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 CALL TO PRAYER

1 Samuel 12:23 "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you."

People of God, those called saints by the Apostle Paul, those who have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, those united to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are called to be, to live as a people of prayer.

God's will never accomplished by human efforts or ingenuity. God's will is either done by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through you, or it is not done at all. We are called to pray for one another. We are commanded to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us because we belong to Jesus Christ.

It is not in the articulate manner in which we communicate with God. The power of prayer does not rest in us, but solely in the One we address in prayer as our Father, the Lord of all, the only true and everlasting God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God calls us into deep communication and fellowship with Him. He is infinite in all His perfections. We are finite and thus limited, having known the brokenness and rebellion of sin. God has intervened in Jesus Christ to die for us, as us, He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God IN HIM. He wants us to know Him and to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We pray, we seek to spend time with God in silence, in worship, in confession, in praise, reading and thus feeding on the Word of God, we intercede because we believe God. Our confidence is not grounded in the resolution of our problems, but in the faithfulness of God in all He has promised. All of God's promises have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ and by the gift of faith, we become partakers of God's everlasting grace and salvation.

Here is the Gospel in a couple of phrases:
1. Jesus died for me
2. Jesus dies AS me
3. Jesus now lives in me. He is life within me
4.Jesus lives through me to carry on His ministry of dismantling the works of the devil.

Gather with other followers of Jesus Christ in worship, Word and prayer. Agree with God and intercede. Cooperate with the Lord God be believing Him and acting on His Word.

The world is still crawling in the dark, looking for answers, deceived by demonic influences that have been dubbed as "normative culture". The fruit of that is decay, not life; blindness and not clarity of vision. Jesus Christ alone brings life, light and salvation, the rescue and redemption of a life that will but believe and receive.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 A.D.):
A life of prayerful devotion, not merely empty words, was a "heart on fire to seek, to love, to be one with Christ the Lord". This devotion sustains the faithful in difficult times.
St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397 A.D.):
"The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly batter and crash against her, she offers the safest harbor of salvation for all in distress".
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.):
Referencing the Gospel story of Jesus calming the storm, Augustine preached that the "barque of Christ, the Church, even amidst the fiercest of storms, with the grace of the Holy Spirit will never sink". Jesus' seeming inactivity in the face of the storm is a test of faith, as his divine protection is still present.
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 A.D.):
Facing exile, he declared, "Let the waves rise, for they cannot sink the boat of Christ. I have only contempt for the world's threats... I have no fear of death, nor do I long to live except for your good". His confidence in the Church's ultimate security is a powerful expression of stability in the face of adversity.

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