June 17-23, 2018 Pray for family repentance and forgiveness. Pray God s Salvation for our family. Pray for those who are incarcerated, in prison or who are headed in that direction. June 17 / Day 33: Jer. 29:11-12 June 18 / Day 34: Prov. 24:14 June 19 / Day 35: I Pet. 1:3 June 20 / Day 36: Rom. 5:2-5 June 21 / Day 37: Rom. 12:12 June 22 / Day 38: Rom. 15:13 June 23 / Day 39: Rom. 10:9-10 June 24, 2018 Pray for intimacy with the Lord as a family. June 24 / Day 40: James 4:8 Our Journey is Just Beginning! 12
Letter from the Pastor: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: On May 16, 2018, we will begin 40 Days of Prayer for the Family. This 40 Day Prayer journey will entail reading scripture and praying through various facets of family life. When we look at the state of the family, it is clear that our families need prayer right now. St. Paul s Prayer Ministries have put together this guide to assist your family as you begin this 40-day journey. Your family will experience spiritual growth, deliverance, greater intimacy and closeness. I am praying these 40 Days of Prayer for the Family will make a difference in your family and that you will experience a greater intimacy with God. I can testify that God does answer prayer for the Family! We will culminate our 40 Days of Prayer for the Family on Sunday, June 24, 2018. Rev. E. C. Wilson, our special guest will be preaching on prayer during our morning worship. He will be encouraging families to worship and pray together. At 4:00 pm, Sis. Shelley Wilson will lead us in an Interactive Workshop on Prayer for the Family. Because of Calvary, June 10 16, 2018 Pray for healing of diseases in our family. Pray for our seniors and aging relatives. Pray for those who are single in our family. Those who may be seeking mates we pray they know the Lord June 10 / Day 26: Prov. 17:6 June 11 / Day 27: Psa. 90:12 June 12 / Day 28: I Tim. 5:1-2 June 13 / Day 29: Heb. 4:15 June 14 / Day 30: I Cor. 7:8-9 June 15 / Day 31: Luke 17:3-4 June 16 / Day 32: Acts 3:18-19 Dr. Ephraim Williams 2 11
June 3-9, 2018 Pray that marriages in our family are healed. Pray for protection of our children s minds. Pray for protection of our children at school. June 3 / Day 19: I Cor. 10:13 June 4 / Day 20: II Thess. 3:3 June 5 / Day 21: Deut. 31:6 June 6 / Day 22: Isa. 41:10 June 7 / Day 23: Jer. 17:14 June 8 / Day 24: Isa. 64:4 June 9 / Day 25: Prov. 17:6 Introduction Prayer is the heartbeat of a Christian home. It is also one of the best ways to help your family thrive. When you pray together, each member of the family will experience what it means to be intimate with God. When you see answers to prayer, you will experience His love and His presence in your daily life. In addition to strengthening each individual s connection with God, prayer has the side effect of deepening interpersonal relationships. It encourages family members to become more sensitive to one another s feelings. The shared experiences of prayer quickly become an opportunity to express mutual love, forgiveness, and grace. It is hard to hold on to grudges and cherish resentments when we are on our knees together before the Lord. As an act of shared intimacy, prayer creates family cohesiveness and strengthens the bonds between husband and wife, brother and sister, parent and child. How to Use the Prayer Guide Below are some suggestions for using the prayer guide. These are suggestions; each family has to determine what will work for their lifestyle and schedule. The primary objective is for each family to spend 15 minutes each day praying together. Stay focused on the Theme for each Prayer Session: Each week has a different theme. As you work through each theme, you will be addressing all the facets of family life. Be focused; however be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, if there is a greater concern in your family please feel free to pray for that concern. Meditate on the Bible Passage of the Day: Let the Holy Spirit speak to you through the scripture and show you how the scripture speaks to any issues in your family life. Keep any explanations of the scripture in simple, but in context. Use a bible translation that is easy for everyone to understand. Read with enthusiasm and excitement. Prepare your Heart for Prayer: Ask God to search your heart. Let the Holy Spirit draw you into God s presence. Open your heart and your life to Him before you begin your time of prayer. 10 3
Keep it Simple: Each day s prayer time consist of a specific weekly theme for prayer and a scripture. Set a specific time and place for your family to get together each day. Keep it Short: We are requesting that families spend 15 minutes together in prayer. It is better to leave your family wanting more than to leave them wishing they could escape sooner. Do not push your children or unsaved family member beyond their level of interest to participate. Set the Tone: Establish your prayer time in a place where everyone is comfortable. Solicit Participation: Family prayer is a time for every family member to be involved and drawn closer to God and each other. Do not push your children or unsaved family member beyond their level of interest to participate. Extended Family Members/Empty Nester: If you are single or an empty nester and do not have family members or children living with you, we have a provided a free conference call website (www. freeconferencecall.com) to establish a free number for connecting with loved ones. You may follow the same guidelines but do so over the phone. A Sample Guide for Family Prayer Time May 27-June 2, 2018 Pray for family wisdom and strong family bonds. Pray for shelter, finances, and daily needs. Pray for church involvement. May 27 / Day 12: Exod. 20:12 May 28 / Day 13: Psa. 127: 3-5 May 29 / Day 14: Col. 3:16 May 30 / Day 15: Matt. 6:33 May 31 / Day 16: James 1:22 June 1 / Day 17: James 1:5 June 2 / Day 18: Prov. 8:11-12 Read Psalm 139:23, 24 to prepare your heart Read the scripture for the day and briefly discuss the scripture. Express Adoration and love for God. Openly or silently, Confess any sin to God. Thank God for your family, and any answers to prayers. Spend time in Supplication praying through the Theme for the Week. You may pray for a single area or multiple areas each day for a week. You may also pray through any other prayer concerns your family may have Read Psalms 113:1-3 to praise God. 4 9
May 20-26, 2018 Pray for God s peace within our family. Pray for godly parenting skills. Pray for a stronger Christian life. May 20 / Day 5: I Thess. 5:15 May 21 / Day 6: John 3:16 May 22 / Day 7: I John 5:5 May 23 / Day 8: Gal. 2:20 May 24 / Day 9: James 1:6 May 25 / Day 10: John 6:35 May 26 / Day 11: Romans 1:17 Suggestions for Varying Your Prayer Times Pray sentence prayers each person prays a sentence or two. Pray topically pray about the specific concern for the date and of topics related to it. Pray aloud at the same time. Pray silently together. Place prayer requests on slips of paper and draw to determine who will pray for each request. If a family member is dealing with a specific issue, gather around that person, lay hands on that family member and pray for him/her. Pass out pictures of an extended family member, i.e. grandparent, grandchild, cousin, aunt or uncle and each family member can pray for the person pictured. If a family member is uncomfortable praying openly, allow that family member to write out his/her prayer. Walk through your home and pray in each room. Additional Theme s for Family Prayer Strong Family Bonds Physical Healing Family Respect Family Forgiveness Repentance Servants Heart 8 5
Praying as a Family during Altar Call or Sharing your Family Testimony May 16-19, 2018 Pray that our family will commit to praying for 40-days. Pray for mental and emotional healing in our family. Pray that we will read the scriptures during this time of prayer. If your family is interested in praying as a family during Altar Call during morning worship or Sharing your Family Testimony please contact Sis. Wanda Brown at (916) 752-0027. One last thought Some days your family will be prayer warriors. May 16 / Day 1: Matt.18:19 May 17 / Day 2: Phil. 4:6 7 May 18 / Day 3: I John 5:14 15 May 19 / Day 4: I Thess. 5:16 17 Other days your family may feel that God is not near. The power of prayer is never in the prayer. The power resides in the One to whom we pray. Just Keep on Praying. 6 7