Prayer Guide.Pdf
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The Basics: The Prayer Room at PAC is upstairs, above the church offices (the conference room). Most evenings we have two additional rooms available downstairs. Entrance to the building should be by the PAC Office Doors. When possible, pray out loud, especially when ‘2 or more are gathered’. We encourage you to bring your bible/pen/journal . THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO PRAYER Prayers of Approach: As we approach our heavenly Father there are certain steps that can help to focus our hearts and minds onto the heart and mind of God. Take some time to work through and meditate on these short prayers before you proceed. Choosing to abide in Christ: My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you ; to renew my place in you, my allegiance to you, and to receive from you all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my sovereign Lord, and I surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to you. Cleanse our lives with the blood of Christ: I give you my body as a living sacrifice; I give you my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and I give you my spirit as well. I cover myself with your blood—my spirit, my soul, and my body. And I ask your Holy Spirit to restore my union with you, seal me in you, and guide me in this time of prayer. Declaring Gods Rightful Place in Our Lives: Dear God, holy and victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship, my heart’s devotion, all my praise and all my trust and all the glory of my life. I worship you, bow to you, and give myself over to you in my heart’s search for life. I confess here and now that it is all about you, and not about me. Declaring what is true and what God has done on our behalf: Heavenly Father thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true Father- my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sustainer, and the true end of all things including my life. I love you; I trust you and I worship you. Thank you for proving your love for me by sending your son Jesus Christ. I receive Him, His life and His work. Thank you for including me in Christ, for forgiving my sins, for granting me righteousness, for making me complete in Him. Thank you for making me alive with Christ, raising me with him, seating me with him at your right hand, granting me his authority, and anointing me with your Holy Spirit. I receive it all with thanks and give it total claim to my life. Receiving the Son and leaving behind old ways: Jesus, thank you for coming for me, for ransoming me with your own life. I honor you as my Lord; I love you, worship you, and trust you. I sincerely receive you as my redemption, and I receive all the work and triumph of your crucifixion, whereby I am cleansed from all my sin through your shed blood, my old nature is removed and I have died with you to sin. Living in the new life: Jesus, I sincerely receive you as my new life, my holiness and sanctification, and I receive all the work and triumph of your resurrection, whereby I have been raised with you in new life, to walk in newness of life, dead to sin and alive to God. I am crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. I now take my place in resurrection, whereby I have been made alive with you. Receiving the Holy Spirit: Holy Spirit, I sincerely receive you as my counselor, my comforter, my strength, and my guide. Thank you for sealing me in Christ. I honor you as my Lord, and I ask you to lead me into all truth, to anoint me for all of my life and walk and calling, and to lead me deeper in to Jesus today. Giving Thanks: Heavenly Father, thank you for granting to me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. I receive those blessings into my life today, and I ask the Holy Spirit to bring all those blessings into my life this day. I call forth the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout my home, my family, my life and my domain. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, with all glory and honor and thanks to him. Amen. *Prayers of approach taken from Waking the Dead by John Eldredge Postures of Prayer: You will see various postures of prayer used within the Prayer Room. There is something wonderful about being in a room of people that are all in the same pursuit as your are! The important thing to remember is that what we do is not disturbing to others. The following are some postures you may find helpful in praying: Sit: This is a common position of those in the Prayer Room. Grab a chair or seat as they are available. Make yourself comfortable, but don’t forget to respond if God prompts you to take a different posture. Stand: Stand in worship, during intercession or other prayer, or if you are feeling drowsy. Cry: The Prayer Room is a SAFE PLACE! If you feel the need to cry, whether during time of confession, intercession or worship or if God has placed a burden on your heart to weep for a situation or an individual or perhaps for our region/province/country you are welcome to do so. The only thing we ask is that you are mindful or not disrupting others therefore please cry quietly. There are plenty of Kleenex boxes in the Prayer Room! Kneel: You are free to kneel before God in prayer, reverence or for any other reason. Again be aware of the space of others around you however if you are not in a position to interfere then feel free to kneel while you pray! Pace: For some people being expected to sit still in prayer or conversation with God is akin to punishment. If it helps you to concentrate or be stirred in you heart to pray and will not encroach on the space of others feel free to walk around the room. We have left spaces for pacing on either side of the chairs that are arranged in rows. NEEPAWA Our church is currently in the process of planting a new church in the town of Neepawa. As we surge with prayer for the week, let our focus include the impending turning of Neepawa UP SIDE DOWN. Our very own, Stafford Greer and his family will be making the move to Neepawa to lead this new church! This will make for lots of change among their family, and the family of PAC. Pray for the Greer Family: Thank God for putting the church plant in Neepawa on the hearts of Stafford and his wife Joe, and thank God for their willingness to obey and go where God leads. For strong friends for the Greer family, who will welcome them to Neepawa and embrace them quickly and easily. For easy transition into a new school and fast friendships to be made for the Greer children (Elliot, grade 3; Aowyn, Grade 1; Emmett, preschool). For the Greer family to quickly sell their house in Portage and find a new house to purchase in Neepawa. For peace and assurance for the family as they embark on this journey. Pray for UNITY: For God to work in the hearts of Christians and church leaders who currently live in Neepawa and that the presence of a new church plant would bring optimism and excitement to their congregations. For a strong alliance and friendship of church leadership in Neepawa. For PAC to be unified in vision with the Neepawa church plant including strongly supporting the new leadership in worship arts and children's ministry at PAC. Pray against the spirit of division in all areas of the church. Pray for God to give us, the family at PAC, a deep unexplainable love for the town of Neepawa and the people who live there. Pray for RELATIONSHIPS: For God to orchestrate connections between people in Portage la Prairie and Neepawa over the next 12-18 months that will help the Neepawa church launch well. Healthy relationships and friendship among church leaders (Neepawa and PAC). Friends and community connections to be made easily between those from Portage and Neepawa. Pray for NEW BELIEVERS: For God to begin to work in the lives of people in Neepawa who are far from Him that they would be greatly impacted by Christians currently living in Neepawa. For God to prepare the Neepawa church to be in a position to greatly reach, bless and share Christ with the large Filipino and immigrant Population. That the launch day of the Neepawa church would include at least 30 unchurched people and families. Pray for TRANSITIONS: For God to work in the lives of people from PAC and to speak clearly and convincingly that they need to follow his leading to Neepawa. For PAC to embrace, celebrate and bless a large number of families who commit to drive or move to Neepawa to launch the church there. For God to move mightily and arrange logistics so families from PAC can be freed to move to Neepawa as part of the church plant there.