Prayer Guide

Preparation

Mal 3:1-18  1 "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. 2 "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. 4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in former years. 5 And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien-- because they do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. 6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. 7 Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, 'In what way shall we return?' 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts;
12 "And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts. 13 "Your words have been harsh against Me," says the LORD, "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?' 14 You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts? 15 So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.'" 16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. 17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." 18 Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. (NKJ)

Malachi charges the Israelites with robbing God and refusing to acknowledge it.


INSIGHT:

  • The Israelites who returned to Jerusalem have grown comfortable, complacent, and arrogantly insensitive.
  • Through His messenger Malachi, God confronts the Israelites with their complacency.
  • He charges that the priests are despising His name and defiling His altar.
  • God says He will no longer accept their offerings.
  • He states that the Israelites have been wearisome to Him with their words.
  • God asks them to return to Him. He reproaches them for robbing Him.
  • The Israelites have hardened their hearts, and they no longer feel the pull of God in their lives.
  • The result is a barren period of 400 years with no word from God.
  • Be certain that you respond to the work of God in your heart--lest you experience spiritual barrenness.

  

Pray for our Pastors and Ministries

Praise the Lord for enriching our lives when we follow Him:
In as much as there is none like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due,
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You (Jeremiah 10:6-7).

Pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life free from sin:
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared (Psalm 130:1-4).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- Growth as you pursue your full potential as a child of God
-- The fulfillment of the Great Commission
-- Your activities for the day

Offer this closing prayer to God:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

Please ask God to help our pastors to remain faithful to the Lord, their family and their call.  Please ask God to help them fulfill the biblical qualifications of their spiritual gift.

1 Tim 3:1-7  1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);  6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.  (NKJ)

  • Alan Herd
  • Jim Mudd
  • Randy Lawrence
  • Doug Harris
Pray for each of the ministries of our church…

  • That each ministry would honor and glorify God.
  • That each person would submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
  • That each person would serve in the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • That each person would use biblical wisdom as they serve.

  • Nursery
  • Awana
  • Children’s Church
  • Youth Ministry
  • Kitchen Ministry
  • Fellowship Ministry
  • Campus Ministry
  • Music Ministry
  • Women’s Ministry
  • Men’s Ministry
  • Sunday School / Discipleship Training
  • Tape/CD/DVD Ministry
  • Library Ministry
  • Cleaning Ministry
  • Missions Ministry
  • Outreach Ministry

      · Deacon Ministry

           1 Tim 3:8-13 8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. (NKJ) 

      --Ben Montgomery
      --Dennis Eastridge
      --David Mudd


    Intercessory Prayer Requests


    Philippians 2:2-8 – Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

    •         pray that our members will continue to grow spiritually and to fulfill our membership covenant: to protect the unity of our church, to share the responsibility of our church, to serve the ministry of our church, and to support the testimony of our church
    •        pray that the lay-leaders in our church will lead us to worship God and enjoy Him forever
    •        pray that our members will build up the body of Christ by using their spiritual gifts: administration, evangelism, exhortation, giving, helps, hospitality, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, shepherding, teaching
    •       pray for the hearts of those in our community who are unsaved and/or not in church that God would lead them to Grace Baptist Church to be loved, evangelized and discipled

     

    Listen/Action

    Allow God to speak to you through His word that you have read. 

    • What does he want you to do? 
      • With what ministry(s) does He want you to be more involved?
      • How would God have you serve in that ministry?
      • What person(s) can you encourage this week by:
        • Sending an email
        • Calling
        • Writing a note