Nehemiah Prayer Focus

October 19, 2009

REJOICE
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Rejoice that God made the heavens and the earth, the sun rise, the beautiful sunsets, the moon and the stars, the blue ocean, rain that replenishes the earth and gives us water to drink. Shout with joy, that the Lord produces a harvest blessing.

Rejoice that it is more blessed to give than to receive, that our light will shine before men as they see our good deeds and praise our Heavenly Father. Rejoice and be glad for our reward is in heaven. Rejoice that we have put our faith and hope in the Lord who renews our strength as we soar on eagles wings. Rejoice that we can run and not grow weary as we walk with the Lord. Rejoice that God knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and plans to give us a hope and a future for many generations to come. Rejoice that we produce fruit in keeping with our repentance.

Rejoice that God so loved each of us that He gave His only son so whosoever believes in Him has eternal life. Rejoice that through prayer, we planted the seed of God in our hearts, souls and minds. Rejoice that we can ask for what ever we want in the name of Jesus and if we believe, we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer.
Rejoice that Nehemiah gave us the example to follow. Rejoice that Jesus showed us the way through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice that the land will yield it harvest and that God will bless us. Rejoice from what God has entrusted to us, we have given out of love to His glory for the Nehemiah Project.

Rejoice that as we receive the seed that fell on good soil by hearing the word of God and through obedience, a crop is produced, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Rejoice that God honors our faith. Be thankful for His mercy, Gods grace, the cross, the Holy Bible, our families, Trinity on the Hill! Rejoice for His indescribable gift to each of us and that God gives us immeasurably more that we ever imagined or ask for. To God be the glory!!!!

Prayer Reflections:
Share with the Lord and others the reason you have to Rejoice.
What message has the Lord spoken to you during these 40 days of prayer?
Has God revealed to you your mission in life for His kingdom?

Scripture this week
There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 12: 1

[ Hannah's Prayer ] Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. I Samuel 2:1-3

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
Luke 6:23

and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. Luke 15:6

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, Acts 2:26

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

October 12, 2009

ENTRUST
As we go about our busy lives we seldom slow down to contemplate what God has entrusted to us and the responsibilities we possess.
We will soon conclude the financial campaign for our Nehemiah Project. We have worked so hard to illustrate the strategic importance of this project to the future of our church. God has richly blessed Trinity and will continue to do so if we stay in His will.
Almost every member of our church has been impacted by the economic downturn of our economy. The value of many of our worldly items has vanished before our eyes but the church is still here offering hope, compassion, love and guidance for all.
In times like these, God raises up leaders to help people accomplish incredible tasks in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. We have such leaders at Trinity. When asked to lead, will we enthusiastically answer the call?
There is nothing greater God could entrust us with than children. These are His children, entrusted to us to love, teach, nurture and enjoy. He has entrusted us with the responsibility of making sure our children know Him and have a relationship with Him.
Our renovated Sanctuary and expanded youth building will enhance two of the strongest ministries in our church and provide growth opportunities. The improvements in our Sanctuary will enable us to expand our music ministry and provide opportunities to attract new members and nurture Christian relationships with young people and their parents.
The expanded youth facility will enable us to involve more youth in our programs, particularly college students. As a result of our efforts, the door of opportunity to meet and know Christ opens wider.
These two ministries have brought thousands of young people face to face with Jesus Christ. As a result, we have produced ministers, missionaries, musicians and hundreds of parents who will serve as positive role models for their children and carry the message of Christ to the next generation.
God has entrusted us with the responsibility of spreading His Gospel to all corners of the world. Your support of the Nehemiah Project will help us fulfill His mission.


Scripture this week:
...but they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave and go down to you? Four times they sent me the same message and each time I gave them the same answer. Nehemiah 6:1-4
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. -Luke 12:48
...now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together. I sent Him this reply: Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head. -Nehemiah 6:5-8
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge - 1 Timothy 6:20
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed. But I prayed Now strengthen my hands. -Nehemiah 6:9
On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. -1 Thessalonians 2:4
...He has been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me. - Nehemiah 6:10-13
When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. -1 Peter 2:23
Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. -2 Timothy 1:14

October 5, 2009

YIELD

To yield means to give up as to a superior power. It is to relinquish or surrender. When we come to a yield sign while driving, we are patient and give way to the other driver. Spiritually to yield means to relinquish to Gods will and His ways.

"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." Joshua 24:23

As we yield to God to be the Lord of our lives, we walk by faith on the promises of the Lord and not by fear as we look at the earthly circumstances of our lives. By faith, our seed grows as we hear the word of God and are obedient to what Christ is saying to us. Nehemiah yielded to the Lords call on his life to repair the walls of Jerusalem. By faith the Israelites yielded to the Lord instead of the body of water they faced and the people passed through the Red Sea on dry land. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the members of Trinity will yield to hear Gods will for each of our lives so that the seed we plant will yield a Harvest Blessing as we come together as a community of believers through prayer.

"But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." Matthew 13:23

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, Then the land will yield its harvest,aand God, our God, will bless us." Psalm 67:1-7

Prayer Reflections:
What earthly circumstance is holding you back from yielding completely to the Lord?

We are at the crossroads- do we yield to the circumstances of our life or to faith in Christ?

September 28, 2009

ASK

Wouldn't a parent rather hear their child ask, May I go to the movies? instead of Can I have some money for the movies?

Scripture says in Matthew 7:9-11 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"

Nehemiah modeled the best way to make a request in Nehemiah 2:4-6
The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to turn to Him in prayer and ask what His will is and what pleases Him. Matthew 6:8 says,Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Let us ask through prayer to our Father in Heaven, our perfect parent, for all our needs. Let us individually seek Gods will so that we do not limit His generosity. Scripture says God wants to give us immeasurably more than what we ever imagined or asked for. Lets pray the gracious hand of the Lord will be upon each one of us as we ask through prayer, seek to find and knock so the floodgates of heaven will be open to each of us.

May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you.

Prayer Reflections:
Ask God to reveal to you His will for your life.

Ask the King of kings to reveal to you the amount He would like for you to give to His glory for the Nehemiah Project.

September 21, 2009

REPENT
Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know. Job 34:33
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Matthew 3:1
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 3:8
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:2
But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Luke 13:2
Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

September 14, 2009

PRAISE
After we receive a present for our birthdays or other special occasions, we not only say thank you, but we also write a note of appreciation to the one who thought of us. We teach our children to write thank you notes for the gifts they receive because it reveals their appreciation for the gift and it warms the heart of the giver. God has given us an indescribable gift in our prayer bags. We can show our appreciation as we use the prayer journal daily and receive the ultimate present when we come into His presence. Communication through prayer not only pleases the heart of our Heavenly Father, but it reveals to Him our hearts of love and thankfulness. Just as we like to see our loved ones enjoy the gifts we give them, our Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy the many blessings He has provided for us. Praise God in prayer as you read these passages:
*Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1
*Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:1-6
*I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws. I will obey Your decrees. Psalm 119:7-8
PRAYER REFLECTIONS:
As you reflect on your relationship with Jesus Christ, can you praise God for the gift of salvation? If not, ask Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior.
Share with your loved ones words of appreciation you would use to describe them.
Praise the Lord today as you name the many blessings He has bestowed on you and your family and your church home.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praisethe fruit of lips that confess His name. Hebrews 13:15
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort2 Cor. 1:3

September 4, 2009

Looking Ahead at the 40 Days of P.R.A.Y.E.R.

Sunday, September 13
Prayer Bags distributed during both morning worship services to all members. Please be in attendance so we can start the 40 days of prayer devotions as a congregation.

Monday, September 14
40 Days of P.R.A.Y.E.R. begins
Praise (Sept 14-20)
Repent (Sept. 21-27)
Ask (Sept. 28-Oct. 4)
Yield (Oct. 5-11)
Entrust (Oct. 12-18)
Rejoice (Oct. 19-25)

Thursday, October 15
Nehemiah Banquet with guest speaker,
Dr. John Ed Mathison

Sunday, October 18
Harvest Sunday

Sunday, October 25
Rejoice in the Lord!

August 21, 2009

Lets unite our hearts, souls, and minds as we pray to our Heavenly Father for seven minutes each day. Please sign up for the free Upper Room Devotion online www.upperroom.org or you can get one in the Narthex or Gathering Area.
Lets begin each day in unison with our church family as we read the same Word of God and pray the suggested prayer. Through prayer, we can have immediate access to the throne of God and obtain His power. We will begin to walk by faith as we look at the circumstances of life through Gods eyes and not through our short sightedness. We will seek the Lord together as we exercise our faith and trust Christ for His outcome with our lives and the Nehemiah Project.
Meditate and pray on these scriptures as we begin to walk by faith through prayer trusting God for His provision for our temple!
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ. Romans 10:17; Pray to hear the message through Gods Word.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1; Claim through prayer the promises of God.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6; Pray that you grow in your faith as you earnestly seek to know Christ.
May God bless us and keep us as we pray to know Christ and pray that Christ be known.

August 7, 2009

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating all that He had done. -Genesis 2:3
Pray and praise God that on Sunday, July 26 (seventh month) the members of Trinity on the Hill UMC unanimously approved to move forward with the Nehemiah Project. Praise be to our Heavenly Father on behalf of the Nehemiah committee members, that after years of planning and preparation, Sunday was a holy day of rest and worship as we gave glory to the Lord for the work He is doing through us.
Praise God as you read in prayer: His disciples asked, Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd? Jesus replied, How many loaves do you have? Seven, they replied Then He took the seven loaves and the fish and when He had given thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Praise God that just as the seven loaves were given to Christ, that we will offer on the altar to our Lord and Savior, seven million on Harvest Sunday. Praise God that Christ took what was freely given to Him, gave thanks for it and shared the gift by way of the disciples back to the people. Praise God that what we present to Him will be given back to us as we worship in the Sanctuary, through the television ministry and in the youth building after the re-building project is complete.
Praise God that we can walk by faith on this spiritual journey through prayer. Praise God that from the seven loaves that were given to Christ, the multitude was fed, everyone was filled and there were leftovers.

July 24, 2009

The Nehemiah Project Prayer Ministry seeks to glorify our Father through prayer as we walk by faith to rebuild Christs temple! Will you please join us in covering the Nehemiah Project in prayer? We need each person at Trinity to be a participant. Prayer is a time to open our hearts and souls to our Heavenly Father. It is our way of acknowledging our need for Him and answering His call to us. In Exodus 3:4, Moses approached the burning bush. When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." At the conclusion of many worship services, we sing Here I am, Lord, Is it I ,Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. Let us be obedient to Gods call and say, Here I am, Lord as we turn to our Lord and Savior in prayer.
Prayer is like driving a car. You can read all the manuals on driving but it is not until you get behind the wheel of the car that you learn to drive. Please pray for your temple (body) which houses the Holy Spirit, pray for your earthly home and family and for Christs temple and your church family.
You can begin by praying in the morning before your feet hit the floor. You can pray at the dinner table with your family. You can pray in your car. You can pray while exercising. You can say your prayers at night with your children and you can take turns saying your prayers with your spouse. You can pray at the altar during our church worship service. You can pray without ceasing. Just remember, Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain. Psalm 127:1. Pray to your Heavenly Father to build the temple.

July 10, 2009

Mission: To glorify our Father through prayer as we walk by faith to rebuilt Christs temple.
Prayer Focus:
Pray to seek Gods will as He orchestrates the details of the rebuilding of the temple. They replied, Let us start rebuilding. So they began this good work.-Nehemiah 2:18
Pray that each individual person at Trinity comes into the presence of the Lord to know Christ personally. Dont you know that you yourselves are Gods temple and that Gods Spirit lives in you? -1 Corinthians 3:16
Pray that as we lay the foundation of the temple we will all walk by faith in Jesus Christ. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Thessalonians 1:3