Kids of the King, Arise!

By Joshua (10)
Regina,
Saskatchewan

SCRIPTURE: Read  Acts 7:1-60…The Stoning of Stephen

Today we are going to be looking at Stephen and his death.
Now you probably know all this, but Stephen was the first martyr.  If you
don’t know what a martyr is, it is someone who is killed because of his belief in Jesus Christ.  Stephen, was the first person who died because he loved Jesus.  The reason he was the first martyr was because he preached so powerfully, and people didn’t want to believe what he said. 

One of the greatest men who ever walked the Earth, the Apostle Paul, watched him being stoned to death.  I know that what Stephen did must have taken a lot of courage, but since the Lord our God died for us, we should be willing to die for Him.

What the Lord did for us is the most powerful thing anyone could ever do for
us. Even though it would be very hard to die for Jesus, I know that you
and I would both want to do it because of what Jesus did for us.  I think that once in a while we should take the time do think about what Jesus did for us,
what Stephen did, and what we would do if the Lord asked us to die for Him.

One of the greatest gifts we have been given is time. How are we using our time? How would our lives be changed if we lived each day as if it were our last day on this earth? We would live the way Jesus did.

LET’S PRAY…Dear Jesus, thank you that you loved us so much that you died for us.  Please give us the strength and courage to do the same if we needed to.  And if not, at least take our lives to help many others get to know You.  Help us live our lives as You did, and show us the way.
Amen

ACTION: Let us take the next day or so and live it as if it was the last day on earth. How would you live it. What would you change?

Joshua wrote this when he was 10 years old. Since then he has gone with his dad all over the world. Many times he even gets to preach.

                     Here is a picture of him in Rwanda last summer
 
You can see more of what his family is doing at www.wagnerministries.org

The next Key of the Kingdom, endurance is really helped by the last key, encouragement.

Let us hope unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…but let us encourage one another. Hebrews 10: 23-25

We are going to look at Paul again to help us along.
Read Acts 20: 22-24

Paul had to endure some very hard things. In this passage what was he facing?_______________________________________________________1)
But in spite of everything Paul kept on going so that he could reach the goal that God had placed before him. To endure is not to give up in hard times. It means that you will stand tall under pressure. To endure is  also to show patience towards things or circumstances when you would naturally want to say I’m outta here. It means that you will without complaining determine to finish the task set before you. Whew not easy hey? I’m sure Paul was tempted with doubts and fear too. But do you know that endurance is connected to hope? To endure something you need to hope that the “prize” you will win at the end is worth it.

God even allows us to go through hard times as He wants to build into us His endurance. At times it is a struggle just to live a Christian life or to be the only Christian in your class at school. Perhaps you struggle with just finishing a project you are working on. That is when you need God’s help- to endure.

1) What about endurance in your life? Is it hard for you to finish things that you start? Do you get bored or frustrated or distracted easily, especially if it is harder than you expected? Or do you see it as an opportunity to conquer a challenge, like climbing a mountain for example.

2)Is there any area in your life that you find hard to endure in right now?

Surely you know that many runners take a part in a race but only one of them wins the prose. Run then in such a way as to win the prose. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finishing line: that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest. 
1 Corinthians 9 24-27

Like the runner in the race above, if we stop running or give up, we’d never win the race.

Remember, hope is connected with endurance. The athlete performs in the hope of winning the competition. Now think about the project or area you thought about before.  What is your goal in it? What do you hope to accomplish?

3) Jesus is really our best example. He also sends Holy Spirit to come alongside us to encourage and strengthen us when we face hard times. As we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can ask Him for His strength, power, patience and endurance to keep on going until we reach our goal.

Look up Hebrew 12: 1-2 and fill in the blanks

…let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily _________2). And let us run with_____________3) the race marked out for us. Let us, _______________________4) the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him _________5) the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition form sinful men. So that you will not grow weary and___________6).

ACTION: Think of something you have a hard time completing. Set yourself a goal and make up your mind to finish it. Maybe it will be making a gift for someone at Christmas, or learning a new skill, or finishing a project at school, your very best.  These are all things to help you endure when it is hard to walk as a son or daughter of the king.  
  
When I was a kid I found it hard to finish anything. I would start all sorts of projects and then get bored with them, and leave them in a pile somewhere. Then when I was expecting my first son, the Lord spoke to me and said. You know you can’t stop caring for your little one; this is one project you can’t drop.  So to help me practise I decided to take an embroidery project and work on it. It was called “the tree of life” and had all sorts of animals on a tree and leaves and flowers. Anyways it would take quite a long time. Usually I would kind of cut corners, you know, no one would notice a few less leaves on the tree.  But I made myself embroider ALL the leaves… all 72 of them. I set a goal, to learn to finish something.  You know what it worked!  Every time that I wanted to do it sloppy or fast, the Lord would prompt me, “Carolin, you can do it!”  At the end I had a lovely hanging to put up in his bedroom.
That lesson has helped me write these devotions even when I don’t feel like it, because the goal is, maybe there is someone out there that will be encouraged by what I write today…and that is worth it!

Answers: 1) prison and troubles. 2) entangles 3) perseverance 4) fix our eyes on Jesus

5) endured 6) lose heart

(Some of the material for this devotional was taken from the 1996 Target World “Home Qualifying Material” for King’s Kids)

TODAY”S KEY OF THE KINGDOM IS…ENCOURAGEMENT
Imagine you are having a totally bad day. You did something to really tick off your teacher and were kicked out of school. To top it off you have weird dreams that night that leave you kind of scared.
Or how about you fall as you leave school and twist your ankle? You are crying and try to get up but the pain shoots up your leg. Fear sets in as you remember how you broke your leg last time and were in a cast 6 weeks.

At this point what do you need most? Someone to come along and say; “Deal with it. Get on with your life.” Uh Duh no!  But what about if someone came along and noticed how you were feeling and came along side you to see if they could help? Stupid question right? Of course the second response is what you would hope for. However that is not always the response that is given.

The bible tells the story of some guys that were in a pickle like that, only even worse.
Look up and read Genesis 40:1-19.
In verse six what does it say?  When Joseph came to them in the morning and _________(1) them, behold they were dejected. Joseph took the time to look at people and observe. He didn’t leave it there though.  What does he say in verse seven? ______________________(2) ?  Did he fidget and get distracted by a text message? No he stopped and took time to listen to their answer.
In verse eight Joseph lets them know that wisdom and strength come from God and that is he able to minister to them because of that. It isn’t always easy to know how to help or encourage someone that is sad and going through a rough time so it is a really good idea to ask God for His thoughts.

Looking at how Joseph responded gives us some very good guidelines to help us encourage others. What are they?
Look, around you and observe how people are doing.
Ask questions to encourage them to talk.
Listen, really listen to what they say.
Ask God for the wisdom you need to encourage them. 
Then… encourage them.

Not all encouragement is pleasant, but tell the truth in love to help people grow and save them from their bad choices. Like the kid who ticked off his teacher, maybe a word of encouragement would be
“I know you can do better than that. I’ve seen how kind you can be. That was a silly thing to do. How can I help you make it right?”

Action:
Today, ask God to help you keep your eyes open to observe someone that could use some encouragement. Then follow the steps that Joseph used. Sometimes all the person needs is a hug, and an assurance that they are loved. I know of a young girl at church that has such a gift. I also know that I can be sure that if I am discouraged she will come up and give me a Great Big Hug.  It makes my day. She also notices young mom’s trying to dress their squirming toddlers and rushes over to help, or if someone dropped something, there she is picking it up with a smile.

Puzzle: Do you know something I found out while writing this? In the New Testament it talks about someone that what known by what an encouragement he was. His name actually meant “son of encouragement”.  Do you remember what his name was?( 3) He was often sent into sticky situations just to encourage people.

Look up Acts 4: 36 and Acts 11:22  Now,what was this person’s real name…(4)
                          To make YOUR day here is a smile from God!

Answers: 1) observed 2) Why are you looking so sad today 3) Barnabas 4) JOSEPH!

A remarkable phone call from 12-yr old Logan to Houston
radio station KSBJ FM 89.3.  (The Audio has been discontinued but here is what was said!)

“Hey Mike, Can I talk to you?”

“You bet, Logan what’s up?”

“I want to tell you something that God just told me.”

“O.k.”

“Last night my dad was roping this calf. And this calf had been born from a really old cow, she didn’t’ have really the greatest milk…She didn’t have the vitamin C and stuff,

“O.k. “ 

“But anyway, she broke her back… And this morning I went out to put her down my self.
I was talking to God asking God why, she was special!” Logan cried.

And God said. “You know Logan my Son was special, but He died for a purpose.”

“Its’ kind of the same thing, that calf was close to me, and God’s son was close to Him.”

“Logan you are so right…Man it’s true.”  Think you are going to be o.k.?”

Sniff, “Yeah I’ll be fine, but I just want to tell you guys that He is so important…just remember that when you loose a loved one or a pet,  Always  remember that God gave his son too and He understands, He will always understand, He will always!  Just run to Him.

“Logan you are wiser than you know, buddy”

“Oh…Sometimes I don’t think I am wise. Trust me I have done a lot of stupid stuff… But I’ve learned from them.”

“That is what makes you wise, someone that learns from their mistakes.”

“Well I just figured I had better call and share with you guys. Love you”

“Love you too, Bye”

TODAY”S KEY OF THE KINGDOM IS…COURAGE
In past wars, the country’s flag or banner would be put out on the front-line of the battle. It was a sign of strength and confidence. If the flag remained standing in the battle, the army could still win. If the flag carrier was injured or killed and could no longer carry the flag, another person would pick it up. If he too was knocked down, yet another person would pick it up. This would continue until the battle was lost or…won.

A similar thing happened with Paul. Paul carried the flag of God for the early church. He boldly spoke for Jesus, and made several missionary journeys to “carry the flag” to others. With someone so active around, it may be easy for others to feel that they did not have to do as much. Paul was doing a great job! He was getting the job done! When Paul ended up in prison, other Christians needed to step in to “carry the flag.”

The flag is one of the most important things an ambassador carries to a new country. As a son or daughter of the Kingdom, you carry a special “flag” representing God. It is not a real flag, but what you have come to know about God, and what is special about your relationship with him.
 
1)What does Philippians 1:14 show us about the attitude we need to have in order to speak out for God? What big obstacle did they need to overcome? FEAR! This seems to be a common problem. It seems God was always reminding people not to be afraid, and that he would be with them.

2)What fears do you have? Are you afraid of the dark? Are you afraid to tell others about Jesus? The first step to overcoming fear is to recognize the things you are afraid of and give them to God. Spend time sharing your fears with God. Make a list of the fears and put it aside. In a month or so have a look at it again and see how God has been helping you overcome some of these fears.

3)Where do you find courage? When you spend time with Jesus, you will always be changed! When you listen to and follow the Holy Spirit, you will always become more like Jesus. We can become people who are courageous for God. We can dare to share with others about Jesus through God’s strength. We can stand strong and courageous, even though we face difficulties.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

ACTIVITY:
Look up these verses and unscramble the words to discover what God has promised you if you follow Him.
2 Timothy 4:12; Joshua 1:7; Isaiah 41:10

ropew   vole  cipneisdil  cuscses   ghntesrnet olduph  lpeh

Rachel is 7 years older than her three sisters and baby brother. Like many families in her country, her family is very poor. When her mom and dad got married, they were too poor to buy a wedding ring. Instead, her dad saved his money, and seven years later he bought his wife a special carpet as a “wedding gift”. Carpet makers in her country make especially beautiful carpets.

Rachel’s parents do not always have time to sit down and explain their faith in Christ to her. She is learning about God by watching how they pray and trust Him through everything that happens. Lately, a lot had been happening.

The Police want to confiscate the family’s beautiful wedding carpet. (When something is “confiscated” it is taken away, usually by a police official, and often as a punishment.) In fact, they want to take away everything in Rachel’s house and the house too!

They also sent Rachel’s dad to prison – again. He has lost count of how many times he as been arrested. Rachel’s’ dad is in trouble because he allows other Christians to meet in his house and to worship God. The church that meets in Rachel’s house us not registered or approved by the government.

This time, Rachel’s dad stayed in prison for several months. No one told his family when he would get out so they were surprised when he came home one day!

He was happy to be home, but sad to find that there was no food in the house. “When will we have something to eat?” Rachel asked him. The family was even poorer when he was in prison.

“ Wait until morning,” he answered. “ Then we will have breakfast.”

The next morning Rachel’s dad got up at 5:00 to pray. Rachel prayed with him. Still there was no food. “Let’s work in the garden,” said Rachel’s dad.

“But I’m hungry,” said Rachel. “ I know,” said her dad. Suddenly they heard a car approach. Two men got out and knocked on the door. “We didn’t plan to come to town today,” said one. “but the Lord has sent us to see you.” They handed Rachel’s dad an envelope.

“What is your name?” Rachel’s dad asked? “Our names are not important. They would not mean anything to you anyway,” one of the men answered. Then they left. 
Rachel and her dad opened the envelope and found money to feed the whole family for a month. They ran outside to thank the strangers, but they saw no-one and no tire tracks in the dirt in front of their house. Rachel said to the father, “Your God is my God.” She no longer just watches her parents trust the Lord. She trusts Him too; even though their belongings could still be taken from them.

Hebrews 10: 34 days that early Christians “joyfully accepted the confiscation or their property” because they knew they had “better and lasting possessions.” Rachel’s dad said, “If they want to take my home, let them have it.” He understands that being able to trust in Jesus no matter what happens is a “better possession” than anything they own.

Read Hebrews 10:32-39 What are some “better possessions” of those who trust in Jesus?

Read Hebrews 1:14 and 13:2. Rachel’s dad says that he doesn’t know if the strangers were angels or not, but he has never seen then before and never since.

*This story is taken from the “Bold Believers” magazine for students. It is put out by Voice of the Martyers. It is a magazine that comes out 4 times a year and helps you understand what Christans around the world are facing and how to pray for them. It has activities and ways you can be involved in praying. To contact them look on their website. www.persecution.net.

By Rebekah (12 ) ,
St Johns, New Brunswick

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that sufferings produce perseverance. (Romans 5:3)

The Lord is in need of persevering people. People that will stick with Him no matter what. He needs us to stand for Him in spite of hardship or persecution.  He needs us to help lead people to Him, and to proclaim His name and serve Him with all our heart even when it is the most difficult. Yet we cannot do this for Him unless He works in us and unless we surrender to His ways. So we must pray to Him and ask Him to make us ones who will persevere through hard and easy times.
Jesus did not back down or stop doing His father’s work; he did not quit loving His enemies even when it was hard. So God has given Jesus as our example. We must follow His example as Christians and as children of the King. If we do not follow His example and ask God for His help, we will never be able to stand for Him, or serve Him and each other. Be encouraged, the Lord is forever with you!

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:36)

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I praise and lift your Name on high. I thank You for your mercy and grace for us. I ask that you would help me persevere in the hard and easy times. Help me to hold on to You and your word and stand for you. Be with me today whatever may happen. In Jesus’  name, I pray, Amen

Today is a day that world wide we are focusing on praying for the persecuted church. If you have not done so, look back at “Day 21 Keys of the Kingdom” for more scriptures to pray.

Let’s start by singing  “We want to see Jesus lifted High.” I’m sure most of you know it.

What is a banner for? It is something that is lifted up and carries a message, right? In this song what does the banner say? (*answer at the bottom of this post)

Do you know, not everyone is free to worship like this. There are people all over the world that have to hide in order to be able to worship Jesus,and thay sure couldn’t raise a banner! It not easy for them to be followers of Jesus. When people are stopped from worshipping God, from reading the Bible, or owning the Bible, from speaking and learning about Jesus, it is called persecution. Persecution began when the Christian church was very young and it was even seen in the Old Testament. 

Can you think of some people that were persecuted for obeying God?  If you thought of Daniel, or Paul and Silas you’re right. But there were many more besides that. See there is a war going on between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The enemy doesn’t want God’s light to shine and will do anything he can to stop it.

Jesus Himself spoke of this while he was on earth. He even gave a promise to those that are persecuted for loving Him.
Matthew 5:10 ff…Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven….
Vs. 11-12 blessed are you when men cast all sorts of insults at you, and say all kinds of bad things against you falsely because you love me, Rejoice because your reward in heaven will be great.

Boy that is a different way of looking at it isn’t it. But as we looked at Paul and Silas they looked at it that way and even sang while in prison. Now they couldn’t do that unless their hearts were full of God’s love. They had to know deep in their hearts how much God loved them. They were fascinated by Jesus and what he had done for them and nothing could take that away

Read Romans 8: 35-39(GNMM)
Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death? …For I am certain that nothing can separate us from His love: neither death not life… neither the present or the future…there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Does that mean we should look for chances to be persecuted? No, but it does mean that we should be bold, be strong and courageous and not afraid to tell others about God’s love.

ACTIVITY:
Go to a darkened room that is lit by a single candle. Go in quietly, in 2’s or threes with out speaking. In many places where people are not allowed to worship they may come to a home to meet. But they go quietly in 2’s or 3’s so not a whole crowd comes at once and draws attention. (If you are by yourself go to your bedroom and light a candle and turn off the lights.)

Wu Bo was a pastor in a country where he was not allowed to teach about Jesus. He was the pastor of a house church. One day he was arrested and thrown into jail. While he was in jail he had to spend many hours a day with very little food, usually only a crust of bread or watery soup, and make christmas lights. Each day he had to make a certain amount of lights putting the little wires into the lights. His hands were bleeding and sore, but still he had to make the lights. He didn’t mind though because as he made the lights he prayed that the Christmas lights would point people to Jesus.

Response:
Hand around a Christmas light and ask people to hold it.  Ask God what is on His heart for Christians facing persecution like Wu Bo.
Pray what you feel God impresses on you.
Then pray out the following Scripture verses to help you pray. 

Pray for persecuted Christians worldwide: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned;struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)

May our persecuted brothers and sisters in the Lord come out from the shadow of death to the shadow of life. We pray for their victory over the evil one; that they would carry the banner of the cross to the top of the highest mountains. The more they are persecuted, the more they may grow in the Lord. Let them feel your love close by and not feel abandonned. Bring to their mind your scripture promises.

Pray for the persecutors:They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb and the bold word of their witness. they weren’t in love with themselves; they were willing to die for Christ. Revelations 12:11 (The Message)

We pray that the Lord would open their eyes and hearts to “The Way, the Truth and the Life”. We pray that, through witnessing Christ in the lives of those they are persecuting, they too may come to know the Lord. We pray the Lord will change their hearts as He changed Saul to Paul.

Pray that God will use the persecuted churches: to open the hearts of people to the Supreme sacrifice of Jesus for the world. We pray that the voice of the persecuted church will touch the hearts of people and bring them to Jesus Christ. We pray that as people put up Christmas lights that Wu Bo’s prayer would be answered and that people will come to see Jesus as the Light of the world. Help us to put feet to that prayer and tell others about what Jeus did.

When was the last time that you were really scared at the thought of something that you had to do?
- face a bully in the school yard…
- afraid to tell people that you go to church as they may make fun of you at school…
- afraid to speak out the truth
- these can be hard things , but God has promised to be with us.

God calls us all to persevere and be lights for him, even if it is hard.

MEMORIZE
Key: Matthew 5:10 ff…Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…. KEY of the Kingdom is …PERSEVERENCE

ACTION:  Make a card with a Christmas light glued on. On it write down one of the scripture verses we looked at today. Place this beside your bed as a reminder to  pray for the persecuted church this month,

Answer: *JESUS is the way to heaven

Taking this verse over the NEXT TWO MONTHS, we will continue to pray in concentric circles. We started by praying for ourselves and our families, then our church, then our city last month it was our provinces or states.  This month we will focus on our nation, and then the next time rest of the world. In other words we will take this verse and have it apply to our own “ Jerusalem ”. For me it would be from My family, to my church, to my city, Winnipeg , to Manitoba , to Canada and then to the world.  What would it be for you?

Picture of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Canada’s Capitol City

This Month’s Prayer Focus: Praying For Your Nation 

GOAL: To pray for your nation in a way that is fun.

SETTING: Room with a large map of your nation on the floor. If a map is not available mark out the borders of your nation and any subdivisions with masking tape on the floor. Make it large.

METHOD: Through scripture determine what is on God’s heart concerning the nations of the world. Pray these things over your nation, making a wall of prayer around the nation.
-This can be done over a period of weeks adding to it each week.

Materials Needed:

- Map of your nation.

- Markers

- Magazines and newspapers.

-Construction paper cut into 2 inch by 5-inch rectangles.

OR

-Masking tape

-Duplo blocks.
-A March For Jesus C.D.   

MEETING:

CALL TO WORSHIP:

• Read Psalm 24

WORSHIP:  Prepare The Way by (Darrell Evans and Eric Nuzum)                 

                      Ancient Of Days by (Gary Sadler)

                      Glory to the Lord Our God by (Robin Mark)  
   

SCRIPTURE: Look up Isaiah 65 vs. 17-25 (LB).
As you read it carefully look at what will take place in the New Earth. This is a picture of what is on God’s heart for the world.
“For see, I am creating new heavens and a new earth - so wonderful that no one will even think about the old one any more. Be Glad; rejoice forever in my creation. Look! I will recreate jerusalem as a place of happiness, and her people shall be a joy!And I will rejoice in jerusalem, and in my people; and the voice of weeping and crying shall not be heard there anymore. No longer will babies die when only a few days old; not longer will people be considered old at 100! In those days, whe a man builds a house, he will keep living in it - it will not be destroyed by invading armies as int eh past. My people will plant vineyards and eat the fruit themselves - their enemies will not confiscateit. For my people will live as long as trees and will long enjoyu thier hard-won gains. Yheir enemies willnot eat their harvests; their children will not be born to be cannon fodder. For they are the children of those the Lord had blessed; and their children woo shall be blessed. I will answer them before they call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw as the ox does, and poisonour snakes shall strike no more! In those days nothing and no one shall be hurt or destroyed in all my Holy Mountain, says the Lord.”

INTERACTION:
Have one of the March For Jesus CD’s, or the Revival in Belfast CD playing quietly in the background,
1) Take a large map of your nation and place it on the floor, or make an outline of your nation with masking tape on the floor. ( If you don’t have one of your nation, you can search on google, “map of——-”

2) Look at the scripture passage and in groups of 3-4 discuss and write down all the different characteristics that are found in the “New Earth”. Eg. ‘The voice of weeping and crying will not be heard anymore’. etc.
3)After you have finished looking at the whole passage in groups, come together and share what you found. Write them down on a large piece of paper or an overhead.
4) Go back into your small groups and… 
 ASK: What is the first thing you see in this passage that is on God’s heart for his people?
               ‘The voice of weeping and crying will not be heard anymore’. 
 Then ask questions that can turn these items into prayer points for your nation.
For example:
    ”What in our nation causes weeping and crying? How about children who run away from home? How could we pray for that? etc. Pray in the opposite spirit… instead of crying laughter, instead of sorrow joy…
Look through some magazines until you find a picture that would express your prayer. Then on the map that is in front of you, eg:paste a picture of a parent embracing a child, or a picture of a family having fun together. This would be a reminder that this is what is on God’s heart, unity, joy and love between family members. PRAY: eg. Father we pray that instead of families that are in pain, we ask that you would draw them together in love. Heal the hurts and misunderstandings between family members.
What are other things that cause weeping and crying? Follow the same format to process into prayer and ask questions that can turn these items into prayer points for your nation.

ACTION: Find out if there are organizations dealing with street kids in your town or city. Someone could perhaps contact them and see if there is any way to help or pray for them.

3) Now how about “my people will plant vineyards and eat the fruit themselves?” How could we pray for that?   Think of what the farmers grow in your nation. Are there many cattle? Is fishing an industry? O.K. Then using that information: Pray for the fishermen as their season opens. Pray for safety that they would catch enough fish to provide for their families. Pray that the farmers would have a good crop. Pray for rain, and that insects won’t eat the crop. Pray especially for areas that had a poor crop the year before. (Our Daniel Prayer group did that if you remember from the last DPG posting in October. Do you know what happened? Well the crop yield this year was 3 times what they usually harvested and the price of wheat went up from $2 to $7 a measure.!!)

ACTIVITY: Over the fishing areas on your map, paste pictures of a lot of fish. Over the farming areas glue Huge Potatoes, or carrots, or even glue a sprig of wheat. Pray that this will be a picture of the blessing that God will bring these communities.

4) NOW on your own over the next while take each part of that verse and think about how that can apply to your country. Look in the newspaper and ask God to lead you to things to pray for. Read the item and then look at the verse and see if there is a promise you can claim for that situation.

OTHER IDEAS TO HELP YOU PRAY:

1) Look at newspapers to see some of the things that are happening in your country that are the opposite of what is on God’s heart. Cut them out.

2) Find pictures in magazines that reflect the new heaven and earth. For example, you may have found a picture or story of an abused child.  Find another picture or story of a child happy and at play.  Place the positive picture over the first one, and pray that God would bless the children and that they would no longer be killed in war or abused. But instead that God would intervene and give them joy.

3) Place the picture on the map of your nation in the area that this took place.

4) Continue and be creative. Over the map write a scripture that reflects God’s power, God’s love, or a prayer for God’s glory to fill your nation.

5) Take pieces of cut up construction paper and write prayers for your nation on it. You can write prayers for Government officials, leaders, communities, etc on them. Each week add to these and build a wall of prayer around the edges of the map.

* For younger kids you can have them hold a duplo block and say a prayer for their community or nation, and then build a wall out of duplo blocks around the map.

6) Again spread out newspapers on the floor and ask the Lord to lead you to situations to pray for. There are many needs expressed and many times there is no one to intercede for them. Pray and add those prayers to your ‘wall’.

7) Have people walk over the map on the floor or place their hands in different places. Play a worship C.D. Stop it at different intervals and instruct the people to pray for the area that they are standing on.

Use the principals of Intercession to ask God what is on His heart for your nation. He may lead you to a specific situation or city to pray over.

9) Call out God’s promises in scripture over your nation. In Canada the scripture that God gave the Father’s of Confederation was “He shall have dominion from sea to sea”. Pray this over your nation.

10) Use Psalm 72 as a basis to pray for the government of your nation or city. For example, ‘O God, help those in leadership in our country to judge as you would, and help his advisors to walk in godliness…’ etc.