THE 5 P s OF PRAYER. A daily family devotional for the members of Central Baptist Church

Transcription

1 THE 5 P s OF PRAYER A daily family devotional for the members of Central Baptist Church Pray for our PEOPLE Pray for PREPARATION Pray for PATIENCE Pray for PROTECTION Pray for your PLEDGE

2 WEEK 1 March WEEKLY THEME: PRAY FOR OUR PEOPLE. MONDAY PRAY FOR YOUR PRAYER LIFE. Scripture Reading: Luke 5:16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. We Christians love to study prayer. We go to prayer seminars; we love to hear how prayer has changed someone's life. But most of us don't pray as much as we should. Maybe we think of prayer as the exception rather than the rule, something we do on special occasions or when we're in a big mess. The Savior is our perfect model for our life of prayer. He began and ended His public ministry in prayer. The application is obvious. If Jesus needed to pray, what does that say about you and me? Prayer: Spend time in prayer asking God to give you the desire to seek Him more often and with more fervor.

3 TUESDAY PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS. Scripture Reading: Exodus 18: Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace. Just as Jethro advised God s chosen leader Moses to seek and receive help from among his people, the church needs men and women to come alongside the pastor to help carry the load of the ministry. Prayer: Spend time praying for the teams involved in helping lead the building program.

4 WEDNESDAY PRAY FOR THE BODY. Scripture Reading: Philippians 1: Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. True Christian fellowship is more than having your name on a church roll or being present at a meeting. It is possible to be close to people spiritually yet be miles away from them physically. Paul uses three thoughts in this passage to describe his heartfelt connection to and affection for his fellow

5 believers: I have you in my mind (vv. 7-8); I have you in my heart (vv. 3-6); I have you in my prayers (vv. 9-11). May we at Central Baptist Church mirror Paul s love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Prayer: Spend time praying for your church family. THURSDAY PRAY FOR VISION. Scripture Reading: Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. People generally fall into one of two categories. First, there is the reactionary. He reacts to the situation and circumstances around him. Then, there is the visionary. She relies on revelation from God to guide her life. Biblically speaking, vision is spiritual understanding the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer to provide understanding of the word of God. Prayer: Spend time praying for God to give you spiritual understanding (vision) to know His will in your life.

6 FRIDAY PRAY FOR OUR PASTOR. Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. When a servant (Pastor Wyman) is in the will of God, teaching the word of God, the people of God should follow his leadership, as the scriptures instruct. The greatest thing we can do for our pastor is to pray for him. Prayer from the pews brings power to the pulpit. Prayer: Spend time praying for our pastor.

7 WEEK 2 April 2-6 WEEKLY THEME: PRAY FOR THE PREPARATION. MONDAY PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER. Scripture Reading: James 5: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. Scripture tells us if we walk in God's will and your prayer requests line up with God's will look out, you've got some power on your hands! That's what happened with Elijah. Don't miss the point. Elijah was just like us. He wasn't perfect, but the whole orientation of his life was to please God. And his prayers moved heaven. Is that a goal we can achieve at CBC? Believe it! Prayer: Spend time today lifting up the membership at Central Baptist Church.

8 TUESDAY PRAY FOR TRUST AND DEPENDENCE. Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. This well-known passage reminds us that we are to turn all our cares over to the Lord and trust that He will take care of us. How many times have we prayed this prayer, only to grab the reins back from God as soon as we have said Amen? Prayer: Pray that God will give you the faith to trust in Him as it relates to our building program, and in all areas of your life.

9 WEDNESDAY PRAY FOR MUSTARD SEED FAITH. Scripture Reading: Matthew 17: And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him. 17 And Jesus answered, O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? 20 He said to them, Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy whom His disciples could not heal. They came to Him asking, Why? Jesus said their faith was too small. If we want to be effective in our ministry, Jesus tells us we need to grow in our faith. Prayer: Pray in faith for God to provide the necessary provisions for our church and that He would remove the mountains in your life.

10 THURSDAY PRAY FOR A TIME OF FASTING. Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 1:3-4 3 And they said to me, The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire. Nehemiah knew the importance of fasting. By fasting, he was declaring that his hunger for knowing God was more pressing than his need to satisfy any physical hunger. (Note: Read Nehemiah 9, the longest recorded prayer in the Bible.) Most of us don t spend much (if any) time fasting, despite the fact that the Bible is filled with scripture about the importance of fasting in the life of a Christian. Prayer: Ask God to give you a fresh insight into the importance of prayer and fasting.

11 FRIDAY PRAY FOR INSIGHT INTO GOD'S LEADING. Scripture Reading: Acts 9:3-9 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 5 And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. If we are to be obedient to the will of God in our lives, we must be in communication with Him through reading His word and seeking Him in prayer. From this passage in Acts, we can draw several truths by studying Paul s encounter with God, including but not limited to: 9:4 Take time to listen to Jesus. 9:6 Ask God what He wants you to do. 9:6 Be willing to be patient. Prayer: Ask God to lead you in your daily walk so that you will walk lockstep with His will. Seek the Lord and patiently await His leading.

12 WEEK 3 April 9-13 WEEKLY THEME: PRAY FOR PATIENCE. MONDAY PRAY FOR PATIENCE IN THINGS UNSEEN. Scripture Reading: Romans 8: For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. It s easy to have patience when we see immediate results. It s when we experience delays that we sometimes act like little children impatiently waiting to open their Christmas presents. Prayer: Ask God to give you peace and patience to wait on the things unseen as you trust His perfect timing.

13 TUESDAY PRAY FOR PATIENCE AS YOU ENDURE. Scripture Reading: Genesis 29:20 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Jacob s father-in-law made Jacob work for seven years before he would allow him to marry his daughter. Jacob was willing to agree to these terms because of his love and commitment to Rachel. He knew she was worth the wait, so he was willing to do whatever it took which meant having a God-sized amount of patience. Are we willing to wait patiently for God s blessings in our lives? Prayer: Thank God for the blessings in your life and ask Him to help you to learn to patiently wait on Him as He guides and directs your path.

14 WEDNESDAY PRAY FOR PATIENCE DURING CHANGE. Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:22 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Patience should be one of the marks of a Spirit-filled follower of Jesus. Our church is excited about the building program, and we look forward with great anticipation to all the ways we will use our expanded campus for God s glory. But before we reach the finish line, a lot of work has to be done. And like all construction projects, things will get messy and we should expect delays. Begin praying now for God to give patience to our entire body, not only as it relates to our construction project, but in all areas of our life. Prayer: Take an honest inventory of your level of patience and ask God to fill you with this fruit of the Spirit.

15 THURSDAY PRAY FOR A REPUTATION OF PATIENCE. Scripture Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:4 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.. When others talk about Central Baptist Church, we want them to be able to boast about our collective faithfulness in everything we endure. The same should be true of us individually. When others think of you, do they picture someone who is patient and faithful when life throws you a curveball? Prayer: Ask God to make us a church and a people with a reputation for unwavering trust and patience in God that we exhibit during trials of every kind.

16 FRIDAY PRAY FOR THE PATIENCE TO WAIT ON GOD. Scripture Reading: James 5:7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. Jesus told His followers that He would one day return to this earth to establish His kingdom. The Bible shows us that many of the disciples thought Jesus would return during their lifetime. More than 2,000 years later, we are still awaiting His return. This reinforces the Biblical truth that God s timing is not ours, that His plans are higher than our own. Just as the farmer waits for the rains to nourish his crop, we too should wait patiently on God, knowing that He knows best and that only He knows the perfect path for our lives. Prayer: Ask God to give you the patience to wait on His perfect timing, and also that you not overlook the abundant everyday blessings we can miss if our eyes are fixed only on the future.

17 WEEK 4 April WEEKLY THEME: PRAY FOR PROTECTION. MONDAY PRAY FOR AWARENESS. Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:8 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The devil is on the loose, and he is seeking to devour you. This is a sobering and scary truth. While Satan is certainly no match for God, he is absolutely more powerful that we are. What should we do? Like the scripture says: Be on watch! The devil is crafty; he is a master of disguise who tricks and tempts with things that appear beautiful. (Remember the fruit in the Garden of Eden?) The first step in our defense against the devil is to simply be aware of his schemes against us. During our church s building program, be on watch for signs of the devil prowling around, seeking to divide and destroy. Prayer: Ask God to give you wisdom and discernment to clearly see when the devil attacks and to keep us grounded in our faith so we are on constant watch.

18 TUESDAY PRAY FOR A HEART OF RESISTANCE. Scripture Reading: James 4:7 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. God s word assures us that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. But we can t look past the first sentence in this verse. We must FIRST submit to God, before we resist. If we are living outside the will of God, we are facing a battle we cannot win. It is God who gives us even the desire to resist sin and the devil. If we stray from God, we drift toward sin and into the crosshairs of Satan s attacks. Prayer: Renew your commitment to live in total surrender and submission to God, then ask Him to give you the strength resist the devil.

19 WEDNESDAY PRAY FOR REFUGE. Scripture Reading: Psalm 91:1-4 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. The psalmist speaks of God s protection as being a shelter, a refuge, a fortress, a shield. From what or whom are we being protected? Attacks from Satan and his demonic forces. The Bible is clear that the unseen supernatural is every bit as real as the things we can see and touch. The devil is intent on doing whatever he can to draw us away from God and into ourselves, where we become alone, powerless and vulnerable outside the protection of the Almighty. Prayer: Understand the reality of Satan s desire to destroy you. Pray to God for His protection, then commit to staying under His loving watch.

20 THURSDAY PRAY FOR GOD S ARMOR. Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Out of His immense love for us, God equips us for our battles with the enemy. He graciously provides us with the spiritual armor we need so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. When we are committed to Christ and working to bring Him glory, Satan wants to distract and destroy. Let s keep this reality in mind as we come together during our church s building program that we guard against Satan s desire to distract and destroy our commitment to further God s kingdom. Prayer: Thank God for His love and for equipping us with His weapons to fight Satan s attacks.

21 FRIDAY PRAY FOR CONFIDENCE. Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is a powerful foe. But, ultimately, he is a defeated foe. He may have the upper hand on us until Christ s return, but as the verse above declares, we can claim victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. One day Satan will be toothless and bound in hell for eternity; in the meantime, we can rejoice in the Lord, knowing the battle has already been won if we proclaim Christ as our Savior. This reality should give us confidence as children of God that victory is already ours. Prayer: Thank our Lord Jesus Christ for dying for us so that we may have life through Him. Ask Him to help you experience His power in your life so that you may face battles with your head held high because Jesus is on your side.

22 WEEK 5 APRIL WEEKLY THEME: PRAY FOR THE PLEDGE. MONDAY PRAY YOU WILL BE A CHEERFUL GIVER. Scripture Reading: Luke 16: One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. God wants our faithfulness. He's saying, If you can't do anything for me with the little bit of unrighteous mammon I entrust to you, if I can't trust you with what will burn up some day, how can I trust you with the real stuff, my heavenly riches? All we have is on loan from God. One day we will have to give everything up down here. That's the test of whether you own something or not. Since you have to give it up, you don't really own it. How complete is God's ownership? We don't even own ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We have been bought with a price the blood of Christ and we are His. Prayer: Spend time asking God how you can invest more in His kingdom.

23 TUESDAY THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE GIVES YOU. Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:9 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. When we become followers of Christ, we become investors in the kingdom. If you give as God asks you to give, you don't have to worry about your future. In all of scripture, this one verse should motivate your giving to God because you see what God gives to you. Based on 2 Corinthians 8:9, here are four reasons you should give a good pledge: 1. Though He was rich Christ was rich beyond human comprehension before He came to earth. Everything in heaven and earth was His. 2. for your sake Jesus came to earth and identified with us so we might be saved. He came so we (you) might have eternal life. 3. he became poor We had no resources by which we might pay our way into heaven. Jesus became poor so we, one day, would inherit a mansion. 4. might be rich We were lifted out of the depths of our poverty and given citizenship in heaven where we became fellow heirs with Christ. (Now that's real wealth!) Prayer: Spend time today thanking God for your blessings. (Ephesians 3:20)

24 WEDNESDAY PRAY THAT YOUR PLEDGE WOULD HONOR GOD. Scripture Reading: Mark 12: And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. Here we see Christ s last public act of ministry. How interesting to note that it was not a sermon or a miracle. What is He doing? Watching what people give. Real giving must be sacrificial. The amount of the gift never matters so much as its cost to the giver. Not the size of the gift, but the sacrifice. Real generosity gives until it hurts. For many of us, the question is: Is our giving to God's work any sacrifice at all? Few people will do without their pleasures to give a little more to the work of God. Is Jesus still watching what we give today? You decide. Prayer: Pray for sacrificial giving.

25 THURSDAY PRAY THAT YOU WILL STORE UP ETERNAL BLESSINGS. Scriptural Reading: 1 Timothy 6:7 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. Today s verse is a powerful reminder that we are merely the stewards of everything we have. The Bible says all that we have is on loan. We came into this world with nothing, and we are leaving this world with nothing. Hearses don't pull U-Hauls. The only reason you won t go out naked is because someone else will dress you. Remember, God is the owner of everything. Prayer: Ask God to make you a better steward of His finances.

26 FRIDAY PRAY THAT GOD WILL SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT GIVING FROM YOUR HEART, NOT FROM YOUR HEAD. Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. There are three main principles here: 1. I get if I sow. 2. I get what I sow. 3. If I sow bountifully, I get more than I sow. We will reap what we sow, but it often takes a while. One of the lessons of the harvest is that good things take time. It is up to God to determine exactly what kind of harvest you will reap from your obedience in financial stewardship. He may bless you now in one way, or later in another. But there will be a harvest. Prayer: Pray that the Lord of the harvest will pour out a blessing on Central Baptist Church.

27

28 Filename: 5 P's of Prayer Family Devotional REVISED.docx Directory: /Users/wymanrichardson/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data /Documents Template: /Users/wymanrichardson/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Templates.localized/Normal.dotm Title: Subject: Author: Susie Keywords: Comments: Creation Date: 3/24/18 9:50:00 PM Change Number: 2 Last Saved On: 3/24/18 9:50:00 PM Last Saved By: Microsoft Office User Total Editing Time: 1 Minute Last Printed On: 3/24/18 9:50:00 PM As of Last Complete Printing Number of Pages: 27 Number of Words: 4,480 Number of Characters: 19,971 (approx.)