Here are 7 specific ways to pray for yourself and others before, during and after any election day: Pray before you vote: 1. Ask God to give you a desire to get out and vote even if you don’t feel like it. “The good influence of godly citizens causes a city to prosper, but the moral decay of the wicked drives it downhill” (Proverbs 11:11 TLB). We often have the mentality, especially in local elections, that voting isn’t really very important or that our vote is just one o

Our nation, and indeed, every nation, is in great need of targeted intercession! There are so many different ways to seek God on behalf of America; however, here are five topics to prompt your prayers and guide your heart towards whatever else the Holy Spirit places on your heart: 1. Presence “I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people” (Lev. 26:11-12). Nothing is more important than the P

The Prophet Hosea, whose name means Salvation, has given us an amazing outline for prayer: “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12). Use these scriptural prayer points from Hosea to pray for yourself, your family, church, community and nation: • Sow righteousness for yourselves 2 Corinthians 9:6 – “Remember this: Wh

Do you ever run out of words to describe our powerful, amazing Lord as you pray? The Bible has a well that never runs dry. We can dip into this wondrous source of praise and lift our voices together as a family to glorify God. Here are 31 days of prayers that offer praise to Him in a multitude of ways. As you begin to praise Him in prayer about His character and attributes, you will begin to see how Scripture becomes a vital part of your prayer vocabulary. Each day you can ex

Praying Scripture is powerful and effective because: 1. Jesus is the Word.(John 1:1-2, 14) 2. It is the example of Jesus. (Matthew 4:1-11) 3. It is the example of the early Church.(Book of Acts; Acts 4:23-31) 4. His Word is His will. (Timothy 3:16-17) Scripture teaches us to know and fulfill God’s will. (John 5:14-15) Scripture teaches us God’s will for His Kingdom (Knowing what is on God’s heart). (John 6:38, John 14:10, John 13:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Matthew 9:37-38, John

It may happen during worship, or in our daily quiet time. We’ve all experienced it and been frustrated by it – distraction! It is the number one enemy of our attempts to worship, to pray and to listen.

Longtime Presbyterian minister Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “You’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. The older gentleman went on to tell him that he and another gentleman had decided to pray for him—that the Holy Spirit’s power would fall on him each time he stepped into the pul

> This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:9–10,13) Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the sain

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Growing up in church was a wonderful privilege for me. One of the benefits was the encouragement I received to memorize scripture. I’m pretty sure that the first full chapter I ever memorized was Psalm 23. The beautiful imagery and spiritual depth of the Good Shepherd’s Psalm has been a blessing for me throughout my life. Though I rarely use the King James Version anymore, I still revert to that when praying thr

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries There is an enormous untapped prayer potential in the Church that is underused because they are not often recognized as one of God’s most powerful armies – our senior citizens and those who find themselves in unexpected life circumstances. There are millions of Christ-followers in this population who may be feeling lonely, marginalized and uncertain as to what they should or can do in this season of their lives.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19). In this season of uncertainty and unrest, discerning the voice of God is critical. What is He saying to us about peace, justice, mercy, forgive

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries We have all been told to pray for guidance when we are unsure of what to do. But, how many of us actually know how to do this in a powerful and effective way? God’s word offers us the key to approach the Father with the confidence we are looking for when we face times of uncertainty. God clearly tells us that He desires the best for us. His best! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries We all know that in good times, it seems easier to pray. Our prayers flow from a place of gratitude and peace, thankfulness and joy. Yet, in difficult or painful times, it may seem much harder to press into the Lord in prayer. We know in our heads that God is the place we should go whether our circumstances are good or bad; however, sometimes we can feel paralyzed with fear, doubt, anger, disbelief, sadness, unc

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries In every election cycle, American Christians have amazing opportunities sandwiched between grave dangers. We are privileged to be a part of a nation of people who have the responsibility to choose their own leaders. For those believing that godly leaders are a source of blessing to a nation, elections provide us with great opportunity. However, when we begin to put our hope in leaders rather than in the Lord, we

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Father, the day of celebration is upon Your people! As we anticipate Your Son’s birth, we ask that you would stop our rushing around, and our frantic preparation to help us consider that Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior…is already here among us! He is God with Us – Jesus, our Emmanuel. E – Expectation Emmanuel, show me how each one of my days, not just Christmas, should and can be filled with the expectatio

If you have a weekly/regular prayer meeting and it has dwindled down to the “faithful few,” it’s time to take stock. If you are the organizer(s) of the prayer meetings, it can get discouraging if people are not participating in arguably the most important spiritual act designed by God and so prolifically practiced in the Book of Acts and the rest of Scripture. First, let’s look at the main reasons why people have either stopped coming or have never come to your prayer meeting

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I am amazed at the clear insight God granted King David in so many areas, including giving and possessions. In his later years, David gathered everything needed for his son Solomon to build the Temple of God, a place of worship. As you read his heartfelt prayer (and, I suggest, you read all of 1 Chronicles 29 to get the full picture of this extraordinary generosity that was displayed by the people of Israel), we

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I often hear pastors speak of their desire to have a church that prays more. I certainly understand and appreciate that desire. A praying church is a powerful church in so many ways. While there are many things that can be done to help a congregation grow in prayer, I believe the first and easiest step concerns the prayer life of the pastor(s). A praying pastor can become an amazing influence toward the church

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Christians around the world are praying for revival. What are they praying for and do they have good reason to expect revival? Is revival something God wants to do for His people today? To answer these questions, we need to understand that God has always worked in the area of revival with His people. From the earliest days of Israel, on through the history of the Church, God’s method of dealing with His people h

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries After being in prayer ministry for many years, I have been in hundreds of prayer rooms in churches of every stripe. There are three basic types of prayer rooms I would like to address today: The Prayer/Storage Room– this is a “prayer room” that shares space and is not fully dedicated to the purpose of prayer. In many cases, it is used for sound equipment, stage props, Christmas decorations…well, you get the idea

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Saturday, October 7, 2017, is marked in my mind and heart as one of the most extraordinary days I’ve ever experienced. My wife and I were in Washington, D.C. for the Awaken the Dawn days of worship and prayer. Though there was a main stage and some really great worship leaders and speakers, that’s not what I will carry with me the rest of my life. What impacted me most were 58 tents, one for each state, along wi

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries At a staff gathering recently, I was asked which Bible character was a real hero to me. My immediate answer was Moses, not so much because of his amazing miracles or leadership ability, but because of his intimacy with God. Again and again in Scripture we see Moses in wonderfully intimate conversation with his God. Exodus 33:7-11 is an excellent example of why Moses is a hero of mine: “Now Moses used to take a t

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I read and pray from the Psalms almost every day. Sometimes I get stuck . . . I’m sure you have experienced it too. There are certain verses that stop me in my tracks–even when I have read them many times before. A few days ago I had one of those experiences.I love Psalm 25 because it is a prayer that comes from David’s gut–his pain over his own youthful sin and his awareness that the consequences of his sin ha

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent” (Exodus 33:11). It is always amazing and such a blessing to read over a passage of scripture and see something I have never observed previously. Meditating on the word gives God an opportunity to hit the pause but