Week One of the Advent Bible Challenge: Read the Four Gospels

First Week Challenge

Gospel of Matthew
Monday,        December 1 -  Matthew 1-4    
Tuesday.       December 2 - Matthew 5-10  
Wednesday,  December 3 - Matthew 11-16  
Thursday,      December 4 -   Matthew 17-20 
Friday,           December 5 - Matthew 21-25   
Saturday,       December 6 - Matthew 26-28
Sunday,         December 7 -  Catch Up Day

You can also Listen to the Gospel of Matthew HERE

PRAYER CHALLENGE   
Pray these three prayers. You may wish to pray them with the Bible readings or separately.  

Morning Prayer    
Almighty  God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  - Book of Common Prayer

Midday Prayer     
Lord Jesus Christ, Seed of the Woman, crush the head of the wicked one who wages war against me this day. Give me grace to overcome his lies and temptations. This I ask in Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.

Evening Prayer
Father, You who love the world so much that You gave us Your only begotten Son for us sinners. Show us Your love this night and help us to never betray Your love. In the Name of the Word who became flesh, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit as One God, now and forever. Amen. 

Prayer for the Conversion of the Unconverted

Most Holy and Merciful Father, send the Holy Spirit to convict and open the hearts of those who know not Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Give them faith and repentance to believe upon Jesus. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit as One God - now and forever!

Prayer for Places of Violence and Unrest

Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, bring peace , stability and love to all places of violence and unrest. Draw the people in these areas to find that true peace of soul found only by Faith in You. In Your Name I pray. Amen

A Prayer for Direction in Life

O Lord God, who watches over and cares for Your children, I am without direction in my life and know not what to do. I need Your help to guide me in the right direction. I am confused about what to do but my eyes are on You. Give me direction, O  Heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit as One God.  Amen 

A Prayer for the Lonely

God the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Peace,  please be with all who are suffering from loneliness. Encourage the lonely with your comforting presence and lead them to look to Jesus Christ for their peace and salvation. In His Name we pray who reigns with You and the Father as One God, now and forever. Amen

Prayer for Victory over Dark Powers

Lord Jesus Christ, Victor over Satan, the World and Sin. Give me Your Strength to overcome the dark forces that wage war against my soul this day. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen

A Prayer for a Restful Sleep

Almighty God, You are our eternal rest and peace. Please give us this night Your rest and peace of mind, free from all anxiety. Calm our minds and take away our fears. Give us a holy sleep undisturbed by our evil fleshly nature and defend us from all demonic attacks. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life. Amen

Morning Prayer of Repentance

O   Gracious and forgiving God who is always more willing to forgive than we are to repent, grant us Your grace to repent of our many sins through Jesus Christ our Redeemer  and Lord. Amen

A Late Night Prayer for God's Protection and Watch care

Our Father in Heaven, who turns darkness into light, watch over us through the darkness of this night with the light of Your protecting presence, through Jesus Christ our Lord who is the Light of this world and who with You and the Holy Spirit live and reign as One God, now and forever. Amen

Psalm of the Day - Lord When Your Glory Appears (Psalm 17)

 

 

 

An image in the public domain obtained from Wikimedia Commons 4.15.09.

Psalm of the Day - Psalm 15

Prayer of the Day

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. - Book of Common Prayer 1979

Top 5 Prayer Requests of the Day

1. The Ebola crisis - Pray for all in West Africa have contracted the disease and those in the USA who have been or may have been infected.
2. Syria and Iraq and the ISIS threat.
3. Americans being held prisoner  in North Korea
4. Persecution of India's Christians Increasing
5. City of Houston Texas, subpoena's sermons of several pastors.

The Pain of Betrayal

Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.  - Psalm 41:9


I prayed Psalm 41 in Morning Prayer. In this Psalm, David speaks of being betrayed by a friend. This Psalm has it's ultimate fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ being betrayed by Judas. 

 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. - John 13:18 

Betrayal by a friend or finding out that a person you trusted and believed was your friend has betrayed you is painful. David spoke of his friend and adviser, Ahithophel  who join in Absalom's rebellion against him.  Jesus spoke of Judas Iscariot who He chose as an Apostle but betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver.

If you have been betrayed in a friendship or in a relationship by someone you trusted, draw strength from the fact that God will not betray us. 

• Pray to the Lord to give your strength and not to hold a grudge or hate this person. Hate and seeking revenge will only make it worse. 

• Pray for God to help you to forgive the person.

• Pray that God will bring the person to repentance. 

Prayer   Lord God, have mercy and help us to overcome the pain of betrayal. Give us grace to forgive the one who betrayed us and help us to not to betray our Christian profession. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Prayer and Predestination

1689 London Baptist Confession Chapter 5: Of Divine Providence

1. God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power and wisdom doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were created, according unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness, and mercy. 

( Hebrews 1:3; Job 38:11; Isaiah 46:10, 11; Psalms 135:6; Matthew 10:29-31; Ephesians 1:11 ) 

2. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; so that there is not anything befalls any by chance, or without his providence; yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.

( Acts 2:23; Proverbs 16:33; Genesis 8:22 ) 

3. God, in his ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure. 

( Acts 27:31, 44; Isaiah 55:10, 11; Hosea 1:7; Romans 4:19-21; Daniel 3:27 ) 

Pray Specifically and to the Point - C.H. Spurgeon

Pentecost Sunday

Happy and blessed Pentecost Sunday to everyone! -(Acts 2)

"May joy, peace and mercy from our Father through the atonement of the blood of Christ Jesus, together with the gifts of the Spirit--Who is sent from the Father to all believers for their strength and comfort and for their perseverance in all tribulation until the end, Amen--be to all those who love God, who are the children of light. – AMEN"

- The Schleitheim Confession of Faith 1527 (Swiss Anabapists)

Pilgrim's Progress Saturday

Every Saturday I will post an audio reading of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. The readings are long but you can stop video wherever you like and start again next time. You can read along with the readings from the Online book Pilgrim's Progress (Click to read) 

Lord Smite This Sin!

On this Lord's Day Eve,  convicting words from Thomas Watson.

Psalm 46 From the Scottish Psalter 1650

Where is Your God?

Man's Great End (a Puritan prayer)

A Prayer from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers.

Killing Your Pet Sins - by Thomas Brooks

A short but powerful video of the words of Thomas Brooks (1608-1680) an English Puritan preacher who writes on the need to mortify or kill your sin based on Paul's writing to the Colossians from Colossians 3:5

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  - Colossians 3:5

Don't Let Prayer Become a Boring Empty Habit - by C. H. Spurgeon

This is part 1 of a sermon on prayer by C. H. Spurgeon.  The beginning text is Mark 11:24 which reads, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." I found it very convicting because many times our prayer time can become a empty habit rather than a joy where we petition God by Faith. 

Psalm 130 - From the Scottish Psalter

Please Share Your Prayer Requests