WEEK 4 - EVANGELISM, LOCAL AND REGIONAL
All around us in this nation and right where each of us lives, there are people who need Jesus. They need the peace and hope that Jesus alone can bring. During our prayer times this week, let’s allow the Spirit to bring people to our minds who need Jesus and need us to share His love and gospel with them. Jesus, bring new courage and fresh power upon us to fulfill Your mission.
DAY TWENTY-TWO // NEEDS IN YOUR CITY/COMMUNITY BY JIM RUDD
“Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed”
- Proverbs 11:11
Many factors determine whether a city struggles or thrives—housing and job markets, the climate, the school system, and population trends, to name a few. Some might seem too overwhelming for us to make a difference with our prayers.
King Solomon observed, “Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed” (Prov. 11:11). The wisest man in the Old Testament, a respected global leader, said that cities rise and fall based on how people talk about them.
How do you talk about your city? Would you characterize the way you speak about your city or region as blessing or cursing?
Cursing our cities sounds like: “Things will never get better” or “Our best days are behind us” or “This God-forsaken place.”
Blessing our cities sounds like: “God is working here!” or “Our city has a rich heritage of church unity” or “Anything is possible with God!”
Blessing our cities does not call for blind, unrealistic optimism. Blessing our cities is a matter of discovering the character and nature of God at work in the world around us.
It’s important that our prayers for our cities and regions don’t turn into a list of complaints about the quality of life. If Jesus has made us righteous, we have a responsibility to bless our cities. We should be quick to identify where God is active in our cities and always bless what He is doing.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Do you need to repent of cursing your city?
2. Where is God active in your city? Can you bless His work?
3. What are some areas of real need in your city or region that you could commit to pray blessing over this week?