Fellowship - Prayer Blog

My dear readers, let us not forget our brothers -  new believers who have just committed their lives to God. Seekers who have found an answer in God's love, and desire to learn more about him.

Too often we forget about these hopefuls. Seasoned Christians forget how hard those first few steps of faith can be, how lonely the beginning can be, how easy it seems to turn around and go back to life before faith. New believers have just started down the path of a life lived for God and they have questions; they want to know what faith is about, they need guidance.

I'm sure that most of you - in fact, most of the church - knows one or two new believers, and, as brothers and sisters in faith, let us not forget the newcomers; let us take them under our wings, teaching the ways of God, showing them his wonderful hand at work in their lives. Let us set them on the straight path towards life eternal. Let us become of one mind - the mind of Christ - nurturing the newcomers, bringing life where there is none. Let us all be the hands and feet of Christ and bring in joy to the dark places of the world. Let us, brothers and sisters, not forget those who need us most. Let us bring answers to those who have come seeking them; let us remember all who come searching.

Prayer:
Dear God,
Give us all a heart for new believers, people who have committed to you and desire to walk in the way that you have set for them. The Bible says that even heaven rejoices when one new person enters eternity, so let us be joyful also. Give us joy for the newcomers; let us rejoice and teach them. Give us a heart to see the world reached. And, Lord, let us all - new and old believers alike - have eyes to see the lost and hurting, those who have no hope. Fill our hearts with your love, that the whole world may know who you are and experience your love overflowing.

Photo Credit: Fellowship Bible Church

Prayer Blog - Everyday Prayer

How often do you pray, if at all? Once a day, before meals, when you're about to walk into that important meeting and you need a little extra help, before you turn off the lights before bed, with your kids at the side of their beds before their bedtime?

I've noticed that there seem to be designated times in Christians' days when they remember to pray. They need help or they're stressed so they give God a tap and ask for the situation to go away. Christians remember to pray before eating because that's probably what they were raised doing. Even if you didn't grow up in a Christian household, your parents most likely said grace before a meal, because that's just what they did. Praying with your kids seems like a no-brainer; it calms them down before lights out and reminds them not to be afraid of the dark. These are the times of the day when Christians are most likely to pray because it's force of habit; they pray at the same times every day, most of the time saying the exact same words, and then they can move on with their days because they've done their duty.

Praying at the same times every day is not a bad thing; in fact, it is is encouraged in the Bible. Matthew 6:6 says, "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you." God encourages believers to set time aside from their lives to read his teachings and to dwell in his presence. But, sadly, most Christians take this too seriously. They set certain times of day to pray, stop what they are doing, open up their Bibles, and then pray the contents of their hearts to God. The bad part of this is that believers get to set in their ways. They make sure their Bible study is at the exact same time every day. They read the same verses, pray the same prayers, and ask for things they want instead of giving God glory. They forget why they set this time apart; they forget that God wants us to enjoy our time with him.

Christians should enjoy their time with God. "Pray without ceasing," says 1 Thessalonians 5:17. So, more often than not, time set aside for God should be spontaneous and Spirit-led. Christians shouldn't have to worry about staying within a certain time limit or being overrun by work. They are to enjoy God and love the time they spend with him.

Prayer -
Dear Lord, help us to enjoy your goodness and glory. Never let us forget that we serve a great and mighty God who we should never stop praising. Let us not become weighted down by our earthly responsibilities; instead, let us only be concerned with glorifying you, God. Let the Holy Spirit prompt us at unlikely times to praise you and to give you our time. And put on our hearts new prayers to you that we have not prayed before. Let us enjoy your presence by never ceasing to glorify you. 

A challenge to my readers: Be spontaneous this week. Pray to God just to praise him. Give him some time in your week that you would never have thought of before.

Prayer Blog - People of the World

What an amazing world we live in; what a great beauty it holds. Not only in the many varying landscapes but also in the people who inhabit this land. We often forget how many different people there are in the world; you can look at your neighbors and the people in your city and forget that there are people not at all far away who look, act, and even sound completely different. How beautiful a world of diversity is! How gorgeous the contrast of the world's people is! It truly gives testimony to a glorious and creative God, who had the wisdom to see that our world would be awfully boring if we all looked the same.

Look on his creation today. See how wonderful his people are - how beautiful they were created, no matter their skin color, heights, weights, eye color, or background. They were all created specially by a caring God who loves each and everyone of them.

Pray -

Dear Lord,
What an amazing world you have created and what beautiful people you have filled it with. We thank you that you love us so, and we celebrate what you have done for us. We desire to be like you, so please give us hearts to love those you love. Give us opportunities to demonstrate your love through works, and be glorified through it all.

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If you want a better look at just how different and special the people of this world are, check out PRAYERCAST, a free website with prayer videos for every country under the sun.

Prayer Blog - Beautiful Morning

Morning. The time of day when the world is just beginning to wake up from its hours of sleep.

What do you do in the morning? Probably the following: jump (or slide) out of bed, shower and get dressed, brush your hair and teeth, and then slide into the kitchen for breakfast. After eating your cereal, toast, or pancakes, drinking your coffee and brushing your teeth again, you either rush to find your shoes, jacket, and work papers, or plop down in front of the TV for a few minutes before getting in your car and driving off to work.

This is what your morning is generally like and it is a good way to start the day. But there is another way you could be spending your first waking hours.

When you wake up, have you ever pulled open the window and just breathed the fresh air? Have you looked at the beautiful sunshine, and have you considered who made such a gorgeous world for you to live in? Too often as busy human beings, we rush off in the early morning without seeing the newborn sun that paints the fresh green grass, or hearing the morning dove cooing to the buzzing bee. I suggest we try to appreciate our world much more, taking some time to step back and enjoy God's creation. And what better time to do that than in the beautiful early morning?

Prayer:
Dear God, what a beautiful world you have created for us to live in! Everything in it - from the smallest blade of grass to the highest mountain peaks - shows the obvious hand of a maker who cared and wanted to create something beautiful. Help us then, Lord, to be grateful to you and to appreciate the world you gave us. Put it on our hearts to take time out of our busy mornings to look out the window, to see the new morning and all the beauty in it and think, "Thank you, God, for this beautiful morning."

Sing

Let your voice sing out; praise the Lord with your words. He loves to see you use your talents to help others. Your voice is an instrument that was specially designed to let out a series of melodic octaves to bring praise to God. It does not have to be a singing talent; it could be that your gifting is helping a child in need, painting, or writing. Whatever your talent is, it is your voice. Use your "voice" well as a light to other people.




Photo Credit: haraldhobbit.