When I was a child, my dad told me “son, whatever you start finish it. Don’t leave things half-way done. Finish what you start.” Those words continue to reverberate in my heart.

How many of you have ever started something and not finished? It got too hard. It was too much. You didn’t have the time. You didn’t have the will power. Whatever the reason, we all have the experience of starting things with enthusiasm and giving up along the way. We start a diet, an exercise plan, book etc. but we can’t seem to see it through.

In the life of faith, we also have the experience of starting some things and not finishing. In the gospels, we see Peter step out of the boat in faith, but he is somehow overcome by fear and begins to sink. What started with great faith ended in fear. His initial faith was great, but he was not good at sustaining it.

Where did Peter’s initial faith come from? Peter saw the Great “I am” standing on top of everything that terrified him. Peter’s initial faith came from focusing not on what he had to walk through, but on whom he was walking to. Peter figured that it was more important to obey Jesus’ command than to focus on the circumstances. “The Great ‘I am’ is on top of those waves, what He has said is larger than the waves rising up against me.” Peter was not so focused on walking on the water but rather on walking in the character and promises of God. It is when he took his eyes off those two things that he began to sink. Focus on the word and you’ll walk on water. Focus on the waves and you’ll wallow in weakness.

Often, we don’t step out in faith to God’s calling because of fear of failure. There are things I never started because I believed that I would not be able to complete them. If I placed my complete trust (fixed my eyes) on Jesus and His commands, there would be no reservations about starting or stepping out in faith.

I am excited about the new series Starting Point and the impact the series will have on the Church. Don’t miss it! Whether you are new or have been coming to Church for a long time, this series is a great place to start to “step out” in faith.

MONDAY

Personal

Let us pray that God will continue to strengthen our faith to “step out” and do what He is calling us to do.

TUESDAY

Finances

Let us pray that we “step out” in faith and give to the work of the Lord, trusting that God will supply for our every need.

WEDNESDAY

Family

We should pray that God will continue to provide for every need our families have: financial, spiritual, health etc.

THURSDAY

Church

Let us pray for the new people added to our Church via the Nicky Cruz event, asking that God uses us to help them in their walk.

FRIDAY

Leaders

Continue to pray for our Church leaders and for the establishment of new leaders.

SATURDAY

Co-workers/Classmates

Let us continue interceding for the salvation of our co-workers and classmates. Pray that they may see the power of God working in our lives.

SUNDAY

Lost Souls

Finally, let us pray for the lost souls that we meet each day, asking for continued boldness to speak with them and be a testimony of Jesus Christ.

⁹ Rise, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.

– Isaiah 32:9

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah told the women of Israel to rise from a status of complacency to the level of action. Women in the Bible were a vehicle for God to usher change in history. We can see how God used them in their ministry of motherhood, through examples like Eve, Sarah, Hannah, Deborah, Ruth, Mary etc. — women willing to serve God for His Glory.

I wholeheartedly believe God wants to use the women in our Church that choose to rise; women who will respond to God’s calling and bind it to the gifts and talents He has given them. I am praying with great expectation for this to become a reality because when a woman rises and takes her position, she activates the people around her. This includes her husband, her children, and the Church.

This week, the focus of our prayers will be toward those that were saved via the Nicky Cruz event. Let us pray that God will glorify Himself in their lives through Nicky’s testimony and the women of our Church.

MONDAY

Personal

Let us begin the week by praying for all the women in our lives: family, friends, etc.… We pray that God will either begin or continue to use them for His glory.

TUESDAY

Finances

It is important that we continue to pray for our financial health. Let us continue to pray for our financial health individually, as families, and as a Church. Pray that God prosper the Church for His glory.

WEDNESDAY

Family

Today, let us continue praying for the salvation of our family members. Let us pray that the family members who attended the Nicky Cruz event would be saved.

THURSDAY

Church

We should pray that God motivates the members of our Church to follow up with people who attended the Nicky Cruz event. Let us pray for the newly saved and that new relationships would be made in the Church. Ask God to use us to disciple the new believers.

FRIDAY

Leaders

Let us continue to pray for all of the leaders of our Church. In particular, let us ask God to help us develop and establish new leaders – especially women. Let us pray that leaders would rise up from among the women of our Church.

SATURDAY

Co-workers/Classmates

Another area to continue interceding is for our co-workers and or classmates. More specifically, let us pray that they may see the power of God working in our lives. It helps to pray out loud, speaking the names of the persons you want God to reach.

SUNDAY

Lost Souls

Finally, let us focus on praying for those that do not know the Lord and will be attending our Church on Sunday. Let us pray that their souls will be saved, according to the Will of God.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 15:15-16

We often learn about the “Great Commission” in the gospel of Mark very early in our walk with Christ. When we get saved, Jesus commissions us in His word to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” We are on this earth with the purpose of being a testimony of what Jesus Christ did for us: He paid the price for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross.

He calls us to preach the gospel and make disciples of all those who believe. A disciple of Jesus Christ has a relationship with God, a relationship with other believers, and is a light unto unbelievers. We are on this earth to develop these relationships in our lives. As we grow in knowledge of Him and become more like Him, we are encouraged and in turn encourage other believers in their walk with Christ.

MONDAY

Personal

Why is it important to spend time with God in daily devotions? Paul answers this in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” God’s light shines in our hearts in the time we spend in the presence of God. Of course, this light only comes from knowing God through Christ.

TUESDAY

Finances

As per Sunday’s message, let’s set aside a time to pray for our financial health. Let’s also pray that God shows us how much we should offer to the Church, to assist in the preaching of the gospel – especially for the Nicky Cruz event!

WEDNESDAY

Family

As the Nicky Cruz event approaches, let’s pray for our family members that are not saved. Let’s make them the focus of our prayers and allow God to guide us in speaking to them.

THURSDAY

Church

Let’s also pray for our fellow congregants, asking God to grant them success in bringing others to Church. Once more, let’s focus especially on the Nicky Cruz event.

FRIDAY

Leaders

Beyond praying for the congregants of our Church, let’s pray for our Pastor Bobby Cruz Jr. We should ask God to continue to glorify Himself through our Pastor, using him as we transition from the hotel to the new building. We should also pray that God grants our Pastor wisdom for the Nicky Cruz event.

SATURDAY

Co-workers/Classmates

Intercessory prayer is a powerful tool. We should pray for the salvation of our coworkers and/or classmates. More specifically, let’s pray that they may see the power of God working in our lives. It helps to pray out loud, speaking the names of the persons you want God to reach. Try praying out loud for those you have invited to the Nicky Cruz event.

SUNDAY

Lost Souls

Finally, let’s continue to pray for the salvation of the lost souls around us. Pray for the Nicky Cruz event on May 21^st, asking God to show you who to pray for and invite. Use Facebook as a tool, make sure you acquire your tickets and share the event page on your Facebook. Whenever someone likes your post, please ask them to share the page as well. This will create a net to help bring in more people.

 

 

This past Sunday, we learned about prayer: the divinely authorized means to access the kingdom of heaven and to get that kingdom to intervene in the affairs of our earthly lives. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He said “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Prayer activates the promises and Will of God. God has promises and plans for your life in his hands. When we pray, we are asking God to open his hand and release something that is already ours.

MONDAY

Personal

One of the purposes of prayer is for us to develop a close, personal relationship with God. Prayer requires discipline, and it is important to find a time and place to develop this discipline. No one can do this for you. While going to a prayer service and praying with others may feel amazing, prayer boils down to your personal relationship with God. This naturally requires you to make time to pray to God on your own.

TUESDAY

Finances

In Philippians 4:19, the Bible teaches that:

“He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory through Jesus Christ.”

God is our source, He will supply for all of our needs, and therefore we need only to ask and we shall receive. 

WEDNESDAY

Family

While prayer is part of our personal relationship with God, there is more to it than just praying for our own needs. Another aspect of prayer is asking God to provide for the material and spiritual needs of our families. In particular, we should always pray for the salvation of our relatives who aren’t saved.

THURSDAY

Church

Beyond praying for our biological family, we also need to pray for our spiritual family; our Church. Continue praying that God’s promises for our Church will come to pass. Also, focus on praying for the primary goal of our Church: “Leading persons to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

FRIDAY

Leaders

Another group to focus on in prayer consists of our government and spiritual leaders. In particular, we should focus on our government leaders this week. More specifically, pray that God will continue to open doors for our church to make an impact in our City of Doral, especially when we move into our new building.

SATURDAY

Co-workers/Classmates

Intercessory prayer is a powerful tool. We should pray for the salvation of our coworkers and/or classmates. More specifically, let’s pray that they may see the power of God working in our lives. It helps to pray out loud, speaking the names of the persons you want God to reach. Try praying out loud for those you have invited to the Nicky Cruz event.

SUNDAY

Lost Souls

Finally, let us continue to pray for the salvation of the lost souls around us. Pray that God would remove: the “scales” from their eyes that won’t allow them to see and the “wax” from their ears that won’t allow them to hear the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for the Nicky Cruz event on May 21^st, asking God to show you who to pray for and invite. Use Facebook as a tool, make sure you acquire your tickets and share the event page on your Facebook. Whenever someone likes your post, please ask them to share the page as well. This will create a net to help bring in more people.

This past Sunday, we learned about The Sharing Choice: “recycling” our pain—sharing the testimony God has given us and our giving to others, so they may know the love and grace we have been given.

“God never wastes a hurt.”  All of the struggles we’ve been through and the pain we have suffered can serve as a tool to reach others in similar situations and God wants to use them in that way. His strength is most visible in us when we are weak:

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength“ Isaiah 40:29 

As we continue on this journey of allowing God to be first in our lives, we will come to see that everything we have is a gift from God. Our faith in Christ is the foundation for our recovery and healing.  Other people will be able to see Him through us as we share how He has worked and is working in our lives.

MONDAY

Personal

Over the course of the past 8 weeks, God has worked to heal us from the pain and struggles of our individual lives. Now that we are on the right track, He wants to strengthen us so that we can share with others. Let’s pray that God strengthens and prepares us from within, such that we will be ready. That is, ready to share with people currently going through similar situations, whom God will bring to us so that we can share our testimony.

TUESDAY

Finances

As part of our growth in Christ, let us continue to ask God to help us grow financially and show our faith by continuing to tithe, as per Malachi 3:10

WEDNESDAY

Family

Let us continue to pray that our testimony will lead our families to embrace the power of God, which transformed us.

THURSDAY

Church

Beyond praying for ourselves, let us pray for the others in our church who have also been transformed, such that they will be strengthened and reach more people for Christ.

FRIDAY

Leaders

Pray that God’s power manifests in the lives of our leaders, both in the Church and in the government.

SATURDAY

Co-workers/Classmates

God wants to reach our co-workers and/or classmates. Generally, they are the people we interact most with. Let us pray for God’s power in our lives to be visible to them and that God gives us the opportunity to share our testimonies with them.

SUNDAY

Lost Souls

Finally, let us continue praying for God to give us grace in the eyes of the lost souls around us, such that they will become receptive to hearing our testimony and seeking God as we have.

The Nicky Cruz event on May 21^st is a powerful tool to reach all of the aforementioned groups for Christ. Ask God to show you who to pray for and invite to Church for the event. We are using Facebook as a tool to reach people for this event. You’ll want to make sure to get your tickets and share the event webpage with your friends on Facebook. Ask those who like your post about the page to share it as well. This will create a huge “net” to bring more people in.