“A Life of Courage” - Worldwide Baptist Women's Day of Prayer
2021-10-11

“A Life of Courage” - Worldwide Baptist Women's Day of Prayer

“So we boldly say: “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear: what will man do to me?” Hebrews 13: 6

Quite bold and convincing words! They emphasize the courage that is inherent in us only because the Lord supports us. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to overcome fear.

When the apostle Paul wrote these words, he had every reason to be afraid. The people around him caused him a lot of harm. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 we read a list of what he went through:

“Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,  in cold and exposure.

The apostle Paul recognized that life is difficult. However, even after all that he had experienced, he found the courage to go further. How was this possible? I think the main reason for his confidence was his trust in the Lord; over and over again the words of God's promise sounded in his heart: "I will never leave you or forsake you." Heb.13:6.

Once in prison, shortly after planting the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul wrote the following words:

“Rejoice always in the Lord; and I say again: rejoice. Let your meekness be known to all men. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but always in prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests before God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:4-7.

These verses contain four basic keys to a life of courage:

Don't forget to rejoice

Remember that God is with you always and everywhere

Remember to thank God

Remember that the peace of God builds our hearts

 

Guidance for action:

"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" Ephesians 6:10

“Put on the whole armor of God” Ephesians 6:11

"Receive the whole armor of God" Ephesians 6: 13-17

“With all prayer and supplication, pray at all times in the Spirit” Ephesians 6:18

“Proclaim the mystery of the gospel openly with boldness” Ephesians 6:19

In doing all this, join the words of the prophet: "Behold,  God is my salvation : I trust in Him and am not afraid."

 

Prayer for Courage

Lord, grant me courage. Grant me the courage to raise my voice for the truth, protect those who are vulnerable, and support those who need my support, just as I need their support. Make me a courageous woman, empowered by Your Holy Spirit. Help me to be what You created me to be. Give me the courage to admit my shortcomings, where I have shown weakness, and the courage to ask for forgiveness when I have done wrong. Give me the courage to follow You, even when people around me say that everything is lost and it is not impossible to do something.

I need Your courage to change and grow. I need Your courage to flourish. I believe that only in this way others will see You, Your love, Your grace, Your strength, Your Greatness, Your glory. Create this courage in me! Do it through me so they can see You. The world needs You. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ!

Prayer Needs of Continental Unions

Asia

1. Pray for smart policies to tackle the economic and political challenges posed by the pandemic, expand employment opportunities and global cooperation. Pray for the hope that is only in Christ Jesus.

2. Thanks to God for financial support and the opportunity to continue the ministry. Pray for renewed leadership at the Asian Continental Union and for more young women to join the ministry.

3. Thanks to God for the fruitful cooperation between the leaders of various ministries, for the opportunity to meet online, making full use of social networks for ministry.

3. Pray for Grace ministry for women and children in Pakistan, these meetings are increasingly being held on social media.

4. Pray for surviving single mothers and widows in Hong Kong and Wake and Sing ministry in Nepal.

5. Pray for the restoration of peace and order disrupted by political and economic instability and ethnic conflicts in Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Myanmar and Pakistan. Pray that God will prevent bloodshed and show His mercy in these countries, so that people will be ready to unite, showing compassion to each other, regardless of conflicts and threats.

5. Pray for victims of domestic violence; on social justice for women and children in several Asian countries.

6. Pray for victims of discrimination, exploitation and abuse; for the authorities to hear the voices and petitions of these victims.

6. Praise God for giving our committee the opportunity to raise funds for the Women Helping Women project. May God bless everyone who wants to cooperate with the women's union of Asian countries.

North America 

1. Pray for organizations trying to build relationships between older and young women to meet their needs. On the possibility of expanding the activities of such organizations.

2. Thanks to God for the online leadership training program that enables young women in the Baptist Church to learn from the leaders of the older generation of the North American Union of Baptist Women, to acquire valuable strategic leadership and ministry skills.

3. Pray for the activities of the organization helping the recovery of young people aged 16 and over who have found themselves in difficult life situations, which provides a safe system for their integration into families. Pray for volunteers and new recruits for this program.

4. Pray for the healing and restoration of Aboriginal women who have open hearts for ministry but need guidance and discipleship. Pray for God to support them in their work in local churches.

5. Pray for a weekly online prayer service; for more women to participate in this ministry, so that North American Baptist women grow in their devotion to prayer.

6. Thanks to God for the new monthly Empowerment and Relationship Building webinar series, reaching out to a wide range of Baptist women and helping them improve their leadership skills in various areas of ministry.

Pacific region

1. Pray for our biggest challenges - language barriers and limited internet in some countries.

2. Praise God for the sisters, especially devoted to the ministry, ready to travel long distances, a long way to meet each other.

3. Pray for the development of a project against domestic violence; about the women working on this project so that God would give them wisdom on how to minister to victims of domestic violence.

4. Pray for the many women who lost their jobs during the pandemic; most of them worked in the tourism industry. Tourism is one of the main sources of employment in the Pacific region.

5. Pray that our Church leaders will meet for a workshop on building healthy families. Pray for the reopening of the Maternity Hospital project in Papua New Guinea.

Africa

1. Lack of material resources complicates the implementation of planned activities. The poverty rate rose during the pandemic due to the decline in economic development. Pray for the women of the African continent who have lost their jobs and are unable to support their families. That they trust God to take care of them, to meet the needs of their families and churches. Pray for the well-being of women in Africa.

2. Sister Barbara Singermann has been a missionary in Africa for many years. Thanks be to God for keeping her and her husband safe. Thank God that during the pandemic she wrote many prayer brochures spread across the continent.

3. In South Africa, our continental union is supporting a project to provide shelter to women and children who have experienced domestic violence. Pray that husbands will love their wives and that fathers will raise their children in accordance with the Word of God. Pray that Church leaders will speak out against abuse of women and children.

4. Pray for peace and stability on the African continent, for unity in our families in our churches. Pray that we forgive one another, build stronger relationships, and seek the Lord together.

5. Thanks to God for the Baptist World Alliance project aimed at helping socially vulnerable people, the goal of which is to strive to alleviate suffering in South Africa; this is the answer to our prayers last year.

Caribbean

1. Pray that all women's groups in the Caribbean will keep in touch.

2. Thanks be to God for the women dedicated to the ministry, for their desire to work faithfully.

3. Pray that the Trinidad and Tobago Baptist Union Women's Division's Horticulture and Farming Project will continue to provide work and food for those in need. Pray that the Baptist Women's Association of Grenada will continue to develop its entrepreneurial project that provides employment and training for women.

4. Pray for the preparation and nurturing of new leaders, which is the greatest need in the Caribbean.

5. Pray for the preparation and training of women leaders; on strengthening communication between churches in the region.

6. Thanks to God for the young women involved in the ministry.

Europe

1. We pray that events such as Brexit and the pandemic will not lead people to isolation. May God grant unity and fellowship among Baptist women in our region.

2. We pray that Christians in our region will be steadfast in faith in such difficult times, fixing their gaze on Christ.

3. Pray that the hearts of women will be filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with deep love for Jesus Christ, and that we will bring His victory and encouragement everywhere, to all our places of residence.

3. Lord, open the eyes of people so that they turn to You from darkness to light and from the power of materialism, selfishness and racism, etc. to You, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and the lot with the sanctified.

4. We pray for our leaders in government, leaders in communities, leaders at work, etc.). Let their decisions be Christian and wise in essence. We also pray that God would fill them with His goodness and bless them.

5. Heavenly Father, we ask you to bless those who have suffered from the consequences of the pandemic; having survived the death of loved ones, loss of work, disappointment; experienced domestic violence, social isolation, lack of necessary medical care, etc.

6. We also pray for those who live in countries with social instability, economic decline, persecution, war and climate disasters.

Latin America

1. We pray for our dream to support a Latin American missionary who wants to minister to women in India and is taking her first steps towards her goal. The project is called "Treasures in Heaven".

2. We pray for the achievement of our five-year goal of wanting and striving to influence future generations.

3. We pray for ethnic groups and the biblical influence on their culture.

4. We are praying for a Christian kindergarten for children from poor areas.

5. We pray that all Latin American countries will have a toll-free telephone line to support women facing unexpected pregnancies. There is already a center in Argentina that collects and communicates inquiries to ministry leaders.

Liliana Fernandez de Farina, President of the Latin American Baptist Women's Union, is very grateful to all the sisters for their prayers. I am grateful to God for the answers to prayers, for creating a good team; she sees every woman working in a team as a real gift from God. All national presidents of women's unions and associations take part in a prayer meeting on Tuesdays and in 30-minute videoconferences on Fridays.

6. Please pray for these important needs:

  • Ending domestic violence
  • Organization of jobs for young people
  • Striving to live a life pleasing to God and grow in knowledge of Him.

Baptist Women's World Alliance

It is our desire as members of the Baptist Women's World Alliance that Baptist women around the world can flourish. There is so much in the world that prevents women from living the life God has prepared for them.

1. We ask you to pray that our main goals will be achieved so that the following changes will take place in the lives of women over the next year:

  • So that every woman finds her true worth and identity in Christ.
  • So that every woman realizes what exactly God expects from her.
  • So that this helps her to radiate the aroma of Christ, and a fragrant woman, undoubtedly, has a tremendous influence on those around her 2 Cor. 28:15.

2. By the time of World Day of Prayer in November 2021, the World Baptist Women Conference and the World Baptist Alliance Congress will take place. Please pray that the women attending these two landmark events will continue to find encouragement and inspiration.

 3. Pray for a new Executive Director of Baptist Women's World Alliance, adapting to her new role.

4. Pray for special wisdom for all continental leaders, for Baptist Women's World Alliance President Karen Wilson, for Secretary / Treasurer Sherry Loft.

5. Pray for the Baptist World Alliance Secretary General, Dr. Elijah Brown, for responsibility for the ministry entrusted to him.

6. Pray also for the start of new online training workshops to help women grow spiritually around the world.

 

Dear sisters!

Thank you for participating in World Day of Prayer and for your heartfelt response to the program of prayer for the needs of our sisters around the world.

World Day of Prayer donations go to support the continental and worldwide ministry of the WBA Women's Section and the ministries of the sisters in their countries.

The activities of the women's ministry in Russia also depend on donations from the World Day of Prayer as the main source of funding for the sisters' ministry.

Please send donations from the  Day of Prayer  to the  name  of the department council  member: 

Vera Ivanovna Izotova   at: 

Varshavskoe shosse, house 29, building 2, Moscow 117105, Russia or to an account in Sberbank by phone. +7 (916) 813 66 49

 www.baptist.org.ru  e- mail:   womanpray@gmail.com  tel + 7 (916) 813 66 49

 
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