Week 6 Guidelines

Monday

In John 17 Jesus says prays that we not be taken out of the world, but that we, as His followers be protected from the World.  Pray that for ourselves, but also pray for those around us that they may be delivered from the evil of this world. 

Tuesday

The beauty of the story of the Good Samaritan is that help is provided by someone who would have been considered a less desirable member of society than those who chose not to help.  Pray that God will grant us the ability to ourselves and others in truth.  Pray that we will not see ourselves as helpers because we are superior and that we will not see those we pray for as inferior. 

Wednesday

As we come close to the end of 40 days of prayer, pray for faithfulness.  Even if what you have been praying for doesn't seem to be different, pray for faithfulness in being hopeful.  Pray for those around us that they would be impacted by the Holy Spirit, and not just us. 

Thursday

Pray boldly for God to do more than we can imagine.  Pray for the power of God to be obviously bigger than our lives.  Pray for those around us to be overwhelmed by the presence of God in a way that they cannot avoid. 

Friday

Today is the last day of our 40 days of prayer.  Let us end these 40 days by praying for whatever God wants to build on the foundation of prayer we have laid down the last 40 days.  Pray for God's direction in moving forward.  Pray for those around us to be continually impacted by how prayer changes us. 

Week 5 Guidelines

Monday

Matthew 5:14-16 says that we should let our light shine for the world around us.  Pray that God will equip us with the boldness and courage to shine for those around us.  Pray for the ways in which the light of Jesus can impact their lives right now.  

Tuesday

Think about the ways that God has loved you.  Pray that God can help you to show that kind of love to those around you.  Think about why it may be difficult for those in your life to receive compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.  Pray that God will help make them open to receiving those things.  

Wednesday

Romans 10 says beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, but it also questions how people can hear the good news unless we tell them.  Pray that God can use us to share the good news with those we are around.  Pray for guidance in sharing the good news in a way that makes sense to them, not just to us.  

Thursday

Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceedingly more than we could ever ask or imagine.  Pray that God would help us to trust His power, not our own, in what He has called us to do.  Pray that God will display His power in the transformation of those around us.  

Friday

Pray for the ability to never give up.  No matter how difficult it is, or how long the road seems.  Pray for our ability to persevere.  Pray for the obstacles to faith to be removed, supernaturally, by the power of God.  

Saturday

Remind us that salvation is a person, not an event, and we can always learn more about Jesus.  Pray against complacency in our our spiritual lives.
Pray that they will be drawn to the person of Jesus, not just the idea of escaping Hell.

Week 4 Guidelines

Monday

John 4:35 speaks of those who don't know Jesus as Savior as fields, ripe to be harvested and in a similar analogy in Matthew 9 Jesus says to pray for workers of the harvest.  Pray that we can see and feel burdened for the harvest before us.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will ripen those around us to be harvested into God's Kingdom.  

Tuesday

Our personal pain is often a barrier, at the heart level, to feeling compassion for lost people.  Ephesians 4:32 says that we should forgive others JUST AS Jesus has forgiven us.  Help us to be aware of things we need to forgive.  Help those around us to desire forgiveness, and for healing to hurts that keep them entrenched apart from God.  

Wednesday

Ezekiel 22:30 speaks of looking for someone to stand in the gap, protecting the people from God's wrath.  Help us to accept the responsibility we have for those around us.  Pray that we will be successful in standing in that gap, and pray that those around us will be spiritually protected, and delivered from the destruction that the enemy wants for them.  

Thursday

Pray that our obedience in sharing the gospel will be received by God as worship.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will motivate us to represent God to others because we love God, even if we feel insecure in those acts of obedience.  Pray that our acts of obedience can make an impression on those around us.  

Friday

Help us to be great listeners who seek are willing to hear objections to faith that we may not have answers to.  Pray that God will lead us to the answers we need for ourselves and others, and that we will know when to listen and when to defend the faith.  Help those around us to see that doubt and faith can both be present, that we don't have to answer every question to have a real faith.  

Saturday

1 John 5:13 says that we can know we are saved.  Pray that God will deepen our personal conviction in our own salvation.  Pray that those around us will be drawn to the hope of knowing they are saved, not by stories, but by personal encounters with Jesus.  

Week 3 Guidelines

Monday
Jeremiah 20:9 compares the truth of God to fire in our bones that must come out of us and be shared.  Pray that we are compelled to that degree to share what God has done in our lives with others.  Pray that our sharing our story will encourage those around us to trust God with their lives so they can have their own story.  

Tuesday
Pray that we can live the gospel in such a way that people trust us and know that we are not advocates for the evil in the world.  Pray that those around us will see that the gospel is what makes us different.  

Wednesday
In Isaiah 6:8, the prophet is willing to go when God asks who shall He send.  Pray that we can truly believe we are sent by God, and that our mission is holy, not merely human.  Pray that God will grant ears to hear to those we are sent among. 

Thursday
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul says that he will boast in his own weakness, because that is how God's power is most revealed.  Pray that we will be aware of, and comfortable with our weaknesses, and willing to let God gain glory through them.  Pray that those around us see the grace of God, not in our triumph, but God's ability to use our weakness.  

Friday
We all have fears and doubts.  Pray that God will reveal the source of them, so we can overcome them.  Pray that God will help us share His story through and despite our fears and doubts.  Pray that those around us will not inherit our fears, but that God will grant them freedom.  

Saturday
1 Peter 1:3 says that the gospel gives us hope.  Pray that we can be agents of hope.  Pray for those around us that they will be thirsty for the hope only found in Jesus.  

Guidelines for week 2

A special thanks to Margaret Arthur for providing the daily themes and scriptures this week.  Each day there are 2 scriptural groundings for the daily theme.

Monday
Pray that God will help us build relationships with people outside of our walls of comfort.  Pray that God will show us how to go to them, and meet them where they are.
Pray that we can see their true needs, and that we do not automatically interpret differences from us, as needs for them.  
Matthew 9:11-13; Exodus 33:19

Tuesday
Pray that we are filled with God's passion, yes passion, for healing hurting people and to live in shalom (peace, harmony, interconnectedness) with God's family.  
Pray that they will be aware of their hurts, and trust God through us to bring healing.
Colossians 3:12-15; Psalm 34:18 

Wednesday
Pray that our hearts will be humble and ready to receive the truth of the gospel, on God's terms not our own, and to obey the call of the gospel.
Pray that their hearts will be open and fertile ground for the changes that the gospel is designed to make in them.  
Proverbs 18:12; Proverbs 28:26

Thursday
Pray that our heart will be thankful to the Lord for all we have, despite our failures and struggles.  Pray that we can focus on what God HAS done, and not as much on what we would like Him to do.  
Pray that they can see in us a true reflection of grace in struggle and disappointment, that reflects our hope in Jesus.  
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 105:1

Friday
Pray that God will expose any darkness and blind spots in our heart that restrict our service to the Father.  Pray that our heart and his will be united.
Pray that they feel conviction in their hearts disconnection from the will of God for their life.
Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 51:10

Saturday
Pray that we can understand the gospel more deeply as our hearts and minds are united with Christ.  Pray that we can experience the joy that flows from understanding the gospel.
Pray that they will desire the joy that only comes from the gospel, and that they will recognize the power of the gospel to bring that joy.  
Philippians 2:1-3; Jeremiah 15:16

Guidelines for Week 1 of Prayer

Monday
Put us in the middle of people who need the gospel
Help us to recognize their need for the gospel beyond morality or struggles in life.  
What need in their life would the gospel speak to right now?

Tuesday
How can we identify with the struggles of the people around us?
Help us to identify and correct any blind spots we have for compassion and empathy towards others.
How can we show the people around us that we want to understand them?

Wednesday
Help us to believe we can be used by God to make a difference
Help us to live out of a belief that God wants to use us to 
impact the world around us.
How does our belief, or lack of belief, affect how we treat them?

Thursday
Make our Weakness an opportunity for God to shine
Help us to trust the strength and power of God in the midst of our own weakness.
Help them to see the truth of God even in our weakness.

Friday
Convict us of anything that weakens our ability to share the gospel
Reveal any sin that is affecting our desire or ability to share the gospel
How can we better represent Christ to them in the way we live?

Saturday
Help us to learn the gospel more deeply
Help us to press on toward the upward call of God in Christ.
Help them to see that the gospel is true, and will always be shown so if we investigate honestly.

Guidelines for 40 days of prayer

We are excited about what God will do in the next 40 days of prayer.  If you want to get daily reminders of the prayer guide for that day you can find that here, and you can get a daily text reminder by sending your name and phone number to chris@citychurchwinston.com.  

Each week there will be six days of prayer guidelines given.  Each day will have a different theme.  

Each Monday - God put us in the middle of people who need the gospel.
Each Tuesday - God help us have and show compassion.
Each Wednesday - God help us believe that we can make a difference.
Each Thursday - God use our weakness for Your glory.
Each Friday - God convict us of anything that hinders our ability to share the gospel.  
Each Saturday - God help us learn the gospel more deeply. 
Each Sunday we will pray together at our gathering.  

Each week we will share an overview of the guide for that week.  

Each day we will share specific ideas around that theme.  

Each day there will be two points for the theme of the day.  

The first point will always be something personal for you to consider about your own life.  What is God doing in my life in this process?   

The second point will almost always focus on "them".  The them refers to the people that we are in the middle of, the people that we want to see transformed in some way by God.  This idea flows from the story of Moses, standing in the middle of God and the Israelites when they sinned by worshiping the golden calf.  Moses prayed for them for 40 days, twice it seems, and God spared them.  We want to pray for people we are in the middle of.  

Use the following questions to help direct how you will pray for the next 40 days.

• Who are you praying for?
• What are the challenges for them and the gospel right now?
• What do you want God to do in this person's life?
• What are your fears in addressing this with them?
• Do you feel equipped to be used in this situation?
• How confident are you that God can bring transformation?