Come Unto Me

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ii Copyright 2024 Freedom Fellowship Church All Rights Reserved. Copying, redistributing, selling, or plagiarising this document in part or whole without express, written permission is prohibited. If you would like to use this material in part or whole, please ask. Stealing is wrong and not nice. Freedom Fellowship Church 410 Oak Run Pt. New Braunfels, TX 78132 www.freedomnb.org

iii Dedication I am always grateful to those who pray. To name them all is too long a list, but a short list is warranted. This book is dedicated to the many prayer groups, meetings and faithful leaders who seek the Lord consistently and faithfully at FFC. To Melanie and the ladies who faithfully pray. To David, Roy, Ted, Zarlee and others who join me every Wednesday at noon. To the staff who consistently prays for the saints. To the Home Ministers who set an example for the flock. To my wife who prays for me. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. James 5:16 (Phillips) Acknowledgements To Valerie Johnson, a powerful and quiet servant of the Lord, who consistently goes above and beyond serving the Kingdom work of the church. To Travis Keas who joyfully and with passion brings fine detail to big projects while always insisting that laughter and creativity reign. To Carrie Kim and Linda Homeyer whose edits and comments are safely embedded in this labor of love.

iv CONTENTS Introduction � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �vi First Things First � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � vii Prayer Scriptures � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � viii THOUGHTS ON PRAYER Does God Answer Prayer? � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1 Stir Up Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3 Ask The Father � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5 Welcome The Holy Spirit � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7 Jesus Our Intercessor � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9 Supplication & Intercession � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11 Why Pray? � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 13 How Prayer Works � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15 Prayer Circle � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 17 SEEK GOD’S HEART Alone With God � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 19 Seek God’s Heart � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21 Love One Another � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 23 Stir Up Praise � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 25 Pray With Determination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 27 Relational Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 29 PRAY Pray For The Lost � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 31 Pray For Evangelism � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 33 Pray For Purpose � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 35 Pray For The Perishing And Slumbering � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 37 Pray For Fruit � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 39

v A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER Unanswered Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 41 Pray For Springs Of Living Water � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 43 Prayer & Faith � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 45 Persistent Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 47 Unimpeded Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 49 Pray Through Trouble � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 51 A Prayer Warrior � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53 Pray During Pruning � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 55 Pray While Waiting � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 57 Refuge Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 59 Pray Without Ceasing � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 61 Pray & Fast � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 63 Abiding In Prayer � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 65 How Much More � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 67 Prayer Warfare � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 69 Faith & Time � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 71 Jesus Our Advocate � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 73 Seek God’s Heart Not Just His Hand � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 75 Pray To Finish Well � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 77 What A Friend We Have � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 79 About The Author � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 81

vi Come Unto Me It is now 30 years since Wink Kelso and I began an annual pilgrimage of Sabbath in our church. Whether this is your first time walking with us or you are a seasoned pilgrim, I want to welcome you and thank you for taking time to honor God by giving your heart and time to these days. Sabbath is one of the most noted events in the Bible, the first reference being in Genesis when God “rested from His works.” Sabbath is a common theme throughout the Jewish scriptures and into the New Testament, the final note being the promised rest that is celebrated in the book of Revelation, yet it is also the most ignored truth today as all of us tend to burn out through the pursuit of things that have no eternal value. That is the impetus behind this devotional. This is a season to rest with God by rearranging our priorities to prayer, praise, devotion and fellowship allowing those practices to take a place of honor and delight. More than a prayer meeting or Sunday morning worship, Sabbath is both personal and corporate as we shift our hearts, families and church to set aside time and attention and be with God. For forty days, this devotional will encourage, teach and inspire you to spend time alone with God. Why forty days? Over and over the Bible mentions this time period. In fact, it is mentioned 24 times in the scriptures as well as the number 40 mentioned over 100 times. From the 40 days and nights that Noah saw the rain, to the forty days and nights that Moses spent with God on the mountain, to the 40 days and nights of trial that Jesus spent in the wilderness, “40 days” means something in the most practical ways in a life journey with the Lord. If God mentions it so often, it must be important. Yet you won’t find the Bible with a straightforward answer as to why 40 days matters. It’s like trying to figure out why you have 10 fingers and toes, it just is. Is there some thread of reason that binds forty days and nights together? I believe there is. When it comes to learning a crucial lesson, ending a harmful pattern or taking the initial steps to a closer walk with Jesus, 40 days is a tried and true period of time to set your course and run your race. Sabbath is the container used to promote this new beginning and this devotional is a daily breath of spiritual truth and comfort to take along. Do you need time to reflect on your calling, a sincere time of repentance, or do you need to fan the flames of holy living and prayer that have become embers? Do you need time to break a habit… or time to form a habit? In forty days both can be established, especially as you set the time aside as a Sabbath to the Lord. So welcome to Come unto Me, a forty day devotional. I’m looking forward to celebrating what God will do through this time. Reflect. Repent. Fan the Flame. God is calling us to Sabbath. Pastor Dennis Gallaher The significance of ‘40’ INTRODUCTION

vii a 40-day prayer devotional I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 As you lean into God’s gift of rest and Sabbath, ask Jesus to take over your life and give you rest, though rest doesn’t take hold until you invite the Lord of the Sabbath into your life. Until you do that, you can never know the gift that God has for you. If you have never submitted your life to Jesus, here is how: • Admit to God what you both know… He is right and you are wrong. He is holy and you are not. There is none righteous, not even one... there is none who seeks for God, all have turned aside... there is not one who does good, not even one. Romans 3:10-12 • Confess that you are incapable of dissolving your guilt and shame away. Tell Him you are a sinner incapable of saving yourself. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 • Ask Jesus to forgive you of all your misdeeds, mistakes, and sins. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 • Give up control of your life to Jesus and declare Him Lord from this day forward. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 • Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His transforming power. John 20 and Acts 1 • Rejoice and thank God that He has done what you have asked! • Find a church that tells the truth about the Bible and a group of people that are serious about a lifestyle modeled after Jesus. • Talk to God (that is what prayer is) and read His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Welcome to the family! Do you know Jesus? FIRST THINGS FIRST

Come Unto Me viii 1. 1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 2. Psalm 91:15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 3. John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 4. 2 Chronicles 7:14 ...and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 5. James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 6. I John 3:22 ...and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. 7. Isaiah 65:24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 8. John 14:13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 9. John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. Scriptures concerning prayer PRAYER SCRIPTURES 10. Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart. 11. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 12. James 4:2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 13. Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 14. Luke 18:7-8 ...now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? 15. Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 16. Luke 5:16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. 17. Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. 18. Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

a 40-day prayer devotional ix Scriptures concerning prayer PRAYER SCRIPTURES 19. Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God. 20. Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 21. Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving... 22. John 16:23-24 In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. 23. James 5:13-16 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 24. Matthew 6:6 But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 25. Psalm 5:3 In the morning, Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch. 26. John 14:14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 27. 2 Corinthians 1:11 ...you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many. 28. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 29. 1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. 30. Psalm 141:2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. 31. Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 32. Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. 33. Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light. 34. Matthew 26:41 Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 35. Ephesians 5:20 ...always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father.

Come Unto Me 1 Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13 Day 01 DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYER? One of the greatest detriments to prayer are the questions that are whispered from hell itself as to the character and commitment of God Almighty. The questions about His character and His love are so common but the most prolific question is about prayer itself. It is this, Does God Answer Prayer? Remember in the Garden? The serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said…?” Genesis 3:1 What followed was the seed of a lie that sprung up in the heart of Eve that led to the derailing of God’s great plan for all of mankind. A lie spoken by the deceiver is the seed of doubt in the believer. You cannot force yourself to believe God answers prayer. You cannot work up enough common faith to always trust the Father’s heart for mankind. You cannot outlast an enemy bent on disrupting God’s plan for prayer. Instead you must constantly go back to the Word of God and rehearse the promises of God that declare over and over that our God hears, responds, and answers our petitions brought before Him. Included in this devotional are scriptures within each devotional and also listed on page viii and ix that declare the life changing and history altering truth that God answers prayer. I encourage you to take one at the start of each day as a divinely powerful truth… and then PRAY! WHAT are you asking God for? WHO are you praying for? ASK God for the salvation of souls. PRAY for our schools, our children, our church, and our nation. PRAY that the Lord would move in miracle powers of healing, restoration, salvation, revival and truth in our homes and church. Let’s pray, Believer, and know that our God hears and answers our prayers. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

2 Thoughts on Prayer What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT

Come Unto Me 3 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said to them, “it is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer.” Matthew 21:12-14 Day 02 The Church of Jesus Christ is many things: • It is a House of Fellowship. For some who come through these church doors, it is the one place where they do not feel alone. They are among friends who have become family and are closer than a brother. • It is a House of Teaching. This house is known to speak the truth in love. It is the primary place where the church receives her marching orders as well as the milk of the Word for babies and the meat of the Word for saints. • It is a House of Worship. Like no other place on the planet, the unity of the family of God is expressed through heart-felt and Spirit empowered praise and worship. What is missing is that we are not often the House that God has always intended down through the centuries. Jesus rebuked the keepers of the House for not staying true to His call from old. What God desired His house to be known for was singular - He desired His people to be His partners in His plans here on the earth. David Butts said it best, “Prayer is the key for human participation in the works of God.” Simple obedience to the Father’s desire means that the church not only teaches and talks about prayer, but practically and observably prays. For the saint, it means that as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we are to individually discipline our lives to constantly welcome conversations with God as a normal part of life. Times of prayer must become the breath and being of the mission and call of the church today! So let us pray, my dear friends. Let us stir up prayer in our conversations; let us stir up prayer in our troubles and concerns; let us stir up prayer in the church; let us stir up prayer in our hearts! God has invited us to participate in His future miraculous events as these last days unfold. E.M. Bounds words from long ago ring like a clarion bell to the church today, “God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.” STIR UP PRAYER

4 Thoughts on Prayer REFLECT What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today?

Come Unto Me 5 Asking God and answered prayer are the lifeblood of the Christian. For the millennia between the Garden and the cross, answered prayer was a trickle noted throughout the Bible as the unique relationship God had with a few but not all. After the cross, Jesus’ promise was that for those who “abide in Me” that trickle would be a major part of the flood of abundant living gushing from a life dedicated and consecrated to Him. But where to begin? It begins when we enter fully into a relationship with God as the perfect and complete Father. That means to divorce any lingering memory of fathering that was not the true fathering of God. A child asks a father for anything and expects the request to be answered because they are asking their father. The child doesn’t know what is in the pantry, checkbook, or refrigerator. He doesn’t take into account when the last trip to the grocery store was or the price of food today. The child asks on the basis of the relationship of the father to the child, knowing that the moment he asks, it will be given. Why? Because it is the father’s responsibility as well as his pleasure to meet the need of daily bread in the child’s life! And so it is with God the Father. Knowing we ask the One who cannot only supply but loves to supply abundantly all that we ask, or think, is the first step on the path of prayer and supplication in a believer’s life. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Matthew 7:7-9 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Matthew 7:9 ASK THE FATHER Day 03

REFLECT 6 Thoughts on Prayer What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today?

Come Unto Me 7 Jesus makes a two-fold promise to us… One, that this world will always be contrary to God’s divine order. The trouble, tribulations, and the unique thorns and thistles that sin produced outside of the shuttered gates of Eden is where we reside. Yet the promise of the Risen Savior is for everyday... there will never be a day when God’s grace (a word only known in part and shadows) does not push against the devil’s deceiving winds. Second, that the Helper - the Comforter, Teacher, Companion, Protector, Miracle Worker- will never be far from the life of the believer. In fact, the only thing that can distance Him is to refuse His greater grace. The self-sufficient and the self-condemned will suffer as the result of their own choice, not His. Jesus’ promises are always sweeter than my current circumstances. His promises are always better than today’s troubles. That is why I need to remember every day that His promises are for tomorrow as well, not just today. The path forward is always toward blessing for those who walk in life’s great promise of the Companion sent at the Father’s bequest. But how does one walk in this kind of grace? How does one slog through the thorns and thistles and live faithful and true to the Savior’s call? It is imperative that every day we welcome the Companion who has come from the halls of Eternity into my day. Simply welcome Him. This is called prayer, by the way. It is the simple act of welcoming the gentle Lover of my soul which sets the tone and tenor of the day. He is our ever-present Help in every time of sorrow. He is our ever-present Companion in every moment of joy! God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever... He will teach you all things... He will testify about Me.. .He will convict the world... I will send Him to you... He will glorify Me. John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7-8, 14 WELCOME THE HOLY SPIRIT Day 04

REFLECT 8 Thoughts on Prayer What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today?

Come Unto Me 9 The scriptures tell us that Jesus is both our example for intercession as well as our personal intercessor. This is a foundational understanding of prayer as we devote ourselves to the great cause of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, buried, and risen. Without this great truth, we are left with just another religion that promises nothing but the anemic and fruitless life of brokenness and disgusting aloneness. Another way to say it is to simply say, “separated from all that God is and can be.” The word intercessor is the action described in Hebrews. John Bunyan defined intercession as “that prayer that is made by a third person about the concerns that are between the two.” Jesus our intercessor is the High Priest that stands between my woefully inadequate and sinfilled nature and prays for me. The writer of Hebrews makes this bold and revealing statement, Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 It is one of the greatest revelations in the Book for it describes what Jesus is now doing in Eternity. He lives to make intercession for you, me, and all those who name Him Lord and Master. Jesus stands between my sinful and wayward life and the holiness of God. What I deserve is not what I get because of this great act of intercession! He is our High Priest, Hebrews says, who can deal with all of my sin and do it all with a gentleness and sympathy that is never to be neglected. We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…He can deal gently with the ignorant and the wayward. Hebrews 4:15, 5:2 • He deals gently with my ignorance. I am ignorant of the pain I cause with my tongue and ignorant of the disruption my lack of care might cause. I am ignorant of the pain others are in and ignorant of the selfishness I hold close. • He deals with my waywardness. Sins of commission, the old writers would say. Sins that I willfully and with knowledge fall into as well as when I choose self over God’s ways. For all, His way is Gentle. All of our ignorance and waywardness He both sympathizes and stands in the gap, interceding on my behalf. Until you see Jesus, until you behold Him face to face, until your final breath is exhaled here on this earth and you breathe in the celestial air of Heaven’s glory… He lives to make intercession for you. Take a moment and thank Him for this enormous and continual gift. It is one of the greatest acts of loving-kindness you will ever know. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 JESUS - OUR INTERCESSOR Day 05

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 10 Thoughts on Prayer

Come Unto Me 11 Prayer is often learned by rote without first understanding the plan of God from time eternal. Most Christians learn to pray by imitating others and by hearing the simple definition that prayer is “talking to God.” When the saint enters the maturity of intercession though, the School of Prayer becomes a vital and necessary force of Spirit-led learning and training. It all begins by understanding God’s battle plan for the warfare and gain of souls for the Kingdom. One of the first great truths is to know the enemy, satan, the one who wars against answered prayer as well as praying saints. The key to this understanding is to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he, the accuser of the brethren (see Revelation 12:10-12), is a defeated and condemned foe. His power comes from his hate of everything, particularly the success of prayer. Like a snake captured and destined to be destroyed, he will strike at anything in order to dispel his poison one last time. He is defeated but not without his obsession to pollute and destroy. And destroy he will until that day when the gaping pit of hell opens around all that he is and all who follow him (see Revelation 20:11-15). With that understanding as a beginning, prayer must be understood as both supplication and intercession. This is important to understand because it defines the direction of prayer. Supplication is prayer for myself and my needs. It is the earnest and humble asking of a personal and often desperate desire or need. This is where prayer begins for the new believer. Like a baby that has nothing to give, the new believer is often consumed with the needs that are willingly and graciously supplied in abundance by our God. There is no need for shame or embarrassment in this supplication for the new believer is a new child of God whose first knowledge of the Father is the place we must all begin... For God so loved the world that He Gave. John 3:16 The Father’s giving is what quickly turns into a deeper relationship of not only asking but joining in the great symphony of prayer. Intercession is prayer for others. The word in the ancient language means “one who stands between.” Hebrews 7:25 is a vibrant word picture of intercession. He (Jesus) always lives to make intercession for them. There is no need to wonder what Jesus is doing in Heaven because the Bible tells us that He is our constant and faithful Intercessor before the Father. He hears our prayers and is the relay voice between our pleas and the great love of the Father. Within a very short period of time, the new believer is drawn into this wonderful plan by not only asking for self but also asking for others. We become “like Jesus” when we intercede for others and that is the plan of God for the saints of God. Paul the Apostle poured out his deep desire to the church at Philippi stating that he would give up everything gained in this life to have the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection. Philippians 3:10 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:14-15 SUPPLICATION AND INTERCESSION Day 06

12 Thoughts on Prayer REFLECT What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? To know Christ is to know Him today, not just the stories recorded in the gospels. Today, Jesus Christ intercedes for the church, the saints, the world, Israel, the lost, the hurting, the alone and He invites us to “know Him” by entering His own prayer closet with Him before the great Throne where He lives to make intercession. The plan is prayer, both supplication and intercession and the promises are outstanding and beyond comprehension! It is a world of relationship that goes far beyond simply knowing facts all the way to knowing the heart of God, the very heart of the Savior of my soul.

Come Unto Me 13 That you will know what is the hope of His calling...the riches of the glory of His inheritance...the surpassing greatness of His power! Ephesians 1:18-19 Why do we pray? We pray for those we love who are not living life to the fullest. We pray for children who we hope will turn out right, for friends who are making bad or sinful decisions, and for our own journey where unknown paths are more common than well-worn roads. We pray for world events that are completely out of our control. For the wars, famines, floods, earthquakes, droughts, and disasters too many to count. For the orphans and famished masses. For the lost and unknown. These are some of the reasons that common prayer, the prayers of everyday people whose relationship with the Lord range from meager to abundant, assault Heaven by the billions every day. The more seasoned question though is not why do we but why should we pray? Why should we pray is a question that is not rooted in our needs or even the needs of others, both of which are enormously important in prayer. But the “should” question enters the eternal realms of prayer that were woven into the warp and woof of creation. The shoulds of prayer fulfill a purpose that is beyond my limited knowledge or even the global mysteries that are attached to this little marble swimming through God’s creation. It is the shoulds that tie our souls to the eternal purposes of the Creator’s thoughts and intentions. Why should we pray? • We pray because the prayers of the church of Jesus Christ are an integral part of the grand plan of redemption. How often our own earthly plans are thwarted because those who should have shown up did not. How often do the finances hinder the better plan that could have been. How often the “I should have done this or that” affects the outcome of relationships. • We pray because our prayers affect the spiritual battle around us. The book of Acts chronicles the travels of Paul until we lose track of him at his own residence in Rome preaching and teaching Jesus to whosoever will come. But on his way to his sovereign assignment in Rome, Acts 27 tells of the violent travel and eventual shipwreck off the coast of Malta. Paul has a dream and reports the event in Acts 27:23-24. This very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me saying, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.” • We pray because the almighty God has given us a place in His plan. Ezra said it best, He has given us... a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. Ezra 9:8 • We pray because life can be scary. From life threatening events, serious diseases, or the puppy escaping the fence into the unknown, intense prayers for fearful events are common. WHY PRAY? Day 07

14 Thoughts on Prayer What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT The point? There is more at stake than the blessings and security of our lives and those we love. Eternal and far-reaching plans are in play that require our participation in prayer! Paul brings this into the magnificent light of grace when he prays that you will know what is the hope of His calling...the riches of the glory of His inheritance...the surpassing greatness of His power! Ephesians 1:18-19 Intercessors pray the “shoulds.” God’s purposes in prayer are both common to man and forged in the furnace of eternal sovereignty that sets the course of eternity. For those who will enlist in God’s intercessory army, the glories of prayer are realized and embraced. Prayer in the “should” category is required and a part of God’s plan.

Come Unto Me 15 Day 08 How does prayer work? Prayer is “offered up” from a disciple who is aching to see a change in people, circumstances, or self. It is cast from a soul that is determined to not bear the burden alone but is asking the Lord to answer and provide. Prayer is commonplace and intercession needs to be. Call it a gift, a calling, a unique and special ministry if you will, but intercession is the maturity of prayer not meant for a few but for all. Think about it, if intercession is the partnering with the triune God to affect everything from individuals to world events, why wouldn’t more believers enter into this great ministry? Paul Billheimer wrote that “prayer is on-the-job training for reigning with Christ.” Another way to say it is to reign with Christ here, we need to know the path of prayer from here to There. David Butts shared a “prayer circle” to illustrate how prayer works in his book “Forgotten Power,” a must-read if you study prayer. His diagram, first developed by his friend and coworker, Alvin VanderGriend, illustrates the path of prayer and the involvement of the intercessor. The Father is at the top of the circle because that is where true prayer originates. When Jesus taught the disciples as well as the future church to pray, He said, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 Prayer is an invitation from the Father to participate with His desires here on this earth. The Father is not limited by our praying or lack thereof, mind you. Yet He invites us to participate in His enormous plans through prayer. Martin Luther said, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.” It is the Holy Spirit who receives the heart of the Father and delivers those desires to the believer. Jesus said in John 14:26, “the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” It is His still, small voice that whispers to the soul of the intercessor what, how, and when to pray. All that is required is a willing and obedient heart. The believer is next in the journey. The believer receives what the Holy Spirit brings, touches it with prayer and praise, and delivers the requests and petitions to Jesus. The Savior then takes our prayers and intercedes for the saints before the Father. This is the circle of divine intervention. The author often reminds us that there is only one weak link in the process, and it is not the Father, Son or Holy Spirit. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 HOW PRAYER WORKS

16 Thoughts on Prayer What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT Over and over the scriptures record the wonderful act of intercession as the Father engages His people in His love of provision. Take hold of the promises, dear friend. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you this key to His Kingdom work.

Come Unto Me 17 Intercession is the lifeblood that courses between Heaven and Earth. In the divine exchange, the Father’s will and desires are shared in an unbroken circle of prayer (see Day 08) that allows the mystery of intimacy to perform in power. • The Father originates all true prayer which is immediately known by the Holy Spirit. The thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11 • The Holy Spirit tells the believer what to pray. We do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. Romans 8:26 • The believer “lets his request be known” to Jesus, the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14 • Jesus intercedes for the believer and the church before the Father. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 The intercessor must always take into account the mystery of prayer. Isaiah recorded God’s very words about prayer when he wrote, My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. Isaiah 55:8 F. B. Meyers wrote, “Our Lord is constantly taking us into the dark in order to tell us something. It is there that He tells us His secrets–great and wonderful, eternal and infinite. There is no shortcut to a life of faith, which is an absolute necessity for a holy and victorious life.” The intercessor must become comfortable in the dark times if meaningful prayer is to be understood. To be seasoned as an intercessor means to be in the dark long enough to tune out the sensory indicators in order to hear God’s intentions and pray accordingly. Too often, we are given to prayers that only invoke our desire to escape instead of walking the path of dark days, trusting that the greater good of God’s purposes are likely beyond our scope but not out of His reach. God has a great purpose in the darkness of the closet of prayer! It is there without sight that we learn that His causes are shared with those who wait. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 PRAYER CIRCLE Day 09

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 18 Thoughts on Prayer

Come Unto Me 19 Living alone is the first thing that God declared “not good” (see Genesis 2:18). To be alone in my thoughts, alone in my actions, alone in my successes or failures is less than best. We were created by God not just to need others but to want and desire voices, touch, and tender affections in our lives. The absence of those will hollow out a soul. That is why the distinction of being alone with God is so important. If you could map out the soul, you would find unique and hidden chambers that are filled and then emptied like a hidden beach subject to the tides of a vast ocean. There you will find a secret door that too few open. It is the place where a child is alone with God. Jesus was alone with the Father and He told us, “When you pray, enter into that closet, shut the door and pray.” Jacob was left alone and wrestled with God till dawn. Joshua was alone when God met him and he touched holy ground. Gideon met with God in a wine press and Moses by a burning bush. Peter was on a housetop and John the Baptist in a desert. Mary was alone when the angel told her God’s secret plan. John the Beloved was shut in at Patmos when God shared His plans to end this world and begin another. You must be alone with God! To enter into that secret place is to enter into a sweet chorus of revelation and care. The Father reserves special graces for those who will be alone with Him. Alone... with God. But when you pray, go into your room, and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6 Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 ALONE WITH GOD Day 10

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 20 Seek God’s Heart

Come Unto Me 21 I know a lady who is fasting and praying for two months. Her priority is prayer and she only drinks water until the evening when she eats a handful of lentils or beans and some nuts. She then sleeps on a thin mat on the floor, a further act of contrition during her season of prayer. What does she pray for? • For peace that lasts. • Forgiveness for the atrocities of nations. • Personal repentance. • Her family, church, and nation. She has lost many family members, including a beloved son, murdered in the ethnic cleansing that is a constant threat in her country. She has suffered the loss of her home, property, and children. She has witnessed the worst of humankind, and yet she prays without indignation and lives without fear. How? It is profoundly simple. She knows and believes in the true nature and character of God... Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness and truth, who keeps loving-kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgressions and sins. Exodus 34:6-7 Simply put, she seeks God’s heart and not just His hand. By the way, there is nothing wrong with asking God the “why” questions. After all, that is the story of Job. Without knowing the character of God though, prayer becomes an incessant chant of wanting God to explain Himself. That is not prayer but religious whining. True prayer begins with the enormous personality of God Almighty as revealed over and over in the Bible and then reduced down to John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. Beginning our prayers with a giving God results in prayers that align with His purpose for the world He loves. Oh, yes… the lady. Her name is Tazezu which means “Obedient.” She is of the Tigray tribe in Ethiopia. She is 82 years old. Please pray for her. And there was a prophetess, Anna... had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. Luke 2:36-37 SEEK GOD’S HEART Day 11

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 22 Seek God’s Heart

Come Unto Me 23 These words are a part of the greatest discourse ever recorded, spoken by Jesus at the last supper after the departure of the betrayer, Judas. Jesus knew what was ahead which is best described by the writer of Hebrews who wrote, For He Himself endured a cross and thought nothing of its shame because of the joy He knew would follow His suffering. Hebrews 12:2 What was the joy that Jesus knew was beyond the cross? It was the fact that the Kingdom of God would be released on the earth through the sacrifice of the Son of God. Peace would be made between a righteous, holy God and sinful, rebellious man because the payment for all of sin was soon to be paid in full through the agony wrought on Golgotha. This passage is written in Kingdom terms. Two relationships are noted. The first is that of a unique friend, in the Greek language, a philoi. The philoi was chosen by the king to be a royal friend who was a part of the closest living circle to the throne. The second relationship was the doulos or slave. One was the friend of the King and one was a slave to the same. Jesus was setting the royal order in place that would follow in the soon-coming Kingdom. Those who had merely served God were to be placed in a new position of royal honor, no longer slaves but the chosen inner circle of the King. The result was two-fold: 1. Those friends would bear fruit. The Kingdom would prosper as the result of their loyal service, not as slaves but as special friends and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. 2. Because of this extraordinary relationship, whatever was asked would gain the full attention of God the Father. Finally, the seal of this new Kingdom order would be a command that you love one another. Intercession is based on these wonderful verses. We are not slaves who simply obey the commands and beg for favors. Because we are privy to the King’s heart desire as His inner circle, we bear the fruit of prayer and ask the Father for the very things that delight our King. And we do it together, as one person. We trust and share a deep heart connection because of our love of the King and the unique friendship He has given to us. Answered prayer is a part of the royal order of the Kingdom. It is the promise made to special friends of the King who pursue His desires that His Kingdom and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! Prayer is the great weapon but His friendship is the power. Pray with confidence, dear friend, you are the special friend of the King. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends (philoi). You are my friends (philoi) if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slave (doulos)…but I call you friends (philoi)… You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. John 15:13-17 LOVE ONE ANOTHER Day 12

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 24 Seek God’s Heart

Come Unto Me 25 Prayer should begin with praise. There are two kinds of praise. One is praise for what God has done for us and for others. For example, do you recall when you first came to Christ? Do you remember the particular circumstances, people or life event that drew you to the altar of grace? Is there a person who you know who prayed that you would come to Christ? For me, I remember vividly the events that drew me into a life-long pursuit of the Savior. My salvation was complicated by a lifetime of works religion and so I did not come to Christ easily. As a result, the several weeks between my hearing the gospel and my salvation were a battle ground which I remember from the opening salvo of devilish lies to the final bowing of my heart in repentance. As I think of those days, even now my heart is filled with thanksgiving and praise to my God and Savior for His kindness and mercy. I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2 The second kind of praise is centered on who God is. I have been recently comforted with a deepening revelation of Jesus as my friend. In all of my waywardness and struggles, He remains my closest Companion. When I am hiding myself away and unwilling to allow anyone into my pain, He “stands at the door and knocks,” patiently and with great compassion waiting for me to open my heart so that we can talk and He can care. Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. Psalm 148:13 The Bible says that Jesus was “the friend of sinners.” They called Him this because it was true. He sought out those who knew they were unworthy of a holy God and loved them despite their sin. When I think of this, I am taken with the fact that my character has been changed because Jesus befriended me when I was not holy and has remained my closest Companion now these many years. Praise and thanksgiving comes natural and plentiful when I consider how faithful a friend I have in Jesus. Before you pray, praise. Before you petition, thank the God of your salvation. Before you cry out for wisdom, care, comfort or substance, intentionally thank God for who He is and what He has done for you. Learn the lesson of the Psalmist who prayed with praise. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6 STIR UP PRAISE Day 13

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 26 Seek God’s Heart

Come Unto Me 27 Old songs tend to get placed on the shelf, remembered with a smile yet seldom sung. “It’s another generation” or “can’t play on a guitar” or just plain “no” is the usual response when some of the old gospel standards are mentioned. Every now and again though, the back-story of a song takes a relic and restores its relevance. Such is the story of the gospel hymn, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” The year was 1904 when a 26-year-old minister in training began to preach a message of consecration in Wales. Less than a year later 100,000 people were converted, entire towns and villages transformed and the disenfranchised working class and youth became a dominant force for the gospel worldwide. The Welsh revival spread to Scotland and England where over a million were converted. Missionaries carried the movement abroad spreading the word of the saving grace of Jesus to the four-corners of the earth. The American Baptist Mission Organization spread the word in the face of persecution and rejection throughout India, yet the gospel touched many. One man, his wife and two children were brought to faith which became contagious, and many villagers began to accept Christianity in the region known as Assam, a place of primitive and aggressive headhunters. The village chief was furious with the man and his family and summoned all the tribe to the center of the village. He then called the man and his family to renounce Jesus in public or face death. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man said, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” The chief was enraged and ordered his archers to shoot down the two children. As they lay dying in the sight of their parents, the chief mockingly taunted the man, “Will you now deny this Jesus? Both of your children are dead and your wife will soon be too.” But the man simply replied, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.” The man was martyred with the rest of his family… but then a miracle took place. The chief was deeply convicted by the faith of this man and his family. He thought, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some remarkable power behind the family’s faith, and I too want to taste that faith.” Broken by the faith of the man he had murdered, he cried out, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” The entire village came to the cross as a result. Those words of a dying man became the song that has accompanied millions since the cross of Jesus Christ. Those words need again to be remembered in the church today that lacks tears on the altar and confession in the pew. It is not the song that needs to be sung but the heart cry of consecration of God’s people. That must be the prayer of intercessors until the move of God begins again. By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:4 Day 14 PRAY WITH DETERMINATION

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 28 Seek God’s Heart

Come Unto Me 29 Three Keys to Relational Prayer: • Ask and keep on asking. Asking is the most common form of prayer. It is the crux of a prayer life to know what to ask and to understand that our asking will result in God’s answer of giving. Asking is “the certainty of prayer.” Ask refers to the gifts we pray for. • Seek and keep on seeking. Seek is the term that God Himself uses that concerns a relationship with Him. We are to seek Him. Jesus says if we “seek Him we will find Him.” To seek Him has the promise that we will not only ask for His gifts but express the desire to know Him intimately. • Knock and keep on knocking. To knock speaks of admission to dwell with Him and in Him. Jesus said, “I am knocking and whoever opens the door, I will come in and have fellowship.” It is the same when we desire fellowship with God. We must knock knowing that He will always open the door to us! These three are the essence of Relational Prayer. We must with thought and careful consideration ask God for what we see as needed and desired both for ourselves and others. We must seek Him with a clear heart and an intense desire to know Him. Finally, we must desire more than a one way relationship, but a true fellowship, friendship, and abiding relationship with Him that goes beyond moments of prayer into a lifestyle of “praying without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7-8 RELATIONAL PRAYER Day 15

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 30 Seek God’s Heart

Come Unto Me 31 I officiated a memorial service for my mother-in-law. Her friends, who knew her in the apartment complex where she lived, were all there - all of them elderly and soon to face death themselves. I am taken with this verse as well as the following five verses as they timelessly describe what most people experience when death comes knocking. Here is my take on the common experiences. • Death troubles most people. Death, the result of sin, unnerves many. Because no one except One has ever conquered death, people know that in the end death wins. For those who do not know Jesus, there is only loss and no real hope. • Belief in God is not enough. It is common to make up your own god. People do it all the time by saying, “Well, I don’t believe this or that about God.” For anyone who desires to know the Almighty God as opposed to the less-than-mighty gods of this world, He plainly reveals Himself… first in creation, then in His Word, then through the life and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. • Belief in Jesus is paramount if life and death is to have meaning. Jesus said in the same discourse, “I go to prepare a place for you… that where I am, there you may be also.” His intention is that the ultimate goal of life is not to die but to be where He is now, and that place is Heaven. You can’t have Jesus without having Heaven, and you can’t have Heaven without knowing Jesus. What is the ultimate goal of intercession? The ultimate goal is to pray that those who do not know Jesus will be convicted of their sin and repent. In other words, their destiny would be to be where Jesus is, and that is Heaven. A funeral is not for the dead but for those who will someday die. To faithfully and graciously preach the truth of death and life is the greatest privilege anyone can be given. Pray that we will be faithful and full of grace and that the Word of God which is living and active will convict and save. Pray that those who do not know the Lord will serve Him. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. The words of Jesus in John 14:1 PRAY FOR THE LOST Day 16

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 32 Pray

Come Unto Me 33 When I first became a believer I was not good at sharing my faith, in fact I was terrible. It was a mystery to me why I desired to share Christ, yet I was compelled in my heart and mind to tell what Jesus had done for me. I was often rejected, called names, or simply unfriended by those who knew me. One memorable night while sharing Christ on the streets, a young man rolled up the Christian tract I had handed him, put it in his mouth, and smoked it! So much for being on fire for God. But to know Christ is to share Him… not discuss scripture, or share about what the church is doing, but to boldly proclaim that He is the answer to the brutal destruction of life and soul. Without soul-winning, the church is merely a memory of what could have been. But without soul-wrenching prayer, soul-winning will be few to nonexistent. There is nothing more exciting in the church than hearing about those who have come to Christ, yet without the warfare prayer for souls few will be won to the glory of Heaven. Prayer for evangelism is not prayer for revival. Prayer for evangelism precedes revival. It is the heart cry for souls while revival is the loud shout to wake-up and nothing will wake the saints in the pews like the heart-felt cry of repentance at the altar. We must learn to pray for souls. This was the very cry of our gentle lifegiving Savior, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The church has been so afraid of offending the lost that they have refused to raise the banner of “Come unto Me!” even though the result is the damnation of souls. When Jesus stood at the tomb of the dead man Lazarus, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Can you imagine how shocked those who were grieving the dead were? Can you imagine the disgust they had when Jesus broke all protocol and called the dead to life? This is the very call of evangelism. The church must again shout out the living gospel and raise the dead with prayer! Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:29 PRAY FOR EVANGELISM Day 17

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 34 Pray

Come Unto Me 35 Do You Know What You Are Living For? There is a hero of modern-day Israel that you have never heard about, but in Israel his name is known and revered in the same way Washington, Lincoln, Patton, and Kennedy are in the U.S. During his teenage years, he completed his high school education in the U.S. before his career as an IDF soldier began at the age of 18 which is mandatory service in Israel Defense Forces for every Israeli citizen. His American teacher knew that he longed to return to Israel and said to him, “But surely there must be some advantages to life here.” He brushed away the suggestion and said, “Here in America my classmates don’t know what they are living for, but in Israel, we know.” Do you know what you are living for? This question deserves a firm resolve. Those who live to gain this world’s goods, success, happiness or peace, have all resources both internal and external focused in hot pursuit of those goals. Others embrace and live for another reality that Jesus came to establish well... “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through – if Heaven’s not my home, O Lord, what will I do?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 The opening sentences of the Book of Acts records that for the fifty days between the resurrection and Pentecost, Jesus instructed the apostles about the things concerning the Kingdom of God (see Acts 1). • Not about how to plant a successful church. • Not about politics and the Christian. • Not about predestination. Jesus did not instruct about the litany of topics that countless hours are wasted on in the church, but about the eternal Kingdom, the “not of this world” battles that would be fought by the new army of God called the church of Jesus Christ. That, dear friend, is the heartbeat of prayer because, Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12 Each passing year, particularly since the turn of the century, the signs of the end times become more poignant, invoking Jesus’ words, “Be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming…for this reason you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” Matthew 24:42, 44 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3 PRAY FOR PURPOSE Day 18

Pray What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT There is no greater imperative for prayer for the church today because we know what we live for… • We live to see the return of Jesus. • We live to be found doing the hard work of intercession against the wiles of the enemy. • We live to battle on our knees against an incessant devil who seeks to kill, steal and destroy what the Lord has claimed as His own. • We live for the purposes of the Kingdom of God! Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop interceding for the saints and the sinners because that is the bread-and-butter task of the Kingdom. By the way, his name was Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu who is the longest serving (and current) prime minister of Israel. Look him up. You will be inspired.

Come Unto Me 37 “When it pleased God in July, 1829, to reveal to my heart the truth of the personal return of the Lord Jesus… the effect that it produced upon me was this: From my inmost soul I was stirred up to feel compassion for perishing sinners, and for the slumbering world around me lying in the wicked one, and considered, Ought I not to do what I can for the Lord Jesus while He tarries, and to rouse a slumbering church?” George Mueller’s Testimony, (1805–1898) ______________ If you do not know George Mueller’s story, I encourage you to study this great man and his prayer life. Suffice to say, George Mueller was a man of constant, faith-filled, and answered prayer. This brief testimony tells us of three of his constant prayer targets: • Compassion for perishing sinners. A major part of Mueller’s life was given to “the least of these.” In 1836, he and his wife began the first of five orphanages in their own home. By the end of his life over 10,000 orphans were given a home, education, and status to the point that he was accused by some of “raising the poor above their natural station in British life.” His compassion was both practical and observable. • The slumbering world in the grip of the wicked one. His life of prayer thrust him into missionary travel at the age of 71. He and his second wife traveled more than 200,000 miles to over 30 countries to preach the gospel to the lost. • To rouse a slumbering church. Mueller was committed to praying for the church that must awaken to do the work of the ministry. Along with his ministry to the least of these, in his writing, speaking, and travel he was committed to the local church and served as a pastor for much of his life. All of these efforts and so much more were undergirded and bathed in constant prayer. His life story is filled with testimonies of answered prayers that were miraculous and focused on others and not self. I would encourage you to read about his life. A good place to start is his autobiography, The Autobiography of George Muller. More than reading though, take his prayer targets and pray them daily… • for sinners bound for the gate of hell. • for the world to wake up and shake loose of the evil one. • for the church to wake up and fulfill her destiny. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 PRAY FOR THE PERISHING AND SLUMBERING Day 19

What are you asking God for today? Who are you praying for today? REFLECT 38 Pray

Come Unto Me 39 The Secret of Fruit that RemainsMany in the body of Christ feel closer to useless than useful. That is to say that many cannot identify a gift they have to offer but have become content to simply know that they are believers and a child of God. The truth? Most of us will never attain to some position where others clamor to hear the oracles of God spoken by us. Most of us (if not all!) will never sing the song, write the book, or preach the sermon that is the hit of the week on YouTube. Our modern mindset is so inundated with the glam of the rich and famous that it does not comprehend the value God places on the faithful and diligent multitude… of which you are one. And you’re in good company because the Apostle Paul was one of those. Though duty bound to preach, write, rebuke, and travel, he saw himself as weak and thorn-impaled. He often reported on his troubles which included the rejection of the very ones he sought to serve. Certainly he never expected that his determined faithfulness would result in his being the chief architect of the New Testament. He was simply doing what he was compelled to do and remained faithful to the task. It is what he encouraged others to do as well. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 The simple and dedicated life was the goal to be sought after, not one held up against the false standard of fame and fortune. If your words cannot move congregations, they can still move Heaven. If your voice is not blessed to sing, it can always bless the heart of God in worship. If your talents are not sought after by others, they are still celebrated by the God of all creation. This is why prayer is so very important! It is the work of the simple and devoted who are more intent on moving Heaven than gaining the accolades of earth. I am very grateful that the Lord has allowed me to preach Christ to many as well as to travel, write, and pastor. Yet the one thing I truly desire as I walk out the later season of my life is to know how to pray effectively as well as to hear the Holy Spirit’s heart and pray accordingly. The goal of this life journey is to produce “fruit that remains.” That kind of fruit is first planted through the seed of prayer and watered with the tears of intercession and the rain of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ever discount your prayer life before God. The halls of Heaven echo with the faithful prayers of the saints here on the earth. It is better that your name is known There rather than here. PRAY FOR FRUIT Day 20 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:16