21 Days of Prayer…Day 14

Take a moment and look over your TOP FIVE list. Look at the names & see their faces in your mind’s eye.

Now one at a time, pray for them. Pray for their heart to be opened up to God. Pray that God would use you to help them find their way to Him. Pray that God would bring others to help.

In Mark 2 there’s an amazing group of friends who tore a hole in a ceiling so they could lower their lame friend right in front of Jesus. Jesus would heal the young man, but he forgive his sins first. Wow…Jesus took care of the need they saw, but also the greatest need the man had.

What are you willing to do to get your friends to Jesus?

Prayer Prompt: Father, show me those special moments, ordained by You, where I can help bring my friends to you. I truly believe, if I got them to meet Jesus…everything could change for them!

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”  (Mark 2:5 NIV)

21 Days of Prayer…Day 13

Are you seriously ready to take your relationship with Jesus from Good to Great!?!? The Apostle Paul gives us an amazing picture of being ALL IN with his own life. He sacrificed, gave everything of himself to tell people about Jesus and to start churches.

To the church in Rome, he gives a particularly powerful way to explain being ALL IN.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”  (Romans 12:1 NIV)

Prayer Prompt: Father, because of your mercy and grace I have every opportunity in front of me. Help me use everything in my life to honor you and point people to you. I’m willing to die for you if necessary, but even more…I desire to LIVE for you each and every day.

21 Days of Prayer…Day 12

“To live outside of God’s will puts us in danger; to live in His will makes us dangerous.”  Erwin McManus

I love that quote. I love it because you can sit here and think about it for quite a while.

So, let me ask you. Are you dangerous? Or…are you in danger?

I believe our church can be dangerous (in a good way). I believe we can do some serious life-changing work in our Valley. And in order to do that…we’ve got to be ALL IN!

Those who are ALL IN are marked with a daring kind of faith that believes God enough to simply DO what He says to do. Their lives are clearly positioned to OBEY.

Prayer Prompt: Dear Father, I’m done with my own agenda. I want to be ALL IN with YOU! Continue to show me my next step of obedience…even if it scares me. I don’t want to hold back and pass on to you my leftovers. I’m ready to put you FIRST in EVERY area of my life.

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”  (Psalm 128:1 NIV)

21 Days of Prayer…Day 11

Remember our E.P.I.C. LIFE commitments? The “C” stands for Comprehensive Investment. Comprehensive means EVERYTHING. We want to first acknowledge that everything belongs to God and we are the managers.

Once we truly understand it all belongs to God, then we can INVEST His resources in ways that make an eternal impact.

Maybe you’re successful. Maybe you’re “doing well.” Good, but you need to ask this:

What if it’s all not just for you? We work hard, put in overtime, work a side-hustle or whatever it takes to make a living. However, what if it wasn’t all just for you (and your family)? What if God is trusting you with His resources? Yes, we should take care of our family…but how are you taking care of God’s business with His resources?

Prayer Prompt: Father, today I want to thank you for everything you’ve entrusted to me. Thank you for the ability and talents helping me earn a living. Help me now see how I can use your resources in a better way to further your Kingdom and make a difference for others that will have an eternal impact. After all, it all belongs to You.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  (Psalm 24:1 NIV)

21 Days of Prayer…Day 10

Yesterday we mentioned being generous with our time and our abilities. These gifts are uniquely given to each of us for the benefit of others. We can use our time and talents in order to make a paycheck, but God gave them to us for so much more.

Remember our E.P.I.C. LIFE commitments? The “I” stands for Intentional Ministry. This is where we intentionally team up with others to make a difference for the cause of Christ. We call our volunteers at our church…CHANGE MAKERS…because that’s exactly what they do. They are changing lives!

If you’re already on one of our teams, or you regularly serve in our Valley somewhere then use your prayer time to pray for the others on your team by name. Pray for the opportunities you have in order to make a difference in the lives of those you serve.

If serving on a team would be new to you, here’s where you can start as you pray.

Prayer Prompt: Holy Spirit, you’ve given me unique and special abilities. Help me, lead me to discover where I can serve most effectively. Point out opportunities this week. Give me a heart that is passionate about meeting the needs of others. I honestly don’t want to go through life without fulfilling your purpose for me. Show me what to do, and how I can serve others in a way that honors Jesus!

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)