When we
come to “Thy will be done” in the Lord’s prayer, it’s important that we begin
praying for God’s will to be done in our lives, in our family members and in our protégés.
So often, believers don’t have much depth when they pray for others- “Lord,
bless ‘em real good.” And yet we have learned that prayer is vital to activate the
word and growth in people’s lives. No wonder Jesus and the apostles made it
such a vital priority. (It was a big rock that they made time
for.) Please don’t leave out praying after reading. Pray the passage into your soul
throughout the day as you review your 3x5 MP3 verse (Meditation, Prayer, Praise, Pass it on).
My son (not pictured) is in his second year of wrestling. As you know, it’s a very intense sport.
Praying for others can be intense at times like wrestling. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Eph.6:12. Paul commends a teammate
named Epaphras, saying, “He is always wrestling in prayer for you that you may
stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” Col.4:12. So as we
make time to pray after reading God’s word and come to “Thy will be done” it’s
here that we want to wrestle, praying powerful prayers for ourselves and others. But what should we pray for? Based on the above verse, we can pray confidently
knowing that it is God’s will for ourselves and others to stand firm in all the will of God, to
be mature, to be Christlike.
Christ was devoted to doing the will of God. So we are to follow his example to also do the will of God. Christ did the will of God by being godly (Mature) in his character. That is certainly part of the will of God. He also fulfilled the will of God by Actively mentoring disciples to multiply. He did the will of God by Nobly battling to free people from bondage and Loving everyone deeply. He did the will of God by being Yoked in a devoted relationship with his Father and his men. He was the perfect example of being MANLY. This was the will of God for him and for us.
Christ was devoted to doing the will of God. So we are to follow his example to also do the will of God. Christ did the will of God by being godly (Mature) in his character. That is certainly part of the will of God. He also fulfilled the will of God by Actively mentoring disciples to multiply. He did the will of God by Nobly battling to free people from bondage and Loving everyone deeply. He did the will of God by being Yoked in a devoted relationship with his Father and his men. He was the perfect example of being MANLY. This was the will of God for him and for us.
So when we pray, “Thy
will be done” we want to pray that our protégés and others would be like Christ- that they would be MANLY too. I like to use such simple
memory joggers to help me pray powerful prayers that the will of God be done in my life and yours. So I pray for your future proteges and for us that
we would be MANLY-
Mature in
Character- to be a power H.O.U.S.E.- Hungry, Obedient, Unstoppable, Strong in the Lord, Empowered
Active in
mentoring- just as Jesus was- that you would have many spiritual descendants
Noble in battle-
that we would fight the good fight for our purity and the freedom and
involvement of others
Loving in
relationships- that we would learn to love better, especially our family members.
Yoked to Christ and a band of brothers- that we would be devoted to Christ and each another
This is a powerful way to pray God's will into other men, and I would ask you to join me to often pray in this MANLY way. (People will also be surprised at the maturity of your prayers for them. No-"Bless 'em real good Jesus" prayers :)
Read Eph.6:10-18. Only MANLY men dare go into such a satanic fight. So we better be fully armed. Notice that the armor of God seems to end with the weapon of the sword of the Spirit- the word of God. But then another powerful, but unnamed weapon, is lastly exhorted to be used. I call this long distance weapon, the spear of the Spirit. Discover it and use it often. It's crucial for victory.
1. Write out Col.4:12b (b=the last half of the verse) on your 3x5 as your MP3 (Meditation, Prayer, Praise and Pass it on verse.) Do the "Did It."
2. Share one thought that struck you from your reflecting on anything written in today's blog.
3. Since people may ask you what MANLY stands for, write out the meaning of MANLY on your 3x5. "Mature in character, Active in mentoring, Noble in battle, Loving in relationships, Yoked with Christ and a band of brothers." You can use this also as a way to pray for others to stand firm in all the will of God. (Yes, knowing what MANLY stands for will be on our upcoming test :) Did It?
Announcements
So glad that Alvin's wife is out of the hospital and recovering. TYF! (Thank You Father!) Also congrats to several who have already been reaching out to recruit coach quality men. We need to have them signed up by our Jan.11th meeting at the latest. Let me know how I can help.
This Sunday, Dec.28th- Diane and I would so enjoy having you stop by our home between 2-5pm. If you are busy or need to catch your breath after a busy Christmas week, no worries. But if you are free, we'd love to have you stop by. Please just bring yourselves. We will have refreshments already. Bring the whole family if you'd like. All are welcome. (Note: About the giant flat screen TV- I won it :)
Since we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against unseen forces of wickedness, we need all the prayer power we can get. That's why I want to help each of you recruit two prayer warriors. How so? Let them know that if they commit to pray daily for you, they won't be forgotten, but appreciated and enriched. They will get weekly "M3 Prayer Partners Appreciation Updates" via email. We won't leave them in the dark as so often happens. (I remember a satellite pastor once asked a number of us to pray daily for him. He promised to give us email updates. After the first one, I never heard from him again. Ugh! Being faithful to prayer and your good intentions is hard work at times. So please send me the names and emails of your prayer partners by Sunday. (Assure them that their info will not be sold, nor will they get solicited :)
Read Eph.6:10-18. Only MANLY men dare go into such a satanic fight. So we better be fully armed. Notice that the armor of God seems to end with the weapon of the sword of the Spirit- the word of God. But then another powerful, but unnamed weapon, is lastly exhorted to be used. I call this long distance weapon, the spear of the Spirit. Discover it and use it often. It's crucial for victory.
1. Write out Col.4:12b (b=the last half of the verse) on your 3x5 as your MP3 (Meditation, Prayer, Praise and Pass it on verse.) Do the "Did It."
2. Share one thought that struck you from your reflecting on anything written in today's blog.
3. Since people may ask you what MANLY stands for, write out the meaning of MANLY on your 3x5. "Mature in character, Active in mentoring, Noble in battle, Loving in relationships, Yoked with Christ and a band of brothers." You can use this also as a way to pray for others to stand firm in all the will of God. (Yes, knowing what MANLY stands for will be on our upcoming test :) Did It?
Announcements
So glad that Alvin's wife is out of the hospital and recovering. TYF! (Thank You Father!) Also congrats to several who have already been reaching out to recruit coach quality men. We need to have them signed up by our Jan.11th meeting at the latest. Let me know how I can help.
This Sunday, Dec.28th- Diane and I would so enjoy having you stop by our home between 2-5pm. If you are busy or need to catch your breath after a busy Christmas week, no worries. But if you are free, we'd love to have you stop by. Please just bring yourselves. We will have refreshments already. Bring the whole family if you'd like. All are welcome. (Note: About the giant flat screen TV- I won it :)
Since we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against unseen forces of wickedness, we need all the prayer power we can get. That's why I want to help each of you recruit two prayer warriors. How so? Let them know that if they commit to pray daily for you, they won't be forgotten, but appreciated and enriched. They will get weekly "M3 Prayer Partners Appreciation Updates" via email. We won't leave them in the dark as so often happens. (I remember a satellite pastor once asked a number of us to pray daily for him. He promised to give us email updates. After the first one, I never heard from him again. Ugh! Being faithful to prayer and your good intentions is hard work at times. So please send me the names and emails of your prayer partners by Sunday. (Assure them that their info will not be sold, nor will they get solicited :)
You are Unstoppable!
| For Th.12.18.14 | ||||||
| Alpha Force | 100% | |||||
| Fire Team 1 | ||||||
| 1 | Jack Rogers | Y | ||||
| 2 | Daniel Contreras | Y | ||||
| 3 | Roger Vinlasaca | Y | ||||
| Fire Team 2 | ||||||
| 4 | Israel Fuentes | Y | ||||
| 5 | John Pallozzi | Y | ||||
| 6 | Sam Vargas | Y | ||||
| Delta Force | 100% | |||||
| Fire Team 3 | ||||||
| 1 | Alvin James | Y | ||||
| 2 | Dave Heidekruger | Y | ||||
| 3 | Mike Pagan | Y | ||||
| Fire Team 4 | ||||||
| 5 | Eddie Morales | Y | ||||
| 6 | Gary Remson | Y | ||||
| 7 | Ismael Andrade | Y |
1.- Did I
ReplyDelete2.- Ephe 6:10-18 is such great passage that reminds us followers of Christ of the whole armor that is available to us so that we may stand our ground and experience victory on a daily basis in doing His will. Verse 17 reaffirms everything we have been studying in the last couple of weeks, the importance of the word of God in our lives, without our sword we will always loose when we enter into battle.
May we always be ready for battle with the help of God.
3.- Did it.
Very good Roger! Glad I got to see you yesterday at church. You are unstoppable!
ReplyDeleteDid it.
ReplyDeleteWhat caught my eyes and mind was "Praying for others can be intense at times like wrestling. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Eph.6:12." I never thought how powerful and intense our prayers can be. I guess this is one of the things i have taken for granted in my spiritual walk. I do pray everyday but now I know I have to be more intense with my prayers.
Yes Mike- I've read accounts of missionaries that labor in idolatrous lands that speak of how spiritually oppressive it is. That might cause us to pray more- not that I want that for our nation. They feel the oppression as they seek breakthroughs for people in prayer.
Delete1. Did it.
ReplyDelete2. What really caught my attention was the MANLY acronym. I wrote it down, before I read the promptings to do so. But with that being said, I love the next verse of Col. 4, verse 13. Paul says, "For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you..." Wow. I asked myself the question, who have I worked hard for, or wrestled in prayer for, other than myself? My grandfather comes to mind. A man I love very much, but is not a believer. I often find myself wrestling for him in my prayers, but being devoted and faithful to something takes work. Let us labor for one another, our families, friends, the Church, our city, neighborhoods, etc. in prayer and petitioning to Our Heavenly Father!
3. Did it.
Really enjoyed today's blog Dave. Good to hear you've been 'blessed real good.' Congrats on the TV! : )
Very good thoughts Eddie. I still remember from years ago the convicting title of an article, "We Wrestle Not."
Delete1. Did it
ReplyDelete2. I felt touched by the same verse as above and compelled to write about it--Colossians 4B " He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured." As I now understand the powerful impact of prayer for others--I have witnessed others first hand, go from not believing in God at all to full trust in God and now complete faithful following. This was God's timing, but it was prayed for many times by a band of brothers with God winning. I always believed in God but never had a relationship with him until the last 2 years--again his timing, but after many years of faithful, dedicated prayer by my uncle and aunt and other brothers and sisters. These passages impacted me today on the importance of effective and direct prayers with the Lord from my heart for others and I know we can have an effect on so many others now to help our Father bring them to the kingdom. M3 is like Paul and his deeply rooted Brothers who were always encouraging and stood by their Brothers 100% to follow Jesus; in following the word and praying for each other, and displaying their mature character as they followed God's will. Faithfully yoking and encouraging each other, with full support of each other--Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark(cousin of Barnabas), Epaphras.
3. Did it
Thanks Dave again for enlightening me and our brothers
That's such a powerful and challenging verse isn't it. Well done Grandpa Jack :)
Delete1. Did it
ReplyDelete2. I chose Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
Our daily lives, especially during the holiday, can be hectic. We wrestle to get things done, but we should never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. I can already see how powerful this group is and I appreciate you guys taking the time to pray and encourage me and others. I see that the daily hustle and bustle doesn't stop MANLY men. Thank you for your words of wisdom. May we wrestle to win for the glory of God.
I'm glad your wife is doing better Alvin. I pray that God restores her.
3. Did it
Hi Sam,
DeleteYour verse made be think that there are times when we are wrestling to pray, and then there are times when we are prayer wrestling (like Epaphras). God is accomplishing something through both.
In the midst of those hectic holiday activities, may you lead your family to share in special moments of celebration and adoration in the birth of Christ our Lord. (The reason for the season).
Very good Sam! More good things are coming your way!
Delete1) Did it
ReplyDelete2) Thought on Ephesians 6:10-18.
Paul tells us to be always ready for spiritual battle. I'm afraid there have been too many times when I rushed into the day undressed for spiritual battle, having forgotten this. Not to give our enemy any glory, but I think if God would let us catch just a glimpse of the enemy forces we face daily, we would shutter in our boots. How magnificent that our Commander and Chief equips us with such strong, effective spiritual armor and weapons. Not only to be to stand our ground when under attack, but to be able to advance with His strength and might against the gates of hell. Praise you Lord Jesus. Turn all of us men, into valiant warriors in this location of your glorious kingdom.
3) Did it
"Amen!"is what I said out loud Dave after reading your honest and insightful words and prayer.
DeleteDid it
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help but noticed the order in which the pieces of admire were mentioned.
Maybe it's just me but girding your loins about with truth seems to be making a specific point against mans weakest area( sex,lust,pleasure, etc. ) i don't know maybe it's a stretch but it seems to go from weakest area to strongest area as far as how is written. I found it interesting enough to post.
*Armor
DeleteJohn, you've brought up an important application regardless. No one would ever fall to sexual temptation without buying a lie. We are preserved from falling to such an attack of deception by the truth. O Lord, help us to buy the truth and never sell it. Prov.23:23
Delete1.Did it!
ReplyDelete2. Reflection on Colossians 4:12b: I love the imagery of this verse. Paul must have been "into" sports because he used a lot of athletic language his letters. The thing I find interesting is the two action words in this verse that are linked together: wrestling and standing. Wrestling involves physically manipulating an opponents body to pin or submit. It involves lots of little minute manipulations to "checkmate" your opponent into a submissive position. Standing firm does not require this sort of steady and constant manipulations. It requires a decide effort not to fall. I guess the overall idea is that prayer is the "constant, minute, manipulations" that cause us from being manipulated into a submissive position, so that we can stand firm!
3. Did it!
Excellent reflections Alvin! On a side note, isn't interesting how Jacob wrestled in prayer with the angel of the Lord (God) for favor and blessing? Gen.32:24-30 and Hosea 12:3-4. God "is near" when we pray! Dt.4:7
DeleteDid it
ReplyDeleteI too wrestled in the past and it is a very demanding and revealing thing to partake into. Like our lives with God and being in prayer both realms are a continuous battle because the enemy is always wanting to take as many with him as possible. But to prevail is not just to be stronger in strength; and I believed this where the MANLY acronym comes in to be very helpful. We are to be equipped by God and practiced in His ways of doing battle.
Indeed Thy will be done.
Did it: Also thank you Dave for including the HOUSE acronym for the team as well
I agree Gary, I love the acronyms that Dave uses. I find them extremely helpful in praying more effective :) Keep wrestling in prayer like Jacob did, my brother. I know that the Lord will continue to give you victories :)
DeleteGreat thoughts Gary. Fully agree that it is not about our own strength, but about being equipped by God in service of His will.
ReplyDelete1. Did it
ReplyDelete2. As I just went through the book of Daniel the other day, a very real "Powerful picture of Spiritual Warfare takes place in Dan. 10: 11-14 that says "He (an angel) said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel was fasting for at least 3 weeks for the Lord to reveal His will to him, and we see the spiritual warfare taking place as Daniel's answer to prayer was held up for 3 weeks by a demon, under the control of satan. Wow, I do not fully understand how spirit beings fight but all I know is that I need to consistently and persistently Pray for God's will to continue to be revealed in my life and now, in the lives of my band of brothers here!! Ephesians 6: 10-18 teaches us to put on the full armor of God, because this battle is not won in the physical realm,but in the spiritual realm! I will talk with a couple of people that I really want to pray for me on a daily basis as I need to be covered by prayer more than ever.
3. Did it
1. Did it
ReplyDelete2. Love the MANLY acronym. I must admit the military and warrior language of M3 was not something I could relate to at first... But, I have come around :-)
3. Did it
Alvin, awesome that Tina is doing better. Praise God for His care for us.
Hello Daniel, I was never a military man myself, even though I have several family members that were. The military and warrior language of M3, and especially the Bible Verses have really helped me to understand, that we are truly in a war for the kingdom of God and for our loved ones in our lives. What a tragedy if one of our loved ones dies without knowing Christ, what a tragedy! Oh Lord, help Daniel and I and all the rest of these godly men proclaim the gospel confidently and in clear easy to understand way so that our loved ones would ALL come to Christ for salvation. Father, draw them to Christ, please Lord.
DeleteAmen!
ReplyDelete1. Did it.
ReplyDelete2.Colossians 4:12 NIV
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
The last two words made me reflect on a wise man setting his foundation on a rock not on sand (Matthew 7:24-27). That while whatever we are praying, may we know just how big, how grand is our Lord and not doubt, or quick to fall and set our trust on His will.
3. I did it.