PRAYER AND THE WILL OF GOD

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

One error to avoid when praying for our own needs involves the distinction between needs and wants. When we pray for ourselves we should remember that God has a plan for us and not everything in life is included in that plan. God’s answer may be “no” to some things we seek. As has been frequently observed, “Nothing lies outside the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.” Remember, as you pray…God knows best!

-JKB

🔷 We are reading Romans now- you’re doing great! 

♦️Day 19: Romans 2 – 10

♠ MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Sunday January 21 when we welcome one of the leaders of the American prayer moment. Dr. Dave Butts, Chairman of the National Prayer Committee, will speak in all 3 English morning services at Hyde Park Baptist/The Quarries Church! Dr. Butts is an author and international leader on the subject of prayer.  

PRAYING LIKE JESUS

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Jesus intercedes forever! The Lutheran evangelist Armin Gesswein once wrote, “God in His sovereign majesty has chosen to work by prayer. It is His eternal method. It is number one with Him. It was number one with Jesus when He was here on earth. He not only prayed about everything, He did everything by prayer. It is number one now with Jesus on the throne, where He ‘ever lives to make intercession for us’.” It is impossible to miss the significance of praying for others, especially when we recognize the importance Jesus Himself placed upon the ministry of intercession. With Him as the model, we realize we are never more like Jesus than when we are praying for others.

-JKB

🔷 WE are reading the entire New Testament in 31 days- today we complete Acts and launch into the epistles. Don’t give up! We are getting there- you are on the path to victory if you keep going.

🔷 TODAY IS OUR 24 HOUR DAY OF PRAYER. If you’re not yet part of the prayer team, sign up at hpbc.org/2418

♦️ Day 18: Acts 22 – Romans 1

 MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this Sunday January 21 when we welcome one of the leaders of the American Prayer Movement.

Dr. Dave Butts, Chairman of the National Prayer Committee, will speak in all 3 English morning services at Hyde Park Baptist/The Quarries Church!

Dr. Butts is an author and international leader on the subject of prayer. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best.

A LISTENING HEART

In his excellent book, Breakthrough Prayer, Jim Cymbala discusses the importance of developing an attentive heart in prayer. He uses the biblical example of young Samuel listening for the Lord’s voice as a model for our prayer lives. When Samuel said, “…Speak for your servant hears…” (1 Samuel 3:10), he revealed the secret God is after. An attentive, willing heart is what we need in order to hear God. Today, as you pray, listen for the voice of God. “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20)

–JKB

🔷 How are you doing in your reading as we read the entire New Testament in 31 Days? No matter where you are, don’t give up- the New Testament isn’t getting any longer- you can do this- just keep reading!

♦️Day 17: Acts 16 – 21

➡️ REMEMBER OUR “DAY OF PRAYER” is the 18th of every month- we cover the clock every 30 minutes for 24 hours – that begins tonight at midnight! Go to hpbc.org/2418 for prayer guides and more info!

THE POWER OF PRAISE

“For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” (Psalm 96:4-6)

Have you ever watched too many news talk shows, seen too many violent images of terrorism, or read about injustice, and felt discouraged? It happens, and discouragement can lead to a sense of being overwhelmed by the problems surrounding all of us. Fortunately, God has given us a way to keep our spirits hopeful, in spite of the bad news everywhere. The path to a healthier soul is praise. Praising God not only honors God, it lifts our spirits, too.

-JKB

🔷 We are reading the entire New Testament in 31 Days! 

♦️ Day 16: Acts 9 – 15

GOD CAN HANDLE IT!

God is bigger than all of our problems. Jeremiah reminded us the Lord we can call upon is the same One “…who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it…” (Jeremiah 33:2) Prior to the encouragement to pray, Jeremiah included the reminder that God is the Creator because, in the midst of big problems we need to remember that God is always bigger! A worried lady once went to G. Campbell Morgan, the late 19th, early 20th century pastor, and asked him if it was alright to pray for little things in her life. The proper British clergyman replied, “Pray tell, Madame – what in your life is big to God?” No matter how big our needs appear to us, God is greater than every need we have and greater than every prayer we pray! The Scripture says God “… is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power…” (Ephesians 3:20)

-JKB

🔷 It’s a new week- stay committed to your reading- you can read the entire New Testament in 31 Days! 

Divide your reading into 2-3 daily blocks of you  need to – just keep reading! 

♦️ Day 15: Acts 2 – 8

KINGDOM COME

When we pray we are calling upon a King with power and authority to act on our behalf. In addition, in prayer we are really asking for God’s Kingdom to overrule the problems that seem to rule over us now. No wonder Jesus wants us to pray for God’s Kingdom to come. His coming Kingdom promises us the change we need is on the way. That’s a powerful incentive for prayer! “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

-JKB

🔷 WE ARE READING THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT IN 31 DAYS! 

IF YOU FALL BEHIND GET CAUGHT UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! YOU CAN DO IT!

♦️Day 14: John 16 – Acts 1

➡️ DON’T FORGET this morning we welcome Dr. Joseph Kim from Seoul, S. Korea, who will speak at all English services at Hyde Park Baptist/The Quarries Church! Dr. Kim’s Church conducts 16 services every Sunday to accommodate a growing congregation of 4500 people! Pastor Kim will speak on “Praying to Live and Living to Pray!” 

“OUR DAILY BREAD”

“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:1)

“Daily bread” in the Model Prayer clearly refers to food but can also refer to the myriad of other needs we face every day. We need more than bread in life, but our constant need for food naturally symbolizes our human dependence on what God provides. Aren’t you glad our Lord knows what we need? In fact, He insists we ask Him to meet our needs. Whatever you need, you can pray about it. God uses our natural hunger and other needs in life to train us

 in prayer. Our emptiness drives us to the One Who can fill us. “All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!” (Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Thomas O. Chisholm)

-JKB

🔷 WE ARE READING THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT IN 31 DAYS- Don’t stop- wherever you are in the process, keep going.  You can do it! 

♦️Day 13: John 9 – 15

➡️ DON’T FORGET tomorrow, Sunday, January 14 – we welcome Dr. Joseph Kim from Seoul, S. Korea, who will speak at all English services at Hyde Park Baptist/The Quarries Church that morning! Dr. Kim is the pastor of a large Baptist church, conducting 16 services every Sunday to accommodate a congregation of 4500! Pastor Kim will challenge us to pray to live and live to pray! 

CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD 

We need to see prayer and Bible study as two sides of a good conversation. You would find it strange if your good friend did all the talking and never listened to your thoughts or opinions. If a husband talks to his wife but never listens to her, is that a healthy marriage? We don’t want to be guilty of something like that in our fellowship with God. As in any good relationship, closeness with the Lord is built through a powerful, honest, on-going, two-sided conversation. In prayer we talk to God and in Bible Study we hear from God. It’s a conversation! “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

-JKB

🔷 I AM CHALLENGING OUR CONGREGATION TO READ THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT IN 31 DAYS! 

You can do it!

♦️ Day 12: John 3 – 8

➡️ MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this Sunday, January 14 when we welcome Dr. Joseph Kim from Seoul, S. Korea, who will speak at all English services at Hyde Park Baptist/The Quarries Church that morning! Dr. Kim is the pastor of a large Baptist church, conducting 16 services every Sunday to accommodate the large crowds of more than 4500 people! Pastor Kim will challenge us on how prayer accomplishes the impossible and to live lives of prayer! 

GET IT RIGHT

Vance Havner, one of the most quoted preachers in America, recalls finding a hand written note in his late father’s desk which read, “Nothing is ever settled until it is settled right, and nothing is ever settled right until it is settled with God.” The Scripture teaches: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) That’s good news! Because we fail so often, God wants to cleanse and forgive us so we might be clean and holy in our daily walk with Him. Confession and repentance invite blessings of forgiveness into our lives. We cannot make progress in our daily walk when we are living in unconfessed disobedience. Today, focus on confessing your sin.

-JKB

🔷 We are reading the entire New Testament in 31 DAYS!

TIP: Divide your reading into morning and evening – you can do!

♦️ Day 11: Luke 22 – John 2

➡️ MARK YOUR CALENDAR for THIS Sunday, January 14, when we welcome Dr. Joseph Kim from Seoul, S. Korea, who will speak at all English services at Hyde Park Baptist/The Quarries Church in the morning services! Dr. Kim is the pastor of an incredible Baptist Church, conducting 16 services every Sunday to accommodate the large, overflowing crowds! Pastor Kim will challenge us on how prayer accomplishes the impossible.

OVERCOMING DISCOURAGEMENT IN PRAYER

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) Jesus knew prayer warriors can sometimes get discouraged. So He assures us we do not need to lose courage or become fainthearted or weary in prayer. In the life of prayer, we have to be persistent and consistent even if we become discouraged. Our feelings can be unpredictable, and fatigue, anxiety, and stress can add to feelings of discouragement. Only persistence and commitment to continue praying can overcome negative feelings and help us develop the daily prayer life we want. We have to press through feelings by faith! “He who prays much will pray more, and he who prays little will pray less.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)

-JKB

🔹 MANY OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR CONGREGATION ARE READING THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT IN 31 DAYS – YOU CAN DO IT – WE ARE DOING IT TOGETHER!

🔸TIP: Divide your reading into morning and evening. That way you will be able to complete each day’s challenge!

 IF YOU FALL BEHIND GET CAUGHT UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! PRESS ON!

♦️Day 10: Luke 14 – 21