The Bible makes it clear that every person was known to God even before they entered their mother's womb to be born on the earth. The Bible also mentions that each person is predestined for a purpose God has determined. With that in mind, it is crucial to have some idea of what God's plan is for our lives. The lack of such knowledge can have damning effects, leading people to make choices for themselves and others that create problems instead of solutions.
However, just as it's important to understand God's purpose for your life, it is equally imperative to have a sense of God's timing of the plans He has for your life, so you can remain within it. The experiences of Jesus Christ give us some insight into how much we need to remain within both God's plan and His timing for us.
When satan attempted to tempt Christ in the wilderness, it made three requests. One of them, however, was a thinly veiled attempt to get Jesus to step out of God's plan for His life and ministry. It is contained in Matthew 4:6 - "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
Although it seems satan wanted Jesus to prove He was the Son of God, in actuality, the request was a bid to get Jesus to put His life into His own hands. That was never God's plan for His Son. Nor was it the Son's plan for Himself. In all things, He was submissive to God the Father. John 5:30 - “I can do nothing on my own initiative or authority. Just as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just (fair, righteous, unbiased), because I do not seek My own will, but only the will of Him who sent Me (AMP). Obedient to a fault, whereby He even endured torture, disrespect, and death because that was God's plan for Him. At no point was the plan for Jesus to jump off a mountain so as to satisfy the whims of the devil. Now, imagine if Jesus had fallen for that stunt? Imagine if he'd succumbed to the pride satan wanted him to feel and thus had done what satan wanted so as to prove He was the Son of God? I shudder at the thought.
Jesus also paid attention to God's timing for His life. At the wedding where wine ran out, His mother asked Him to take care of the problem. His initial response, however, was “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4). Yet, to honor His earthly mother, He obeyed her request and promptly turned water to wine so great, the Master of Ceremony gushed over how good it was. The Bible further highlights the importance of God's timing in Jesus's life in John 7 when He taught at the temple courts during the Feast of Tabernacles. The rabbis and people were incensed that He would assert He was God's Son, and they seized Him in order to kill Him. However, we are told in verse 30, "but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come."
Each of us must seek the face of the Lord to learn His plan for our lives. We must also focus on His timing, desiring that His plan happen at the pace He selects. In this way, we shall achieve the prize God has in store for us. We must also be open to God's plan and timing for our family life, our work life, for the lives of our children. He told us to ask in Matthew 7:7, for those who ask will receive, and what better question is there than to know what God wants each of us to accomplish on this earth? He promised to answer us when we ask Him questions in Jeremiah 33:3 and He committed, in Philippians 2:13, to help His children do the very things that are pleasing to Him.
Today is the day to inquire of God as to His plans for your life. Today is the day to submit to those plans and His timing. May the good Lord help us all, IJMN, Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Holy God. Righteous God. Thank You for being so much to us today. Thank You for being He who allowed us to gather and honor You in praise and intercession.
Take all the glory!
I lift up today's participants as well as those who will participate at a later time and call on You to reveal to them Your plan for their lives. Let them see the glorious purpose You have for them and their families. Let them come to know these things that they may make choices that align with the vision of the future You give them. And Lord, take all the glory. Take all the praise. IJMN, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
Satan is very good at trying to make people step outside of God's plan and timing. If it could attempt to do this to Jesus, what more you and I?
Thank God that we aren't left to fumble through life. No, God wants to hold our hand each step of the way and we should desire such leadership. We each have a chance, right now, to turn to the Lord and seek to know what His plan for us is. This is the opportunity to ask God how to remain in His timing.
Maybe the Lord has previously revealed His plan for you. Have you strayed from it? If so, this is the perfect time to tell Him you want to get back on track. And if you are already on God's path for your life, then, tell God to keep you secure in your walk and submit yourself to His timing.
Let us pray:
Righteous God, thank You for creating me and making me in Your image. You made sure that I was wonderfully and fearfully made for Your pleasure.
Lord, today, I submit to Your plan and timing for my life. I call on You to take control and guide me in the way You want me to go. I ask You to keep me firm till the end, whereby all areas of my life serve Your purpose and give You glory. I pray for grace to hear and receive what You have called me for as well as zeal to do what You want me to do. Help me Lord. Strengthen me. That I may serve You and You alone, all my days, IJMN, Amen.
If you just said that prayer, please give God the glory for He surely heard and answered you. He will help you to 'course-correct' so your life increasingly resembles His plan for you. In Jesus name, I decree that Your life shall please the Lord and that You shall be a valuable worker in His vineyard, IJN, Amen.
Lord I pray for those who are seeking Your will, and waiting on You for some revelation.
Remember You promise, that You will never give Your children a stone if they are asking for fish (Mt 7:11). If we ask anything according to Your will, we know You hear us (1 Jn 5:14-15).
I lift up these verses on behalf of Your children. They are seeking Your face. Zech 1:3 says that when they turn to You, You will also turn to them. I rebuke every obstacle to them hearing from you clearly. In Jesus name I have prayed, amen.
Great El Shaddai. You are the Covenant Keeping God and I come to You today on behalf of those waiting on Your promises in their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Your servant boasted of You in Joshua 21:45 - Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Today, Lord, I also boast in You. You are the God who has never failed and can never fail. You are He who cannot lie. In fact, 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is (NLT). God, You are He who watches over His word to ensure that it is fulfilled and so I confidently say, I am also watching to see Your word fulfilled in the lives of my fellow Peppers and their loved ones, IJN, Amen. You who are faithful, You who called these ones unto Yourself, You will surely do what You have said. Just as You fulfilled every last word over the children of Jacob, so shall You fulfill Your promises over Your children, grafted through Christ to become children of Abraham. All by Your grace and to Your glory, IJMN, Amen.
Thank You, my Lion that guards the Universe. You are mighty in all Your ways. No one can touch You, nor Yours.
Lord, I pray for the protection of the brethren. Lord, even Jesus prayed You would "protect them from the evil one", even if they are still living in the world. Abba, see all the wicked arrows of the enemy, aimed for Your beloveds. Let the enemies of Your light be "like the grass on the rooftop, that withers and dies at the sun". See those enemies that are deceiving Your sheep and leading them astray. I appeal to the compassion of Your heart, for it is written: "God is love". In Your love for Your children, snatch them out of the hands of the wicked. Shine Your light and scatter the darkness. In Jesus name I have prayed, amen.
Lord, You are Jehovah Jireh, the provider of what is needed. You are the giver of all good things and today I place before You those in need of finances.
Haggai 2:8 - The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.
God, the devil thrives in making people think that they cannot access what belongs to You. But, You are the God who gives. In fact, Psalm 23:1 states, the Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want.
And so, I bring before You those in this fellowship seeking financial help from You. I call on You Lord to open the door that cannot be shut for them. May they access the silver and gold that You have for them, breaking every basis the devil has used to keep them from what is theirs. Lord, Your word indicates that when the thief is found it must pay back seven-fold, even if it be the last wealth of its house. I decree that what was stolen be returned seven-fold. I call on You oh Lord to break every chain, IJMN, Amen.
From IA84 - Let us give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endureth forever!
Sovereign Lord. You are the Almighty. Full of power and might. I thank You for this opportunity to lift up the healing needs of my prayer subjects before You today.
Almighty God, Your word is clear in Isaiah 38:16 - Your words and your deeds bring life to everyone, including me. Please make me healthy and strong again.
Father, I know that satan seeks to steal, kill and destroy. However, You are the God who said that You came to bring life and life to the fullest.
I therefore call on You, my Creator, to send forth Your word to heal the sick. Let Your word transform their diseased bodies and clouded minds. Uproot whatever You have not planted, Heavenly Father. Bring the enemy's plans to steal, kill and destroy to an end in the lives of my prayer subjects, IJMN, Amen. Make them healthy and strong again, IJN, Amen.
praise reports!
- God thank You so much for helping my family,
- Thank You for the great expenses you spared us from yesterday,
- thank You for unity,
- thank You for fulfilling an expectation of mine this morning
PRAYER TIME
Let us turn now to the need to pray for others. We have been called to follow the example of Jesus and if there's one thing He did, it was to pray for people.
It's time to intercede.
God bless you as you do.
Thank You, Lord for being faithful. Thank You for being compassionate. Thank You for being He who comforts. Thank You for being great in every way. Thank You for being the Shepherd who leads. Thank You for Your still, small voice even after You have been the God to do big and mighty things.
Thank You for how You can be everything and anything, and somehow, it always makes sense.
The I Am that I Am.
Thank You!
Father, I want to thank You for my friends. Thank You for indeed Your word says there is a friend that is closer than a brother and You have fulfilled this scripture in my life.
Thank You for putting people in my life to keep my eyes on You. Thank You for using them to speak Your word. Thank You for placing me in other's lives so I can say what needs to be heard.
Glory be to You, my King. You know what each of us need and have placed people in my life for "such a time as this".
God, I am forever grateful!
Great Jehovah!
I thank You for the life of my family members. Thank You for all the goodness You have shown them. Thank You for blessing them in different ways.
Thank You for loving them more than I ever could and showing them how much You care.
Hallowed be Your Name, Lord!
Hallelujah to the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
God of gods, I worship You!
Thank You Father. The enemy just tried to frustrate me, but Your kindness and love ensured that what the enemy meant for evil became a moment of praise to You!!!
Lord, I am thankful for all You do to put the enemy to shame in my life.
Hallelujah!!
PRAISE TIME
2 Chronicles 20:21 - “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.”
These are the words King Jehoshaphat and his people sang as they marched out to meet their enemies at the Pass of Ziz. They arrived and found their enemies - the armies from 3 nations - dead.
Today, let us proclaim the same praise that those fighting men shouted at the top of their lungs way back then. Let us give thanks to our God. He whose love for us never waivers.
Join the heavenly host, and your fellow Peppers, in rejoicing in God Almighty.
Praise the Lord!!!
From BH - Thank you Father God I know I am in your ark of safety I trust your timing and I lean on your understanding and not my own understanding.
From BH - Thank you Father God for being a fence around me everyday I am amazed by your love and your goodness towards me. I know that you have plans for my life plans to prosper me and give me hope and a future. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made Oh how marvelous is thy works.
From IA84 - Good morning, everyone! Blessings and well wishes to you on this beautiful new day. First and foremost, I want to give thanks to God for another day. Lately, I have not been at my best. The past few weeks have been a mental and emotional struggle. But I ask God to bare with me, as I find my footing again. Dear God, I come before you, to pray your forgiveness for my mistakes, and help me to find your peace and healing again. I pray your love and guidance over my life, as my finances have struggled, and my relationships with family and friends have suffered. I have honestly given too much of myself, and lost my way, trying to be there for others, when I should've been here for myself. Though I did not sleep much, God please get me through this day peacefully and gracefully. Help me put the pieces of the puzzle together again. Despite my choices lately, I have much to be thankful for. I take absolutely nothing for granted. In this day, give me a reason to smile, and comfort me with the assurance that you'll help me find my way again, even if it just takes some time. Let me not stand in the way of the great blessings that are just for me. One day at a time, one step a time, let me be close to thee. In Jesus' name, Amen!
From CD - Ready and reporting for prayer, praise & worship
ALTAR CALL
Every Praise & Pray (for others), I lift an altar call, asking people to give their lives to Jesus Christ. I do this because I'm learning that many of us have not been introduced to this concept, some believing that it refers to a baptism or Christening. However, giving one's life to Jesus is an act of commitment and submission whereby you choose to make Jesus, and therefore, His Father - God, the only authority over your life.
If you haven't considered submitting to the authority of the Lord, please permit me to say - today is the day. The Lord wants you to choose Him. Please tell the Lord you want Him. Ask Him to change you for His purpose and your good.
So many of us are afraid of choosing the Lord and worry about the consequences. You don't want to give up the shows, the websites, the music, the way you speak, etc. However, have you considered the consequences of not choosing Him?
Maybe you think this message doesn't apply to you because you were born a Christian. You regularly go to church. You don't lie or steal and believe you are a good person.
That was me a few years ago and none of that stood in the way when satan tried to completely destroy me. I had to cry out and submit to Christ in order for Heaven itself to wrestle me out of the devil's clutches. This might sound dramatic but believe me, it was. I have shared more than one testimony of how the devil tried to kill me but for the gracious hand of God upon my life. I know what it means to be a Christian versus what it means to be a born-again Christian, and I pray you will choose to be the latter.
I pray that today will be the day you truly choose Jesus and start to walk with God's hand firmly upon you for your good. The day you decide to be intentional in developing a tight relationship with Him. Come back to your Creator. He wants you back. And if you want the sort of relationship where God speaks to you and grants unimaginable access to His grace, mercy, power and more, please say the following prayer. But, only if you mean it.
Lord Jesus I am a sinner. I confess my sins right now to you. And I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you came , you died, your rose again, and you paid the price for my sins. Today, I accept the new life, today I accept the Holy Spirit. Come dwell in me, make Your home in me. I will never be the same again. In Jesus's name, Amen.
God bless you!