Pastor’s Blog

Many have taken the challenge to pray for the ten most wanted people they would like to see become followers of Jesus. The challenge is to pray for ten people for forty days leading up to Easter Sunday. Some may ask, “Why pray forty days?” I’ve listed what I consider forty pretty good reasons.

1. Jesus fasted and prayed 40 days (Matt. 4)
2. Forty opportunities to meet with God
3. Forty days develops a healthy habit
4. Forty days shows you’re serious
5. Prayer is commanded
6. Persistent prayer is commended
7. Prayer changes hearts
8. Prayer gives us boldness
9. Prayer produces power
10. Prayer changes hearts
11. _____________ will get saved
12. _____________ will get saved
13. _____________ will get saved
14. _____________ will get saved
15. _____________ will get saved
16. _____________ will get saved
17. _____________ will get saved
18. _____________ will get saved
19. _____________ will get saved
20. _____________ will get saved
21. Prayer works
22. Answered prayer is a  great witness
23. Prayer brings together over 40 others to pray
24. Forty days through Dr. Teykl’s book will encourage us in the Word
25. Forty days of prayer will change our attitudes for unbelievers
26. Forty days is a great investment for the Kingdom
27. Forty days is several more than the “few” days most people pray for the lost
28. Forty days of getting up and down off your knees is great exercise
29. Prayer is the highest calling in Kingdom work
30. Forty ways to tell God you love Him
31. Forty ways to show the pastor you love him
32. Forty ways to tell your Ten Most Wanted you love them
33. Forty ways to make the devil mad
34. Each one of the forty days brings you closer to celebrating Easter
35. Forty days of prayer can lead to revival and spiritual awakening
36. Forty days of prayer will strengthen our FAITH
37. Forty reasons to keep praying everyday
38. You will sense the eternal significance of what you’re doing
39. You will identify with the heart and compassion of God for the lost
40. Forty ways to make a difference

Praying in FAITH for You, (for 40×40 days)
Tim Barker

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Matthew 17:20 “He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’”

Every person possesses a degree of faith. To be a true follower of Christ we are saved by grace through our faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Becoming a disciple requires us to live by faith (Rom. 1:17). Matthew 17:20 reminds us that sometimes our “little” faith is expected to grow into a “great” faith. A mustard seed grows into a plant large enough for birds to perch in it’s shade (Mark 4:30-32). The disciples pleaded with Jesus to “increase” their faith (Luke 17:5). Let’s look at some ways to help our faith grow this year.

1. We must believe that our faith will grow. Paul complimented the believers in a small church for how they had first believed and how their faith was continuing to grow. 1 Thess. 1:3 “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more.”
2. Associate with those who have great faith. The more we associate with those who really trust God, the more we will become a person of faith. Rom. 1:12 “that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.”
3. Read and memorize God’s Word. D.L. Moody once said, “I prayed for faith and thought that some day it would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith didn’t seem to come. One day I read Romans 10:17 ‘Faith comes by hearing the Word.’ I had up to this time, closed my Bible and prayed for faith. Now I opened my Bible and began to study and faith has been growing ever since.”
4. Practice prayer and fasting. The verse at the top was followed by Jesus instructing his followers that sometimes there may be circumstances that require the discipline of fasting along with their prayers Matthew 17:21 NAS “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Could I close this by encouraging and challenging you to journey with me in practicing the four points above. Let’s believe our faith will grow and God will send people with great faith to encourage us. Let’s study and memorize God’s Word and cry out to God for miracles through some extra time of prayer and fasting. I believe God will be pleased.

Praying in FAITH for You,
Tim

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The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God Heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, His holy dwelling place. (2 Chronicles 30:27)

Has there ever been a time in your life that when you prayed it seemed your prayers didn’t make it higher than the ceiling? I admint there has been many times that my prayers felt like they hardly had enough power to get off the ground let alone reach the very throne of God. First, let me remind us all that God does listen to even the smallest and weakest of prayers. But there are times that when we pray something just seems to propel those prayers right to the very heart of God. Let’s take a short journey to 2 Chronicles to learn what is necessary for our prayers to reach heaven all the time.

But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God – the LORD, the God of his fathers – even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. (2 Chronicles 30:19-20)

Hezekiah was praying for people who weren’t perfect people, yet they had committed to seek God’s heart. They were in the midst of celebrating all that God had done for them. The celebration which normally lasted seven days continued on for another seven days. There was great joy among the people of God! The final verse of the chapter shows what happens when people pray the very heart of God. The priests stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven. (emphasis mine)

As believers, we are called a royal priesthood (2 Peter), so we can’t use the excuse, “Yeah, but those guys were priests!”. Each one of us are called to celebrate God’s goodness and to pray blessings over our community and world. Katy Fellowship will begin 2009 calling our people to pray for 50 days to seek God’s heart. Who knows what might happen during that time or afterwards. When we pray in celebration for who God is and believe for what He has promised to do, I can say with assurance that our prayers will reach heaven, God will be pleased and bring healing and wholeness to His people. Would you join me in the Fifty Days of Prayer?

Praying for You!

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My college football coach had a philosophy that went something like this: “Men, we have four plays to get ten yards, if we can get three and a half yards on three plays we will get a first down. If we continue to get one first down after another we will eventually score a touchdown. Touchdowns will win games.” We understood that philosophy but when the opposing team’s defense stiffened, or when we would get greedy and go for the long pass, we would find ourselves occasionally turning the ball over to the other team. But I liked the thrill of throwing that long pass. The excitement of that ball sailing down the field to the cheers of the fans and the outstretched hands of the intended receiver running into the end zone was so great.

Many approach life in the same way. The quickest most exciting way to succeed is the philosophy of the world. Couples want a solid marriage and want to raise great kids. Men and women want to develop successful and lucrative careers. But to accomplish those goals, they want to throw the deep pass every play hoping to score quickly. The first and ten approach seems to take too long and is not exciting enough.

God coaches for the first and ten. When the Israelites were asking for food in the desert, God gave them good food to eat but told them to get just enough for that day. Proverbs 30:8 reminds us not to desire poverty or riches but give me only my daily bread. The Lord’s Prayer instructs us to say, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The Heavenly Father wrote in Deuteronomy 6 that we are to teach a child when we sit at home, when we’re on the road, when we go to bed, and when we get up. God sees the playing field and says, “Go for the first down.” Unfortunately, many see the end zone way down the field and want to score now. That philosophy can lead to disappointment, heartache, and loss.

We are presently in our “Home Team” message series. My purpose is to get us on that first down mentality by doing marriage, raising kids, and living life God’s way. A solid marriage doesn’t happen immediately and great kids are raised one day at a time. Oh, by the way, my college coach; he knew what he was doing. He coached one of the most exciting offenses and record setting quarterbacks in NCAA history. (No, not me!) He coached NFL Hall of Famer Dan Fouts at Oregon University. God’s got a pretty good record too, He’s undefeated!

Praying for You,
Tim

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