Day 26

Have you ever tried to break a habit? I am told it takes 21 days to create a good habit. Twenty-one days of consistently trying something new to give it time to take hold. If we are not intentional then the good habit will not take hold. On the flip side, to remove a bad habit, it can take 21 days...or more!! The obvious changes would be for the one who wants to quit smoking or the one who wants to lose weight, a change in behavior is a must and often times a change in routine is the first step. Can you relate? When I came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior my life changed. But part of the change required me to change my behavior and the choices I made. I wanted to go to church on Sundays, I wanted to listen to different music, I wanted to parent differently and I wanted to be a wife that was "better than before." The thing is, I was clueless how to do those things. It was actually easier for me to stay doing what came naturally, the old things. By the grace of God, I was placed in a church that encouraged us to be intentional about our faith. A church that taught us to seek God for direction, how to read and to study His word, to be a doer of the word not just a listener. I am so grateful!! I also know of three people who lifted me up in prayer on a continual basis. They each helped in different areas of my life to keep me moving forward and to keep me excited about my faith.

Day 26
The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer by Andrew Murray

What to Pray: For the Holy Spirit on Young Converts

"When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:15-16).

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Many new converts remain weak; many fall into sin; many backslide entirely. If you pray for the church, its growth in holiness and devotion to God's service, pray especially for the young converts. Many stand alone, surrounded by temptation; many have no teaching on the Spirit in them and the power of God to establish them. Some are without support of family or friends. Some are in countries that are closed to the Gospel, where Satan has a stronghold. When you pray for the power of the Spirit in the church, pray in particular that every young or new convert may know that he may claim and receive the fullness of the Spirit in his life.

How to Pray: Without Ceasing

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right" (1 Samuel 12:23).

We are sinning against the Lord if we cease to pray for others. When we begin to see how absolutely indispensable intercession is, just as much our responsibility as loving God or believing in Christ, and how we are called and bound to do it as believers, we will be convinced that to cease our intercession is a serious sin. Let us ask for grace to take our place as priests with joy and give our life to bring down the blessing of heaven on those who depend on our prayers and supplications.

Your Own Prayer Requests:

~Ask the Spirit to bring into your life a new believer.

I have chatted with many gals who are new in their faith. They are alone in their homes and alone in their families. They are trying to show their children the love of Jesus but they don't really know how to do that. Some have young children and cannot make it to Bible study, some can barely make it to church without an upheaval at home. Some come to church alone just to hear and learn what the Bible has to say. Do you remember that for yourself? I do, but then again I didn't grow up in a church atmosphere so for me I couldn't wait for Sunday! If you grew up in the church this is an area where you may not be able to grasp how lonely it is to be so new in your faith and not know what to do with this new found faith. Where those around you don't want to hear all that you have been learning. For these gals, it is much easier to slide back to the old ways because the new ways are too lonely and too hard! Satan LOVES to attack our new believers. One of his many daggers is doubt or discouragement. I am so grateful that our God is bigger than he (Satan) who is in this world and our God LOVES to protect us from the enemy. God uses us, His children, and asks us to pray for His Babe's in Christ. If you are new in your faith and want me to pray for you, leave a comment and I will be happy to do that...it will be a privilege!!