50 Days of Change – 50 Days of Pray

Day 50: 50 Days All In

When we together in this series back at the start of the year we began with this verse.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25-26

As we close out I want to ask you how have you gone all in?

When you consider where you are in your relationship with God would you say you are all in?

Could you honestly take the Psalm we read today and make it your prayer?

Are you keeping anything hidden from God, or have you put all into your relationship?

How can we pray for you?

Father, we desire to have an all in relationship with you. Show us if there is anything in our lives that we are hold back from you. Help us to share our love with others. Amen

Have you lost your passion for Christ? Do you feel going to church and working with the church more of a chore than something you desire to do? Do you feel like God is a million miles away and wants nothing to do with you? You were running the race so well. Who has…

Source: Time to Rekindle – BayArt

Day 43: 50 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church: Kazakhstan

We pray today for the believers in Kazakhstan. The majority of the persecution here is towards the body of Christian converts from the traditional religion.

Of the population of 18 million there are an estimated 4.6

Million believers. For more information check out Open Doors USA.

Father, we pray for Kazakhstan. Move among the traditional churches to wake up on reaching out to the lost. Protect those who are actively spreading the love of Christ to the nation. Move mighty to reach this nation. Amen

Day 35: 50 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church: Tajikistan

We pray today for the believers in Tajikistan. Here is this nation is a combination of doctoral pressures and religious influence. Believers are watched closely and are being pressured into denouncing their faith by their own family members.

Of the population of 8.9 million, there are an estimated 62,000 believers. For more information check out Open Doors USA.

Father, we pray for Tajikistan. We pray that the believers here will have wisdom and strength in reaching out to their families, friends and coworkers. To be a light of faith in this country is tough and they need guidance and opportunities, please provide both Holy Spirit. Break the bondage that is holding this country back from meeting with you. Reveal yourself in a new way to these people. God Shake up the nation of Tajikistan. Amen

Day 21: 50 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church: Egypt

Today we pray for Egypt. This country is very restrictive legislation related to religious affairs. Egypt has had a complicated relationship with God’s people all the way back to Moses.

For more information, Open Doors USA has some details. They estimate just over 9.5 million Christians in the population of 9.2 million people.

Please pray with me and add your prayers in the comments.

Father, we pray for Egypt. Many new converts are exiled from their families when they are found to have followed Jesus. We pray for them that they will find hope in the body of believers and that their stories will soften the hearts of the family they left behind. Use your people on the ground to reach the prominent leaders and share your love with them. Holy Spirit open doors and hearts to the gospel and change Egypt from the top down. Heal this land of the hatred and persecution that has been dominant for many generations. God reign in Egypt. Amen

Day 3: 50 Days of Impact

I am starting to realize that one on one with people I am strangers with is not my expertise. In a setting I am comfortable in, or around those I know I am great. But to walk up to someone I don’t know and start sharing, that’s dis-comfortable for me. So I am not great at talking to strangers, but I have so many people that I am comfortable with that I am still timid in my sharing of faith? Why? It has a lot to do with our inert desire to be wanted, and we are thinking that if we share this topic we may be rejected. Lets face the facts, they are not rejecting you.

“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:17-18, 23 NIV

I thank God, every say for the gift of salvation. I would not want the wages of sin. But the thought I have today is, are we concerned at all about those around us who haven’t received the gift of salvation?

I find it difficult to bring up Jesus in conversation. I don’t know why, He us important to me. Why have we become a society where it is taboo to talk about our saviour? Why are we so concerned with how we will look to others or how they may react if we share our faith?

Maybe we have been burned or seen others burned, but those are only temporary, we will bounce back.

So the challenge I give myself first and then to you is this.

Take the time to talk to at least one person about Jesus in the next three days. Step outside your comfort zone. Be bold and brave, take some time each morning to ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart with the words to speak. He will give you many opportunities if you will take them. Them come back to this post and share your stories to help encourage others to share about Jesus. In sharing we build each other up.

Dear Jesus, our challenge today is to share our faith. I know that is your command to us but sometimes we forget or are to timid to do it. Challenge our hearts to be doers and not just followers. They need to know the truth because they matter to you so they matter to me. Amen

Day 2: 50 Days of Impact

How we live our daily lives impact those around us. How we respond and how we treat others can greatly affect our witness. Not all Christians actions match their words but if we as believers want to make a change in those around us we need to show them how important it is to us.

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT

Love never gives up. That is the motto of my marriage. Never give up, never lose faith, endure through every circumstance. I wish I could say this was true of all my friendships, coworkers or even the connections I have with some of my family. I want it to be but it seems easier to just give up, and let the “wind of fate” prevail.

But we are reminded here that if we love others as Jesus loves others, then we should never give up on those we love. They still matter to God no matter how we feel towards them. Our love we share with them no matter what the circumstance, stands as an example of who we are and what we believe in.

So today if you feel like someone you have been talking to or sharing your faith with is a lost cause, give your head a reset and remember love never gives up. God hasn’t given up on them so neither should you. Love them. Pour your life into them and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Jesus, help us to never give up loving our brothers and sisters. There are so many people in this world who need to know you Jesus. There are no lost causes. Holy Spirit I will do my part so to help you do your part. Give me opportunities to show the love of Jesus with those around me, even today. They matter to you, so they matter to me. Amen

Day 19: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 19: When we focus of God and live a life that strives to follow him, our needs will be fulfilled and we can thrive. When we start to worry about tomorrow and trusting our own means of survival is when things get murky and trouble comes.

DAY NINETEEN

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing-you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?” (Luke 11:10-13 MSG)

Why is this scripture in Luke so hard for us to follow? He tells us to be direct and ask He will provide. Are we spending time asking for our wants when we it should be about our needs?

Think about it, our needs here in this society are a far cry from the needs of a third world country where there the needs are food, water and shelter. Here we create our own needs. Having enough money to pay the bills each month may very well be a need but did all those bills come from needs or wants?

I say this just to make you think that maybe we need to start re-prioritizing our needs vs wants and bring the list to God in prayer, only then will you experience His good gifts.

Dear Jesus, I am trying to get by in this world, sometimes it feels like I am never getting ahead. If I am putting wants in the way of Your gifts for me I want to push them aside, for Your gifts are far better than the worldly desires of my heart. Amen

Day 18: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 18: Some of my originals were very short but effective. Enjoy.

2 March 15

DAY EIGHTEEN

“But he knows where I am and what I’ve done. He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I’ll pass the test with honours I’ve followed him closely, my feet in his footprints, not once swerving from his way. I’ve obeyed every word he’s spoken, and not just obeyed his advice-I’ve treasured it.
Job 23:10-11 MSG

Job was a man who was holy before God. Job kept his life pure and his purity was recognised by God. Can we say the same of our lives?

Job’s statement above is something we as Christians need to aspire to. Let us strive for this.

Dear Jesus, Help us to walk in faith, not falling off the path but staying on the straight and narrow. Help me to follow You in Purity and truth all day every day. Amen

Day 1: The Original 50 Days of Pray revisited

Originally Written Feb 13^th 2015
I started writing these in response to the release of 50 Shades, I felt at the time that I was hearing too many “Christians” getting excited about watching this type of movie. Since then many movies have come out and are still coming out that are making me shake my head as to why “Christians” are supporting them. We all in the end make an account with God, I for one want to do my best to avoid things that are evil, especially when I can easily distinguish.

DAY ONE

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Philippians 4:8

With the release today of a movie that has created such controversy I ask that today we pray that God will guide His Children heart to things that are true, noble, lovely and admirable. That those among us who think that watching a movie or reading a book of this nature is okay for a child of Christ, would be shown the error in their thinking and take some time reading the Bible and praying. Today as a society we are lacking parents and role models who will stand up and lead an example of right from wrong. If we as Christian’s can’t stand up and are torn on something as simple as sexual sin, then things need to change. Jesus said even if we think about having sex with another it is the same as committing that very sin. So would not reading erotica or watching movies glorifying sex cause us to fantasise about it as well?

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we as the family of Christ will stand up. I ask that we will be vocal in right from wrong. That when others we know who start talking about the new movie they watched this weekend that we will be strong enough to share why we would never watch something like that. Jesus help us to be a light in this dark world. Amen.