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December 2020 Prayer Devotions December 2020 Luke 18:1 Pray Always and Never Give Up Prayer for Persecuted Church Pray for those in the midst of persecution Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Hebrews 13:3 Global watchdog Open Doors reports that 322 Christians are killed every month for their faith while millions more suffer persecution on a routine basis. Please pray that these believers will not only stay committed to the call of Christ but also will respond in love to the evil shown by their aggressors. God’s love will open doors for these believers to share the Gospel even more. This Month’s Countries, these are some of the most dangerous countries to follow Jesus: Laos Vietnam Turkmenistan 2 Daily prayers for December… “...And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all. God is in the manger, wealth in poverty, light in darkness, succor in abandonment. No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love and rules the world and our lives.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer Tuesday, December 1st: As we approach the holidays, many people are obsessed with buying gifts and many will overextend themselves in an attempt to somehow assuage the angst of what we’ve been experiencing this year. The following quote would probably pretty well describe where we were at the beginning of 2020. “Consumer spending had reached an all-time high in the United States. American companies were mass-producing goods, and consumers were buying. Technology was constantly improving, providing consumers the opportunity to purchase items to make their lives easier.” However, that was written describing the early 1920’s just prior to the Great Depression. Another hallmark of that era was the moral decay of society. This in itself should support the argument that we need to focus more attention on true American history and less on “social studies” in our schools. It has often been said that if we forget our history we will be bound to repeat it. Arguably, Covid-19 could be said to be the catalyst to the sudden shift in society as we knew it, but I believe God had a very clear message for us as believers. I believe He wanted us to remember mistakes from the past and that a self-serving attitude could dull our senses until a decadent mindset was not only tolerated but even adopted by many who claim to belong to Him. True blessing can only be found in Him and failure to recognize and honor Him will only lead to discontent and disaster. Let’s remember the real reason we celebrate this season and focus not on the gifts we buy but on the One that we have been given and which we are free to share – this is one time when re-gifting is perfectly acceptable! 2 Corinthians 4:3-5; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 2:15-17 3 Wednesday, December 2nd: The age of electronics and particularly the calendar on our phones can be seen as both a blessing and a bane. It’s a blessing when I get a reminder or when I can just open my calendar to check what I have coming up; it’s a bane when I rely on it too heavily or forget to enter something and wind up double scheduling or missing an appointment. Why not use the calendar as a springboard for prayer? Experience would most likely tell us that events tend to go more smoothly when we have prayed about them ahead of time. Knowing that, why not make a practice of looking at your calendar in order to cover in prayer your upcoming meetings, appointments, engagements, or possibly things like elections or holidays? As you do, ask God to direct your prayers regarding these events and maybe even keep a record of ways in which you might recognize His leading and Presence as the events take place. You can never go wrong when you cover it with prayer. 1 John 5:14-15; Jeremiah 33:3 Thursday, December 3rd: We may be tempted to ask God, “Why me? Why us? Why do we continue to go through all of this?” We may even be trying to barter with God that we should be somehow exempted from the strife because, after all, we have been faithful and have to the best of our abilities distanced ourselves from the moral corruption. Yet another way to view where we find ourselves might be to thank God that He chose us to be alive at such a time as this to be His emissaries. We could have been born into any other era, any other country, any other family – but He chose to place us in this exact time and place in history because He has specific assignments for each one of us that He believes we can accomplish for His kingdom if we will just say yes to Him and trust Him to be our strength and provision. I find it encouraging that He considers our generation to be warriors who can be trusted with such a daunting challenge. May we eagerly accept the assignment, moving forward in His power and grace, undeterred by any opposition or cost. Esther 4:14; Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9 4 Friday, December 4th: We certainly shouldn’t be serving for acknowledgment or the kudos, but if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s nice when someone gives us affirmation. The problems arise when the recognition begins to stimulate us and we crave the attention of being a “somebody” and that becomes our motivation. We want to be well known when what we really need is to be known well. That’s something that takes intimacy, transparency, humility, and vulnerability. Most of those who yearn to be well known deal with insecurity which often exhibits itself in prideful behavior. They are well aware of their personal shortcomings, so being transparent or vulnerable would only expose their flaws, but the liberating truth is that we are already known most intimately by the One who matters the most – He who formed us and declares that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The most powerful being in the universe calls you by name – He knows you! As shocking and perhaps disappointing as it may seem, there is no one living or dead who is recognized by everyone. If recognition were such a great thing, why do so many celebrities wind up disillusioned, taking their own lives either directly or through lifestyles that ultimately lead to their death? If we’re living for the applause, it eventually dies – as do we – and then what? When we rest in the gratification we can experience from being adored and cherished by Almighty God Himself, no other recognition is needed. If He chooses to elevate us, it will be because He trusts us to acknowledge the source and we’ll rejoice in that because it’s a lasting reward. After all, He doesn’t call us according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace. You are serving God Himself because He uniquely equipped you to be able to do what you do, and He sees you. All we truly need is the audience of One. Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 6:1-4; Galatians 1:10 5 Saturday, December 5th: Look to the Lord - “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118.24) Look to the Lord. In everything give thanks. Seek His face evermore. Seek for His will to be done. Declare that His goodness and mercy follow you. He watches over you like a mother hen with her chicks. His eyes go to and fro the whole earth looking for those whose heart is perfect toward Him. If you acknowledge Him in all your ways you have the assurance that He will direct your steps. He will set you on high. He will give you an expected end. He will fight for you and the victory will be yours. You are more than a conqueror. Put on your armor. Take the sword of the spirit and fight the good fight of faith. Look to the rock of salvation. We know: "All things work together for good to those that love the Lord to those that are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28, I Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 105:4, Psalm 23:6, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Proverbs 3:6, Psalm 91:14, Exodus 14:14, Romans 8:37, Ephesians 6:12, Psalm 18:12 6 Sunday, December 6th: Sometimes we become so familiar with a story that we skim over it when we read it for the umpteenth time. Most likely the Good Samaritan would fall into that category, but it’s amazing how God can use different avenues to reveal new insights and depth into what we overlook in our lack of wonder and curiosity in His word. We know that the Samaritan should have been the least likely of the three that passed the wounded man on the road to stop and help.
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