Archive for February, 2018

Praying About Senseless Tragedies

Senseless tragedies have occurred around the nation and the globe. Shootings and killings at our schools , churches and in our community have broken my heart, pricked my heart and raised some controlled righteous anger , as it has others also. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward, Florida was said to have been the 18 shooting at a school. Lord have mercy. Pray for the families.

Lord we need thee and we call upon you. Psalm 145:18. Then after we pray and continue to pray,arise let us take righteous action to stop and address this evil.

We want to pray proactively  using the Word of God as a source of our prayer. So how can we pray when such senseless tragedies arise. Below are prayer points  from an article written by   Sandra Higley and Lani Hinkle , two great intercessors.

Praying in the Middle of Senseless Tragedies By Sandra Higley and Lani Hinkle. copyright 1999

When we hear about yet another random act of violence, our first response is usually to pray away the pain or pray that this will never happen again. But how can we pray beyond the fear and shock, beyond the most obvious needs, for the issues of the Kingdom?

Hopefully, some of the following points will be a springboard for your prayers in the wake of tragedies that defy human understanding and are becoming more and more frequent.

 

Praise

Though it is difficult, start with praise. Focus on God’s character.

  • Praise God that He is sovereign, that He has ultimate control over it all, and that nothing takes Him by surprise (Is. 45:5-7).

 

Petition/Intercession

 

  • Ask God to use this situation to bring unprecedented spiritual openness to people affected by the tragedy, and ask Him to show His face to them.
  • Ask God to bless the ministry that will be thrust upon the church(es) or community affected by the tragedy. Ask Him to empower them with a powerful witness when they are called upon to speak about or reflect on the situation.
  • Ask God to stand against the enemy’s attempts to make families experience unresolved anger or guilt over the loss of loved ones.
  • Ask God to focus the minds of public officials on the need for prayer and to provide people who will continue to pray for the situation.
  • Ask God to equip leaders who will be called upon to mentor and minister to people in the aftermath of tragedy (Heb. 13:20-21).
  • Ask God—for yourself and others—for a passion and love for Christ that drives out fear (1 Jn. 4:18).

Thanksgiving

  • Thank God that the enemy has made a tactical error since persecution/trial has always strengthened the Church, and that God will use for good what Satan has intended for harm (Gen. 50:20-21).
  • Thank God for the people who will be drawn to seek God’s face because the overwhelming nature of the tragedy leaves them nowhere else to turn (Jon. 2:1-9).
  • Thank God for a vivid reminder of your own mortality and vulnerability, asking Him to prepare your heart and spirit for a faithful response when you are faced with tragedy personally.
  • In the case of martyrs: thank God for the blood of martyred victims, whose number will reveal God’s ultimate glory (see Rev. 6:9).

By Sandra Higley and Lani Hinkle. copyright 1999.

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Broken Hearts: Shootings at Schools

My heart is broken over the shootings in Florida- of babies  ( yes those teens are someone’s baby) being sent to school to study, to laugh, …. and parents believing that their child is reasonably safe. Now as a result of evil there are broken hearts. Hurting and angry hearts. Lord have mercy.

Let us pray to stay the hand of shootings and violence in our nation This is the 18th school shooting. Lord we need thee and we call upon you. Psalm 145:18. Then after we pray and continue to pray,arise let us take righteous action to stop and address this evil.

Pray for the families at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida.

We want to pray proactively and using the Word of God as a source of our prayer. See how one pastor suggest we pray against the  violence.

5 Ways Christians Should Pray Following a Mass Shooting Dr. Jeremy Roberts, Pastor                         

The mass school shooting that took place in South Florida was a tragic act of violence that shows demonic activity is alive. This shooting was purely from Satan. It was anti-God. It was evil. We have a desperate need for God’s peace. (If you’ve been away from the news cycle, here are the details.)

 

Now is the time to turn to God in prayer. I encourage you to pray through several Psalms as you process what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida.

 

How Should You Pray, in Response to the Shooting?

 

  1. Pray for God’s peace and comfort to fall upon all affected. (Pray Psalm 86:17)

 

Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

 

  1. Pray that this trend of school and church shootings would cease, via the power of God and wisdom of police and security experts. (Pray Psalm 11:5)

 

The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

 

  1. Pray that American politicians would unite in the midst of this tragedy and work together to lead a safer country instead of fighting and blaming. Pray that politicians would not seek to destroy their “political enemies” in the heat of this proverbial summer. (Pray Psalm 32:3-4)

 

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

 

  1. Pray that Christians would respond to this in compassionate ways instead of using this event to merely push opinions of gun control. (Pray Psalm 116:5)

 

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.

 

  1. Pray for a sweeping revival to come to America. We must come back to God. (Pray Psalm 9:9)

 

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

guest writer, Dr. Jeremy Roberts. Jeremy is the Lead Pastor at Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors, SC. Linda Fegins, the Prayer Leader is the author of introduction  to Dr. Roberts. ldfaygo@gmail.com

 

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Love on the First Day of Lent

 

Happy Love Day to all. Remember Love Never Takes a Holiday. Remember to Love God, love your neighbor and love one another. John 13:34-35, God is love. Please pray for marriages, relationships and families.

Today is also is Ash Wednesday and the 1st day of Lent. Lent is a time when we should evaluate and reflect on our love for God in how we love Him by obeying His Word, love others and walk in love.

The Lenten Season (February 14 to March 30) is a time of repentance, self-examination, fasting and prayer in preparation for Resurrection Sunday (Easter). “Renewing our sense of who we really are before God is the core of the Lenten experience”. (Pastor Orville K. Littlejohn, my Pastor, “Our Focus for Ash Wednesday”). So today seek God with a repentant heart (See Joel 2: 12-24) and let us honestly search our hearts (Psalm 139:23-24)

Meditate on the scriptures listed below and pray the focus points and what the Holy Ghost places on your heart.

Prayer Focus for February 14, 2018
– February 14- Repentance and Loving God

Scriptures: Deut. 6:1-9 Matt. 22:34-40 Psalm 139:23 Psalm 51 Psalm 66:18-19

Repent: Of not loving God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and of allowing other things to fill and occupy our lives.

Meditate, pray, and write down other areas for which you should repent.

Reflect on what way you want to improve your prayer life and to deepen your friendship with God.

Pray:
• For Christ to bring people near enough to God to experience the Father’s loving delight in His Son for people to love and follow Jesus.
• Pray for forgiveness for what you have done to others and how you have failed to obey God and to forgive others who have wounded you.
• For household salvation for friends and family.
• It is Christ’s eager desire that you know God by drawing near to Him. Open your life to God. Accept His invitation. He’s summoning you to seek His face.
• Pray for MEN – Pray that men will seek God and honor Him with an integrity that unites their lives in faithfulness, wisdom, and truth; that their vision of masculinity would be a Christ-like servant leadership in the family, church and world.
• Pray for God to strengthen your prayer life and deepen your relationship with him.
• Ask God to fill you with joy in his presence.
• Intercede for the church in our community to be filled with fresh love for God and to demonstrate His love to those around us-both in the church and among those who do not yet know Christ.

 

It is important to note that a repentant heart is not limited to a special season or time of the year. If we want to have effective prayer lives which bring forth life transformation and healing of the land, repentance must become a part of our lifestyle. Despite the benefits of repentance, we are resistant to the thought of repentance. Repentance isn’t a popular word. Our culture encourages us to do whatever we want when we want. TV, music videos and movies very rarely show the consequences of our sins.

It is one thing to know that you have done something that is wrong. But it is another to be saddened and sorrowful about your actions and determine that you will turn away from that sin and never do the act again. To repent “I” or “we” must come to terms with and acknowledge that we have sinned and then turn away from such sinful behavior and be reconciled back to our loving Lord. Therefore, repentance is a change of mind that involves both a turning from sin and turning to God. Christ began his ministry with a call to repentance. (Mathew. 4:17). We must examine every attitude, every motive, every action and ever word of evil. Repentance means that you are deeply godly sorrowful and hurt about what you have done unto the Lord and that you are determined to do all that you can not to commit that sin again. “Repentance means we are sorry about our sin to the point of grief, and we have turned and walked away from it”. Stormie Omartian, “The Power of a Praying Woman” p. 40, Harvest House Publishers, (2002).

By Linda Fegins, The Prayer Leader. ldfaygo@gmail.com

 

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Teaching A Child To Pray by Song of Joy

“LORD, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1

Empowering children to pray is teaching them to S.T.O.P. (Sing-Talk-Obey-Praise), and communicating with God through Jesus Christ by the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Some persons may question why teach children to pray as over time as they grow, praying will become natural.  Why chance years of waiting when they can receive tools for training at an early age on how to have, not an ordinary Christian life, but one of power because of prayer. God told parents to train up a child and prayer is  an area that is included in training them because it affects a child’s spiritual growth.   As children increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man, they can enjoy as a child many of His wonderful promises (Luke 2:52).  How sweet it is to grow up without having an ungodly fear about prayer.

Every parent’s dream is for their child to aim higher and reach areas they themselves have not been able to accomplish or become successful in.  Teaching a child to S.T.O.P. while communicating with God are some keys that will open some powerful doors to pray as they travel the pathway of life.

SING: Coming before his presence, making a joyful unto the LORD, making a loud noise, and rejoicing, and singing praise ring through the Psalms.  Psalms 100:2; 98:4

 

TALK: Diligently talk (about the goodness of God – commandments) when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  Deuteronomy 6:7

 

OBEDIENT: Train up a child (teach them to be obedient) in the way he/she should go: and when he is older, he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

 

PRAISE: …. Praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.  Ezra 3:11

 

Listed below are a few techniques that will help you to encourage your child to pray.

– Find a picture and have the child thank God for each thing they see in the picture, e.g., ( Thank you LORD for the ___________,) ending it by saying, “In the name of  Jesus, Amen.”

 

– Write a two-line prayer and post it on your refrigerator.  Read it to your child each day for two weeks and then write another one and post it next to Prayer #1.  (If the child can read, let him/her read it also).    You will notice that the child will learn the prayer by heart .

 

– Teach the model prayer by praying each verse, e.g., “Our Father who art in heaven, thank you for your holiness.  In Jesus name, Amen.”

 

–  Have the child to thank the LORD not only for the main meals, but also for snacks.

 

– Pray out loud each day the Word of God and let your child be in ear shot.

 

                                                                      Enjoy Praying!

Song of Joy (Carol. T. Turnbough. )

May the grace of God in you be even stronger in your prayer life and the prayer life of your child. May your child increase in his/her prayer life. May your family pray together without ceasing.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Carol Turnbough aka “Song of Joy” – Song of Joy teaches and ministers to children and youth. She loves to praise God with her whole heart. She writes songs and skits to the glory of God and serves on the Music Ministry of Messiah Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. She also serves on the Christian Education Administrative Team and teaches Sunday School. Equipped with God’s love, grace and mercy,   God has blessed her with the spiritual gifts of teaching, helps, songs and administration.  She exclaims, “ I have a passion for praising and singing to God with all my heart and sharing with children about the love and goodness of God

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Black History Month –Act on Your Dream

African American Victory of the Spirit- Black Quotations-
“It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, BUT it is certainly a calamity not to dream.” Benjamin E. Mays- minister, educator, scholar, social activist and the president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia from 1940 to 1967 #dreambig #calmitynottodream

As we celebrate Black History Month remember -Inventions, financial empowerment, entrepreneurial success, social changes and social justice can be achieved by those of you who make the bold decision to apply your knowledge, your energy and your talent to humanitarian goals. Think of how those we honor today gave to make a difference for others.
If it is encouraging, let him encourage;
if it is contributing to the needs of others,
let him give generously; if it is leadership,
let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:8 NIV
#BlackHistoryMonth #CelebrateGiftsofBlackpeople

African American Victory of Spirit- Black Quotations- Persevere- Don’t Quit
“You never know which key unlocks the safe” . Bryant Gumbel, former Morning News Host #persevere
Success is achieved by those willing to persevere beyond the point where the majority stop and turn back. Today is your day.
God has given you talents, gifts and His Word. Take another step closer to your goal. Hold fast to the hope, the Word, to “doing” your dream if God put it there. (Hebrews 10:35-39)

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the gifts and talents you have provided me. Let me use them to your glory and to bless others.  Let me not grow weary in preparing, in toiling to create the witty invention, to have entrepreneur success and to develop systems that will provide solutions to the needs of human kind. Give me favor and the wisdom and strength to persevere. In the name of Jesus.

The Prayer Leader, Linda Fegins ldfaygo@gmail.com

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