For several years we have been reminding ourselves to Pray First! We are excited about what God is going to do in your life during the next 21 days. We believe that prayer brings heaven’s influence into our earthly circumstances.
More than ever, we are in desperate need of the move of God in our community and our families. Prayer is a key ingredient in navigating this journey with the hope and assurance of Jesus. We know the God who holds the future in His hands, and we have complete access to Him through prayer!
Many times, we act first and then want God to help our situation; however, prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
During the month of August, we are calling Radiant Church to 21 Days of Prayer. We will be focusing on deepening our prayer times and encouraging you to introduce fasting into your weekly routine. You can join us Monday through Thursday on ZOOM for a guided time of prayer.
When you discover the beauty of daily conversation with God, you’ll experience His life-changing presence! You’ll be reminded…
PRAY FIRST! Prayer changes everything!
We love you, church!
– Pastor Brian & Kristi
We don’t have to follow a specific formula to talk with God, but practicing consistently with a model can help us deepen our purpose and connection to Him through our prayer time. The heart of this month is to help you find a new level of purpose, effectiveness, and enjoyment in your prayer life. While prayer does take commitment and can require discipline to develop into a daily habit, we also want to remember that it’s a “get to” not a “got to.” It’s a privilege to be able to come to God in prayer.
Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.
Jesus got up early in the morning to spend time with His Heavenly Father. Make a daily appointment with God — whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening — and faithfully keep it.
Jesus had a specific place He went to pray. Having a designated place to pray helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out loud.
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.” This outline (listed below) can help you develop a rhythm for your prayer time. As we pray every day, our plans for our prayer time can vary, maybe including worship music, Bible reading, and quiet time to listen to God. It doesn’t always have to look the same, it doesn’t have to be a required amount of time; it just helps when we have a plan for connecting regularly with God.
“Our Father in Heaven” –Take a moment and make sure your focus is on God alone. This could be as simple as saying, “Good Morning God.”
“Hallowed be Your Name” – You could play a worship song, or recite the words of your favorite chorus or hymn. He is great, so let Him know you believe in Him.
“Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” – Before you get into your needs ask God for help in seeing life through His perspective. Pray for the topic provided by the church on the weekly prayer guide or on Social Media (@RadiantChurch.Live).
“Give us this day our daily bread” – Take some time and pray for the needs (relational, financial, emotional, etc.) in your life and for those close to you. Believe that God will give you what you need to thrive today.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” – Clean up the relational baggage you carry. Ask God to forgive you for the ways you’ve tried to make life work without Him. Extend that same forgiveness to those who have cost you undue time in your emotional focus.
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” – Pray in the Spirit. Pray for your kids, spouse, family members, neighbors, co-workers, etc. . Pray that God will protect others and that He will push back the darkness the enemy brings into our world.
“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” – Believe that God is who He says He is. Align your trust with His purposes and go for it!