Day 18: Keep Circling

Hey SIS!!!

 

 

 It is day number 18 of our 40 day prayer challenge!! This has been an amazing experience thus far, and we are almost half way done. However, we must keep in mind that even though we are drawing close to the second half of the challenge, we have to continue to be bold in our prayers. Even if God hasn’t answered the prayers that we have asked for on day #1, it doesn’t mean that we should stop praying circles around those situations. You know the passion and the excitement you felt in the first week of the challenge? God is still looking for that enthusiasm and expectancy over the prayers that we circled at the start of the challenge.

The scripture for Day 18 is Joshua 6:4, which says “Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.”

Batterson says, “Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. God rarely does things how or when we expect Him to, and it leads us to question His strange and mysterious ways. I’m sure the Israelites questioned God’s battle plan at Jericho. They would have preferred to storm the gates or scale the walls, but God told them to circle the city for seven days! It didn’t make any sense. It had to feel like forever. But they kept circling!”

 If the Israelites would have decided not to circle the city of Jericho for 7 days, maybe if they decided to circle for 4 days instead, they would have not captured the city and missed out on their blessing. Now is not the time to give up the race, because we don’t know how close we are to the Lord’s finish line. When you pray a circle around something it goes deeper than what we think. Let’s think about the circle as a shape. The circle doesn’t have breaks or sharp corners, but it is complete and it goes on for infinity. So our prayers should do just that. Our prayers shouldn’t come to a sharp corner or stop then start back up again. Our prayers should always be ongoing with the same eagerness as the first day we prayed our prayer to the Lord. Guess what??? Even after the Lord has answered our prayers, we must still circle our blessing with prayer. It’s kind of like blessing our blessing or protecting our blessing. In addition to continuously circling our prayers, it is our responsibility to speak life into ourselves and our situations. It is not beneficial to write down a prayer in our journal, ask God for the blessing, and when friends doubtingly ask us about it, we speak disbelief because we are embarrassed or not sure if God can answer that prayer. God can answer every prayer that is prayed through His will. God wants us to live a happy, healthy and satisfied life!  

When last year came to a close I was wondering why some of the things I wanted from God had not shown up. I knew that God was an on-time God and he could do ALL things...but I was still wondering where my blessings were. It wasn’t until my best friend was telling me that she wrote down a list at the beginning of last year of the blessings that she wanted from the Lord, that I gained a new understanding. As she was naming off the things God blessed her with, I realized that I had not asked for anything. How could that have happened? I let the entire year pass me without asking for the desires of my heart—a whole year without praying over those things. Even though God knows everything about us, it is still our responsibility to do our part. Matthews 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” So this year on the very first day of the year, I wrote down everything that I expect to receive from the Lord. I am praying circles around my desires daily, and I will most definitely share my testimony as I cross my blessings off my 2014 Prayer List.

 

 

 

Say this prayer:

Lord, I come before You with thanksgiving just to bless You for who You are in my life. I want to thank You Lord for everything that I have in my life right now, and I apologize if I have taken anything for granted. I thank You for waking me up each and every day, I thank You for clothes to wear, and I thank You for food to eat! I know that You can hear my every cry and every prayer, and I will continue to thank You and give You my best praise in advance for what You are about to do in my life. I know that You know what I need and what is best for me, because I am Your daughter and You love me with an unexplainable, unconditional love. Lord I thank You for never giving up on me, even when I have strayed away and may have given up on You. Lord I ask that You send me a fresh boldness to stand firm on the prayers that I have prayed to You. Lord God I do not want to get weary, I want to finish the race and make You proud. I promise that I will share my testimony with others, and not forget that it was You Lord who added a blessing to my life. I thank You for accepting me and I love You with ALL of my heart. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray Amen.

 P.S Don't forget to RSVP for our #TagTeam Prayer Finale!!!

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tagteam-prayer-finale-tickets-10387211429?aff=efbevent

Post Written By: SIS Ebony