Scripture for September: Then He [Jesus] came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:37-38 (New King James Translation)
Quotation for September: “It has been said that the church advances upon her knees, . . .” Noel Brooks
Director’s Message: I once heard Adrian Rogers say the following after quoting Mark 14:38: “Frankly speaking, we often do not pray as we should because we’re lazy.” I don’t know about you, but sometimes my spirit is more willing than my flesh when it comes time to dig in and pray.
Noel Brooks, in his wonderful little book titled A Biblical Basis for Missions, explains as cogently as anyone I have ever read why the church must overcome this weakness of the flesh if we are to be mighty in the Spirit. I will turn the remainder of my column over to Brother Brooks:
“Almost every chapter in the Book of Acts has a reference to prayer. It has been said that the church advances upon her knees, and the Book of Acts certainly demonstrates this. The early church received the Holy Spirit through prayer. It received divine direction through prayer. It overcame opposition through prayer. In other words, it really did advance upon its knees. It’s an absolute must. A prayerless church will perish. A prayerless mission will surely fail. Prayerless people, prayerless missionaries, prayerless pastors, prayerless leaders, rather than helping to build the church, are helping to kill the church. This is a vital spiritual principle.”
Daily Prayer Emphases for September:
MONDAY – Pray for new IPHC churches to be birthed and for like-minded unaffiliated churches to seek fellowship with the IPHC.
TUESDAY – Pray for the victims of domestic abuse in your community; pray for children all around your church who live in danger because of their parents’ lifestyles.
WEDNESDAY – Pray for the Lord to lead and empower our Cornerstone Conference officials as they chart our course for the next four years.
THURSDAY – Pray for every local church to have a spiritual & productive Men’s Ministry, as well as lively & impactful Women’s Ministry.
FRIDAY – Pray for the unemployed & underemployed in your community; pray for new jobs with good benefits to come to your town; pray for creative business ideas to take root where you live.
SATURDAY – Pray that President Obama and the members of the 111th Congress will prove to be friends of Israel and friends of the innocent.
SUNDAY – Pray for a revival of repentance—sparked by an agonizing awareness of sin—in our churches and in our communities.
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