April 24, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 40

Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you before I’m taken from you? Ask anything.” Elisha said, “Your life
repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you.” —2 Kings 2:9 MSG

When I first read Elisha’s request in The Message, Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just
like you, it shaped the ultimate prayer for my life-purpose: “Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to
become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to
do.” If God will accomplish that in my life, I will feel that I have fulfilled his awesome plan for me.

In a study I did in Ephesians, I found thirty-nine variations of “In Christ,” “Through Christ,”
and so forth. In reviewing all of those occurrences, I discovered the ABCs of being in Christ. There
is at least one “In Christ” concept for each letter of the alphabet. The letter X represents the fact that
in Christ God Xeroxes us. Paul said, Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
(Eph 4:24 NIV). Put your face down on a copy machine and push the copy button. What prints out?
A likeness of your face. As Christ followers, we were created to be like God, Xeroxed—an image of
his likeness: his true righteousness and holiness reproduced in us. When people see us, who we are
and how we act, they should see the likeness of Christ in us. It’s like God Xeroxes us.

This is what I have been praying on my wooded prayer trail, “Xerox Me, Lord. Your life
repeated in my life. I want to be a holy person just like you. Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to
become the all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call
me to do.” That’s being Xeroxed by God, being the likeness of Christ, a reflection of his image in us
to other people.

After Lee Strobel became a Christ follower, his five-year-old daughter Alison said, “Mommy,
I want God to do for me what he’s done for Daddy.” That’s Christ’s life repeated in a person’s
life—God Xeroxed Strobel, and even his five year old daughter recognized the transformation.

This is my ultimate life-prayer:

Xerox me, Lord. May your life be repeated in my life, the image of Christ reflected to others! Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do. Amen.

- Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi

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April 23, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 39

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous
person has great power and produces wonderful results. —James 5:16 NLT

We believe prayer unleashes God’s power. Over the years, I have seen amazing things happen when
people pray. I could tell you stories from my own life and family of answered prayers—incredible
works of God’s power in physical healings, physical protection, God’s provision in incredible ways
that show how big God really is. Recently, my brother and sister-in-law were praying for a little girl
who was dead for a few minutes and who came back to life. God is incredible. I could tell you of
times when I have seen God do incredible things in ministry settings, of life changes that only God
could do. Something happens when we pray. E. M Bounds said it best: “All I know is when I pray
coincidences happen and when I don’t pray coincidences don’t happen”.

On the other hand, if we are honest, sometimes we pray and nothing happens. We pray for
God to heal or to help in a particular situation, and it seems like God is so far away. A few years
back, I prayed and prayed for a godly young mother with young kids to be healed from cancer, yet
she died. This really shook me, and honestly, I still have trouble understanding. Some people who
don’t experience a miracle from God stop praying, feeling that God doesn’t listen. It is a great
deception of the enemy to have us believe that if God is sovereign, then whatever is going to
happen is going to happen, so don’t bother praying. That reasoning is usually the result of
frustration. I have been there. But prayer often times is more about what God does to our hearts
when we pray than about God’s answering our requests the way we think they ought to be
answered. It is about God shaping us, not us shaping God.

A while back, I really wanted to dive down deep into what God said about prayer. I spent
some time in the library trying to find all the scriptures that mention prayer. What does the Bible
really say? I found numerous scriptures on prayer and found that prayer is a major part of our
relationship with God. It is more about our dependence, listening, investment, yieldedness, and
openness to God than about what God can give us. God often protects us from our own prayers.
Had God answered some prayers according to my plans, I would have settled for less than God’s
best for me.

Remember that prayer is a journey with God that often has twists and turns that we don’t
understand, but God sees the whole journey. Often, we can see only a few feet in front of us. Be
encouraged on your journey, God sees the whole picture.

Lord, thank you for the power of prayer that guides us in all the twists and turns of our journey through life. Thank
you for answering our prayers in ways you know are best for us, and not always as we think they should be. Thank
you for shaping us according to your awesome plans for us and for the wonderful results they bring. Amen.

- Dr. Andy Stephenson, Leader of Youth and Family Ministries, Church of God Ministries

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April 22, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 38

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to
grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV (2010)

I was reading through this passage the other day when it struck me how drastically Paul’s prayers
differ from mine. I tend to have my head down when I pray, while Paul prayed with his head up. I
don’t mean in the physical sense — you know, head bowed and eyes closed- mean in the life perspective
sense.

I keep my eyes and head down and pray for the mundane, everyday things of life. I pray for
things like finances and health and problems with bosses and co-workers and the like. Those things
are important at one level, but they are head-down-plodding-through-life kinds of things. They are
the kinds of things you focus on when you get wrapped up in your own existence and your horizon
is defined by your own resources and reach. In the grand scope of life, they are the little things.
When I read what Paul prayed for the Ephesians –And I pray that you, being rooted and
established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and
long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you
may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God–I realize that Paul prayed for the big things.
He prayed with his head raised and his eyes looking up. He did not pray according to his limitations;
he prayed according to God’s vastness.

I pray, “Lord, help me pay this bill.” Paul prayed, “Lord, let them catch a glimpse of you.¨ I
have my head down, looking for a check in the mailbox. Paul had his eyes raised, looking for God to
show up.

Lord, help me learn how to pray with my head up, to pray for presence rather than presents.

- Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

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April 21, 2011 by Worship Director.

 Day 37

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where
he prayed.” —Mark 1:35 NIV

This morning in the life of Jesus came after what must have been an extremely hectic day. He had
been teaching in the synagogue with such authority that the people were “amazed” (see Mark 1:22,
27). When his teaching was interrupted by a man with an “evil spirit,” Jesus again amazed the people
by commanding the evil spirit to leave the man and restored him to wholeness. Leaving the
synagogue, Jesus visited the home of Simon and Andrew, where he cured Simon’s mother-in-law of
a high fever. After sunset, all the people in the surrounding area who were physically, emotionally
and spiritually sick were brought to him, and with the whole town gathered at the door (v 33 NIV), he
healed many and drove the demons out of many people.

How could Jesus keep up this rigorous schedule? The next morning, after that full, hectic,
demanding, emotion-packed day, “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house
and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV). It doesn’t make sense. Jesus knows that
this day will be at least as full and hectic as the day before. He knows many demands will be made
upon him. He knows the crowds of people will be pressing in on him with such force that he will no
longer be able to enter a town openly (v 45). He knows wherever he goes, people will be calling his
name, reaching out to touch him, begging for his help. He knows the Scribes and Pharisees will be
there criticizing, questioning his teaching, doubting his motives, stirring up trouble, trying to confuse
and distract him, and attempting to humiliate him. He knows even his own disciples will often
misunderstand him and attempt to get him to do things their way instead of his. (Do you ever have a
day like this?)

Therefore, in the face of such a demanding schedule and so many clamoring people, how
can Jesus eke out a time for solitude and prayer? Because he knew there was no way he could
accomplish all of the things he had to get done unless he made time to pray!

It is true: most of us live with such hectic, demanding schedules that we feel we can never
accomplish all we need to do. Learn a lesson from our Lord. Like him, we stand in need of prayer,
moment by moment. Even if it means rising earlier, time spent in prayer will enable us to
accomplish his plans throughout the day with surprising skill, energy, and efficiency.
In the midst of a heavy, hectic, hurried, demanding schedule, Jesus made time to pray. It was
his source of power from God for men. If Jesus placed such a premium on the value and power of
prayer—Jesus, who is God’s only unique Son, who is God himself—how can I, a mere follower, do
any less? What is my source of power for living victoriously by faith? My fabulous talents, amazing
gifts, great abilities? No, my source of power for victorious living and for touching other persons is
my relationship with my God through prayer.

Lord, please give me the intentionality and discipline to follow you in making prayer a consistent priority in my life and
ministries. Like you, in the middle of the hectic, help me make time for solitude and prayer that will connect you and
your unlimited resources with the hurting, broken people who need your unconditional love and amazing grace. Amen.

- Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,
Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University

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April 20, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 36

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.¨
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-18 NIV

Losing your joy is not an acceptable position in which to live; however, years ago in my ministry
journey, I found myself in such a place. I remember during a desperate moment saying to God: “If I
cannot have the joy I had when I first entered ministry, I do not want to go any further.¨ It was
during this unfavorable time in my life that I gave time for seeking spiritual renewal. I traveled to a
conference on the other side of the globe. It was at this event I discovered how to once again drink
from the fountain of joy.

One morning during the conference, our leader instructed us in the importance of prayer. It
was during that teaching session that God revealed to me that he wanted me to get in the game.
That was a familiar phase, which perked my interest.

I was taken back in time to when I was an active teenager deeply involved in high school
sports. I was a freshman and had been allowed to suit up with the varsity football team. I was
standing on the sidelines rooting for my team mates when I heard the coach yell my last name
followed by the phrase Get in the game. My heart raced with excitement as well as some fear as I
entered my first high school varsity game.

We all want to be in the game when it comes to ministry. We who have been doing ministry
for some time can fall into the trap of thinking that being in the game of ministry is about what we
do. Yet as I sat in this conference many miles from my ministry assignment I was hearing God say,
Get in the game. As I contemplated the instruction from God, the question in my mind was, You mean
I’m not in the game? The immediate responding thought was, When it comes to prayer you are not in the
game.

It was on that day that I committed to God to get into the game. The essence of ministry is
prayer. It is where vision is birthed, direction understood, correction made, and empowerment
given. As you review the saints of the New Testament church, notice that they were men and
women who were in the game. For them, prayer was not just another incident in life; it was the way
of life. Therefore, Paul would say, Pray without ceasing. John the revelator used the phrase, I was in the
spirit and I saw or heard or he showed me.

When I am in consistent communion in the spirit with God, I find there is joy in the Lord. It
is a daily time of refreshment and renewal. It is an exciting place to be, in the game. Prayer is where
the game of life and ministry are won or lost. Therefore, I urge you to get in the game!

Lord, I do not want to sit on the side lines. I want to be a contributor to the work of the Kingdom. Lord, as I spend
time in your presence, help me to see clearly your game plan and my part in helping to fulfill the plan. Amen

- Pastor Claude Robold, Pastor, New Covenant Church, Middletown, Ohio

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April 19, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 35

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll
show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms
of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and
lightly.” —Matthew 11:28–30 MSG

As wife, mother, grandmother, Sunday school teacher, and attorney, I often find myself pulled in
many directions of service. Sometimes, I become weary, worn out and burned out. Jesus certainly
knew all about being tired, burdened, sad, and overwhelmed with the needs of his family, his close
friends, and the multitudes of sick and hurting people who clamored for his attention. However,
Jesus knew when it was time to withdraw, to go away to be alone with his Father, God. The disciples
watched Jesus do this “withdrawing to pray” many times, but they did not understand why or the
benefit of doing this for themselves. Later, the disciples would simply ask Jesus to “teach them to
pray” not “teach them how to pray or the words to say”.

So, prayer is the door to a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father. Most of the time we
wait until we are tired, worn out, or burned out before we withdraw to pray. Jesus knew that tired,
worn out, or burned out Kingdom workers are not effective workers, and more often than not, they
do more harm than good. In Matthew 11:17, Jesus gave the answer to how we can remain effective
in our relationships, in our service and in our worship.

One, get away from the crowds, alone with Jesus, and your life will be recovered through
rest. Two, walk and work with Jesus, not for Jesus, watching how he works. Three, learn to move,
to flow, with the unforced rhythms of grace. When we recognize we are pushing too hard to make
something happen, talking too much to convince people of our plans, and running ahead instead of
waiting on the Lord, we are trying to force grace. That never works. God’s grace is unforced. There
is a rhythm and a reason for the pauses as much as for the advances. Four, spending time in prayer,
depending totally upon God for all our needs, equals living freely and lightly, without a lot of
baggage weighing us down. Five, pray for joy, both in yourself and others—especially servants of
the Lord. “If you lose your joy in your religion, you will be a poor worker: you cannot bear strong
testimony, you cannot bear stern trial, you cannot lead a powerful life. In proportion as you maintain
your joy, you will be strong in the Lord, and for the Lord.”

Jesus, I long to be still, to feel your presence, to live within the unforced rhythms of grace. I am tired of being tired,
frustrated with being worn out because I have taken on too much, sick of religion that has become a production. I long
for time to sit and talk and listen at your feet. Help me free myself from obligations or participation in events which I
do not even enjoy. Teach me to live freely, without worrying. Enable me to lay aside any emotional baggage that wears
me out so I can focus on you and be what you want me to be.

- Mary Bruce Fuller, Attorney, Florence, Mississippi

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April 18, 2011 by Worship Director.

 Day 34

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I walked into a funeral home office, where I saw a large salt water aquarium with colorful exotic fish.
My eyes landed on what looked like a six-inch shark. It was. The funeral director explained that it
was a white shark. He said sharks adapt to their environment. This one would grow no longer than
six inches in the aquarium. In the ocean, it could grow up to twenty-five feet long.
I thought, as I watched it swimming continuously from end to end with a restless passion,
“How sad! That shark’s environment determined its maximum size. Five pieces of glass glued
together limited the fulfillment of the shark’s potential! Born to be a magnificent creature fathoming
the depths of oceans, yet confined to a four-foot aquarium.”

I pictured people who allow their boundaries to be determined by environment,
circumstances, negative-thinking, power-hungry people, controlling people, low self-image,
memories of failure always playing on the screen of your mind, laziness, and a myriad of dream-destroying,
potential-robbing attitudes.

That little shark doesn’t have a choice. The only way he could fulfill his potential is if
someone reaches in and takes him out of the aquarium and releases him in the ocean. God can reach
into your imprisonment, lift you out, and place you in the ocean of his love, power, and resources.
He promised: I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future (Jer 29:11 NIV). Don’t let circumstances, other people, fear of failure, poor self-esteem,
the way you look, or anything else set the boundaries for your life and ministry. God says, Then you
will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart. I will be found by you…and will bring you back from captivity (Jer 29:12–14). That prayer
will release you to fulfill your God-given potential and set you free to be the winner he created you
to become through his power and creativity!

Jesus says, “Get up, pick up your brokenness, failure, hopelessness and give them to me.
Walk into my healing, wholeness, joy, and incredible love like you’ve never dreamed possible.” Pick
up every dream for your life, every heart’s desire, every longing in your spirit, everything you want to
do, and place them in the Master’s hands, and pray:

Lord, please set me free from the boundaries that people, circumstances, and I have placed on me. Show me the
awesome plans you have for me. By your power, fulfill every good purpose of mine and every act prompted by my
faith.8Set me free to fulfill my God-given potential. Heal and restore me in my spirit, mind, emotions, body, and
relationships. Thank you! Amen!

- Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University

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April 16, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 33

He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “Father! If it is possible, let this cup of
suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will, not Mine.”  -Matthew 26:39

In the olive press called Gethsemane, with the full weight of his mission bearing down on him and
the cross now clearly in view, Jesus takes his disciples to the garden. He stations some at the
entrance and takes Peter, James, and John with him to an area suitable for prayer. Jesus is at the end
of his earthly road. He has left Bethany for the last time; he will not return there. This is it - Gethsemane, his betrayal and subsequent arrest, the scourging, the Via Dolorosa, and Mt. Moriah.
The Lion of Judah is vividly now manifested as the Lamb who will be slain.

As Jesus prays and becomes the object lesson for the namesake of this garden, one realizes a
couple of truths. First, Gethsemane precedes Calvary. This is not merely a geographical truth but an
ideological and spiritual one as well. Think about it. Jesus is pouring out his heart to his Father, and
what is his cry? “If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet, I want Your will, not
Mine.¨ What a passionate prayer and testimony! Should this not also be the cry of your heart and
mine? Before Jesus would carry his cross, he surrendered to the will of his Father. Surrender comes
first; cross-bearing follows. And so it is and will be with us: we can’t take up our own cross until we
have surrendered our will to the Father’s own. Today’s church might think cross-bearing is some
trite thing we toss around as part of our Christian-ese vernacular. We don’t understand that before
Calvary, there is an olive press of surrender. Is the church stuck between Palm Sunday and Easter?
Gethsemane is the corrective for Eden, and the errors of the self-will can be cleansed and
commissioned by God’s grace in full surrender.

Second, Gethsemane is a place that calls for action. This is the place, the prayer closet, which
calls us to make a decision. The contemporary church stands in an opportune window of time at this
very moment. There is much work to do. Will the body of Christ rise up and seize the opportunity?
It is indeed intriguing and fascinating that at the genesis of the New Testament church, when the
Master calls his own followers to watch and pray, they fall asleep. Now, perhaps at the sunset of
time, the church continues to sleep. The bride just can’t seem to keep her eyes open. Within the
body of Christ, are we content to play at our worship and worship our play? Is the American church
too comfortable? Gethsemane calls us to action. We can choose to sleep; that is an option. Yet,
Jesus tells us: “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing
enough, the body is weak!¨ (Matthew 26:41).

Father, by your Spirit, awaken us from our corporate slumber. Quicken us that we might see the joy of full surrender.
Grant that your people will long to bring glory to your name through a fully surrendered, obedient life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

- Dr. Marshall Stokes, Pastor, Olde Towne Church, Ridgeland, Mississippi

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April 15, 2011 by Worship Director.

Day 32

They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating
and drinking.¨ Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time
will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.¨ -Luke 5:33-35 NIV

This past fall, I had one of the rare experiences of life: my favorite team, the San Francisco Giants,
won the World Series. They haven’t won it since before I was born, so it may be a once-in-a-lifetime
experience for me.

The morning after the series ended, I logged onto a forum that follows the Giants. We no
longer live in California and I wanted to bask in that moment with others who shared my euphoria.
To my shock and irritation, the first post documented how many of the Giants players were
in the final year of their contract. The writer agonized over how many might sign big contracts with
other clubs, how expensive it might be to keep them, and what moves the Giants should make to
stay on top.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Not today!¨ I was willing to concede that planning for the future
is important, and such topics were common fodder for that forum, but the timing stunk. That was a
day for celebration and for enjoying the accomplishment of our team. Worrying about next season
could wait a day or two.

The Pharisees came to Jesus implying that his disciples were not as devout as John¡¦s
disciples. After all, John¡¦s disciples fasted and Jesus’ disciples didn’t. Jesus argued that both groups
were responding to their situations appropriately.

There are those who see our Christian walk as something to be taken seriously, and
meditation and fasting should be the defining characteristics of our lives. There are others who see
our salvation as something to rejoice in, and our lives should be marked by joy and celebration.
Which approach is right?

Our physical lives are too complex to limit ourselves to one kind of response. Sometimes we
laugh and sometimes we weep, sometimes we crawl and sometimes we soar. Why would we expect
that our spiritual lives would be any less rich?

Our walk with the Lord is just that - a walk, a lifelong walk. The journey we travel will wind
though mountains and valleys, meadows and deserts. Jesus was teaching that there will be times to
fast and times to feast, times to celebrate together and times to meditate alone, times to dance over a
World Series title and times to worry about who will play shortstop.

Father, help us to see our faith as a walk not a technique.

- Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

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April 14, 2011 by Worship Director.

  Day 31

Come near to God and he will come near to you… —James 4:8 NIV

What comes to your mind if I mention a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire moment? I remember
fondly the evening my young grandson Allen and I were sitting on log stools by our wood pile
splitting pine lighter kindling to start a fire. It was one of those tender, awesome times as we laughed
together and talked about a lot of grandpa–grandson kind of stuff! Allen said, “Now Grandpa, this is
what I like, just hangin’ out with you, splitting firewood, or anything else we do together!” Later that
evening, as the coals were dying down, after his mother had read his devotional book and prayed
with him, Allen asked me to come to his room, “Grandpa, let’s read another devotional and pray.” I
thought, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” That’s a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire moment —
with a grandkid, a daughter, my wife, friends, and especially with my Lord Jesus. It’s a place where
love and intimacy are kindled between us and those who are special to us—a place to come near to God
and he will come near to you.

One of the most beautiful pictures of a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire-with-God moment
is in 2 Samuel 23:13–17. King David and his bodyguard camped out in a cave, hiding from Philistine
soldiers besieging Bethlehem. David lamented, “I wish I had a drink of water from the well at the
gate of Bethlehem!” Instantly, in a dramatic demonstration of loyalty to their king, three of David’s
finest soldiers headed for the well at Bethlehem. They fought their way through the Philistine
garrison and brought a container of water to David. As they handed him the water—for which they
had risked their lives—David was deeply moved by their loyalty, courage, commitment, and
strength. He said, “I can’t drink this water,” and he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. A
simple wish turned into an awesome time of worship.

David’s words were not a command or a request, but a wish. Because of his men’s devotion
to him, his wish became their desire, and they fulfilled it, because they loved and respected him.
Spending quality time together, they could regroup and prepare to defeat the enemy that threatened
to attack their city. That was a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire-with-God moment. We need to
create more of those moments with our Lord, when we just hang out with him, listening to his
heart’s desires, sharing things that are important to him and us. The spiritual disciplines of studying
the Word, prayer, and fasting are wonderful opportunities for sharing hangin’-out-around-the-campfire-
with-God moments—places to come near to God and he will come near to you.

Lord, this is what I desire, more of those Hangin’ Out around the Campfire with You Moments – times of coming
near to you, and you coming near to me –where love and intimacy are kindled between us. Empower me, Lord, by
your Son, to become all you created me to be, and energize me, Lord, to accomplish all you call me to do. Amen.

- Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi

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