Pray
Heavenly Father, I come to You now to renew my place in
You. I acknowledge that You are the Creator of all things and the Provider of all I
need. You are the Great I AM. The First and the Last, the King of kings and
Lord of lords. You alone are life. No one comes before You, and today, I will
pursue life in You as my greatest passion.
Father, thank You for ransoming me with the life of Your
Son. Jesus, thank You for being my substitute and paying for all of my sins. I
believe in Your resurrection, and it is through my faith in You that I can now
approach my Heavenly Father with freedom and confidence. I claim the power of
Your resurrection in my life and I now bring every aspect of my life, including
my family [name your spouse and/or children] and my work under Your authority
and Your Kingdom.
In You, Jesus, I have received a new life and have been
raised to walk in the newness of that life. I ask that Your Holy Spirit search
me, know me and reveal to me any aspect of my life that is not pleasing to You.
Show me the things in my life that prevent me from knowing Your will, and give
me the strength to repent. Holy Spirit, I also ask you to awaken my heart to
everything You want to do through me and the steps You want me to take for You.
Jesus, I believe You have new things to declare for my life and I ask in Your
name that You make them known to me.
Jesus, I
also ask You to reveal to me in every way possible those in my current
relationships for whom I should intercede in prayer and reach out to in Your
name. I pray today for opportunities to be Your light in their life so they
will grow in the knowledge of You.
Father,
I pray for all of the leaders at Stonecreek Church who join with me for this
time of prayer. Search us, break us and unify us as men and women of the one
true living God so new things can be accomplished for Your Kingdom in our
homes, our community and around the world.
Holy
Spirit, fill Your church with the strength and endurance to bring spiritual
revolution in these times. Stir our hearts to pray as never before and to have
discernment and a boldness to share the life we have in Jesus.
Now,
Father, I pray for 10/10/10 and every new thing You will bring about in me, my
community and our church. You are able to do immeasurably more than all I
can ever ask or imagine. To You be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, forever and ever!
Amen.
Reflect | Freedom and Confidence
Show me the things in my life that prevent me from knowing Your will, and give me the strength to repent.....
Read John 4:1-42.
Jesus didn't reveal the secret to King Herod. Jesus didn't request an audience of the Sanhedrin and tell them the news. It wasn't within the colonnades of a Roman court that He announced His identity. No, it was in the shade of a well in a rejected land to an ostracized woman. Jesus' eyes must have danced as He whispered the secret.
"I am the Messiah."
The most important phrase in John 4:1-42 is easily overlooked. "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"
Don't miss the drama of the moment. Picture her eyes wide with amazement. Listen to her as she struggles for the words to say "You are the Messiah!" Imagine her scrambling to her feet, then taking one last look at this grinning Nazarene as she turns and runs right into the burly chest of Peter. She almost falls, regains her balance, and hotfoots toward her hometown. Did you notice what she forgot? She forgot her water jar. She left behind the jug that had caused the sag in her shoulders. She left behind the burden she brought.
Suddenly the shame of the tattered romances disappeared. Suddenly the insignificance of her life was swallowed by the significance of the moment. "God is here! God has come! God cares....for me!" This is why the woman forgets her water jar. This is why she ran to the city. This is why she grabbed the first person she saw and announced, "I just talked to a man who knows everything I ever did....and He loves me anyway!" Up until this moment, this Samaritan woman was so focused on her past, her former things that she couldn't see her future. But she let go of her former things, her That, so she could experience every part of her new life, her This.
When we least expect Him in our lives, Jesus shows up. Sometimes when we are actively trying to avoid anything that would remind us that our lives are not as they should be, we find Jesus waiting in the very place we've run to hide. Jesus never forces Himself on us, but He does have an uncanny way of interrupting our thoughts and actions with truthful questions and challenging ideas. Often times we miss out on knowing God's will for our lives and the freedom that comes from knowing Him because our eyes are fixed on everything but Him. We need to come to a place where we surrender our will so that we can experience the peace of knowing and abiding in His. When we choose to no longer conform to the pattern of this world and allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, this is when we will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
Adapted from Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado.
Respond
What does the story of the Samaritan woman at the well reveal to you about God's character and His attitude toward sinful and hurting people?
Is there an area in your life you need to surrender to Jesus so you can experience His grace?
Is there someone in your sphere of influence that needs to know how much they matter to God? What step can you take to lead them to knowing His truth?
|
