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2012 Prayer

"My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make ever effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus." Philippians 3: 10-12

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Side Note

After Sunday's message from our pastor, I felt like I needed to take a side trip from Africa to express the conviction I am under.

Our pastor preached out of 1 Timothy 2:1-7 where we are reminded to pray for our leaders, people of influence and all who are unbelievers. I sat there thinking about how many people have been praying for the people of Africa. They have prayed so much that when we arrived, the fields were so ripe for harvest. The conviction came when I realized that I haven't even been praying for my own country. God's heart is truly for the lost.
1 Timothy 2:4-6 states: "[God] who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time."
My translator, Pastor Ben understood these verses. As we traveled through the hillside he would share with me how burdened he is for the Ugandan people. There is so many who need to hear the gospel. So much so, that when we attended another pastor's wedding, Pastor Ben said that he could not stay for the reception because he was going back to Sibanga to help with the crusade. He said that since he missed going hut to hut that morning because of the wedding, he would just have to go hut to hut on Monday to make up for the time he lost in sharing the gospel with the people. That is a heart who desires all men to be saved!!
Pastor Ben and Me at Pastor Timothy's Wedding
How burdened am I for my children and other family members? How burdened am I for the people who live in my neighborhood? How burdened am I for the leaders of my city, state, and country? How burdened am I for the men and women who influence us in the media? I'm afraid to say that I have not been burdened at all, when I can't even remember the last time I prayed for the salvation of any of the above mentioned persons. Yet, God is patient in his return because he longs for more people to come to know him. And he is patient with me when I forget to share his heart with a lost and dying world.
Scott, Pastor Ben, and Me at Pastor Timothy's Wedding
Lord, give me the burden and the desire to pray for my children, family, neighbors, officials, leaders, and people of influence. Lord, give me a heart that desires for all men to be saved through the one God and one mediator between God and man...Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus Christ name I pray. Amen.

P.S. For those who are interested in praying for people who have a cultural influence, you can go to www.mastermediaintl.org/mediaminute and sign up to receive two names a day that you can pray for. The Media Leader Prayer Calendar is also a great way to pray for media personnel together as a family.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for this! I also have been convicted of this...why I don't have a passionate hunger for the salvation of others. I am going to check out the web site too:) Sounds great!

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