THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY THIRTEEN:

VERSE:

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world....John 16:33

PRAYER:

Father, oh Most Merciful and Compassionate God, Your children in far away lands are united in one thing - their love for Christ. This Love compels them to stand strong as their persecutors in the lands of the pagan religions of the Middle East, Asia, the Far East and the atheist countries of socialism oppress them. Lord our spiritual hearts and minds grieve for our brothers and sisters who are in constant tribulation and trials, sometimes by literal fire, but You are removing the dross now even as we pray.

Lord, even as they cry out in their pain and suffering, even as they plead for mercy and some human decency from the hoards of hell, let loose for over 1400 years now by those who follow moon gods, 300 millions non-existent idol "gods" or no god, You constantly hear their cries around Your Throne. You hear them because their pleadings and prayers have come before You rising as bowls of incense, as our High Priest Jesus intercedes for them and us.

We pray for Your saints persecuted in Nigeria as their schools and villages are burned down, and the world stays silent in the face of this evil. We pray for Christians in the old Bible lands of Nineveh (Mosul), Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and others in between the land of the Levant, that You deal with those who abuse Your people, in Your own way, in Your own time. We pray for those in the lands of India where You sent the Apostle Thomas and the millions there are told to convert to the hinduism and its idolatry or else. We pray for our brethren in China, whose millions now outnumber the godless and evil communist party in power there for over 60 years. 

May their tears become like a river of life to those of us in the west who pray for them who pray for their courage and boldness to hold up in the face of this rampaging evil. Lord, on behalf of these tribulation saints, we claim Your promise and Your exhortation, Lord Jesus that You have not only overcome the world, the god of this world, the systems of this world and the persecutors of this world who are unknowingly storing up wrath for themselves, but You give freely to those who seek favor, courage, mercy, love, hope, conviction and faith. We pray this day for all of that, from the Throne of Grace to those being constantly refined in the fire and for those of us, who have it within our power to pray and help, and yet stay silent or worse. We pray and ask and bow down before Your Throne, in Jesus' Strong and Mighty Name, amen.

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2, 2014, Day 2

SO WHY PRAY AT ALL?  - Part 1

This is a valid question from many who are non-believers/professing and/or Cultural Christians. While this demographic is usually the same group of folks, even committed disciples of Jesus Christ have become seemingly helpless enough to inquire and ask "why doesn't God do something? He sees the pain of the persecuted by the religion of "peace" and various other atheists" in the countries of yesterday's World Watch List (from Open Doors). The shrinking numbers of those who care in the west, about these things, may even ask why the Lord has not intervened as this brutality increases? Can we discern the Mind of God and His thinking about this?

We can, to a certain extent. His Arm is not short and He is timing is flawless, whether we like it or not. Just as in the Days of Noah (Genesis 6) when the earth was so corrupt and evil with sin abounding, thus it is the same now before the Second Coming of the Son of Man. God will not act before His time. However, but He HAS done something. He has commanded us to pray. He has commanded us through His word. Here is the proof:

Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart (speaking about Jesus).
Matthew 26:41 "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (some final instructions from the Commander in Chief).
Colossians 4:2-4 "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. (The Apostle Paul, who spoke for Jesus).

These are the Commands and Exhortations from the verses above:
- Pray and do NOT lose heart.
- Keep watch (be vigilant) and pray, 
- Prayer will keep us from physical and emotional sin so our prayers will be effective.
- Not just pray once, but be DEVOTED to a lifestyle of prayer.
- Pray for those in bondage (like Paul was in Philippi), who opened up prison ministries and even led the Philippians prison guard and his family to the Lord. Pastor Saeed has led over 30 people to Christ in the Iranian prison which the muslims are keeping him in, just to torture him for being a Christian.
- There are more passages which will be explored and prayed over on Day 3/10. The key is -we pray!

SO FATHER, IN THE POWERFUL AND MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS, WE REST ON YOUR WORD AS OUR COMMAND AND DIRECTION TO PRAY. LORD, UNLIKE THE WORLD AND THOSE WITH RELIGIOUS TITLES WHO REJECT THE VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU TO SERVE THEMSELVES AND WALK AROUND IN LABYRINTHS AND OTHER CREATIONS OF THE SINFUL CORRUPT MINDS OF MAN, WE COME DIRECTLY TO YOU, IN HUMILITY, GRATITUDE AND AN ALERT MIND TO THE THINGS YOU HAVE CALLED US TO,

FATHER, YOU TOLD US TO BE ALERT AND VIGILANT MORE THAN ONCE THROUGHOUT YOUR WORDS TO US, BECAUSE THIS IS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM TO WORSHIP YOU. LORD WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE SPIRITS OF THOSE UNDER PERSECUTION ARE WILLING BUT UNDER SUCH STRESS AND DURESS AND BRUTALITY FROM THE SONS OF THE DEVIL, THEIR FLESH FAILS AS OUR BRETHREN AS MORTAL MEN, SUCH AS WE ARE. THEREFORE, YOU HAVE COMMANDED US TO PRAY FOR THEM AS ONES WHO ARE PART OF THIS SAME BODY OF CHRIST - THE CHURCH.

THEREFORE FATHER, WE PRAY FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND THEIR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN TO NOT LOSE HEART. WE PRAY, RESTING ON THE SCRIPTURES (BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THEM WITH ALL OUR HEART) FOR THEIR COURAGE TODAY. LORD EVEN AS THEIR FLESH FAILS, EVEN IF YOUR ENEMIES STARVE THEM, EVEN IF THE REST OF THE WORLD AND ITS POMPOUS LEADERS IGNORE THEM, WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE NOT. WHILE YOUR SPIRIT WILL NOT CONTEND WITH MAN FOREVER, YOUR HEART IS FULL OF LOVE FOR ALL YOUR ELECT, AS YOU SEE THE BEGINNING FROM THE END, AND YOU SEE THESE PERSECUTED SAINTS WILL BE GREATER IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN THAN THOSE WHO ARE ENJOYING THEIR REWARDS NOW, ON THIS SIDE OF GLORY.

FINALLY FATHER, WE BELIEVE THAT EVEN IN THIS STATE, YOUR PEOPLE CAN TESTIFY TO THE HOPE THAT IS IN THEM, EVEN TO THEIR CAPTORS - LIKE PAUL IN THE PHILIPPIAN JAIL & LIKE SAEED IN IRAN RIGHT NOW. SO WE PRAY THE SCRIPTURES, WE PRAY LIKE PAUL THAT A DOOR WILL BE OPEN FOR THESE UNNAMED SAINTS TO REACH EVEN ONE OR TWO OF THEIR PERSECUTORS TO SPEAK THE GOSPEL OF LOVE AND SALVATION CLEARLY TO THEM, LIKE GRACIA BURNHAM DOES, TO PRAISE AND GLORY OF YOUR NAME, AND ETERNAL SALVATION OF THEIR SOULS, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN.

GOING FOR THE GOLD!!!

Are you going for the gold....?

THE 2012 OLYMPICS BEGIN IN LONDON TODAY! IN HONOR THAT, OUR FAVORITE GREEK GIRL SINGER GIVES US A GREAT EXHORTATION FROM HER RICH FAMILY TRADITION!!! 

ALSO FREE SONG DOWNLOAD TO ALL READERS JUST CLICK HERE AND FIRE AWAY!

After much hullabaloo it seems the official start of the Olympics is finally "almost" upon us.  No one could be more excited then the Greek Blonde girl, I mean competition runs in my blood.  I'm GREEK, Hello we invented the Olympics.

Although I never really realized it until I was an adult that probably explains my love for all things athletic, and my love for sneakers of course.  I've always been super competitive, love the thrill of sports, and have always had the eye of the tiger when it comes to pushing myself past imaginary physical limits set in my mind.  The Olympics are so exciting for me, because you can literally see the incredible things the human body can do when a person sets his or her mind and most importantly their "will" to accomplish something.

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All the way back from the original Olympic games in Athens, to Jesse Owens reigning at the top in Berlin in 1936, to the unbelievable Ethiopian Marathon runner who ran barefoot in 1960 in Rome, to the USA Basketball Dream Team in Barcelona in 1992, all the way up to Michael Phelps in 2004... the Summer Olympics are sure to produce moments that will live on forever.

It leads me to wonder though.  Sure athletes spend an entire lifetime working and training in order to go for the gold.  But what are we as everyday people working and striving towards?  Are we going for the gold, or are we just skating by?  I ask this only because it seems like in our society today many people are glorifying many things that I would not consider to be gold.

We as a society glorify mediocre pop stars, actors, movies full of negative themes, sensor almost everything to make sure it does not "offend" any one race, religion, or sexual orientation.  We have taken God out of our workplace, schools, and anyplace else it might be able to "offend" anyone.  It is clear to see the disastrous results doing so has done to our character.

Exactly what are we telling future generations and the Olympians of tomorrow?  What kind of message does it send?  Hard work?... Why work when you can have everything Now?  Everyone gets a prize for "participation".  There are no "losers" in life, right? Reality shows can make you famous for literally any reason at all except for actually having any talent whatsoever, and that hard work isn't necessary.  Just have a sad backstory, and dress as sexy as humanly possible no matter how young you are, and you can have and get whatever you want.  People, I gotta tell you, there are days anymore when I seriously want to grab my fur~babies and hide under the blankets.  The world is getting crazier and crazier by the day.

Personally I feel it's time for a cultural revolution.  I long for the days when people were actually going for the gold each and every day in their lives.  When people did the right thing even when no one was looking.  When people helped and lifted each other up regardless if there were a "benefit" in doing so.

With that being said, I'd like offer a challenge to my blog reader's.  To consider the coming Olympics a chance to take a stand against mediocrity.  Be a reminder to people around you that anything worth having takes hard work, that hard work is and should be rewarded.  That not everything in life is or should be instant.  To go for the gold each and every single day in our own lives.  To be the light and the difference in someone else's life, to do the right thing, and for goodness sake... keep your dang clothes on! ;)

Blessings, Love & Music ~

Ava :) xox

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