Daily Prayer - Faith without deeds

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

 

Are you willing to work for the things you pray for? 

What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,"

but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  (

James 2:14-17)

We must be willing to do more than pray for people - we must be willing to act!

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

O Lord,

give us a mind

that is humble, quiet, peaceable,

patient and charitable,

and a taste of your Holy Spirit

in all our thoughts, words, and deeds.

 

O Lord,

give us a lively faith, a firm hope,

a fervant charity, a love of you.

Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation

and all dullness in prayer.

 

Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you,

your grace, and your tender compassion toward us.

 

Give us,

good Lord,

the grace to work for

the things we pray for.

  

--St Thomas More, 1478-1535

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Hungry hearts

Good Monday morning, my friends.

 

How many of you remember a Bruce Springsteen song called "Hungry Hearts"?  One of the verses says: 

Everybody needs a place to rest

Everybody wants to have a home

Don't make no difference what nobody says

Aint nobody like to be alone

 

Everybodys got a hungry heart...

 

Ain't that the truth?  It has been said that the difference between physical hunger and spiritual hunger is that you have to start feeding the spiritual hunger before you even realize you are hungry.  Is your hungry heart being fed properly?  Spend some time today feeding it from the Word and spend time this week in a church that serves up an all-you-can-eat buffet.

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

 

Father, we thank You for Godly messengers who faithfully feed Your children by diligently teaching the whole counsel of Your Holy Word.

 

Some attend church with an intense spiritual hunger, while others may come out of a sense of duty and still some to be seen by others.

 

Give us a hungry heart that yearns for more of You so that our lives are set apart to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we do.

 

May we be attentive to Your life-transforming truths as You impart them to our hearts in our personal devotions and through Your anointed messengers.

 

In Jesus' name we pray.  

 

Amen.

 

(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/a-prayer-for-an-attentive-heart/)

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Let's Be Peacemakers

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

 

I love it when a piece of familiar scripture speaks to me in a new way.  Or more presicely, that God speaks to me through scripture in a new way.  This morning I read 2 Corinthians 5:18 in the Contemporary English Version.  It says: 

God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

How clearly that reflects the words of Jesus in "The Great Commission": 

Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Or how about this from the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount:

^"God blesses those people who make peace.  They will be called his children!" (Matthew 5:9). 

Who in your world needs to make peace with God?  Most likely God already has them searching - your job is just to point the way. 

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance!

Bruce

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is discord, unity;

where there is doubt, faith,

where there is error, truth

where there is despair, hope;

where there is sadness, joy;

where there is darkness, light.

 

Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

 

For it is giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

St Francis of Assisi

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Be Still

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

 

As I wrote about recently, God has told me to relax and enjoy a relationship with Him.  This directive to rest comes directly from scripture and is repeated over and over in both the Old Testament and the New: 

God finished the work that he had done, and he rested… (Genesis 2:2)

 

When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds and be silent (Psalms 4:4)

 

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;

Do not fret over those who prosper in their way,

over those who carry out evil devices (Psalms 37:7)

 

Be still and know that I am God!

I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth. (Psalms 46:10)

 

Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy loads,

and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

 Are you and I resting in our relationship with God or are we too busy to find time for that?

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce 

O Heavenly Father, in these few minutes of quiet stillness I place myself and all my problems humbly before you for your guidance and blessing.

 

Help me to empty my mind of all earthly thoughts so that in this stillness I may be conscious of your Heavenly Presence.

 

Let the warm glow of your wonderful Healing Power come into me, lifting all pain and distress from body and mind, enriching me with new life and energy and giving me inner peace and a calm serenity.

 

Whatever my duties now or in the future I shall always turn to you for guidance and inspiration, knowing that your light will be shining on my path to help me walk through the darkness of this world in the way you would have me walk—my hand in yours.

 

O Heavenly father, bless me with renewed courage, strength and understanding that I may faithfully serve you and do Your Will in all things.

 

Through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

 

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine

heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-15)

 

(http://www.mu.org.au/ncle2010mar.pdf)

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Credibility

Good Monday morning, my friends,

 

Sharing the "good news", the Gospel, is something that has been on my mind a lot lately.  But one of the things that can keep me from doing this with family, friends and co-workers is a lack of credibility on my part. When I am seen to be petty, angry, jealous, materialistic, etc., etc. by those around me, how can I effectively communicate the life that God wants us to have?  This is one of Satan's tactics - to make us appear to be hypocrites - and he is quite good at it.  So join me in prayer today that we will be credible to those around us and that we can serve God effectively.

 

 

Amazing Grace and Eternal peace be yours,

Bruce

 

 

Father, Your Word indicates the way we interact with those outside the faith will have a positive or a negative influence on whether they choose to follow You. 

 

There appears to be no neutral mode in our lives, for we do not live unto ourselves, but regularly give account for our actions and attitudes daily.

 

Inconsistency and double standards have long been a trap Satan has set so that the world will point their accusatory finger and cry, "Hypocrite!" 

 

Sadly, it is often a true characterization.

 

May we, as Your disciples, be faithful in our walk and consistent in our talk as we serve You at home, in the workplace, in our churches, and in our sphere of influence. 

 

We do not want to bring disgrace on the holy name of Jesus, but we want to honor His name as we glorify You in all we do. 

 

It is in Jesus' holy name that we pray.  Amen.

 

(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/a-prayer-for-a-good-testimony/)

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Sensing God

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

 

We all have physical senses - the ability to see, taste, hear, feel and smell.  How about spiritual senses?  I love this prayer and the way it describes the concept of spiritual senses.  I have recently come to know the truth of these statements through my walk with God.  I pray that you do too.  And if not, that God would grant you these wonderful gifts.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

Father, when we examine the Scriptures we see how good you are. 

 

Just as we engage our physical senses in tasting food we engage our spiritual senses in learning who You are and how You guide us by Your Spirit.

 

Though we cannot see You, our spirit senses the work You're doing in our life. 

 

Though we cannot hear You, You lead us through Your commands in Scripture.

 

Though we cannot feel You, we are warmed by Your loving words expressed in the Bible.

 

Though we cannot touch You we feel the extension of Your love as You work on our behalf.

 

Your scent is present in the very air that we breathe and the beauty of Your creation that surrounds us everyday. 

 

Your words are sweet to our taste as we hunger for your goodness.

 

May we in turn offer up a sweet smelling sacrifice that is pleasing to You. 

 

In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/a-prayer-for-engaging-our-spiritual-senses/)

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Let God work in you

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

 

Clear your mind of the concerns of the day right now and focus on this prayer.  I guarantee something in here, and maybe several things, will connect with your heart today.  That is God at work in you.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

Dear Lord,

 

I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

 

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

 

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things in my life till you change them.

 

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.

 

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

 

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. Help me to pray for those who are lost and can't find their way and for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. Help me pray for those who don't know You intimately. Help me pray for those who don't believe and I thank you that I believe.

 

I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

 

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

 

This is my prayer.

 

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

(http://home-church.com/Documents/My%20prayer.pdf)

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Being or Doing?

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

 

Yesterday's message on being rather than doing elicited a few responses.  Most could relate as they felt that God was providing this message for them.  One, however, had a different take.  A good friend of mine feels God telling him the opposite.  He writes "we in North America are too complacent and self satisfied with our lot in life – even as Christians – and that we're called by Christ to be doing a whole lot more.  Not  "being" but "doing"."  So which is it?  Should we be doing or being?

 

Well the answer, of course, is "YES".  We should be doing both.  But we must be grounded in our being - being at peace with God and enjoying a relationship with Him so that our doing is not to gain His favour but rather a response to the amazing love He pours out on us.  For my friend, my understanding of his relationship with God is that being is not an issue, and so God is telling him to be doing.  For me, I have been spending too much time doing and need to think more about being (without stopping the doing).

 

I love the way God gives us seeming paradoxes so that we have to continually examine our motives when it comes to living life as a Christ follower.

 

 

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours,

Bruce 

Who is Jesus to me?

 

Jesus is the Word made Flesh.

Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the Cross.

Jesus is the Sacrifice for the sins of the world and mine.

Jesus is the Word - to be spoken.

Jesus is the Truth - to be told.

Jesus is the Way - to be walked.

Jesus is the Light - to be lit.

Jesus is the Life - to be loved.

Jesus is the Joy - to be shared.

Jesus is the Sacrifice - to be given.

Jesus is the Bread of Life - to be eaten.

Jesus is the Hungry - to be fed.

Jesus is the Thirsty - to be satiated.

Jesus is the Naked - to be clothed.

Jesus is the Homeless - to be taken in.

Jesus is the Sick - to be healed.

Jesus is the Lonely - to be loved.

Jesus is the Unwanted - to be wanted.

Jesus is the Leper - to wash his wounds.

Jesus is the Beggar - to give him a smile.

Jesus is the Drunkard - to listen to him.

Jesus is the Little One - to embrace him.

Jesus is the Dumb - to speak to him.

Jesus is the Crippled - to walk with him.

Jesus is the Drug Addict - to befriend him.

Jesus is the Prostitute - to remove from danger and befriend her.

Jesus is the Prisoner - to be visited.

Jesus is the Old - to be served.

 

To me Jesus is my God,

Jesus is my Spouse,

Jesus is my Life,

Jesus is my only Love,

Jesus is my All in All,

Jesus is my Everything.

 

Amen.

 

Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

 

(http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1498)

  

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Relax!

Good Monday morning, my friends.

 

This weekend I received a gentle message from God:  "Relax!". 

 

Ok, that wasn't exactly what He said, but it is close.  As I was digesting some material I had been reading about Christian doctrine I felt God say to me "You are trying too hard.  You are more concerned about what you will do next for Me than just enjoying our relationship."  And to put an exclamation point to his message, the preacher then stood up and began his sermon with the words "Being is more important than doing" in exactly the same context.  (Usually I have to hear things three times before it sinks in, but He was direct enough this time to make His point in just two!) 

 

Now those of you who know me well are thinking, "Duh - no kidding, Bruce.  We figured that out about you long ago."  And I guess I did too, but just didn't know what to do about it.  And I am not completely sure right now but I will be spending time praying about it and time just "being". 

 

How about you?  Are you doing more than being?  Do you, as I, sometimes feel you have to work to please Him?  Feel like you have to be "doing"?  If so then we are both "doing" it for the wrong reason.  We need to do it because we want to.  Yes, there are lot's of good works that He has planned for us to do (and those are important), but He is much more interested in our hearts than in our hands.  So relax!  And enjoy some queit time with your God.

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me.

 

I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me.

 

If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there.

 

Teach me today to love you more.

 

Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child.

 

In Jesus name, Amen

 

(http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Christian/Guidance/A-Prayer-for-Resting-in-Gods-Love.aspx)

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Youth

Good Friday afternoon, my friends.

 

As a society we highly value education and most people encourage their kids to attend college or university.  Satan is well aware of this and seems to expend a huge amount of energy infiltrating and influencing those institutions.  And it has been very successful for him.  The vast majority of "churched" children who attend university or college lose their faith by the time they graduate.  We need to counteract this.

 

I have a special request for you today.  Would you please pray for the hundred or so high school students from our church who are going on a youth retreat this weekend.  Please pray that they will have an encounter with the God who created and loves them.  Pray that they would be able to resist whatever attempts Satan makes to destroy their faith in the coming years. Pray as well for the youth in your own churches and schools.

 

Thank you.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

God our Father, You see Your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world.

 

Show them that Your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following You is better than chasing after selfish goals.

 

Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start.

 

Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation.

 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

(http://www.angelfire.com/md/elanmichaels/young.html)

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Dealing with temptation

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

 

Do you have a strategy to deal with temptation?  Do you expose the lies of the enemy when they are whispered in your head?  Do you listen to the still, small voice of God telling you that you are His child?  Yeah, me neither - at least not enough.  But we should.  Offer this prayer today.  And perhaps keep it posted near the place where you are most often tempted.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce 

 

Jesus, though Satan's temptations swirl about me in many forms and in various venues I resist the enemy's desire to reside in my life. 

 

Even as the devil seeks to wrap his noxious tentacles around my heart, I stand firm against him because You, Jesus, are the Protector of my soul, who stands guard at all times. 

 

I am grateful for the warning signals often repeated throughout the Bible that teach me about Satan's strategy.

 

Thank You for Your still, small voice regularly reminding me that I am a child of God purchased by Your life-giving blood. 

 

May everything that passes before my eyes and all activities I engage in reflect the light of Your redeeming love within me.

 

It is through Your power that I resist the devil and stand firm in the faith. 

 

Amen.

 

(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/a-prayer-for-spiritual-resistance/)

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer

Good Wednesday morning, my friends. 

O taste and see, that the Lord is good;

Happy are those who take refuge in Him. (Psalm 34:8)

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…. (Luke 4:18)

 

I believe the Angligan Church declared the last decade of the 20th century to be "The Decade of Evangelism".  I suggest that every decade should be treated as such, but I include this information because it is referenced in the prayer below (and the word "Catholic" simply means universal).  Once you have lifted this prayer bring to mind a family member or friend who has not yet tasted and seen that the Lord is good and tell God just how much you want to spend eternity with that person.  (And He will tell you how much He wants to as well.)

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

 

Almighty God, you called your church to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.

 

By your grace you have given us new life in Jesus Christ, and by your Spirit you have called us to proclaim his name through out the nations: Awaken in us such a love for you and your world that in this Decade of Evangelism we may so boldy proclaim Jesus Christ by word and deed that all people may come to know him as Savior and follow him as Lord; to the glory of your Name.

 

Amen.

 

(http://www.afp.org/htm/resrc/prayers/evangel.htm)

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Redemption

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

 

A few months ago we were visiting a church where the preacher summed up his sermon with the following words:  "Penultimately we can really mess things up.  Ultimately God redeems it all."  He does, but God loves to work with His people - He loves when His people come to Him in humility and trust.  What follows is a prayer for redemption.  A prayer for God to redeem a culture of depravity.  It is a prayer for us, and a prayer for those we have elected.  We are called to pray for our government but perhaps we do not do so enough. 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) 

Pray today for God to redeem His creation that we (mankind) have tarnished.

 

 

Grace and peace be your in abundance,

Bruce

 

 

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done.

• We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

• We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;

• We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;

• We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;

• We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;

• We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation;

• We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;

• We have killed our unborn and called it choice;

• We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;

• We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;

• We have abused power and called it political savvy;

• We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition;

• We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;

• We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been elected by us and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great land. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.

 

I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ

(Adapted from http://spiritlessons.com/Documents/misc/Kansas_Prayer_by_Joe_Wright_Bob_Russell.htm)

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - Being "the Church"

Good Friday morning, my friends.

 

Church is not something we do on Sunday mornings for an hour or so.  That is like saying "driving is something we do at the gas station".  Sunday mornings are a "fill-up" for what we do for every other hour during the week - when we really are to be "the Church".

 

So does that mean we preach to everyone around us?  No, of course not.  We are not responsible for "converting" anyone - that is not our job.  Our job is to tell them - by our actions and our words - of the life that is offered to them.  It is the Holy Spirit's job to "convert" them by bringing them to repentance and faith.  God does not need us in the equation at all.  So why would we even get involved?  Because of the incredible blessings we will share in when someone we love comes to faith.  Think of how your relationship with that person will be impacted.  Some of you already know what that is like.  Others are waiting for it.

 

Who is the number one person on your list of family and friends who does not have a relationship with Christ?  Pray for that person today.  And pray that God would give you the wisdom, courage, and opportunity to point them towards Christ and that others would do the same.

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

He (Jesus) told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. - (Luke 10:2)

 

Holy and gracious God,

please stir your people's hearts and open your people's eyes to the need of reaching the lost.

Send out workers for the harvest.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

 

(http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/luke/0627-wjd.html)

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

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Daily Prayer - How can they believe?

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

 

A few days ago I sent out a prayer for "unsaved" (pre-Christian) friends.  It prompted a very thoughtful response which questions if the church is fulfilling both the Great Commandment (love God, love others) AND the Great Commission (tell everyone about Him).  Here is part of the message:

Church had become just a series of pretty songs and pretty sermons.  Everything we do is within the church to help us become more godly, closer to Jesus, grow in our faith.  Something feels radically wrong.  We know we are saved by the blood of Jesus.  Our futures are assured.  We are heaven bound.  But what about our family and friends. Evangelization is what is missing in our churches.  We have great revivals with wonderful music and speakers and it lifts us and makes us feel great.  But, does it bring new people to the love and knowledge of God?

"I".  "We".  "Us".  "Our".  What about "They"?

 

Romans 10:14 says "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

 

How do we get the message out to this who are not coming into the church to hear Christ preached?  How do we reach our family and friends so that we spend eternity with them???

 

Prayer is our greatest weapon in this battle.  Let's resolve to each lift up one unsaved person to God every day.  Pray that God would remove the veil from their heart and they would see the Truth.  Pray that we or someone else would would have the opportunity and courage to speak that Truth to them.

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

We pray to the Lord of the harvest: "Father, We are asking You to send laborers across their path, laborers who are equipped with the Word of God about salvation, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing and deliverance. Send laborers who can communicate effectively with them so Your Word can reach their heart."

Father, we come before You in prayer and in faith, believing. Your Word says that You desire all to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth, so we bring our loved ones before You

now. 2 Peter 3:9

We bind up the power of Satan and his assignments & activities in their lives in the Name of Jesus. Now, while Satan is bound, I ask that You send forth the perfect laborers to share the good news of the gospel in such a way that they will listen and nderstand it. As the truth is ministered, we believe you will open their eyes to the gospel and they will come out of the snare of the devil and make Jesus Lord. Matthew 18:18, 9:37-38; 2 Timothy 2:26

Father, I ask that You fill them with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. As we intercede in their behalf, we believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is activated, and from this moment on, we shall praise and thank You for their salvation. We are confident that You are alert and active, watching over Your Word to perform it. It will not return to You void. It will accomplish that which You please and prosper in the thing whereto it was sent. Jeremiah 1:12; Isaiah 55:11

Therefore, our confession of faith is, "God has begun a good work in their life and He will perform it and bring it to full completion until the day of Jesus Christ, in Jesus' Name." Philippians 1:6

(http://www.victoryint.org/index.php?/Scriptural-Prayers-to-Pray/Prayer-for-Unsaved-Family-Members.html)

 

 

 

Bruce MacPherson

macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821

 

You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.

 

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