October Pray Continually

October 2014

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Could you use this monthly outline of suggested prayers as part of the impact you are making for Jesus through the church?

Thursday Fasts: we are encouraging everyone in the church to find a way on Thursdays each week to fast.  It needs to work for you so be creative.  The purpose of fasting is that the physical hungry awakens our spiritual hunger for food.  And the physical satisfaction and provision as we break the fast reminds us of the satisfaction and provision we have in Jesus.

Proverbs

This month our prayers will include using the ‘Proverbs’ God has given us in the Bible.  Why not use the month reading Proverbs yourself – it is God’s words ‘for gaining wisdom and instructions…doing what is right and just and fair’.  (Proverbs 1:1-3)  There are 31 chapters in Proverbs so fits nicely into the month?

1: List ten things you are thankful for - big and small.  Thank God for them.  'I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving' (Psalm 69:13)

2: Thursday Fast: Pray for yourself and family and friends, that you would ‘accept (God’s) words and store up my commands within you, turning our ear to wisdom and applying to your heart…’  (Proverbs 2:1-2)  Pray for our collective value as a church of being Bible saturated.

3: Who will you see today?  Pray you would live and speak of Jesus in small ways to those around you. Pray you would be ‘mindful of God’s unfailing love and live in reliance on his faithfulness.’ (Psalm 26:3)

4:  Pray that as churches gather together tomorrow we would ‘take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.’  (Proverbs 4:4)  Pray especially for those responsible to lead our gathering and who preach.

5:  Pray for how you use your words.  Pray ‘that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.’  (Proverbs 5:2)  Reflect on any apologises for how you have misused your words you should make. ‘The mouth of the righteous is a foundation of life…’ (Proverbs 10:11)  ‘An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.’ (Proverbs 24:26)

6: Pray across the areas identified in Proverbs 6:16-19.  ‘There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.’

7: Think of three people you know in the church - pray they ‘may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding.’  (Colossians 2:2)  Pray about our collective value of wanting to love all people.

8: Think of three people you know who are not yet Christians.  Pray they may know that ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (Romans 10:13).  Pray you might speak something of Jesus to them (Romans 10:14-15).

9: Thursday Fast: Pray for Anusuran, who we support in India and Smile, who we support in Nepal. ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…’ (James 1:27)

10: Pray that you would receive and give good advice.  Pray for a situation you need advice for, or are giving advice into.  ‘Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.’ (Proverbs 10:17)  ‘The way of the fool seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.’ (Proverbs 12:15)

11: As churches gather together tomorrow pray we would be ‘eager for the gifts of the Spirit’ but particularly ‘try to excel in those that build up the church’ (1 Corinthians 14:12) so that people might ‘worship God, exclaiming ‘God is really among you’ (1 Corinthians 14:25)  Pray for our growing openness and dependence on God’s Spirit.  Our value of being Spirit dependent.

12: Pray for wives and wives-to-be.  ‘A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown…’  (Proverbs 12:4)  ‘…a prudent wife is from the Lord…’  (Proverbs 19:14)  Equally pray for husbands and husbands-to-be.

13: Pray for Christians living out Jesus on their 'frontline' of home, work and leisure that we may be 'Christ's ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us.'  (2 Corinthians 5:20)  Our value collectively as a church of being courageous in mission.

14: Thank God and pray for the provision and good stewardship of our finances & buildings, and that we might ‘excel in the grace of giving’ (2 Corinthians 8:7).

15:  List ten things you are thankful for.  Thank God for them.  ‘The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.’  (Proverbs 15:3)

16: Thursday Fast: How do you view money, provision, wealth and stability?  Pray about this.  ‘Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.  Better a dish of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.’  (Proverbs 15:16-17)

17: Who are your friends?  Who are you a friend to?  ‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.’  (Proverbs 17:17)

18: As churches gather together tomorrow pray they ‘will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever: with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.  I will declare that your love stands firm forever’ (Psalm 89:1-2).  Pray our sung worship would be emotionally rich and intellectually solid.  Pray for ‘all generations’ in the church, that we would ‘make your faithfulness known.’

19: Pray for your productivity and good use of your talents, in home, work, church and leisure time.  ‘A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.’  (Proverbs 19:24)

20: Spent the day reflecting and praying about your own heart.  ‘The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.’  (Proverbs 20:5)  ‘Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.’  (Luke 12:34)  What is going on in your hidden depths?  What is your heart attitude?

21: Pray for our national and regional leaders.  Remembering ‘In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels towards all who please him.’ (Proverbs 21:1)

22: Pray for your parenting and/or those with a responsibility as parents.  ‘Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.’  (Proverbs 22:6)  Prayer for families able to foster or adopt.

23: Thursday Fast: ‘Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.  Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.’  (Proverbs 23:4-5)  Pray for your trust, and the church’s corporate trust to be in God.

24: Pray for some of our local and national leaders and those in influential positions of power.  ‘Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials…’  (Proverbs 24:21)

25: Pray that as churches gather together tomorrow they will 'devote themselves to the apostle's teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer.'  (Acts 2:42)  Pray for rich and welcoming experiences for people coming to a new church tomorrow.

26:  Pray for the leaders of the church that we might 'strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in us.' (Colossians 1:29)

27:  Pray for those who you are friends with.  ‘Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses.’  (Proverbs 27:6)

28:  Spent some time praying in confession and saying sorry to God.  ‘Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.  Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their hearts falls into trouble.’  (Proverbs 28:13-14)

29:  List ten things you are thankful for - big and small.  Thank God for them.  'I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving' (Psalm 69:13)

30:  Thursday Fast: Pray for how we as a church teach the Bible and how you as an individual obey the Bible.  ‘Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.’  (Proverbs 30:5)  Thank God that he is not hidden, but in the Bible has made himself known to us.

31: Pray for our role as a church and yours as an individual in bringing justice and righteousness into the world.  ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ (Proverbs 31:8-9)   

Could you help compile next month’s - what do you think should be a priority for praying together as a church?  Let Alex know for next month: pastoralexharris@gmail.com