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How You can Stand in the Gap with Prayer for your Grandchildren

Posted by Lillian Penner on January 2, 2017 at 13:32

How You can Stand in the Gap with Prayer for your Grandchildren

Years ago, Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Jews when their lives were physically threatened. Today grandparents can stand in the gap with prayer for their grandchildren in the same way as their spiritual lives are threatened.  9651028494?profile=original

I would like to invite you to become a part of a prayer group for grandparents to pray together for each other’s grandchildren and families.  At this time there are 30 G@P groups meeting in the U.S and South Africa, and interested groups in Australia.

There is an urgency for the power of prayer to keep the hearts and minds of our grandchildren from falling captive to the enemy’s deception and lies. We are engaged in a spiritual battle that requires the spiritual weapon of prayer.

As grandparents, we can make a significant difference in the world by praying regularly and intentionally for our grandchildren and their parents. We have an opportunity join together to powerfully touch the lives of another generation.

Grandparent @ Prayer (G@P) intercessory prayer groups consist of small or large groups of people meeting once or twice a month for approximately one hour at a designated location for prayer and fellowship. Groups are meeting in retirement centers, schools, churches, and homes weekly.

The beginning of 2017 would be a great time to get started, just ask a few grandparents to join you, try it for a few months, and see what you think. Many grandparents have told me that they appreciate a safe place to share their concerns for their grandchildren.

Please go to https://www.christiangrandparenting.net/prayer/grandparents-prayer/participate-in-gap to sign up to receive the eBook “The Prayer Ministry of Christian Grandparenting Network “.   You may also email me at lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net indicating that you would like to receive the eBook “The Prayer Ministry of Christian Grandparentring Network.”

By Lillian Penner, Prayer Coordinator, Christian Grandparenting Network.

 

 

 

 

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Be a part of the 22 Days of Fire

Posted by Fr. Michael Carl on December 28, 2016 at 14:49

New Year’s Day is coming and rather than just celebrating the turn of a calendar page, let’s make the day meaningful by seeking a fresh touch from the Lord!

Urge your church to become a part of, ’22 Days of Fire.’ It’s a Christ-centered way to start out the new year.

The first step this year is the New Year’s Day worship service, including prayer to rededicate your life and your church to the Lord and His purposes. A fellowship meal after the service would be a way to unify the people behind the vision for the fast.

The next step is a 21-day Daniel Fast until January 22nd.

A Daniel fast is patterned after Daniel’s fast in Daniel chapter one. Generally it consists of eating fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products, maybe eggs. While it’s not a rigid fast, to be genuine, you shouldn’t eat meat (including fish), junk/snack food, nor sweets (candy, desserts, donuts, etc.).

Each week has a specific focus:

+The first seven days of the Daniel Fast are to seek His mercy.

+The next seven days are to seek His wisdom and specific direction.

+The last seven days of the Daniel Fast are to seek His power and anointing for your life and for your church.

It’s recommended that everyone participating in this time of prayer and fasting have a prayer meeting during each week of the 21-day fast. Share what the Lord has shown you during the time.

If ever there was a time in our nation’s history when we need to seek the Lord it’s now! Let us join together to seek the Lord’s heart for our church, for our nation, and for our own walk with the Lord.9651028260?profile=original

For more information, you can go to the web page http://www.ctknorthshore.org/22-days-of-fire.html

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THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS

Posted by David Young on December 27, 2016 at 13:52

Even though Christmas day is past, it is a good thing to think about the meaning of the birth of Christ, just as Mary pondered all those things in her heart. (Luke 2:19)
This may surprise you, but the purpose of Christmas is missions. Jesus was the apostle, or missionary, sent to us by God. Hebrews 3:1 reads,
"Therefore, holy brothers and companions in the heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession."
But this verse assumes that if you ponder His mission, you must recognize that we are also united in this heavenly calling. All who come to Him are called.
Most of us hold dearly to the promise of Romans 8:28.
"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God:"
And you know I did not quote the entire verse here. The verse concludes,
"those who are called according to His purpose."
That's you. You too are called. This does not necessarily mean you are called to stand in the pulpit and preach. It may not mean that God is sending you to Bangladesh. But God has a specific purpose for your life. And your calling is crucial to the Kingdom of God.
Listen for His calling. And pray that He will be glorified as you do whatever God has called you to do. Pray that God will touch the lives of people who live and work around you, that they might receive Jesus who was sent to them at Christmas.

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Wonders of His Love

Posted by Rob Griepentrog on December 27, 2016 at 10:30
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love. (Final verse of Joy to the World)

God's love is wondrous, and is most often witnessed, received, and appreciated when we stop our busy lives to still ourselves before Him.  His love is on full display throughout His creation, and should especially be expressed in and through His children. 

But few Christians devote time into sharing that love through prayer or by evangelizing the lost.  If you find yourself in that category more than you wish, let me offer a handful of ideas to offer in prayer.

1. Ask the Lord to assess your love for Him and for others.  Then, ask Him to grow your love for Him and others to the point where you can't help but tell others about the wonders of His love.

2. Thank God for prayer, and then ask Him to grow a passion for prayer and winning the lost within your heart and life.  Worship God through prayer for the wonders of His love.
 
3. Ask the Lord to bring to your mind a specific person, or handful of people you know who need to hear the gospel.  Once that person, or those people come to mind, write their names down, and immediately begin to ask God to prepare their hearts to receive the gospel.  Then ask Him to bring you, and/or others to them to present the gospel (and the wonders of His love).  Ask the Holy Spirit to fill and help you do so!

4. Worship God for the wonders of His love, and especially thank Him as He brings those He as you praying for to faith in Jesus Christ.

He rules the world with truth and grace.  Let us express, and point others to see the wonders of His love!

Rob Griepentrog

Also posted at: Pray OnSite

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My Problem with Prayer (as it's Performed)

Posted by Rob Griepentrog on December 27, 2016 at 10:21
2016 has been a year where I've prayed for extraordinary prayer within my life, within the Church, and also throughout the entire world.  I've been encouraged as God has shown me people and places where He's answering that prayer.  Yet, I witness many times where prayer is offered quickly, and in a perfunctory manner, that is anything but extraordinary.  In fact, I sometimes find myself deeply desiring to see a new "ordinary" established within the Church, within the lives of many other Christ-followers, and even within my own life.  Here's what I mean...

"Let's say a quick prayer before we..." 

It's a phrase I've been guilty of using, and it's one I frequently hear prior to church meetings, meals, and other activities.  But let's think about what we're really communicating.

1. It gives a "tip of the hat" to God's presence, but nothing more.  We acknowledge God's presence by offering the brief prayer, but it typically goes no further than that. God isn't invited to participate in the time (which, if we're honest, is His to begin with), nor is there any desire for Him to lead or control the time (we want to dictate that ourselves).  Is there any wonder why church often appears to many as a glorified country club?

2. It says, "this is a tradition."  Going along with number 1, the quick prayer often seems to serve as a place holder.  It's something that's done before meals, meetings, or events, that continues a tradition that's gone on for months, meetings, or years past.  Again, God is acknowledged (sometimes barely), but the real desire is to get on to the fellowship, the meeting details, or the meal that we're gathered for.  Should God be dryly acknowledged as a guest, and then promptly forgotten about?  Let's consider our ways!

3. It says, "there's a greater agenda at hand, and we best not waste much time before the 'main event.'"  This is the point that most troubles me.  The short prayer, or at least the way it's presented as such ahead of time (as quoted above), insinuates that God is not to be the center of attention or focus.  Instead, the meeting agenda, the fellowship, or meal is the REAL desire of the gathering, not God Himself.  We turn our hearts towards lesser things, and we think we're better off for doing so. Yikes!  Should God take second or third place to our bellies or our desire to gab?  Should the "fear" of food cooling on our plates really be a consideration or motivation to pray briefly?  Again, let's consider our ways!

Let's me propose some extraordinary ideas.

What would happen if the church business meeting turned into a prayer service among the church leaders?  What if God dictated the meeting agenda?  If the church meeting is yielded to God, and it happens to open with 45+ minutes of prayer, and then concludes with only 10 minutes of meeting details and discussion, could not immeasurably more be accomplished in heaven and on earth, than with a 30 second prayer, 59 1/2 minutes of discussion, arm twisting, and a man-driven agenda?  Let's not fear yielding to God.  He IS a God of order!

What would happen if, during a pre-meal prayer, God was worshiped and sincerely invited into the meal and fellowship time.  What would you say if, during the course of the meal and fellowship, God leads one or more attendees into a place of repentance for their sins?  What would you say if God guides conversations to a point where one or more unsaved family members or guests repent and give their lives to Christ?  The fear of a few tummies growling due to a prayer that extends for more than 15 seconds suddenly seems frivolous as God and His Spirit are invited to lead and take over the fellowship time.

These things sound extraordinary, however I'm not certain that they should.  For a long time, we've treated prayer, and connecting with God's heart, as something for special church gatherings, and not as purposeful, powerful, daily opportunities to witness God work in and through our lives.

To change the quick prayer mindset, we must first seek God to make that change within our hearts and attitudes.  One way is to ask Him to grow our love for others to a place where it's greater than our love for ourselves.  Also, we can ask Him to grow our love for Him to a place where it's greater than our desire to be accepted, liked, seen, or known in front of others.  Lastly, (and there are certainly many more ways to pray about this matter) we can worship God privately, or where two or more are gathered in His name.  God inhabits the praises of His people.  Worshiping God in prayer opens your heart, and the hearts of others, to experience God in deeper and in life-changing ways.  That's where extraordinary begins!

Let's consider our ways, and invest time in prayer. 

God first.  All others follow after Him.

In His grip,

Rob Griepentrog
This blog post is also posted at Pray OnSite

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PTAP: Praying for peace during this holiday season

Posted by Merton J. Hershberger on December 26, 2016 at 12:05
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27
 
The peace Jesus gives is so much greater than what the world has to offer. Most people in the world desire peace, but it is only a peace that the world can offer. Jesus offers a much greater peace. It is a peace that comes from God and allows a follower of Jesus to be truly at peace; the heart, mind, soul and strength are at rest with God. It is a peace that takes away troubles and fears. Pray for Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula to see this peace that Christians live in and may they desire this rich peace. As Christians obey Jesus' teaching they have this peace, pray for them to grow ever deeper in obeying Jesus and for them to experience His peace coming in times of trouble and fear. Pray Jesus' peace over the Arabian Peninsula. 
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Ere You Left Your Room Christmas Morning

Posted by Dan Crawford on December 25, 2016 at 15:38

I often wake up with a hymn or chorus on my mind. I awoke Christmas morning with the words of an old hymn, “Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?”   It may have been motivated by a cartoon by my friend Joe McKeever, in which Mary and Joseph are around the manger with Mary holding the baby Jesus, and Joseph exclaiming, “Let’s stop, Honey, and thank God for Jesus.”  It caused me to wonder if anyone prayed at the manger. After the shepherd’s had seen Jesus, they returned, “praising God” (Luke 2:20).  According to Matthew 2:11, the wise men “fell down and worshipped” Jesus when they saw Him.  While these could have been references to prayer, there is no specific reference to prayer as such, nor is there other biblical reference to anyone praying at the birth of Jesus.  That thought caused me to paraphrase the 1876 hymn to, “Ere you left the manger this morning, did you think to pray?”  Then my mind shifted into the present and I asked myself, what I had included in my Christmas morning prayer that specifically related to the birth of Jesus.  So on this day after Christmas, I turn the question to you. On Christmas Day, did you think to pray _to “thank God for Jesus”? 

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Christmas and New Year blessing

Posted by Malva Birch on December 25, 2016 at 11:59

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. Rom 15:13 AMP Bible

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PTAP via Open Doors - Yemen's aweful price of obedience.

Posted by Merton J. Hershberger on December 22, 2016 at 10:47

Nazeera was cooking breakfast for her family one morning when the unthinkable happened. 
As she poured cooking oil into a hot pan, the liquid flashed — and the bottle exploded all over this mother of three, completely engulfing her in flames.

The minute he heard screams coming from the kitchen, Saeed, Nazeera’s husband, ran downstairs, but in the confusion didn’t know what to do to save her. Meanwhile, their 16-year-old son did the only thing he could think of:  he hugged his mother, hoping that would put out the flames.
The teenager ended up badly burned. Nazeera eventually died from her injuries.     

What appeared to be an accident...was murder

   Only later did Saeed find out that one of his brothers and one of Nazeera’s brothers had devised a deadly plan to take the vegetable oil out of the bottle and replace it with gasoline. The reason: Saeed and Nazeera refused to return to Islam.
This was by far the worst, but not the first time the family had been caught in this holy war between Christianity and Islam.
Even after Nazeera passed away, the family could not find anyone willing to testify to who was behind this senseless murder. 
“No one will be a witness for us,” Saeed said dejectedly. As an example of how deep their hatred was for his decision to follow Christ, he admitted, “My own family told me that if I was killed and cut into pieces, they wouldn’t do anything to help or be a witness on my side.”      

Counting the cost

   A lesser man might have given up at that point, figuring that the cost of being a believer in the Arabian peninsula was just too high.
But not Saeed.
“We ask people to pray for us, as we are all alone,” he said. “Pray for my children as now I am their mother and father, and their only friend. We need prayers for God’s strength and to give us strong faith.” 
Then he added, “I want people outside to know that even if we get cut into pieces, we won’t leave Jesus Christ.”
 

In places like Yemen, it’s not unusual to hear about Christians being killed for putting their faith in Christ. Please pray for persecuted believers everywhere, and give a gift to provide Bibles, Christian literature, safe house and other programs to strengthen the faith of these brothers and sisters around the world.

Open Doors USA, PO Box 27001, Santa Ana, CA 92799

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The Thunder of Christmas

Posted by David Young on December 20, 2016 at 0:33

The Angel of the Lord came like thunder to the shepherds’ hillside on the first Christmas Eve. With his startling voice, he had to tell them not to be afraid. "Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people! For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord!" The heavenly host must have flashed like lightning in the sky. "Glory to God in the highest, peace good will to men."

You may not imagine that you could ever have the same thunder and lightning for the darkness of these days. But this power is available to you. The thunder of Christmas is the presence and power of God. God has put His power in your hands. You come to this Christmas with the thunder and lightning of prayer.

You can pray for people all around you crowding into stores scrambling for gifts. You can pray for your neighbors. Pray for each of your family members. God has allowed you to know their needs more intimately than others.

You may know someone who is alone this year. Your may know someone grieving over a lost child or the loss of their life-long marriage partner. You may love children and others who are too caught up in the materialism of our celebration to be touched by the meaning of Christmas.

You may know children whose lives are hard, especially at Christmas. Many of them live in countries other than your own. Pray for ministries to them. You can hold a Christmas Child shoe box in your hands and pray personally for the girl or boy who will receive it.

If you start praying like this you need to put your faith God who came down at Christmas. Some of you who are reading these words do not know Christ personally. You must put your faith in Him. You cannot have God's power in your life or even His forgiveness without the grace Jesus bought for you on the cross. And those of you who know Him personally will need to spend time alone with God in prayer and the Scripture to saturate yourself in the perspective and promises of God's love. Otherwise, you will be overwhelmed by the spiritual conflict.

The thunder of Christmas and the power of prayer only come from God Himself. If you have not come to know Him, and if you are not spending time in His presence you will not have power to unleash on the world you live in.

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Kneel and Receive this Christmas

Posted by P. Douglas Small on December 15, 2016 at 15:31

There are probably few images more evocative than the manger – that of the shepherds and the Wise Men kneeling before the babe, Christ Jesus. We know that it is unlikely that the two groups were there at the same time, and also, the Biblical record doesn’t include the angels that we place around the primitive scene, but we sense that in that moment kings and common men, indeed, heaven and earth were drawn together. It is a kind of cosmic, but simple image. God has come – in innocence. And men, yes, and angels, even the stars, have declared his coming.

We are drawn to this image. The manger scene never grows old. We buy them and place them on our mantles, in our yards – large and small ones. It is the story of hope. Of God, who has come to earth. Of the possibility of peace. Children and seniors are both moved by it. The poor and the powerful.

All of us want to kneel around the manger – to touch the child. To hold the hope. To sing with the angels. To believe, that with this child, the world will be a better place. Psalm 95:6 issues the call, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” This is the call of heaven to the entire earth – to kneel, to bow down, and to receive the blessing from our Creator and Redeemer. Bowing, kneeling is a sacred matter.

There are cameo moments in Scripture where some godly man knelt and history pivoted. Abraham, on seeing the three angels, one of them, the Angel of Yahweh, “… ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground” (Gen. 18:2). This was a life-changing moment for him and arguably, for the world – the barrenness was broken. Sarah would now have the long-awaited child, ‘Laughter,’ known to us as Isaac.

Men have, throughout history, bowed before the throne of God. In the incarnation, God came to earth, and men bowed before him (Jesus) – and out of him flowed blessing.

The etymological root of the word bless in the Old Testament is – to kneel! The implications of the idea are explosive. To kneel is to position oneself for blessing from God. It is a declaration of dependence. It is an act of humility. It is the tranquility of stillness – how can we move about on our knees? It is the lowering of self. It is coming beneath the shadow of God. It anticipates God above, hovering, touching, giving life, brooding, anointing, imparting – blessing! It the opposite of arrogance, of self-sufficiency, of proudly standing by one’s own strength. It is the end of pride. In the Hebrew mind, the knees were an indication of strength and therefore, to bend a knee, was to subordinate strength to God. Prayer, kneeling, is learning to lean into His strength. To kneel is to seek the blessing of God. It anticipates a positive response. It expects the gift of grace. It awaits a sense of His loving presence. It looks forward to what God might say or do!

At this Christmas season – take time to kneel before the Lord!

Read more blogs by P. Douglas Small>

Learn about Project Pray>

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The Shalom Prayer

Posted by David Brazzeal on December 15, 2016 at 14:15

9651028483?profile=originalI come as myself.
Just as I am.
This moment.
My feelings, my fears
My joys, my sadnesses.
You see me as I really am
You know me
Through and through
You see all
All that I am
Or ever have been.

Every experience in my life is laid before you.
Every image I have seen
Each touch, each sensation
Every word I have ever heard or spoken
Each word, each idea, each thought which is imprinted in my soul
And is known to you.
You know me better than my closest friend
You know me better than I know myself
You know…
And because of who I am
And in spite of what I am – You love me.
I am of inestimable value to you
You love me through and through
Nothing, nobody can remove me from your love.
Nothing, nobody can separate me from your love or your presence.

You knew me at the moment of my creation
And even then you loved me.
You knew me and loved me in my mother’s womb.
My nature was known to you
You called me by my name
You held me in your arms
You embraced me
You breathed upon me
You gave me your life and your love.
You watched over me from my earliest childhood
You were present at all times and in all places
My unseen playmate, schoolmate, workmate
My unseen guest at every meal
You shared in every encounter
You watched over me silently
Even in the long hours of the night.
You shared in every journey
You travelled with me
You were at the beginning of each journey
You were my companion on the way.
Without you I lose my way
My journey has no purpose.
I become exhausted on the way.
But You are my Alpha and Omega
You are my way
You are the way itself, the Way of Life.

So Lord I lay before you my life
All my yesterdays,
My todays and tomorrows.
I praise and thank you for your presence in my life.
I lift up in gratitude all the goodness and all the joy.
I now offer you all my hurts, my bruises, my rejections,
I offer you all those things of which I am ashamed
What I have said, and done, and thought,
All that has brought hurt to you and to others.
Lord pour your cleansing streams of living water all over me.
Make the parched deserts of my being spring to life
Refresh me, Renew me.
Lord breathe on me afresh now
and I will receive your life.
Lord reach out and touch me
and I will receive your healing.
Empty me utterly of all the rubbish within me.
This moment, Lord, take away all distractions,
All temptations, all evil thoughts and desires.
Remove from me all my anxiety
Take away every hidden fear
Help me to know
That your perfect love casts out all fear.

Bring me now into the deep silence of your presence.
I give you my body and ask that it may become your dwelling place
This moment may every part of my being be at peace.
Let my heartbeat
Be in harmony with your heartbeat
Let every part of my body be filled with your Spirit
Take each blood vessel.
Take every part of my nervous system.
Take each muscle, each organ, each cell.
Fill me now
With your stillness
With the reality of your living presence.

Help me now to pray – even without words.
Help me to pray with my breathing
To breathe in of your love and your peace
To breathe out of my pain and sadness
To breathe in of your cleansing and forgiveness
To breathe out of my guilt and impurity.
So in my breathing may my body and soul be at one with you
In harmony with you
At ease with you.
May I be still and know that you are God.
May I be still and know that you are the Lord who brings healing.

Help me to hear your still, small voice
Lord Jesus
May I now hear your words – ‘peace, be still’.
May all my storms subside as I accept your real presence.

As I kneel before you
I give you my heart and all my emotions
All my deepest feelings that lie hidden within me.
I give you my stillness
but I also give you the turbulence, the cross currents of my life,
My feelings of failure and rejection.

I give you every relationship
Every situation in my life
All my reactions
All my outbursts of joy and of anger
All my moments of elation and despair.

Lord I give you my intellect
I lay before you all my frail thoughts and ideas
I give you all my searching and striving
My grasping after truth.

I give you all my ignorance and confusion
I give you all my questions and doubts
I acknowledge you to be truth
Truth in its entirety
Total truth in all its purity.
The Truth which can set me free, in my body, my mind and my spirit.
Free from all the bondage
Free from all the lies and deceit of the world
Free from my own selfishness and pride and greed.
Break the chains which hold me back Lord,
Fling open the door of my prison,
that I may pass from the darkness of this world – my world
And walk out into the bright light of your presence.
Father, may I now feel the radiance of your love upon my life
May I feel the warmth of your fatherly love upon me, your child.
Trusting, depending, loving
Help me to know what joy my response brings to You.
Give me the grace in my weakness to cry ‘Abba‘, Father.
Help me to know that beneath me are your everlasting
arms bearing me up.

Lord Jesus, be the Lord of my life
Be the Lord of my thoughts and feelings
My memories and hopes.
I accept your authority over everything I have been,
am or will be.
I bow down before you.
As I see you on your Cross

Held down by cruel nails
I see your arms stretched out
Seeking to embrace the whole world
Seeking to embrace me
Seeking to love
Seeking to forgive
Seeking to make whole.

I praise you that you died for me
Help me to know that because your love for me was so great
I too must love myself
I must recognize
My great worth to you.

Holy Spirit, source of all truth, giver of power
Come upon me now
As gently as a dove
Or like tongues of living fire
As quietly as a summer breeze
Or as a mighty roaring wind.
Come and dwell within me.
Enable me now to do those things which before were impossible
Unworthy as I am, Holy Spirit of the living God
Give me those gifts which I can use to your honor and glory
That I may show forth your fruit
Even in my life.

Glory be to you Father
Glory be to you Lord Jesus Christ
Glory be to you Holy Spirit.
Amen

—Dennis Wrigley

You can listen to this prayer at this website.

© Maranatha Community, UK office Maranatha
Email: info@maranathacommunity.org.uk
www.maranathacommunity.org.uk

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PURPOSE 2

Posted by David Young on December 12, 2016 at 18:33

PURPOSE  2

It seems strange to me that so many people are trying to live without thinking about the purpose of their lives. Of course that casts them onto the mercy of their glands. Last week I pointed out several things like comfort and pleasure that are illegitimate purposes for life. This week I will surprise you with two more possible purposes that are often less than God's plan for us.

Success is not necessarily God's purpose for your life. I should say short term success or success as we see it may not be God's will for you. Of course, a major problem with success is trying to win the wrong race. But in fact immediate or short-sighted success in the right area may not be the right goal either.

Let me give you a complicated illustration. Those of you who are directly involved in ministry, whether professionally or as a committed lay person can easily be confused about this. We rightly seek to reach as many people as possible. That is success. But let me call your attention to Jesus in John chapter 6. Our Lord ran off thousands of people who believed in Him, by telling them they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Can you imagine anyone in the church growth movement condoning that kind of preaching? I can hear some of those whose doctrine is soundest saying something like this to Jesus. "Okay, if you have to say that, express it in more acceptable terms." And frankly I'm not sure they would not be right some of the time.

But here we have our Lord, preparing to send His followers to reach the ends of the earth giving us an example of running people away by what He said and how He said it. All I can say is that Jesus showed us that pleasing God was more important than growing the church. So it is more important for us to be in tune with God than it is for us to work at what we assume God wants us to do.

Now of all these things I am helping you to think about, this final conviction of mine will surprise you most. Striving for righteousness is not the ultimate purpose of your life. If I had thousands of readers I would possibly be running most of you away like Jesus did in John 6. But I ask those of you who will listen, at least to show how wrong I am, to consider some things.

You can strive for righteousness in ungodly ways. The Pharisees did it with great zeal. You can try to be righteousness in human strength. If you do that you will sometimes become discouraged and give up altogether. At other times you will succeed enough in your own eyes that you will fall into the trap of the devil who fell from heaven because of his arrogance.

You may also strive to be righteous so God will owe you. You may say, "Since I have done all this, God will have to accept me." Or you might resent God, saying, "What's the use? I went to church; I was sincere; I did my best, but this bad thing still happened to me."

You are putting your faith in your righteousness. And your righteousness will send you to hell. You need to repent of your righteousness, and seek the righteousness that Jesus bought for you on the cross.  

So of course I am not quite saying the ultimate purpose of life is not being right with God. Certainly His will is true. But you can seek righteousness with the pride and self-centeredness of a Pharisee.

All true righteousness comes from Jesus who justifies the ungodly. From Him we receive a righteousness we could never achieve. In fellowship with Him we come to desire and delight in righteousness, but we are not righteous to be saved or so God will give us a good life. We hunger to do what is right because we know it pleases God who saved us even though our best efforts were foolish and filthy.

Jesus cried out for the highest purpose for us in John 12:28. "Father, glorify Your Name!" Are you crying out for God to work supernaturally in your life to bring glory to His name?

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When Christmas is not a joyful celebration

Posted by Malva Birch on December 10, 2016 at 10:41

I've just read a blog of an intercessor about Christmas - for her "T'is the season to be jolly" was not possible for several years since losing her son in a traffic accident. Thanksgiving and Christmas were awful, painful reminders of her big loss. But now, there is enough healing and peace to celebrate the birth of Jesus again. The love of the Lord, that carried her through dark times, has broken through at last. Missing her son will always be there, until they are united in the Lord, but she can lift her head again and sing with joy of God's grace and the gift of His Son as the Savior of the world.  

So, for those whose Christmas is a time of sorrow and hardship, pain and loneliness, even fear and despair, we pray.

May joy come again in the morning, though weeping endures for a night. May the Presence of Lord Jesus Christ carry each one through, bring strength and peace and rest, in Jesus' Name we pray.

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Fixing Our Location on the Journey

Posted by P. Douglas Small on December 8, 2016 at 10:37

Almost everyone has used an automobile GPS navigation system. We turn it on. It finds our location on the face of the earth within a few feet. It identifies the street we are on and the direction in which our vehicle is headed. We input a destination – even points along some route. We set additional perimeters – fast route, scenic route and more. And then the journey begins. The GPS barks out the commands – turn right, turn left. Keep to the right. Move to the left. Merge onto this road or that! It even warns about traffic snarls and advises about detours. And when we take a wrong turn, it incessantly commands, “When possible, make a legal U-turn!” Listen, and you will be steered back on track. Turn it off or ignore its advice, and you could end up off your course, adding hours to your journey. Maybe lost!

During this Christmas season, we remember God’s version of a GPS, the star that led the shepherds to the Savior!

The Holy Spirit, in the life of a sincere, Spirit-filled believer, is a bit like that GPS system. Connected to heaven itself by the Spirit with a conscience programmed by the Holy Scripture, the Spirit serves to keep us on the right road. Mistakes, missed turns, wrong decisions, all demand adjustments. We have to turn – which is the essence of repentance - to repent. You cannot expect to reach your destination, heaven, if you don’t follow the instructions! And as in any journey, turning is not a one-time event. We are constantly turning. Repenting. Recalibrating. Grace compensates for our errors, our misdirection. But grace was never meant to cover wild excursions that paid little or no attention to God’s righteous plan for our lives.

Let us pray this Christmas season: Lord, your word is like a GPS system. How encouraging that you track our path, that you know the twists and turns ahead of us. You know where we are now – and what is ahead of us for 2017. You know the detours we will need to take. We take courage from such knowledge. Amen.

P. Douglas Small is founder and president of Alive Ministries: PROJECT PRAY and he serves in conjunction with a number of other organizations. He is also the creator of the Praying Church Movement and the Prayer Trainer’s Network. However, all views expressed are his own and not the official position of any organization.

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PTAP: Oppressed Woman & Saved South Asians

Posted by Merton J. Hershberger on December 8, 2016 at 9:55
Update on the October 28 Woman
For many Muslims, it is a long journey to faith with many ups and downs along the way.  On October 28, we shared about a local woman who is a victim of black magic and who also saw a vision of a red cross on the wall of her bedroom.  Praise God that Christian women continue to meet with her and minister to her needs.  This woman, whom we will call "Jennifer" from now on, is currently suffering from much fear and anxiety due to the black magic in her life.  She is calling upon God in the name of Jesus but also continues to read the Quran to find any relief from its power.  The core problem is that her family practices black magic in the home.  Strange things happen.  For example, last week, she found her maid completely naked and dazed in her home.  Needless to say, this shocked Jennifer.   She also suffers from physical ailments which she believes come from this evil.  She lives in fear and paranoia believing that people and demons are after her.  She is desperate and needs our prayers.  Ultimately, she needs Jesus Christ to save her from her sins and regenerate her in the Holy Spirit.  Then and only then, will the demons leave her forever.  So please continue to pray with us for her and her family's salvation.  Pray that Jesus would free all of them from the tyranny of this evil.  Pray that the Son of God would destroy the works of the devil in their lives (1 John 3:8) and pray that she would read the Bible and be released and have no more fear but only the love and peace of God in her heart. 
 
Praise Reports
Praise God for saving two, Muslim South Asian men recently!  There are millions of South Asians in the Arabian Peninsula and God is moving among them as well. 

The first one is from Bangladesh.  He has been attending an expat church for three to four months now.  He has made a profession of faith, but is afraid of what his mother and father will say when they find out.  Please pray for him and his parents.  Pray that he will be strong in the faith and will love his parents into the Kingdom despite any opposition. 

The second man is from India.  He has been a seeker and has had ties with members of an expat church who have been sharing with him.  He has also made a profession of faith and immediately asked these believers to share with his father and three brothers.  His father is an imam (an Islamic leader).  The believers traveled a long distance to meet his family and in due time, the father and three brothers came to faith too!  So praise God that He is working through entire families.  Because the father is an imam, there will certainly be challenges ahead (2 Timothy 3:12).

Pray that the Lord would keep these new believers strong and vitally connected with Him and other believers so that they do not revert back to Islam.  Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.  Pray that they would continue in what they have learned and be discipled well in a community of believers that love and support them (2 Timothy 3:14).
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The Bible's Built-In Prayer Guide

Posted by Rob Griepentrog on December 7, 2016 at 22:33
If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself stuck trying to think of something to pray about.  While we're surrounded by people and matters to pray about, there are just some times when the mind gets stuck, and prayer can seemingly grind to a halt.

Recently, I was preparing a prayer guide for a prayer meeting focusing on Revival in the Church.  I was reading Romans 12, when quickly the Holy Spirit began to point out prayer points from within the text.  They began leaping off of the page right before my eyes!  Here are a few that caught my attention:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment...

Verses 9-16 have a wealth of prayer points packed in as well!

Some of these highlighted points can be prayed personally, while others can be prayed for the Church, a nation, community, or another group of people (either within or outside of the Church).

Here are a few prayer examples from the highlighted text above:

Lord, (from verse 1) I desire to be holy and pleasing to You everyday.  Help me to offer my body as a living sacrifice to You today.  I want to yield my agenda, priorities, and life to Your wisdom, love, grace, and guidance.  Please fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit, so that I may be increasingly sensitive to Your heart, and more obedient to Your promptings and will.

(From verse 2)- Father, I thank You for your presence in my life.  Thank You, too, for giving me Your Word, your Spirit, and the ability to read and take to heart what Your Word instructs.  I want to be able to confidently test and approve Your good and pleasing will.  Help transform my mind from this world's thinking into a mind that's renewed in Your ways of thinking.  You are my desire, Lord.  I love You dearly!  Grow my love for you deeper, still!

Verse 3- Father, I confess that I'm all too eager to think of myself more highly than I ought.  I want to think I'm smarter, more clever, faster, and better trained than others, but it's simply not true.  Thank you for quickly humbling me at times when I become puffed up in those ways of thinking or acting.  Help me to accurately see myself through Your eyes, so that I don't become the center of focus in my life, but so that You become and remain the center.  You are my all-in-all.

A way of praying verse 3 for the Church could look something like this:

Father, as a part of your Bride, the Church, I'm prone to thinking of myself more highly than I should.  And sadly, Father, I'm not alone in thinking with that mindset.  Many have been turned away from Christ due to encounters with Christians who have been prideful, hurtful, and sometimes just rude.  These are not attributes of You, Jesus; but many, including me, have given off that impression to others.  Please forgive me, and those in the Church who have hindered others from knowing You accurately, truthfully, and lovingly.  Please redeem those encounters, and help those of us within the Church to think of ourselves with sober judgment, not more highly than we ought.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

One of the benefits of prayer, is that God has given us His Holy Spirit to help us pray.  As we look at the Word of God, the Spirit can help us pray the Scripture back to God in ways in which honor God, and also change us, and others, from the inside, out.  The Spirit and the Word can also help us get unstuck when we feel caught at a dead end in prayer.

Try this way of praying.  Before you read the Word of God, or pray, ask God to fill and quicken you with His Holy Spirit.  He will powerfully meet you where you're at, and may lead you deeper into His Word than you ever expected or imagined!

Continue in prayer,


Rob Griepentrog

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Prophetic Word: "You Hear Perfectly!"

Posted by Deborah Perkins on December 6, 2016 at 14:41

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In prayer this week, I felt the Lord's desire to know His people - really know us, intimately. Sometimes we think this isn't possible because it seems so hard to hear Him. Into this difficulty, God desires to speak hope, because from His perspective, things look VERY different! The following words are what He gave me to share with you.  - See more at: http://www.hisinscriptions.com/blog#sthash.aU75a837.dpuf

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6 Times People Miss The Presence Of God

Posted by Kevin Senapatiratne on December 6, 2016 at 14:20

Are you aware of the presence of God around you? Maybe you are thinking about that amazing time at church or that prayer time at church camp. It was just so amazing. We use language like, “God was near” or “God seemed so real.” Those words help us capture our awareness of the presence of God around us. 

God’s word teaches us that God is everywhere all of the time. David even asks the question, “…where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7) He can’t come up with an answer to that. But we just don’t always realize it. Maybe you are going through one of those seasons where you wonder where God is at. Here are 6 times when it is helpful to remember that whether you feel Him or not God is still with you. 

When life turns upside down

Jacob was running for his life. If anyone’s life had been turned upside down it was his. He was running from his brother who had threatened to kill him. He was leaving all that he knew to start over. In the midst of that running he has an encounter with God. He then says one of my favorite things in the Bible, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16) If you are going through a moment that feels like the world is upside down, God is with you. 

When we are under attack

I love the story of when Elisha has an army to come and get him because he has ticked off a king (Read the whole story in 2 Kings 6). When Elisha’s servant freaks out because they are surrounded Elisha prays that God would open his eyes. The servant then sees horses and chariots of fire all around. They were there before but the servant didn’t see them. If you are feeling under attack today, I pray that God opens your eyes to see His presence with you. 

When we dealing with our own sin

This is a little more tricky one. When we sin we choose to separate ourselves from God. David talks about this feeling in his famous confession in Psalm 51. He says, “Cast me not away from your presence.” (verse 11) And if you are feeling distant from God because of your sin I can give you no better encouragement than to do what David did in that moment. In brokenness of heart get right with God. 

When we are confused

A fun story shortly after the resurrection is when Jesus meets a couple disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24). I won’t get into the fact of what we learn about Jesus from the fact that He is messing with them in that moment. But in their confusion about what is happening Jesus is there to explain what they need to understand. If you are confused with life right now, Jesus is with you to help you find a way forward. 

When we are dealing with relationship conflict

One of the common passages people use about the presence of God is found in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.” But as my friend Chris MacKinnon pointed out to me the context of this verse is conflict and relationship issues in the church. It is a great reminder that even in our moments of conflict with people God is right in the middle with us. 

When we are outside our comfort zone

God keeps calling us (at least me) outside of the comfort zone. And sometimes when He sends me somewhere it can feel very alone. Some people give their lives to go to some of the most difficult places in the world where any other Christian is far away. It is in those moments that where He tells us to go that He promises, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

So whether you are going through one of these 6 situations or something else, I pray that today you that you would be reminded that Jesus is Emmanuel-“God with us” 

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