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What are the benefits of corporate prayer?

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What are the benefits of corporate prayer? Is praying with others better than praying alone?

What are the benefits of corporate prayer? Is praying with others better than praying alone?

A while ago a friend of mine approached me and asked about the benefits of corporate prayer (in other words, praying with one or more people). Previously, she had been discussing with some other friends on the topic. They were pondering the power of two or more prayers and why it would be more advantageous than praying alone if the individual praying had great faith. They brought up the point that the Bible says that if one person can have faith as small as a mustard seed anything is possible for them. If one person can have faith as small as a mustard seed and get their prayers answered, then what’s the benefit of praying with someone else?

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in Heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:19-20 (NLT)

“’You don’t have enough faith,’ Jesus told them. ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.’” Matthew 17:20 (NLT)

It’s a GREAT question! So today I thought we could talk about that.

It’s more about us than God’s power

I pointed out what Matthew 18:19-20 says about the tremendous power available when believers pray together in agreement because God’s presence is right there among them.

Then another good, and very wise 😉 friend in my small group, Michelle, had even better insight. She pointed out that it doesn’t necessarily mean that corporate prayer is more powerful than praying alone but that we feel more empowered when we pray with others. Michelle said, “It doesn’t have to do with God’s power. It’s more about us. It helps us.” So, the benefit is more for us, not for better chances of the prayer being answered.

Corporate prayer is not a magical power enhancement button that we push. Praying with others does not always necessarily mean that these prayers are more powerful than individual prayers. However, they do have their benefits!

Corporate prayer is not a magical power enhancement button that we push.

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Benefit #1: Corporate prayer helps us to build each other up and strengthens us.

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Prayers for Israel

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Prayers for Israel

As we watch the events taking place in Israel, we should be reminded to pray. We are called to pray for the physical and spiritual peace of Jerusalem (and all of Israel). It’s a time to pray for the peace of Israel, protection of people, wisdom for the leaders, help and comfort during trouble, deliverance from enemies, and a spiritual awakening. I would like to give you a list of prayers for Israel that you start and continue to pray, in addition to other resources for praying for Israel.

God’s chosen?

We often hear of Israel being called “God’s chosen”. So why did God choose them? The answer is so that they would be the channel of blessings for all families & nations on the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). God chose one nation for the benefit of many. Israel serves as a picture of God’s sovereign plan to redeem the entire earth. Israel’s role consists of restoring all the nations to God. Israel was meant to reveal God to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus fulfilled this role and brought salvation to the entire earth (Isaiah 49:6). God’s plan was to show love to the entire world through this chosen family (the family of Abraham) and this chosen nation. We can also “live out of our identity as God’s chosen people—those whose special purpose has always been to extend God’s inclusive love to many.”[1]

“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.” Isaiah 42:6 (NLT)

“He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”” Isaiah 49:6 (NLT)

We received the Messiah, Jesus, through the Jewish people. Those who accept God’s son, Jesus, as Messiah and Lord have been grafted into Abraham’s family and are also now God’s chosen people (Romans 11:17).

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.” Romans 11:17 (NLT)

Israel will continue to remain the beloved chosen people because God’s gifts and calling for Israel are irrevocable and His covenants remain forever (Romans 11:28-29).

“Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” Romans 11:28-29 (NLT)

We are called to pray for the physical and spiritual peace of Jerusalem and all of Israel.

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Prayers for Israel

Below are some prayers for Israel along with accompanying relevant scriptures. Please feel free to pray these individually as you feel led or collectively as a whole. Continue reading →

Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

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Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

Surrendering to God is an excellent way to start the day. Surrender is the opposite of self-effort. To surrender we have to stop resisting and submit to an authority other than ourselves. We can surrender to God’s authority because we can know and trust in God‘s character. The act of surrendering to God shows that we have confidence and hope that God has a greater purpose and plan in mind for us than what we could imagine for ourselves.

Previously, I shared some scriptures with examples of ways of surrendering to God. Today, I’d like to use those scriptures as a basis for a prayer to start the day with surrender.

Keeping Christ as Lord by trusting in and surrendering to him

As Christians, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it’s important to remember the “Lord” part of our confession. As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship. This is difficult for a lot of us because we like to be in control and follow our own agenda. Even the word “surrender” brings up mental images of a white flag signaling giving up or losing. No one wants to feel like a loser. To surrender control can sometimes feel risky because we may fear that things won’t go the way we want them to.

However, it’s important for us to remember that with Jesus as our Lord, we can trust that he (and God the Father) has our very best interest in mind. They are the epitome of love. Even in the midst of pain and difficulty, God’s will, plan, and purposes for our lives will always be good and not to harm us (see John 10:10 and Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, we can rest assured that when we say as Jesus did “Lord, not my will but your will be done,” the will of God that follows is completely out of love for us, for our good, and will lead us closer to Christ and his plan for our lives.

I love what Pastor Tony Evans says it in the book Divine Disruption: Holding on to Faith When Life Breaks Your Heart…

“You cannot surrender to someone you do not trust. Trust, enables surrender. You have to know and believe in the character of God, and his love and commitment for your best, trusting that he knows what he is doing, that he sees a far bigger picture than you can imagine.”[1]

Furthermore, Chrystal Evans Hurst, in the same book says that when we surrender we can actually make better progress in our lives…

“There are times you can’t make progress without trust…Progress, requires surrender. It involves one person allowing another to lead and show the way. Surrender invites humility and admits ‘I do not know.’ …Surrendering is admitting that God’s plan is better.”[2]

As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship.

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Surrender to a power source

I heard somebody once compare surrendering to God in the morning to plugging a device into a power source for the day. We don’t have to run on battery or on our own supply. We have a present, never-ending source. Through that source not only are we receiving power, but by surrendering to God we become a channel through which God’s power and love can flow out as well. When we surrender to God, he will help us and give us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

John 15:1-17 describes a picture of branches staying attached to a vine wherein the sap in the vine gets dispersed giving nutrients and power to the branches, and the branches are then able to produce fruit. When we surrender control of our lives to God and abide in Christ, his life-giving and restorative power will be dispersed to us. We surrender (i.e. don’t cut ourselves off by trying to do things our own way) and stay connected to God in order to bear fruit in our lives.

Additionally, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is our helper (John 14:26). Again, we don’t need to rely on self-effort and our own power supply. We have the power of God available to us through the help of the Holy Spirit empowering us.

Modeh Ani—Jewish waking prayer

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Prayer For Those Who Make Bad Choices

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Do you have children or people that you care for that are making bad choices? Try this Prayer For Those Who Make Bad Choices...

Prayer For Those Who Make Bad Choices

I was recently talking with a friend about the bad choices our kids make sometimes.  We talked about how it breaks our hearts as parents to have to not only see them make bad choices but then to have to watch them experience the consequences.  Then we discussed how similar God must feel when He has to do this with us when we make bad choices.  I remembered journaling about this very thing several years back.  I went back through my journals, and here is what I had written:

It’s hard to watch our kids make bad choices. God feels the same way.

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August 3, 2010

A Good But Just Parent…

My sister and I were just talking tonight about how I was frustrated with my kids lately.  They seem to be misbehaving a little more than usual.  I think they may be having a bit of cabin fever.  Summer is nearly over and school is going to start soon.  We haven’t been able to do as many of our usual activities as I would like due to the extreme heat we’ve been experiencing.  It’s been miserable to do outside activities like the zoo, Big Splash, the pool, the park, golf, etc.  Anyhow, I’ve been planning and wanting to do some fun stuff with them before the summer gets out, but it never fails that when I have a fun activity planned, they misbehave.  I end up canceling and postponing our fun.  I don’t really want to reward them when they’re behavior is bad, but at the same time it makes me so sad because I really want to do nice things for them and fun things with them.  All of a sudden I had the thought, “I bet God feels like this sometimes.”  It made me laugh because of how true it was.  How many times has God wanted to bless us or do nice things for us, and we’ve just tied his hands?  As much as we love and want to bless our children, our heavenly Father wants to do even more for us. 

“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11 (NLT)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

He’s a better parent than we are, yet still very just.  Our sin separates us from God.  His hands are tied by OUR wrongdoing. 

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing…” Habakkuk 1:13a (NIV)

We need to rid our lives of sin and be obedient to God’s word.  In return, God can shower us with blessings.  God’s will is to bless those who do right.  God wants more for us than we can ask or even imagine for ourselves.  Our job is to obey and follow his guidance and directions and to make good choices, not bad choices. 

“You bless all those who follow your commands from deep in their hearts.” Psalm 119:2 (CEV)

“Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.” Psalm 106:3 (NIV)

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

We have to make choices, between good and bad/life and death, every day.  Who we are depends on the choices we make.  We are also where we are now because of the choices we have made in the past.  The choices we make will determine the circumstances we end up with in our future.  Our choices will hold responsibility and consequences.  We will be held accountable for the choices we make.  We are not victims.  We are not a product of our environment–We are a product of our choices.  So how can we help people we care about that are making bad choices? 

Who we are depends on the choices we make.

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We are not a product of our environment–We are a product of our choices.

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When Somebody Makes a Prayer Request

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When Somebody Makes a Prayer Request ...

When Somebody Makes a Prayer Request

I think a lot of times people just flippantly say “I’m praying for you” or “I’ll pray for you”, but more often than not, it’s just lip-service.  They may truly mean it at the time, but then they might forget later or not make it a priority.  Sometimes people just don’t know WHAT or HOW to pray for the other person making the prayer request.  Today I’d like to help you out with this by giving you some suggestions for not just offering lip service when a prayer request is made of you and for how to actually pray for that person when they ask.

Pray right then and there

To address the first issue, I’ll give you some tips for how to actually pray for them and not just say that you will.  The first and best piece of advice that I can give you is what works for me.  Stop whatever you are doing, and pray for them right then and there.  You can’t forget to do it later if you do it right now.  It should only take you a couple of minutes, if that.  You don’t even have to pray out loud or even with them if that makes you uncomfortable.  Just take a second to say a silent prayer on their behalf.

Make a note to pray

The next thing you can do is to make yourself a note to pray for them.  Write yourself a reminder to pray for that person later and/or to check on them again to see how they are doing.  I’ve found myself writing things on post-it notes, index cards, adding a note to my phone, or setting a reminder alarm, and I even have a prayer request app on my phone that I use from time to time.  I also write prayers in my quiet time journal. Additionally, the Bible app has a place to make a prayer list.

One thing that I haven’t started yet that I would like to start is a separate prayer journal.  I’d like to have a place where I can write my own prayer requests to God along with others as a physical and tangible list and reminder.  Then I’ll also be able to go back and mark when they were answered.   Maybe a prayer journal would be a good idea for you too?  The point is, when you write things down, it’s easier to remember to do them.  Plus, you have a tangible reminder to do so.

As far as HOW to pray for them…

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Do you use Prayer Cues?

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Do you use prayer cues? Try some of these reminders to use throughout your day...

Do you use Prayer Cues?

The Bible instructs us to pray constantly…

“Pray constantly.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (HCSB)

Previously, I wrote about when and where to pray and several posts on how to pray. Sometimes this can be difficult to remember to do throughout your day unless you have reminders. I know some people who set reminder alerts on their phones to pray at specific times of the day. I think this is a great idea. Something that I have found to be extremely helpful though is to use prayer cues.

Prayer cues are simply visual or auditory reminders to pray for something as you see or hear it. These can be specific things or topics that you have a heart for, certain people in your life, emergency or crisis situations, or even things that frustrate or annoy you.

Use prayer cues to help you pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17).

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A few examples of prayer cues I use

My kids and I started using sirens, emergency vehicles, and/or accident scenes as prayer cues to pray for the potential victims and emergency responders. When we hear sirens or see flashing lights or drive past an accident we say a short prayer for the safety of all involved. We pray for wisdom and guidance for the responders to act quickly and to know exactly what to do. We also pray that God’s presence is evident to those involved.

Some other prayer cues I use are exotic clubs, nightclubs/bars, and casinos. I’ve seen countless families suffer pain and heartache due to the use or misuse of these kinds of establishments. Quite honestly, the first thing I pray is that they will go out of business! Basically, I ask God to place a hedge or barriers around the businesses deterring people from going to them. I pray that the businesses would lose demand therefore causing them to shut down. That’s not all though. I also pray for both the employees and the patrons of these businesses.

Whenever I drive past a strip bar or exotic dance club I pray that the women who work there would come to the knowledge that they are loved by God. I pray for God to provide a healthier and more moral means of income. Additionally, I pray for God to protect and salvage families affected by patrons of the business and for the families of the employees of the business. Finally, I ask God to send laborers to cross their paths, to send people to love on them, and to surround them with God.

God answers the prayers of prayer cues

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8 Hindrances to Prayer

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Do you feel like you have hit some road blocks in your prayer life? Look at these 8 Hindrances to Prayer

8 Hindrances to Prayer

This week we’ll continue on the topic of prayer by discussing some hindrances to prayer.  Prayer is a very powerful and effective force, but there are actually some things we can do that will hinder our prayers and their effectiveness.  They are almost like roadblocks.

Prayer is a very powerful force, but there are things we do that can hinder our prayers.

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When I think of hindrances to prayer I always think of a humorous story that Joe McGee told when speaking at our church one time.  I can’t remember all of the details, but I remember him saying that he was praying one time when God spoke to him about how he was treating Denise, his wife.  He had either been encountering problems or wasn’t getting an answer to prayer (I don’t recall), and he asked God about it.

Joe said he heard clearly in his spirit that God told him to buy his wife the brand of soda and laundry detergent that she wanted.  He had always just bought what he grew up with and was used to, neglecting her preferences.  I think he even made a joke about the laundry detergent because she used Tide, and he said that was just sacrilegious since they were from Tennessee (major rivals of Alabama…aka Crimson TIDE).  He said that God reminded him of 1 Peter 3:7 which said “…Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”  God was trying to teach him to treat his wife well so that his prayers wouldn’t be hindered.

Aside from how we treat others, there are a few other things that can put a damper on our prayers.  I’ve actually learned about 8 hindrances to prayer that can have a negative impact.  Let’s take a look…

8 Hindrances to Prayer

  1. Wrong motives

Like it or not, we can sometimes approach God with wrong intentions, reasons, or motives.  We cannot be evil or completely selfish in our prayer life.  Yes, God wants us to have the desires of our hearts but not at the expense of others.  The Bible says we will not receive if we ask with the wrong motives.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3 (NIV)

  1. Unforgiveness in our hearts

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Prewritten Prayers Are Not Less Heartfelt

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Learn how Prewritten Prayers Are Not Less Heartfelt...

Prewritten Prayers Are Not Less Heartfelt

I mentioned previously that I get some negative comments and emails from time to time. One that I had received was criticizing a post that I had written on how to pray for your unsaved loved ones. The post has an image graphic where you can just plug in a name into prewritten prayers. It’s been pretty popular on Pinterest which is where this particular individual ran across it.

This person claimed to be an atheist and found my image/prayer offensive. Since engaging in debates and arguments like this are not typically very productive, I didn’t respond to their comment. I just deleted it (per my policy). However, there was a statement this person had made about prewritten prayers that I wanted to address here. An accusation like this could cause some people to question whether their prayer is truly genuine. So I’d like to share my two cents on the matter to hopefully alleviate some doubts.

“Prewritten prayers are hardly from the heart.”

This commenter stated “Prewritten prayers are hardly from the heart.” I think that there might be a lot of people who would buy into this theory. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT. Therefore, I would like to address why prewritten prayers are not only okay but often beneficial.

Memorized and recited prayers can indeed be less than heartfelt at times. However, that does not mean that they are automatically or always lacking sincerity. Just because somebody else wrote the words doesn’t mean that I don’t feel the exact same way. Sometimes I can look at a prayer and think, “that describes my thoughts and feelings exactly”. 

A prewritten prayer is not automatically/always lacking sincerity.

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Prewritten prayers have changed MY life

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