Prayer Devotions
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Prayer Devotions December 2019 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: Turkmenistan Mali Mauritania 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: Turkmenistan Mali Mauritania 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 Sunday, December 1st: Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life, and we are told that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. That should tell us something. We have a choice as to how we partake of the sustenance we are being offered, just like we have a choice every mealtime about what we’re going to consume. One choice is a TV dinner. It’s quick and easy, we get some nourishment and maybe even flavor from it, but more often than not it is eaten alone. One of our favorites might be a buffet. We have a vast array of choices, and typically the quality is better than the TV dinner and we’re probably dining with others. We get to choose what we take and what we leave. Then there’s the meal prepared for us. The one where we sit at the table with loved ones, and if we’re culturally sensitive we know to eat whatever is placed in front of us. I think we tend to approach God’s word much the same way – with choices as to how we’re going to partake. It should be obvious that our best bet is the last option. We are intended to be in communion with the Father and others, and we know that all scripture is God-breathed and profitable for us. I know He doesn’t call Himself the broccoli of life, but He still created it, and it has so many nutritious attributes. Let’s choose to trust Him and to accept everything He offers. Don’t settle for a TV dinner faith when He is preparing a table for us that is gourmet fare for our souls and our spirits. It is truly life-giving, will satisfy our deepest needs, and we should be enjoying and sharing it with others. Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3; Hebrews 5:12-14 Monday, December 2nd: As humans, we must be willing to confess that we contribute to the pain and suffering in the world. Even though we ourselves may be in pain and suffering, intentionally or unintentionally we do the same to others. Our sins may feel too big to us, but they’re not too big for God. God’s face is turned towards us. God gazes at me with deep love. God gazes at you with deep love. God gazes at every one of us and all of creation with deep, deep, deep love because we are the work of God’s hands. This first week of Advent (arrival) we have waited for God. We have searched for small signs of God’s presence. We have faced the darkness of our lives and the darkness of the world and experienced healing and new life. We have turned towards God’s face shining brightly and the hope that Jesus provides. How will you carry God’s hope with you through the rest of this Advent season? Pray- God of Hope, I confess that I have sinned against you and against the people in my life. Heal me. Bring me to wholeness and new life. I am grateful for your gaze of love today and always. Isaiah 64:5, 8-9 Tuesday, December 3rd: Recently while prayer walking Pure Heart’s campus, one of those praying was struck with an image similar to a phenomenon from Chronicles of Narnia. The children always entered the alter-reality of Narnia through a portal. The back of a wardrobe ushered them into another world where their identities were the same yet different. This led the prayer walkers to begin praying for those who would come onto our campus to be so overwhelmed with the Presence of the Holy Spirit that they would feel they were entering into an alter-reality. And then it occurred to them – not only was the prayer for “alter” reality, but also for “altar” reality. Lord, as we come into Your Presence, may it be a reality for us that reverently brings us to Your altar and transforms us into Your superior design for our lives. You have created us to be so much more than we could imagine, but we can only realize that through entering into Your plans. Cause all who come onto our campus to find that entrance and to eagerly enter Your reality. 2 Corinthians 5:14-19; Romans 12:2 Wednesday, December 4th: Jesus told us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, strength and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That’s a pretty tall order, but He would never ask something of us if He weren’t also equipping us to be able to accomplish it through the power of the Holy Spirit. This time of year can make that mandate both easier in some cases and harder in others. We tend to pay more attention to ways we can bless those we love, and hopefully we are also reflecting on the true “reason for the season” – the birth of Jesus. That’s the easy part. The crowds of hurried, anxious, often rude and self-absorbed people we encounter may not be so easy to love. Or maybe they’re as close as the other room! That’s when we need to remember the order in which He told us to love: Him first, with every fiber of our being; then others. When we keep that priority, the rest will fall into place much more easily. That doesn’t mean it will be effortless, though. Sometimes it will be a sacrifice of praise, meaning it will have to be a conscious decision to display His nature rather than reacting in the flesh. That’s when we take a breath, whisper a quick (silent) prayer for strength and grace, and turn the other cheek. It’s amazing what a soft answer and extending unmerited kindness to someone can accomplish in promoting peace and good will. So let them see Him in you, the embodiment of Christ come to earth for them. Luke 10:27; Ephesians 5:1-2 Thursday, December 5th: We read a few different messages about the character of God in these verses (Isaiah 40:9-11). Is God some muscular enforcer, or is God more of a kind, gentle shepherd? Regardless of how we may envision God, we are called to proclaim God’s presence in the world. God is here! How many times have you ever proclaimed God’s presence in the world? I’m not necessarily talking about getting a milk crate and a megaphone and waving the Bible in the air like a street corner preacher, but perhaps in more subtle ways. How can we share with our friends that God is present in our daily lives? On the soccer field, in detention, on the bus, as we walk down the city streets. How would you describe God to the people you care for most? Would God be large and in charge? Or would God be gentler and loving? Which of these images do the people in your world need in this season? Pray- Lord, I want to be a messenger of your presence here on earth. What words should I use? What actions can I take? Help prepare my heart for your presence each and every day.