Tuesday
Jul012008
Discovering God's Agenda
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I must admit that I still feel a sense of excitement from our gathering last Saturday at the Pennel's. What an incredible turnout, the weather cooperated, the food was fantastic, and the fellowship and fun couldn't be matched. We met new friends and kept up with old friends, we played volleyball, ladder ball, croquet.......and the infamous jumping castle was a hit for certain. We really celebrated God's goodness and faithfulness as we venture on towards our launch date of September 14th. Thanks to everyone who participated in any way and especially to the Pennels...great host and hostess. 
Here we are now many weeks into our prayer and fasting and we certainly can testify to God's leading as we move forward in establishing CenterPoint Church. Prayer is powerful and God longs to spend time with His children. Through prayer we are daily experiencing a growing intimate relationship with the God of the Universe. For me personally, it's a humbling and overwhelming thought to think that He chose me to have a relationship. What an incredible privilege. This week in my devotions I came across an article that looked at prayer as a means of discovering God's Agenda. When you look at the life of Jesus, prayer was highly significant. Mark 1:35 tells us that "In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, Jesus went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed". It was common knowledge among the disciples that they would find Jesus praying during the early morning hours. When they needed Him they would go to the place of prayer. If you think about it, when Judas betrayed Jesus it was Jesus' place of prayer that he led his cohorts to. Because Jesus was so often surrounded by crowds, He knew it was necessary to escape to a quiet place to clearly hear His Father's voice. Jesus had many people seeking to influence the direction of His life. His disciples often wanted Him to go where the crowds were. The crowds wanted to crown Him king. Satan was tempting Him to make compromises in order to draw a following. Jesus, however, knew His mission was to be obedient to the Father and not to attract crowds. It was clearly prayer that Set the Agenda for Jesus' ministry. Prayer brought Him encouragement at critical times, it enabled Him to go to the cross...and kept Him there in spite of horrendous pain. As I reflect on Jesus' life and the tremendous devotion to prayer, it only confirms our need for continued prayer and fasting in order for us to discover God's Agenda for us individually, and corporately as the body of Christ at CenterPoint Church.
In Him, Sandy
Here we are now many weeks into our prayer and fasting and we certainly can testify to God's leading as we move forward in establishing CenterPoint Church. Prayer is powerful and God longs to spend time with His children. Through prayer we are daily experiencing a growing intimate relationship with the God of the Universe. For me personally, it's a humbling and overwhelming thought to think that He chose me to have a relationship. What an incredible privilege. This week in my devotions I came across an article that looked at prayer as a means of discovering God's Agenda. When you look at the life of Jesus, prayer was highly significant. Mark 1:35 tells us that "In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, Jesus went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed". It was common knowledge among the disciples that they would find Jesus praying during the early morning hours. When they needed Him they would go to the place of prayer. If you think about it, when Judas betrayed Jesus it was Jesus' place of prayer that he led his cohorts to.Each time Jesus faced an important decision, He prayed. When he was tempted by the world's methods in place of the Father's, He prayed. When it was time to choose His disciples, He prayed an entire night. When I look at the time Jesus spent in prayer when making decisions and to determine the Father's mind, it's beyond challenging for me to consider the length of time I spend in prayer to determine God's will and direction.
In Him, Sandy
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend