Tag: The Holy Spirit Empowers Believers

In the Shadow of Your Wings

Featured Joy Bennett

Psalm Friday

Dear Lord, we pray together for all the teachers You have placed in the mission field of education. The needs are great in every location: spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional. You have called us to show up each day and walk with You as our strength, promising our security in You, and giving us the promise of Your power to accomplish the work You have set before us. Praise You for Your faithfulness, Lord. Without You, we can do nothing.

The enemy doesn’t want us to be at work in the lives of these many students, staff, and parents. We can be tempted to give up, give in to apathy and hopelessness, or take a self-protective stance toward difficult people. Lord, send us Your peace.  Allow us to rest in the shadow of Your wings, knowing that You cover Your people in security. Let us walk in repentance, holding to Your ways, keeping our eyes on Your Word, and enjoying Your steadfast love so we can extend it to others. Guide us to carve out time to spend in Your Word so our souls will be strengthened in You and our faith strong. Lord, for all the seeming victories our adversaries may gain, remind us of Your true goodness, power, and benefit which far outweigh those things. Your Spirit is within us, ministering peace to our souls. Your promises for our present and eternal benefit are immovable. We are blessed in the heavenly places with every spiritual blessing through Christ Jesus. Fill our souls with these truths and lead us to think rightly about our circumstances, growing in our knowledge of You and giving You glory with our work. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. (Psalm 17)

Strengthen One Another

Featured Joy Bennett

Praise God for Fellowship

Dear Lord, we praise You for Your love for us and Your desire to fellowship with us. You so generously reached out to us in love through the sacrifice of Your son and You continue to fellowship with us through Your indwelling Holy Spirit and through Your Word. Thank You for these beautiful gifts and thank You for strengthening us daily and empowering us to strengthen one another.

Prayer for Believers to Strengthen One Another

Lord, let Your body of believers who are on mission with You, working with schools, come together for the common good. Let fellowship rise between individuals, teacher prayer groups, and Christian organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Young Life, and more. Let Your people provide for one another’s needs in prayer, encouragement, physical help, and love. Let us search for ways we can minister to one another as any may have a need. Also, provide ways for us to come together in fellowship so that we may rejoice together and have our hearts uplifted, praising You and setting an example of joy for those around us. Lord, let Your witness go ahead of us for Your glory (Acts 2:44-47).

As we come together, Lord, let us be especially dedicated to holding one another up in prayer, service, and encouragement.  We fight many battles during our service with schools and, like Moses in Exodus 17, there are times when we are too tired to continue. But, when we strengthen one another, we are victorious together. Let us steady one another and let Your servants prevail in each battle they fight for Your glory (v10-13).

Lord, You remind us in Your Word that, “[t]hough one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecc 4:12). We praise You that when we come together in Your name, You are the third strand, especially strengthening us to serve You in every situation. Let Your glory prevail on the mission field of schools. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Serve Well in Your Mission Field

Joy Bennett

Thank You, God, for Your work in Christian teachers all over the world – we recognize that it is You Who work in Your people to will and to act according to Your good purpose. Let us keep our eyes open to the daily opportunities to show love to our students and do Your work with zeal and a fervent spirit on the mission field of these schools so that everyone will recognize us as Your disciples.

Let us show hospitality to our students and fellow staff, without grumbling. According to the gifts we have received from You, let us serve one another, as good stewards of Your varied grace: let us speak carefully, using truth wisely, let us serve in the strength that You supply, and let everything we do glorify You through Jesus Christ. May our classrooms and our personalities be welcoming to each student, providing encouragement for them, and engaging them in learning that they may see the light of Christ in our lives.

Finally, when there are Christian students in our classrooms or faith-filled staff members in our midst, let us be aware of their faith and provide them with spiritual encouragement when the time is right. Thank You for the opportunity to serve in these ways, Lord Jesus. Amen. Phil 2:13; Rom 12:10-11; John 13:14, 34, 35; 1 Pet 4:8-11; 2 Cor 4:6; Phil 2:1-2.

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Feeling Displaced and Uncertain

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we pray for Christian teachers who may feel displaced today. We pray against loneliness, uncertainty, and fear because You are our keeper (Ps 121:5), ever-present and ministering to our souls (Ps 139:7-10). 

For those who feel like they are strangers or suffer from Imposter Syndrome, let them be assured in their identity in Christ, remembering that they are no longer strangers and aliens with You, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph 2:19), called to their place of ministry (Eph 2:10) and empowered by You Who made heaven and earth (Jer 32:17;27).

For those who do not have fellowship with other believers because they are new to an area or because there is no local church to sustain them, let them find they have the ultimate fellowship with You which provides all they need (2 Cor 13:14; Phil 2:1). Build them up through Christian radio, theologically sound books and podcasts, and conversations with people of faith in other locations. In this time of suffering, encourage their hearts that this can cause them to cling to God as never before and result in spiritual growth (Rom 5:3-5) and deeper fellowship with You. Lord, minister to these believers, reminding them that they possess an immovable union with Christ, that they are led by Your Spirit and they have communion with You at all times (1 John 1:3; 1 Cor 6:17). During solitary meals or isolation in their classrooms, remind their hearts that they are at home in You and let them find rest for their souls in Your Word (Ps 62:5; 1 Pet 5:10; Ps 119:114,162).

Lord, in this time of isolation or uncertainty, we pray that You reveal to our displaced brothers and sisters that they are blessed by You because they will discover Your goodness and grow in their ability to trust in You (Pv 16:20b). Let our Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom You send us in Christ, remind them of everything You have said to them in Your Word, leading to a rich and rewarding peace from You alone (John 14:26-27). 

Finally, Lord, remind them of these ten blessings from Romans 5:1-5: (1) We stand before You in purity, just as if we had never sinned (2) You give us peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (3) You give us access by faith into this grace, helping us stand (4) You set our minds to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God to be displayed in our everyday circumstances (5) You let us rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance (6) You work endurance which produces character (7) You create character in us which produces hope in our daily walk (8) Your hope does not put us to shame here on earth (9) Your love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (10) The Holy Spirit has been given to us, indwelling us, marking us, preserving us, empowering us, setting us apart in holiness, and counseling us. 

Let each one rest in You through these great promises. Praise You, Lord. Amen.

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All for God’s Glory

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we look to You and express our desire to give You the honor and the glory You deserve in our daily work as teachers. Let our prayer come before You as sweet incense and let our worship bless Your Name (Ps141:2). Let us constantly renew our minds through Your Word, being transformed and thereby serving You well. When we step into our daily position as teachers, we ask You to keep our focus on You, so that we may discern what is good and acceptable and perfect, everything according to Your will (Rom 12:2). Lord, help us keep our eyes on You, being patient with Your processes in our lives and the lives of our students. 

As we look to You alone for the strength, creativity, and classroom management needed in our spaces, we thank You that You will renew our strength, flying high, running with energy, and walking the distance with endurance (Is 40:31). Lord, we pray for Christian teachers everywhere to be intentionally and consistently focused on You, pressing on toward the goal which is the prize of our upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14). May Your glory O LORD endure forever (Ps 104:31). 

Let us have hearts and minds set on You, singing praise to You and meditating on You consistently (Ps 104:33-34). Our eyes are toward You, O GOD, our Lord (Ps 141:8). All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD. Let us bless You in our lesson planning, instructions, and conversations, shining as lights in the darkness that the glory of Your kingdom and power may be perceived by our students and fellow staff members. Let our focus be so completely on You that our students realize Your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor of Your everlasting kingdom (Ps 145:10-13). 

O great Lord, You alone are greatly to be praised. May we work out our salvation through faithfulness in our work, recognizing that it is You who works in us both to will and to work for Your good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13). Let us do our work with the singular purpose of making a difference in Your kingdom, aligning ourselves with Your mission. Thank You, Lord, God. Amen.

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