April 28, 2012 - Prayer Focus

Prayer focus for April 28-May 4, 2012
Northeast Quadrant
Mason Middle School
First General Baptist of Waterford
Waterford Lighthouse Christian Center
St. Stephen Lutheran Church
Community Presbyterian Church
Sacred Spirit Chapel

I felt such a sense of "honoring God" today.  My prayer was that the people of Waterford would come to a place where they desire to honor God in all that they do.  The residents, businesses, churches and even the government consider and honor God in everything.  Biblical principles are the only guideline for living that really works in a society.  We can't have laws that cover everything and make everything fair for everyone.  But God's laws make it all work.  Hearts need to be changed so they will see the wisdom of this and desire to live this way.

Pray that any obstacles to the love of God being poured out into the hearts of the people be removed.  That the hearts, minds, eyes and ears of the people be open and receptive to God's love.  We love Him because He first loved us, 1 John 4:19.  Pray that the love of God melt away the hardness of hearts that would not give entrance to His love.

Pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ shine into the hearts of the people.  That there be a revelation of Jesus Christ to all the people.  That people see the truth and it makes them free.  Pray for the Word of God to be revived and Jesus to be resurrected in the lives of the people of Waterford.  That their hearts are good soil for the Word of God, making room for Him.  Pray that the Word brings life, health, healing, peace, salvation deliverance and all the fullness of God to the people. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, John 8:32, Mark 4:20.

The Bible tells us that God's Word doesn't return to Him void but accomplishes what it was sent to do.  Isaiah 55:11.  I felt very strongly that we need to pray and declare the Word of God over the Township because it will accomplish what God intends when we do that.  So every week there will be Scripture that we can speak and pray over the Township several times throughout the week, believing that God will accomplish His purposes through that. This week two Scriptures came to me:

• If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14.
• And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.  Revelation 12:11

Father God we humble ourselves before You, pray and seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways.  We know that You are faithful to hear us, forgive us and heal our land.  We declare forgivenss and healing for Waterford Township. Thank You for healing, mending, curing and making whole the land of Waterford Township and it's people.

We, the people of Waterford overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony and by not loving our own lives more than You.

April 20, 2012 - Prayer Focus

Prayer focus for April 20 to April 27, 2012
Northeast Quadrant
Adams Elementary
Shekinah Temple Assembly of God
New Beginning Baptist Church
This week I am putting the prayer focus up a day early since I will be unavailable to do it on Saturday.

Over the past several months a lot of the prayer focus has been on the government, elections, kids and schools and most recently the churches and God's people.  All of these areas are important and need to be kept in prayer but I feel we are going to be praying for the churches in Waterford a lot over the next few months.  And I believe there will be some prayer walks this summer--an opportunity to get out on the street and pray. 

Pray for the churches.  The names of the churches we are praying for this week speak to us--Let the Shekinah Glory fall and a New Beginning begin!  Pray for every yoke of bondage to be removed from pastors and church leaders, from the congregations and from the Christians in the township who are not going to a church.  Pray for the churches to become a place of refuge where people can find freedom, deliverance and victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray that anything and everything that would bring people in bondage, from demonic deceptions to religious spirits and any other obstacles that would prevent people from seeing the truth, are removed from our churches so people can see the truth and be set free.  Pray that the churches are free for God's glory and deliverance to be there.

Pray for revival for all the churches.  That revival comes to the township of Waterford and not just to one church.  As awesome as that is when revival hits a church, pray for it to hit the entire township and all the churches.  That the heart of the people turn towards the Lord bringing the grace of His presence into our midst. 

When the ark of the Lord, which carried God's presence, was in the house of Obed-edom for three months before being brought to the city of David, the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. (2 Samuel 6:11).  When God's presence is here with us, it will bring great blessing to us. Let us humble ourselves before God, honoring His presence, asking Him to show us how we can host His presence among us, giving Him the honor due to Him.

April 14, 2012 - Prayer Focus

Prayer focus for week of April 14 - April 20, 2012
Northwest Quadrant
Pierce Middle School
First church of the Brethren
St. Andrews Episcopal Church

Pray for the Christians of the Township to take the time to pray and spend time with the Lord.  We read in Acts 4:13 that it became evident, even to the adversaries of Peter and John, that they had been with Jesus.  People could tell that they had spent time with Him.  Pray for God's people to respond to God's drawing them into time with Him.  And as we soak in His presence that we carry the fragrance of Christ with us.  (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

Pray that the Christians seek for truth and purity of heart and motives so that as we go about our daily lives we don't try and just convince people to come to the Lord, but we carry a true presence of the Spirit of God that will touch their hearts in a way we never could with the wisdom of our own words.  (1 Corinthians 2:4).  And that the same is true of what is being taught in the churches, that it's not just convincing words that reach people mentally, but that the ministers are touching the heart of God, presenting His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit that will save, heal and set people free.  That the Word of God is spoken in truth, and not out of impure motives. (1 Kings 17:24).

Pray that an army of believers rise up in Waterford filling the township with the presence of God, for His glory and for the salvation of the people in this township!

Also pray for wisdom for the Township Board to find ways to save money that they have not thought of before.

Prayer Focus - April 7, 2012

Prayer focus of April 7 - April 13, 2012

Rather than focusing on a quadrant, school and churches this would be a good week to reflect on the Lord and express gratitude in what He's done for us. 

Several years ago I came back to the Lord after a period of backsliding/wandering.  I sat at my kitchen table and decided to re-commit my life back to Him.  I wasn't sure what to say and thought it would have to be a long, hard prayer for some reason.  But I finally just said a simple, yet sincere, prayer expressing my desire to get right with Him and wanting Jesus back in my life.  It seemed as if God instantly was there loving me and forgiving me!  I opened my (dusty) Bible to Hebrews 12:6-11.  That was just where it fell open, I didn't even know what to read.  That Scripture has to do with the Lord chastening those He loves so we can grow the peaceable fruit of righteousness once again.  That Scripture breathed life into me.  Then I heard these words, "Bow before Me."  It scared me at first.  I felt like a kid going to face punishment from a parent.

But I went into a bedroom, knelt down and put my face on the floor.  As soon as I closed my eys I saw Jesus stand up from His throne at the right hand of the Father.  He came and stood in front of me.  I could see the whole picture even though I still had my face to the floor.  He stood over me and began doing something, moving His hands.  I wasn't sure what it was at first and then I realized He was washing me with His blood.  He was cleansing me of my sin!  I was so humbled by the fact that Jesus had to get up off His throne next to the Father to deal with my sin, to wash me in His blood.  And there wasn't anything I could do to repay Him or help Him.  I just had to stay there and let Him do this for me.  I felt so bad for making Him do this.  Then, I realized something even more humbling.  He had to turn His back to the Father in order to wash me of my sin.  He physically stood between me and the Father, His back to Him.  And I knew somehow that it grieved Him to turn HIs back on the Father, even for a moment.  But He didn't have an attitude.  He wasn't mad at me.  He loved me. But the love between Him and the Father was so great.  I felt so bad and so sorry for Him having to do this for me. 

But by the time He was done not only was my sin washed away, but so was the guilt and the shame and I was left with nothing but a great love for Him and the Father.  I now shared in that same love they had.  My sin, guilt and shame gone!

Thank you Jesus, so much!