They...were constantly united in prayer. (Acts 1:14)
5/23
Father, thank you for the cross and the empty tomb. Thank you that we have been forgiven and have been restored to have a relationship with you. Thank you that we now have relationship with you in this life and then face to face in the next life.
Father, thank you for Westside Chapel. Thank you that we get to be family. Help us to grow deeper as family. Thank you for using the Tables of 8 groups to draw us deeper into relationship with one another. Help us to become family across cultural boundaries.
Father, deepen our love for you. May we value our relationship with you above all else. You are our greatest gift. Give us discipline to spend time daily in prayer and in your Word and in worship. Use blessing and hardship to purify our faith and deepen our trust in you.
Father, search our hearts. If we have any unconfessed sin or if we love anything more than you, show us so that we can repent.
Father, help us to admit when we are wrong and to be quick to seek forgiveness from one another. You have forgiven us much, help to be quick to forgive one another.
Father, may we be wise in our use of screens. Give us discipline and wisdom. For anyone who has allowed themselves to view inappropriate images or videos, let them come to you for forgiveness--then give them the humility and guts to find a trusted believer to hold them accountable. Break the power of sin in our lives. Allow us to take up the full armor of God in relation to the evil schemes of Satan.
Father, allow our homes to be places of peace/shalom. Help husbands to lead out spiritually and to love their wives and children as they love themselves. Help wives to show their husbands respect. Help children and youth to honor and obey their parents. Let our singles and widows know the sweet presence of God.
Father, I pray that we practice hospitality this month. Help us to practice cross cultural hospitality. Don’t let procrastination or fear keep us back from welcoming people into our homes. Use these get-togethers to grow us deeper as a church. Let us also welcome non-believers into our homes. Use these times as a way of drawing people toward you. Help us to be good listeners and fill us with compassion toward others.
Father, you so loved the world that you sent Jesus to die for us. Fill us with compassion for the non-believers that we live, work and go to school with. Give us opportunities to share our faith. Give us eyes to see the opportunities you are opening up for us. Give us boldness. Let us take your request to make disciples seriously. Let us sacrifice our comfort for this cause. For all Westsiders who have isolated themselves from meaningful relationships with non-believers, give them creative ways this month for them to turn this around.
Father, raise up Westsiders who can/will give their time to lead us into outreach.
Father, do what you do. Thank you in advance. You are so good.
4/23 Father, help Westside to love you with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength (Mark 12:30).
Father, you have placed all things under Christ’s leadership. You appointed Jesus to be the leader over everything for the church. We are Christ’s body and are filled by Christ (Ephesians 1:22). Lead Westside. We pray for your Kingdom leadership in every service, every activity, every get together, and in every family’s and every individual’s life.
Father, allow us to be and to become a display of the manifold [many colored] wisdom of God in Greensboro and the Triad for your glory (Ephesians 3:10). May Greensboro and the Triad know we are your disciples because we love each other so well (John 13:35). What can I do today to love well? What can we do as a church?
Father, help us to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, may we long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it we may grow up into salvation--because we have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 1:1-3).
Father, let us come near to God with a sincere heart. Let us come near boldly because of our faith. Our hearts have been sprinkled. Our minds have been cleansed from a sense of guilt. Our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold firmly to the hope we claim to have. The God who promised is faithful. Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as we see Christ’s return approaching (Hebrews 10:22-25).
Father, help Westside wives to follow the lead of their husbands as the Church follows the Lord. Help wives to respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:22,33). Help Westside Husbands, to sacrificially love their wives just as Christ loved the church. Help husbands to love their wives just like they love their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28). For Westside adult singles and widows who like Paul have either a temporary or life-long calling to singleness, help them to fear not, but to know you are with them and you are their God; strengthen them, help them, and uphold them with your righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10). Help Westside children and youth to obey their parents the way the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do (Ephesians 6:1).
Father, help us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves in both word and deed (Mark 12:31, Colosians 3:17). What can I do today to love my neighbor well? What can we do as a church?
Father, with God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20,21).
2/23
Father, thank you that you are the head of the Church. We are your body. You are our leader. Lord, thank you that you have equipped us with the Holy Spirit. Thank you for that power. Thank you for being you.
Father, thank you for Westside. Thank you for the people. Thank you for the giftings. Thank you for the challenges. Thank you for the opportunities.
Father, bring us deeper--deeper in our relationship with you--deeper in our love and obedience--deeper in our love for each other--deeper in our willingness to serve one another--deeper in our love for the world around us--deeper in our willingness to build relationships that lead to people coming to salvation. Lord, bring us deeper.
Father, thank you for our leadership team(s) at Westside. Thank you for the gift mix. Bless our Elders, Deacons, Deaconesses, Sunday School teachers, and worship team. Bless us with unity. Bless us with resolve. Allow us to serve our church as if we were serving you.
Father, raise up new leadership to help us pursue our purpose as a church. Lord, raise up more biblically qualified leaders (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). Lord, show us how to better nurture/disciple new leaders.
Father, thank you for your financial provision for our church through the generosity of your people. Provide for all our needs. Show us how to best steward our finances. We want to live a blessed to be a blessing legacy.
Father, be at work in the lives of our kids and youth. Help our parents to shepherd their children’s hearts toward you. Bless our children and youth leaders--anoint their ministries. Raise up new leadership to help fill in the gaps. Raise up youth leaders who can take this amazing group of kids to the next level.
Father, how do we encourage deep, meaningful relationships at Westside? Small groups have worked minimally, but I see the need for more consistency as an ingredient in our efforts to care for one another. How do we press into the gift of relationships we have with one another? How do we do it across cultures? Give us wisdom and ideas and unction to follow you. Father, I pray your blessing on our upcoming Tables of 8. Use these connections to draw us deeper to you and each other.
Father, how do we minister to our community? What replaces FEED? How do we show our community that we care? How do we care? Lead us to the least of these. Lead us to those places where you are already at work that we might co-labor with you.
Father, give us your heart for the lost. Lord, prepare us for the receiving of new believers at Westside. Lord, make us a community that you can entrust with new believers to be nurtured and disciples. Lord, make us expectant and intentional today as we engage with our neighbors, work colleagues, classmates, families, and friends. Help us to live out the gospel in the way we love one you, one another and our community. Use us to reach the nations both in Greensboro and beyond.
Father, as we look ahead to 2023, lead us. Protect us from the attacks of the enemy. May the things that are important to you become more important to us. Help us to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, may we long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it we may grow up into salvation--because we have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 1:1-3)
12/22
Use the following prayers to guide your prayers for Westside today: Lord, thank you that you are the head of the Church. We are your body. You are our leader. Lord, thank you that you have equipped us with the Holy Spirit. Thank you for that power. Thank you for being you.
Lord, thank you for Westside. Thank you for the people. Thank you for the giftings. Thank you for the challenges. Thank you for the opportunities.
Lord, bring us deeper--deeper in our relationship with you--deeper in our love and obedience--deeper in our love for each other--deeper in our willingness to serve one another--deeper in our love for the world around us--deeper in our willingness to build relationships that lead to people coming to salvation. Lord, bring us deeper.
Lord, thank you for our leadership team(s) at Westside. Thank you for the gift mix. Bless this team. Bless us with unity. Bless us with resolve. Allow us to serve our church as if we were serving you--because we know that is what we are doing.
Lord, raise up new leadership to help us pursue our purpose as a church. Bless the Nominating Committee as they prayerfully discern new leadership for 2023. Lord, raise up more biblically qualified leaders. Lord, show us how to better nurture/disciple new leaders.
Lord, thank you for your financial provision for our church through the generosity of your people. As we look to 2023, guide us in putting together a new budget. We want to live a blessed to be a blessing legacy.
Lord, be at work in the lives of our kids and youth. Help our parents to shepherd their children’s hearts toward you. Bless our children and youth leaders--anoint their ministries. Raise up new leadership to help fill in the gaps. Raise up youth leaders who can take this amazing group of kids to the next level.
Lord, how do we encourage deep, meaningful relationships at Westside? Small groups have worked minimally, but I see the need for more consistency as an ingredient in our efforts to care for one another. How do we press into the gift of relationships we have with one another? How do we do it across cultures? Give us wisdom and ideas and unction to follow you.
Lord, how do we minister to our community? What replaces FEED? How do we show our community that we care? How do we care? Lead us to the least of these. Lead us to those places where you are already at work that we might co-labor with you.
Lord, give us your heart for the lost. Lord, prepare us for the receiving of new believers at Westside. Lord, make us a community that you can entrust with new believers to be nurtured and disciples. Lord, make us expectant and intentional today as we engage with our neighbors, work colleagues, classmates, families, and friends. Help us to live out the gospel in the way we love one you, one another and our community. Use us to reach the nations both in Greensboro and beyond.
Lord, as we look ahead to 2023, lead us. Protect us from the attacks of the enemy. May the things that are important to you become more important to us. Help us to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, may we long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it we may grow up into salvation--because we have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 1:1-3)
9/22
Use the below prayers as a guide as you pray for Westside today.
Lord, thank you for Westside. Thank you for the unique group of ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, personalities, and giftings you have brought together. Knit us together as one family.
Lord, help us to know what it means to abide in you. May our identity be first child of God and beloved. May we be quick to confess and repent of sin in our lives. May we grow in our awareness of and yieldedness to the presence of God. May we be willing to obey and experience the joy of following you into the uncomfortable and inconvenient. Help us to value and seek a heart that abides in you. Thank you that abiding is not a pipe dream but a real possibility for your followers.
Lord, raise up leaders at Westside who are in love with you and your bride the church. Raise up leaders who reflect the uniqueness of Westside. Show us ways to nurture leadership that has a heart for the nations.
Lord, show our children and youth that you are real. Show them that your love is real. Show them that your presence is real. Show them that you are worthy of them giving their lives to you and your good plan.
Lord, help parents to know your Father-heart and then to shepherd, discipline, and direct their children in your ways.
Lord, help our marriages. May they reflect the gospel. May Husbands be open to and growing in their Christ like sacrificial love for their wives. May wives be open to and growing in their respect for their husbands (Eph. 5:21-33).
Lord, help those struggling with spiritual stuckness to seek you until you are found. Bring personal and church wide revival to us. Soften our hearts.
Lord, allow us to be a display of your manifold (many colored) wisdom. Help us to show the world who you are through the way we sacrificially love each other--the way you love/loved us. What is something I/we can do today to sacrificially love a Westsider?
Lord, allow many people to come to you because of our witness and our willingness to go to the least reached. We want the people and nations you have gathered in Greensboro to meet you. Who is someone who doesn't yet know you that you want me to build a relationship with? What can I do today or this week to invest in relationships with non-believers? What is a ministry Westside can join or start to help reach those in need and those who need to know your truth and love?
Lord, show us how to bless and encourage and learn from other churches in Greensboro. Thank you for what you are doing through the Ekklesia pastor’s group and retreats. Thank you for what you are doing through the international churches we have relationship with. Bless these churches. Bless Renova, El Shaddai Vision Church, the Koho church, Grace Montagnard Church, and all the churches in Greensboro. Everything we pray for ourselves, we also pray for all churches that make up the body of Christ. What are ways that I/we can be a blessing to these churches?
Lord, help all those who are experiencing health issues, depression, and hopelessness. Bring healing. Bring hope. What is a way I/we can show them your love today?
Lord, stretch us and make us uncomfortable so that we must depend upon you. You are so worthy. You are so worth it. Your will be done. Your kingdom come as it is in heaven here at Westside and in Greensboro. What is one thing I/we can do that is outside of our comfort zone that causes us to flex our faith muscle today?
