The Family Church, FBC Sugar Hill

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A Message from Pastor Richard

This prayer guide you hold in your hands is an essential element of "Master Plan, Second Seating" in 2007-2008. When God's people set aside time to pray and seek His face and apply His word in their lives, then God promises to listen and provide His abundant supply.

Whether you are single or married, young or old, a new believer or mature in the faith, this prayer guide will help you move forward in faith. You are invited to embark on a journey of daily discipline designed to draw our entire church family closer together and closer to our Lord.

Each daily devotion is divided into five parts: scripture reading, questioning, listening, application, and prayer, and should be a fun way to support the Master Plan through our prayers. Ask your friends and family to join in and watch as they grow in their relationship with the Lord.

As The Family Church continues unraveling the Master Plan that God has for us, we do so with absolute commitment to our purpose to "reach up, reach out, and reach in." It is the desire of pastor, staff and church family to fulfill God's perfect will in our present and future planning. After all, He is our ultimate authority!

Day 1, November 4th

Read "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." -Psalm 5:3
Ask What is your favorite thing to do in the morning? Why does God want us to pray to Him early each day?
Listen Talk to your friends or family members about their favorite things and listen as their responses give insight into their personalities. Think about prayer as talking to and hearing from God.
Apply Begin each day with a brief, "Good Morning God" prayer. Thank God for the new day and ask for His help to live it for Him. Individually or as a family, commit to God to make every effort to spend time with Him each day for the next fourteen days.
Pray Ask God to give you the desire to remain faithful in this prayer effort for the next 14 days. Ask Him to preserve this time and protect you from distractions. Ask God to honor the time you spend by increasing the love within your family and friends.

Day 2, November 5th

Read Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. - Philippians 4:6
Ask Were you ever really afraid or nervous about something? What happened? What does God tell us to do when we are afraid?
Listen Fears tell us a lot about a person's personality. Listen for things that may be causing fears in your family. Assure them of your love and God's love and protection.
Apply After hearing the others, share one of your own anxious times. Give a testimony about God's answer to one of your prayers. Remember that vulnerability builds trust.
Pray This is a great day to share prayer needs with each other. Write down what you prayed for and later share God's answer. You might want to begin to keep a family prayer journal of your requests and God's provision.

Day 3, November 6th

Read "Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen." - Matthew 6:9-13
Ask Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray in these verses. Did He give us an order of how we should pray? What is it?
Listen Look at the order below and think of what each of these means:
1) Praise God
2) Ask for His will
3) Ask for our needs
4) Forgive others
5) Ask for forgiveness
6) Ask for protection
Apply With your friends of family: Make up simple directions like, 'cross your arms and scratch your ear'. Gather in a circle and have each person whisper the directions to the next person and the last person acts them out. Compare the actual directions to the last person's actions.
Pray God wrote down His directions for prayer so that we wouldn't confuse them. Prayer is conversation with God. Talk with Him as you would your best friend. Pray using the order of the Lord's Prayer.

Day 4, November 7th

Read "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119:105
Ask Have you ever tried to find your way in the dark without a flashlight? Where were you? Camping? Walking through the house at night? What happened?
Listen Think about how you walked in the dark. With friends or family discuss what that's like.
Apply Close your eyes and remember how you felt in the dark. God's word is really like a light, guiding us in every decision we make for our lives. With your family: Give one family member a flashlight (if you have children, give it to the youngest) and turn all the lights off in the house. With all the family members following, let the person with the flashlight lead the family through the house from room to room. Discuss the impact of God's guiding light in our lives.
Pray Thank you, God, for showing me the next step I need to take. Keep me from stumbling as I read your word, the Bible.

Day 5, November 8th

Read "I have commanded you to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, laws, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and become a great nation, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy." - Deuteronomy 30:16
Ask Have you ever noticed that each person has his or her own distinctive way of walking? Have you ever tried to imitate someone else's 'walk'?
Listen Have you ever tried to impersonate someone else? What personality traits have you tried to emulate? Share with your friends or family a story of when you tried to act like somebody else.
Apply Take a walk around your neighborhood or drive to a favorite place. Observe how God has created the beauty we see in nature. With your friends or family: Discuss how important it is to recognize God's divine hand in all areas of our lives, whether making a decision or admiring what He has created.
Pray Thank you, Lord, that you long to lead us every moment of every day. Help us to hear your voice speaking to us and help us obey your Word and walk in your way.

Day 6, November 9th

Read "Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart." - Psalm 119:34
Ask Has God's Word ever given you understanding about a certain matter? What troubles can we avoid if we obey God's Word?
Listen Think about what 'keeping' God's Word means to you and to your family. We often 'keep' things we value or guard things we want to keep safe. God's Word is like that and when we obey it, we can avoid the pain of sin.
Apply It's important to keep God's instructions in your heart and obey their teaching. Obedience keeps our relationship with God from becoming cold or lukewarm. We want to always be "hot" for the Lord. With your family: Hide a Bible somewhere in the house and play the 'hot or cold' game. You're 'hot' when you get close to the Bible and cold the farther away you are.
Pray Lord, give us a willing heart to treasure and obey your word.

Day 7, November 10th

Read "What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to Him is much better..." - 1 Samuel 15:22
Ask What brings a smile to your face? Which of the following do you think makes God happy: spending time with Him, or, working hard to please Him?
Listen When we obey, God's blessing radiates through us to others. God's definition of love is obedience.
Apply Once upon a time a King told his servant to bring him 12 peanut M&M's. The servant brought him only 6 and they were plain M&M's, not peanut. The King asked the servant why he had not carried out his clear command. The servant replied, "I happened to find 6 M&M's and while they weren't peanut, I thought plain would be just as good." At this the King dismissed the unfaithful servant and found another to take his place. What good is a disobedient servant to a King? How do you think Jesus, the King of Kings, feels when we disobey Him or replace His desires with our own?
Pray Lord help us to realize that it makes you happy when we obey you. Lord, strengthen my commitment to obey your word.

Day 8, November 11th

Read "But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin." - John 1:7
Ask What are the symptoms of sin and discontentment? Are you infected? Are you ready to make a change?
Listen When Jesus died on the cross as a payment for our sins, He paid in full for all of your sins. Every wrong act, harsh word and impure thought has been forgiven. From God's perspective, it's as if these sins never happened. He has forgotten them because he has forgiven them!
Apply Jesus is our light that allows all Christians to have joyful fellowship. If we walk with Him, we will keep away from darkness (sin) and stay in the light (righteousness). With your friends or family: Darken the room. Beforehand, write on a card:"Let's go have ice cream!" Pass the card around in the dark and ask if anyone can read the important message on the card. Have one person turn on a flashlight and read the card. Then go out for ice cream!
Pray Jesus, thank you that you are my light. You lead me to righteousness and expose all sin in my life. Thank you for your precious blood that cleanses me from all my sin and makes me righteous in the sight of God.

Day 9, November 12th

Read "Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other; loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Don't be selfish, don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself." - Phillipians 2:2-3
Ask How can you tell when a person is important? Do people treat an important person differently from everyone else? Would you like to be important?
Listen Think of a younger person who looks up to you. Can you serve them by spending time doing something they would like to do instead of what you want? Try to honor them today by doing something for them that only you and God know about.
Apply With your friends or family: Sit in a circle and ask everyone to tell something they admire about the person on their right. You should take the lead. Then do the same with the person on the left.
Pray Lord, help me to see the value in each of my friends and family members. Help me recognize the special talents and qualities you have given each.

Day 10, November 13th

Read "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
Ask What does it mean to perish? Do you know anyone who has?
Listen Remember loved ones or friends who have died. Think about those who were trusting Jesus and, as a result are with Jesus. Be sensitive to friends or those in your family who may not have asked Jesus to save them from their sins.
Apply With your friends or family: Make a cross with masking tape, two yard sticks and string and place it on the floor with two pieces of paper marked with the words 'death' and 'life' on either side of the cross. Have family members stand on one side of the cross and walk across from 'death' to 'life'. Explain that God sent Jesus to die on the cross for us so we could live eternally with our heavenly Father.
Pray If you sense the Holy Spirit drawing members of your family to Jesus, ask them if they want to cross over from 'death' to 'life.' Share the simple gospel of Jesus with them and help them pray. Here is how you can receive Christ:
1. Admit your need for God (I am a sinner).
2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit.

Day 11, November 14th

Read Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." - John 14:6
Ask Have you ever been lost? How did it happen? How did you feel? Did you wish you had a map or someone to show you the way?
Listen Remember how you felt when you were lost and someone rescused you or you finally found your way? At every bend in the road of life there are situations and circumstances trying to pull us away from God. What are you willing to give up in order to follow Jesus Christ?
Apply With your family: Let the head of the family be 'Jesus' and play 'Follow the Leader.' Lead the family through rooms, tight spots, inside and outside, explaining that there is no other way to get to the treasure (eternal life) except by following Jesus. At the end of the walk, have a special treat (candy, coins, etc.) in one visible spot where everyone can see it while on the walk. They must continue to follow the leader and cannot get to the treasure without first following Jesus all the way to the end.
Pray God, thank you for giving us the one and only way to come to you through Jesus Christ. Open our eyes to see lost people all around that need the 'map' to find their way to you. Give us courage and strength to share Jesus, 'the way, the truth and the life' with them.

Day 12, November 15th

Read "If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving-large or small-it will be used to measure what is given back to you." - Luke 6:38
Ask Can you remember a time when you surprised someone with a gift?
Listen As we look ahead to God moving in a big way, spend time in prayer today asking God for openness to hear Him speak to us about our treasure, time and talents. With your family: Enjoy sharing stories of surprise gift-giving.
Apply With your family: Place a large bowl in the middle of the kitchen table. Have each person take a measuring cup and fill it with rice, beans or anything you have. Let them fill the bowl until it reaches the top and shake it down so they can continue to fill it again. Do this until it overflows onto the table. Explain that this bowl represents our lives and the overflow represents God's generosity.
Pray Lord, we recognize that we can never give you more than you give us. Thank you for your promise to bless us as we give generously to others.

Day 13, November 16th

Read "But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help-how can God's love be in that person?" - 1 John 3:17
Ask Have you ever seen someone in need but passed by? Why didn't you stop to help? What about those times when you did stop to help, how did it make you feel?
Listen God doesn't need us to accomplish His will. He chooses us to bless us so that we can be His instruments to bless others. What might God be calling you to do with His blessings in your life?
Apply With your friends or family: Think of a neighbor who might have a need. Go to that house as a group and offer to sweep their sidewalk, and give them a home-made goodie, or a glass of lemonade and ask them if they have anything they would like you to pray about (for example, a sick family member, someone out of a job, relationship issues, etc.).
Pray Expand our capacity to give, Lord. Make us aware of needs all around us. Give us creativity to know how to give to others.

Day 14, November 17th

Read "Remember this a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully." - 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Ask What happens when a seed is planted in the ground?
Listen A single seed planted in the ground can produce many seeds. God's principle of planting multiplies the original gift. As we look to the Master Plan, be ready to hear from God what your role will be with regard to your time, your talents, and your treasures.
Apply With your family or friends: Sit in a circle. Recall all the fun times you have had over the past 14 days and the many truths God has revealed to each person. Consider the bounty of these relationships you have been able to "reap" because of the time you have "planted" together. Now talk about what investment God might lead you to make for His glory. Let God speak through each person.
Pray Lord, clearly show me how you want me and/or my family to contribute to our new church building. Make us unified in purpose and place the joy of giving in our hearts.

Now Make It a Habit!

If you have never before participated in a daily discipline of prayer and Bible study, you've just taken an important spiritual step. Let us encourage you to keep this momentum going. Start with the book of John in the New Testament, read a chapter a day and reflect on that passage. Think of how you can apply it to your life. Then pray. Remember, prayer is just talking to God so you do that anywhere, anytime-while you drive to work or shop for groceries. A daily walk with Jesus will be your greatest source of strength because it's part of God's master plan for your life.