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Psalm 22:19-21
But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! (20) Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! (21) Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

You do come quickly to my aid. You are always there but I am not always listening. So often I am so busy beating off the pack of wild dogs that I do not see You there, begging for the opportunity to pick me up and lift me out of harm's way. Continue, Lord, to break that pride and sense of self-sufficiency.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.

Join us on September 16th at 9:00PM for our time for Prayer for Revival.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is calling men to unite together in prayer for revival. Register now to join us each third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 PM Eastern time, as we lift our voices together by teleconference to pray for revival.

You must register for this special activity. Each month you will receive a reminder and materials to help you in preparing to pray for revival. You will also be given instructions on the various ways that you can connect with our teleconference. For those who are interested, our prayer coordinator, Carl Waggoner, is available to help you begin a Prayer for Revival group in your home or church, using the materials available through this ministry.
But you must register.



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Dear praying friends,

You may have seen the Prayerwalking Guide for Sept 11 that I posted recently. You can read below for more information about it. Now, a Spanish translation is available, too. You can download both of them here:



If you have trouble downloading either prayer guide above, you can easily download them from the WayMakers home page, www.waymakers.org, and print as many copies as you need for others.


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August 27, 2010

Dear friends,

I want you to know about a resource we’ve just produced. It’s a prayerwalking guide designed to be used on September 11. It’s easy and free to download and print. Make all the copies you’d like to invite others to join you. Go to http://www.waymakers.org to download the pdf file.

September 11 falls on a Saturday this year, which is usually the easiest day to bring together a few friends to prayerwalk a portion of your community. Someone had the cool idea of prayerwalking between 9:00 am and 11:00 am on 9-11.

Thousands of people will be doing this, including some in every state of the union. Please think about organizing a prayerwalk near your workplace or around your neighborhood on the morning of September 11.

I wrote this prayer guide with the encouragement of our friends who are organizing the Cry Out America! initiative. Go to http://www.awakeningamerica.us to find out what Cry Out America! is all about. Many will be organizing gatherings at government centers and courthouses at noon on that day. The last prayer on this prayer guide is designed to be read in unison at those gatherings.

Recent events have made this September 11 to be an even more important time for Christians to pray in hope for God’s life and love to be revealed in our land. We need to pray in ways that go beyond our partisan opinions. We can easily cheapen our public praying as political posturing unless wedeepen our praying by grounding our hope in God’s Word.

Yours in hope,

Steve Hawthorne
Director, WayMakers

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Psalm 22:12-18
Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet--I can count all my bones-- they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Lord, as I read the account of Your crucifixion again this morning, I noted that you did not respond to Pilate's taunts. You said nothing and nowhere in the account is there any indication of You vocalizing the pain and suffering, only that heart wrenching cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Lord, You suffered separation from God for me, an awful separation so that I might be ransomed from sin. Praise You, my Lord and my Master

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.

Join us on September 16th at 9:00PM for our time for Prayer for Revival.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is calling men to unite together in prayer for revival. Register now to join us each third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 PM Eastern time, as we lift our voices together by teleconference to pray for revival.

You must register for this special activity. Each month you will receive a reminder and materials to help you in preparing to pray for revival. You will also be given instructions on the various ways that you can connect with our teleconference. For those who are interested, our prayer coordinator, Carl Waggoner, is available to help you begin a Prayer for Revival group in your home or church, using the materials available through this ministry.
But you must register.



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Fiber Optic Christians

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As I looked at our Christmas tree one year, God spoke to my heart and showed me an image of Christ as the source of all light and disciples of Christ as the fibers shining the light of Christ into the world. What a simple way to explain a complex and detailed work.


In Genesis we read God’s first spoken words, “Let there be light.” And there was light. In John we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:1-5. If we read a little farther we see that John the baptist came to witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.


It arrived in the form of a baby, born of a virgin, a baby whose name was Jesus. Which brings us back to the Christmas tree. Everyone gets so upset because people try to outdo one another with Christmas lights and I must admit that some people really do go overboard. However, as I looked at the lights this year, I was once again reminded of the reason we celebrate Christmas. Jesus, the light of the world, came into the world on a holy night. It seems fitting that we announce to the world with bright lights that Jesus has been born.


The funny thing is that many of the people who decorate their homes with lights may not even know the reason for the celebration. They are celebrating a season of giving, or a time of happiness and gift giving not really knowing what has prompted the celebration.


As Christians, it is up to us to show the light of Christ to this dark world. But how can we show it unless we know something about the characteristics of this light? What does the light of Jesus look like?


We know that this light came from God, he is the one who spoke it into existence. In order to have a relationship with God, we have to come into his light. We have to embrace the light that shines from him. But caution is urged in running toward the light because scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. How then can we know if we are in the light of Christ? What red flags are we looking for and what exactly are we to be aware of?


One of the first things that I thought about when I realized that Satan masquerades as an angel of light was “televangelists.” You know those guys on the Christian networks who make their living from the goodwill offerings that people send to their ministries. They offer prosperity and blessings if you support them, they receive glory for the healings they perform. There are many who try to persuade us that they have an inside track to God.


Paul told the believers in Corinth, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other then the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted...” your minds may somehow be led astray.(2 Corinthians 11:4) A very wise woman once told me, “If someone tries to tell you that they know more about Christ than what the Bible teaches. Or if they have another book for you to read or a new revelation other than what the Bible says, run away from them as fast as you can.” They are masquerading as angels of light and only want to lead you astray."


So how do we know what Jesus’ light looks like? We read about him in the Bible and see the things he did. It seems that everywhere Jesus went he spread love, he healed, he shared the love of God and people were encouraged and blessed. Basically, he produced good fruit.


What kind of fruit are you producing? Are people blessed when you walk into a room, do they want to spend time with you? Are you speaking encouraging words over those around you or are you negative and full of despair? To be a reflection of the light of Jesus, we have to reflect the qualities he had.


What happens when we reflect these qualities? Is anything changed? Sometimes we don’t see the changes that we make in others lives when we shine on them. But sometimes God lets us witness the growth and see the transforming power of his love.


My husband is an example. When we got married, he was a marginal believer. His family life did not have a foundation of a belief in Christ Jesus, his parents never attended church. I was raised in a family of believers, we prayed before we ate, we attended church every week, my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were devout Christians who passed on their faith. As the years passed and the light of Christ was shone on him year after year, the day came when he made a commitment to Christ and began to have a personal relationship with him. I have seen the transformation with my own eyes.


The key to transformation is to just keep shining. No matter what your circumstances, no matter what life gives you, no matter how you feel or where you are - Jesus is still your source of power and his light never stops shining.


Father,

You are so awesome and so amazing, we give you praise and we thank you for the example we have in Christ Jesus. We want to stay close to him and we want his love to shine through us everyday, everywhere. Protect us from the evil one who would like to deceive us and lead us astray. May we only show your light and your love. In Jesus name. Amen.

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ATTENTION: All Christians, Churches, Youth & College Groups!

40 DAYS+ Into the Streets of America
Praying Daily for a Great Awakening!

What: Calling all Christians to begin DAILY Prayer at the Flagpoles across America.

Why: Our nation is hanging in the balance, and God is calling and counting on His Leaders, His Church, to rise up in Unity in Repentance and fervent Prayer on a massive scale – until we see America turn back to God.

When: Begins Wednesday, September 22nd and continues for 40days+ until we see a true Great Awakening sweep across America. Hear the vision describing the coming Great Awakening.

Where: Praying at American Flagpoles everywhere – Government buildings, Universities, Colleges, Schools, Businesses, Communities, etc..

Who: Mobilization of Christians, churches, and young people all across the nation. If your Church is not yet participating, please encourage them to begin ASAP and to connect with us here.

A United Effort: The "Pray, America! Pray" Campaign is launching this in unison with the "See You at the Pole" event on Sept. 22nd, and also Pray & A.C.T. calling for 40 days of fasting and prayer beginning Sept. 20th.

PRAY, AMERICA! PRAY!

Help Us Take Prayer into the Streets of America!
It’s time to saturate our nation with PRAYER! Join us and help get the Word out by sharing this with everyone you know! Especially with Youth and College and Career Pastors at your Church!

Together, We Can Change A Nation!



Prayer Guide




"Pray, America! Pray!" is a United Call for National Repentance:
From the Pulpit, to the Pew, then to the Multitudes...

Pray America! Pray! Logo

www.pray-america-pray.org

A ministry of Shekinah Today Ministries

© 2010 Shekinah Today Ministries & "Pray, America! Pray!" All Rights Reserved

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How Personal Prayer Hurts Corporate Prayer

In most churches in the western world, only a small fraction of believers participate in expressions of corporate prayer. This is a sad statement, and it is the reason why the American church is virtually powerless.


One of the most significant reasons why many do not participate is that corporate prayer in most churches is not corporate prayer, but personal prayer done in a group. By that I mean, usually everyone brings their own prayer practices into the larger group. This can make the prayer time dull and frustrating for many participants.

Here are two personal prayer practices that hinder true corporate prayer:

1. Long Prayers that Remember Everything. Many people forget that they are praying with others. When they launch into prayer, they pray as long as they would if at home (5 to 15 minutes or more) and remember everything on the prayer list. So the prayer time becomes only four or five people filling the hour, each praying a long prayer that goes over everything again. This group can never grow because there isn’t time for more people to pray. It also is intimidating to newer believers who aren’t used to praying long prayers. Powerful corporate prayer should cover one topic at a time and people praying only about that theme.

2. My Agenda Should Be Your Agenda. Many prayer groups are killed by people who refuse to accept that the group is to focus on a specific prayer topic (for example: community transformation). Those people bring up what they would pray for in their own prayer time, the things that are on their own hearts, their cousin’s health need, a missionary they support, etc. In most prayer groups, the leader doesn’t stop this, thinking it would be cruel not to pray for whatever is brought up. But this weakens the group dynamic and says that everyone’s agenda is more important than that of the church leader who is given the responsibility of leading the prayer group. I have watched many prayer groups start well, only to eventually die out because they reverted to being a session to pray for everyone’s agendas.

If a church wants to see a weekly corporate prayer time grow, it may very well need to address this issue. Is your group struggling because your prayer times are dominated by personal prayer practices rather than corporate ones?

-Jonathan Graf is the president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network. His desire is to see churches become prayer-based. He is available for prayer weekends and consulting with your leadership team. Contact him at jong@harvestprayer.com.

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Psalm 22:9-11
Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.

Lord, I am so far from that immediate response, "Not my will, but Yours be done." And when I do get there, it is the result of a battle within my spirit to yield to You. Help me, Lord, guide me, Holy Spirit, to trust You completely and to live my life on the basis that You will be my shield and my buckler.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.

Join us on September 16th at 9:00PM for our time for Prayer for Revival.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is calling men to unite together in prayer for revival. Register now to join us each third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 PM Eastern time, as we lift our voices together by teleconference to pray for revival.

You must register for this special activity. Each month you will receive a reminder and materials to help you in preparing to pray for revival. You will also be given instructions on the various ways that you can connect with our teleconference. For those who are interested, our prayer coordinator, Carl Waggoner, is available to help you begin a Prayer for Revival group in your home or church, using the materials available through this ministry.
But you must register.



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Psalm 22:6-8
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; "He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

Lord, I fear scorn and rejection. Give me the strength to stand as You stood, to trust in the Father to deliver as You trusted, to obey the will of the Father as You obeyed. Lord, make me in Your image.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.


Join us on September 16th at 9:00PM for our time for Prayer for Revival.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is calling men to unite together in prayer for revival. Register now to join us each third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 PM Eastern time, as we lift our voices together by teleconference to pray for revival.

You must register for this special activity. Each month you will receive a reminder and materials to help you in preparing to pray for revival. You will also be given instructions on the various ways that you can connect with our teleconference. For those who are interested, our prayer coordinator, Carl Waggoner, is available to help you begin a Prayer for Revival group in your home or church, using the materials available through this ministry.
But you must register.



Read more…

Praying As a United Community for Our Children, Teachers, Parents and Schools by Linda D. Fegins

Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children" (Lam. 2:19).

It’s back to school time. There have been back to school rallies. Many ministries have been calling for prayer for the children, teachers, administrators and school staff as they return back to school. The day of September 1, 2010 Messiah Baptist Church Intercessory Prayer Team under the guidance of Kimberly Bracey ( Team Leader Linda Fegins) as well as various ministries such as the Global Prayer Intercessors founded by Minetta Hare, and the Lydia Circle Prayer Team ( Director Linda Fegins) held prayer meetings by conference call, three way telephone calls and at church praying for protection, guidance and wisdom for our school children , youth and college students , parents and staff. There is no doubt that “Moms In Touch International” (MITI) founded by Fern Nichols, a group of mothers around the country who simply desire to affect communities and schools through the power of prayer have been going before the throne of God. A diversified group of mothers of MITI serve as prayer warriors who battle in the spiritual realm for the lives of children and teenagers as they go off to school for at least one hour every week. They are women united with one purpose: a passion to pray for their children.

Through prayer, our lives, our children’s lives, and our world can be changed. Public schools, such as the Detroit Public School system, and other inner-city schools around the nation with all the violence, disorganization, poor administration, and politics on the school boards can be transformed by prayer. Then change will occur by our obedience if God calls us to action. He will show us how to use the power that believers have within through the Holy Spirit to transform our schools. Through united consistent prayer, God will give us the power, wisdom, knowledge, and creativity to solve the many school problems that plague our city schools and school board. Through prayer the right leaders will arise and the community should be able to come together to take productive and strategic action.

Believe that intercessors can change your school district with the weapon of prayer. Believe that positive results will occur such as peace and safety, better test scores, higher graduation rates, and more school funds to meet the needs of our children. Pray that student-led prayer groups will spring forth. Yes, the crisis in our schools is discouraging and is wide spread. But remember that where sin increases, grace increases all the more (see Ro. 5:20).

I know that many intercessors already have prayer assignments from the Lord. But I would challenge the intercessors, parents and teachers to ask Him if He might also want you to "adopt" a public school for your prayer agenda.

Prayer Points for Our Children, Teachers, Parents and Administrators

Finally for what should we pray? We want to pray specifically and effectively on one accord. I have a few suggestions; some are what the Lord has given me and others I have gathered from other prayer warriors and other articles on prayer.

Children and Youth

Pray:

  • Daily for the safety of our children and that God will deliver them from evil and thwart every scheme of the enemy.
  • Pray that our children will be open to learning new knowledge and that God would give them the wisdom to know how to understand and use that knowledge. We need to pray that our children have the ability to discriminate between good knowledge and bad knowledge. Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older he will remain upon it. (Proverbs 22:6)
  • Pray that our children will be serious minded and work hard to acquire both secular and spiritual knowledge. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
  • Pray for the hearts of the students to be receptive to the gospel of peace and that God will call many to Himself. (Acts 2:38-40)
  • Pray for our sons and daughters to make wise choices and to develop solid friendships with those who are following God. (Psalms 144;12-15)
  • Pray for relief of those children who are homeless and need shelter, food and health care. Pray that Christ will restore their home for the future. (Psalms 107:41)
  • Ask God to cause your children to be examples for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (I Timothy 4:12)
  • Pray for those students that experience rejection and bullying from other students and teachers. Ask God to provide them with people that love and respect them unconditionally. (John 13:34; Romans 15:7)
  • Pray for those students that are struggling academically. Ask God to encourage them and strengthen their minds. Pray that God will give their teachers and parent’s wisdom to know how to best help them learn.
  • Pray they will not feel like failures, but will learn discipline. (I Thessalonians 5:14)

Teachers

Pray:

  • Pray for our school teachers to have the wisdom needed to effectively impart knowledge to their students. A wise teacher makes learning a joy… (Proverbs 15:2a)
  • Pray for our school teachers that God will give them the grace to deal with day-to-day frustrations and problems.
  • Pray that our school teachers would exhibit the life of Christ before our children. That they would be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.
  • Pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more effective teachers with integrity for our schools. ( See Matthew 9:38)
  • Ask God to rise up Godly educators who are dedicated to their field and can capture the hearts and minds of our nation’s youth on each level of education. (Colossians 1:9-10)
  • Pray our educators will pray unceasingly for guidance and wisdom to become the examples to their students. (I Peter 2:21) Pray they will know how to pray for their students.
  • Pray that teachers will impart godly wisdom to form godly character in their students. (Luke 6:40)

Parents

Pray:

  • Pray for parents that they will love and support their children’s education at school, at home, and at church.
  • Pray for family stability and that God’s principles for the family will be honored and promoted in our schools. (Genesis 28:14)
  • Pray “Lord, without your help we are helpless, so as parents, be our guide as to how we can best communicate and encourage our teachers and how we can train our children.”

Administrators

Pray:

  • Pray for the standard of excellence to be restored in our educational institutes and that our educators will pass on that spirit of excellence, requiring excellence, rather than sloth and ignorance. (Ecclesiastes 2:13-14)
  • Pray for the needed tools and proper facilities to teach our children.(Philippians 4:19)
  • Pray for the election of godly leaders on our school boards and in the administration of our schools. (I Timothy 2:1)
  • Pray for the support staff in the schools to treat the children with dignity and respect.

Pray Fervently,
Linda D. Fegins
Prayer Director,Lydia Circle of Christian Professional and Business Women
Writer in the Anthology -"Tali Cumi: Daughters Arise"
Writer in the Anthology -"It's Worth the Struggle- Inspiration for Contemporary Writers"
Christian Dramatist, "Sojourner Truth", "Eve" etc.
Sunday School and Christian Education Teacher
Linda's Report Blog http://instanter.wordpress.com/
The Prayer Leader http://ladyofprayer.com

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Churches, Business and Government leaders in San Diego County preparing for a great harvest of souls that during San Diego CityFest on Sept. 11, 2010. (See more at www.sandiegocityfest.com)

During the Season of Service (see http://www.sandiegocityfest.com/season_of_service), over 450 churches have been working together to mobilize more than 45,000 volunteers to serve in San Diego communities!

San Diego CityFest is a day of celebration and proclamation. Celebrating all that was accomplished through the Season of Service, the festival features Luis Palau and partner evangelists sharing the Gospel. Christians who served in the Season of Service invite their unbelieving friends, giving them the opportunity to respond to the Good News.

We are asking that members of prayer and ministry networks “strive together in prayer” with San Diego leaders by investing 1 hour of prayer for a tremendous work of grace in San Diego County during the: “36 Hours of Prayer for the Harvest”: From Friday, September 10 at 1pm through Sunday, September 12 at 1am.

This begins with prayer and anointing of the Main Stage with Luis Palau and ends with hundreds of changed people who responded to the Gospel being connected with local churches.

Please reply to let us know that you will be partnering with San Diego CityFest in prayer! If your ministry network would like to volunteer for a particular hour or hours, please let us know so that we can update our “36 Hours of Prayer for the Harvest” calendar.

Will you beseech heaven on behalf of souls in San Diego County? We pray that you will! Thanks in advance for your prayerful consideration and prayer partnership.

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Psalm 22:3-5
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Give me a strong and vibrant faith, Lord, infuse me with Your Holy Spirit, let me be filled to overflowing and an example of the transforming power of Your love and obedience. Lord, help me in my weakness.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.
Join us on September 16th at 9:00PM for our time for Prayer for Revival.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is calling men to unite together in prayer for revival. Register now to join us each third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 PM Eastern time, as we lift our voices together by teleconference to pray for revival.

You must register for this special activity. Each month you will receive a reminder and materials to help you in preparing to pray for revival. You will also be given instructions on the various ways that you can connect with our teleconference. For those who are interested, our prayer coordinator, Carl Waggoner, is available to help you begin a Prayer for Revival group in your home or church, using the materials available through this ministry.
But you must register.


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Watching and Waiting

There is a difference in watching “for” and watching “with”. Most of the time we are watching “for” God to reply, respond, act, etc. In the midst of Gethsemane grief, Jesus asked His disciples to “watch with” Him (Matthew 26:40). Unable to do so, they opted instead for a few moments of sleep, watching and waiting only for Him to finish praying. While we may not opt for sleep, seldom do we “watch with” Him. We conclude that we are far too busy for such passive activity. We’ve got things to do, places to go, people to see. How could we possibly spend time simply “watching?” When will be learn that quiet time is never wasted time when it is spent with Him? The disciples would later learn not only to “watch with” Him on one occasion, but for the rest of their lives. Fanny Crosby, who due to her blindness, could not “watch” as most of us can, wrote, “Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in His love.” May He never have to ask of us, “Could you not watch with me” (Matthew 26:40)?

To receive "Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo" free every Monday via e-mail go to www.discipleallnations.org/blog and subscribe.

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Voices Together for Monday, 6 September 2010
Psalm 22:1-2
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? (2) O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

Lord, I cannot comprehend the depth and agony of Your separation from the Father. There is nothing in my life that gives me any clue to understanding this. I can accept it, I can believe it, I can act upon the truth of it but I cannot understand it. And while You love me, it was obedience to Your Father's will that brought You here. Cost was not a consideration.

And so for me, lesson 1 is that I must be obedient to the Father's will and to Yours. Cost is not a consideration. I must dedicate my all to You.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.

Join us on September 16th at 9:00PM for our time for Prayer for Revival.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is calling men to unite together in prayer for revival. Register now to join us each third Thursday of the month, 9:00-10:00 PM Eastern time, as we lift our voices together by teleconference to pray for revival.

You must register for this special activity. Each month you will receive a reminder and materials to help you in preparing to pray for revival. You will also be given instructions on the various ways that you can connect with our teleconference. For those who are interested, our prayer coordinator, Carl Waggoner, is available to help you begin a Prayer for Revival group in your home or church, using the materials available through this ministry.
But you must register.



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Psalm 119:59
When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies;

When I think on my ways -- I need to examine the direction in which I am going in the light of Your testimonies. Am I walking according to the Word of the Lord? Am I honoring You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? Am I loving my neighbor? Your testimonies will tell me. Your Holy Spirit will convict me and lead me onto that Way which is according to Your Word.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.


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We are not alone!

We mention praying for each other all the time and toss it around like most people toss out “hello” as a greeting. I’m certainly not opposed to this but have you ever had someone who was truly a prayer warrior tell you that they are praying for you? I’ve experienced it on a few occasions and can tell you it is both humbling and unbelievably encouraging!So as I’ve spent the last few weeks reading, blogging, preaching and reflecting on the Holy Spirit and His role as our Guide on this journey through life I’ve come to have a much greater appreciation for Him as our divine prayer partner. Look at what Paul writes in his letter to the disciples in Rome…In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. ~ Romans 8:26-27My prayers were much more specific when I was a younger Christian; I was fairly certain of what God was up to. I guess I assumed that I’d know more as I grew older and offer up prayers with even more detail, but I was wrong. The older I get the more I see life as God’s story and only He knows where the storyline will go next.So I find myself praying a bit more generally these days; asking God to accomplish His purposes within His story even when I have no clue what that will look like. Through the years I’ve had various situations about which I simply didn’t know what to pray, but I’d never experienced it to the degree I have these last 10 months.I have to admit that not even having words to offer up to God initially struck me as a little disheartening; sort of like “Gee, what’s wrong with me?” But lately I’ve become much more comfortable because I realize that it doesn’t all depend on me. Paul says that the Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray. (Heavy sigh of relief)What a comfort! What an encouragement! We have a divine prayer partner who is constantly interceding for us! I… I’m not sure how to express the depth of gratitude I feel.We are not alone!PS - Rick also blogs at www.ilifejourney.wordpress.com
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Psalm 21:13
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

You are the Lord of Glory, the Mighty One, the Lord of Heaven and earth, You are from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning and without end, without equal, LORD God Almighty.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.


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A prayerwalking guide for Sept 11

Pray! Network friends, I want you to see this e-mail I recently sent:


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Dear friends,

I want you to know about a resource we’ve just produced. It’s a prayerwalking guide designed to be used on September 11. It’s easy and free to download and print. Make all the copies you’d like to invite others to join you. Go to http://www.waymakers.org to download the pdf file.

September 11 falls on a Saturday this year, which is usually the easiest day to bring together a few friends to prayerwalk a portion of your community. Someone had the cool idea of prayerwalking between 9:00 am and 11:00 am on 9-11.

Thousands of people will be doing this, including some in every state of the union. Please think about organizing a prayerwalk near your workplace or around your neighborhood on the morning of September 11.

I wrote this prayer guide with the encouragement of our friends who are organizing the Cry Out America! initiative. Go to http://www.awakeningamerica.us to find out what Cry Out America! is all about. Many will be organizing gatherings at government centers and courthouses at noon on that day. The last prayer on this prayer guide is designed to be read in unison at those gatherings.

Recent events have made this September 11 to be an even more important time for Christians to pray in hope for God’s life and love to be revealed in our land. We need to pray in ways that go beyond our partisan opinions. We can easily cheapen our public praying as political posturing unless wedeepen our praying by grounding our hope in God’s Word.

Yours in hope,

Steve Hawthorne
Director, WayMakers

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Prayer As Spiritual WarfarePrintE-mail

By Dave Butts

My favorite Bible story is found in 2 Kings 6. It is the story of the prophet Elisha and his involvement in the war between Israel and the Arameans. The king of the Arameans had declared war against Israel, which wasn’t a good thing for Israel with its smaller army. The Aramean king called his generals together and gave them the battle plans for the attack on Israel. The one thing that the king hadn’t planned on was that God was listening to the strategy as well. He told Elisha the enemy plans, who then immediately passed the information on to the King of Israel. With his much smaller army, the Israelite king simply moved his army out of the way and avoided defeat.

After a couple of fiascoes like this, the king of the Arameans became suspicious. He called his generals in and demanded to know who was leaking information to the Israelites. His generals explained that it wasn’t any of them, but the prophet Elisha who had revealed the plans. They explained to the king that Elisha knew everything that went on, even the things in the king’s own bedchamber.

Upset over this information, the king began to make plans to take care of the prophet who was interfering in his attempts at conquest. The king’s new strategy was really simple. Go after one man…. Elisha! In 2 Kings chapter six, the story continues with Elisha and his young servant in the little village of Dothan. We can imagine what it must have been like that morning. The servant got up first, as was his custom, to go outside and prepare breakfast for his master. As he walked outside he looked in terror about him, as he saw the entire army of the Arameans surrounding the tiny village. He rushed back in and woke up the prophet. Can’t you see Elisha walking outside the hut, muttering and rubbing the sleep from his eyes? The first words out of his mouth were amazing, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." His young servant had to be thinking, "Wait a minute. There are just two of us. Prophets must be lousy mathematicians."

Then Elisha began to pray. What is astonishing in his prayer is what he didn’t pray. He didn’t begin to panic by praying, "Oh Lord, save us from this army." Instead, there was this calm, yet amazing request: "Lord, open this young man’s eyes." I believe the implied meaning was, "Lord, open this young man’s eyes so that he can see what is already there."

Elisha’s prayer was answered immediately as his servant’s eyes were opened and he saw there, surrounding the army of the Arameans, the army of heaven --a host of angels, decked out in battle armor, ready to move at God’s command.

I’ll let you read the conclusion of the story on your own. It has a fascinating finish. The point of the story for our purposes is that Elisha did not ask God to send angels. With his prophet’s discernment he saw or sensed their presence. His prayer was for his young servant, that he too, would be able to know of the protective presence of God’s angels on their behalf.

The Bible teaches, from beginning to end, of the existence of the invisible world, the world of the spirit. A world of angels and demons, yet a world that we touch daily as those who have been given not merely a body, but a spirit. This invisible world is difficult to believe in for many of us today. We tend to focus on that which our senses tell us is real. Things we can touch, taste, smell, hear, or see are real to us. An invisible world of the spirit seems a bit unreal or mystical.

One of the things I love about the way God’s Word presents the things of the spirit, is the way it stays away from the mystical or unreal. It presents the unseen world as simply a matter-of-fact. There are things that are seen; there are things that are unseen. Both are real. One is not more real than the other. The invisible world is not a matter of myth but of solid, well-grounded reality.

Jesus had a firm grasp of this reality. He was aware of and interacted with this invisible world on a regular basis. After His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days of prayer and fasting. During this time He encountered the Devil and was faced with a time of temptation. The battle is not presented with a flourish as if to say, "This was a unique, once-for-all battle reserved only for the Son of God." Instead, it almost seems as though it is a model of what may happen to any believer who makes a decision to follow at all costs, the direction of God. At any rate, the battle in the wilderness was not waged with miraculous signs, but with a clear-headed use of the Word of God to counter the suggestions of the Enemy.

As Jesus moved through His years of ministry in His earthly body, He encountered the invisible realm a number of times. There was the time He was preparing to go to Jerusalem and Peter spoke up against the trip. Jesus turned to him, and we can almost see Him pointing His finger in Peter’s direction as He said, "Get behind Me Satan."

How unnerving that must have been for Simon Peter! I don’t believe Jesus was calling Peter, "Satan," but rather was responding to Satan himself. Jesus understood how Satan could put words into the mouths of others, like Peter, and simply went to the root of the problem with His rebuke. By the way, if Satan could put his thoughts into the mind of the Apostle Peter, do you suppose he can do the same to us? I’m convinced that one of the major reasons for the many commands given in Scriptures regarding watching what we say, is the possibility that our words, unchecked, may contain the thoughts of the Enemy.

There is another encounter with the unseen world that gives great insight into Jesus’ beliefs concerning the role of the Enemy in human affairs. It concerned a healing of a woman who had experienced a crippling for 18 years. She was so bent over that she couldn’t stand up straight. Jesus healed her on the Sabbath. In response to His critics, He said, "Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"

Jesus believed and taught that, at least some illness can be caused by the Enemy. He did not teach that all illness is from Satan, but that some may find its source in the spirit world.

Have you ever noticed, as you read the Gospels, how many times demons manifest themselves in the midst of Jesus’ times of teaching? Jesus gave us a great model for dealing with the demonic. He interrupted His teaching just long enough to get rid of the distraction, then turned immediately back to His teaching. His focus was not on the kingdom of darkness, but on God’s Kingdom. Jesus did not have a deliverance ministry, in the sense that He went out looking for demons to cast out of people. He went about proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven. When a demon had the audacity to interrupt, Jesus dealt decisively with it.

The Apostle Paul continued the attitude of his Master toward the invisible world. He clearly saw Satan as a real, created being, who was scheming against God and those who followed the ways of God. In 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, Paul spoke of the importance of forgiveness, "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." Later in 2 Corinthians he spoke of the god of this age (a clear reference to Satan) who is blinding the minds of unbelievers. In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul warned us that in later times (ours?) some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

It is Paul who began to develop a military terminology for this spiritual conflict. He referred to Christians as soldiers. He told us that we do not wage war as this world does, but rather we use spiritual weapons. Then in Ephesians 6:10-18, he gave us this great treatise on spiritual warfare with special emphasis on putting on the armor of God.

Not to be left out, the Apostle Peter added his teaching concerning the battle in 1 Peter 5:8-9: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him….". In his second letter, he wrote of angels who sinned, whom God sent to hell to be held for judgment (2 Pet.2:4). In his short letter, Jude also spoke of these fallen angels, and gave us the amazing story of how the archangel Michael got into a dispute with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 9).

It’s obvious the New Testament authors took spiritual warfare seriously. We ignore it to our detriment and danger. Certainly some may go too far in their practice of this doctrine. We often hear reference to some Christian teacher who sees a demon behind every bush. I doubt demons are much interested in bushes, but the point is well taken. If we are not careful, we can end up focusing more on the devil than Jesus. But much of the Church in the last century has taken the opposite tactic of simply ignoring or denying the devil.

There is however, a growing awareness today in the Church that our battle is real and against that ages-old Enemy whom the saints have always faced. The good news of the Bible is that our victory is sure and is based on the victory of Jesus over the enemy at the Cross and the empty tomb. Our job in prayer is to walk in that victory, putting on the armor of God, and watchfully praying for God’s Kingdom to triumph in our day.

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Psalm 21:8-12
Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.

Your word provides a clear delineation between those who love You and those who hate You. It is a clearly marked path of obedience to Your Word, with either side being lives of misery and suffering but the path is one of light and love. Lord, I lift up each one known to me who is not on that path, praying that the eyes of their heart will be opened to the beauty of Your Word.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.


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Psalm 21:3-7
For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

Lord, You are delivering me from my enemies. From lust, greed, pride, self-will, stubbornness, sloth, and others. One at a time, slowly putting me through tests and trials to mature my faith and to make me into an example of Your transforming power. Praise You, my Lord and my Master.

Voices Together is taken from my daily meditations and is shared in the hope that others will be encouraged to use the Psalms as a basis for their own prayers, It is available in other formats including a daily e-mail, as a weekly bulletin insert for churches and for use in prison ministry, and published as an annual devotional.


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