24-Hour Prayer Chain
Our HOURLY PRAYER CHAIN begins from 12 midnight every first Friday of the month.
Prayer is vital if a church wants to see revival, and that is our earnest prayer, that God revive us. What is revival? “Re”….again; “viva”….life. Or to bring something to life again. Revival starts in the individual and then spreads to a church or community. So for our monthly Friday prayer we will this year be focusing on first getting our own hearts and lives in order, on allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us, to change us, to challenge us, to revive us so we can be an instrument in God's hands to bring revival.
Our focus will be on 2 Chronicles 7:14.
NOVEMBER…..summary
2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
For our monthly prayer meeting this year we have been focusing on getting our own hearts and lives in order, on allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us, to change us, to challenge us, and to revive us so we can be an instrument in God's hands to bring revival.
Now, if we have listened to what God required and have responded and obeyed His voice with humility, repentance and prayer, let’s hear what God has to say in verses 15 & 16.
If we fulfil His conditions He says…
My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy - a place where my name will be honoured forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.
We will have God’s eyes seeing every need, God’s ears listening to every prayer. We have God’s attention!
..".for I have chosen this Temple”. You and I are God’s choice. We are His friends, His chosen companions, His representatives here on earth, chosen to show His glory in a dark world. It's not because of what we have or who we are, but the continuing presence of God in our lives and what He can do through us.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called : But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NLT
Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Let's remind ourselves that every time we gather in Jesus' name collectively we are a Temple of the Holy Spirit, and just as the temple in Jesus day was a place where God was honoured, a holy place, very precious to God, so we are to reverence and honour Him as we gather together.
Not only that but the next verse says that we, individually, are a temple for Him to live in, and that we are expected to honour God with our bodies in everything we say and do.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
God said He has. “...set it apart to be holy - a place where my name will be honoured forever.”
Does it matter how we
live? Yes it does. The Holy One lives in us, but will not remain
if we desecrate our body. This means we
don't put anything impure into our body, nor do we commit unholy deeds with our
body as it does not belong to us. We are
Gods'.
“….for God bought you with a high price.”
What was that price? He gave His One and only Son to die on a wooden cross in my place, in your place…..instead of you and I. May we never speak lightly of the cross, but realise the extreme cost of that selfless act, and live our lives in a way that will bring much glory and honour to our Father.
Hebrews 12:14-17,28-29 MSG
Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: (read Genesis 27) trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing - but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.
Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed.
God himself is Fire!
Have you experienced the fire of God touching your life, preparing you to receive and display His glory?
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NLT
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have-Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials-gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
If we live like this we won’t be afraid of God's fire. Better to have all the works of our flesh burned up now rather than stand before God's throne one day and have him expose our works then, causing us to suffer great loss.
The final statement in this verse 16 says “…for it is dear to my heart.”
Words of love. The temple is precious to God. You are precious to God.
Things that cost a great deal are considered precious. They are cared for and protected, for example - a wedding ring, a family heirloom etc, but most precious to us should be people, our family.
Do you regard Jesus as “precious” or “dear” to you?
May He become more precious every day.
My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy - a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.
For December's final 24 hour prayer time for this year, we would like to have a testimony page to give those who would like to write a short testimony of how the Lord spoke to you and what you learned from this verse (2 Chronicles 7:14.) over the past year. In the next weeks a web page will be available where you can post your testimony.