Good Morning Praying, Abiding, Following Friends of Christ! Amen! May that be us Lord! Grow our prayer lives and raise up intercessors, worshipers, warriors, watchmen and workers of the harvest. Teach us to pray and give us your heart and mind to pray in power. Hear our prayers! Unite us in prayer. Give us You heart, mind, passion and compassion to pray constantly and powerfully and effectively. Thank You! Your Kingdom come and will be done and may that come alive as we pray and abide in You. Amen!
This morning I was able to review Sarah's message about prayer and praying woman from Sunday. God has spoken to and through her, informed her prayers, and given her a heart to pray and teach to pray. PTL for her and His work in and through her. My understanding is that some prayer teams have been raised up from Sunday. Please continue to unite in prayer, encourage in prayer and release God's will and power in prayer. Please continue to bind up the enemy, cover each other, and lift up our leaders in prayer. Pray His armor over you and us. Seek first His Kingdom from your quiet place and then follow Him out into each day, covered and filled and ready. Be in a state of constant prayer. God loves that and will guide and answer your prayers as you humble yourself before Him with open hearts and listening ears.
Today is donut day at the bread ministry. There are many opportunities to pray there. Come join us, sit and watch for God to give you someone to encourage and pray with. We need to become a House of Prayer for the Nations. God keeps reminding me of our call as His Body to this. Many have the call to pray as part of their role in our Good News Delivery Company and as encouragers and world changers. Pursue God and His plans and release them in prayer today--earnestly! Prayer is critical and does matter for the future God has gathered us to achieve.
And woman are not the only ones called to pray. We all are! Today's Connection Blog talks about some praying men and how God led them to pray and abide and then led them daily to produce good fruit. Check it out and prepare your hearts to pray without ceasing. And watch for more opportunities to pray. Is God calling you to start a prayer ministry at our church or some diner or public place? Do it! We will soon have our second quarter season of prayer during worship. How might God be calling you and us to pray. If you are too timid to share with the group, let Sarah and me know what you are hearing that God wants us to pray into or release in prayer. Maybe rise up as a prayer team and share with us. God wants us to pray, teaches us to pray, models how to pray and hears and answers our prayers. PTL! Prayer is foundational to all that happens in His Kingdom and will happen through our gathered and sent Body. So, PRAY! Jesus is interceding for you right now. Join Him! Amen! let your prayer rise like incense to God--a sweet aroma.
Connection Blog
May 14 - The Private Chambers of Prayer
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“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
The purpose of prayer is not the applause of men. The purpose of prayer is intimacy with the Father. Men and women who have made the greatest impact on the world for the glory of God have had an intimate, private relationship with the Father. They have discovered that the power of public ministry comes from the private chambers of prayer.
There is no room for backslapping, ego building, or reputation seeking in the private closet. There is only room for a heart that eagerly pursues God.
A study of the men of God of past centuries clearly displays this principle. It has been said of Hudson Taylor that the sun did not rise in China without finding Taylor in his private place of prayer. Taylor founded the China Inland Mission and was mightily used of God to impact that country for Christ.
A. W. Tozer pastored a church in Chicago for many years. One time after a minister arrived in Chicago, Tozer called him and said, “This city is a devil’s den. It is a very difficult place to minister the Word of God, and you will come up against much opposition from the enemy. If you ever want to pray with me, I’m at the lakeside every morning at five-thirty. Just make your way down and we can pray together.” One day the minister was troubled and about six o’clock he went to the lakeside. He found A. W. Tozer prostrate in the sand worshiping God. Tozer was a prophetic voice to the church of the twentieth century, and his message grew out of private intimacy with God.
Intimacy with God will always be found in a fresh, living relationship with the Father. That relationship necessitates that we have a time and place to regularly and consistently meet with Him.
Lord Jesus, You live to intercede for me and I go about my daily life completely oblivious to this fact! May I walk in humility as people like Tozer and Taylor, so that my life will become a fragrant offering to You. I desire the kind of intimacy these men had with You instead of the usually rushed chatter of my disjointed prayer life. Teach me how to spend unhurried time in Your presence so that whatever I do for You is birthed from Your purposes instead of my own desires.
--Adapted from The Prayer Factor by Sammy Tippit. This book is available at Prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who with his blood “purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).
- Thank the Lord that he covenanted with Abraham long ago and that you have the blessing of being part of God’s own people.
- Confess any tendencies that you have to judge people by color, ethnicity, or background. Commit yourself to showing no favoritism, just as God shows none (Acts 10:34).
- Ask that you will do your part in the kingdom of priests who serve God (Rev. 5:10).
- Give thanks for the gifts, abilities, and perspectives of those whom God has given to you, and ask his blessing upon them.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2025 is a free devotional published daily by OneCry Prayer. Find more resources at www.onecry.com |
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