21 Days of Payer - Day #5 - Thursday January 12, 2023 Local Missions Focus

Day 5 - Thursday January 12

Have you ever had an assignment that you avoided?  Cleaning your car? Cleaning the bathroom? 

There’s a tendency to put off until we have more time or energy. But when we have more energy, we do something else and we get overwhelmed. We get too exhausted just thinking about it.

Today our focus is on Local Missions - At BLC reaching Students in Newaygo, our new student ministry. 

Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  because he has anointed me  to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners   and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Two things to highlight:

Jesus was given an assignment to bring freedom - it was a huge assignment.  He may have said this is not only who I am but this is my assignment.  The anointing was given to Him before he was giving His assignment.

We have an anointing from God that has an assignment connected to it that we don’t need to avoid.

We have many students in Newaygo that are far from God - our assignment is clear but we often question our anointing. 

King David knew that it was easy for us to forget that God has given us this anointing

Psalm 103:2-4 (NIV) 

Praise the Lord, my soul,  and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit  and crowns you with love and compassion,

Remember you’ve been forgiven, healed, redeemed and crowned.

Like the game of checkers - removing checkers one at a time. Once you have jumped - you can double jump or triple jump. Once your checker reaches the other side of the board, it can be crowned.  Once the opponent thinks I've been beat, I triple jump and I’m crowned. Once I’m crowned, I can take more than one at a time. I have greater authority.

Jesus came - single jump  Jesus died   -double jump

Jesus rose and is in heaven -  triple jump  crowned with all power

When the devil says you’re limited… you remind him you have been crowned. You have authority to take over this Kingdom.

We don’t have to avoid our assignment - we’ve been crowned. We can take kingdom ground for our students in Newaygo - we’ve been crowned, directed and blessed. 

21 Days of Prayer - Day #4, January 11, 2023 Praying for Those Far From God

Day 4 - Tuesday January 11

Today’s theme: Praying Salvation for the Lost

There are so many verses in the Word of God for salvation of those who are lost or far from God.  In our prayer guide (pages 61-66) gives us an outline or a model to follow in praying for those who are far from God.

It is the harvest, the result of the revival, more lost people getting saved. This is the heart and the will of God. (nations, cities, schools, people)

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV) The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Why do people act the way they act? Well sometimes it’s because the god of this world has blinded the minds of those.

We know the world is dark. We know people are doing things they should not do. So we pray that if they can get a glimpse of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, they will change - they will come to Christ.

We sometimes wonder if a person will ever get saved. But we’re not praying how evil or dark  they are but that the glory and brilliance of Jesus will break through their mental bondage.

When the enemy turns on the darkness, we turn on the light.  Our prayers are like breathing on the embers of the coals of faith and spiritual insight. When we pray, we are flipping on light switches in people’s lives.

So we pray that their minds will be freed from bondage and so that they will realize who Jesus is and they will receive Jesus and become part of His family.

Romans 8:15 (NIV) The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Those that we never thought would change will be in our spiritual family.

Every time we pray, the light is growing. Every time we pray that person we are praying for is getting closer.  Every time we pray, the wind of God is blowing on the embers ready to ignite their faith.

It’s sort of like lighting that fire cracker on the fourth of July. Many go off, but that one seems to be a dud.  What do we do? We get closer to blow on it - and then an ember appears and then pops - it goes off (we probably don’t want to do that with a real fire cracker) and that is what our specific prayers can do for those that are far from God. 

Today - let’s pray specifically for those who are lost or far from God, knowing that the Father can use our prayers as a wind (breath) on the embers of faith. 

21 Days of Prayer - Day #3 January 10, 2023 Praying for Our Leaders

Day 3 - Tuesday January 10

Today’s topic “Leaders”

Today we are praying for all kinds of leaders (community, civil, work, spiritual leaders)

This is critical in our world because of a leadership deficit. People are not trusting leaders.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

We need  more leaders. (Harvest is here .. pray to the Lord of the Harvest)

What is our Biblical response to this leadership deficit?  Angry, frustrated, venting?

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV) I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Our response is that we pray and we pray first. We start by praying for leaders.

Paul tells how to pray. He gives us three things.

Petition God for leaders - link arms with them that they might get saved if they don’t know Him.

Intercede - pray for their needs. Asking God to bless them. To heal them, to provide for them.  We walk alongside them and intercede.  They actually need us more than we need them. 

Give thanksgiving - give thanks for all those in authority. Expressing thanks to all those who serve as leaders.

Paul tells us why pray?

We pray first for all of them not because of who they are but because it is good and pleases God our Savior. 

So let’s pray and pray first for our leaders today!