21 Days of Prayer - Day 16 -Monday - January 23-- Prayer Focus - OUR LIVES - TODAY - AVAILABLE

Day 16 -Monday - January 21-- Prayer Focus - OUR LIVES - TODAY - AVAILABLE

God has good things for our lives - they could be difficult and challenging, yet fulfilling - therefore God loves it when we simply make ourselves “available” to Him.

2 Kings 4:1-6 (NKJV)

A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased.

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

This is a miracle story that is true for today.

God wants us to be vessels for His use today.  In this passage as long as there were vessels there was oil.

God wants to put his presence, power and anointing in us today if we will make ourselves available.

What qualifies the vessel?  It’s the contents.  I don’t need a box that holds krispy kreme, I want the krispy kreme.

It’s the oil that is a blessing.

You can’t put oil into a container that is already filled with other things.

My prayer then is:

Available - I’m making myself available for you to pour into me.

Empty me - Lord empty me from things that are in my life that are in the way of your agenda.

Clean - Lord may my life be clean. I want to be a clean vessel to receive your anointing. 

God is ready to pour inside of each of us (His presence, power, might, etc.). He just needs a vessel to pour into.  I want to be available, empty and clean.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NKJV)

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

This is the prayer that God wants us to pray today.

Some of us need to be challenged to go on a deeper journey with God.

So in 2023, I’m available!  I’m empty and I’m clean.

21 Days of Prayer - Day 14 - Saturday - January 21-- Prayer Focus - BLC NEXT GEN

Day 14 - Saturday - January 21-- Prayer Focus - BLC NEXT GEN

Today we are praying for a generation (NEXT GEN at BLC) to be mobilized for Jesus!

Luke 10:2 (NIV)

2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

We do not have a harvest problem.  There is no shortage of opportunities to help people move their spiritual lives forward. 

We have a worker shortage - so we pray to the Lord of the Harvest to help us reach those who could join Dream Teams and help in the harvest.

We need to help people - and today we’re praying for our youth at BLC (BLC Kids and Elevate Student Ministry).  We are praying that they will hear God’s call in their lives.

I remember when I gave my life to the Lord. Shortly after I was working with youth but going to college to be a high school teacher and basketball coach.  I recall people speaking into my life encouraging me to go to Bible college instead.

On September 19, 1982 an evangelist, Pastor S. Lee Homoki preached a message “The Spoils of War” (1 Samuel 30).  In that message I remember him saying 'God has not called us to the recreation room, God has called us to the battlefield.’  Shortly after that, he and others spoke into my life that I should be in the pastorate.

A few years later, Michelle and I realized God was indeed calling us into pastoral vocational ministry and we began preparing.  This was a result of people believing in us and speaking positive, faith filled words into our life.  We were the young generation at that time and those older could see God’s call in our lives and helped us see and hear God’s calling.

So today our prayer is 3 fold:

Called - to call people who are called by God - to discover their purpose.

Prepared - to help people submit themselves to a time of preparation called discipleship. This means getting the training and making preparations for the calling that God has placed on our lives.

Placed - to help  those who are called to find that place where God would have them serve. That they might have clarity in God’s leading.

Today we pray for our NEXT GEN to rise up (Elevate) to join in God’s abundance harvest field.

21 Days of Prayer - Day 13 - Friday - January 20-- Prayer Focus - BLC Kids & Elevate Students - Nehemiah 4:16-18 (NIV)

21 Days of Prayer - Day 13 - Friday - January 20-- Prayer Focus - BLC Kids & Elevate Students

Nehemiah 4:16-18 (NIV)

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

As you are working, I need you to keep one hand in building and the other hand in defending.

We are to build up our life in Christ to build up the local church.

We are to equip our students to have a hammer in one hand and a sword in another.

Don’t let the enemy keep you from building. We are battling while we build.

Students no matter what others might say, keep building and battling.

No matter what comes your way, keep building and battling.

You have the Holy Spirit to Equip you and you have our church that is behind you.

Our church is going to build you up so you can win - so you can be a light in the darkness.

“The enemy will not see you vanish into God’s company without an effort to reclaim you.”  CS Lewis

I am excited for our students in 2023. Every Sunday we’ll have BLC Kids K-5 and every Monday we’ll be ministering to and with BLC Elevate Students.

BLC Kids - pray for the student's parents and family.  Pray for students' friends at school who are hurting.

For Elevate Students  - pray for boldness to live out my faith and not be fearful of what others think

Pray for godly friends who will hold them accountable.

So today we pray for our BLC Kids and BLC Elevate Students