Each weekend when we gather together as a church, God is there with us. He’s at work in our hearts, souls, and lives. Whether we’re becoming aware of His love for the very first time, experiencing the healing only He can offer, or inviting him to work through us as we serve others, He is present in all. Take a minute today and rejoice in what God did at your church this weekend. Thank Him for the moments of truth you and others experienced. Thank Him for allowing us to be a part of His Divine work on this planet and ask for His guidance in those efforts. Pray that He would use One Prayer to invigorate His Church.
We’re so excited about what we’re seeing God doing through this series, but we know there are many more incredible stories out there we haven’t heard yet. So tell us…what did God do in your church this weekend?
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One Prayer Daily Devotional
By Steven Furtick, Lead Pastor, Elevation Church
Mark 11:24-25
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
This promise is powerful! Practically speaking, how can we pray with this kind of bold belief?
I’ve studied many of the great prayers of the Bible and discovered three components of faith-filled prayer that emerge again and again.
Audacity
God is not intimidated by our large requests. He’s insulted by our puny ones.
The highest compliment we can pay God is to ask Him to do something so enormous that we have to blame the results on Him.
Accuracy
Our theme verses describe the process of requesting something very specific from God. When we pray vague prayers like: “God, just be with me today,” it’s very hard to engage our faith and quantify the results.
Get out of the realm of generalized, bless me, help me, be with me prayers. Develop a prayer vocabulary that is vivid, expressing your heart’s desires and most urgent needs to God.
Action
If the desire you’re praying about isn’t enough to move you, why would it be enough to move God? God always requires us to step out in faith before He steps in.
In Mark 11:25, Jesus contrasts our willingness to do the spiritual work of prayer with our willingness to take a practical step of obedience by forgiving someone. Prayer is useless without corresponding Christ-centered action.
One Prayer is our unprecedented opportunity to unite in Christ worldwide, praying faith-filled, audacious, accurate, and active prayers for the glory of God.
Let’s make the most of it.
How can you change your prayer life to make it more audacious and accurate, and what faith step do you need to take to get God to step in?
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One Prayer Daily Devotional
By Dino Rizzo, Lead Pastor, Healing Place Church
Just Be Nice
Colossians 3:12-14 NLT
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Sometimes it can be as simple as just being nice and compassionate. I mean, “real-deal” compassionate. When you think about what happens during the course of a day—the frustrations that pound away at us and the challenges that that come our way in the form of people and pressures—it can be a pretty rough scene at times.
But if we can remember what Paul told the church in this passage, that we should be wrapped up in mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience—wow! What a different picture life can become. Rather than let circumstances dig away at you, just be nice. Remember that people around you, every single one of them, are precious to God. So precious that He is thinking about them at that very moment and is giving you an opportunity to show them His mercy.
Just be nice. It sounds so simple but is actually very powerful, because when a person hurts you, the kindest, and often most difficult, thing you can do for them is forgive them. Forgiveness is also the kindest thing you can do for yourself. It releases you from the hurt and burden of unforgiveness, which no one can bear. When you do that, you are being nice to yourself as well.
So today be generous with your kindness. Be generous with your forgiveness. And be extremely generous with your love—because the more you give these gifts away, the more your capacity for them grows. That, my friend, will be a well-lived life.
As we fast together today, remember it’s not just about denying ourselves food, or caffeine or tv. It’s also about being nice even when it hurts(Isaiah 58). How can you incorporate being nice into your fast today?
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When was the last time you witnessed a miracle in action? There’s an unbeatable thrill that comes when we know, beyond a doubt, that God has just shown up in a big way.
But when it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen God at work, could it be that we’re not asking for enough? Are our prayers confined to what we think is realistic or probable? Are we presenting multiple choice prayers to God when He wants to blow us away with answers beyond our comprehension?
As we fast this Tuesday, the focus of our prayers will be on miracles. Dream big. Think of areas in life that you consider hopeless. Be bold and ask for the impossible…because we know nothing is out of reach for our mighty God.
What miracle are you praying for today as you fast?
Be sure to let us know where and what church you are from.
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Thanks for checking back here on a regular basis and contributing to the One Prayer community!
Speaking of community, have you ever considered how isolated our pastors might feel at times? We look to them for guidance, teaching, leadership, and all sorts of help. But who are they able to count on when they need those same things? When it comes to relationships, church leadership can easily turn into a one-way street. But it’s not healthy to go it alone during the marathon of ministry—strong friendships are a must if our pastors are going to last for the long haul.
During our prayers today, let’s lift up our pastors and church leaders. Pray that God would help them develop and maintain solid friendships where they can find encouragement and support. Ask that One Prayer would be a reminder to us that churches don’t compete against each other, but that we complete each other. And as fences between ministries begin to crumble, pray that our church leaders are able to reach out to each other and form valuable relationships to sustain them.
How are you praying for your pastor today? Share your prayers below and take a few moments to lift up some other church leaders while you’re here.
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One Prayer Daily Devotional
By Dr. Mark Beeson, Senior Pastor, Granger Community Church
We’re participating in One Prayer, but how are we supposed to pray?
Should we be loud, assuming God suffers hearing loss? Must we increase our volume to get God’s attention? Should we modifying our words and cadence for a more impressive prayer performance?
Do we believe we should approach God with drama and flair, or honest humility? Are we trying to impress God with role-playing or connect with God in spirit and truth?
Maybe we’ve misunderstood. Maybe God isn’t impressed by our displays and posturing intonations. Maybe we’d be better off trusting God’s love than relying on babbling formulas like pagans, or thinking we’ll be heard because of our many words.
Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:6-8 (NIV):
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
We are dealing with our Heavenly Father, not some distant stranger. God is not distracted. God is not far-off. We don’t have to role-play when we speak with God; He loves us as we are. We don’t need to shout to get God’s attention; we already have it! We aren’t required to recite our prayers according to a script, or impress the people who may hear us; we’re not praying to them anyway!
As we join in One Prayer, remember God hears our heart-felt prayers, even when no one else does.
Heart-felt prayers can be expressed in multiple ways. What does going “into your room, clos(ing) the door and pray(ing) to your Father” look like for you?
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“I’ll be praying for you!” As believers, sometimes we throw around that phrase as a substitute for, “Good luck!” Or we might have good intentions to pray for a friend, yet in the blink of an eye, days have passed and it hasn’t crossed our minds since. It happens to the best of us!
As we take steps to move closer to God during One Prayer, let’s also use this season to step up the sincerity of those pledges to our loved ones. Perhaps you’ll find that the best way to honor your word is to pray with your friend right then and there. Maybe you can keep a running list going in a prayer journal and refer to it during your quiet time. How you get consistent in praying for others isn’t as important as finding a way that works for you.
Here’s your next chance: let us know how we can pray for you by adding a short request below. Then take this time, right now, to pray for others who’ve posted. Praying with fellow believers allows us to share in each other’s journey. Let’s walk a few steps together today.
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These days, it’s easy to feel like we never have enough. There’s always some new trend, gadget, or improvement being dangled before our eyes, whether featured by the hottest celeb or that hip co-worker. But let’s face it—if we have ample food, more than a few changes of clothes, and a place to call home; we’re rich by global standards. More accurately, we’re blessed.
So how do we respond to those blessings? By sharing them. Nowhere was generous giving better modeled than in God’s ultimate gift to us: Jesus Christ. With that sacrifice as our example, we’re invited to adopt a lifestyle of generosity, giving freely of the resources we’ve been blessed with.
Today, let that be our prayer. Pray that God would open our hearts and lead us to be generous with all the blessings in our lives. Ask that He would loosen our hold on our financial resources and allow his blessings to flow through us. Pray that God would show us new and creative ways to give to others. Ask for inspiration and guidance as we prepare this weekend to contribute to an offering to launch 500 churches in China, Sudan, India and Cambodia. Pray for opportunities to be generous in our churches and communities. Ask him to make generosity our natural instinct, and that giving would become our way of living.
If God leads, you can also contribute to this global church planting effort by giving online.
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One Prayer Daily Devotional
By Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church
Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
It is much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Most of us are good actors—we can play the part. But our reactions reveal who we really are. And maybe that is why Jesus focused so much of His teaching on reconditioning reflexes.
Pray for those who persecute you.
Love your enemies.
Bless those who curse you.
If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
What is the natural reaction when someone slaps you? You feel like slapping him back, right? But the supernatural reaction is both counterintuitive and counter-reactive. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek. Think of it as spiritual aikido. We absorb the sinful energy of others and convert it into a righteous response. So hatred inspires love. We convert curses into blessings. And anxiety becomes a catalyst for prayer!
Here is a lesson I’ve learned over the years. If you want to know what you should pray for, just figure out what you’re anxious about. There’s your prayer list! And by the way, the more things you have to worry about the more prayer potential you have.
Is there somebody in your life who brings out the worst in you? When you’re around her, you react in ways you later regret. Or maybe it’s someone who gets on your nerves or under your skin. Here’s my advice: pray for these people. Nothing reconditions our spiritual reflexes like prayer. Start praying for the difficult people in your life and it will change the way you feel about them. The peace of God will guard your heart.
What are you worried or anxious about today? List it here and let your One Prayer family pray for you!
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One Prayer Daily Devotional
By Fernando Gutierrez
Pastor, Healing Place Church, Spanish Campus
Living Life To The Max
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
There are three things that God speaks to us through the Apostle Paul. The first is to rejoice always. We live in a world where circumstances change from moment to moment, and it is easy to become emotionally undone. Our joy does not depend on circumstances nor is it produced by our circumstances. This does not mean that we will never confront sadness or pain. What God is saying is that “no matter what happens, I know what is going on, I am in control, I will sustain you. I am close by to rescue you, to alleviate the pain, to heal you, to do whatever it is that you need for me to do for you.”
The second thing that Paul speaks of here is to pray without ceasing. This means that we should have a continual connection with our Heavenly Father. Prayer is simply being in agreement with God. It is saying “Yes and Amen” to what He has already said He is going to do. When we see and understand prayer in this way, then it is much easier to believe in God’s promises because we are asking according to His will.
Lastly, we are to give thanks to God in everything. Thankfulness is a result of acknowledgement. Life is a school in which we are tested. We are able to enjoy the good things that God gives us, yet we learn from things that seem adverse and negative.
If we practice these three exhortations in our relationship with God, then we will celebrate victory and we will live life to the max!
What do you need to be celebrate and thank God for in your life? Share your praises with the One Prayer community by commenting below!
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