APRIL VIDEO BLOG SCRIPTURE REFERENCES AND PRAYER
Deut 1:38 But Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there. Encourage him for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
Deut 3:28 But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over before this people and he shall cause them to possess the land which you shall see.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Judges 20:22 But the people, the men of Israel, took courage and strengthened themselves and again set their battle line in the same place where they formed it the first day.
I Chron 16:11 Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually.
II Chron 35:2 He appointed the priests to their positions and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord.
Acts 4:36 Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, which interpreted means Son of Encouragement.
Acts 15:32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, urged and warned and consoled and encouraged the brethren with many words and strengthened them. Acts 16:40; Acts 20:2
Romans 1:11-12 For I am yearning to see you, that I may impart and share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen and establish you; that is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Romans 15:5 Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with united hearts and one voice, praise and glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage, admonish, and exhort one another and edify, strengthen, and build up one another, just as you are doing.
II Thess 2:16 17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through His grace, His unmerited favor, comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.
Titus 1:9 He must hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound wholesome doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it.
Please join me in praying for ICOM, Dave Empson, and Enoch Nyador.
Father, we thank you that in 1948, missionaries and people who love the work of missionaries gathered as a community to encourage each other. And that assembly is still happening every year. So, we pray Your Word for this 2017 gathering…everything that is leading up to it and then those days in November.
Lord, Paul tells us that You are the One Who gives the power of patient endurance and supplies encouragement. Thank you! But You allow us to be Your instruments of encouragement. And there is even the gift of encouragement, but we each are charged to be encouraging and at times, we each need to be encouraged. Help us to give and receive.
In the Hebrew Testament, the people of Israel were called on to encourage Joshua to go into Israel. They were to encourage and strengthen him for the work You had given him. And Joshua later issued an encouragement for the Israelites to be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. To not be afraid or dismayed, because You, their God, would be with them wherever they went. Lord, we pray for the men and women who serve You on mission fields and who need encouragement to go; who need Your strength; who need to be reminded that they are not to be afraid or dismayed, because You are with them wherever they go.
In Judges, the men of Israel took courage and strengthened themselves and prepared for battle. O God, all those who serve You abroad and at home are doing battle…not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. May they be daily be suiting up in Your armor.
In II Chronicles, it is stated that priests were appointed to their positions and were encouraged in their service. May we each be aware of how You are using us, but may we also be aware that we are to encourage those around us who, too, are serving You. And we pray that You will use ICOM 2017 to encourage Your missionary servants in their service.
Lord, thank you for using Barnabas, Son of Encouragement, in Paul’s life as an encourager and fellow servant in the spreading of Your love and grace. We ask that You provide Barnabases in the lives of our missionaries. Friends abroad and at home to help hold up them up, especially when they are fatigued and weary. Please use ICOM to inspire us how to be a Barnabas, and how to come along side those who have been called to serve You as missionaries.
Father, as Paul wrote to Titus about the overseers of the Church, we pray the same for our missionaries that they hold fast to the Your sure and trustworthy Word as they have been taught, so that they may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound wholesome doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it.
There are many places in Your Word that urged, warned, consoled, strengthened, comforted, and encouraged are used together. Holy Spirit, we ask that You be present at ICOM to meet each of us where we are in what we need. May ICOM 2017 be a place that all those attending be used in different ways to minister. Give us divine appointments to be used as urgers, warners consolers, strengtheners, comforters and/or encouragers.
Paul tells us that he was yearning to see the Romans so that he could impart and share with them some spiritual gift to strengthen and establish them; that they would be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith. Lord, may the faith of all the attendees at ICOM mutually strengthen and encourage and comfort each other.
So, in closing Lord, I use Paul’s exhortation and encouragement to the Romans and Thessalonians:
Now O God, You Who gives the power of patient endurance and Who supplies encouragement, grant us—our missionaries, the leadership of ICOM, those praying for ICOM, and all the attendees–to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together we may with united hearts and one voice, praise and glorify You, our God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And may You Lord Jesus and You, God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through Your grace, comfort and encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good work and word.
Holy Sprit, encourage, urge, exhort us to seek the Lord and His strength; may we yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually.
And I pray with all my brothers and sisters In the Name of the Great Encourager. Amen
