You Have Not Because You Ask Not

"You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it."

James 4:2

Lord, forgive us for being so busy we fail to ask you for what we want and need. Forgive us for depending upon human effort and strength to obtain the desires of our hearts. Forgive us for developing schemes to undermine the efforts of others because we want to take their place or we want what they have. Forgive us for coveting our neighbors stuff to point where we are willing to do emotional or bodily harm to take it away from them. Thank you Lord, that after we have confessed you are faithful to forgive.

We come humbly now knowing you are the supplier of all our needs. We come repentant realizing that you are the one who grants us the desires of our hearts. We come to you now remembering that you are the source of every good a perfect gift. We ask now in Jesus name that we may be empowered to bring forth fruit for your glory and not for our self-satisfaction. In Jesus name, Amen.

VMM

MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT

During this season of Lent, you are encouraged to increase your prayer time and join the Daniel Fact. Information about he Daniel Fast is found at www.thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com in the Read Section archives on the home page. As Daniel prayed three times daily in the face of great opposition, so we are praying morning, noon and night.

Your prayer assignment today is to pray for nuclear and environmental scientists and ecologists today who impact all of creation.

PRAYER BANS

One way to remind us to pray three times daily is by wearing a purple "prayer ban" with Morning, Noon and Night and Daniel 9:3 written on it. You can order them 5 for $7.00 and 10 for $14.00. Send check or money order to Praycation, 500 8th Avenue South Suite 201, Nashville, Tennessee 37203. You can always email us at praycation2@gmail.com for more information.

Again

Eternal and Everlasting God, thank you for being ready to hear our prayers again. We boldly come to the throne of grace seeking mercy because we have fallen short of your Glory. We remained safely silent when we should have spoken on behalf of another again. We ignored the hurt and pain of those around us again. We have spent too much time on our own needs and neglected our relationship with you again. God of compassion and chances, we confess our sins to you. We seek forgiveness and your healing. Wash us again. Cleanse our hearts and minds again. Give us another chance again. Help us to rise above the "again" that so easily besets us today. In Jesus name, Amen.

Wash Day

Create in us a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within us.

Psalm 51:10

Our desire today is that nothing stands between our soul and our redeemer. Forgive us of our sins. Our unconfessed sins are too much of a burden to bear. They constantly remind us of our weaknesses, faults and failings.

Thank you that we can confess our sins. Thank you for your promise that if we confess, you will be faithful to forgive us of all our sins. Wash us, cleanse our hearts, minds and bodies so that we can move forward today unshackled from sin, hurt and shame and in the future with renewed and right spirits within in us.

In the name of a forgiving Savior, let us all say, Amen.

VMM

Defend Me

O LORD in heaven, almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day: Defend me in the same with Your mighty power. And grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger. But that all our doings being ordered by Your governance may be righteous in Your sight, through Jesus Christ, world without end. Amen.

“Prayers – A General Confession” AMEC Bicentennial Hymnal #757

“A life with God is a life in which the rhythms of silence and listening alternate with the rhythms of sharing and service. By praying with every part of who we are, we allow the grace that pours from the well of living water to trickle through all aspects of our being, nourishing and hydrating that which was parched and dis-eased.

Daniel Wolpert, Creating a Life With God

Confession is Good. Forgiveness is Priceless

"If we confess out sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " I John 1:9 (KJV)

Good Morning Lord,

Confession is good for the soul. I confess that giving up what I want to grasp what you have for me can be so hard to do. I confess that I want to desperately cling to things that don’t really matter instead of taking hold of what matters to eternity. I confess that my appetites have ruled and reigned too long. As I confess these struggles to you, be now faithful to forgive.

Forgiving God, I know lighting a fire in the desert can be difficult. There is struggle. There is smoke that chokes the throat and stings the eyes. Tears follow. In the end, there is finally a flame.

Help me to light your consuming fire. It may be difficult and hard to start. O Lord, there may even be tears. But, in the end, in Jesus name let me be able to proclaim that you, Our God is a consuming fire. Amen.

THE LENTEN JOURNEY

The Lenten season 2010, a journey to the heart of God, has just begun. This is the 40 day period between Ash Wednesday and Resurrection Sunday. It is a time of turning away from the usual and turning towards a unique opportunity to go deeper into a faith relationship with God. We begin with cleansing and confession. Asking God to cleanse our hearts, minds and souls. Purify the atmosphere of our homes and our motives. Confession precedes repentance. We turn away from what is not of God and go in God's direction.

Join the journey today. It includes daily prayer on this site; daily devotions and an audio message on www.thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com. Share your thoughts in the comment section. You can also email your prayer experiences and original prayers in a special section on this blog.

PRAYER EXPERIENCE

Grace and peace Bishop McKenzie,

I joined you over the summer for praycation, and did not miss a day of reading and journaling. I just wanted you to know as a result, I have since lost 45 pounds, and started a mother/daughter ministry to help build stronger bonds in this dynamic yet sometimes static relationship! I'm excited about all that is happening, and just wanted to take a moment to let you know how inspired I am by your ministry! Thank you, and I love you! Keep being as intellectual, spiritual and beautiful as you are! Watching how God is using you, and am open to Him using me to bless others!

I have joined you for the Lenten season, and anticipate going "Deeper in God!!!!" I am looking forward to all the added blessings.

Love, His child

Rev. D. Bailey

ACT Up

As a pastor, I have often heard members express their feelings of inadequacies about their personal prayer lives. Mostly they feel they do not know how to pray. With that in mind, a number of years ago, I passed on to my congregation a formula that I had learned and found that it helped many to feel more comfortable about praying to our loving God.

The formula is as follows: A C T S (like the Book of Acts)

A is for ADORATION. Just as in the Lord's Prayer, our prayers should begin with Adoration to our loving God. We should always begin by telling God how great God is. How powerful God is, by bringing glory and honor to God's name.

"Dear God, I love you today. Loving and kind God I praise your holy name. I bless you and acknowledge that you are the one true and living God. You are all together lovely. You are the Great I Am. I bless you and hallow your name. There is none like you and I come this day as an empty piture before a full fountain -- you are the fount of every blessing --your name is worthy of all praise, glory and honor."

C is for CONFESSION. The Bible teaches that a confessed sin is a forgiven sin. When we go before our Holy God, we must first admit that we have sinned and come short of God's glory.

'Dear Lord, I know that I'm a sinner, but I believe that you can cleanse me of all my sins and unrighteousness. I have sinned against you and you alone. You died on Calvary's cross so that I could be forgiven of my sins and I acknowledge that I am not worthy to receive even the crumbs from your table. Please forgive me and give me power to walk upright before you. Keep me in the hallow of your hands and continue to make me and shape me into what you would have me to be. God I am so sorry that I have failed you time and time again, and I'm asking you to be merciful unto me.'

T is for THANKSGIVING. We often sing as a prayer refrain, 'Before I ask for anything, I want to thank you for everything, thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus, for all you've done for me.' And when we pray, that should be our attitude. To tell the Lord 'Thank You' first! Before we make our petitions for things -- for manifold blessings from God, take a moment to tell the Lord 'Thank You' for what God has already done for you.

Thank you for just waking me up this morning. Thank you for the air I breath. Thank you for keeping me clothed in my right mind. Thank you for my health and strength. Thank you for keeping my family safe. Thank you for every provision. Thank you for grace and for mercy. Thank you for loving a wretch like me. Lord, thank you for just being my sustainer, my maintainer and provider. Before I ask for anything, I just want to thank you for everything.'

S is for SUPPLICATION. Now that we have given the name of God glory; Now that we have confessed that we are sinners saved by grace. Now that we have given Thanksgiving unto our loving God -- we can now make our request known unto God. And just as our earthly fathers love to give children gifts, especially children who recognize the worth of their fathers, our heavenly Father loves to give us the very desires of our hearts.

So Loving God I come to you this morning knowing that you know my every need. But your word tells me to ask, to seek and to knock. So I come seeking your blessings for my life for this day. Without you I can do nothing. So I pray that first of all you create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. I pray that this day you will lead me and guide me along the way, for if you lead me, I cannot stray. Lord, I need you to bless and keep my family today. Lord I need you to open doors that have been shut so that my territory can be enlarged. Lord, I pray that you make a way for my bills to be paid, for me to put food on the table and keep a roof over my family's head. Give me health and strength to do the things you desire from me this day. Help me to live this day in a way that is pleasing and acceptable in your sight. Lord I love you and I ask these and all other blessings in the name of your beloved son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Dr. Ann Lightner Fuller,
Pastor, Mt. Calvary AMEC
Towson, Maryland