Saturday, March 12, 2011

Seeking God for power to forsake falsehood.

Today’s post is going up on Sunday….and is an unplanned example to you, the reader, that we are under grace and not law as we pursue prayer using this book as a resource.

Disguise: To modify the manner or appearance of ___ in order to prevent recognition…to conceal or obscure, a false show, misrepresent.

Dalliance:  Another word for “flirtation” or frivolous spending of time.

As I read/prayed the Old Testament prayer for today, I was both sad and joyful at the same time. 

Sad? I was remembering the times before I had surrendered to Christ. The times that I sinned – made a mistake – fell short – slipped up – let people down and I tried to disguise the situation (worthless attempt to ‘hide’ my sin) to look good.  Oh the stress, worry and anxiety of someone finding out and condemning me…walking away from me…never talking to me…making fun of me.

Joy? Oh the knowledge of turning my life over to Jesus and knowing He would NEVER leave me nor forsake me…that nothing could separate me from His love.  I meet so many people that are walking around Linn County with disguises.  I have no condemnation for them for I was once one of them and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit did not condemn me!

We all come by it honestly.  “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8

I can remember attempting to partition off my life and justify living one way on Sunday/Wednesday and another way the rest of the week!   It never worked before and it will not work today…for anyone.  There was/is something in me just as there is in every single person on the planet that desires an open/transparent relationship with the God! We were made by the Father in our mother’s womb.  We were fashioned for a purpose by the God whose very being defines the word purpose.  He is the designer and each one of us is a design masterpiece.

May I encourage each one of you to return to the New Testament prayer for today and pray the two bullet points with passion for specific people!  Name them in your prayer.  When you pray for them in this manner you are fulfilling your mandate in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21…for them to be reconciled to God, He and us not counting their trespasses against them, but entreating them in prayer while loving them in humility.

Integrity:

1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Pray with me:

Father God, we do pray for each person that is called by Your name, that they may be steadfast and immoveable in their love for You.  May Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven into, all around, in front and behind each one of them.  Your Word tells us that we have been given a sound mind. You have made us whole beings.  You have taken our divided minds and given us a sound mind.  You have made us complete human beings that are seated with You in heavenly places right now.  Such is the mystery of the Kingdom.  It is beyond our own reason.  Thank you Father God for loving us.  We accept that You are sending us into this world to pray for, care for and share with them who You are and the indescribable freedom that can be found in You.  Amen.

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Last night for youth group I had the students create masks because masks are what we use to hide our true selves.  We hide our sin.  We hide our shortcoming.  Basically, we hide anything that we do not want others to see.  That takes care of the inside, but what about the outside?  That is where our masks really come in handy.  With our masks on, we can pick and choose exactly what we want others to see.  This led to the following instructions for the students; on the outside they put words representing how others see them.  On the inside they put their fears, doubts and shortcomings.  When they finished, they put their masks aside and we discussed Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness using a video from your tube based on “40” by Si Smith with the song “How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan.

Today’s New Testament prayer mentions how we are still “sometimes paralyzed in fear.”  That is when we put the masks on.  We want to hide our pain from everyone, even God, but God does not want that for us.  He wants us to be honest with ourselves and with Him.  God wants us to share those fears, shortcomings and doubts.

God know we struggle and face temptations.  Jesus struggled and faced temptations in the desert when the devil tempted Him.  Jesus showed us that we can get past those struggles and temptations by relying on God.  We ended youth group by turning off the lights, the room lit by a single candle.  In silent prayer each student came forward and placed their masks with all the fears, doubts and shortcomings at the foot of the Cross.  They placed it in God’s hands.  Won’t you?

Father, I pray that we can truly “rise up” and “follow You fearlessly.”  Go not let us fall prey to ways of the world, but instead help us to get up and not be afraid.

Amen.

Terry Van Wyk

Sunday, March 28 – Day 40

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ to visit our communities

                …with His presence and transforming power

Today is the last day, sort of, and since we only have one entry; it is a little lengthy but it is all good.

Part One of Three

Silence or Praise – the choice is ours – stones or living stones?

It’s a parade!  Jesus entered the city to large crowds of people!  Hosanna!  Palm branches on the ground in front of Him! (Thus the name.)  Shouts!  Jumping up and down, climbing trees – what a day!  The rulers spoke to Jesus – “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  His reply, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  The stones…

(We are reminded of John The Baptist confronting some Jewish leaders;  “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ' We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.  From these stones…  Matthew 3:8-10)

On Good Friday the stones did cry out.  “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. And behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks (stones) were split.” Matthew 27:50-51 

Let us ponder one sentence in the children’s prayer for today, Day 40.  Lord “As interesting as it would be to watch the stones worship You – we’d like for the crowd of worshipping people to be so loud that they don’t need to cry out.”  A worshipping people or shall we say…living stones? Yes! living stones that have died to themselves (split open, yielded the throne of their life) and found their true calling as sons and daughters of God.

Part Two of Three

Will a Zeal and a Passion for HIS House consume us?

No paragraph, just the question and a scripture for us all to ponder. John 2:13-17

Part Three of Three

Seek God On Behalf Of The Coming Generation

On Day 39, I wrote about the elder Caleb taking the high country.  Today, we stand with the Joshua’s and those even younger!  An entire generation died in the wilderness because they believed a bad report from 10 of the 12 spies.  After 40 years in the wilderness, those that ‘crossed over’ into the Promised Land had been taught the ways of God by Moses, Caleb and Joshua.  They believed.  They obeyed.  The put their faith into action and took the land.

Oh God – may those of us who are “older” have a heart for and to teach the coming generation so that someday we will have mighty men and women to hand the baton to!  May the younger generation find a way to listen and learn from us so that they are equipped to do war!  May we serve in this hour and this day with passion and a “Zeal for Your House” that will consume us!  Amen.

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship

As I read and prayed over today's topic, my first thought was of the prayer service that will take place on Day 38. I pray that this will be the first of many opportunities for congregations within the city of Cedar Rapids to come and worship the Lord together. As the body of Christ gathers together in love, we will be an example for others and show them the unity and love that can only be found in Christ Jesus. In John 17, Jesus prayed that the body of Christ would be one:

²⁰Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; ²¹That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ²²And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: ²³I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23)

As those who don't know Christ look at us, they should compelled to draw closer to the Lord because the love and unity that they see among the body of Christ. We should be joined together to accomplish the work of the Lord. In Acts Chapter 2 we see that there are great results when we come together on one accord:

¹And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Let us continue to pray that God would unite us all!

God Bless

LS
Greater Word of Faith Pentecostal COGIC

Tuesday, March 23 – Day 35

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ to restore relationships.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

The prayer today asks Christ to restore broken relationships. We have little understanding of the importance of relationships. God has placed each of us in a family, the perfect family, in accordance with His perfect plan. When we allow family relationships to deteriorate, either through pride, or greed, or just inattention, we become an obstacle to God's perfect plan.

Similarly, God has placed us in our church, our community, our school, and our jobs. Each is built on personal, one-on-one relationship. Trusting relationships are a prerequisite for successfully spreading the Gospel.

Jesus modeled the perfect relationship, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the power of perfect unity. In fact, John 17:3 defines eternal life as the ultimate relationship: This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Father, we pray that you heal our broken relationships, so that you may be glorified.

Mike Pearson

New Covenant Bible, Serve The City staff

Sunday, March 23 – Day 33

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for Christ to bless the nations with peace.

As I have read and prayed about "Ethnic Communities" today I was particularly struck by the prayer for "the peace of Christ to become a new factor at work in situations of longstanding racial tension." I think of the conflict that continues between various ethnic communities in this country due to past racial injustices. I am reminded that it is truly only Jesus that can bridge this divide; for Jesus is the great reconciler because He reconciled sinners with a righteous and holy God.

It is through who Jesus is and what He has done for us that broke down barriers between Jews and Gentiles in the early Church. Jesus continues to break down barriers even into the present day. He who makes the dead alive can bring peace from any ethnic conflict that exists. Though conflict will continue to be with us until Jesus' return, let us work to focus others on their need for Jesus for their salvation. Let us pray that as we witness to those of different physical ethnicities that they do not see us, but rather see Him.

God Bless,

JB

Cedar Valley Bible

Saturday, March 20 – Day 32

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities

Seek God....For the city to experience God’s righteousness.

In and of our own strength we can’t make more than a temporary impact in our communities. When we attempt to conquer the city for God on our own initiative, we see the black storm of life churning, the winds of injustice blowing and the raging waves of indifference crashing around us. When this happens we begin sinking into the dark waters of despair. It’s when we come to the end of ourselves, when there’s nothing left and we cry out to Jesus, that He takes our hand and lifts us up to kneel before Him, where the true power lies. And when His power is unleashed, people are changed!

No corruption, no indifference, nothing at all, can stand in the way when God moves. But it all starts with us in our most powerful position: on our knees before God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth!

As we willingly submit our meager strength before the Throne of Grace, He enables us to accomplish the tasks He has set out for us since before the beginning. His power works through willing and submitted hearts to win eternal victory in our communities.

“Gracious God,

Grant us eyes to see our weakness and our inability to effect change in our own strength. Enable our hearts to willingly submit to You and Your plan; and as we submit, work through us that the city might be brought into Your righteousness. For Yours is the kingdom, and power, and glory forever!”

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen

Greg Larson

Faith Bible

Wednesday, March 17 – Day 29

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities
Seek God….for His Spirit to empower His People
We seek God and behalf of Depressed People

Editors note: this is a long entry – there is really no way to shorten it – and I can guarantee that when you finish reading it, you will agree!.

“We can’t tell them Jesus loves them until we are ready to love them too” is a line from one of the first contemporary Christian songs I heard as a teenager. This one simple line lights fire in me that can cast away the business of life and remind me that our witnessing is done through relationships. You would think with Facebook, Twitter, texting, and e-mail we would be better at relationships, but those can each be just another place for our friends to hide their feelings of worthlessness and depression. Depression is a silent killer and it affects a significant part of our churches.

See, I knew a man with a wife and three small children that came to church every Sunday. He was active in the men’s group and even invited his neighbors across the street to attend with his family. He was persistent, and finally his neighbors were saved. He was a witness to his extended family and tried his best at being a husband and father to his young family. But something was wrong. He was feeling more and more down. He quit attending special church functions and sometimes was hard to get out of bed to go to church. His wife dragged him to a doctor and he was placed on medication for depression. He went to see a therapist. He learned that he had clinical depression and it ran in his family. He continued to spiral downward. His wife was at a loss for what else to do. His church family initially tried to help, but then pulled away. All the couple’s friends pulled away. This man was trying everything to make the pain of his depression go away. In the end, this man took his life and left his three small boys and wife behind to pick up the pieces. This man was my late husband. (2002)

Please, I beg of you to go to a family that you know is dealing with depression and listen, lift them up in prayer, and learn about this disease. We as a church need to be the comfort zone of our families dealing with this depression. In Christ, we can help families deal with this and get them proper help. This is the first time I have said anything publicly about my late husband, but I felt lead to share in hope that others will seek help for their family members and friends. There is HOPE in our risen Savior!

Blessings in Christ,
Regina B.
89.1 The Spirit

Editors Note: Some say that 20 % of the population deals with depression. (The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.) I applaud Regina for her transparency. God directed this assignment from the beginning. I did not know her story when I gave her this day to write about. She listened to my transparency at our last monthly luncheon –how I escaped going into depression – getting close from working too many hours, not taking a vacation, sleeping too little, etc. The more responsibility one has the more time they need to spend in the Bible and I had not increased my time as the responsibilities had increased. May I encourage you to do some study, to talk to someone, to be aware of someone else that might need your encouragement, to eat right, to exercise and get the right amount of sleep? There is no shame in dealing with depression, but there will surely be disappointment if we don’t. The Lord exhorts us via Paul to “press on toward the goal…” We have an adversary that will try to “de-press us from heading toward the goal.” Listen to God. Brother Charles

Tuesday March 16 - Day 28

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities
Seek God…to inspire a yearning for righteousness.
Seek God On Behalf Of Substance Abusers

Recently I read a book entitled Fasting by Jentezen Franklin, pastor of a large church in Gainesville, Georgia. Every year, at the beginning of the year, his congregation takes a journey of fasting for 21 days. I had never even gone so much as a complete day without food. (other than when I was sick) To imagine 21 days without food was mind boggling. But after reading the book, I decided to try it.

Oh, I haven't gone completely without food, I've drunk juice and eaten fruit and had a couple of partial meals along the way, but I wanted to seek God with my whole heart. In the midst of my experiment, I was at our school and the students had macaroni and cheese, lasagna and salad, and topped it off with chocolate covered donuts. They offered me one, and juices shot out into my mouth. I could hardly resist the temptation to chomp down one of those little round gems. This reminded me of our need to hunger and thirst for righteousness. The promise is that we will be filled.

We also need to hunger and thirst for those who struggle with substance abuse. May our prayers be as passionate for their souls as is their desire for a fix. Indeed, may Jesus be our addiction! When He is, we will need no other and our lives will flow like a river of righteousness into the lives of those who struggle for freedom.

God Bless,
Pastor Dave
7^th Day Adventist

Wednesday, March 3 - Day 15

Thanking God for the Seek God For The City prayer guide!

The 40 days of prayer is off to a GREAT start!

Here at church the adults have given overwhelming support to pray, in weekly groups, in individual settings at home, at home groups and other ways!

The Spanish speaking people were thrilled when presented with their Spanish version. The office here did a great job of downloading the Spanish version of WAYMAKERS!

The children’s version got a warm welcome in their Sunday school class. Again the downloading off of WAYMAKERS worked well!

It is great to see prayer increase, we can be sure that Jesus is pleased!!

Love in Jesus
DM
River Of Life Ministries

Sunday, February 28 – Day 12

Seeking His Light to Awaken The Lost
Seek God....for the light of the Gospel to Shine

Once in my lifetime I traveled all night. Leaving Kansas City about 9 P.M. I arrived at my destination at the break of dawn. It was a long and lonely trip. The red Eastern sky just before daybreak was most welcome. This experience reminded me of the dark world with evil, immorality and sin on every hand. However Jesus said "I am the light of the world". Eventually this Light will dispel the darkness. The Eternal Light will shine forever more.

Dr. Forrest Whitlatch
First Church of the Nazarene

Sunday, February 28 – Day 12

Seeking His Light to Awaken the Lost
Seek God….for the light of the gospel to shine.

I didn’t think I needed the light. I thought I could make it on my own…

It was a Friday night. We had just recently moved to Maquoketa from Ohio and were still getting settled in the parsonage. The bathroom drain was clogged, so I went down in the basement to get the plunger. After climbing down the stairs, I reached around for the string in order to turn on the light, but with no success. Oh well. I didn’t need the light.

I could easily make it across the room in the dark… Before I knew it, I was on the ground, writhing in pain. I ended up with two broken elbows that still bother me twenty years later.

The people who walk in darkness… are a lot like I was; thinking I did not need the light, thinking I could make it on my own. The problem is, in the darkness we are all headed for disaster. Often though, when in darkness we do not even realize the problem.

Christ calls us to be the light of the world. He commands us not to hide our light, but to let our light shine so that those living in darkness might come to the Light of the world. After breaking both elbows, I could not do anything for myself. If I was going to eat, someone had to feed me. If I was going to dress, someone had to dress me. If I was going to the restroom, someone had to take me. If those walking in darkness are ever going to come to the Light, someone – You and Me – must take them.

Today, pray for the Light of the gospel to shine. Pray for those living in darkness. Pray for God to let YOUR light so shine before others that they might come to the Light through you.

Shine, Jesus, shine, Fill this land with the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze; Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow, Flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth Your word, Lord, and let there be light.

© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services) Graham Kendrick CCLI License No. 1174166

Jim Goodrich
The Church On Northland

Friday, February 26 – Day 10

Seeking His Life to Revive the Church

Seek God….for God to Unite His People

Recently an elderly woman requested help, from the church body, with moving. She was moving from a second floor apartment (with an elevator) to a third floor apartment without an elevator. Every piece of her furniture felt like a lead bar was hidden in it by the time we had finished. I am happy to report that nearly every man in church showed up and helped her move. It was a lot of work but we had a great time joking with each other during and after that move. I've always said that if you ever want to know how many people really love you, invite them to help you move. The ones that show up, really love you. That statement is not meant to be cynical but, it is the essence of love. Love is a choice and many times a sacrifice. Love is sacrificing your time, your energy, your money and a kind word with those you love, with strangers, and even with that special someone who annoys you.

As I grow older and hopefully wiser it becomes more and more clear as to how simple the Gospel really is. It's all about love. Jesus broke it down when he answered the Pharisee's lawyer's question of what is the greatest commandment. Jesus simply answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Two things I've learned about loving others is, you really end up loving people you sacrifice for; and God doesn't grow your love for others through the prayer: "Oh God, help me love others", he grows your love for others when you're obedient to his commandment to love others.

Michael Parsons
Oakhill Jackson Community

Thursday, February 18 – Day 2

How much does God really love me?  I know that Jesus Christ sacrificed His life so that I can live.  Do I always consider what that really means?  Many times in my actions and thoughts I know I don't reflect the awesomeness and power of God's love.  I pray that I would feel and know the presence of the Holy Spirit and acknowledge God's love in my life.  It is evident that He loves me in the creation all around me. 

Father God, help me to recognize your love in my life and reflect your love to others around me.

MB