Participants:
Series Code: PHTDP
Program Code: PHTDP190003A
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00:13 Welcome to day three of, Ten Days of Prayer;
00:16 a prayer strategy from the Revival and Reformation 00:19 initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:22 Thank you for being here. 00:24 I invite you to join me for the next eight days for 30 minutes 00:28 of praise and prayer as we seek God for a deeper experience. 00:32 Now you can follow the prayer outline that I'm using at... 00:41 There you will find prayer resources and ways to continue 00:44 an effective prayer ministry after these ten days are over. 00:48 So I really encourage you to check out that website. 00:51 It's a really great place to get some information. 00:54 Now maybe like me, you have prayed for an opportunity 00:57 to be the hands and feet of Jesus; 00:59 to serve someone in some capacity in Jesus' name. 01:03 It was a selfless request that I thought would be simple enough 01:07 to carry through, given my desire to show the 01:10 love of Christ to my fellow man. 01:13 And then I was forced into an uncomfortable, inconvenient, 01:17 difficult situation that, even though I had prayed 01:20 for opportunities to be used by God, 01:23 and even though I knew in my heart that God could use 01:26 the situation to make me more like Him, 01:28 I found myself so overwhelmed and frustrated, 01:32 feeling as if I were being taken advantage of. 01:35 The task took so much time and resources 01:38 that I began to pity myself, and almost I even regretted 01:42 ever asking God for an open door 01:45 for an opportunity to serve Him. 01:48 From the, Ministry of Healing, we read, 01:51 "Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God's service 01:55 are surprised and disappointed to find themselves 01:58 as never before confronted by obstacles 02:01 and beset by trials and perplexities. 02:04 They pray for Christ's likeness of character 02:07 for a fitness of the Lord's work, and they are placed in 02:09 circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil 02:13 of their nature. 02:14 Then God gives them opportunity to correct these defects 02:18 and to fit themselves for His service." 02:22 From, Steps to Christ, we read, "The whole heart must be yielded 02:26 to God or the change can never wrought in us, 02:29 by which we are to be restored to His likeness. 02:32 The warfare against self is the greatest battle 02:35 that was ever fought." 02:36 Wow, that's a powerful line. 02:38 "The yielding of self, surrendering all to the 02:41 will of God, requires a struggle, but the soul must 02:45 submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness." 02:50 As they say, the struggle is real. 02:53 But so is the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit to conquer 02:56 our flesh so that we can do whatever it takes 02:59 to lead and love people to Christ. 03:02 A great prayer in song is, "Live Out Thy Life Within Me." 03:07 You can find this on page 316 in the Adventist hymnal. 03:12 Sing along with me. 03:22 Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus, King of kings; 03:31 Be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings. 03:40 Live out Thy life within me, in all things have Thy way; 03:49 I, the transparent medium Thy glory to display. 04:00 The temple has been yielded and purified of sin; 04:08 let Thy Shekinah glory now shine forth from within. 04:16 And all the earth keep silence, the body henceforth be; 04:25 Thy silent, gentle servant, moved only as by Thee. 04:37 Its members every moment held subject to Thy call; 04:45 ready to have Thee use them, or not be used at all. 04:54 Held without restless longing, or strain, or stress, or fret, 05:03 or chafings at Thy dealings, or thoughts of vain regret. 05:14 But restful, calm, and pliant, from bend and bias free, 05:22 awaiting Thy decision, when Thou hast need of me. 05:30 Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus, King of kings! 05:40 Be Thou the glorious answer to all my questionings. 06:03 Lord, we praise You that You give us strength 06:08 and You uphold us when we are weak. 06:14 And we praise You that when we fall, 06:17 you don't give up on us. 06:19 You don't forsake us, Lord. 06:23 And Lord, I praise You that You cast our sins 06:26 into the depths of the sea and You remember them no more. 06:31 Not because You don't have a good memory, 06:36 not because You can't remember, 06:41 but because You choose to forget. 06:45 You don't hold them against us. 06:49 Thank You, Father, for that. 06:51 And I praise You, God, that You are my strength and my shield. 06:58 Lord, You have taught me to trust in You, 07:04 and I am helped. 07:07 Therefore, my heart greatly rejoices, 07:10 and with my song I will praise You. 07:48 Sing this with me. 07:50 Rejoice ye pure in heart; rejoice, give thanks and sing. 07:59 Your festal banner wave on high, the cross of Christ your King. 08:07 Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. 08:17 Praise Him who reigns on high, the Lord whom we adore; 08:25 the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, one God forevermore. 08:34 Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. 08:52 And now we come into a time of confession. 08:57 I encourage you, as I pray, that you take time to 09:06 bring things before the Lord that 09:11 you realize you need to ask forgiveness for. 09:14 And pray that the Holy Spirit will convict you. 09:20 Convict you of sin of omission; 09:24 things that you have forgotten to do. 09:27 Maybe willingly, willfully forgotten to do. 09:32 Sins of commission; things that you have 09:36 willingly done that you knew you shouldn't have. 09:42 Take this time to confess your sins to the Lord. 09:47 He loves you. 09:51 Lord, I pray that You would forgive us when we've allowed 09:56 self to gain the mastery 10:03 instead of us being able to master ourself, 10:08 to control ourself. 10:13 Holy Spirit, we want You to be the ultimate control. 10:19 So forgive us when we don't allow that to happen. 10:24 Please forgive us when, Lord, we've misrepresented 10:28 You to others. 10:30 Oh Lord, what a stumbling block that can be. 10:37 I never want to do anything that would offend the name of Jesus, 10:45 and that would keep anyone from 10:51 desiring to give their life to You by the way I acted. 10:58 So Lord, I pray that You'll forgive me when I have 11:01 misrepresented You, 11:05 when it was totally nothing You would have done. 11:08 It was me, I messed it up. 11:11 Forgive me. 11:14 Lord, forgive us when we've clung to sin 11:16 instead of allowing You to remove it from our lives. 11:19 Why are we like that? 11:22 Lord, I know that we're human, 11:25 but God, I don't like this sinful nature. 11:33 I don't like my propensity to hold onto my sin. 11:44 Forgive me when I do that. 11:48 Lord, remove our sin from us. 11:51 Forgive us of our sin, oh God. 11:55 And Lord, please search our hearts. 12:00 See if there is any wicked way in us. 12:05 Lord, lead us in the way everlasting. 12:10 God, thank You that You have that power 12:13 to forgive us. 12:16 Thank You for the blood that washes us clean. 12:22 Nothing but the blood of Jesus can do that. 12:26 What a powerful cleansing agent the precious blood is. 12:32 Thank You. 12:35 And Lord, please hear our confessions 12:47 before we intercede. 12:54 Lord, please forgive us. 12:57 We need Your forgiveness. 13:01 We need Your mercy, Lord. 13:04 Please forgive us, Lord, 13:12 and heal our land. 13:27 Now Lord, we pray that You will help us to be patient and kind, 13:32 showing Your love and pity to those who annoy and accuse us. 13:42 Lord, dealing with each other, that's hard sometimes. 13:49 But we've got to love. 13:51 You tell us You want us to love. 13:57 So Lord, we ask that You'll give us the strength to do that. 14:03 Lord, please help us to persevere through hardship, 14:07 especially when love is inconvenient. 14:17 Lord, we pray for those who care for elderly 14:20 and sick family members. 14:26 Lord, that's a hard job. 14:31 Give them patience, give them strength, 14:35 give them love. 14:41 Give them love, Lord. 14:49 Lord, help us to just love each other so that 14:54 we can endure each other. 15:02 It's even more than enduring each other. 15:05 That love will really make us want to be around each other. 15:13 And Lord, I pray, God, that You would please ease 15:18 the anxiety of those who are facing terminal illnesses. 15:26 God, it just doesn't seem fair sometimes when I see these 15:32 precious loved ones and friends who are going through 15:40 such physical battles, emotionally disturbing them, 15:44 frustrating them, and spiritually making them question 15:49 Your existence, God. 15:55 I pray in Jesus' name that You would heal. 15:59 I know we live in a hurting world 16:05 and there will always be sickness, 16:07 there will always be poor. 16:14 Ease the anxiety of those who are under 16:17 such stressful situations. 16:21 Grant them courage and peace, oh God. 16:28 Lord, I pray for the 202 million people in the 41 least reached 16:34 cities of the Southern Asia Pacific Division. 16:38 202 million people who need to know You, Jesus. 16:55 Lord, the only difference between them and me 16:58 is that I was born in Missouri here in the United States. 17:10 So they need to know You. 17:15 I pray for the Sabbath School Personal Ministries department 17:20 of each local church as they seek Your plan 17:24 and they reach out to their communities with loving service, 17:27 with Bible study, and with personal witnessing. 17:31 Lord, what an awesome opportunity to be involved 17:34 in a local church and to be Your hands and feet 17:40 to that community. 17:42 Lord, I pray that these churches will rise up to be lighthouses. 17:47 And Lord, I pray that You will put it in the hearts of those 17:51 in the communities to even seek help from those churches, 18:02 to attend the churches, 18:05 that they might find the answer to what they're looking for. 18:14 And I pray for Adventist Development and Relief Agency 18:19 as they meet practical needs around the world. 18:27 For, Lord, I know that people don't care how much... 18:43 Well they want to know how much we care. 18:46 And so in practical ways I pray that You will help us 18:53 to show Your love. 19:01 Meet those needs, oh God. 19:04 Lord, I pray for those that You've placed on 19:06 the hearts of those who are praying with me. 19:13 We long to see our loved ones won to You. 19:20 God, I pray that You would be moving in the lives 19:28 of the lost. 19:36 Move, Holy Spirit, move among Your people. 19:42 Lord, when we're tired, remind us not to give up. 19:50 Holy Spirit, help us to reach down and pull up our boots 19:58 and to keep marching on, to keep fighting on, 20:04 to keep praying on. 20:09 Lord, we need You to give us that strength. 20:15 So right now take a few moments to pray for someone 20:21 that God has placed on your heart. 20:54 And I continue to pray, Father, for those 20:59 who have joined me who have needs of their own, 21:07 Father, that You would meet the needs, 21:09 according to Your riches and glory. 21:13 Whether those needs be physical, spiritual, 21:16 mental, emotional, financial, relational. 21:23 Father, for those who are looking for work who need a job, 21:29 who need employment, Lord, to help meet their bills 21:34 so that they're not relying on others. 21:40 Lord, You've given us an ability and a pride in our work. 21:49 So now for that one who is needing work who is willingly, 21:54 willing to work, God, I ask that You will open a door for a job. 22:08 Thank You, Lord. 22:14 Thank You for the answer that's on the way. 22:25 God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus; 22:35 He came to love, heal and forgive. 22:44 He lived and died to buy my pardon; 22:53 an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives! 23:04 Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; 23:14 because He lives, all fear is gone. 23:24 Because I know, I know, He holds my future, 23:36 life is worth the living, 23:41 just because He lives. 23:48 Aren't you thankful that He lives? 23:50 Amen. 23:52 God, I thank You that You will set a watch before our mouths 23:56 and keep the doors of our lips. 24:01 Now we need that. 24:03 And I thank You for it. 24:04 I'm believing You for that. 24:06 Thank You, Lord, for the Christ-like love You give us 24:10 for those who are difficult to love. 24:13 Yeah, thank You for that. 24:16 And thank You that as Your character is formed in my life, 24:21 others will see that, be attracted to it, drawn to it, 24:32 and will inquire, "How are you like you are?" 24:35 "Why are you like you are?" 24:37 Lord, I thank You that Your Spirit in me is 24:40 making me more like You. 24:42 Precious Lord, thank You that a Christ-like character 24:47 is being formed in my life. 24:49 And Lord, I thank You for hearing us 24:52 and for answering our prayers, oh God, 24:55 and for working behind the scenes to accomplish Your will 25:01 in ways that we can't understand. 25:05 But we know that You're working it. 25:11 You've got a plan, and we thank You. 25:12 We're going to leave it in Your hands now. 25:15 We thank You that You are able to do above, 25:20 far above, exceedingly above, all that we ask or think. 25:27 You are able, God. Thank You. 25:35 Psalm 37:23-24 says, "The steps of a good man 25:40 are ordered by the LORD, and God delights in his way. 25:47 But though he should fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; 25:52 for the LORD upholds him with His hand." 25:56 Yeah. 26:02 I'm so thankful, Lord. 26:08 Thankful that You've ordered my steps. 26:14 Thank You that You delight in my way, oh God. 26:25 And yet, when I stumble and I fall, 26:30 You don't cast me down; 26:35 for You uphold me with Your hand. 26:42 So I thank You. 26:48 Thank You. 26:52 Lord, yes I thank You. 27:02 Thank You, Lord. 27:10 Continue, I pray... 27:15 I ask you actually, I ask that you would continue to 27:19 be in a spirit of prayer over this next several days 27:25 through the 19th of January. 27:31 Prayer is a powerful thing, because again, 27:34 we serve a powerful God. 27:37 So don't stop praying. 27:41 Take prayer with you wherever you go. 27:43 Pray in your car. 27:46 Pray as you're working. 27:49 The Word of God encourages us to pray continually. 27:54 This is just a special time that we can pray out loud and 27:59 maybe have some structure to our prayer. 28:01 But you don't have to pray out loud when you're at work. 28:08 Just pray in your spirit. 28:10 Be in an attitude of prayer where you're broken before 28:15 the God of the universe. 28:16 And again, imagine what an awesome opportunity it is to 28:24 bring our needs, our hurts, before God. 28:34 And I pray for your witness to be strong. 28:42 Remember to love one another. 28:46 Don't get so easily frustrated or irritated 28:50 by that co-worker. 28:54 Pray for him. Pray for her. 28:58 And let them know you're praying for them. 29:00 There's nothing wrong in that. 29:06 Who knows, but the Lord might open a door for you to 29:11 witness to them through the fact that you're praying for them. 29:15 So, don't forget... 29:22 And don't forget to come back tomorrow night 29:25 at 7:00 pm, the same time, 29:28 as we continue to pray 29:33 that God will heal our land. 29:41 God bless you. Have a good night. |
Revised 2019-01-28