If you attended worship yesterday at Community you heard me read my prayer vision for the coming year. In case you missed it, or want to read it again, here it is. I really do ask you to hold me accountable to it!
PRAYER VISIONBurt Boykin – 2006
After evaluating my current practice of prayer I’m confronted with my sin of unbelief, demonstrated by my lack of commitment to and minimal involvement in serious, Kingdom oriented prayer. Believing that prayer is the essential and basic way to show my utter dependence upon God and His grace, and in faith making a response to God’s promise in Jeremiah 33:3 (Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known), I commit by God’s grace to spend at least 1 hour each day of this year to Kingdom oriented prayer – focusing on the following areas: my heart, my home (biological and church), and the hopeless.
As I pray for my HEART I will ask the Lord specifically to:
· show me my sin and rebellion against God (Psalm 139:23,24)
· change and sanctify me by His grace (Titus 2:11,12)
· give me boldness as a leader (Acts 4:29)
· cultivate my love for others (1 Jn 4:7)
As I pray for my HOME I will ask the Lord specifically to:
· continue His covenant faithfulness with my children (Gen 18:19)
· give my wife the hope, riches, and power of the Gospel (Eph 1:15-22)
· use our home as a place of ministry (Rom 12:13)
· equip our elders and deacons for greater service (Acts 6:1-7)
· use each member to encourage others (Heb 10:24,25)
· establish and grow each member in the Gospel (Col 2:6,7)
· mobilize each member into a place of ministry (Eph 4:11-16)
· establish strong homes and marriages within the church (Eph 5:22- 6:4)
As I pray for the HOPELESS I will ask the Lord specifically to:
· bless Community Church with the needy and wounded (Matt 25:34-40)
· convict unbelievers of their sin and need of a Savior (John 16:8-11)
· draw people to Himself (John 6:44)
· use us to love sinners and proclaim the good news to them (Rom 10:13-15)
This 1 hour in prayer will typically divided into 4 segments,
each being a minimum of 15 minutes.
NORMAL DAILY SCHEDULE:
8:00 a.m. – emphasis on my heart; will pray alone, always with the Scripture open before me.
11:15 a.m. – focus on my home church, the Community Church family and her leaders; often will be with fellow church staff or a scheduled lunch appt; I will systematically pray for each member of the Community Church family
4:30 p.m. – emphasis on the hopeless; targeting local unbelievers as well as global outreach
8:00 p.m. (and/or later) – focus on the Boykin home; will pray with my wife and children, often together in a group, sometimes separately; will pray with Anita each night before bedtime.
I trust that by the end of the year this 1 hour will be at least 2 hours in length. I will pray believing that God not only ordains the ends, but also ordains the means by which He will accomplish His good and perfect will; and the means He has ordained is for His people to pray in faith, resting on the finished work of Christ, relying on the power of the Spirit. I believe “the victory will come and will come by prayer.” (Piper)
Also, if you were in worship with us you heard our speaker, Gary Cox, speak of how church leaders, especially pastors, have a big target on their back and Satan loves to attack us. I covet your prayers, not only for me, but especially for my family.
in fear and trembling,
Burt