Use the Fill-in-the-Blank prayer at the end of this document to help guide you through praying for an unsaved friend or loved one.

Transcription

1 Thank you for your commitment to pray, in unity with your Sister Church, and in the direction of the heart and prayers and Words of Jesus that He himself prayed in the week leading up to his death, burial, and resurrection. We are praying in unity for the advancing of the Kingdom and with His Resurrection Power for The Church in Manitowoc County as His Spirit brings together Faith and Hope but the greatest of which will be Love, one for another and for the lost! It s 72 prayer warriors praying in unison each day, for one week straight, unified in one common purpose; to advance the Kingdom of God, win the lost, and seek to see God glorified in our midst!! In the pages of this 24-7 Prayer Guide you will first see a Daily Prayer Guide. Find the day that you are signed up to pray and use it as a guide through your time of prayer. After the Daily Prayer Guide you will find an article on How to Pray for an Hour that will help and encourage you if the task before you is unfamiliar, or seems a little daunting. Use the Fill-in-the-Blank prayer at the end of this document to help guide you through praying for an unsaved friend or loved one.

2 PALM SUNDAY (3/25) Daily Prayer Guide Let s begin our celebration of Holy Week by thinking of Jesus humble entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Zechariah 9:9-12, Matthew 21:1-11, John 12:12-19 Today Pray for Praise Jesus as your true King. Pray that your heart and the hearts of all who believe in Jesus, will seek to obediently, humbly, fervently, and boldly proclaim His name in word and deed. Pray that the recognition and awakening of Jesus as the Savior of the World would ring throughout the streets of Manitowoc County. Pray that the multitudes would come to know Him! MONDAY (3/26) In the week(s) prior to his death, Jesus knew what was coming and prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. He was perfectly obedient to the will of God the Fathereven to death on a cross. John 12:20-36, John 6:44, John 14 Today Pray for Pray with thanksgiving for Jesus perfect obedience. Praise Him for displaying in word and deed the grace and truth of God in human flesh. (John 1:17-18). Pray that our united churches and His Church everywhere, may turn our minds and hearts to know, believe and obey God s word in everyday life. Pray that a hunger for God s Word and prayer would increase in our churches and throughout our county. Pray for unsaved members in your family by name. Pray that the Lord would stir their hearts this week and that they would realize their need for Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to draw Manitowoc County to the heart of Jesus! Pray that as the Church, we would Love the Lord and Love our Neighbor well.

3 TUESDAY (3/27) During the week leading up to the cross, Jesus revealed the depth of His compassion for the world. The fullness of God s everlasting love for us was demonstrated in the life and death of Jesus. Luke 19:41-48, John 15 Today Pray For Pray that God will open up, to you and others of Hope, Faith, and the greater Body of Christ, divine appointments to share Christ. Father, give us such great compassion and the heart of Jesus to weep for our city, communities, and county. Lord, open our eyes to see hurting people around us. Pray for boldness to speak truth in love. Lord, raise up our churches as Houses of Prayer in this region. Lord, cause us as The Church to abide in you, Lord that we would have such a deep love for You and for other people! WEDNESDAY (3/28) What do you think about Christ? Jesus directed this question to the Pharisees just before His death and resurrection. He also asked this question of his disciples. There is no question more important to ask. Take a moment to bring this question openly and honestly to God in prayer. What do you believe about Jesus in your heart today? Proclaim the names of God and Hallow His Name! Matthew 22:41-42, Matthew 16: 13-20, John 16 Today Pray For Pray that your own heart will be reignited that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! Pray for anyone you know that has doubts about who Jesus is and why they need Him. Pray for the Holy Spirit to penetrate hardened and indifferent hearts. Pray for unsaved friends. Pray for opportunities to share Christ with them. Invite friends to the Resurrection Celebration services this weekend. Ask the Father to remove any distractions from them heeding the Spirit s work of conviction. (John 16: 7-11)

4 THURSDAY (3/29) Today we celebrate how, during the Passover meal, Jesus inaugurated the Lord s Supper. It begins as Jesus humbles Himself to wash the feet of His disciples, demonstrating how we are to love as Jesus loved. It climaxes with the sharing of bread and a cup of wine, which became our remembrances of Jesus sacrifice. The bread we eat together represents His broken body and the cup we drink together represents His blood. We are drawn to the cross upon which He surrendered His life for our sin the very next day. What a wondrous love is this indeed! Rest a moment in prayer and let your heart be washed over by the love of Jesus. Ask for help to love others as deeply as He has loved you. Luke 22, John 13, John 3:16-17 Today Pray For Pray with thanksgiving for Jesus love for the world. Pray that when believers gather together, they remember Jesus love through the Lord s Supper and through sacrificial service. Pray for those who are laboring to bring the good news of Jesus; Lord, raise up laborers for the harvest and use us Lord! Lord, raise up a united, powerful prayer movement in our community. Father, teach us as The Church to wash each other s feet, to serve each other, and to love each other well that the world would know us as believers because of our great love for each other that we would lay down our lives for Jesus sake! And Lord, teach us to keep watch and pray as Jesus prayed, that we might not fall into temptation. GOOD FRIDAY: (3/30) Good Friday the day that Jesus, the Son of God- unfairly tried and convicted, mercilessly mocked and brutally crucified- willingly and obediently took on the sins of the world so that anyone who believes in Him could be forgiven and freed. How can we even begin to express the gratitude, love, and praise we feel in response to what Christ has done for us on the cross? Luke 23, Matthew 27, John 19 Today Pray for Pray for Christians all around the world as we reflect on Jesus sacrifice for our sins.

5 Pray that in understanding Christ s loving sacrifice, we would confess sin before God and ask His help with any temptation to wander from Him. Pray that we would pursue holiness and humility. (Isaiah 66:2) Pray that we would spend time meditating on God s great love for us and that this time of reflection would result in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. Pray that we would be fervent in prayer over the next three days and ready to share Christ. Search our hearts O Lord. SATURDAY (3/31) As the sun rose on Saturday, sadness filled the hearts of Jesus disciples, family, and friends. None of them understood that the death of Jesus the most undeserved death imaginable would yield a divine return. When Jesus drew His last breath, He disarmed the powers of darkness and triumphed over all authorities set against the reign of God (Col 2:14-15). Let God fill your mind with the knowledge that even death could not contain Jesus. God s light has triumphed over darkness (John 1:4-5). Matthew 27: 62-64, John 17 Today Pray for Pray for Pastor Andy and Pastor Jeremy and the worship team that will be ministering at the Capitol Civic Center, as well as every believing pastor and church in our county. Pray for the hospitality crew, technical crew, and all of the culminating details to host this joint and united Resurrection Celebration! Pray for a great love and unity to flow among all believers. (Psalm 133). Pray for the Holy Spirit s working through the preaching of the Word and for hearts to be open to the Word and message. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in the services, drawing the lost to hear and believe the message of hope. (John 20:31) Pray that as believers we would be sanctified by the truth and kept from the evil one. Pray that The Church here in Manitowoc County and beyond would be One. Pray that the world would believe that God sent Jesus. Perfect us as the Church in love, and may we behold Your glory, Lord! Cause us as a unified Body of Believers to truly know You, Lord! that we might declare to the world Your Name! Fill us with your great Love, O Lord!

6 SUNDAY (4/1) RESURRECTION DAY! Jesus is risen!! You- and everyone who believes in himare no longer in sin! Because He is risen you, and everyone who believes in Him, are a new creation! Take a moment to marvel in prayer. Celebrate the new life and glory of the Resurrection of Christ!! Matthew 28: 1-10, Luke 24: 1-12, Ephesians 1, 1 Corinthians 15: Today Pray for Pray with thanksgiving that Jesus was boldly resurrected from the dead, fulfilling the promise of everlasting life. Pray that lost people would come to believe in him today and be brought into God s kingdom. Pray that those for whom we ve been praying would respond to God s invitation for salvation. Pray that nothing would hinder or prevent people from going to church today and hearing the good news of Jesus death, burial and resurrection. Lord, fill the Capitol Civic Center and every bible believing church in Manitowoc County to overflowing! Empower us by your precious Holy Spirit and cause a great spirit of unity and love to flow in the Body of Christ! May the supernatural power of the risen Christ flow into the city and surrounding county and affect every heart, family, and level of society. We welcome you Holy Spirit and ask for Your great presence to invade us!

7 How to Spend an Hour in Prayer by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson "An hour? How could I pray for an hour? I'd run out of things to say!" Praying for an hour is like sitting down in a restaurant with a friend, rather than ordering a cheeseburger and chocolate shake at the drive-up window. Somehow, as you sip coffee together, you find a lot of things to say. And, it's a whole lot more satisfying than a wave and a "Hi-how-are-you?" But if talking to God for that long seems intimidating, it's probably because we're still learning just to share ourselves with Him as we would with a friend. The following suggestions are designed to help you take courage to try spending an hour with the Lord. After the hour, probably after the first 15 minutes, you won't need this outline. You'll find there's plenty to talk about without prompting. Start by bringing along some things to discuss with Him: your Bible, a hymnal, a world map or globe, perhaps a church directory and yours or your church's current prayer list. Then find a place where the two of you won't be disturbed. Preparation 1 min. Beginning Prayer. Ask God to help you spend this time profitably with Him. Ask His guidance. Give yourself to Him for this hour. 4 Min. Confession. Spend a couple of minutes going over with Him recent sins which weigh on you. But don t dredge up old ones. Read 1 John 1:9. Ask His cleansing, then accept it by faith and thank Him for it. He is far more willing to forgive than you are to ask. Praise And Thanksgiving 9 Min. Adoration. Sing to the Lord using a hymnal or some choruses you know. Come on, lift up your voice in praise; there are just the two of you. Now start to thank Him for His goodness to you and your friends. There is a special sense in which God inhabits (KJV) and is enthroned upon (NIV) the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). As your heart begins to adore Him, you ll sense His presence more deeply. Petition 9 Min. Pray About Life s Difficulties. Use this time to talk over with the Lord your own personal struggles. Discuss with Him your relationship with your special loved one or spouse, your family, your hang-ups, your financial needs,

8 your studies or job. But don t stop here. Be sure you go on to praying for the needs of others. Intercession 9 Min. Pray For Friends, Relatives, Neighbors, Fellow Workers. Don't just read a list of names to God, but talk to Him about their lives and needs. You can boldly ask Him for their salvation because Jesus died for them. Ask God to bring Christians into their lives, to alter circumstances, and to give you opportunities for witness and sharing in depth. 12 Min.Pray For Your Church and its needs. Call on Him for a deep renewal of love for God. Pray for your pastor and church leaders. Intercede for the Sunday school children and the youth, the families, the singles and the widows, the sick and shut-ins. Call on God for an increase in giving so the church doesn't have to struggle so much. Pray for the Christian organizations working with the college students, the children, the homeless in your community, with servicemen, and on college campuses. Then intercede for those you know in special need. 8 Min. Pray For Our Nation, that God will guide our president and legislators, our justices and judges, our governors and mayors, our police and firemen. Pray for righteousness in government and a public policy sensitive to the needs of the oppressed here and abroad. 8 Min. Pray For Other Nations, for the work of Christ throughout the world. Intercede for unreached peoples, call on God to send laborers into His harvest. Pray for missionaries, for third- world pastors and churches, for the people of God who are suffering persecution. Pray for peace. Ask God to give food, shelter and hope to the hungry. A Few Suggestions Here are some ideas that'll help you pray more freely. First, be yourself. Why wouldest thou pray like Brother So-and-So? Talk to God like you'd talk to your best friend. Get comfortable. The stiffer you feel, the more formal your relationship will be. Sitting is fine. If kneeling helps, do it. You might want to take an hour's walk as you talk with your Friend. Next, try praying out loud, though not loud enough to disturb others. Being able to hear yourself pray really helps. You'll find that your mind doesn't wander as easily and that you can pray more fervently. But don't feel you have to do all the talking. Discuss something with the Lord, then be silent for a time. Sometimes God uses these times of listening to implant His answers in our minds. Gradually you'll find that prayer can be a conversation.

9 Finally, don't worry about keeping to the times suggested here. It's only to get you started, to help you believe you actually can spend sixty minutes in prayer. You'll find God will guide you in your prayer time. Its not a program, it's a growing relationship. Now, go for it. Before you put this down, set a time when you will spend an hour with Him. You can't learn to pray from reading any more than you can learn to swim from a textbook. It's time to get into the water.

10 Fill-in-the-Blank Prayer I pray, Lord, that You draw to Yourself. (John 6:44). I pray that will seek to know You. (Acts 17:27). I pray that will hear and believe the Word of God. (1 Thess. 2:13). I ask You to prevent Satan from blinding to the truth. (2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Tim. 2:25-26). Holy Spirit, I ask You to convict of his/her sin and his/her need for Christ's redemption. (John 16:7-11). I ask You to send someone who will share the Gospel with. (Matt. 9:37-38). I also ask that You give me (and/or my fellow disciple) the opportunity, the courage, and the right words to share the truth with. (Eph. 6:19-20; Col. 4:3-6). Lord, I pray that will turn from his/her sin. (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Thess. 1:9-10). Lord, I pray that (John 1:12; 5:24). would put all of his/her trust in Christ. Lord, I pray that will confess Jesus Christ as Lord of his/her life, that his/her faith would take root and grow, and that he/she would bear much fruit for Your glory. (Luke 8:15; Rom. 10:9-10; Col. 2:6-7). In Jesus Name Amen!