Prayer: February 2011

If you have prayer requests, please send them to info@center31.com, so we can stand with you.

Did you ever feel like what’s the use in prayer? Why pray? I’m not seeing any results. I feel like I am praying into the air……

These thoughts have run through my mind quite often. I just want to stop or give up, but then some scriptures come to my mind that I hope will encourage you to continue to pray.

Luke 18:1, KJV
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

I’ve posted the King James Version here, but some other translations say… “to illustrate their need for constant prayer, that they need to pray all the time, keep on praying, pray consistently, pray continually, always pray”…“not lose heart, never become discouraged, not give up, pray without becoming weary, never quit, do not get tired, not to turn coward.”

There are two things I like about this verse. One is that Jesus tells us to always pray. Always means – all the time; on all occasions; consistently. That’s pretty simple. Then He plainly says “don’t quit”.

The temptation is there all the time to not pray and to quit praying about a particular thing that we haven’t seen the results for. Satan knows what he is doing. He knows the way God get results in the earth is through our prayers. It is when we take our authority in Christ. Because it is only in Jesus’ name that we are able to approach the Father.

Satan gives all kinds of reasons not to pray. He tells us we are not worthy; God won’t listen to us; It’ll never happen; stay in bed: watch television; go on FaceBook; surf the internet…… The list is endless.

We have to stop listening to his garbage and get in there to fight and make war in the heavenlies according to Ephesians 6:12. Satan wants us to quit fighting him in the spiritual realm and to lay down and die or fight with one another.

God is looking for people to pray and who understand the power He has given us in prayer. So I encourage you to pray consistently and do not get discouraged, faint, stop, lose heart….Your prayers have great power and yield wonderful results. (James 5:16)

For the next few months we are listing countries to pray for everyday with their leaders because 1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells us to pray for those in authority so we can live a peaceful and godly life.

Please pray for the ministries we support on a regular basis:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Pray for the leaders in the USA
Purse of Hope – Kristen Hendricks
Matthew & Elizabeth Thomas in India
Gary & Carolyn Walker in Haiti
Daniel & Menorah McCarty in Asia
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Joyce Meyer Ministries
Philip & Andiah Myburg – FHC South Africa
Larry & Nancy Ulrich – FHC Iowa
John & Marissa Paledino – Harvest Church of Tampa
Mark & Colleen Aitkenhead – Chattanooga
Alberto Gloria Argueto in Mexico
The Crow Family in Mexico
Bob & Donna Giffin in Mexico
Robert Kayanja in Uganda
Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries
Christians United For Israel
Marilyn Hickey Ministries

Somebody sent this to me via email and I think it is a good idea.

Evening Prayer

Someone has had that if we really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Did you know that during WWII there was an adviser to Winston Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing everyday at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace? There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate; Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00Pm Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific) stop what you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens,and for a return to a Godly nation. Encourage others to join in. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Written by Colleen Aitkenhead. Colleen is the wife of Mark Aitkenhead, pastor of Christian family Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee.