Prayer for Week 21 (Beginning 5.19.08)

Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." Acts 18:9,10

Below are excerpts from the biography of a man named Raul:

I remember this whole experience, him [Raul's father] hitting me and beating me when I was growing up...By the time I was 8 or 9 years old, my goal was to kill my dad. That was my life.

At the time I was eighteen...I was given a choice, either go to prison or go into the military. Well, at that time, Vietnam was going on, I said, “I’ll just go to Vietnam. It’s a license to kill..."

I spent the next six months of my life under psychiatric care, group therapy counseling, because I was so violent.

The first thing I did was start pushing Sharon [Raul's wife] around, kicking her and punching her. Pretty soon, I was choking her...When I realized she was going to leave me, I decided that nobody would ever have her or my kids. The best way to do that was to execute her and my kids, and kill myself.

When I got home, she had already gone to church...I got my rifle and loaded it with eighteen rounds....I began to destroy my whole house...I went next to the TV and I was just standing there. I was so angry and so mad inside; I took the butt of the rifle and hit the TV. When I hit it, it came on. And when the TV came on, there was this bald headed guy talking about Jesus...

I was listening and I wanted to shoot him with my gun, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. It seemed as ...he was talking directly to me...All of a sudden, I found myself on my knees, listening to him...I just began to cry out to God, “God if you’re really real, and you are a God that can save people, as you saved my wife, I want you tonight, right know, to come into my life.” And you know what blew me away? I didn’t see lightening or hear a voice, I just, by faith, prayed a prayer. And I felt a complete change in my life. As I got up from my knees, I wiped off my tears and put away my rifle. I got in my car and went looking for my wife, to tell her what had happened to me. I couldn’t find her. As I entered the church that she attended, they were giving the altar call. So I just went up to the altar, and when they got done counseling me, I went home.

Raul not only gave his life to Christ, but he now serves as the senior pastor of a church in Golden Springs, CA.

INTERCESSIONS:

- There are people in your city that need your prayer. They may be people you don't even know and, if you did know them, in all honesty you might not like them. Addicts, abusers, those angry enough to kill. But God loves them. May His love for them fill your heart as you pray...even though they may remain nameless and faceless to you. In humbleness before the God who brings beauty from ashes, please pray for the lost in your city this week. May He bring new life to those for whom we pray just as He did for Pastor Raul. And may He be glorified!

Prayer for Week 20 (Beginning 5.12.08)

Mother's Day....a great reminder of the immense influence that mothers have on the lives of their children and of our privilege to lift them in prayer.

INTERCESSIONS
Christian mothers
- that their love of God will direct their parenting (one generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4) and (Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov 22:6)

Mothers who are not YET saved
- that God will give them understanding of their worth in His eyes and His purpose for their lives (For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10) and (Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments. Psalm 119:73)

- that they will come to know Christ as their Savior and turn from sin (She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. John 8:11)"

All Mothers (as this can be an issue in the church as well as the world)
- that they will embrace and model modesty for their children (in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation... 1 Tim 2:9)

Prayer for Week 19 (Beginning 5.5.08)

This week I simply ask that you will commit to praying at least once every day for God's mercy on our nation.

INTERCESSION:
- that this week God will pour out His great mercy on those who are dead in their sins and will make them alive in Christ (But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) Eph 2:4,5)

Prayer for Week 18 (Beginning 4.28.08)

Gas at almost $5 a gallon. Rations on bags of rice. A gallon of milk up 75 cents.

Even though the United States has weathered tough economic seasons in the past...and even though the media tends to overexaggerate issues until they become crises in our minds, I do know that many Americans are struggling financially right now. However, even in this we can praise God for we know that He is a God who brings beauty from ashes. May He use our nation's current financial circumstances to bring the beauty of His salvation to the lost and to conform His children to the beauty of His Son.

INTERCESSIONS:

- that Christians will remember that God alone is their Provider (Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help...Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Psalm 146:3, 146:5)

- that Christians will not be fearful of economic issues but instead give to others abundantly and cheerfully (If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs....You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land." Deut 15:7-8, 10-11)


- that God will lead unbelievers who are stressed and struggling financially to know Christ as their Lord and Savior (And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35)

Prayer for Week 17 (Beginning 4.21.08)

I have to admit that I'm not great at keeping up with current events. With a baby at home, I'm more likely to be watching Veggie Tales than CNN. So I was grateful this weekend when author Joel Rosenberg came to speak to our church about current issues in the middle east. As headlines pop up about the Iranian President's hatred of Israel, Russia's arms deal with Syria, etc., it is easy to view them as separate and individual events. However, those who follow Bible prophecy are aware of the interconnectedness of these events...and how they line-up with prophecies outlined in God's Word.

As we pray for our country, let us reflect on God's people Israel. May we not be too busy, distracted, or self-indulgent to remember that God is doing a work much bigger than our individual lives.

INTERCESSIONS:
- that Christians in America, especially our national leaders, will have soft hearts toward and will continue to support Israel. (I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Gen 12:3)

- that Christians will remember Israel in our prayers. According to God's Word, the nation will endure much suffering before they know true peace...the peace of their Messiah. (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. Psalm 122:6)


EXTRAS:
The Joshua Fund has been established by Christians to bless Israel...as well as her neighbors.

The Epicenter Conference held in Israel saw more than 2,000 evangelical Christians from around the world gathered to celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary on April 10. If you scroll down through the video clips, there is a message by my pastor entitled "Why Christians Love Israel."

Prayer for Week 16 (Beginning 4.14.08)

This week's intercessions come from the book of Colossians and a commentary on that book by John MacArthur.

INTERCESSIONS:
- that Christians be persistent in prayer and stay alert "for specific needs about which to pray rather than being vague and unfocused." (Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; Col 4:2)

- that this week God would provide an opportunity for you to share Christ with another. (meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Col 4:3, 4)

- that Christians would "live that they establish the credibility of the Christian faith and that they make the most out of every evangelistic opportunity." (Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Col 4:5)

- that Christians would speak what is "spiritual, wholesome, fitting, kind, sensitive, purposeful, complimentary, gentle, truthful, loving, and thoughtful." (Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Col 4:6)

Prayers for Week 15 (Beginning 4.7.08)

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Matt 9:36

COMPLETELY BUMMED OUT. That is how I felt after watching videos and reading articles containing statements made by Oprah Winfrey regarding her religious beliefs. I don't watch the Oprah Show, but I know that her fan base is enormous and her influence is strong. Below is a small portion of an entry I posted on my personal blog about this topic:

Both in the past and recently with her new "Awakening" series, Oprah has made various comments about religion, spirituality, God and Jesus. People consider her to be intelligent and well-read, so it may be easy for those not familiar with the Bible to accept what Oprah says regarding these topics as truth since she has professed a Christian background. I've listed below two of her comments to show how they contradict with the words of Jesus.

Oprah: "One of the mistakes that human beings make is believing that there is only one way [to God]...there are many paths to what you call 'God'...there couldn't possibly be just one way." Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. " (John 14:6)

Oprah: "What I believe is that Jesus came to show us Christ-consciousness. Jesus came to show us the way of the heart...to show us the higher conciousness."
Jesus: "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) AND "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matt 20:28).

I'm not saying people shouldn't watch the Oprah Show, but I do believe that Christians who watch her shows on spirituality should do so with discernment. As she declares her own beliefs and opinions about your Savior, make sure that you know what your Savior said about Himself

Oprah has a new "Awakening" series with author Eckhart Tolle that is basically like an online book club, so I listened to some of the video clips of past sessions. This "club" is drawing thousands of participants from 139 countries. All 50 American states are represented. My guess is that a majority of the participants are women. That's thousands of women who are seeking something. That's thousands of women who are receiving false information about God, Jesus Christ, and their own purpose in life. That's thousands of women who God loves and desires to have a relationship with through His Son.

INTERCESSIONS:

- that husbands will understand the importance of studying God's Word WITH their wives and children and be obedient to do so. (You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. Deut 6:7)

- that God would protect women from the enemy and bring them to know THE truth: Jesus Christ. (For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim 3:6-7)

- that ratherthan looking to the world, women will diligently seek a relationship with Jesus and find true joy, peace, and fulfillment in Him. (For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious." Isa 11:10b)