Learning to Hear the Right Voice

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.

Indeed, the biggest problem in hearing God’s voice is discerning between His voice, the voice of our own flesh, and Satan’s voice. Gaining more and more knowledge of Scripture helps us to discern the difference. But so does spending time with God in prayer. You will learn to recognize His voice the more you hear it.

The boy Samuel in the Old Testament shows us this truth. One night as he was trying to sleep, he heard someone call his name, “Samuel, Samuel.” He ran to Eli, his mentor, saying, “Here I am.” But Eli told Samuel he hadn’t called. This happened three times before Eli realized the Lord was speaking to Samuel. So he told the boy to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” the next time the voice called out (1 Samuel 3). In the midst of these verses lies a telling fact: “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7).

That may be the case for many of us. We have not yet heard the Lord, so we find it difficult to discern His voice. The last verses in the chapter give a different picture of Samuel’s life: “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word” (1 Samuel 3:19- 21). Wouldn’t it be great to have the same thing said of our lives at the end—that none of God’s words fell to the ground. The more we listen, the more we will discern.

Lord God, learning to hear Your beautiful voice is my deepest desire. Your word says that if I draw near to You, You will draw near to me. Help me to spend all of my days drawing closer to You – leaning in to hear You speak to my heart as I pray, as I read Your word, and as I sit in the stillness. Show me how to know You so well that I never confuse Your voice with my own, or with the voice of the enemy. May I be as obedient a listener as Samuel, and throughout my life may none of Your words fall to the ground!

--Adapted from The Power of Personal Prayer (Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose) by Jonathan Graf. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Glorify God as the one who fills all of your desires and needs with his presence alone.

• Thank God for being sufficient for you even when every other source of joy or support is taken away.

• Confess your dependence on other people or situations to make you content and happy.

• Commit yourself to making Jesus your “pearl of great price,” and ask him to make you willing to give up all you have for the sake of his kingdom, if necessary (Mt. 13:44-46).

• Ask God to bring to your mind the material needs of an unsaved acquaintance so that you will be able to help meet those needs and bring that person closer to the kingdom.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Inviting God In

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.

This week and this year each of us will face many different experiences. Problems will arise, burdens will come. Decisions will need to be made and many are life-altering. You might be facing some today. If not today, then soon.

What will we do? If we are serious followers of Jesus, we know we must pray, because only prayer brings God into the middle of our circumstances. God has created us in His image. As such, we have a certain level of control. We can decide to do things without God, or prayerfully invite Him in.

If we try to handle life alone, we will quickly discover that our mere humanity will fail us.

We all want to pray effectively. No one desires to lift some flimsy, selfish prayer that accomplishes little, but the "effective, fervent prayer" that “accomplishes much," of which James 5:16 speaks.

Jesus, as always, gives us the answer for effective prayer. He models for us the perfect prayer to pray in any situation—the prayer that is always rewarded: "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” (John 12:27-28, emphasis mine)

Lord Jesus, my prayer life has fallen woefully short of Your example as You yielded Yourself to the will of the Father in the garden. Your word says that when I am weak, that is when You are the strongest in my life. Please look on the situation I am in, the people I am praying for, and all that I should be bringing to You in prayer that I have decided I have the right to fix myself. Remind me that You, the Almighty God, are on the other end of my prayer, seated on the throne of heaven, and that You alone have the authority to dwell in that place. It is not about seeking my own solution or answer, but Yours. Father, help me to see that You alone are to be glorified in the midst of my prayers!

---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise God as the one who will soon crush Satan under your feet (Rom. 16:20).

• Thank him for revealing the mysteries of his salvation to you (16:25-27).

• Asking God to show you your sin, confess any ways in which you have been involved in causing divisions in Christ’s people or have put up obstacles that impeded the spread of his Word (16:17-18).

• Commit yourself to being “wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (16:19).

• Pray for workers to go into the harvest fields of the world. Ask God to prompt his people to abundant contributions of finances, prayer, and encouragement to send these missionaries.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries.

An Update from the Giffords - Mexico

Jesus Wants to Be Known

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team. It correlates well to Kevin Denton’s sermon from July 14, 2024.

At the appointed time of 30 years old, Jesus revealed Himself and His ministry. He healed. He forgave. He understood people’s hearts. He knew their thoughts. He responded to faith. He was the Son of Man. He was God. Yet, this list merely scratches the surface of His identity. In Matthew 9:2, 4-6 Jesus says, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” ... “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” ... “Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.”

Jesus heals and forgives. We can seek Him as our safe place. No matter what we’ve done, we can approach Him with sincerity of heart and receive forgiveness and reconciliation. And yet, Healer and Forgiver are only two aspects of who He is. He is so much more.

Lord, I desire to know You fully. Show me how to know, pursue, and draw closer to You. Forgive me for not taking our relationship seriously. I repent. Take me to the next level of understanding about who You are and how You operate. 

You have incredible authority, including healing and forgiving sins. Reveal the fullness of Your authority and the authority You granted to me. I declare that godly fear will overtake me so I can be wise. I desire godly love to fill me so I may be like You. I desire Godly zeal to characterize me, so I take nothing for granted, and I dedicate my time on earth to Your will.

I’m thankful that You desire to lead me, Lord, on Your righteous path so all my days glorify You. I’m thankful You will answer my plea to fully know and experience You.

I praise You that I’m fully known to You. You know every thought, every impulse, and You still love me.

--Adapted from Praying What Jesus Says by Natasha Miller. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise God for his marvelous goodness.

• Thank the Lord for being a refuge in times of trouble (Nah. 1:7).

• Confess your own failure to show goodness toward others.

• Commit yourself to bearing the fruit of goodness through the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

• Ask God to enable you today to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8).

• Pray that good will win out over evil in every area of our society.

• Ask that righteousness and justice will permeate the fabric of our culture so that God will be glorified and praised.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

An Update from the Carrigs - Ireland

Dear friends, 

Blessings to you all from a warm(ish) and bright Greystones.
It has been an eventful few months of ministry here, so much so that I have yet to find a minute to stop and keep you all updated. But alas…!
This past week my family and I took a six day break and headed to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, just a two hour plane ride from Dublin. We visited a Christian retreat centre where I once spent two months volunteering when I was just 16 (going on 17😉). This place had quite the impact on me when I was young, I grew to appreciate the 6am daily prayers and the evening worship services—not at first, of course. 

But it was here where I started to really experience the loving draw of God, an embrace I have stepped closer and closer to as the years have gone on. I was thankful to share that place with Kels and the kids, one of whom said, “Dad, I love this place too!” We left France with full hearts ready to dive back into ministry and life in Ireland.

Some notable developments here: 

• Our church continues to grow. Week by week we are welcoming new people, and new christians, into our fellowship. 

• We have celebrated two weddings this year already, with another two to come. I know that doesn’t sound like much but it's something worth celebrating for our church. In the past we might have had one wedding a year, if any at all! This year we’ll have had four and its only June! We are enjoying celebrating blessed unions together. In light of this I have developed a premarital counselling course that the couples have gone through these past few months. Serving couples in this way is a real privilege to me and I trust they enjoy it too.  

• In the last few weeks our church has begun to welcome refugees to our building for English classes and for friendship. My co-pastor, Tim, has developed a whole network of support for roughly 100 men who have been placed in a temporary tent community just ten minutes from our church. Many of the men are Palestinian and Afghans seeking asylum in Ireland. These men were initially met by a hostile loud minority who aggressively and violently tried to intimidate these men, many of whom are in their late teens or early 20’s. But as a church it has been our privilege to welcome them in the name of Jesus, without judgment, and for the glory of God. Though these men see our welcome as a blessing to them, it is us who are blessed by the friendships and stories and opportunity to share life with these men. I am excited to see what God will continue to do through this open door as we bear witness to the One who welcomes all. 

• Many of you will be aware of the charity Football Tournament our church runs each year. Some of our friends from Beechwood in Holland Michigan even fielded a team last year! But we had our biggest event yet this year. Ten teams, ten players per team and countless spectators. We also welcomed a team of refugees who represented their native Palestine. This was fitting as we were raising funds for the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza. This is a Christian hospital (Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem) providing medical care. We raised €2,275.00. Here's this years winners, Brazil: 

• Our building plan for our church continues to move forward. After the approval of our planning application from the county council, we are now preparing the plans for the construction phase. It is growing increasingly obvious for our need to improve our building facility. As we host groups and weddings, worship and go about our regular functions as a church our current building is proving not fit for purpose. Our community is eager to see this development happen and have begun to develop our own fundraising campaign to see it come to pass. 

To our disappointment we will not make it back to US for a trip this year as it has been too disruptive for our small children each year. So this summer we are going to stay in Ireland. But we look forward to welcoming some visitors over the summer months and seeing a little more of this lovely island. 

Friends, we are grateful for your ongoing partnership through friendship, prayer and support. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Blessings, 

Luke, Kelsey, Cohen, Ida and Rhys 

Pray With Us

Will you join us in giving thanks: 

• For the season of growth and renewal at our church

• For the approval of our planning application and the hopes of moving forward with our building.  

• For the opportunity to minister to so many new comers to Greystones. 

Will you continue to join us in praying: 

• Pray for the continued health and growth of our church. 

• Pray for provision for us as a family, but also for the building plans for our church. 

• Pray for our refugee friends who need safety and stability. 

• Pray that we would continue to experience the power and wisdom of the triune God as a church in Greystones, Ireland. 

Be Clothed in His Armor

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.

Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
This image was clear to the hearers in Paul’s day as they observed the Roman soldiers that filled every town. Using that warfare picture, Paul reminds us of the necessary armor for the believer in his battles; armor which is available to every Christian. It is wise at the beginning of each day to “put on” your armor in prayer.                                                                                                                    

• Gird your loins with truth. This means truthfulness, honesty, integrity which will protect us from the tempation to the opposite which would make us vulnerable. It also implies knowing and believing truth that will guard us from the lies of the Father of all lies.                                       

• Put on the breastplate of righteousness. We must realize and claim the righteousness we have in Christ and cover our vital organs with a commitment to personal holiness.                      

• Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We must get ready to move by realizing our mission. We lace up our witnessing shoes. We prepare to share the gospel of peace gladly and quickly with everyone we meet, which is Satan’s greatest fear.                         

• Take up the shield of faith which is able to quench all the flaming arrows of the wicked one. One of the most powerful weapons in battle was a flaming arrow. The Romans had developed a defensive weapon in a body-sized, leather shield. It had a front and a back with a vacuum between which would quench a flaming arrow. Satan is continually flinging darts at us designed to destroy us. We often think these are just our thoughts. But I am convinced otherwise. Our powerful defense is faith and “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” We must combat his flaming arrows with the faith that comes from God’s Word.                

• Take up the helmet of salvation. That which protects us most in our battle is our absolute security in Christ if we have come to know Him. Our salvation saves us in our minds. We must remember this as we face the day.

• Take up … the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. There is nothing more powerful than Scripture. It is literally God’s Word and our greatest weapon against Satan’s lies. Jesus Himself rebuked every temptation of the enemy in the wilderness with God’s Word, and so must we. This is why Scripture memory is so vital.                                                                         

It is a critical exercise each day, and multiple times throughout the day, to check our strength (making sure we’re relying on the Lord) and check our armor (using the right protective weapons against the Enemy.)
Father, today I faithfully put on Your armor as both a physical act and a spiritual reminder of Your divine protection and power! I will place the helmet of Your salvation upon my head as a reminder that You are my salvation. I put on the breastplate of righteousness because You are the righteous King, and the belt of truth, for You alone are the Truth! I will prepare my feet to travel anywhere You direct me to share the gospel of peace! I raise Your shield of faith to protect myself from the flaming arrows that will come against me today! And, I prepare myself to do battle using the sword of Your word! Lord, continue to give me strength through Jesus to serve You with everything in me every moment of this day!

---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise God for his strength and confidence, enduring from everlasting to everlasting (1 Chron. 29:10-11).

• Give thanks that God is your strength and confidence and that he will never fail you or forsake you (1 Chron. 28:20).

• Confess to the Lord your failure to rely completely upon him and his Word (Isa. 41:10).

• Commit yourself to being strong and doing the work God has for you without complaining (Phil. 2:14).

• Ask God to forgive you for not depending on him and that you may wait on the Lord and be confident of his love (Jeremiah 31:3).

• Pray that your church will be strong in preparing its membership to grow in their daily walk and work for him as parents, teachers, workers, etc.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

YG Mission Trip - Athens, TN - Day 5

Our last day of service (Thursday) did not go as planned. The dumpster did not arrive and it rained all morning. And yet we all agree it was one of the most beautiful days on site yet! We played hide-and-seek and tag (in the mud!) with the kids and said tearful goodbyes to the homeowners and our new friends at First Methodist.

We headed out to Lost Sea Adventures where we enjoyed cooling off in the cave and the boat ride on the underground lake! Lunch at a local burger joint before our final chapel tonight.

Prayer as Our First Response

Here’s an article that our prayer team would like to share.

Who needs our prayers? Everyone we know and even those we don’t know! We should pray for those we love and those with whom we struggle. Even our enemies, Jesus said (and illustrated) should be the recipients of our intercession. Government leaders and waiters at our table.

Don’t you imagine that Jesus talked with His Father constantly about each of the disciples and everyone He met—receiving continual instruction about how he was to interact with them and intercede for their needs?

His testimony was that He did nothing on His own initiative but only said what His Father was saying and did what He observed His Father doing. What was the vehicle for this observation of the Father? Constant prayer in every situation. Jesus lifted everything vertically, looking up to ask what should be done and interceding for what could be done. Every sweep of Christ’s eyes across the landscape of humanity led Him to intercede.

Prayer should not be our last resort with people, but our first response. Is there anyone we will meet today who does not need what God could bring them through our prayers?

If we could master the ALL of prayer, we would find the foyer of heaven and the power of God on earth. His kingdom would come and His will done on earth as it is being done in heaven. And, our Father would have gained the communion with His children that He desires.

Lord Jesus, You are the Master of heaven and earth! You have designed this unique mystery called prayer so that I can meet with You about anything! Stretch my prayer life to include my enemies, government leaders, nations, cultural situations, and anything else that needs Your touch! Help me to break out of the “sameness” of my praying so that I can pray for Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven – over everything and every person! May prayer always be my first response and not my last resort!

---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise God for being the dwelling place for his saints in all generations (Ps. 90:1).

• Thank him that before the mountains were born or he had brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting he is God (90:2).

• Confess your rebellion against God’s greatness.

• Commit yourself to numbering your days rightly, so that you may gain a heart of wisdom (90:12).

• Ask the Lord to have his favor rest upon you and to establish the work of your hands (90:17).

• Pray that the Lord will supply wisdom and perseverance to your church’s missionaries (name them) and that they will be blessed with encouraging results in their work.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

YG Mission Trip - Athens, TN - Day 4

Day 4 (Wednesday): This week our team has been serving alongside First Methodist Church from Cynthiana, KY, and have been having so much fun getting to know and serve with them. This morning our girls finished painting the siding and trim with their new friends.

Ethan and Chuck hung a door on the new addition, and Jeremy and Brent worked on the ramp gate.

Unfortunately, our dumpster did not arrive, so Karmen & Katherine continued to bag trash in anticipation of a dumpster tomorrow!

Did we mention it was 96 degrees today?! We capped off our work day with ice cream.

YG Mission Trip - Athens, TN - Day 3

This morning (Tuesday) we finished siding and trim on the outside of the home, and cleared up garbage to make room for a dumpster, which is hopefully arriving tomorrow (Wednesday)!

We brought toy airplanes and crafts for the kids, and were blessed in spending the afternoon hanging out having fun with them.

Evenings on campus at Tennessee Wesleyan involve dinner, cards, and chapel with small group time.

YG Mission Trip - Athens, TN - Day 2

First day (Monday) on our worksite. We are helping out a family with lots of kids and medical needs. Mom and two kids have cystic fibrosis, other kids and dad have physical and psychological diagnoses. Our group along with another group finished painting outside siding and the kitchen and living room.

Ethan painted the kitchen, while the girls touched up the white and teal walls. Homeowners wanted their kids to splatter paint on the remaining wall!

The guys helped finish the outside projects. We have lots of help from the homeowners kids! :)

Stopped by the Mayfield Dairy Ice Cream Store on the way back to camp!

YG Mission Trip - Athens, TN - Day 1

Here’s an update from the Youth Group’s day of travel on Sunday, June 23:

“We made it to Athens! Picnic at a wayside rest stop and chapel at the Campus Center at Tennessee Wesleyan University. Our theme this week is Kingdom Minded.”

An Update from Gary & Galina Timmerman

An Update from Ivan & Susy Monzón - Guatemala

We received our first newsletter update from Ivan & Susy, missionaries in Guatemala. Good to see people and ministries collaborate to share the Good News!

An Update from Joel & Hailey Altena - Lithuania

Dear friends,
We are eager to send you an update of what has been happening in ministry at LCC International University. Thank you for your faithful prayer support and for your continued partnership in ministry over the past five years. We look forward to a summer of more rest and eagerly anticipate beginning our sixth year at LCC! We think of you often and pray for you regularly.

With joy, Hailey & Joel

Give God Your Undivided Attention

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.

For those who have come by faith, Christ—through His death and resurrection—has taken us by the hand and walked us into the Throne Room. God is on one side, we are on the other, and Jesus has introduced us to the Father. We once were at war with the One on the throne, but now we have “peace facing God!” What a glorious privilege! What an unspeakable honor!

Pause as you enter and look around. As you gaze throughout the Throne Room you will see Christ seated at the right hand of the Father and you will notice that He “always lives to make intercession” for His children. Angels hover around the throne. Praise is unending. Let the wonder of this environment overwhelm you. Your heart will begin to be filled with worship.

As you have entered, begin to pray. Filled with this vision, you will probably not rattle off meaningless rituals. You are going to “close the door and pray TO YOUR FATHER.” There is a singular direction. You are not praying to others. Your whole vision is filled with the Almighty. You are directing your prayers to the One who is seated upon the Throne!

Rosalind Rinker said, “I have discovered that prayer’s real purpose is to put God at the center of our attention and forget ourselves and the impression we are making.” This posture changes everything for us in prayer. We are looking at Him, and Him alone. Everything else pales in comparison to this vision.

If we will enter in like this, giving God our undivided attention, the greatest reward will be God Himself.
 
Father, my heart is filled with worship as I consider what Your throne room must be like in reality. I don’t have to wait until the end of my life to experience some of what Your word says is truly taking place right now in heaven. Help me to focus on the lovely description of the place where I will spend all of eternity! I can’t even comprehend the beauty of it! For the rest of my life, my deepest desire is to be in Your presence!

---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise God, who is perfect in beauty and holiness (Ps. 50:2).

• Thank him for making everything beautiful in its time (Eccl. 3:11), including your own life.

• Confess those times during this past week when your words or actions did not reflect to others the beauty of Christ.

• Commit yourself to being transformed into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).

• Ask God daily to change the ugliness of sin in your life to his loveliness.

• Pray that the spirit of worship may fall upon all who enter your church’s sanctuary on Sunday, that they may desire “to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Ps. 27:4).

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Full Access to God

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).
 
The most significant transformation in my prayer life came while reading Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ commentary on this verse. Lloyd-Jones said that when he began to understand the meaning of this verse, he realized he could enter into his “closet” with the Lord whether he was in his private study or standing in a crowd of thousands. His wife would say after his death, that what she missed most about “The Doctor’s” ministry was not his preaching, but his praying. He knew how to enter in. 
              
God is not necessarily talking about a physical closet in this verse, although such a practice is fine, but is not always available. I have a mental picture when I begin to pray that has changed everything for me. Let me paint it for you in hopes that it will enhance your praying.
 
Imagine opening a door and stepping into a foyer … the entrance to God’s Throne Room. Now, turn behind you as you enter and shut the door. Shut the door on others and on last week and next week. Even (in a sense) shut the door on yourself. Your sole focus is the One you are about to encounter. 
              
Next, consciously step into the Throne Room of God! You have total access here because of Jesus Christ. Paul says this well:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

Beautiful God, thank You for Your word that reminds me of my complete access to You in prayer! When I lean into You I literally enter Your throne room! Help me to shut the door on every distraction and focus on You alone. May I long to step into Your presence continually throughout the moments of my day.
 
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise the One who sits upon his throne, supreme in power and authority.

• Give thanks that the Almighty is your Father in Jesus Christ.

• Confess your own hardness of heart and disobedience against God’s authority over you.

• Commit yourself to God so that you “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Rom. 6:12).

• Ask God to help you endure, so that you may reign with Christ (2 Tim. 2:12).

• Pray that the relationships among your family and friends will be spiritually honest and productive. Pray that Jesus Christ will be a frequent and comfortable topic of conversation.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Just You and God

Below is an article found and shared by our Prayer Team.

While I am a proponent of a morning “quiet time” (a set time each day to read Scripture and pray), I encourage struggling and beginning pray-ers to find what works for them. Don’t force yourself into a pattern that might not fit who you are. Do you walk each day? Pray while you walk. Do you have a commute each day? Pray while you drive. You do not have to sit in the same chair in your living room for prayer to be effective.

But my mind will wander if I pray when I walk or drive, you might be thinking. So what?! When you walk with a friend and are deep in conversation, plenty of things might interrupt your conversation—another person coming toward you, a squirrel darting across your path, a siren in the distance. You pick your conversation up again. The same can happen if you’re praying. In a real sense, Jesus is walking with you. If something interrupts your conversation, simply start talking again.

Prayer is not as difficult as we often make it out to be. Just talk about what’s on your mind—and listen. No special words, no props needed. Just you and God.

Lord, keep me from the need to be “perfect” when I pray or from feeling inadequate if something interrupts my time with You. Help me to persevere in Your presence, and to not make prayer harder than it is! Show me how to find spare moments in my day to reach out to You – moments that might otherwise be wasted time. Whisper into my ear whenever there is an opportunity for us to talk with one another and let me be willing and able to walk with You whenever and wherever I find myself.

--Adapted from The Power of Personal Prayer (Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose) by Jonathan Graf. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Praise the Lord, who is your strength, your rock, your fortress and your deliverer (Ps. 18:1-2).

• Give thanks that “the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Cor. 1:25).

• Confess your desire to rely upon your own strength.

• Commit yourself to doing everything through him who gives you strength (Phil. 4:13).

• Ask God to cause you to serve him with the strength that he provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 4:11).

• The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). Ask the Lord to apply this power to individuals whom you know are without it.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Sincerity of Heart

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matthew 6:5).
 
The common practice of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day was to stand in the most conspicuous places possible and pray loud prayers. Their primary intent was to be seen by men. There could be only one motivation behind this practice: PRIDE. 
       
God is very clear about what pride does in our relationship to Him. God resists the proud. He actively stands in opposition to those who approach Him in arrogance. This is even true of His own children.
       
Have you ever had the frustrating experience of talking to someone and quickly realizing they are looking over your shoulder? They are talking loudly, hoping to be noticed by others. You sense they are searching for the next person they can talk to—the one who they feel is more important than you.
              
Can you imagine doing this in the presence of the God of the Universe? And yet, this is what much of our prayers are like. Unaware of the One we are approaching, we engage in surface prayers for the sole purpose of impressing others. God does not hear nor respond to such insincerity.
       
We must enter into His presence sincerely with the sole desire of communing with God alone.
 
Father, forgive me when I let pride enter into my life of prayer. Keep my eyes on Jesus rather than those around me. Let me be more concerned for His fame than for my own reputation. Teach me the humility of the Son of God, who gave up His life for me so that I might have eternal life! Help me to enter Your presence with a deep desire to know You more!
 
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Prayer Points

• Read Psalm 108  and praise the Lord, whose love is higher than the heavens and whose faithfulness reaches to the skies. 

• Give thanks for specific acts of faithfulness to you so far this week.

• Confess any unfaithfulness which has robbed God of his glory.

• Commit yourself to praising God among the nations (108:3).

• Ask him to show you the nations in our cities and around the globe.

• Pray that everyone will see clearly that human strength cannot win the battle for peoples’ hearts (108:12-13). Ask God to gain the victory over spiritual enemies that bind the unsaved.

Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org.

Thank You! from Dave Gifford

To all our supporters and supporting churches,

A big thank you for your donations and prayers in March. We are now at 69% of our goal thru June for our regular support, and already have $1,100 donated to our new $12,000 project to get Logos Bible software packages in the hands of Christian leaders that I (Dave), James Lee and Abe Lee work with here in Mexico. There is not yet an online giving page, but I will include a "clip and send" in our prayer letter, which I hope to send out this week.

Since I am sending the prayer letter out soon, I will be brief: I had a wonderful time in the state of Nuevo León March 23-26, leading the Compa region there in a conference on the book of Titus. Seventeen Bible study leaders and four Compa personnel spent seven and a half hours journeying with me through this short but practical book of the New Testament, and enduring my sense of humor. They participated boisterously with questions and comments and verses. I feel spoiled to get such amazing groups to teach, and such encouraging teaching experiences. Thanks for making it possible.

Please remember to check our monthly-updated prayer requests at https://giffmex.org.

Blessings in Christ,

David Gifford

Mexico team leader, Mexico City

Resonate Global Mission
Engaging People. Embracing Christ.
A Ministry of the Christian Reformed Church
resonateglobalmission.org

From March 11 to April 30, thanks to a matching donation campaign, you can double your impact by making a gift to Resonate’s "where most needed fund" at https://www.resonateglobalmission.org/double.