Monday May 20, 2013

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prayertools

Prayer Tools

The power of prayer should not be underestimated. James 5:16-18 declares, “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

God listens to prayers, answers prayers, and moves in response to prayers. 

Jesus taught, “…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt.17:20)

We are dedicated to providing new tools to our members to use as a catalyst to dedicated and disciplined prayer for our President, our nation, our leaders and our troops. Our tools are designed to be able to share with others so that our prayers on behalf of our nation multiply across the country.

As the Lord has promised, prayer will transform our nation by transforming individual lives, one heart at a time.

Daily Prayer

God, great God…How we are in awe of you. What a privilege and an honor to know You accept our prayers. How humbled we are that You hear us. May our hearts cry your cry and our boasting be only of what You’ve done for this nation. You deserve the glory that is rightfully Yours. Bring this understanding to our leaders, to those who have the influence to affect the direction of this nation. Steer them oh God with this truth. Make each crooked pathway straight, and every mountain a plain. Plow down the heart of stubbornness and cause our leaders to acknowledge your doing in Jesus mighty Name. Amen.


Prayer for America

Father, thank You for the United States and its government. I pray for the president, the national and local government, the judges, the policemen, the business leaders and all those who are in leadership positions in this country. Please protect them from the evil that is in the world and keep them safe and free from all harm.
You have promised to bless any nation that follows after You. Help us to live quiet and peaceful lives so that we can continue to spread the Good News of the Gospel thr

Father, thank You for the United States and its government. I pray for the president, the national and local government, the judges, the policemen, the business leaders and all those who are in leadership positions in this country. Please protect them from the evil that is in the world and keep them safe and free from all harm.

You have promised to bless any nation that follows after You. Help us to live quiet and peaceful lives so that we can continue to spread the Good News of the Gospel throughout our land.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Insights Into Prayer

What Does the Bible Tell Us About How to Pray?
Jesus shares some tremendous insight regarding how to pray to God in Matthew 6:5-13.

“And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.”

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think prayers are answered only by repeating words over and over again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

In the above verses, Jesus shares how not to pray.

Verse 5: We are to pray in secret, not the way people did in His day — praying out loud publicly, primarily to just be seen, and heard.

Verse 6: Jesus asks us to go to a private place since our Heavenly Father already knows what we are going to pray about.

Verse 7: Jesus tells us not to ramble on and on, as people of other religions do, or be repetitious with words. God, our heavenly Father, would have us be specific about our prayer.

Verse 8: Jesus reiterates that the believer is not to pray repetitiously like the heathen.

Next, Jesus, teaches us how to pray.

Verse 9: Jesus says we should give honor to God and His name.

Verse 10: We are to pray for His Kingdom to come, and for His will to be done, that there would be a heavenly or godly presence here on earth.

Verse 11: We are to pray for daily provision.

Verse 12: We are to pray and ask for forgiveness for our sins, and for others who have wronged us.

Verse 13: We are to pray and ask God to keep us from being tempted, and to deliver us from Satan and his power.

Other New Testament writers describe other ways to pray.

Paul, in Philippians 4:6, says that we should pray for everything with thanksgiving. Paul, who wrote several books of the New Testament, often began and ended his letters in prayer for the saints. Specifically, Paul prays for God’s grace, peace, love, and faith among believers.

Peter, in 1 Peter 5:7, exhorts us to cast all our care upon God, because He cares about us. In verse 8, Peter warns us that Satan seeks to devour the believer.

James 1:5 says we can pray and ask God for wisdom, but this should be done in faith. James 4:1-4 says that when we pray, we often pray or ask out of our own selfish ambition. James 4:15 exhorts that we need to pray for God’s will to be done in our lives.

In the Old Testament, Moses prayed to God almost constantly on behalf of the Israelites — for God’s mercy and graciousness in dealing with their sins. Abraham prayed persistently for his relative Lot, who lived in Sodom, that God would spare Him. 2 Chronicles 14:11 says Asa cried out to the Lord. Prophet Jeremiah prayed for God’s guidance and correction of the Israelites (Jeremiah 10:23-24). David prayed for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6.

The protocol on how to pray covers several ways of prayer. The primary focus of prayer is the intent. Does the prayer honor God and exalt His name? What is the purpose behind the prayer? Is it personal gain or ambition? Do you pray for others to be blessed and encouraged? Are your prayers done in secret and in humility? Are your prayers focused on obtaining godly wisdom, counsel, and direction? God is pleased with these prayers and answers them.

How often are we to pray? The Bible says pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What should we pray for? What if we do not know how to pray? The Bible says the Holy Spirit will help us pray (Romans 8:26-27).

How do w e pray to God? Prayer is essentially putting your request, concern, or issue before the Lord, and trusting Him to answer them.

Matthew 18:3 says we need to pray with the heart of little children, simple, reverent, specific, and trusting.

Prayer Updates

May 16th, 2013

WARS AND TERRORISM

U.S. and Afghan forces last week unpacked bandages, scalpels and operating tables – the makings of the region’s first mobile surgical unit for Afghan medics to treat their wounded soldiers, as part of withdrawal preparations by the U.S.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the U.S. could keep nine military bases in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of most combat troops in 2014 – the first such offer by the Afghan leaders.

Pray about all the essential operations to be undertaking in preparation for the 2014 troop withdrawal.

FOREIGN CONFLICTS AND INTERESTS

A senior Israeli official indicated that Israel is considering further military strikes inside Syria to stop the transfer of advanced weapons to Islamic militants like Hezbollah, and he warned serious consequences if Syria retaliated.

The U.S. said it will refuse to send its ambassador to any meeting of a United Nations forum on regulation of nuclear disarmament if it is chaired by Iran because nations under UN sanction should not be allowed to hold such posts.

Pray about the proliferation of weapons throughout the Middle East, including Iran’s nuclear program.

THE ECONOMY

Home builder confidence improved in May reflecting current sales conditions and expectations of sales indicated by the numbers of prospective buyers touring model homes. Yet the market remains tepid, reports showed.

U.S. households reduced debt during the first quarter by one percent to the lowest level since 2006, although it still sits at $12.2 trillion nationwide. Consumers are seen as repairing their post-crisis personal balance sheets.

Pray for a steady improvement in the overall national economy, especially family budgets.

ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. and Russia are aiming to hold a joint peace conference to bring together Syrian President Assad and opposition leaders to negotiate an end to their bloody civil war.

The heads of several major American Jewish groups have called on Secretary Kerry to confront Hungarian officials about the alarming rate of anti-Semitism in Hungary. The Hungarian Jewish community is 100,000 strong.

Pray about the many issues impacting Israel’s position in the world, and the international responses to them.

HEALTH CARE

Consumers are struggling more with worries about access to health care, and even those with coverage are running into barriers to getting some treatments insurance-authorized. And increasingly, Americans question health-care reform.

Despite years of public health warnings, a new report says there is no good reason based on health outcomes for many Americans to reduce salt consumption to low levels, but the AMA says everyone should aim for low sodium intake.

Pray about the provisions of the Affordable Care Act as they become more widely activated.

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