15 Day Prayer Challenge - Day 6

Dear Abundant Life Family:

Satan has a lot of tools in his toolbox. One of those tools that he uses against God's people on a regular basis is the tool of discouragement. The dictionary defines discourage as "to deprive of courage or confidence." Challenging circumstances produce discouragement. It could be something like a health issue, financial pressure, a relationship problem or a job loss.

But let's remember what the psalmist said: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Rejoicing and discouragement aren't roommates. In fact, they don't usually stay in the same room together. When one comes in, the other leaves. Which one have you invited into your room?
Our confidence has to be in the Lord. It can't be in circumstances. Circumstances can collapse like a tent in a hurricane. But God is the solid rock on which we stand. He is our foundation. He is our fortress. He is our refuge. In fact, Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

Claim his protection today. Encourage yourself in the Lord as David did. And if you don't need encouragement today, someone near you probably does. Speak a word of encouragement into his or her life.

As we focus our prayers today, let's pray for those who need a job and those who are struggling with financial issues. We have a number of people in our church who need a good job. Let's join together in prayer for these needs today.

In order to encourage you and build your faith, here's a testimony sent in by Brian Rosamond this week:

"I have been praying with one of my coworkers this year that God would provide us some much needed work this year, and He has answered our prayers with an over abundance of blessings. We have two Regional Offices that typically perform $60,000,000 of construction annually, and we have dropped well below that mark so far this year. However, today we have been notified that my Regional Office alone has been awarded $60,000,000 worth of work for the beginning of next year, and another $25,000,000 for the middle of the year. God is such an awesome provider, and my coworker and I want to make sure that God receives the glory as we discuss this work with our other coworkers. We hope that this will create an opportunity for God to draw our coworkers to Him through us."

Praise the Lord for his goodness and his provision!

For Saturday - Day 7 - please pray for our Adult Ministries such as Bible Studies and Care Groups.

For Sunday - Day 8 - please pray for our Worship Ministries such as our choir, musicians and worship team.