The mission of Bless Every Homeis to equip Bible believing churches and Great Commission ministries throughout America as missionary sending organizations, where every constituent home is a mission outpost for Jesus Christ. Our vision is that every home in America will be adopted by neighboring Christians who are committed to ministering to them through long-term, pray-care-share lifestyles.
Abiding Prayer combines the Lord’s Prayer alongside abiding as a branch in the vine of Christ. It breaks the Lord’s Prayer down into three sections: Abide, Mission, and Intercession. As you go through each section, pray along the Lord’s Prayer and listen. There are two parts of abiding in John 15; (1) Disciples praying, (2) Jesus’ commands brought to remembrance through Scripture or by the Spirit.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”
Abiding is resting in who God is, knowing that you are connected to the Vine (Jesus), that He is your source, and that energy flows into you through the sap of the Holy Spirit. Announcing God as Father is to say, “I am God’s beloved child and He is my gracious Father.”
Proclaiming God’s holiness—His otherness—is to acknowledge that you cannot do anything apart from Him. You exist within a fallen world that is held down; a broken world shattered by the power of sin, satan, and death. You need to be connected to something other than this world to form it into what God wants.
As you abide, realizing who you are in light of God, listen for what the Spirit is prompting in you:
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
We want to see God’s reign (His kingdom) over the earth as He reigns in heaven. God’s rule looks like “justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14.17). This is where you come in: God wants to use His children to bring His kingdom to light. Reflect…
Pray for these areas: “Lord, I pray Your kingdom to come into these areas; give me strength to embody, reveal, and, through the Spirit, bring your kingdom to light.”
“Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Notice the “us” and “our” in this section. Pray…
Daily Prayer Commitment: 15 min
Prayer walking is about partnering with God as he opens up the hearts of the people in areas of our city and neighborhood. It takes us to the areas that we want to see God most move and work. In prayer walking, God opens our eyes to see where he is working while we pray that He opens others’ eyes to him. We want to be open to how God is working in the area and how we can participate with him. Prayer walking can open the door to conversations with people about your desire for God to bless them and bring healing to the problems or injustices in this part of the city.
Prayer walking is a posture of prayer before God. If kneeling/bowing in prayer conveys humility, need for God, and sorrow in heart; standing conveys praise, gratitude, and worship; so walking conveys a desire to see God move and enter into mission with him.
Daily Prayer Commitment: 15 min
The Daily Prayer of Examen is a tool developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). It is a practice of prayerful reflection on the day’s events in order to detect the movement of God in all the people and events of our day. For the disciple-maker, The Prayer of Examen has many helpful benefits: we become more aware of God and what he is stirring in us; we gain a better understanding of God’s perspective and insight; we make better and wiser decisions; and experience more peace and joy.
1. Become Aware of God’s Presence―Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. If the day seems confusing to you, like a blur, ask God to bring clarity and understanding.
2. Review the Day with Gratitude―Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with.
3. Pay Attention to Your Emotions―One of St. Ignatius’s great insights was that we detect the presence of the Spirit of God in the movements of our emotions.
4. Choose One Feature of the Day and Pray for It―Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.
5. Look Toward Tomorrow―Ask God to give you insight for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance. Ask Him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.
Praying for our enemies is a very important aspect to our faith and witness in Jesus. The concept of not merely praying for, but also doing good, blessing, and loving our enemies is against most of what is taught in our culture and world. The saying, “Scratch my back and I will scratch yours” is the predominant base of our relationships: whether neighbors, friends, co-workers, bosses, and even family. However, this is not the base for Jesus’ relationships―his base is selfless love, blessing, and goodness―no matter who they are. Forgiveness is at the heart of praying for your enemies. This process of forgiveness may take a long time, but the more you pray to bless and love them, the easier it will be to forgive.
LUKE 6.27-36
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Think about people in your life (past or present):
As you think about that neighbor, co-worker, boss, friend, acquaintance, etc.; take time to pray for them. When you pray for them, if you still have resentment, anger, frustration towards them, pray routinely for them. If you are around them consistently, think of ways to love and bless themThink about people in your life (past or present):
Who do you have a difficult time being around?
Who brings about anger or frustration at the mention of their name?
Who has hurt or mistreated you?
As you think about that neighbor, co-worker, boss, friend, acquaintance, etc.; take time to pray for them. When you pray for them, if you still have resentment, anger, frustration towards them, pray routinely for them. If you are around them consistently, think of ways to love and bless them
Choose a prayer―
Humble Blessing:
God, bless : raise him/her above me; give him/her greater love, support, and community than I have; give him/her greater success than I have; and help him/her participate in the restoration of the world more than I do. Amen.
Reconciliation:
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead and me/us from prejudice to truth: deliver and me/us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
