One Hour Prayer Challenge

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

August 27,2013

When is it time to stop praying?

Posted by William Kirchhofer at 1:36 PM

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About Me

William Kirchhofer: My wife Daisy (also a pastor) and I are a multicultural couple. We are both fluent in English and Spanish with a little Spanglish thrown in. We have six grown children and a multitude of wonderful grandchildren. I am the lead pastor of Crossroads Free Methodist Church (www.crossroadsfmc.com). My wife is my co-pastor. I have a law degree from New York Law School (1982), a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary (1999) and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2009). My doctoral thesis was entitled "Fire Among the Stubble: Church Renewal in the Wesleyan Tradition". I believe that church history teaches us principles that if implemented will create an environment within which God will bring renewal. My goal is to teach church leaders principles of church renewal. I approach renewal from the perspective of Church history. Those who God used mightily as instruments of renewal in the past have much to teach us. I long to see revival and reform that leads to true renewal of the church and society. I believe this is not only God's will but our calling as leaders of the Church.

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Format for One Hour Prayer

How to Pray for One Hour
(By David Harvey)

Could you not keep watch with me for one hour? (Matt. 26:40)

I. Getting Started

Go into a room and close the door (Matt. 6:6). Take with you a pen and note book to write down what God says to you during this time.

Begin by enjoying the words of the following prayer. Linger over these phrases until they change from being your words to being your desires.

Almighty God, my heavenly father, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of your holy spirit, that I may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord.

II. Thanking

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you...." (1 Thess. 5:18)

Thank God for everything you can think of to thank him for in the last 24 hours.

Thank him for specific things he has done in history; your history, your family and friend's histories, and the history of the world. Pray Psalms like Psalm 91 or 103. Thank him for Bible heroes whose examples we follow.

Thank him for who he is. Name specific attributes such as: that his love never ends, that his mercy endures, that his faithfulness is great etc. Thank him for what he has created. Use Psalms such as Psalm 8 and Psalm 90. Make your own list of Psalms to pray.

When you run out of things to thank him for, learn to be silent before God with a deep sense of gratitude to him. Allow him to bring to your mind other things for which you should give him thanks.

III. Offering - "...offer yourselves to God..." (Rom. 6:13)

Begin by reviewing your past 24 hours and confess to God anything in your life that was not pleasing to him and ask for forgiveness.

Offer all of you to all of God: Slowly and deliberately offer your body, mind, spirit, attitudes, words, thoughts, actions, and feelings to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Submit fully your past, present and future to God. Name your fears and release them to him. "How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live." (Heb. 12:9)

Pray earnestly for the grace to submit to God for his healing the parts of your past that are preventing you from loving purely in the present. Pray that God will either reveal the parts of your past that are preventing you from loving purely so that you can submit them to him for his healing, or that he will enable you to submit these hidden parts of your past to God for healing even without you becoming aware of them.

Offer your whole self to God so that you do not have to live as a victim of any person, or any fear, or any circumstance, but you are free to love the way that Jesus loves the Father and loves people.

Pray for the freedom to forgive.

Offer yourself to God by affirming to him that this day you will keep your heart free of any ill will toward any person. Affirm to him that if he reveals any ill will that you are harboring in your heart you will immediately deal with it both through prayer, by asking for cleansing and forgiveness, and if necessary, by making amends with that person.

Allow yourself to be overtaken by a profound sense of joy as you submit to God.

IV. Discussing/Asking for help

"Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered" (Psalm 108:6)

"Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth...." (Matt. 6:10)

Begin to discuss with God the need for his will to triumph in specific situations; be specific in your requests to God for help.

Pray for the church

Pray that through the church, "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Hab. 2:14)

Pray that the Lord would send out workers into the harvest field so the church will multiply.

Pray that he would build his church, both locally and around the world.

Pray for an obedient church; pray especially that hospitality and encouragement would flow out of it.

Discuss with God specific issues in your church in which his help is needed.

Pray for lost people for whom you have been burdened to pray.

Pray for others

Begin to discuss with God the present and future of individuals you care about and have been called to pray for, and for earthly situations which need God's intervention. We are praying that God's grace will be lavished in these lives and situations; that God will redeem people and situations.

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Eph. 1:7-8)

Pray that this individual would know the love of the God the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Pray that this person may be able to receive:

- grace for repentance,
- grace for healing,
- grace for strength,
- grace for peace,
- grace for protection, and
- grace for purity.

Pray that people would come to hate their sin; pray that issues that are keeping the will of God from prevailing would be exposed.

Pray that God's will would prevail in every person's life and in every situation. Pray that pure love would shape the situation.

Pray that you will be a source of encouragement in these lives and situations.

Pray for your family

Pray using the guide in the above section that individuals would receive God's grace.

Pray for your heirs, to several generations in the future, including future spouses.

Pray for the children in your family.

Pray for Godly fathering and mothering in your family.

Pray that Godliness and love would characterize each person, each home and each generation.

Pray that none of your family would be missing in heaven.

Pray for yourself

Discuss your need for specific provisions for this day. Walk through your day with God, offer each event to him and ask for his assistance.

Ask for help in resisting temptation. Name your temptations to God.

Ask for grace for peace, protection, and for purity.

V. The Next Steps

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God. (James 1:5)

Spend time asking God about the next steps in your life:

What is my next step in my relationship with my family?

What is the next step in my spiritual growth?

What is the next step in my ministry?

Pray for wisdom for grace to submit to and obey what he has revealed to you in these prayers.

VI. Affirmation

"Be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power" (Eph. 6:10)

Affirm your desire to honor God with every part of your life in this day.

Affirm that you will walk in God's joy regardless of the difficulties of the day.

Pray all of this in the strong Name of Jesus.

"But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:57)

Be With Him....

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" (Matt. 26:40)

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

August 27,2013

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