14 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church Day 12

Day 12 Ukraine:


Read - James 1:2-16
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.
10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.
11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

Think - Why is the Word of God such a polarizing book?

Pray - Pray for those that risk exposure and dire consequences for merely sharing the Word of God: that they would be shielded by a hedge of protection

Act - Share your favorite Bible verse today on Twitter and Facebook with a comment about the blessing of being able to freely share Scripture in our culture.

14 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church Day 11

Day 11 Senegal:

Read - Psalm 91

 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

 For he will deliver you from the snare of the Fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

  He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

 You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

 A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

 You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—

the Most High, who is my refuge

  no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

  For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

  You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

  “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

 When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

  With long life I will satisfy him

  and show him my salvation.”

Think - Why did the psalmist write so often about persecution and the Lord’s provision in the midst of suffering?

Pray - Pray for the fruitful work of the Christians in Senegal: that they would continue to help their countrymen turn from worshiping false gods and the occult, and to submit to the one true Lord of Lords.

Act - Print out today’s verse and share it with someone that you know is experiencing suffering in their circumstances. Offer to pray through it with them.






P.s. 
My brother Isaac has just started a blog where he rights about history. It is called Isaac's History Tale's
So please go check it out :-)

just click "Isaac's History Tale's" and it will bring you right to his blog

14 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Day 10 Nigeria:

Read - Hebrews 11:32-40

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Think - What is the difference between persecution and dislike?

Pray - Pray for healing for Christians in Jos, Nigeria: that they will
continue their work of telling people about Jesus.

Act - Share today’s readings with a young person in your life. Ask them what they think it means to be persecuted for your faith.

14 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Day 9 Kenya:

Read - John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Think - Why is the eternal love of our Heavenly Father able to penetrate even the hardest hearts?

Pray - Pray for the incredible courage of Christians in persecuted countries: that they would be bold in sharing the good news of God’s love for everyone.

Act - Be bold like the little girl in this story: pray for discernment and share the news of God’s love with a non-Christian in your life.

14 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Day 8 Cambodia:

Read - Psalm 103:12

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Think - Why does the Lord assure us repeatedly that if we accept His grace our sins are completely forgiven?

Pray - Pray for those that formerly persecuted Christians and have now accepted the redeeming gift of Christ’s grace: that they may live in freedom, knowing their sins have been forgiven.

Act - In pencil, write down the sins that Satan keeps reminding you of, even though you have already been forgiven. Reject this lie and picture in your mind what it means for you to be as white as snow in our Father’s eyes. Erase your list just like the Lord has erased your sin.

14 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Day 7 Middle East:

Read -  Matthew 10:32-39 
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. 34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law 36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Think - What kind of impact can eternal perspective have on those that are being persecuted?

Pray - Pray for those that know the earthly impact that following Christ can have on family relationships: that they will choose an eternal relationship above all others

Act - Discuss today’s story with your family. Focus on how a relationship with our Heavenly Father takes precedence over any and all earthly relationships we have.

14 Days Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church

Day 6 Republic Of Niger:


Read -  1 Timothy 1:12-14
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Think About - What form does pressure to deny Christ take?

Pray - Pray for those who are coming to faith in predominantly Muslim, North African countries: that they will stand firm and share the gospel in their families and towns.

Act - Share this study with a non-Christian friend. ask them for their thoughts.

Please share in the comments what your "think about" thoughts are :-) I will too!

14 Days Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church

Day 5 Ukraine:

1) Read - Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[a] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

2) Think About - What kind of sacrifice is asked of us to be followers of Christ?

3) Pray - Pray for those who must choose between Christ and their families; that they will be encouraged by the knowledge that they are now in the family of the Lord.

4) Act - Share today's devotional prayer on Twitter.

14 Days Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church

Day 4 China:

1) Read - 1 Thessalonians 2:9-14
9 Brothers and sisters, I know that you remember how hard we worked. We worked night and day to support ourselves, so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we did the work of telling you God’s Good News.
10 When we were there with you believers, we were pure, honest, and without fault in the way we lived. You know, just as God does, that this is true. 11 You know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his own children. 12 We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we told you to live good lives for God. He calls you to be part of his glorious kingdom.
13 Also, we always thank God because of the way you accepted his message. You heard it and accepted it as God’s message, not our own. And it really is God’s message. And it works in you who believe. 14 Brothers and sisters, you are just like God’s churches in Judea.[a] I mean that you were treated badly by your own people, just as those believers in Christ Jesus were treated badly by other Jews—

2) Think About - What form does persecution take? Is is always physical? can it be social or emotional?

3) Pray - Pray for Chinese Christian university students: that they continue to be blessed as they boldly share the Gospel on China's campuses, and beyond.

4) Act - Share this Bible study on your blog.

14 Days Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church

Day 3 China:

1) Read - 2 Corinthians 6:4-10
4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

2) Think About - What makes a person willing to endure pain for the sake of Christ?

3) Pray - Pray for the church in China and for Chinese Christians who may still suffer for their faith.

4) Act - Share this bible study with 10 of your friends.

14 Days Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church

Here is day 2 Thailand:

1) Read - Matthew 10:22-24
22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.

2) Think About - In this passage, why does Jesus instruct His disciples to flee when they are persecuted?

3) Pray - pray that wherever a Christian may be fleeing for their life as a result of persecution, they will feel their limbs quickened and their heart flooded with hope.

4) Act - share this bible study with your facebook friends

14 Days Of Prayer For The Persecuted Churches

I have been doing a daily bible study about persecuted churches around the world. One of the things it said to do was to post the bible study on your blog. So I will be posting the the bible study every day.

Here is day 1 Middle East:

1) Read - John 15:19-21 
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

2) Think about - How does persecution for the name of Jesus differ from other types of persecution?

3) Pray - pray that wherever a pastor is facing persecution, he will feel Gods presence surrounding him with love.

4) Act - share this bible reading plan with your family and ask them if they will spend two weeks pray for the persecuted churches with you.

Sam

Sam is our 25 year old dark bay gelding. Sam is so awesome and laid back. I give horseback riding lessons on him and I love doing it! It takes little attention to ride him so you have alot of time to look around :) Sam is also in charge of his girls(sophie and amara)

Sam with his winter coat...

...Sam  with his summer coat

Sam and his friends lookin' for a treat.

he can be a little nosey:)

Sophie

Sophie is my american quarter horse mare. Sophie is 14 years old and and I've had her since July. Right now we're in the middle of training each other to barrel race ( I show her how to run around the barrels she shows me how to ride around the barrels) :-)

Yesterday I brought Sophie to the arena that's down the rode and ran her. We had LOTS of fun!!!!!!!

I've had lots of goals for this winter two of them were:

Ride bareback (she hated bareback and would have a tantrum if I tried)

                        Neck Reigning (neck raing is riding with one hand and when the left reign touches their neck they turn right and vice-versa)

both of these goals we have completed!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE HER

Samson Died

Samson died on the February 7th after a rough couple of weeks. He had turned 10 on January 26th. He was an awesome dog that we all miss. :-( 

This was him when he was a puppy he was so cute.

Rosie

I am very sorry to say that Rosie was killed by Jax on 1/4/14. She just could not get away. Jax wanted to play with her but got to ruff and broke her neck. she was Hannah's barn cat.

 She just showed up one day sleeping with our other cat. She stayed even thow we did not feed her. Mom and dad gave her to Hannah for Hannah's birthday. Then for a couple months she left coming back only a couple of times. later we found out she was always near by just waiting for us to call her home. It took a wile to show her we wanted her to stay with us. But once she realized we wanted her to stay with us she never left except to hunt.

She was a great barn cat.