Well, we’re 12 days into 2020 and so far, so good. I am looking forward to this year because I know that God is going to bring in a harvest of souls and His Kingdom will be expanding in our community and beyond! I know that He will be doing this because we as a church have stepped out in faith and asked Him to touch and save those that we’re praying for.
Remember last week I asked you all to write down a name on a piece of paper and place it in a basket? And I also asked you to commit to pray for that person daily and I will pray over the names daily and we’ll see what God does in those lives. I said that we are going to call this the “My One” prayer. Just one person, one, that you and I will commit to pray for and we will see what God does in the lives of “our one.” Well, there are 40 names that came in on the 1st Sunday and I would like to continue putting names in the baskets throughout the month and continue to pray for them. Won’t it be wonderful to see how God answers our prayers this coming year? And God will get the glory for this Brothers and Sisters! God already has a plan for each and every name that we have written down and it is going to be amazing to see wonderful things happen in their lives.
Do you have the faith for that? Do you believe that God can, through your sincere prayers, change lives and save people from their sins? I believe that He can and that He will if we just ask Him to. James 5:13-16 tells us this, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” This is a promise to you directly from the word of God. If you’re in trouble, pray. If you’re happy, sing. If you’re sick, ask others to pray. And confess your sins that you may be healed. What greater healing is there then the healing of “your one’s” soul and the forgiveness of their sins that they can live eternally in the presence of Jesus? Then James says, “ The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Your prayer is important to God and important to the people you are praying for. Can you imagine getting to heaven and realizing that “your one” is not there simply because you didn’t pray for them? Shouldn’t everyone have that chance?
Maybe you don’t know how to pray for them. “What do I say, how do I ask God to save them?” you may be saying. Well, simply that. Simply ask God to save them and do a work in their lives that they can have eternal life and spend it in heaven with you. Pray for them, sincerely, knowing that God can do a work in their lives and that they will be born again (John 3:3)! Then sit back and watch God do a work in their lives.
Please let me know if you need anything. Naomi and I love you all. -Pastor Steve