Prayer Encouragers

The Great Commission isn’t meant for a few.  It is a co-mission for all Christians.  Read on…

If Christ called you to know Him, He called you to share Him. When He departed, He told the disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them all I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28) That’s what you’ve heard, anyway. But the best way to translate the Greek into English is “As you are going, make disciples…”

What’s the difference? It’s a big one. Christ isn’t just leaving evangelism up to some people, a.k.a. officially titled and credentialed ministers or evangelists. Rather, He calls us all.

We are Christs’s workmanship, created in Him to do all that He has prepared for us.

I share Jesus n all kinds of ways as I am going about my day. As I am going, I share Jesus. Jesus wants to be a part of all of our day, all of our responsibilities, and all of our meetings with others, whether they are at work, school, home, running errands, or during our leisure activities.

As I am going, I have found there are 5 areas where I can be an everyday evangelist and discipler.

1. My family. Family is the Lord’s number one priority. He doesn’t want us to save our last energy for them but to give them our best. They are the people who are closest to us, which means those that the Lord has put to be the closest in our care.
Whether you have a two-parent, single, divorced, crazy, or other kind of family, that does not matter in discipleship!!! As you are going, make disciples…

How do we do that in our family?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Eat meals together, especially dinner. (Not in front of the T.V. or with electronic devices present! just with each other!) Talk about your day. Talk about how you saw God in your day. Read a family devotional together. Look into each other’s eyes. Taste the food you’re eating and enjoy it. Be fully alive together.

2. Have a bedtime routine together. Read a story. Take turns saying bedtime prayers. Sing a good night song.

3. Sing a praise song to wake up your spouse or kids. Maybe you’ll sing it quietly and softly, maybe loudly, but just sing it. And then read a 1-minute devo together.

That’s nice, but I don’t have time for all that, you say. And I say, yes, you do. It takes less time than you would think and it will make all the difference in the world. Bedtime routine: 10-15 minutes. Morning devo: 5 minutes. Dinner: 30 minutes to one hours. And everyone has to eat.

The key to effective discipleship is being present in the moment. Jesus was. He was fully focused; He gave His full attention to the here and now while keeping an eternal perspective.

That’s the other part. Keep an eternal perspective. You may not get everything done you planned, but will that really matter in the long term? Does it really matter if you washed that 3rd load of laundry tonight from an eternal perspective? Or washed your car today instead of tomorrow? Put it in eternal perspective.

#2: Work
Everyone works. Whether you get paid to work is another story. But everyone has a job to do. As you are doing your work — as you are going — make disciples of all nations.

How: Encourage your colleagues with Philippians 4:8.  Think about all that is good, noble, praiseworthy and encourage them to do the same.  In this way, you will invite the mind of Christ to dwell richly with you. As I have applied this at my workplaces through the years, I have seen amazing things happen.  Jealousy, malicious competitiveness, strife, and hostility gradually melt away and the love and wisdom of Christ reign.  I have seen this happen in the midst of believers and non-believers.  Try it.
#3: Interests and Hobbies
What do you like to do? Say hello to another mission field. I like to travel, write, cook, eat, and discover interesting places. I am a photojournalist because of it.

As I am going, I am intentional about sharing Christ, His love, and His purpose for those I meet. I do this through relationships, writing, or even an encouraging word via social media.

#4 Ministry: Find out what your spiritual gifts are and use them. Every Christian has one. God didn’t give them to us for decoration or to accessorize our Christianity. He gave them to us to use them. So, figure out what they are and use them.  This is where the church comes in as well. Use them in the church and outside of the church.
#5 Personal: Don’t forget to take time to let Christ’s truth dwell richly in you, not just for the sake of others but for your own sake. Oftentimes, Christians get caught up in ministry on behalf of others that they forget Jesus came to minister to them, too.

And always remember, don’t be too hard on yourself. Christ’s love covers over a multitude of sins. He who has called you will not shame you. He will equip and encourage you to be all you are meant to be in Him. If you hear disparaging remarks, they are not from Him. He will always build you up. He will never tear you down. He knows your heart, and more importantly the heart you have for Him.
As you are going, make disciples…and He will be with you always!

The secret of Christianity isn’t us asking Jesus into our hearts; it’s Jesus asking us into His heart. ~John Zumwalt

I came across this statement today in John Zumwalt’s book, Heart of God. His book is a timeless classic, full of wisdom of what it means to really live for Christ.

Inviting Christ into your heart can be a life-changing moment, but living life through the heart of Jesus is so much bigger. And better.

Christ changes lives. But if we really want to have a life of impact, we must learn to have a heart like his. He says, “Abide in me.” He is like a beautiful, strong vine and we are the branches. When we abide in Him, when we join to Him and connect to His heart, our lives bear abundant fruit.

The fruit isn’t just for ourselves. It feeds all that are hungry for the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control that only Jesus can bring. Let us abide in Him.

I like to take time to connect with Jesus, with His heart, in the morning while I am drinking coffee. I sit in a quiet place with Him. (If you have a non-quiet household, you might want to get up 10 minutes early). I ask Him to share His heart with me. I spend the rest of the time enjoying His presence.

I do this while I drink a cup of coffee, so it just takes 5 minutes, but it’s the most precious 5 minute of my day. Want to start your day differently? Take time to abide in Jesus. It’s easier than it seems. And it will make a world of difference, in your life and in the lives you touch.

Yesterday, I met a truly courageous young woman whose tender lovingness and persistence in hopefulness clearly state a prevailing truth: the light can and does outshine the darkness!

Five years ago, Pakistani Julie Aftab was victimized in Pakistan by an attacker who grabbed her by the hair and vehemently poured acid down her throat and on her body. He did this because she was wearing a cross and in an attempted revenge killing. Unfortunately, acid throwing is far more common in India, Pakistan, and a few other countries than most people realize.

Although she struggled to free herself and lived, the process of recovery took several years, many surgeries, and involved excruciatingly painful procedures.

As I spoke with her yesterday about the perils of domestic abuse and the pitfalls of justice on behalf of victims — who often do not receive adequate support — I asked her about how she felt toward her attacker, what he had done, and the fact that the courts never sought to deal with his crime but rather let him go free because of the fact that in Pakistan, women are treated as nothing. She then shared a prevailing truth with me that will resonate in my heart for all time.

She stated that throughout it all that God has given her a desire to “renew the hope” in the lives of those who have suffered at the hands of abusers. How?

She spoke of the importance of forgiveness–”to get the trash out of our hearts” — because we are God’s temple and He does not want trash in His temple….That was a great testimony to me on the purpose, power, and ability of forgiveness, alone, to “get the trash out of our hearts”. A powerful message and testimony on forgiveness and what it truly is about. And she was not just speaking platitudes. She clearly meant it.

I am reminded of the powerful words of Jesus about what truly defiles a person:

14 “Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean. 20He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:14-20

Essentially, what he is saying is that it is not what others have done to us that truly defiles us, but what we carry within our own hearts.

Forgiveness is the way to get the trash out of our hearts.

As I looked into her scarred face, blind eye, and saw the scars on her arms, I could see nothing but the purest kind of beauty….a beauty that radiates from the inside out, so beautiful and pure as the driven snow..

She is a picture of God’s redemption and her survival and witness is a testimony which outshines all the darkness that has come against her.

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”
Isaiah 42:15-17

Julie now attends college in Houston, Texas. She is the first person in her family to graduate from college. She is very involved in helping women in Pakistan to renew the hope in their lives. She also teaches them how to be microentrepreneurs by making and selling beautiful, ornate Pakistani jewelry. I bought a piece — and it is a true treasure because of the treasures who made it.

Learn more about Julie Aftab’s story here:

“I am your security,” says the Lord! (Isaiah 33:6). The Lord invites us to be secure in Him, to find our security in Him alone. There is no other!

Don’t you love to receive a compliment? We are made for praise. It is such a joy to receive a compliment–and a great joy to give one. This is one of the many ways God has put His imprint on our hearts. He loves praise.

Giving appreciation to people is easy. Yet sometimes it seems harder to give praise and appreciation to God. Why? The reason people don’t take more time to praise God is because they say to themselves, “Why would my praise matter to God? Does what I think really matter to God?”

Yes! It does! So next time you’re thinking about giving praise to God, just do it! You’ll be glad you did.

Consider the words of this beautiful praise song:

I love You, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice!

Take joy, My King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear.

The Lord LOVES it when we take time to praise Him, to delight in Him. I invite you to take time to praise Him today.

Trust in the Lord!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 My prayer for you today is that you would trust in the Lord with all your heart. Trust in Him with your mind, soul, and entire self. He is trustworthy. He will guide you in everything. Just trust in Him to guide you.

As you lean on Him, He will give you the understanding you need. In all your ways, including what you do and as you go on your way from place to place and responsibility to responsibility, acknowledge Him. And He will make your paths straight.

Be encouraged! The Lord is with you and He is for you!

Video URL Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGlpGVK29fU&feature=player_profilepage

Today is World Refugee Day. Here’s the UN link:

http://www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday/

If you are a refugee, whoever you are, wherever you are, we are praying for you.  We want you to know that the Lord wants to be your refuge.  He is a very present help in time of trouble.

“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.” -Psalm 9:9-10

A PRAYER FOR REFUGEES:

Let us spend quality time with the Lord today!

A message from Mandy Seymour, a prayer encourager.

He Holds Your Loved Ones In His Heart.

No teleconference today.  Today is an American holiday in which we acknowledge all the brave men and women who have given their lives for our country.

Prayer: Thank you, dear Lord, for love, life, and country.  We pray You would put Your hand on each of our nations and our hearts, that we who love you across the world would be of one heart and one mind in You.  Please comfort and uplift the families of those whose hearts are hurting as they mourn the loss of loved ones. In Jesus Name we pray.  Amen.