the Internet.All forms of witchcraft are strictly forbidden in the Bible as being tied to the occult and the work and the world of the evil one.

Jesus prays for his disciples

Shortly before Jesus was arrested, He prays for his disciples asking God to protect them, and I believe it is for us, too. Jesus prayed, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one”.John 17:15 (NLT) 

Again, Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN) along with Legacy Coalition invites you to be a part of this movement to intentionally pray for our grandchildren, our families, our nation, and our world making September a Grandparents’ Month of Prayer.This year we see such an URGENT NEED in our culture and ungodly environment to declare the month of September as “Grandparents’ Month of Prayer”. We believe the battle for the hearts and mindsof our dear grandchildren and their parents can be won by praying grandparents who sense the urgency and unite to do battle in prayer and give Godly counsel.

In the past, united prayer has always bridged the gap between a great need and a great awakening!We are praying many churches and groups will participate in prayer around the world for this intentional day of prayer on behalf of the next generation.

This event could be in your church, in your home, in a retirement complex, or any meeting location you choose. CGN will provide step-by-step guidelines, resources, and online tools to help you create a successful event that will engage grandparents in prayer for your event. If it doesn't fit your schedule to meet with other grandparents or plan an event on September 8, due to the urgency do it any time in September.

You may want to host a prayer breakfast or a luncheon following your morning worship. Or you may want to offer an afternoon tea or evening dessert in your home. Perhaps your minister is willing to address the importance of praying grandparents and set aside a particular prayer time during the worship service. The possibilities are endless.It is imperative; however, grandparents gather to pray for their grandchildren.

To learn more or indicate participation in the movement and/or organize a time of prayer for grandparents go to the website www.grandparentsdayofprayer.com. You will learn more on our website with endorsements, testimonials and promotional materials and free downloads or email me.

We are looking for grandparents who believe in the power of prayer

to participate in this event.

Will you help us call grandparents to join us in prayer

on September 8 or another time in September? 

By Lillian Penner, lpenner@christiangrandparenting.com

Sherry Schumann  sherry@christiangrandparenting.com

Debrorah Haddix Deborah@deborahhaddix.com

Grandparents’ Day of Prayer Coordinators

Join to pray with the Orality Network: 

https://ionprayer.com/2019/07/11/july-august-2019-orality-network-praise-and-prayer-update/

I inherited the "Featured Members" designation when our network launched.

But I always felt uncomfortable with it.

EVERY member is valued and important to the health of our community.

So, I have changed the descriptor

To . . . Reimagineers

Members who are being used by the Holy Spirit to call the Church to reimagine prayer as:

• Spirit-led
• Worship-bred
• Scripture-fed
• Corporate-said

And,

I am asking the former "Featured Members" to serve us by posting their insights, mind-opening articles, pointing us to resources, sharing events onsite and online for the equipping of the saints.

Watch for their posts. Benefit from their insights and ideas.

Let's ALL make Pray.Network the place where leaders, members, pastors, networkers, are challenged, equipped and empowered to#ReimaginePRAYER!!

• Reimagineers
• Reimagineers Posts (3448 and growing daily)

Phil Miglioratti

Network Coordinator / Curator

As I sat down to write and pray this morning, the Spirit of God impressed upon my heart to turn the pages of Paul’s letter to the Colossians into a prayer. With several translations of Colossians in front of me, I began meditating on the powerful words about Christ’s preeminence, transforming them, paragraph by paragraph, into personal prayers. I realized then just how rich God’s Word is when we pray it as promises over ourselves!
 
Never are we closer to praying the will of God than when we are praying the Word of God! The Spirit and the Word work together as we pray, making our divine inheritance manifest as we speak God’s Word back into His heart.
 
To pray the Word of God is to agree with what God has already said He will do, setting in motion spiritual blessings that have been seen throughout history and can be activated once again by faith.
 
Space limits me to sharing just the first section of my prayers from Colossians with you today. If you would like to order the complete booklet of "Pray Colossians!" please click below to purchase in our store. 

May this heartfelt “prayer paraphrase” of Paul's first-century letter to the Colossians reveal more to you about your inheritance in Christ and build your confidence to begin praying the will of God over your life!  

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© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com

Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage those we live among with the Gospel.

Of all the stories we will share as we engage others in faith conversations, the story that must be shared is God’s Story.  The Gospel Story.

As we saw last week, The Gospel Story is not confined to the pages of the New Testament.  It is the grand narrative of Scripture, beginning in Genesis and weaving its way through the entire Bible.  Today, we begin taking a closer look at the four aspects of this amazing story!

It begins with Creation.  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)

As Creator, God steps into the beginning of this story and speaks—and His words are so powerful that they bring everything into existence.

And His creation was amazing.  With the power of His Word, He spoke the stars and planets and galaxies into existence.

And then He turned His attention to earth, creating a planet that would reflect the majesty of His glory and power as He created breathtaking mountains, vast oceans teeming with all kinds of sea life, plants and trees and flowers of infinite varieties that were exquisite, animals and reptiles and birds of all colors and shapes and sizes.  It was incredible.

And to this day, we still see the glory of God through His creation as we look up into the night skies and are amazed by the beauty of the stars.  And let’s not forget the majestic mountains, the breathtaking beauty of a sunset, or the simple wonder of a hummingbird.

I am reminded of the words of David in Psalm 19:1   “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

But the most beautiful and mysterious of all His creation was man.  Unlike any other created thing, God made man in His image, breathing His very life breath into them.  He gave them personality, the ability to reason, and the ability to have a relationship with Him….to know Him, walk with Him, talk with Him, and enjoy Him.

By God’s design, all of creation was in harmony and was exactly the way it was supposed to be. The first man and woman had perfect fellowship with God, with each other, and with all creation.  Imagine living in a world with no fear, doubts, or worries.  No pain, sickness, or death.

Imagine knowing exactly who you are and what you were created for—with no lingering doubts or fears or concerns for the future. That’s what Adam and Eve had at Creation.

And that is what God desires for all of us.  To know Him.  To have a personal intimate relationship with Him.  To have life and to have it abundantly…a life filled with purpose and meaning.  That was the plan in the beginning.  But then something tragic happened and it is that something that we will look at next week.

Until then, I encourage you to read through and meditate on the first two chapters of Genesis.  Allow the glorious beauty and purity and harmony of creation capture your heart.  Celebrate the truth that God made us to know Him and share that truth with someone this week.
 

 
John Whaley
National Pioneer, The Rooftop US

 Is God's timetable too slow for you sometimes? I sometimes think it is too slow. In John chapter eleven, we read about the death of Lazarus. Mary and Martha sent word to their dear beloved friend Jesus to let him know their brother Lazarus had become very ill. They expected Jesus to come to heal their brother, but he did not come, and they wondered why. However, Jesus had different plans, He told the disciples, and "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it". He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus very much but stayed in Galilee teaching and healing the sick.

Two days later, Jesus told his disciples that it was time to go to Judea to see Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. When they arrived, they learned that Lazarus had been dead for four days. Martha told Jesus that if he had come sooner, her brother would not have died. Nevertheless, Jesus went to the grave deeply moved, asking to have the stone removed from the tomb. Martha said, "But Lord, he's been dead four days and stinketh." Jesus told her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God." Then Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out," and Lazarus came out of the tomb.

We can learn several lessons from this story.  We often get discouraged as Mary and Martha did because God does not answer our prayers immediately or on our timetable. However, think of all the people Jesus had the opportunity to heal and teach during those two days. Jesus was God's Son and knew the Father's plan and His timetable. It was not God's plan to heal Lazarus. He wanted to glorify his Son by raising Lazarus from the dead. Isn't it great that when we think God is four days late by our timetable, He is still on time? 

Our finite minds simply cannot grasp God's infinite ways of answering our prayers. We have no idea how many times we have prayed, and He is waiting for the proper time to respond. Sometimes God needs to work on our hearts, our character, or another person before he can answer our prayers. We often have to remind ourselves that God's way and timing are perfect. He knows best! Even when we think God is too late, He is still on time.

I just talked with a friend on the telephone that has been praying for a prodigal grandchild to come back to the Lord for a long time. Many grandparents have been praying for their prodigals to return. It is hard to wait, but we have to continue to pray and wait for God's timing. 

Is God's timetable too slow for you sometimes?

• Are you getting tired of waiting on God to answer your prayers for your grandchildren?
• Are you disappointed and frustrated because God is not answering on your timetable?
• Does God want to develop character in your life or in the lives of your grandchildren before He is ready to answer?
• How do you respond when God does not answer your prayers according to your plans?

Prayer: Dear Father, I want to thank you for the privilege to bring my concerns to you. Give me patience as I wait for you to work out your plan and your timing to answer my prayers. Help me to trust you and your Word as I wait for you to answer my prayers.  In Jesus Name, Amen 

By Lillian Penner, Author, Grandparenting with a Purpose, www.gdptpr.com