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-FIVE // PRODIGALS AND LOST LOVED ONES BY RON WALBORN
was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. [26] They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing
Psalm 37:25–26
The Lord gave Psalm 37 to my wife, Wanda, and me early in our ministry. It promises God’s faithfulness not only to the righteous but also to their children. Even before we had children, we began to pray God’s blessing and favor over them and their future families. As our children grew and entered their teen years, those prayers became much more intense. Following are lessons we learned over the years about praying your children into their Psalm 37 place of blessing.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray out of faith, not fear. Often when our children go through crisis, we shift from a position of faith to fear. We have learned that prayers birthed in fear are weak. But when we keep our eyes on a God who is always faithful, our own faith begins to arise. This frees us from the spirit of fear.
2. As you pray for your children, remember they are writing their own testimony—not yours. We can certainly pray that what the enemy means for evil will be redeemed for God’s glory in their lives, but never forget you have to love and pray for them even when the path they choose is not one you would have chosen for them. This frees us—and them—from the unhealthy spirit of control.
3. Finally, pray for yourself—specifically that you will become a place of mercy and grace instead of one of punishment and judgment. Years ago, the Holy Spirit whispered in our ears that prodigals will never return home to a place of judgment but only to one of mercy and grace. Ask God to show you how to win the battle for their hearts and not just their behavior. This frees us from the spirit of religion.