It is a privilege to be able to pray to an all-wise and and all-knowing God. And, it’s a wonderful thing to be part of a church like Heritage that is reaching out to the nations. Jesus told us to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations” and He also told us to pray that the Lord would send out workers to bring in the harvest.

Ed Silvoso once said, “Prayer is the most tangible trace of eternity in the human heart. Intercessory prayer on behalf of the felt needs of the lost is the best way to open their eyes to the light of the gospel.” But what should we pray for?

In Colossians 4:2-7, Paul the apostle says:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (NIV)

Paul encourages these believers to devote themselves to prayer and to pray for the message of Jesus to spread through his ministry. Paul is eager for God to give Him boldness to proclaim the mystery of Christ. Then Paul exhorts the believers in Colosse to act with wisdom toward outsiders, to watch our words, and to make the most of every occasion.

May the Lord inspire us to pray for our own witness and for the testimony of our missionaries who are laboring so faithfully in other places around the world. Click here to read the most recent prayer requests of Heritage missionaries.

The very idea of someone fasting today seems strange to most twentieth-century Christians. They associate it with medieval Christianity or they think of it as some kind of spiritual exercise that is confined to believers who are extreme or fanatical. There are others who associate fasting with starving yourself and hurting your body in one way or another.

The truth is, the Bible has a lot to say about the subject of fasting and it is assumed that we as believers will participate in it. But, in most Christian circles you rarely hear anything said about fasting and very few people have actually studied what the Scriptures say about this subject.

Fasting is mentioned something like 77 times in the Bible. Christians in a glutinous, self-indulgent society may struggle to accept and begin the practice of fasting. Few disciplines go so radically against our fleshly desires and the mainstream of American culture.

Of course, there are some people, who for medical reasons can not fast. But the rest of us dare not overlook the benefits of fasting in developing our relationship with the Lord. To read more click below.

What is Fasting?

Why Should We Fast?

An Overview of Fasting

What is the worst thing that could ever happen to us? Is it cancer? Is it Alzheimer’s disease? Is it going through a divorce? Or losing your best friend? Or getting fired from your job? Or having a son or daughter become addicted to drugs?

All those things are terrible, horrific things, but none of them is the worst thing that could ever happen. The worst thing is to allow the hardships we experience to cause a rift between ourselves and God, because having a relationship with God is the most precious and satisfying part of life. In fact, we’re foolish to forfeit a closeness with God because our minds are offended and our expectations aren’t fulfilled.

Psalm 73:25-26 says: Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (NIV).

The psalmist was a man who understood that His relationship with God was more important than anything else. He understood that nothing in heaven and nothing on the earth could ever compare with the surpassing value of knowing the God of this universe. Even if his body quit working and his strength ran out, He was still going to put His trust in the Lord!

No matter what we end up going through, the worst thing that could ever happen is to allow the tough times of life to take away our faith. The worst thing we can do is allow a rift with God to occur, simply because we’ve judged Him to be unfair, deficient or unavailable.

Even when we don’t understand we must choose to trust the Lord and submit to His sovereign plan. Don’t make Him out to be the enemy - let Him be your ally. He loves you and wants you to draw near to Him in time of need. James 4:8 says: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.