30 Minute Prayer Challenge
Pray with one or more Christians, where you live, work and/or go to school for 30 minutes per week.Gerard Long explains the 30DPC and briefly outlines his journey of suffering that preceded it.
Why
- America desperately needs a great spiritual awakening – it’s our only hope!
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face (presence), and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
- Jesus commanded us to always pray. ( Luke 18:1, Ephesians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Peter 4:7 )
- It will encourage the Christian unity that Jesus prayed for ( John 17:21 & 23 ), which will prepare the way for a great awakening.
When and Where
How
Start with family and/or friends (e.g. husband and wife) and invite neighbors, work or school colleagues etc. See Guidelines.
What
Pray through the Lord’s Prayer and seek His face (His presence) – See prayer points below
Vision
Guidelines
- Keep it simple, be courageous – go for it!
- Unity – pray with Christians in your community. Start with family (husband & wife), friends, neighbors etc. Ask God to for opportunities to invite others to pray.
- Do the thirty-minute prayer challenge in addition to any other prayer you are doing.
- Start and end on time. Welcome – pray – close the meeting.
- Pray through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the love of God and from the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
- ‘Seek God’s face’ – this means, seek His presence. Ask God to manifest His presence in your community. It’s His presence that brings a great awakening.
- Pray from the heart and be sensitive – keep the prayers short. Allow time for others.
- Make this a special prayer meeting to pray and seek God’s presence together:
- Be kind, encourage, build up, strengthen and forgive one another.
- Be merciful and gracious to one another.
- Not all Christians are comfortable with the gift of tongues, so please be sensitive to others and the Holy Spirit.
- Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit- Never criticize, back bite, judge…
- Don’t quench the Holy Spirit – be open to hear from God.
- Avoid arguments on controversial issues which undermine love and prayer.
- Prayer walk your community, asking for God’s blessing on your neighbors
- Be alert to Satan’s attacks to stop you from praying.
- Invite others to join the prayer group.
- When the group reaches a certain number, multiply by starting new groups of two and three in your community, and grow again! We suggest a group should be no more than 12.
- Every month, gather the groups together e.g. in a local elementary school, to pray and plan on how to share God’s love in the community in word and action.
- Keep the groups local – Christians pray and work together to share God’s love in their community.
- Pray the promises of God found in scripture. “Put the Lord in remembrance of His promises, keep not silence” (Isaiah 62:6 AMPC).
- Never underestimate the power of prayer
- Use www.prayerattheheart.org website for ideas on how to:
- Reach ‘lost and broken people,’ including a Tent of Meeting;
- Point people to a local Alpha course (or a similar course);
- Provide Foundations teaching for new believers; and
- Use on-line resources such as the BEH (Bless Every Home) App to pray for everyone in the community, Gloo and Rooftop Encounters.
- Humbly, ask to link arms with churches, ministries and other Christians.
Pray through the Lord’s Prayer – spend 3/4 minutes on each section
1. Our Father in Heaven hallowed be your name. Thank and praise God for:
- Being your loving Heavenly Father who deeply loves you.
- He so loves us that He gave His only son to rescue us…!
- His beauty as seen in creation – the sun, moon and stars, birds, animals etc.
- His mercy and grace to human kind.
- God’s kingdom to come in your community and/or workplace;
- The love and worship of Jesus Christ to be first in people’s hearts, including a love for His word – The Bible;
- God’s blessing on every individual, marriage, family, community, business, school, government, hospitals, Police, First Responders etc.;
- Prayer to be at the center of every individual, family, community, business, government etc.
- Unconditional love between people, for forgiveness, mercy and grace;
- Love, peace and joy to reign;
- God’s light to drive out the darkness – for people to be set free from addiction, immorality, injustice, corruption, jealousy, pride…
- Healing for the sick – name specific needs;
- The needs of the poor, brokenhearted, lonely etc. to be met;
- Marriages and families to be blessed;
- Righteousness, justice and humility to reign; and
- People to love the things God loves and to hate the things He hates.
- Specific needs for you and your family – forgiveness, love, joy… ;
- The specific needs of people in your community;
- The poor, the old, the weak and the sick; and
- The needs of government, education, hospitals, Police and First Responders etc.
- The Holy Spirit to search your heart and bring to mind anything that needs to be confessed and repented of;
- Courage to confess your sins to one another;
- Courage and strength to decide to repent – turn away from the sin/s;
- God to pour His love into your heart to give you the motivation to live with an attitude of forgiveness – to forgive people before an offense is committed;
- Humility and strength to never take offense – “I have been crucified with Christ…’ and
- For forgiveness, mercy and love to flow in your community.
- Discernment, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and alertness to resist every scheme of Satan to ensnare you in sin;
- The grace to say “No” to anything that will grieve, quench or resist the Holy Spirit;
- Wisdom to avoid putting yourself in a position to be tempted;
- Self-discipline to build yourself up in the faith through prayer, worship, meditating and memorizing scripture and fellowship with other Christians;
- Strength to guard your heart from any roots of unforgiveness, bitterness, discouragement, disappointment, pride, jealousy etc. and
- As above, for your community.
- Revelation and understanding that:
- God holds everything together by the power of His word;
- We live and move and have our being in Him;
- Everything is from Him and through Him and to Him and He gets all the glory; and
- God is outside time, matter and space and He is working His eternal plan and purpose out in and through the events in your life and on earth.
- A willing heart to say “Yes” to whatever God’s will is for your life ; and
- To have wisdom and passion to set your heart on the things of Heaven and to live your life as a sojourner fully surrendered to God’s will.
Record your Prayer Group
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