The Second 5 Days - 40 Day prayer challenge

Boaz Ministries 

Day 6 - Shameless Audacity -

“…yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.” Luke 11:8

Jesus speaks about a man who is persistent – who won’t take no for an answer, in Luke 11. The parable is all about prevailing in prayer, and Jesus honors this man’s bold determination. And there are times when we need to do whatever it takes – “grab hold of the horns of the altar and not let go.” Sometimes we shy away from praying for a miracle, thinking God won’t answer. But the answer isn’t up to us, it’s up to God, and it’s His job to answer. Our job is to ask. Keep asking, seeking, knocking – and circling!

Day 7- Put on Waders -

“They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord…confirming the word with signs following.” Mark 16:20

After we hit our knees in prayer, we need to take a step of faith. God is honored when we act as if He is going to answer our prayers. And acting “as if” means acting ON our prayers. Not to be confused with “name it, claim it” – because if what we pray for is not in the will of God, if it’s not for the glory of God, our acting “as if” is a waste of time, energy and money. But if our dreams are ordained by the Lord, then stepping out on faith honors Him, and He will honor our steps. The author tells the story of a group of farmers who came together to pray for rain to end a drought in their community. It was a serious matter. One of them came wearing waders. He got a few funny looks, but isn’t that faith at its finest? If we believe God is going to answer our prayer for rain… isn’t that exactly what we should wear? Let’s make a move and watch God work the miracle.

Day 8 - One God-Idea -

“Speak to the earth, and it will teach you.” Job 12:8

God-ideas come from pressing into the presence of God and discerning what He wants to do in us and through us. The call is for us to get into God’s presence; the solution to every problem, and the answer to every question. The author retells the story of George Washington Carver’s road to discovering 300 uses of the peanut – from glue, to soap, to shaving cream, to insecticide, and fertilizer! Carver desired to know the mysteries of nature and in his 4:00 a.m. devotions, he was inspired by Job 12:7-8, one of the most circled promises in his Bible: “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.” Brainstorming and planning are essential; but let’s not neglect to “praystorm.” The best plans are birthed in the presence of God.

Day 9 - Dream Factory -

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Pastor Batterson shares a powerful story that has multi-levels. One of his friends , Mark Moore, had a God-idea that would help feed  malnourished children in the African mission fields where he had served. The miracle food, not coincidentally, is a peanut paste – packed with nutrients and easy to digest in stomachs that had shrunk due to malnutrition. His ministry is called MANA.Moore then needed to build the plant, his “Dream Factory,” that would mass produce the paste at a low cost. An angel donor in another state provided the $1 million needed.  But Mark Moore’s God-idea had been prayed for two years earlier in Pastor Batterson’s  own “Dream Factory”, when he and congregants dedicated Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse to the Lord.  In a crack house-turned coffeehouse and meeting place for believers and the community, Batterson had prayed that Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse would be a dream factory for others. Mark Moore said the dream of MANA was formed in the dream factory of Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse. We must never underestimate the power of a single prayer in a place dedicated to blessing all who walk across its threshold.

Day 10 - Crazy Faith -

“This woman is driving me crazy.” Luke 18:5 NLT

This crazy faith is spoken of in the parable of the persistent widow.  Batterson is careful to explain that persistence in this instance is a nice word for crazy. And when the cause is righteous, it’s a ‘holy crazy’! This woman crossed some professional lines, going to the home of the judge – not waiting her day in court. But justice was served on her behalf. There are times when “crazy faith” is necessary. Jesus honored the “crazy woman” who drove a judge crazy because she wouldn’t stop knocking. Jesus honored the prostitute who anointed His feet; He honored the tax collector who climbed a tree to see Him; He honored the four friends who cut a hole in someone’s roof to help their friend. There is a pattern repeated in Scripture: crazy miracles are the offspring of crazy faith. “Bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers.” In this journey, there will be times when we'll have to exercise crazy faith!

The First 5 Days - 40 Day prayer challenge

Boaz Ministries

"Draw the Circle, the 40 Day Prayer Challenge"
by Mark Batterson

Day 1 - Get Ready -

"He prayed to God regularly." Acts 10:2

The author tells the story of Cornelius and Peter (Acts 10), and how God worked mightily through their powerful prayer lives, to change the course of history, ushering in the spreading of the Gospel to the gentiles - God's plan all along. The take away morsels: Once you establish a prayer routine, your life will be anything but routine; don't try to manufacture your own miracles; don't try to do God's job for Him; stay humble, patient, focused!

Day 2 - Established by God -

"In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9

We already trust God for the big things (keeping the planets in orbit, oxygen to breathe, etc) - but we have trouble trusting Him with the little things (our financial woes, healing our diseases, finding the right mate). And while the "little" things are certainly not insignificant, prayer reduces these mountains to molehills. God gives us divine assignments, and it brings Him joy when we trust Him enough to understand He is not just great because nothing is too big for Him. He is also great because nothing is too small for Him. The take aways: God's amazing 'choreography'; "God wants us to get where God wants us to go more than we want to get where God wants us to go"; "follow the script of the Holy Scriptures and the improvisation of the Holy Spirit"; God creates the divine appointments, we must keep them; "Our job is to hear His voice, His job is to establish our steps."

Day 3 - Amazing Things -

"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3:5

While we all want to do amazing things for God, that's not our job. The doing of amazing things, that is. Our job is to consecrate ourselves by surrendering our will to His will. Batterson writes, "If we consecrate ourselves to God, amazing things will happen. It's absolutely inevitable!" Consecrate means, "set apart", "to be designated for a special purpose." Take aways: The idea is - the attitude and posture of COMPLETE divestiture of self! Nothing belongs to us, not even ourselves! This is an outrageous concept for many, I know...and difficult for even the devout among us. "But the exchange rate is unbelievable. All of our sin is transferred to Christ's account, and all of His righteousness is transferred to our account. God cancels the debt, writes us into His will, and calls it even!" AMEN!

Day 4 - Don't Pray Away -

"This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:3

"Praying away versus praying through" - there's a big difference between the two. When a trial comes, we want out! Immediately if not sooner. The text above is what Jesus said when He was asked if some generational curse or sin was the cause of a man's blindness. (He healed the man and caused him to have sight). The message in this chapter talks about the power we receive when we pray THROUGH our tough situations. Sometimes we do need to pray "get me out" prayers; but sometimes, we just need to ask the Lord to work whatever He wills IN our trials. Discernment is needed to know which is which. We can rest in the assurance that even God's 'no', is all right. Take aways: Prayer can absolutely change our circumstances... "but when our circumstances don't change, it's often an indication that God is trying to change us"; whether or not our circumstances change, the chief objective is constant - to glorify God is every situation!


Day 5 - Write it Down -

"Write down the revelation." Habakkuk 2:2

This message was "write" up our alley as a writing couple! Over the years I (Bridget) have had many journals, some of them given to me as gifts. But I had not been consistent with my journaling until very recently. I have an online blog, and that has served as a chronicle of my thoughts. But Mark Batterson shares in this chapter, a very key purpose for having a prayer journal: consistency and specificity in prayer. Also, this journal is a "prayer genealogy" - I can attest to that. The journal I'm using for this 40 day experience has prayer entries from seven years to almost two years ago - ALL ANSWERED! I sat down one evening and read, and saw how the Lord has moved on my behalf, and where He's closed doors I thought needed opening. The "no's" were also answered prayers. And I am now able to see clearly that HIS DECISION WAS BEST! The relationship I'm growing in with the Lord is the most important one in my life. And it is through the strength of my personal relationship with Him, that my marriage shall be fortified, sustained, blessed! Bruce and I are going in, digging deep, and it is very exciting! My take away from this chapter - is my commitment to be ready to write inspired thoughts received from the Lord during my meditations, and to connect spiritual dots from the path/experiences He's brought me thus far - which will sustain me in the future! Standing on the promises, and writing them down!

This Brand New Year!

Boaz Ministries

Bruce and I have been in prayer for the Lord's continued leading in our lives and in our ministry. We want to make certain we are doing HIS will and not our own. And as the Lord would have it, we were introduced to the 40 Day Prayer Challenge through the church where we fellowship. Over the months, we have brought messages on Boaz Ministries about prayer and the importance of it for a deeper relationship with God. In the coming days we will share what we believe will take each one to the next level of intimacy with the Lord.

If you choose to participate with your spouse or significant other, we encourage you to get a copy of the book, "Draw the Circle, the 40 Day Prayer Challenge", by Mark Batterson. To prepare, you'll need a good study Bible, a prayer journal in which to write inspired thoughts, prayer requests and praise reports, a prayer partner, and an open heart to receive what the Lord has to impart that is meant especially for you. We hope you join us!

The greatest miracle of all, is a transformed life!