Monday, 1 September 2008

24/7 Prayer Update Day One! =)

24/7 Prayer Movement:

Prayer Update Day One:

Prayer Items:

-       Non-believers among your circle of friends. The Lord has placed you in these circles of friends to reach out to them and share his love. Miracles happen when there is an opportunity for God to work! Pray that the Lord will open their hearts and minds to receive His love, and that He will continue to give you the courage, wisdom and opportunities to reach out to them.

-       Fellow Christians and their ministries – Let’s continue to keep our fellow brothers and sisters in prayer, encouraging them in spirit as they go about in their Christian walk everyday, like us similarly reaching out to the people around them in God’s love.

-       Discipline and perseverance – Ask the Lord for strength and wisdom, that He may reveal himself to you daily and guide you as you read His word and seek after Him daily.

-       The Year 6s – Keep our year 6 seniors in our prayers daily as they prepare for their final IB exams, the most crucial time of their lives for now. Pray that they will continue to rely on Him for strength and wisdom during this taxing period, and walk closely with Him daily.

-       The school administration – Let’s also not forget the leaders of our school! Constantly pray for God’s wisdom in guiding our school administration as they lead the school spiritually and academically, that this school will continue to be a mission school in glorifying God and spreading God’s word to the teachers, student body, and to the nation.

 

Psalm of the Day: (Something for you guys to meditate on ^^ P.S. The Psalms were also personal prayers by God’s people!)

Psalm 96

 1 Sing to the LORD a new song;

       sing to the LORD, all the earth.

 

 2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;

       proclaim his salvation day after day.

 

 3 Declare his glory among the nations,

       his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 

 4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

       he is to be feared above all gods.

 

 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,

       but the LORD made the heavens.

 

 6 Splendor and majesty are before him;

       strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

 

 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,

       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

 

 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

       bring an offering and come into his courts.

 

 9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his [a] holiness;

       tremble before him, all the earth.

 

 10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

       The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

       he will judge the peoples with equity.

 

 11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

       let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

 

 12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.

       Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

 

 13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,

       he comes to judge the earth.

       He will judge the world in righteousness

       and the peoples in his truth.

 

Note:

Hi all! Thanks for joining in the movement =) I hope and pray that the week ahead will be a spiritually fulfilling one that will continue to help you in your journey in seeking after and knowing the heart and mind of Christ more and more each day, and discover His purpose in your life =)

 

Regardless of whether you’ve chosen to pray in early morning, afternoon or evening, do know that the Lord is always with you and he hears the prayers of the ones he loves.

“I call to you, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you… in the morning my prayer comes before you.” Psalms 88

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” Psalms 92

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Hear my voice in accordance with your love… You are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true.” Psalms 119

 

It’s the first day, and many of you may be a little unsure as to how exactly and what to pray for “one whole hour!” But think of it like chatting with a very close friend – someone you trust and love – over a cup of coffee, on the phone, heart-to-heart conversation… I promise you the hours will fly by quickly! Yes, the hours ;) There’s a never-ending list of things we can pray about, countless people in our lives we can pray for, and countless blessings to thank our heavenly Father for =) But firstly, how should we pray?

 

Praying is simple. The following are just some guidelines, but depending on whichever suits you best (for after all every friendship is unique), do make sure it’s a conducive environment for you to pray in!

 

- Find a quiet regular place and time each day for prayer. If possible guarantee that you will be unhurried and uninterrupted. Your ‘quiet time’ may sometimes be short – but a short time with a friend is better than no time at all.

- Prayer is essentially a simple process – even a child-like one. We should come empty handed before our heavenly Father, and gradually discover over time how he becomes the centre of our lives more and more.

- The innate want to be in control is what stops us from praying. We have to let God control our lives and let Him work in us. Pray not just when you are feeling inadequate and looking for help, pray knowing the emptiness inside can only be filled by God, that only in prayer can you become fully human, and because you were created to be in relationship with God, and because in prayer heaven and earth meet, and the reality of God’s Kingdom, the future reality of redemption, wholeness, joyous love, breaks into your present brokenness.

- Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

- Listen. God speaks to us most often by planting a thought in our minds. Do not be discouraged if nothing comes through right away. Keep listening and asking for his wisdom and guidance. Write it down. In between sentences, take time to pay attention to the ‘still small voice’.

- Romans 8:26 “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

 

Are you ready to pray now? If you are still unsure of what to pray for, here’s a few guidelines on how you can start.

 

1.     Thanksgiving – It doesn’t necessarily have to be about any major events in our lives, it can be about the smallest of things as well, such as having a shelter over our heads and food on the table to eat =) We should never forget to always give thanks for our family and friends as well; those precious blessings from God in our lives whom we should never take for granted.

2.     Submit yourself to the Lord – Submitting our minds and imagination to be used by God, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ, and aligning ourselves with His will. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 Ask the Lord for protection as you pray and take property authority over the enemy. “Submit yourselves then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

3.     Ask the Lord to search your heart – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms 139:23-24. “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” True confession and repentance. “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” Psalms 118:14.

4.     Look to the word – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalms 119:105.

5.     Prayer Items/ Prayer requests/ Intercession/ QT

6.     Wait on the Lord – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27. “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.” Psalms 62:5. “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7.

 

“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

 

If you have any prayer requests, questions, or any wonderful things to share, to leave a comment! We are all always glad to know how the Lord has continued to work in your life, and if there’s anything that we can all together commit to the Lord in prayer =)

 

If you’ve just discovered this prayer movement and would like to join in, don’t worry it’s not too late! Leave a comment or email petguin@gmail.com your questions/contact details and preferred hour of prayer =)


Your sister in Christ,

Petrina Liam

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