Tag Archive for: Prayer

Richard Van Lieshout

May 1 – Armour of God – Praying at all times

ARMOUR OF GOD – Praying at all times

Today we finish our devotional series through the armour of God, with a surprising additional piece of equipment:

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:14-20

The list of armour, which starts with a ‘belt’ and ends with a ‘sword’, continues into a discussion on prayer. Notice that ‘praying’ continues the sentence which includes specific pieces of armour!

It’s for this reason that some call prayer the seventh piece of armour, which may in fact be the most important! The emphasis on prayer is the climax of this list, and in fact could be the climax of the whole book.

This is not just due to placement, the call to pray is repeated four times, and each time the qualifier ‘all’ is added.

Sometimes when my wife and I are having an argument we might say ‘You always..’ or ‘You never..’. Of course we don’t use this strong language in a literal sense, but to add emphasis. That is certainly the case here: a very strong emphasis on prayer at the end of this list.

Charles Spurgeon puts this in context by saying:

“When you cannot use your sword, and even when you can hardly grasp your shield, you can pray. The weapon of ‘all prayer’ is the handiest kind, because it can be turned in any and every direction.”

C.H. Spurgeon

The four ‘alls’ divide into two main instructions regarding prayer:

1. Praying at all times in the Spirit

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

Ephesians 6:18a

I sometimes feel inadequate when I read instructions like this in scripture. Does it literally mean at all times? Like even now while I’m writing? Of course it functions primarily as an emphasis, but I do believe we are being pushed to engage with God in prayer further than just a morning & evening prayer, or perhaps grace at the dinner table.

I heard one Pastor say that perhaps prayer is simply inviting Jesus into the conversation in your head. You know, the constant thoughts we have while we’re driving, in the shower etc. Perhaps this kind of ‘praying at all times’ is simply that: inviting Jesus into the everyday circumstances off our lives.

I believe this is what Paul means by praying ‘in the Spirit’. I don’t think that refers to a specific kind of praying, like in tongues or things like that (that’s another whole discussion topic!). I believe it’s simply this: engaging with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the concrete circumstances of our lives.

2. Making supplication for the saints

“To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”

Ephesians 6:18b-19

It’s amazing that apostle Paul repeatedly asks for prayer at end of his letters, and almost always, with the exception of 1 Thessalonians, it was specifically for the  advancement of gospel.

This is an appropriate place to wind down this series through the armour of God: a call to pray for the advancement of the gospel, particularly in these tough times.

As you go about your day ‘praying at all times’ be sure to ‘make supplication for all the saints’, specifically that the Kingdom would advance through the proclamation of the gospel. Remember, this is not just a prayer for preachers, its for ‘ALL the saints’! Lets pray for each other ‘boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel’

Activity for kids

(Click on the bold, underlined text in the activities below to go to the online link.)

1.       The Lord’s prayer, prayer stations:

Set up interactive stations around your home and pray through the Lord’s Prayer as a family (Matthew 6:9-13). You can set up stations in any way you like, but here are some ideas: 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name – God is our Father in heaven, who cares about us and loves us a lot. He is also holy and worthy of all our praise. Write or draw what it means to be God’s beloved child, and what you are praising God for today.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven – Build with playdough all the ways you would love to see God’s kingdom on earth. What would you like God to restore?

Give us this day our daily bread – Break a piece of bread from a loaf. As you eat it, remember God’s past faithfulness and thank him. Then, bring your needs before him and ask God for his provision.

And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors – Using sticks, break one and pray about your own sin. As you mend the pieces together with a plaster, thank God for how he has forgiven you and fixed your broken relationship with him through Jesus. Break a couple more sticks, praying about ways you have been hurt by others. Mend the broken pieces together as you ask God to help you forgive others.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – Paint or decorate a rock or smaller stone/pebble. Ask God to help you live in obedience to him and walk closely to him. Ask that he may protect you against temptation. Ask God to help you be like the wise builder in Matthew 7:24-27, so that you will hear God’s word and put it into practice.

2.       Prayer box/journal:

Decorate a box to place prayers in, or write them in a notebook – be creative and have fun with this! Spend time as a family filling the box / journal with prayers and perhaps make this a weekly habit. Look back at your prayers after a period of time to see how God answered them.

/by
Ryan Wiesner

Apart from me, you can do nothing

One of the disciples (Thomas) asked Jesus a fascinating question. A question that many of us can Identify with. A question that John the author picked up on and dedicated three whole chapters (Ch. 14,15 & 16) to answering. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5). In other words, Lord where are you going? We’ve been with you for three years, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve whined and we’ve dined. Our horizons have been broadened and our hearts have been opened. Lord we’ve done life together and now out of nowhere you are just going to leave us! Just imagine the scene amongst the twelve disciples.

“Gents,” Peter says, “the person we’ve given everything up for, is going awol. Caesar Tiberius and the whole political climate is rotten to the core. Religious institutions profit margins are at an all-time low. Frankly, synagogue leaders, sacred priests, scribes and the various legal regulatory boards have had enough of plummeting religious stocks and now they want blood. Lord I’m not saying it’s bad timing but Lord where are you going?”

Over the past few months I’ve sensed the pastors, elders, leaders and my own heart ask a similar question to Thomas. “Lord where are you?” Our nation seems to be in turmoil; our church is thankful for the trickle of authentic conversions but Lord we are desperate for a torrent because so many are perishing apart from you. Lord so many are broken, so many are isolated and lonely, so many are going through the motions. “Lord where are you?”

It was at our mid-year core leadership gathering on Saturday (22 July) where I sensed the Lord say two life altering things to the heart of Thomas. Like the disciples and especially those entrusted with the gift of leadership we can feel “troubled” (14:1), “orphaned” (14:18), “withering” (15:6), “fruitless” (15:2), “hated for no reason” (15:25) and tempted to “fall away”. We constantly seem to project that everything is ok but if we are truly honest, inside we’re either mad, sad, bad or scared. It is this that Jesus wants to transform and it is to this that Jesus says “…I will ask the father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth” (14:16-17b). Jesus is saying I may be exalted in heaven and seem far away but you will still have the fullness of my presence with you to help you (14:16), to enable you (15:26), to convict you (16:8), to guide you (16:13), to assure you (Rom 8:15) and to grow you (Gal 5:22-23).

More than this, right in the centre of this deep meaningful conversation Jesus sobers his followers by saying “I am the vine, you are the branches… apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:3). This is the nerve that I believe the Lord touched at this gathering. It was as though God was saying to the leaders, in the midst of what you feel and see it is the Lord’s presence and power you crave.

God may be mobilising the leaders and his people at RUC to take more seriously their time alone with him. To prepare a highway in our hearts. To remove any obstacles of sin and make smooth rough paths through which he can travel more freely. He may be moving us to a season of focused corporate prayer. In the words of Jonathan Edwards I think in hindsight the core leaders gathering was “A humble attempt to promote explicate agreement and visible union of all God’s people in extraordinary prayer for the revival of religion and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom” because we have come to the end of ourselves and realise afresh that “apart from him we can do nothing”, absolutely nothing.

Lord bend me to pray, Lord bend us.

/by
Leigh Robinson

What might be missing in our prayers?

Imagine that your prayers over the past six months were recorded, categorized, and analysed.

What would they tell you about your passions and priorities? Would they reveal a preoccupation with yourself and your immediate family? Would they be mostly about your safety, your struggles, your sins, your stuff? Would phrases like “help me”, “bless me”, “give me”, guide me”, “save me”, “heal me” occur again and again? And what about our corporate prayers in church services and in our Community Groups and Life on Life Groups? Would we see a similar pattern there? What might be MISSING in our prayers? What do we not pray for that the early church did pray for? Can you guess?

The first recorded prayer of the early church is found in Acts 4:24-30. A bit of background will help us appreciate the significance of this prayer. Peter and John had been instrumental in the healing of a crippled beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful. Understandably, this miracle caused a stir in the city of Jerusalem and people came running from all over to see the guy and those who had healed him. Peter wasted no time in grasping the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with the gathered crowd. So many believed, that the number of disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem grew to about five thousand. This greatly disturbed the religious authorities. Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin, the highest religious council in the land, and strictly forbidden to teach or preach in the name of Jesus ever again.

The response of the two to this prohibition is remarkable under the circumstances. They said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). They were then threatened and released. On their return to the other disciples, they held a prayer meeting. What do you suppose they prayed for — protection from further harassment and persecution? No. Here’s what they prayed—

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“’Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.’

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:24-30)

Did you notice what they prayed for? They prayed for “great boldness” in sharing the gospel .

Look how God answered—“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

This tells me that a prayer for boldness is a prayer God delights to answer. In the chapters that follow we see God answering this prayer again and again in the most remarkable ways.

I suspect that the first prayer of the early church—the prayer for boldness in witness—is often the last prayer we think to pray. The prayer for boldness is the MISSING prayer in our lives, yet it is a prayer that God delights to answer.

I urge you to add this MISSING prayer to your “prayer list.” Of course we may and should pray for all the things that concern our lives, but let’s imitate the early church in praying for boldness . . . and see what God will do.

/by
admin

How to Pray for Paris

How to Pray for Paris

This is a repost of an article written by Mike Evans on The Gospel Coalition website. You can read the original post here

The whole of France, but more particularly Paris, is coming to grips with the worst-ever terrorist attack on its soil in recent memory. Six almost simultaneous attacks have left in their wake 129 dead and more than 350 injured, including almost 100 in critical condition.

President Hollande, together with most other French political leaders, recognize that we are in a state of war. For just the third time since 1955 a state of emergency has been declared, but this is the first time that it has been extended to the whole of France. Border controls have been reinstated, street demonstrations have been banned, police and military presence has been reinforced, and people suspected of links with terrorist groups or preachers of hate have been assigned to residence.

Paradoxically, both fear and defiance are palpable as was demonstrated when the two suicide bombers blew themselves up in front of the entrance gates to the Stade de France, where 80,000 spectators were watching the football match between France and Germany. Initially they reacted with panic running on to the pitch, but then they left the stadium in an orderly manner singing “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem.

Bruce Hoffman in Inside Terrorism defines terrorism as “the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political change.” All terrorist acts involve violence and are specifically designed to have far-reaching psychological effects beyond the immediate victims or object of the terrorist attack.

In the case of the attacks in Paris the intent was to shock and, by shocking, to stimulate nationwide fear and alarm. Even more importantly, terrorism, as practiced by Islamic State, recognizes no difference between civilians and military personnel, because their war is not primarily against a specific nation or state but against a culture.

How should we react as Christians?

1. Mourn with those who mourn.

Families have lost loved ones; many have been seriously or permanently injured and face an uncertain future. Pray for the churches in the Paris area as they reach out to families, neighbors, and friends who have been victims of these attacks that they may not only help them rebuild their lives but also be signposts to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. Pray for our leaders.

President Hollande, together with his government in consultation with his advisers and military leaders but also his political adversaries, will be making difficult decisions in the days to come. Because many of those decisions will have far-reaching consequences, pray for wisdom that they may humbly seek to promote justice and peace rather than revenge.

3. Be peacemakers.

Quite understandably, the large Muslim population of France fears reprisals and indiscriminate acts of revenge and violence. Such anger has frequently led to an escalation of violence. Pray that we may reach out to our Muslim friends and neighbors with acts of kindness but above all with the message of the “prince of peace.”

4. Be unashamedly convinced of God’s sovereignty.

History is replete with reminders that the enemy’s unrestrained rage is the stepping stone for gospel advance. Recently, I read the moving account of countless Muslim conversions in David Garrison’s book A Wind in the House of Islam. Many Muslims cannot identify with the outrageous acts committed in the name of Islam, and this has been God’s sovereign means of drawing hundreds of thousands of them to faith in Jesus Christ.

Death is suddenly real. Questions about evil abound in the face of unimaginable and indiscriminate violence. Now is the time to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as never before.

Mike Evans is the director of Evangile 21, the French branch of The Gospel Coalition. He was born in Great Britain and came to France in 1963 to work for a summer month with Operation Mobilization. For 20 years he continued with this work and in 1967 led the first permanent teams of this movement in France. He then organized the Mission France crusade with Billy Graham in 1986. He became director of Geneva Bible Institute in 1992. He and his wife, Sylvia, have five children, and they are the proud grandparents of 17 grandchildren.

/by
Leigh Robinson

The Missing Prayer

Imagine that your prayers over the past six months were recorded, categorized, and analysed. What would they tell you about your passions and priorities? Would they reveal a preoccupation with yourself and your immediate family? Would they be mostly about your safety, your struggles, your sins, your stuff? Would phrases like “help me”, “bless me”, “give me”, guide me”, “save me”, “heal me” occur again and again? And what about our corporate prayers in church services and in our Community Groups and Life on Life Groups? Would we see a similar pattern there? What might be MISSING in our prayers? What do we not pray for that the early church did pray for? Can you guess?

The first recorded prayer of the early church is found in Acts 4:24-30. A bit of background will help us appreciate the significance of this prayer. Peter and John had been instrumental in the healing of a crippled beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful. Understandably, this miracle caused a stir in the city of Jerusalem and people came running from all over to see the guy and those who had healed him. Peter wasted no time in grasping the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with the gathered crowd. So many believed, that the number of disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem grew to about five thousand. This greatly disturbed the religious authorities. Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin, the highest religious council in the land, and strictly forbidden to teach or preach in the name of Jesus ever again.

The response of the two to this prohibition is remarkable under the circumstances. They said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). They were then threatened and released. On their return to the other disciples, they held a prayer meeting. What do you suppose they prayed for — protection from further harassment and persecution? No. Here’s what they prayed—

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“’Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.’

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”


(Acts 4:24-30)

Did you notice what they prayed for? They prayed for “great boldness” in sharing the gospel.

Look how God answered—“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

This tells me that a prayer for boldness is a prayer God delights to answer. In the chapters that follow we see God answering this prayer again and again in the most remarkable ways.

I suspect that the first prayer of the early church—the prayer for boldness in witness—is often the last prayer we think to pray. The prayer for boldness is the MISSING prayer in our lives, yet it is a prayer that God delights to answer.

In the new year we are planning to run multiple Alpha courses at the church, in Community Groups, and in contexts outside the church, like the workplace. It takes boldness to invite a family member, friend, or colleague to an Alpha course, that’s why I urge you to add this MISSING prayer to your “prayer list.” Of course we may and should pray for all the things that concern our lives, but let’s imitate the early church in praying for boldness . . . and see what God will do.

Click here for resources you can use to invite your friends to Alpha

/by
admin

Joshua’s Story

DAY 1 – 17 FEBRUARY 2014 – MONDAY

Late afternoon swimming in Knysna Lagoon at Bollard beach with his brothers and other friends. It was a bit crowded so he moved from his usual position, dived in and hit his head on a sandbank. His arms went lame. Being a qualified lifeguard he knew instinctively that something was seriously wrong. He surfaced very slowly, managed to get back to the beach and asked his brother Zach to go home and call their Dad.

Joshua was taken to Knysna Private Hospital which is the nearest and has a Casualty Department. He was seen by the G.P. on duty who called for X-Rays to be done. He then also called for the local Orthopaedic Surgeon to come in. Together they concluded that Josh had a C5 compression fracture and serious displacement of the spinal column. He was fitted with a neck brace and admitted to a ward overnight.

DAY 2 – 18 FEBRUARY 2014 – TUESDAY

Next morning our daughter Suzy met with the Orthopaedic Surgeon who said it was necessary to operate that afternoon and said the procedure would cost about R100 K. She explained they did not have the money as her husband was unemployed and they would have to go Provincial. The Surgeon kindly offered to put her in touch with the Spinal Unit at Groote Schuur in Cape Town. Groote Schuur said that in order to get into the Provincial System Josh would have to go to George Provincial Hospital first.

(Josh was released from Knysna Private Hospital and Suzy paid the R4 800 charge by credit card. I mention this because on arriving home she found an envelope on the kitchen counter containing R5 000 cash. No name, no message – nothing. She says she sensed then that maybe God was working in their situation.)

Josh was taken to George Provincial Hospital that afternoon (Tuesday) and after a long admission procedure with further X-Rays etc. was assessed by a Neuro-Surgeon and an Orthopaedic Surgeon who both came to the same diagnosis of a C5 fracture. Also confirmed by the Professor in the Spinal Unit at Groote Schuur . The doctors told Josh that the fact that he was still walking made him extremely lucky. He was told that he would never play sport again, that a plate would be put in to stabilise his neck which in effect would permanently limit movement. And that the dislocation of his neck was such that if he sneezed wrong he could be permanently paralysed. That his injury was a major injury and he would be flat on his back for a minimum of 3 months.

In all five doctors confirmed the fracture,dislocation and torn ligaments. Later the Professor in Cape Town said to keep Josh in George because there was no bed in I.C.U. to accommodate him. She also asked for an MRI to be done.

DAY 3 – 19 FEBRUARY 2014 – WEDNESDAY

The MRI machine at George Provincial Hospital was out of action so Josh would have to go back to Knysna Private Hospital. He was transferred sitting up in an ambulance for the 60 km. trip.

He was upset, frustrated and uncertain of what the outcome of this accident would be. He said that on the journey he remembers praying, asking God to heal him because he couldn’t face an operation and a long convalescence.

The MRI was done in Knysna and the radiologist refused to allow him to go back by ambulance and called the Emergency Medical Helicopter to transfer him back to George at about 4 p.m.

By this time Laurine and I had arrived in Knysna having left Johannesburg at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. To see Josh strapped up on a board ready to be airlifted to George left us all shaken and uncertain of the future.

(Also at this time we were surprised and uplifted by so many messages of support and prayers from all over the country and here also at Elm Park and Rosebank Union Church, which were of great comfort, also realising God was in control – a message given to us by a stranger we met at the B & B the night before.)

DAY 4 – 20 FEBRUARY 2014 – THURSDAY

What would this day hold? Our son-in-law was called to the doctor’s office to be told by the two Specialists and with the concurrence of the Professor at Groote Schuur that the X-Rays from Day 1 – there was a fracture and dislocation and the X-Rays and MRI on Day 3 – showed no fracture and no dislocation. Josh could go home wearing a neck brace. School after two weeks and no sport for a while.

We were all overcome and relieved. An experience over four days that none of us in our family will ever forget. The next week Josh was back at school and In just 6 weeks Josh is completely healed and has taken up his normal life of hockey, gym and riding his motorbike.

I have written this account as a memorial of praise and thanksgiving to God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour for His grace and miraculous healing.

We will not stop telling this story!

/by
Ndaba Mazabane

Holding the whole world in your hands!

Our nations are in crisis and our world is in turmoil and what can we do? A normal quick answer and often glibly uttered is: Pray! I have a confession to make – I wake up some mornings with a feeling of helplessness and weakness to pray especially when I hear and read about what is happening around me. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that our God is sovereign and in control of every situation and that nothing escapes his attention. I find that my helplessness drives me crazy and sometimes wish I had a magic wand I could use to change things and make the world a better place for all. And yet, it is my very helplessness that drives me to my knees, to earnestly pray and seek God’s intervention.

Operation WorldThe recent political and socio-economic upheavals dominating North Africa and the Middle East have been a great test for my intercessory prayer life. I can choose to be influenced by media coverage and social commentaries or I can look out for helpful tools to assist me to pray relevantly and intelligently for such nations. So, where does one go for such help? Thank God for Jason Mandryk and his team for producing Operation World – The Definitive Prayer Guide for Every Nations, 2010 and Biblica for publishing this 7th edition. This Prayer Guide is the most important prayer tool next to your Bible! I first bought Operation Word payer guide in 1979 and have used subsequent updated editions to enhance my prayer for the nations. I highly recommend this wonderful tool and I strongly believe it will revolutionise your prayer life and give you insights about nations you are praying for. Holding the Operation World book in my hands every morning is like holding the whole world in my hands – what an awesome responsibility! I encourage every believer to secure a copy of this guide and pray for the nations without ceasing.

 

NOTE:

Specially discounted copies of Operation World are available from the church bookshop for R150 (cash only – while stocks last)

/by
Leigh Robinson

Twenty Five Years of Prayer!

When Irene and I served at Durban North Baptist Church in the early eighties we had the joy of seeing our neighbours a few doors up the road from us, Lucy and George, come to Christ. Both experienced radical conversions, grew rapidly, and brought us much joy. After a few years they, together with their young daughter, moved back to the UK. George died of a sudden heart attack, and Lucy went on to become one of the BBC’s top script writers. In all the years since then, Lucy has been on my weekly prayer list. As I have prayed for her I have prayed that her daughter, Louise, would come to know Christ and follow him with all her heart. The other day I received this news from Lucy:

“Just a happy message to you both: having been paddling around Christianity for years and years, and accepting that Christ is the Son of God, and believing in the Bible but never quite committing herself to Him, or becoming a new creature in Christ… yesterday Lou was born again. She’s just spent an hour telling me all about the joy of it all, and the excitement and the terror – all the ‘how is this going to change my life?’ stuff – and I just sat there, beaming, letting it all wash over me like a blessing. Which it is. I can die happy now. But not just yet, eh?
“I won’t tell you Lou’s story, because it’s hers and she may want to tell you herself one day.”

What joy! What encouragement to persevere in payer for loved ones who do not yet know Jesus!

/by