Men need a mission. Men’s ministries that involve only sharing feelings and didactic teaching, will not hold men’s interest for long. Men are wired to DO. They need objectives and goals - a MISSION. How about a call for them to be disciple makers and leaders in their families, in their church bodies, and in their communities and government?

I have found many Scriptures that direct us to pray for the people who are in authority over us. I discovered that when we are obedient to pray for our leaders, we step into a biblical principle that will bring peace to our lives, as well as our family, friends and neighbors.

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-5 NLT

Jesus said He would build His church upon this foundation—the Spirit-revealed knowledge of Jesus written upon the hearts of His people. God builds the church by revelation knowledge “precept upon precept,” stone upon stone—it will be His building. Psalms 127:1 puts it this way, “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. …” Can you think of a better foundation for God to build His church than Spirit-revealed knowledge of His Word?

Our Unfinished Work

The Ten Commandments for Christian Advocacy

A Prayer to Stop the Extreme Abortion Ballot Initiatives - from Priests for Life

Our faith builds when we experience God’s grace through fellowship with Him. The more we know our heavenly Father, the more faith we have in Him. Faith grows in direct proportion to the amount of time spent in His presence.

In the Old Testament, many large cities had walls surrounding them to provide protection from enemies. When part of the wall was broken down, the city was vulnerable to attack. Brave soldiers were needed to risk their lives by literally standing in the broken wall’s gap to turn back the enemy.

Today, “standing in the gap” is a term used by people familiar with warfare prayer and intercessory prayer.

When praying for someone in person, we pray most effectively when we have heard from God through spending time with Him. In that place of intimacy, we receive an overflow of God’s anointing and compassion.

We often speak of “mountaintop” experiences where we spend time alone with God. These encounters bring peace, joy, wisdom and revelation from Him and of Him, sometimes in a profound way. Ascending to the high places to abide with God will often transform us—He knows that. God is always calling out to us to come up higher.

“If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads

into all truth. John 14:15-17 NLT

No words could express more simply or more powerfully the inconceivably glorious place

Christ gives to obedience.

He (Jesus) made the things we can see and the things we can't see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16 NLT

Many years ago, God helped me understand, and better comprehend, the unseen world that exists around us. He graciously gave me the privilege to see the workings of the spiritual world through a vision.

We are all wounded, and every wound represents the potential to hurt other people. We sometimes do crazy things to try to cope with our wounded hearts. When a person lashes out at you, God wants you to see that person through His eyes, and to realize there is a hurting heart buried in the rubble of pain. Only God can heal a broken heart, no matter the source of the offense, whether self-inflicted or brought about by another person. It does not matter your station in life, whether you are at the pinnacle or the bottom of the heap, God offers His relentless love to heal your aching and wounded heart.

“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.” When we abide with God in prayer, our yielding to Him will bear the fruit we seek. This seems to be a paradox and backward to our finite earthly minds, but the power for the answer comes from laying down our concerns and burdens and choosing to abide in Him.

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalms 119:9-11 NKJV)

The terms “faith” and “believing” are synonymous, but these two concepts often have different meanings in Scripture. Therefore, I feel it necessary to distinguish between them. While studying the Scripture references that help define “faith” and those defining “belief,” I discovered a subtle shade of difference between the words.

We all have our own unique life story. Our story is our past and the myriad of influences and life events that shape us. Our narrative is how we express our outcome, as well as define ourselves to others based on our perspective about our story. In other words, what we tell others about ourselves, based on our story, will define who we are.

Knowing your position in Christ, who you are in God’s sight, will allow you to see and experience life from an eternal perspective. Your walk with Christ will no longer be a hum-drum experience weighed down with rules, worries, lack, and woes. Moreover, knowing and then realizing that you are a child of the King, will vanquish low self-esteem and any lingering feelings of unworthiness.

Prayer is to be intricately woven through every square inch of your life’s tapestry.

Your workplace can be transformed as you pray for your co-workers, your supervisors, and the

owners. The person who works beside you may have severe marriage problems—Jesus is the answer

and you carry His message—prayer goes before you to prepare his or her heart to receive your healing

words. The company may have financial problems, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of

workers—Jesus is the answer and you carry His message—prayer goes before you to open doors for

peace and prosperity to return to your workplace.

How does life transformation happen? It takes place when we take God’s Word back to Him in prayer. God’s Word is transformative. We can “hear” His Word from many sources. Jesus often said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”