“…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16

Can prayer really make a difference?  Can my prayers actually change things?  Is it possible for the will of God to be thwarted because I don’t pray?  These are legitimate questions.  The answers you give them reflect the very foundation of your relationship with the Lord.  On one hand, if God is Sovereign, He’s going to do everything the way He wants, so why pray?  On the other hand, if He is waiting on my prayers to execute His will, then I had better get serious about praying really quick.  How does His Sovereignty and my prayers go together?

God uses prayer to make the impossible, possible and the ordinary, extraordinary.  Prayers make our efforts effective and help us to define God’s will more clearly.  C.H. Spurgeon said, “Whenever God determines to do a great work, He first sets His people to pray.”  Faithful praying releases the Holy Spirit to act.

Someone once said, “God does things when we pray that He does not do when we do not pray.”  May today’s devotional be an inspiration for you to seek the Lord in prayer. 

Prayer Focus: Thank God for hearing all the prayers that have been lifted up on our church’s behalf.  Thank Him in advance for answering them.  Pray God’s people at Impact will pray more than ever before and that everything we do as a church will be labored over in prayer.  And may that start with you!  Make sure you have been and continue to connect with Him through prayer.  What is He leading you to do now for Him and His ministry?

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”    
Matthew 6:13

Jesus taught us much about prayer in word and in action.  “The Disciple’s Prayer,” is a part of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.  It’s the model prayer, and it gives us an outline of the subjects we should pray over.

At the close of the prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father’s direction for our day.  It includes a healthy understanding of our enemy and his ability to deceive us away from the Father’s will for our lives.  Satan loves to bring the child of God into the place of temptation and ultimately, after we have surrendered to temptation, to the place of bondage.  Not cool!

We should pray every day for God to lead us in the paths of righteousness.  Pray He will give us daily deliverance from the enemy’s power and deceit.  The enemy never ceases his relentless attacks.  Therefore, prayer should be a vital part of our daily life.

Of course, we have opportunity for complete victory over all of the enemy’s attacks.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we know the King of the Kingdom.  It’s His kingdom to which we belong, and after prayer, we are refocused on kingdom priorities. 

Prayer Focus: Pray God will give the people of Impact a spirit of prayer.  Pray He will clearly direct us and protect us from the evil one. 

Take time to focus on God’s greatness and thank Him for the vision He has given our church.  Pray during this spiritual journey, He will reveal to you how you can use your time, talents, and treasures to further this vision for His glory.

"’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered.”
Mark 11:22

George Mueller hadn’t faced a situation quite like it.  Before him were 120 orphans, expectantly seated at long dinner tables.  But something at this mealtime tested the mettle of Mueller’s heart.  On the dinner plates at that table was...nothing but water.  Eager faces looked toward him, as if to say, “What’s for dinner?”  But he didn’t know; the cupboard was bare and the icebox was empty.  There was no milk, and no money to buy food or drink.

What was George to do?  It didn’t take long for him to decide.  He would do what he had done every other mealtime.  He would instruct the children to bow their heads and join him in thanking God for the meal they were about to eat.  He would praise God for the faithfulness of His provision.  And so he did.  Mueller prayed simply, directly, and with a heart filled with faith.

When the “amen” was pronounced, the plates were still empty.  But as the eyes of those 120 youngsters turned again to the head table, a knock sounded at the door.  One of the boys was sent to answer.  A moment later, he called out, “Mr. Mueller, it’s the vegetable man!  He’s got a lot of stuff for us!”  “Coincidentally,” there were many vegetables that would spoil if he didn’t do something with them.  While the vegetables were being unloaded, another person came to the door — the butcher!  He had run out of ice at the end of a hot day and faced the prospect of awful, rotting meat.  Could the orphanage use it?  No sooner had he spoken the words than another amazing “coincidence” occurred.  The milkman’s wagon pulled up, overloaded with milk and dairy products and needing desperately to do something with them!

Needless to say, it was quite a banquet that night.  And it was the finest lesson in faith those orphans ever received.  Would the same thing have happened had Mueller not prayed, believing God for His provision and thanking him ahead of time for it?  We don’t know, but we do know Jesus said we have not because we ask not.  And we know His will for us is to walk by faith, not by sight.

Prayer Focus: God is calling each attender of Impact to answer a vital question:  “Do you have the faith to trust God for His provision?”  No matter what the circumstances are?  No mater how gloom your reality may seem?  Do you trust God to provide?  Talk to Him about that right now.  Spend at least 10 minutes (minimum) and share your heart about your faith in His provision.  Oh yeah… and be honest!

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!  It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.  It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.  For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.”
Psalm 133:1

Remember the television show M*A*S*H?  It was based on an American emergency medical unit in the Korean War.  This group of people was composed of some very different personalities.  There was Hawkeye Pierce, B.J., and Father Mulcahy.  There was Colonel Potter, Radar, and Hotlips Houlihan.  They were always playing jokes on one another and arguing over different political views and the war.  But there was always one thing that brought these characters together.  It did not matter what particular argument was going on or what particular practical joke was being pulled, when they heard the sound of the choppers bringing in wounded, they always were united in the O.R.

In our day of hurting and wounded people, we cannot afford to be one more church that spends all of its time arguing over things that will not matter in the light of eternity.  We must bring our differences together and allow the Lord to merge them in unity of the Spirit.

Just as Aaron, the high priest, was anointed on his head and the oil ran down his body, so the Holy Spirit descends from our great High Priest, Jesus Christ.  Anointing always brings harmony.

Prayer Focus: Pray that, throughout the fulfilling of the vision God has given Impact, we will experience genuine harmony resulting from the Holy Spirit’s presence among us.  Ask God to show you specific ways you can contribute toward the unity of believers at Impact.  Do you know anyone who adds to the disharmony of the church?  How is God guiding you to respond to that division?  Are you divided?  Many times people just need their questions answered.  Ask God to help you lead a unified cause to see more lives changed… starting with your own!

“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it…and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.’”
Genesis 28:16,22

Today’s passage finds Jacob running from the consequences of his actions and falling asleep at a place called Bethel.  While he was asleep, God revealed Himself to him in a personal way.  It was then the God of his fathers became his personal God too.

Before we see how this destiny moment changed his perspective about giving, let’s look at the point where God showed up in Jacob’s life.

God reveals Himself when we are at the end of ourselves.  Jacob’s scheming and trickery had brought him nothing but failure and rejection.  When he stopped running and fell asleep at Bethel, he had nothing.  It is when you are at the end of your rope God reveals Himself to you in a personal way.

God also reveals Himself when we are alone.  God came to Moses when he was alone with his flocks in Midian.  God came to Isaiah while he was alone in the temple praying.  God uses our alone time to reveal Himself to us because that’s when He has our undivided attention.

Jacob was forever changed at Bethel.  When God became personal to him, he immediately vowed to give God a tenth of everything.  This personal encounter with God changed Jacob from a taker in life to a tither.  Personal encounters with God result in changed lives.

Prayer Focus: Pray everyone touched by Impact will experience a personal relationship with God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ask the Father how the giving of your time, talent, and treasures can reveal your personal faith in Him.  Don’t wait to get to the end of your rope before you realize God is in control.  Surrender now.  Your life, your heart, your finances, your family, your church… It’s all His!  100%!  Maybe you’re already at “Bethel.”  When you wake up – look for God.  He’ll meet you there!

“Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
John 4:35

Imagine this scene....

Jesus is gathered with a small group of followers on a hillside overlooking the area.  With a sweeping gesture of His hand, He says “Some think there are still four months until harvest, but I say, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.”  The followers squint their eyes, straining to see what Jesus sees, but they recognize no gleaming fields of grain.   With puzzled expressions they turn to Him, as if to ask, “Where exactly is the grain ready to harvest?”  Knowing their hearts, He says, “I’m not talking about a physical harvest of grain, but a spiritual harvest of people.”  Patiently, He continues, “Dear ones, you must look above and beyond the distractions to see the people.  It is to them that I came to give life and give it abundantly.”

Just as He wanted them to see the spiritual harvest, He wants us to do the same today.  And, just as they needed to look above and beyond, so do we.

Prayer Focus:  Right now, at this crucial moment in the history of our church, God is checking our vision.  As we continue this spiritual journey, He’s determining if we can see what He really wants us to see.  And He’s challenging us to be obedient to Him as we carry out what His spiritual vision demands that we do. 

Today, ask yourself, “What can I do to check my spiritual vision and ensure that I see what is right?”  What Do I need to see?  Who do I need to chat with? 

What action should I take?  Where do you want me to go?  When?  I’m open!  I’m saying “yes” before you even ask!

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18

An attitude of gratitude puts everything in the proper perspective.  It enables us to see the big picture and helps us to focus on God and His glory rather than on ourselves and our personal trials or triumphs.  Such an attitude, openly expressed and lived-out, sends a powerful message to our family and friends:  God is in control and I’m glad He is!  Otherwise, we can become self-focused and lose sight of what God is accomplishing in the greater scheme of things.

Baking a cake requires using a number of ingredients, which, if eaten by themselves, are mostly distasteful:  flour, raw eggs, baking powder, etc.  But, if these same ingredients are carefully blended together and baked for the right period of time, you end up with a delicious dessert.  God is at the "mixing bowl" of our lives.  Our "flour and raw eggs" experiences, however distasteful, are the ingredients of a wonderful creation.  We can give thanks in all circumstances because of our faith in God, knowing the end result of all our experiences will be a perfect blend for our good and His glory.

Prayer Focus: Individually and in your family, encourage each member to identify at least one good experience and one bad experience they have had recently.  Take the time to give God thanks for both, remembering that from God’s perspective they are equally beneficial. 

Read Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."  Do you believe that?  Live it!

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.”
Ephesians 5:17

Historical records are filled with the amazing (and often amusing) words of men whose vision was clouded on some important subjects.

On World Population...“The population of the earth decreases every day, and, if this continues, in another ten centuries the earth will be nothing but a desert.”  Montesquieu, 1743.

On Anesthesia...“The abolishment of pain in surgery is a chimera.  It is absurd to go on seeking it today.  Knife and pain are two words in surgery that must forever be associated in the consciousness of the patient.  To this compulsory combination we shall have to adjust ourselves.”  Dr. Alfred Velpeau, 1839.

On the Atomic Bomb...“That is the biggest fool thing we have ever done.  The bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.”  Admiral William Leahy to President Harry Truman, 1945.

Though well meaning, these men just didn’t see things with an open mind.  They looked at the natural world and concluded that certain things simply were not possible.  As we consider their words, be challenged to not look at the spiritual world and conclude that certain things are not possible; for, with God, all things are possible.

Today, it’s time to think out of the box.  Hindsight is 20/20.  So is spiritual hindsight.  Pray that on our spiritual journey the entire church family will experience the unifying power of seeing and believing God for something that is beyond what we could ask or think.

Prayer Focus:  Get alone with God and ask Him for spiritual vision.  Ask God to see with His eyes.  Reach Up to God in prayer for wisdom and insight to think what God can do through you in this spiritual journey we are all on!  Believe God for something way beyond the ordinary… what we can think of and count on!  Let him speak into your life with a challenge … and then take the challenge!

“The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.”
1 Chronicles 29:9

First Chronicles 29:10-20 is one of the greatest expressions of worship found in God’s Word.  Read this prayer in its entirety and reflect on the essence of true stewardship:  the realization that God owns everything.

After you have read and reflected on this passage, take some time to consider the significance of being in partnership with God.  Recognize Him not only as the senior partner but also as the sole financial backer of your life’s venture.  David was completely captivated by the reality of this, and as a result, he became unreservedly focused on building the temple for God’s glory.  His leadership influenced others to contribute in the same spirit of sacrifice and praise.  See 1 Chronicles 29:9, above.

Relative to your situation, plan a worship time alone, with your family, or a small group of friends that includes the following three features of true worship.

1. Gratitude:  The recognition that all we have has come from His hand.  We are but channels through which the work of God is carried out.  When one’s life is lived primarily in consideration of Him, it is less likely that what He provides for Kingdom work will be squandered on self-gratification.

2. Sacrifice:  David said, "I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24).  Sacrifice always involves cost.  It has little to do with how much one gives.  What is more important is the measure of one’s sacrifice.  Did it truly cost us something?  When it does, then we have set aside something and made it sacred.

3. Praise:  The distinction between gratitude and praise is this—Gratitude is appreciation for what God has done while praise is appreciation for who God is.  David was not only giving thanks in his prayer, he was expressing praise.  "Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name" (1 Chronicles 29:13).  As you conclude your worship time, recognize God for the Provider He is and commit yourself to becoming a good steward of His provision.

Prayer Focus: Seriously, I bet the first thing you think of when you hear “stewardship” is, “He wants us to give an offering.”  And you’re right… an “offering of your time.”  Today, tonight… sometime over the next 24 hours… give God a sacrificial offering of your time, for real.  Whether it’s 10 minutes or 2 hours.  Go above and beyond for Him.

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
Acts 4:31

Who knows the full extent of what God has in store for our church (The X Factor)?  Only God does!  But He longs to reveal more and more of His plan to us as we act in faith and see He is greater than all.

Acts chapter 4 describes the bold ministry of Peter and John, and the price they paid for proclaiming the Message.  Because they would not keep quiet about their Lord... because they were convinced their silence would carry eternal consequences... because their faith was in the One whose Name is above all others... they didn’t give up or give in.  Even though the authorities demanded they cease to teach about Jesus or even to speak His name, they refused and were seriously persecuted.

When Peter and John were released that day, they returned to their fellow Christians and joined them in praying to the God who is greater.  All the believers recognized the risks they were taking, but in the larger context, the threats didn’t matter.  As a result, their prayer was not filled with expressions of anxiety; instead, it overflowed with the promises of Scripture.  Their emotions and thoughts were anchored in the reality of who God is.  No one pretended the circumstances were pleasant, but everyone confessed two essential truths —God is sovereign and He is forever the Creator.

The same God these first century disciples devoted their lives to, that same Sovereign Lord and Creator, is our God.  And when we pray to Him, we are confessing confidence in the One who is greatest.  In response to our prayer, He can change the hearts of our enemies.  He can create a thirst for Jesus in the hearts of those who once rejected the Gospel.  He can create circumstances to override our prevailing circumstances.  And He can do all this because He is greater than all.

Prayer Focus: We face mountainous challenges at Impact.  How do we respond with the spiritual vision to see He, as the God who is greater, can cast those mountains into the sea or reduce them to a level path?  Pray about a “mountain” you are facing, and pray also about the “mountain” we face in our important The X Factor spiritual journey.  Let’s believe together that God can make a mole hill out of all our mountains… because He can!

“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.”
Psalm 119:133

There are at least two essentials to the Spirit-filled life – prayer and the Word of God.  As the old song says, “They go together, you can’t have one without the other.”  Prayer finds its very foundation in Scripture.  You could not pray with purpose, conviction, or direction without the revelation of God that you find in the Bible.  Therefore, you must study the Bible and be a person of prayer.

In Psalm 119, almost every verse refers to the Scriptures.  Verse 133 is a prayer for direction.  The Psalmist here pleads for guidance from the Word of God.

Have you ever considered that God desires to guide every step you take?  He desires to guide not only the big steps in your life, but even the mundane steps you take every day in the kitchen or your workplace.  He will also guide you to the friend who needs encouragement, the neighbor who needs Jesus, and the co-worker who needs a witness of God’s love.

Prayer Focus: Take a moment and thank God for where he has brought Impact thus far.  As we read the Bible and pray more and more… ask the Lord to continue to give Barry, the Elders and staff a heart for God and all He has in store for Impact… the “X” in the X Factor.  Pray for wisdom and discernment BEYOND our collective years and experience.  Thank God for His guidance in your steps as you read and pray, as well.

Mark your calendars right now... seriously... get out a pen and block out May 21 from 7:00-8:30pm. I'd like to see EVERYONE in the Sacramento / Elk Grove area out at First Baptist Church to pray for our community... while enjoying some worship as well.

The City Hope 2009 campaign is coming this Fall and this special prayer time is only going to last an hour and a half - and it will be well worth it. We are gathering as 'one body' to seek God's face for what HE wants to do in Elk Grove. Who does HE want to reach? What specifically does HE want to change? What does HE expect of the church? How is HE going to use us to see more lives changed?

Won't you join us for this important time together? We will be praying for our city in the areas of Revival, Reconciliation, Renewal and Provision.

Imagine... for six weeks this Fall... we won't be Impact Community Church or First Baptist Church or LifePointe Christian Church. NOPE! We will ALL just be, "The Church In Elk Grove."

See you at First Baptist Church in Elk Grove on May 21st at 7:00pm. I might even wear a tie that night... NOT!