Tag: Discipleship

Prayer for the American People

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides2 Comments

Last Thursday was the National Day of Prayer.  It would I suppose be easy to move on to the next thing, but certainly we need to continue to pray for our nation.  Below is part of the prayer guide my church used for its prayer service last week.  Each point is taken from Isaiah (which we have been studying) where there are obvious similarities between Israel and our own country.

Sin, Corruption, and Turning from God – Isaiah 1:4, 3:8-9
Pray for repentance and lives transformed by Jesus

Idolatry – Isaiah 2:8, 18
Pray for a recognition and rejection of idols, and a turning to the one true God

Injustice – Isaiah 3:14-15, 5:8, 5:23, 10:1-2
Pray for justice for the weak, poor, unborn, victims of crime
Pray for the economy, businesses, jobs, and struggling families

Proud Self-Centeredness – Isaiah 3:16, 5:21, 9:9-10, 2:17
Pray for a growing humility and love for others
Pray for leaders/stars in sports, music, movies, etc.

Drunkenness – Isaiah 5:11-12, 5:22
Pray for those caught in addictions to find freedom in Jesus

Twisting Morality – Isaiah 5:20
Pray for those caught in the lies of our culture – to be set free by the truth

Fear and dis-ease– Isaiah 7:2
Pray for those caught in fear, worry, and stress – to find rest in the Lord

Division, Hatred, and Violence – Isaiah 9:18-20
Pray for civility in politics and commitment to common good
Pray for love for others regardless of race, etc.
Pray for our police and court systems
Pray for strong families, and the casualties of broken families

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Repentance Doesn’t Hem and Haw – Jared Wilson
So this is repentance. No excuses, no yes-buts, no waffling. Not hemming and hawing but an about-face and a cutting to the chase.

Lessons Learned in the School of Suffering – Darryl Dash
The Psalms and other writings became real to me in new ways. My prayer life was deepened even as my prayers contained fewer words. The consolation from knowing that Jesus was no stranger to suffering became even more precious.

My Wife Has Tattoos: Marriage and New Birth – Spencer Harmon (GC)
But everything changes when people meet Jesus. He takes rebellious teenage partiers and goody-two-shoes homeschoolers and puts them together in marriage to put something on display much bigger than their own handcrafted, perfectly planned love story.

The Proper Response to Easter – Jared Wilson
The proper response to Easter is not warm fuzzies, but awe.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church celebrating our great Savior and Shepherd!

Prayer Guide for the National Day of Prayer

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides2 Comments

Below is the prayer guide my church is using for the National Day of Prayer this Thursday.  May all of God’s people commit to cry out to God for our country!

Prayer Guide for National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 1, 2014

Please spend some focused time praying for our nation.
If you are able to, you might consider fasting as well.

Breakfast/Morning – American Leaders/Government
• President Obama and his Cabinet – wisdom, strength, protection
• Congress – wisdom, ability to work together, civility, protection
• Supreme Court/Courts – wisdom, follow truth, protection
• Domestic Policies – social/family, economic, education, health, etc.
• Foreign Policies – Russia/Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Israel, etc.
• Military – Protection/safety, leadership, training, wisdom
• State – Governor, Legislature, Judicial – wisdom

Lunch/Noon – American People/Culture
• Growing recognition of the hollowness of the idols of our age: money, material things, sex, homosexuality, technology, social media, fame, power, alcohol, drugs, entertainment, government
• Growing openness and response to the hope of the gospel
• Many people in our community to come to Christ
• Families – strong marriages, children, finances/work
• Economy – national/state growth, job growth, local businesses
• Education – federal/state policies, curriculum, teachers, safety, local schools, public schools, private schools, home-school freedom
• Entertainment/Media – Christian influence, positive impact

Supper/Evening – American Churches/Revival
• Personal revival leading to church revival leading to another great awakening in our country
• Growing commitment to worship, prayer, discipleship, fellowship
• Growing commitment to evangelism and missions
• Growing love for God, his people, and the lost
• Courageous fidelity to Biblical truth in a culture of compromise
• Wisdom for pastors and other church leaders
• Wisdom for leaders of Christian ministries, schools, missions
• Christians living with Biblical integrity in the workplace, school, neighborhood, and community

 

Passion Passages

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

The Lord’s Passion For Us

The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him.

– Psalm 103:8, 11, 17 (ESV)

 

 

 

Sermon Songs: Isaiah 9

On By BrianIn Isaiah Hymns

A Son is born and he will reign
With wisdom, power, and peace
He died to cleanse my guilty stain
From sin to bring release

Behold our King rose from the tomb
He’s broken death’s strong cord
His zeal and love dispel our gloom
Rejoice, hope in the Lord

– From a sermon on Isaiah 9:1-7
(To the tune of “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”)