PRAYER
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful…pray that God may open a door for our message…that we might proclaim the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:2-3).
Prayer is not a tactic within our strategy. It is the strategy.
When we pray, God moves! Join us in seeking God for a fresh move of His Spirit in our day. We don’t want to wait until we gather in New Orleans for Challenge this summer. We’re starting NOW! God is moving and we want to live on mission WITH HIM everyday…everywhere…with everyone!
Each week leading up to Challenge we’ll send out a specific prayer focus. The week prior to challenge we’ll send something out daily. During Challenge we’ll send out live prayer updates 3x a day.
Join the movement as we follow Jesus, TOGETHER.
Our Counselor
“… And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor…” Isaiah 9:6
You need help
No one can deny our need for wise counsel or our utter dependence divine guidance. Life is complex, full of choices, problematic, and confusing at time. We all have an inescapable need for a “Wonderful Counselor.”
A counselor is someone who instructs, guides, advises and helps direct the conduct and judgment of the one they are trying to help. A counselor needs to be available, loving, compassionate and concerned for us.
The Holy Spirit is referred to as the counselor (John 14:26) and that is great news because it is His presence in our lives that we can call on at any moment.
Isaiah 9:6 refers to Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor. As I listen and pray for students it is very clear that the next generation needs to see, know and turn to this counselor first when they need wise advice.
Join me in praying that the next generation will intentionally turn to Jesus when they do not know which way to go.
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Live Sent…
Nate “N8″ Stenholtz
Relationships
“I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love…” Colossians 2:2
- Do you believe that your spiritual growth takes place best in the context of relationships?
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Do you have an adult or group of friends that you can pray with daily, weekly, etc?
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Do you have an adult or group of friends with whom you can study God’s Word together?
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Do you have a group of friends that help you discover what it looks like to intentionally live life on mission with Jesus, together?
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We were never meant to follow Jesus alone! Jesus gave us an incredible gift called one another. He wants us to live in relationship with other people because He knows that the best way for us to be formed into His likeness is by living life WITH Him in the context of a group of friends who are also enjoying the wild adventure of living all of life WITH HIM.
Will you stop and pray right now with a friend that the next generation will commit themselves to living life WITH Jesus in the context of some Jesus-Centered friendships?
Nate “N8″ Stenholtz
Abide
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (Jesus in John 15:4,5)
When you hear the word abide, what comes to mind? For many of us the idea of abiding often gets linked to having a ‘quiet time with Jesus.’ When I sit alone, read my Bible and pray I am abiding in Christ.
This, of course, is very important, but abiding is much more than a ‘quiet time.’ Abiding is about living all of life WITH Jesus! As we think about abiding in this way, abiding becomes less about being alone with Jesus for a ‘quiet time’ and more of an way of life of full of intentional action coupled with the expectancy of God’s presence.
Colossians 1:10, Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord,
and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
An abiding way of life flows from our knowing God. And our knowing leads to a whole new way of going…with God.
Ask Jesus to give you the joy of living every part of this day WITH HIM. Pray that God would raise up a generation whose knowing and going are intimately connected!
Nate Stenholtz
Glorifying God in All Things
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.
We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you
spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Colossians 1:9
From start to finish we want Challenge to be about the glory of God. In fact, every day is about the glory of God. One way we rob God of the glory He deserves is in giving more time and attention to lesser things. We ought to be seeking His presence and walking in His will in all areas of our lives.
It is in His presence that we gain a heart of wisdom and understanding. In His presence we discover the source of our security, significance and meaning. It is in knowing HIM that our functional idols are exposed.
Today, pray that the resurrected Lord would awaken you afresh to the beauty of His good, pleasing and perfect will; making irrelevant all false idols. Intercede in the same way for all those who will attend Challenge this summer. Overwhelm us, O Lord, with the goodness of Your will and your way!
Nate Stenholtz
Challenge Prayer Director
I Saw Jesus This Weekend
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:3
- I saw Jesus this weekend… When He took on the form of 10 middle school students who cleaned bathrooms, washed dishes, picked up trash, and spent hours studying scripture together, as well as praying for each other!
- I saw Jesus this weekend… When I repeatedly saw and heard these students give the Glory to God for what He was doing in and through them!
- I saw Jesus this weekend… When I laid in bed Sunday night after I got home from camp and He quietly reminded me that He is again raising up a generation of students who will serve and worship Him.
- For me when I see Jesus at work around me… this verse comes alive, and I can always pray and give thanks to God for the great things He has done AND is doing!
- I know I will see Jesus at work in and around us at Challenge this summer in New Orleans, but He is working around us right NOW. Pray that God would open your eyes and the eyes of young people to see how Jesus is working in, through and around them right where they are. Let’s live on mission with Him…everyday…everywhere…with everyone!
Nate Stenholtz
Welcome Challenge prayer army
What would you do if you discovered a treasure buried in your back yard today? How long would it take you to share the news with someone else? Would you tweet about it immediately? Would you post it on Facebook? Would you invite your friends over to see it? Would you text your family members? Would you send out a mass email?
I’m not sure what you would do but I know that it would not take me too long to share with someone and invite them to celebrate with me in this amazing discovery!
What would happen if you treated this Challenge prayer update like a buried treasure?
Receive. Pray. Share.
Receive it and read it. Prayerfully interact with God about it. Then, share it (Tweet, Facebook, email, phone, TXT, pigeon carrier, face to face, etc…) inviting others to pray as well as encouraging your friends and family with what God is revealing to you.
God is on the move, drawing more and more people to seek Him in relationship through prayer. I look forward to being a part of what God is going to do through each of us as we pray!
Join me in receiving, praying and sharing as we move toward Challenge 2012…TOGETHER!
Nate Stenholtz
Challenge Prayer Coordinator