What can prayer do for our city?
What would our city be like if every neighbor
and neighborhood were prayed for daily? It would
be a city in transformation with many people
coming to Christ! That's what God wants. His
heart's desire is for all people to be saved and
for all of us to "live peaceful and quiet lives
in all godliness and holiness" (I Timothy 2:1-2.)
What will it take?
God's plan to transform
personal lives and whole cities calls for
prayer--believers praying for their neighbors
and then being available to them. You can make a
difference by simply praying . . .
five blessings, for
five neighbors, for
five minutes a day,
five days a week, for
five weeks
Who is my neighbor?
A neighbor is any person who
is nearby--a family member, friend, fellow
worker, classmate, or playmate. In Luke 10,
Jesus describes a neighbor as someone you meet
along life's road who needs your help.
What "blessings" should I
pray?
Think of the word BLESS to
remember five important ways to pray for your
neighbors:
B Body--health,
protection, strength
L Labor--work,
income, security
E
Emotional--joy, peace, hope
S Social--love,
marriage, family, friends
S
Spiritual--salvation, faith, grace
Why should I bless
my
neighbors?
First, your neighbors matter
to God. They are precious sons and daughters
whom he loves. God grieves over those who are
apart from him and wants them to return "home."
Prayer will move them toward the Father, and
heaven will rejoice when they come home (Luke
15:7, 11-24)
Second, God commands that
"requests, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving be made for everyone." "Everyone"
includes your neighbors whom God wants "to be
save and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (I
Tim. 2:1,4)
Third, as you bless others,
you too will be blessed.
For more information on
praying for your neighbors, go to HOPE's website
at: www.hopeministries.org. |
