Sacrificial Praise

Dear Lord, thank you for this day that you have made. Thank you for the new life you have allowed me to experience through the blessing of my family and my friends. You have been faithful down through the years and during this season of Advent, as I remember the coming of your son Jesus Christ; I ask that you will forgive me for all that I have taken for granted. I have taken for granted my mother, my friends, and the gifts you have granted me.

Continue to have patience with me as I find myself and return to my first love. I ask for your patience with me as you lead me toward the destiny you have ordained for my life. Open my eyes of faith that I might clearly recognize You in every part of my life and then see the greatness you have entrusted to each one of us. Let all of us see this Christmas season as an opportunity to bless someone we don’t know, even as we spend time with family and friends.

Finally, I give thanks for those who sacrifice everyday for my freedom and I ask that you bless the mothers and fathers who will have to sit in a foxhole, patrol a distant border, or fly through the sky somewhere in a foreign country during this season while securing the freedom and safety of our nation. I pray that you will be a blessing to them and remind all of us of the need to die to our selfishness and arrogance so that someone else will know your blessings through our sacrifice. Our song today is, “Come, Lord Jesus! Come and visit your people. We await your coming. ”

Thank you in advance for answered prayer. In Jesus name, Amen!

Rev. Nigal D. Felder

Louisville, Kentucky

Send Help Now!

"Our sins are piled up before God and testify against us...The Redeemer will come..."

Isaiah 59: 12-13, 20

Almighty and Everlasting God, we come confessing we have allowed too many things to pile up before you, even are sins. The work, the emails, the project completing, the thinking, the dishes, the laundry, the assignments, the trash, the mess, the shopping, the cooking, the wrapping, the giving, the tweeting and text responses are piled high even the sins that so easily beset us. O Lord, what can we do?

Isaiah prayed for Israel knowing that they couldn't handle their pile of sins by themselves. Neither can we. As we celebrate the coming of the promised redeemer who can buy us from slavery to sin again in this Advent season forgive us Lord. Then, show us how we can bring down to size the earthly piles of oughts and should. Amen.

Unexpected Blessings

Heavenly father. Often I marvel when your blessings appear when I am empty and tired, and without exaltation, expectation or anticipation. Empower me to pour out to others what you have given me. Grant me the endurance to be a blessing where you lead me. Keep me humble in heart to continue to worship you particularly in this season as we celebrate your birth. I honor you and thank you for your presence. Amen.

Herschelle Reed-Morris

Share Your Prayers

As we approach the Christmas Day and the end of 2010, share you prayers and thoughts with the Praycation/Selah family. Just send to praycation2@gmail.com.

Just A Closer Walk

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall" Psalm 55:22

Heavenly Father, Help me to walk closer with You so I understand that Your love never fails and never fades. Help me walk closely so that I understand that I can only do what's possible and trust You to do what's impossible. Oh God, help me to walk closely so that when I've come to the end of my rope, I know that You can provide an extension. And Lord, help me to understand that I can only become closer to You by engaging in daily conversation with You; for daily prayer and continuous study of Your word diminishes many cares. For it is Your word that says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall" (Psalm 55:22). For all these reasons Lord, I pray for a closer walk with You because I would rather walk with you in the dark than alone in the light. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sister Erica Harbin , An excerpt from the book "And Then They Prayed...R.E.V.I.V.E." by Bishop James L. Davis and Supervisor Arelis B. Davis, 9th Episcopal District, AME Church

One More Time

God of promises made and promises kept, come again into our hearts. Come in a way we need the most and help us rejoice again for divinity clothed in human flesh.

Help us to rise above the noise that calls us to less than lofty activities. Help us to ignore the invitations to promote the secular rather than the sacred things of God.

Open our hearts so that we will continue to rescue the lost, strengthen the weak and support your call to this ministry of reconciliation. Open our hearts to create a new place for your glory to dwell.

In spite of what our eyes see and our ears hear, this is the season to rejoice and again I say rejoice!

Awaken old discarded dreams, restart the vision and reset the goals for the coming new year. Show us which one of our priorities of the past your want to be active in our present. In Jesus Name, Amen.

VMM

Advent, Christmastide and New Years Prayers

If you have a prayer to share, send it to bishopvashitmckenzie@gmail.com. Loved to hear your prayer concerns for this season of our lives as well. Blessings!

Change Agent

Dear God,

We are constantly guilty of being wrapped in materialism this season and the fast-paced journeys of our lives that we forget about those around us who are without this season. We are wrong for allowing any of our brothers and sisters to go without food and clothing during this winter season while we continue to shop until we drop. Father, forgive us for what we have done and for what we have left undone.

During this Advent Season, challenge us to be good stewards of your word and bless those who we come in contact with either by word or deed. Allow us to be a blessing to someone else today and allow others to see the spirit you have placed within us. Today allow us to be change-agents through our expression, attitude and demeanor which represent the Love you share for us. Amen.

Stephen A. Green

Tis the Season

Father in the name of Jesus, almighty God, all powerful God, everlasting God, creator of all things we come right now to confess you are Lord over our lives-mind, body, spirit and soul and you are Lord over all things and so we invite you to come now God. Holy Spirit have your way as I come on behalf of your daughters who are struggling in the joyous season.

God I come interceding right now for every individual whose eyes are able to follow the lines here and receive in their heart and every believer who believes in you …We give honor and praise to your name. Your word says in Hebrews 11 “He rewards those who diligently seeks Him”. God here we are seeking you and laying it all before you. God we come surrendering to your will. We put our expectations in you in this difficult season. When we should be celebrating your birth and shouting for joy Father God some of us are not… Why God?

It is in this season anything we struggle with in life becomes magnified. Whatever it is we’re carrying is heavier is like a ton in this season, whatever struggles are in front of us now looks like a brick wall and the result oh God is deadlier than the issue... depression God, suicidal thoughts God, self- medicating … yes God the result of all we’re dealing with is too heavy for us alone to bear. So we need you God.

My sisters are dealing with unemployment, underemployment, financial loss, financial lack, foreclosers thru the mail, eviction notices and pad locks are on the door, grief and bereavement is the only thing that some of us see in this season, physicians with trending diagnosis that we don’t understand and then God there is the pressure of the season. The pressure to keep up, to buy in to darkness, to spend what we don’t have for something we things that have no value or significance… not only are we dealing with this stuff God but the house is struggling in this season-our husbands and men are struggling in this season-our children are struggling in this season-our families are struggling not to mention the community, the Country, the Government, the World.

But God, You God , Elohim, Jehovah, Adonai are the only one capable of handling it all. So God we come to the only source we know in this season and every season. We acknowledge you God as the only one who can shift the climate, change our status, re-write the story, open doors and portals, cancel debt, operate without anesthesia , jump a flat line, comfort the home, rebuild a house, bring the unsaved in out of the wilderness and be our ultimate Commander in Chief in this term, midterm and all terms.

We come today to serve notice to all that is against us, all that is that is deceiving us, all that is wearing us down. I come to declare as daughters of the Most High, heirs to the Throne we will not be moved in the name of Jesus. Your word says in Job 22:28 “You will declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways” and believe it. We put our hope in you God because we know “all things are possible for them who love Him”. We know nothing is too hard for you oh God. We know God that it is your will to bless us. We know God according to Jeremiah 29:11 Your plan is to prosper us to give us hope and a future and we believe You God. We come to command this day and take authority over the day in the name of Jesus. We seek you God to set order to our day right now, to set order to our mess right now, to set order to the season right now. We graciously step into the day with gratitude. We greet the day with excitement, joy, anticipation and expectancy. And as we have placed all of our cares upon you Father God “our soul waits patiently for God alone”. We consider it done. We shout now for the victory before any manifestation. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Dee Marshall

Founder and President, Girlfriends Pray

www.GirlfriendsPrayBlog.org