30 Minute Prayer Challenge
Pray with one or two Christians, where you live and/or work, for 30 minutes a week.Why
Because:
- 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 lead to a great awakening.
When and Where
How
Start with family (e.g. husband and wife) and invite friends, neighbors, etc. At work, invite friends and work colleagues. 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
To enable other Christians to join you in praying and planning for your community, please record:
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