"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4.8
"Father in heaven, we thank You for Your precious and magnificent promises that draw us to Your heart. We will always need You; we will never grow to a point where we need You less, only growing to realize more and more how completely we need You...
"Glorious God, we are designed to need You. As a fish needs the ocean, as a bird needs the skies, we need our God, in whom we live and move and have our being. Maybe a fish or a bird could be made to survive outside their designed environment, in a tank or a cage. But that is not Your best for them. In the same way, Lord, we ask to live free from the cages of unbelief, fear, selfishness, greed, deception, and all other manner of sin. We ask You in Jesus' Name for Your best for us, to taste on earth the atmosphere of heaven where there is incorruptible righteousness, unfathomable peace, unspeakable joy in the Holy Spirit, unfailing love, pure freedom and uncompromised truth...
"Living God, You have promised that when we abide in Your Word and Your Word abides in us, we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. Free in Your ocean of love, mercy and grace. Free in Your skies of truth and justice. Free to make the hard choices that earth-life requires of heaven's children...
"Father in heaven, we ask in Jesus' Name for a Spirit of encouragement to fill all the pastors and harvest workers in Kenmore, with every brother and sister in Christ reaching forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We ask for courage to reach out and lean on You, falling into the depths of who You are and finding that instead of dropping, we are soaring on the updraft of worship. We ask in Jesus' Name to breathe in Your fragrance and to breathe out praises and words of kindness and truth...
"Lord, our Saving God, grant us a spirit of love for one another, increasing day by day no matter what adversities come. Renew our hearts by Your Spirit to keep reaching for heaven's prize, to lay hold of that for which also we were laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ..
"We ask all these things with thanks that our prayers reach Your heart, in Jesus' Name. Amen"
