UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who prayed! The Set Free Summit was amazing–you can learn more about it HERE. Download the resources from Josh’s talk HERE.
I need your prayers for one of the most significant weeks in my 54 years of ministry!
We are fast approaching the Set Free Global Summit on pervasive Internet pornography April 4-7, 2016 in Greensboro, NC.
You will be encouraged to know we have more than 500 registered participants (by Summit it will be over 600) from over 200 organizations representing over 615 million adherents (yes, you read it right 615,000,000)! Few ministries in history have had the opportunity of such influence and leverage. We are humbled and challenged.
Click on the days of the week below or download this week’s Prayer Guide and please join me in intense prayer for this event.
May this be a great constructive impact towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Until the Whole World Hears,
Monday, March 14th
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Dealing with pornography in church is exhausting for leadership and laypersons alike. Ministries deal with its insidious effects day in and day out as it sucks the life out of a congregation (both the users and those negatively impacted by the users). Only focusing on correcting the messes it creates is like chopping the head off a dandelion in the front yard; it only comes back the next day if the root is not removed. Yet many ministries wrestle with whether or not to bring this menacing plague out into the open and talk about it. How do they even begin? That is what the Summit is about. Let us pray for those attending who are weary from carrying this heavy load alone.
Let us pray: Father, thank You for offering us a place to put down our heavy loads and rest at Your feet. Thank You for promising to teach us what to do in difficult circumstances and reminding us that everything must bow to the name of Jesus, even pornography. Bring hope and encouragement to these weary saints who long for a fresh move of Your Spirit but see pornography use standing squarely in the way. Give them hope that You can bring the addicted out of darkness and into Your marvelous light. You set the prisoners free and nothing is too difficult for you. Move in the hearts of ministry leadership to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness in Your love so that their flocks might find freedom in Your name and times of refreshing may come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tuesday, March 15th
“He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves…I have given you authority to…overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:2-3, 19
The number of people willing to address pornography in the church is not necessarily large but the need for leaders willing to tackle this issue is massive. Because it has invaded the church, there are wolves there now instead of just sheep. Yet, He has given us the power to overcome all the enemy’s strongholds. Let us pray for God to increase the laborers.
Let us pray: Father, the number of people in need of Your healing because of pornography and its results is staggering. Please encourage those already invested to fight against darkness in this battle while provoking the hesitant to take a stand as well. Send laborers along side those preparing for this conference to take care of the remaining preparations but also send those You have chosen to attend, the ones You have ordained to win the battle in their spheres of influence. We also pray for your covering over Fr. Sean Kilcawley, Dr. Judith Reisman, Dawn Hawkins, and Patrick Trueman as they prepare to share the challenges the church now faces and the hope You offer. May You infuse them with Your power and shield them from every attack of the enemy against them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Wednesday, March 16th
“If it pleases the king… provide me safe conduct until I arrive… And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. So I went..” Nehemiah 2:7, 8b
Sometimes, the most challenging part of a conference can be getting there. As we lift up those presenting, preparing, and attending, let us ask our gracious God to demonstrate His ruler-ship over the traveling aspect of the Summit. Often God provides divine appointments along the journey both coming and going if we just have eyes to see it. Delays can be turned into destiny. He is at work all around us, let us be given sensitivity to His perspective to respond as His ambassadors.
Let us pray: Father, the wind and waves still know Your voice and obey it. Grant safe passage to those coming to the Summit. Orchestrate Your divine appointments all along the way so that, even in travel, Your name is glorified and others have an opportunity to know You whom to know is life eternal. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thursday, March 17th
“…be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6: 10-13
One of our adversary’s favorite tricks is to delude us into thinking that our real enemy is a person. He insinuates this or that individual is standing in the way of success. It is his subtle scheme to defeat someone spiritually as resentment, pride, finger pointing, and blame gradually replace love, patience, forgiveness, and gratitude. Yet we have armor against those lies. We do not have to fall prey to his tricks. Our real enemy isn’t visible and he cannot be fought with human weapons. When we put on Christ as a garment so that our lives are hid in Him, it is no longer we who live but Christ that lives in us. Then the life we live will be victorious because it is lived by faith in the Son of God not self. Those ‘obstacles’ can then become mountains that bring us closer to God and mold us more into His image.
Let us pray: Father, thank you for the blessings wrapped in the packages of difficulty. Thank you for the people in our lives that You use to teach us to trust you more than ever. Let each one of us put on the full armor of God and fight the good fight of faith against our unseen adversary. Deliver Your people from the enemy’s lies that would cause offense toward another person and keep us focused on You. Unite us in Your love to defeat this enemy of pornography that is poisoning Your church. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, March 18th
“…understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed…let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently…not in sexual immorality…dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13: 11-14
God is calling His bride to wake up and make herself ready, to lay aside every sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race put out before us. Some are still asleep and not as perceptive to this call. Some do not realize the need to address the issue of pornography. Let us be diligent in praying He awakens us to His bride’s condition and moves us to pray and act accordingly. May God prepare our hearts for this Summit and the transformation of His church.
Let us pray: Father, wake us up. Make us alert and in tune with Your Spirit. For those at the helm of ministries, give them the courage to face this epidemic of impurity and address it. We also pray for your covering over Dr. Mary Anne Layden, Jayson Graves, Jessica Harris, and Kenny Luck as they prepare to share the challenges the church now faces and the hope You offer. May You infuse them with Your power and shield them from every attack of the enemy against them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Saturday, March 19th
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me…He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
Thanksgiving is powerful. When we pour out praise and thanks to God, our outlook and even the spiritual atmosphere around us changes. We can see more clearly the way He wants us to take and how He is working even the most difficult situation out for good. Suddenly hardship becomes a friend instead of an enemy. In it we find the sweetest fellowship with our Savior. As we prepare for the Summit, let us give thanks to God for all He is doing and most of all – who He is.
Let us pray: Father, we thank you for being our Sanctifier and loving us enough to cleanse us with Your Word. You are our Salvation and Deliverer. Nothing is too difficult for You. You gave David the wisdom and courage to slay Goliath and You are the same today. You will reward those who diligently seek You and show the way to slay this modern Goliath of porn. We give you thanks for Your powerful salvation. Those who are forgiven much, love much. We praise You in advance for the army of saints You are calling out of pornography addiction to become a people who love God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday, March 20th
“…On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:10, 11
Prayer makes a difference when it is accompanied by faith in our awesome God. Continue to cover the Summit in prayer and watch the miraculous happen! Consider setting aside some time to fast in the coming weeks to sharpen your senses to His voice.
Let us pray: Father, thank you that this undertaking is bigger than we are so we might see Your glory instead of our own. Thank you for the miracles you will accomplish through this Summit and during the weeks that follow as the participants take the message back to their ministries. Thank You for setting the captives free! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
EN