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FORTY FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCTOBER 15

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL RENEWAL

COMMUNITIES AT PEACE:  Communities that work together can resolve the most stubborn problems.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation:

“How good and pleasant it is when brother live together in unity!”  Psalm 133:1

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”  James 3:17-18

“Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.”  Esther 10:3

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Put it in the hearts of the people to desire peace . . . Give community leaders wisdom to resolve socie-economic, ethnic, or other conflicts in their communities . . . Burden the churches to become more involved in their communities, like protecting the unborn, strengthening marriage, and protecting the church from unbiblical government interference . . . restrain Satan from creating divisions in the community . . . Cause media to report on positive developments in communities . . . Help law enforcement find and convict those who break the laws and destroy communities . . . Help communities develop effective ways to ehlp troubled youth.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 14

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL RENEWAL

FAMILIES STRENGTHENED: The family is the foundational social unit of healty societies.

Scriptures for Reflection and Preparation:

“Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with promise — that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”  Ephesians 6:1-4

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.  Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.  Fathers, do not embitter your children, for they will become discouraged.”  Colossians 3:18-21

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”  Deuteronomy 5:16

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Help parents put their spouse’s needs ahead of their own . . . Help parents resolve their conflicts instead of divorcing . . . Help parents understand how much their children need them . . . Help children resist ungodly influences . . . Help churches minister to families’ spiritual and physical needs . . . Cause policy makers to pass more family-friendly policies . . . Raise up a new generation of leaders to promote strong family values.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 13

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL RENEWAL

EMBRACE OF  BIBLICAL VALUES:  National renewal will only occur when the people choose morality.

Scripture for Reflection and Preperation:

“Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.”  Psalm 119:105

“How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers!  instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2

“If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.  But have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths.  Rather, train yourself in godliness, for, the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”  I Timothy 4:6-8

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Help national leaders promote Biblical values, like programs that will truly lift people out of poverty . . . Put a thirst in the nation’s youth for Biblical values . . . Help parents to make godly choices for their families . . . Convince policy makers that His moral code makes strong nations . . . Guide Congress to pass laws that promote Biblical values, especially for the sanctity of life, God’s definition of marriage, and religious liberty . . . Cause young people to choose lifestyles that reflect Biblical values.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 12

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL RENEWAL

REJECTION OF IMMORALITY:  God must reveal the wickedness of sin before many people will reject immorality.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation:

“Therefore dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God.”  II Corinthians 7:1

“For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a special people, eager to do good works.”  Titus 2:11-14

“So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”  II timothy 2:21

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirt to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God to:

Help national leaders recognize the social destuction caused by public immorality . . . Raise up new entertainment personalities who promote godly values . . . Help the nation’s youth recognize the destructive effects of immoral behavior . . . Help parents reject immorality for the sake of their children and their marriage . . . Convict those who live off of immorality like the pornographers and abortion providers . . . Guide Congress to pass laws that restrict immoral behavior, especially the laws that protect the unborn and other vulnerable people. . . Help churches work with their communities to set new standards for public morality.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 11

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL REVIVAL

Renewed Search For God:  The Spirit must reveal people’s emptiness before they search for God.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation:

“For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of Jehovah and serve Him with a single purpose.  I will leave a meek and humble people among you, and they will trust in the name of Jehovah.”  Zephaniah 3:9, 12

“But from there you will search for the Lord your God, and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul.”  Deuteronomy 4:29

“Keep asking, and it will be given to you.  Keep searching, and you will find, Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Help churches find creative ways to call people to faith in Jesus . . . Raise up Christian leaders who can effectively share His message with the lost . . . Burden Christians to support national efforts to bring people to Christ . . . Cause Christian ministries to find favor with the media . . . Prevent Satan from interfering with the church’s witness . . . Lead Christians to discover new ways to present the gospel to the lost, like engaging in human needs ministry or neighborhood revitalization efforts . . . Burden chruches to do all they can to be welcoming to people searching for God.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCTOBER 10

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL REVIVAL

NATIONAL THIRST FOR GOD: Nations can change in an instant when people begin to thirst for God.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation:

“The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.  But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.”  II Peter 3:9-10

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God.  I thirst for God, the living God.  When can I come and appear before God?”  Psalm 42:1-2

“I long for Your salvation; I put my hope in Your word.”  Psalm 119:81

Prepration:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Show the nation its need for truth . . . Help reveal the emptiness of false beliefs, especially regarding the value of human life, the true nature of marriage, and the importance of the church . . . Reveal to people their desperate need for relationship with Him . . . Cause people to see the need for Biblical answers to our nation’s problems . . . Draw the nation to Himself . . . Create an intellectual thirst for the Word . . . Turn the hearts of the lost to His church for spiritual guidance.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 8

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL REVIVAL

CONVERSIONS: When God pours out His Spirit a renewed understanding of righteousness results.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation

Come everyone who is thisty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!  Isaiah 55:1

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certaintiy that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”  When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said, to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?”  “Repent,” Peter said to them, “And be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”  So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.  Acts 2:36-41

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God to:

Convince the lost that Jesus is the only way of salvation . . . Give Christians a great burden to share their faith and ask people to trust in Jesus. . . Help churches to discover more effective ways to reach the lost, like assisting the poor and the hungry, and revitalizing neighborhoods . . . Create divine opportunities for lost people to hear the gospel . . . Give you the opportunity to share your faith with lost people you know . . . Confound the enemies of the gospel and prevent them from hindering the church’s witness . . . Raise up a new generation of Christian leaders who are fearless in sharing their faith.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT 7

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL REVIVAL

CONVICTION OF SIN: Only God can convict people of sin and their need for Him.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation:

From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made.  As a result, people are without excuse.  For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude.  Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.  Romans 1:20-21

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin.  Now they have no excuse for their sin.  John 15:22

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.  He said, “Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words?  Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me.”  Job 38:1-3

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Pour His Spirit out over the entire nation . . . Convince and convict every person of their sin . . . Convince every person that they will face a final judgement by God . . . Reveal His great holiness to every person . . . Reveal His great love through Jesus to every person . . . Empower and embolden Christians to share their faith so the lost can hear the gospel . . . Restrain Satan from blinding people to their sin.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 6

PRAYER FOR REVIVAL AMONG CHURCH LEADERSHIP

MINISTRY TEAMS: Spirit-empowered teams of Christians can shake communities and nations.

Scripture for Reflection and Preparation:

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are different activities, but the same God is active in everyone and everything.  A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial.  I Corinthians 12:4-7

Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of me: I was in prison and you visited Me.”  Matthew 25:34-36

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and ask for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speaks to you.

Ask God To:

Fill every team member with His Holy Spirit . . . Surround every team member and their families with His protecting angels . . . Lead the church to organize ministry teams to protect the sanctity of human life, God’s design for marriage and religious liberty . . . Help every team member understand the importance of their ministry . . . Give every team member the wisdom they need to fulfill their ministry . . . Raise up additional workers for your church’s ministries . . . Give every team great success in their ministries.

FORTY/FORTY PRAYER GUIDE - OCT. 5

PRAYER FOR REVIVAL AMONG CHUCH LEADERSHIP

Ministry Leaders:  Spirit-empowered leadership of the churches’ ministries is crucial for effective outreach.

Scripture For Reflection and Preparation:

Therefore, you should pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.”  For if you forgive people their wrong doing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.  But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrong doing.  Matthew 6:9-15

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!  Behold I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”  But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth”, for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 1:6-8

Preparation:

Praise God for who He is . . . Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing . . . Allow His Spirit to draw you near . . . Listen as He speak to you.

Ask God To:

Fill each leader with His Holy Spirit . . . Surround each leader and his family with His protecting angels . . . Give each leader a deep thirst for the things of God . . . Give each leader a vision for what He wants their ministry to achieve . . . Raise up others to engage in the ministries of your church, like ministry to the poor, the hungry and the hurting . . . Help every leader understand the important role they have in the church’s ministry . . . Help ech leader identify a moral issue to apply God’s truth to in their own lives.