PRESS June 2016 - Weekly Corporate Prayer #2

Press June 2016 - Weekly Corporate Prayer

Press June 2016 Portable Prayer Cards

In recent years, I've become a collector of Bibles. Not fancy or antique Bibles, just different translations for cross study. I've had an NIV Study Bible that's been my main Bible for more than twenty years. Recently, I went back to my older King James Bible and found a group of index cards tucked in pocket of Bible cover. They were my scripture cards. I'd been reading Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer in 1999 during a brief period of depression. I wrote the scriptures on the cards and carried them with me everywhere. I recall how desperate I was in those days for God to help me with my circumstances. I wrote hastily, crossed through errors, and used a simple rubber band to tie them together. That was all I had. When I removed the cards from the pocket, the rubber band was brittle and broken. It crumbled in my hands, but the words on the card remained vibrant and alive.

Those cards got me through a very difficult time in my life, which is why I've decided to make some for you.

Carry them with you or hang them on your own prayer/war room wall. Whatever you need to do to be reminded to Pray BIG and pray BOLD to the God of the universe. He hears you!

Download, print and cut them. You can laminate them to make them more durable. You can even punch a hole in the upper left hand corner and string them together with ribbon or a book ring or a simple rubber band. I'm a witness, rubber bands work. Do as little or as much as you want with them, but do make a set for a friend.

Refer to your prayer cards several times a day. Be reminded to pray consistently to your Father in heaven. He hears you!   Download Here

We Are Pressing!

Can I be honest for a moment? I'm thinking the answer is yes, so I'm going to go ahead and confess something. I need PRESS just as much as you. There... my secret is out. I may be leading this effort, but I am truly your sister in the trenches. I am gaining and growing in God on a daily basis. Those new mercies He gives us every morning (Lam. 3:23), I need them. I mean I NEED them because just like you, I'm a sinner saved by grace. I'm working out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:13) on a daily basis...make that hourly, or maybe even minute by minute. Can I get an amen?

Now that my secret is out. I can relax and do what I was called to do...Pray with my sisters. Find Renewal with my sisters. Examine my heart and my ways with my sisters. Study God's Word with my sisters. And finally I can Stand with my sisters. God is going to inspire, direct, order, and bless my life and the lives of those in my circle and the lives of the women completing this prayer challenge.

My instructions are simple. Take the time to pray. Use the template I provided. It is your guide to press in deeper with God during this month. It's not a long process. It really isn't. Today may take a few minutes longer than the other days, but that's just because you're getting used to the format. Don't skip any of the parts. Write a few words about how you Praise Him. Then take the time to Repent of your Sins. You are forgiven. Write them down and cast them into the sea of forgetfulness. Next is the easy part. You are thankful to God. I know you are, so take the time to think of at least three things you're grateful for. Next, your prayer request. Okay, so there aren't enough space for all that you need. I know it's true. Put the most pressing items on your list for today. Tomorrow there are more lines for more needs. Repeat the ones that are heaviest on your heart. Make your petitions known to Him in any way that you feel comfortable. These are your prayers and praying is simply talking to God.
Now comes the hard part. Listening. I confess, the first time I did this, I struggled. And I can't tell you how to listen to God, but I can tell you that if you figure it out, He will speak to you. I sat quietly, cleared my mind (that was a struggle) and then waited and waited. In the beginning I didn't feel like I heard anything, but by the second or third day, I felt the urge to take notes. God was speaking. I was listening. My prayer life was changed with this one final step.

Make sure to join us in the Facebook Group today where I'll share prayers and scriptures.

Please listen to my welcome podcast below.

     
If your browser is not enabled for you to see the podcast icon, click HERE to be taken to a page where you may download it and listen. Be blessed!

Press June 2016 - Tomorrow!

Tomorrow we begin Press June 2016! I am excited about all that God is going to do during this month to Pray, Renew, Examine, Study, and Stand on God's word. We will pray boldly and consistently for one month. You may pray at anytime during the day that works best for your schedule. Begin with a prayer for the ability to be consistent and go the distance.  Here is a prayer I'll share in this vein:

Lord,

We come become you as humbly as we know how. Asking that you commune with us this day. Asking that you ready our hearts and our minds for this prayer challenge. Help us Lord to seek not to just receive from you, but to grow in our relationship with you through daily and intentional conversations from our heart. Help us to seek to put the needs of the kingdom ahead of our own. Help us to align our vision and our goals with your plan for our life. Father, help us to move our flesh out of the way. Keep us focused. Let us not forget. Let us not fall asleep or become distracted during our time with you. Give us a hunger for your word and this time with you. Impress upon our spirits the desire to hear from you. We expect the Holy Spirit to show us areas where we need to repent of our sins and we need your divine leading in forgiving those that have hurt us. Help us to know that forgiveness is for us, Lord, so that we may please you. Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving and gratitude for the things you have done for us. Finally, Lord, let us know that we can come to your throne boldly, as your royal, chosen, anointed daughters and ask you for things we need and desire. Lord, let us expect good things. Help us to know that we ARE worthy of the your blessings because your grace and your love and your provision is not something that we can earn. It is your gift. It is the inheritance from our father who is faithful.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Join us in the Facebook Group for daily discussions.

Thursday, June 2nd is our first prayer call. the time is 7 o'clock p.m. EST.
Call-in number (712) 775-7031 Access # 852300
You are welcome to share your prayer requests in comments here or on a thread in the Facebook Group.

Press June 2016 - Prayer Template

Daily and intentional time with God!  That’s what every Christian should want. We all have the potential to improve our relationship with Jesus Christ. Press June 2016 is an opportunity to do that.  

Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. We can pray anywhere and anytime, in fact the scripture encourages us to pray without ceasing, which means all day long. But prayer is not only talking to God; it’s listening to God. In order to have a personal relationship with the Lord we must be intentional about our time with Him.

Download template by clicking HERE.

The format of this template encourages you to pray with intention. It includes daily writing prompts that will lead you into deeper prayer. The prompts are as follows:

·        Give God praise

·        Search your heart for sin

·        Express gratitude for blessings

·        Make prayer requests

·        Listen to the Holy Spirit 

Each step is important in building a successful prayer life.

Meet God with your journal and Bible or Bible app in a space and during a time that will be uninterrupted. We need to quiet our hearts and push out the noise in the world in order to hear God during listening time. 

"We press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 2:14 

The template is also available as a journal in two different colors at Amazon.

                    Click Here To Purchase

                   Click Here To Purchase

PRESS through 2016...

Pray – Renew – Examine – Study – Stand 

What is PRESS!

Press is 30 Days of collective prayer. Each week we’ll post a specific topic or theme that we’ll lift up in prayer as a group. We’ll include scriptures that you can apply when praying for yourself and for others regarding each topic. You’ll have the opportunity to share your prayer requests in the comments section below based on that week’s specific topic and also have a chance to pray for another sister that has posted a prayer request. When and where you pray will be up to you, but we will hold weekly Prayer Calls on Thursday evenings for those that would like to join.

In addition to prayer we will discuss the contents of the book, Me and My Big Mouth by Joyce Meyer. While we pray out of one side of our mouth, we have to be careful with the words we speak out of the other side. The Bible asks “Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?” James 3:11(HCSB) and states “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Proverbs 18:31. We’re going to tame our tongues and make 2016 the year we speak life and flow sweet water from the spring of our hearts.

The book discussion is separate and of course optional. The main day for discussion will be Tuesday. I’ll post questions beginning at 10 a.m. You may join us at any time during the day to add to the discussion.

The Purpose for PRESS!

God wants this year to be #sweet2016 for you. That’s why it has been such a tough year for many of us. We are almost halfway through 2016. We have some praise reports, but we also have some disappointments, broken promises, distractions, and other issues that have been so bad it feels like hell is vomiting up the worse of what it has. Nevertheless, we shall #press through in prayer and finish strong. Amen.

All activities are optional, but we pray you will PRESS and join us for as many as possible.

PRESS begins Wednesday, June 1, 2016 and ends on June 30, 2016.

We’ll PRESS right here in the Facebook group. I’ll also share the weekly prayer on the blog www.afaithworthliving.com

You can receive updates about the weekly blog post, reminders for prayer, and a reminder for the book discussion by opting in. Send a text message to 81010 with the message @afaith and/or you can sign-up for email updates from the blog. I’ll provide a link for sign-up closer to the time.

Rhonda

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 3:14

National Day of Prayer - A Prayer With My Sisters

Today is the National Day of Prayer. I hope that you had time to join other believers all over the national in praying for the United States, our families, and the world. 

I called a prayer tonight because in addition to praying for our nation, I wanted to take advantage of the atmosphere of prayer that is present in the spirit realm right now. Our Father is always available to us. He is always open to our prayers, but while our hearts and spirits are bent toward Him because of the prayers we prayed for our nation, I thought why not take advantage of the residue of this day and call on the name of Jesus in corporate prayer for women. I've shared the prayer below:

Father, 

We gather as a group of your beloved daughters with humble and contrite spirits. First we offer you thanksgiving for the many gifts that you have given us. Our hearts are fully aware of your grace, your mercy, and the abundance that you have afforded us, so we’re grateful. We are a body of women who know that we serve a good God.

We repent of our sins. The sin of fear, lack of faith, and impatience. The sin of not believing wo we are in Christ because if we knew who we were, we wouldn’t be fearful. We wouldn’t lack faith. We wouldn’t be impatient. We would be a people who walked in confidence that you are rich in kindness. 

God help us to know what even as we struggle in individual areas of our lives and even though we are sometimes pressed on every side by trouble, we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed but we don’t give up and quit. 

I pray for our relationships. Those with spouses, children, parents and friends. Help us to remember your word, even as we deal with relationships that may be difficult, that WE are salt and light. Help us to not be weary in well doing. We WILL reap a harvest if we faint not. Help us not to faint Lord. Strengthen us. 

Help my sisters to know that daily time in prayer with you and in Bible Study will strengthen them and draw them closer to you. That in you we have find comfort and peace. 

Bless the marriages of my sisters. Bless our children. We proclaim that our children will grow up and not depart from your teachings. Where we have come up short as parents, you will take up the slack with your love. Your love covers a multitude of faults. 

We seek the conviction of the Holy Spirit as we live our lives. We want to please you. We need to the Holy Spirit to speak to us and guide us. We desire the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is correction. It’s a way of turning us out of the path of sin. Help us to know that conviction is not condemnation. Release us from feelings of condemnation and ineffectiveness. We are your righteousness in the earth and there is no condemnation to those whom are in Christ Jesus.

Help us to walk in the truth of your word…that we are beloved regardless of who we are or what we’ve done simply because Jesus redeemed and restored us to a God whose image we bear. Thank you for your loving kindness. Thank you for your promises. Thank you for your grace. 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Meditative Scriptures:

Ephesians 1:6-8

2 Corinthians 4:7-10, 5:7

Galatians 6:9

In His Service,

Rhonda