Forty Days of Prayer Day Thirty-Five // The Infirm, Those in Prison, And Our Institutional Chaplains

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY THIRTY-FIVE // THE INFIRM, THOSE IN PRISON, AND OUR INSTITUTIONAL CHAPLAINS BY PHYLLIS FITZWATER

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

- Psalm 46:1

As each day unfolds, we do not know what challenges we may encounter that only the living God can meet. A hospital chaplain may encounter a patient who is suffering from disease or injury. A police chaplain may speak with a law enforcement officer who doesn’t know if he or she will make it home at the end of their shift. A prison chaplain may be called upon to bring “light” into a world of dark depravity.

Psalm 18:6a reads: “In my distress I called to the Lord.” The individuals we meet daily are often in deep distress. What hope can we offer them? We have the presence of the Lord—hope for them and for us as well. Psalm 23:4a reads, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow . . . I will fear no evil.” No matter what that valley may be—suffering, injury, disease, or incarceration—Christ is the only hope. Psalm 27:1b claims: “. . . of whom [what] shall I be afraid?” What shall we fear when we see no way through our situations? Psalm 46:1 is a verse my mentor lived by, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Scripture reveals that Lazarus’s death was to “glorify God.” What is God doing in your life that He might be glorified?

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Pray for God’s anointing and presence upon our chaplains serving in various fields—including law enforcement, fire departments, jails and prisons, healthcare systems, and hospice.

2. Pray that those whom chaplains serve will be open to God’s presence and power.

3. Pray that God will be glorified in all that chaplains do to serve others.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Thirty-Four // Military Families

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY THIRTY-FOUR // PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY FAMILIES BY CHAPLAIN (COLONEL) KEVIN PIES

We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

- 1 Chron. 29:15

Sojourning is not always fun and certainly not easy. As creatures of habit desiring established continuity, military service members and families lack opportunities to plant roots. An overlooked people group, military families nomadically sojourn by following their soldier, airmen, sailor, or marine to many global installations. Uprooted, they also make sacrifices in supporting those who defend and protect our freedoms.

In the pandemic summer of 2020 alone, more than 30,000 families were reassigned and required to move again. On average, military families will move at least eight times throughout their military service. This brings a disjointedness and the need to make new friends, enroll in new schools, seek spousal employment, and basically start all over again.

Many families are also challenged to find new places of worship. Civilian churches are often unaware of the complex needs that sojourning and serving brings. Therefore, military families do their best to fit in and enjoy a semblance of the next faith community. Throughout this process, many learn to rely on the one constant in their journey—faith in our unchanging God who reminds us that this world is not our ultimate home.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Pray that while living a life on the go, military families are reminded that only our Lord Jesus is a constant guide.

2. Pray that they will experience continuity in their spiritual formation as they transition to new communities of faith.

3. Pray for the chaplains who come alongside our military families to announce the continuous good news of Jesus and the need to set their minds “on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2).

Forty Days of Prayer Day Thirty-Three // Racial Reconciliation

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY THIRTY-THREE // RACIAL RECONCILIATION BY RON MORRISON

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…

Ephesians 2:14

God makes it clear in His word that His image bearers’ lives matter equally and supremely—and He sent His Son to prove it. There is no hierarchy of importance in human life. Do you believe that statement, or do you assign levels of importance on some over others? What makes one person’s life superior and another inferior?

If you don’t believe in a hierarchy of importance in human life, then you should have no problem unpacking the statement “All Lives Matter” to assign every people group equal value. Black lives included. While our nation’s history is scarred by injustices like slavery, and current events include the all-too-frequent mistreatment of Blacks, Christ followers must lead the way in fully acknowledging the equal dignity and value of Blacks as fellow image bearers.

This is why we need to allow the Bible to inform our worldview to “demolish arguments and . . . take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”—and to think like Him (2 Cor. 10:5). We need to agree with God about ALL image-bearing HUMAN LIFE—born and unborn—being of equal value and equally precious in His sight. This includes all Black life.

Have you allowed God’s Word to challenge your assumptions and change your thinking about absolutely everything? If only the Church for which Jesus shed His blood could unify around and embrace the great equalizer, the Cross, we could show this world what a holy nation looks like when God is our King.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. The Lord has reconciled all believers to Himself and one another by tearing down walls that separated people groups and uniting them in one Body. Let us recognize the unity He has created (see Ephesians 2:14–18).

2. Each of us has been given a ministry of reconciliation to tell others about the God who makes reconciliation possible. Pray that you will fulfill your assignment in word and deed (see 2 Corinthians 5:18).

3. Acceptable worship involves going to our brothers and sisters to attempt to reconcile when we realize they feel something is hindering our fellowship. Pray about who you need to reconcile with (see Matthew 5:23–24).

Forty Days of Prayer Day Thirty-Two // Those With Special Needs and Their Families

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY THIRTY-TWO // THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR FAMILIES BY TOM FLANDERS

. . . I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One

- 1 John 2:1

My wife holds her graduate degree in special education, but it’s our experience as parents of children with special needs that has taught us the most about ourselves and God and how to be their advocates. If you are a parent or guardian of someone with special needs, you are familiar with the term “advocate.” And you’re often reminded that you are your child’s BEST advocate.

Initially, I was overwhelmed at the thought of being an advocate for our children, as I was unfamiliar with the laws upon which special needs advocacy is based. In time, I realized these statutes, while needed and helpful, were not the best foundation for my advocacy. The reason my wife and I make the best advocates for our children is that we know them better than anyone else. 1 John illustrates Jesus’ advocacy for us in the context of being God’s children.

Who better to advocate for you than the One who knows you best? God’s intimate and infinite knowledge of you is what allows Him to arrange what’s best for your life. We love our children unconditionally, but we will not always be around to advocate and care for them. This thought can be unsettling, because no one loves your children the same way you do. Our comfort is in realizing that God knows, advocates for, and cares for them perfectly every day of their lives. One day, His advocacy will remove all the limitations they experience in this world. Trusting Christ as your advocate means He will do the same for you.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Go confidently to the Advocate of heaven, who occupies the throne of grace and dispenses mercy from there. Tell Him your concerns.

2. Ask God to reveal how your church can embrace families and individuals with special needs, a largely unreached segment of society.

3. Prayerfully consider giving some of your time and resources to an individual or family with special needs. It can make a world of difference!

Forty Days of Prayer Day Thirty-One // Single Parent Families

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY THIRTY // SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES BY AMY ROEDDING

Blessed are the merciful…

- Matthew 5:7a

One topic the Church has struggled to address is single-parent families. A recent Christianity Today article notes, “In 2018, there were more than 16 million single parents in the U.S., and nearly half (40%) of births in the U.S. were to unmarried women.” I work with both the women’s and children’s ministries at my church, and I realize I don’t know any single parent families who attend our church. Why? Single parents tend to be in a lower income bracket; so if the church isn’t near where they live or doesn’t provide a way to get to church, they will not attend.

Life of Single Mom Ministries notes that two-thirds of single mothers do not attend church. It’s as if we have an unreached people group within our communities that we, whether intentionally or not, overlook. Dawn VanderWerf, who started Single Parent Missions in 2012 after her husband was incarcerated, writes, “Single moms and fatherless kids are like the ‘widows and orphans’ of this generation.”

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount we are given an image of what believers should look like: merciful, meek, poor in spirit, caring about righteousness and justice, and mourning with those who mourn. In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard notes that preceding the sermon, “Jesus was demonstrating the Gospel of His Kingdom . . . by healing people, and huge crowds were coming. He demonstrates it by acting with God’s rule from the heavens, meeting the desperate needs of the people around him.” Shouldn’t we be acting on this need in our culture and communities?

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Pray that God will forgive us for overlooking these “modern-day widows and orphans.”

2. Ask God to give us a burden for the single-parent families in our communities.

3. Pray that God will enable us to think of creative ways to serve single-parent families in our communities.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Thirty // Immigrants and Refugees

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY THIRTY // IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES BY SHELLY CROUCH

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

- Leviticuss 19:33-34

Our world is home to 7.8 billion people. Most reside in the land of their birth, but 3.5 percent, or 272 million, are migrants. Some leave their communities by choice; many more are forced to flee their homelands, cultures, and families with little or no say about their future destination. Myriad reasons motivate migrants to relocate, but there is one constant experienced by every immigrant—vulnerability. Vulnerabilities that are relieved only by the compassion and hospitality of the people who do not have to move, whose lives are blessed with stability.

Scripture teaches that God sees those who feel invisible, forgotten, and vulnerable (Gen. 16:13). We are told, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing” (Deut. 10:18). In Scripture we see God’s plan for those living in the land to receive people who are new: “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:33–34).

God wants us to have compassion on those who are vulnerable, who rely on the kindness of others to endure their struggles. Compassion involves intention and action. Intention is simply opening your heart to others; action is what you do about it. Compassion begins with empathy— seeing the story of another fellow human being from their perspective.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. God, open my eyes to immigrants in my community who need my compassion.

2. Lord, provide wisdom, discernment, and provision to those who work with immigrants.

3. Jesus, reveal your compassion to immigrants through Your people so they will come to know Your unconditional love and saving grace.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Nine // Those in Poverty

WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.

DAY TWENTY-NINE // THOSE IN POVERTY BY MIKE SOHM AND MCCABE

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven…

- Colossians 1:21-23

Human beings are a beautiful blend of body and soul designed to be highly interconnected. Body and soul together make us whole.

When sin entered the world, the whole of who we are came under the curse. In our fallen world we experience brokenness in our relationship with God, ourselves, one another, and creation. Jesus came to free our bodies, our souls, and the entire universe from the Fall’s effects. Yet the gospel we often preach is only that Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins so we can spend eternity in heaven.

While that’s accurate, Jesus entered this world to do so much more. My friend Kumafi lives in extreme poverty in the African slums. It’s not hopeful for her to hear this message: “I’m sorry you and your children are hungry, that you are mistreated, scared, and alone. But it’s OK; your sins can be forgiven, and you can go to heaven when you die.”

This isn’t reaching the hearts of the poor because we are undervaluing the gospel’s fullness. Jesus cares for the whole of who He created Kumafi to be; His redemptive work on the cross covers all her emotional pain, every messy relationship, and every difficult day she faces.

Colossians 1:15–23 proclaims a gospel message that is compelling to people in poverty. We see a Savior who reigns and is the sustainer and reconciler of all things! Jesus has all authority and power in heaven and on earth and is reconciling all of creation.

The good news Kumafi needs to hear is that there is hope for this life, not just eternity—that King Jesus reigns right now over the whole of who she is, and through Him there is the promise of fullness of life today.

Now that’s good news worth telling!

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Pray that people like Kumafi will understand and experience the fullness of the gospel in their difficult circumstances.

2. Search your heart. Do you provide a simplified and over spiritualized gospel to those who need to experience its fullness?

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Eight // Church Plants and Areas Near You That Need a New Church

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-EIGHT // CHURCH PLANTS & AREAS NEAR YOU THAT NEED A NEW CHURCH by IVÁN MARTÍ

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times”

- Matthew 16:2–3

Have you ever lost your wallet or your keys? I have. Typically, we begin by searching the kitchen counter, dresser, dining room table, etc. Why do we never check our pockets first?

Sometimes we can miss what is right under our noses. Did you know that more than 40 percent of members at successful church plants were previously unchurched? Every year, about 4,000 churches are planted in the United States, and about 3,700 churches close—leaving a net gain of only about 300 churches per year. Church planting needs to increase by two to three times to address population growth and anticipated closures.

Church plants are needed everywhere in the United States—especially in the Northeast and on the West Coast. Urban centers continue to grow at a staggering rate, but 54 percent of Americans reside in small towns or the rural countryside. Both need churches that thrive in their communities to reach the lost.

We must pray to the Lord of the harvest to send prayerful, Spirit-filled laborers into the fields. In this moment in history, we have a unique opportunity for great Kingdom impact. Will we discern the times in which we live and respond as God would have us? Or will we look elsewhere and ignore what is right in front of us?

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Pray that believers are willing to participate in reaching the lost in their communities.

2. Pray that people will contribute to a church plant, whether financially or by volunteering.

3. Pray that more Alliance churches will hear the call to plant multiplying churches.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Seven // Reaching and Discipling Teens

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-SEVEN // REACHING AND DISCIPLING TEENS BY DAN BOAL

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up - Deuteronomy 6:6–7

Have you ever had a conversation that changed the direction of your day, week, month—or life? Like going to the store and trying on new clothes to see what you like, teenagers are constantly trying out new thoughts, activities, behaviors, and philosophies of thinking. These activities are critical to identity formation. As they find concepts and behavior they like, they will eventually adopt them as their own and discard the concepts and actions that don’t resonate with the core of who they believe themselves to be. Think back on your own life and identify seasons where you “tried on” different behaviors simply because someone suggested you should. Are you embarrassed, ashamed, and confused? Or grateful, excited, and happy?

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 emphasizes the older generation’s powerful responsibility to be the initiators of that one conversation with the next generation that will change their life. It’s not a teen’s responsibility to ask about Jesus and what it is like to follow Him. It is an adult’s responsibility to inform them EVERY MOMENT POSSIBLE how good and wonderful it is to follow after Jesus and invite them to try it for themselves. You just might be the person who has the one conversation that changes their life forever.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Jesus, is there a younger person in my life I can talk with about following You?

2. Jesus, give me the words to say and courage to share the many stories of Your faithfulness in my life in a way that resonates with this young person.

3. Jesus, allow the generation of believers in my church to be found faithful in Your eyes to pass on the faith from one generation to the next.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Six // The Call For Resilient Child Disciples

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-SIX - THE CALL FOR RESILIENT CHILD DISCIPLES BY LEAH BROACH

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert

- Isaiah. 43:19

The early portion of Isaiah’s prophetic poetry is a reflection on the grim effects of generations disobeying God and caving to wicked cultures. Our present-day circumstances often mimic this decay. It seems no one is listening, and old methods to reach new generations no longer work. But God ultimately used Isaiah’s words to bring lasting hope through the promised Redeemer. His message shouts to believers today this fresh call to raise generations that know and love Jesus.

This courageous call to faith must include reaching our children. We are not to get distracted or discouraged by the noise of the pervasive culture. We are responsible for pressing into the lives of children with the good news. Nothing is more transformative to a generation or culture than resilient disciples of Christ. And nothing is more damaging than failing in our responsibility to reach and raise children who know and love God.

Reaching today’s children and growing their faith resiliency amid a world screaming ideologies counter to Scripture is no small task. We need fresh perspective from the Creator Himself. We do well to remember that children have the full capacity for transformative faith. This kind of faith starts with us passing on the truths of the whole Bible, living out the gospel in our daily lives, and showing radical love to the world. Doing so ensures we are sending living testimonies to the present and the future of the power of salvation through Christ. When we prioritize reaching the children of our communities, we can expect God to do new and beautiful things now and in the coming generations.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Lord, give me eyes to see all the children in my sphere of influence, and burden my heart for their faith development.

2. Grant me compassion, creativity, and innovation to bring Your truth to a generation that is taught subjective truth.

3. Pour over me Your perspective and excitement for the NEW thing You will do in this generation.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Five // Prodigals and Lost Loved Ones

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.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Four // Lost People in My Sphere of Life and Evangelistic Courage

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-FOUR // LOST PEOPLE IN MY SPHERE OF LIFE / EVANGELISTIC COURAGE BY JEN VOGEL

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Through the years, I have prayed fervently with women, interceding and pleading for children and grandchildren who were not walking with Jesus. Primarily through the ministry of Moms in Prayer International™, I have gained both confidence and boldness in my prayers for the lost in our families.

Some women bear the heartache of a family member who was once near to God and is now distant; others plead for children and grandchildren who have not yet responded to the gospel. In both cases, we have claimed the truth found in Scripture to guide our intercession.

We know God does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance (see 2 Peter 3:9). The Good Shepherd is willing to leave the ninety-nine to search for the one lost sheep until He finds it (see Luke 15:4). We can join God in this lovingly relentless pursuit. Today, I encourage you to pray these prayers for lost members in your own family. Better yet, connect with a friend and pray them together.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Prayer for mercy. “Father God, you are not willing that __________ be separated from you. Instead, you desire reconciliation with him/ her. I pray your mercy on __________. Rescue __________ from the dominion of darkness and bring him/her into the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ, whom you love” (2 Pet. 3:9, Col. 1:13).

2. Prayer for myself. “Father God, may your kingdom come and your will be done today, on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus, I do believe you are able to save completely those who come to God through you, including ____________. Help my unbelief” (Matt. 6:10, Heb. 7:25, Mk. 9:24).

3. Prayer of praise. “Father God, you are rich in mercy. Because of your great love, you made me alive with Christ even when I was dead in transgressions—it is by grace that I have been saved” (Eph. 2:4–5).

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Three // Churches to be Renewed in Their Evangelistic Passion

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-THREE // CHURCHES TO BE RENEWED IN THEIR EVANGELISTIC PASSION BY ROSILIO ROMAN

“Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.”

- Acts 8:5-8

When the Jews began persecuting the Jerusalem believers, many left the city, seeking refuge in Judea and Samaria (see Acts 8:3). As they scattered throughout the region, the believers shared the gospel with people everywhere. They became passionate about evangelism, and God affirmed their efforts with miraculous signs and wonders. Revival broke out throughout Samaria—the same region Jesus and His apostles had visited during His earthly ministry. God moved so powerfully that the disciples remaining in Jerusalem wound up sending Peter and John to confirm the news of the many conversions, praying for the new Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit (see Acts 8:14–17).

Pondering on the current state of affairs in the United States, with so much hopelessness from the COVID-19 crisis and ongoing racial tension, I wonder if it will take persecution or great opposition from those hurting masses to scatter and propel us throughout the land to proclaim the gospel to everyone we encounter. Perhaps God may allow a season of persecution and suffering (see Acts 8:1–3) among our churches to have Spirit-filled men and women rise like Philip did in Samaria to spread the good news (see Acts 8:5–8).

PRAYER POINTS:

1. May every Alliance church gather for a season of prayer, asking God to send a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit over our entire denomination.

2. May this prayer effort result in a great number of Alliance people sharing their testimonies of God’s transforming power with everyone they meet.

3. I wonder if you, the reader, would join me in praying for God to renew our evangelistic passion to reach the lost in our families, communities, and workplaces. Would you pray with me to that end?

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-Two // Needs in Your City

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?

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty-One - The Spirit's Power for Ministry

WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS

Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!

DAY TWENTY-ONE - THE SPIRIT’S POWER FOR MINISTRY BY JONATHAN SCHAEFFER

John 14:23

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

The Bible is full of amazing promises. Have we considered how many of those are conditional? God forgives us . . . when we confess our sins to Him (see 1 John 1:9). He blesses us . . . when we honor our parents (see Ephesians 6:1–3). God guides us . . . when we acknowledge Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5–6). There is something God asks of us.

The same is true if we want to experience daily the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells His followers, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (Jn. 14:23). This is one of the most remarkable promises in the Bible—He actually comes to live in us. What’s the condition for experiencing that most fully? Obedience to Jesus’ teaching. Peter puts it this way: “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32).

The Spirit is a gift from the Father, received by grace. There is a sense in which He has freedom to influence us, empower us, and work in our lives—when we obey Him. We surrender, boldly follow, and relinquish anything that displeases Jesus. We could say it this way: Our level of obedience determines our level of blessability. This kind of obedience isn’t mere religious duty. Jesus says we want to please Him because we love Him.

Do you want Him to work powerfully in you and through you? By His grace and power, commit today to obey Jesus in every area of your life.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Lord, thank You for keeping Your promises to actually take up residence in me.

2. I confess anything that threatens my relationship with You. Cleanse me so You are completely at home in my life.

3. Empower me to walk in obedience to You so I can be fully “blessable” and serve as Your instrument wherever and however You want to use me today.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Twenty - Walking in the Spirit

WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS

Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!

DAY TWENTY - WALKING IN THE SPIRIT BY TERRY SMITH

Galatians 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we trust Jesus as Savior. Before this, we had only the sin nature, or the flesh, in us. It is the Spirit who brings to life within us the new nature. However, the flesh is not pulled out by its roots. In this life, both natures will always be in us.

The Spirit and the flesh are in conflict, and both want control. How do we overcome the influence of the flesh? In The Alliance we believe the answer comes in both a decisive and ongoing surrender to the Spirit. In Galatians 5, when Paul calls us to live by the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit, he’s referring to our ongoing daily experience of welcoming the Spirit’s control and experiencing the fullness of His power (see Galatians 5:16, 25).

Paul depicts the Christian life as a step-by-step walk in which we seek the Spirit’s strength and direction for our small daily choices and big life-decisions. I walk almost every morning. The path I take and the turns I make control my destination. In the Christian life, allowing the Spirit to direct our steps each day enables us to experience life in such a way that we look more and more like Jesus.

Even if we had a transformative experience with the Spirit in our past, we must ask ourselves if we’re living under the Spirit’s control right now. If so, we’ll find ourselves increasingly overcoming attitudes and behaviors that marked our old way of life—and experiencing the freedom and fullness of new life in Jesus.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Acknowledge your inability to overcome the flesh.

2. Pray daily to surrender your whole life to the fullness and control of the Holy Spirit.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life that are not Christlike—then ask for His power to change.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Nineteen - Fully Surrendered

WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS

Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!

DAY NINETEEN - FULLY SURRENDERED BY KELVIN WALKER

Galatians 5:25 - Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 is a challenging verse: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” It’s challenging because keeping in step with the Spirit requires surrender. No one likes that word. To me, it means giving up control. And I don’t like to be controlled by anyone.

Yet living a Spirit-filled life means daily coming to terms with and willingly surrendering to the Spirit’s control in my life. Here’s the beautiful thing. For every moment that I surrender to the Spirit, He promises a fresh outpouring and filling of Himself. And, as I am filled with the Spirit, He provides the empowerment I need to keep in step with Him.

In recent years, God has been using one question to let me know it’s time for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit: “Do I have your ‘yes’ no matter the outcome?” Each time He asks that question, I know that my “yes” will require surrendering my control to the leading and voice of the Holy Spirit. Yet each time I say yes, I receive a fresh outpouring of the Spirit that empowers me to keep in step with Him and to live my life in Him as He lives His life through me.

That same empowerment is available to you. It begins with a simple phrase of surrender: “Yes, Lord . . . no matter the outcome, I say yes to You.”

Fully surrendered—Lord, I am Thine;

Fully surrendered, Savior divine!

Live Thou Thy life in me;

All fullness dwells in Thee;

Not I, but Christ in me.

—From “Fully Surrendered,” by Alfred C. Snead

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Prayerfully consider your current life situation. Do you see areas where you are out-of-step with the Spirit? If so, confess those and surrender them to His control.

2. Welcome in prayer a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your life.

3. Can you truly say that God has your “yes” in everything He’s asking you to do? If not, sincerely give it to Him as you pray through your life this week.

Forty Days of Prayer Day Eighteen - The Failure of Self-Improvement

WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS

Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!

DAY EIGHTEEN - THE FAILURE OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT BY JOHN STUMBO

John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

God has a long history of telling His people He wants them to do and be what He knows they can’t do or be. He often places us in positions where we see our need of Him. Why? Because He knows we will experience Him most fully when we realize we need Him most completely.

His call contrasts common human thinking. “Be all you can be. Believe in yourself and unleash your full potential.” Such teaching has become so common we may not recognize its error.

The Bible teaches we are at our best not by discovering our human potential but in discovering our human limitation—believing that a divine source is available to us.

From my vantage point, the U.S. evangelical church has a decent understanding of salvation but a poor one of sanctification. Many Christians give their lives to Christ in faith but think they can live their lives for Him by works. We typically believe in sanctification by works. We delight that we are saved by grace but then despair, attempting to achieve sanctification by effort.

My brothers and sisters—be encouraged. The entrance to salvation and the pathway of sanctification are the same: humble dependence upon and faith in the One who saves and sanctifies us.

Yes, we participate. We respond, believe, accept, trust. But we don’t control or contrive.

The sanctified life is not passive (“I have no participation), nor is it a life of initiation (“It’s up to me to get this right”). It is a life of cooperation: “I yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life.”

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Be thankful that God desires to live His life through us by His Spirit (see John 7:37–39).

2. Welcome the Spirit to fill you and grant you everything you need to do what He calls you to do and be who He desires you to be (see 2 Peter 1:3).

Forty Days of Prayer Day Seventeen - Our Battle with the Old Nature

WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS

Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!

DAY SEVENTEEN - OUR BATTLE WITH THE OLD NATURE BY PETER BURGO

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

We’ve all seen the classic horror scene with the hand reaching from the grave to snag an unsuspecting soul back into the depths. While it’s easy to dismiss this macabre imagery as the fabrication of a fright-mongering filmmaker, we can’t as easily dismiss the reality that the old man we “put to death” often reaches from the grave to try to drag us back.

Therein lies the trap that leaves us vulnerable and unsuspecting: our mistaken assumption that the old man will rest in his banished torment and cease to be a threat. Scripture offers a threefold warfare plan to help us avoid ambush.

Be watchful. 1 Peter 5:8

Our old, sinful nature—along with the enemy who arouses it—lies in wait for any opportunity to strike. Like a predator seeking its prey, it launches its attacks when we are tired, weak, and vulnerable. Jesus warned His disciples of this in that crucial hour (see Matthew 26:41).

Suit up for daily battle. Ephesians 6:10–18

Although it’s true that Jesus conquered sin and death once and for all, He still leads us into daily battle to retain—and sometimes reclaim—the territory He won. The armor He furnished us is to be kept battle ready and donned daily—not left rusting in a closet to be hastily retrieved after the enemy has already stormed the gates.

Dwell in protected territory. Psalm 91:1-16

Although our battle-readiness sometimes requires that we advance into enemy territory to reclaim a hill, we must always retreat back to the place of protection and restoration: Our Refuge. Mighty Fortress. Strong Tower. Hiding Place. The soul finds its rest—and its righteousness— in the shadow of the Almighty.

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Read 1 Peter 5:8, asking the Lord to keep you watchful throughout the day.

2. Read Ephesians 6:10–18 and put on the full armor piece by piece as you pray.

3. Read Psalm 91, reflecting on how His shadow protects you from the “old nature.”

Forty Days of Prayer Day Sixteen - The Spirit's Presence in the Life of the Believer

WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS

Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!

DAY SIXTEEN - THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER BY JAMES CHUNG

Ezekiel 1:10

As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.

In Ezekiel 1, the prophet had lost his country, his career as a priest, and his future. The hand of God was upon him in a foreign land. He then saw a heavenly vision of four living creatures— each had the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (see Ezekiel 1:10). The lion is the king of the beasts, the ox the king of livestock, the eagle the king of the sky, and the human the king of all creatures. Later, Ezekiel saw the Lord enthroned in all His glory. He fell on his face.

When the apostle John was imprisoned in Patmos, he too saw four living creatures while in the Spirit: one like a lion, the second like an ox, the third with a face like a man, and the fourth like an eagle, worshiping the one on the throne (see Revelation 4:7). Like Ezekiel, John fell as though dead.

We’ve also seen God’s glory in our journey. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). Jesus is the glory of the Father, and the cross was the climax of His glory. We have all seen His glory in the cross. We fell at His feet and wept in the presence of the Spirit.

The apostle Paul said, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Recall a moment you wept in the presence of the Spirit. Ask the Lord to open your heart, then pour out your heart and share with the Lord your feelings.

2. Declare to the Lord the words from your soul to bring Him what He deserves.

3. Express your deep desire and longing to see His glory in the presence of the Spirit.