CRIME-On
this last week of our prayer focus on CRIME as one of the 5 issues that
Greater Montgomery struggles with, read this verse and ponder these
questions.
Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may
have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon".ESV
What are you doing to tell others who may have committed a crime, hurt
someone else or broken the law, about this verse and how they can come
to the Lord who can have compassion and help them start over?
We can complain all the time about crime in our city but are we doing anything about it?
Are we "getting the message" of forgiveness and renewal out to those who need it?
Wondering what what happen if we all shared this verse today with
someone who may need God's forgiveness and strength to "turn around"???
NEXT MONTH: POVERTY
Praying Across Alabama..
Montgomery Date and Time: Wednesday, March 13.....10a.m. Steps of the Capitol.
(in case of inclement weather, prayer meeting will be in Stakely Sanctuary at First Baptist Church on South Perry Street).
EVERYONE IS INVITED TO COME AND JOIN IN PRAYER for our city and state!
For more information contact: Montgomery Baptist Association,
334-271-6227.
"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I
will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender,
responsive heart".Ezekiel 36:26 NLT
HEART CHECK THIS WEEK!
Is your heart
geared toward reaching the Greater Montgomery area for Christ? Are you
praying for the people of this area to know the God of Peace that you
know? Are you able to "see" your neighbors and friends and family around
here through God's eyes?
If not, maybe it is time for a
heart check. Ezekiel writes of a promise from God that if you come to
Him, he will change your heart! Are you ready? Are you willing to have
your heart AND mind changed about the people you live around?
Here are a few verses for you to ponder this week in your time with God:
Romans 12:2
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God
transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you
will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and
perfect". (NLT)
Phillipians 4: 6-8 (NLT)
"Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need,
and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your
hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and
sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and
honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about
things that are excellent and worthy of praise".
Continue to
pray for the area of "crime" in our Greater Montgomery area. Pray for
Chief Murphy and his staff as they figure out the best ways to protect
and serve our city.
CRIME...it
is an ugly word to most of us. If we have been exposed to it(in any
form)we have a choice. We can either become bitter and anxious which
usually leads to us "generalizing the culture of ALL people who were
like the one who harmed us" OR we can see that person through the eyes
of God(which we CAN do if we just ask).
Montgomery crime stats are on
the rise again and I am wondering if it is because we, as Christians,
have stopped praying for crime and those who commit them(or could
potentially commit them). Are we bold enough to do that? Pray for the
ones who committed the crime or could potentially commit it?
On a personal note, we have had hard lessons this year in our own family
and God gave us a choice. Twice in a 6 week span, our family has been
faced with others invading our space and violating our safety. Once to
our car....once to my son who was face to face with someone who was
stealing money from his speech therapists office.They walked in on the
guy stealing the money and had no clue as to whether he had a gun or
not. He was shaken for a few days afterwards, rightly so, but my son,
who has a special insight into life, told me that even though he was
afraid, he needed to pray for this man who committed the crime. I asked
him why and he said, "because, mom, I have Jesus in my heart and even
though I am afraid, I know he will be beside me....we don't know if this
guy has Jesus and if he does, he doesn't trust him, does he?"
So, even though my momma instincts were mad and wanted this boy to
suffer for scaring my son and his therapist, I had to draw close to the
Lord and start praying for this boy who violated my son's sense of
safety.
What choice will you make this day as you live for
Christ? Crime does not just go on in big cities.......do you think
Midland City thought this incident of late would ever happen there?
Specifically, pray for Chief Kevin Murphy.......for wisdom as he
discerns how to best work with this city on reducing crime! He
understands that there are underlying problems that cause the crime, so
lift him up so he can know what is best.
Jesus said: "But I
say to you, love your enemies and bless the one who curses you, and do
what is beautiful to the one who hates you, and pray over those who take
you by force and persecute you". Matthew 5:44
