DREAMING GOD SIZED DREAMS: REBUILDING FAMILIES IN 53206
A Message of Hope and Faith from Pastor Walton
Dear Members and Friends of Calvary:
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 NKJV).
We don’t like pain. We don’t like correction. We don’t like suffering. Pain is a part of life. Correction is a part of following Jesus in discipleship. Suffering is a part of both life and discipleship. God allows all three. It is accepting Christ’s death on the cross for our sin (justification and regeneration) and making the daily decision to follow Jesus (sanctification) in a life of discipleship to Him that helps us to understand that God has a purpose in all three.
God chastens (rebukes) us when He sees something that will prevent us from having a bountiful harvest in our lives. Perhaps some sin, some behavior, or some way of thinking about something that He knows is not good for us. So, he sends the pain, correction and suffering. Is He a loving God? Yes. Is He a holy God who hates sin but loves the sinner? Yes.
So, what do we need for a good harvest now and later on when our lives down here are over? We need salvation. We need John 3:16. Then, we need discipleship. We need Matthew 4:19. What do we need when we’re working to produce the spiritual harvest God intends for us? We need obedience. We need I Samuel 15:22. These are scriptural principles. We will reap what we sow.
Let’s say yes to God during this HARVEST season. His way is the BEST way. As we submit to Him, our obedience “yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Amen
Autumn Prayers for you and yours,
Reverend Dr. John Richard Walton, Jr.
The Reverend Doctor John Richard Walton, Jr. is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and has served as the senior pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee for the last 22 years. Pastor Walton is well-respected and sought after as preacher, pastor to pastors, lecturer, and spiritual, biblical, and academic authority in the training and discipleship of deacons and church leadership.
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Dear Lord, Our Heavenly Father,
Thank You for always making us, Your children, a top priority. You keep Your word and promises to us each day. You love and care for us, fight battles on our behalf, hold us up when we think we can’t stand, and encourage us when we think we can’t go any further in this life. We thank and give You honor because You are worthy. You, in Your infinite grace and mercy, made us co-heirs with Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. You have made us a priority. Each day, we need Your assistance to organize and plan our time, energy, effort in making Your priorities, our priorities. We confess we don’t always make the effort. At times, we put anything and everything before You. We confess our sin now and ask that You lead us on the road of repentance where we surrender our thoughts, words, actions, and resources to You. Order our steps in Your Word, Lead us and guide us everyday. Pour Your anointing on us each day. Order our steps in Your Word. Guide where we walk in Your Word. Wash our hearts and thoughts in your Word. We know that if You do this, our lives will change for the better, and we will be more effective tools for the building up of Your kingdom, here on earth.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dear Lord, Our God,
How excellent is Your Name in all the Earth. We, in our human form, cannot fathom or understand Your thoughts or Your ways. You are God and above You there is no other. You are Abba, our father, and You take care of us as Your blessed children. As we walk through this life, help us to become more aware of Your Divine Holy Spirit at work in and through us each day. Lord, we need Your help to say “in sync” with You so we can live and serve in a way that pleases You and where we put You first and make what You want what we want. Lead us to start each day in Your Word and in prayer, asking for Your help and wisdom throughout the day as we have to make so many decisions about how we will act, what we will say, and what we think.
Lead us in Your Word to not lean or go completely off to the left or to the right, but to stay focused on Living and serving based on Your priorities. Renew in each of us a commitment to study Your Word, to pray, to attend worship, fellowship with our church family, attend Bible study and answer Your call no matter what it is or how we feel about it. Please meet each of us where we are and grant us the wisdom and tenacity to put our hands in Your hands, each day and to look to You and Your Word to fill our times of emptiness, mend our wounds from hurt, disappointment and heartache, and lift every thought in joy and praise to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
Dear Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd),
You are our shepherd. With You we never have to fear that we will not be provided for at any time. Lord, You are our strength when we are weak and fall down in our faith and belief, when we take our eyes off of You and look at our circumstances or lean unto our own understanding instead of looking to You for the way to go and what to do. At times Lord, we gravitate to those we know will tell us what we want to hear instead of looking to You for what we need to hear. Cleanse us from wanting our way instead of Your way. Lead us to focus on Your Ways and Your Word instead of what we want and what others say. Today and everyday, we choose to surrender our lives to You. In this surrender, we know that You will work out positive changes and improvements in our minds, hearts, and spirits that will manifest in a closer relationship with You and improved lives and opportunities for our families, our church, and for the surrounding 53206 community. In His Precious Name we pray, Amen.
Dear Abba Father,
Fill our hearts with a sense of purpose and determination to pursue what truly matters. Give us the strength and determination to yield not to temptations and distractions that tend to distract us from where our focus should be, on You and growing closer to You. Lord, we need strong spiritual boundaries, and we need to make intentional efforts to take every thought captive to Your Word and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit so we can exercise self discipline and not give in to every whim or fancy that comes into our mind or crosses our path. Prompt us to say no to events and commitments that are not in alignment with Your Kingdom Priorities. Allow us not to allow any associations we belong to do eclipse serving in Your church and serving Your people. Remind us that time spent in service to You, time spent reading and studying Your Word, time praying and interceding on behalf of the lost and hurting, and time spent meditating and praising You for all the blessings You bestow upon us never wasted time. Grant us discernment to recognize what is of You and what is not. Gives strength to stand on Your promises, and make us fertile ground for You to use for Your purposes. In the matchless name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Dear Jehovah Rapha (The Lord that Heals),
Lord, we trust Your might power. You deliver us from hurt and harm every day. You saved us from sin, satan, and the grave. But Lord, there are times even when we feel the strongest that anxiety and fears come to steal our confidence and joy. Pride and vanity sneak in to tempt us to be selfish in our own pursuits and need for recognition so we will be tempted not to acknowledge Your faithful and steadfast hand that guided us the tasks we have before us. Help us in these times to be selfless and give You the glory. Heal our pride and our desire to be seen as self-sufficient, right, or in control. Instruct us to remember that as we use our time, talents, and resources to help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that we must always give You the credit and glory so that our witness will be constructed and fortified in love, kindness, empathy, and humility. We desire for every effort made by Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee, Inc to lift up and glorify the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Thank You for sending Your Son to teach us how to conduct ourselves in Your ministry for the building up of Your church. Thank You for a perfect model aligned with Your priorities who showed us how to do ministry grounded in love, compassion, obedience, and submission to You. Renew our strength each day to follow His example that we may please You as we seek to impact the community for You. In His name we pray, Amen.
Oh Elohim (God)
We acknowledge that You are the Great I Am. You are the maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things. You have a plan for each of us individually and for our church, collectively. We want and desire to be who You want us to be so we can fulfill Your Purpose for us here on Earth. Help us to make becoming who You desire us to be our main focus in life. When the desires of our heart get in alignment with Your desires and priorities, then everything else will fall into place. We will be able to accept Your Perfect and Divine Will for our lives and not seek out the permissive will because we think we know better. We will be able to wait on You to work out circumstances and situations instead of trying to fix and patch things up ourselves. We will gain strength to resist Satan's schemes because we will understand that though we must wait, You know best. Our desire is to grow closer to You and cooperate willingly and joyfully with Your Timing and Your Will so that we have Your best for our lives and for the lives of those You have called for us to serve. So we come to You seeking spiritual wisdom and revelation so we may walk uprightly and bring You glory. In Your Son’s name we pray, Amen.
Today and Everyday Father,
Help us to believe Your Word that we are fearfully and wonderfully made for Your purposes. Renew us each day to recognize the lies that Satan tries to trick us with and replace them with the truth of Your Word. Send into our lives and into our church servants and opportunities that You have designed specifically for our good and for the good of those we are called to serve. Give each of us a servant’s heart. Let us not look down on any task that You have set before us. Help each of us to explore and grow in the ways You desire for us to develop into the servant leaders You have called us to be. May our spirits, hearts, and minds resemble Yours. Empower us to follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit so we may be prepared and ready for the spiritual transformation that You have in store for each of us and for our church and 53206 community. Strengthen us to turn from any wicked ways we may be comfortable with, afraid to let go of, or boldly engage in so that You can fill us with the boldness and courage to step into the life You have called us to live. In Jesus name, Amen.
