JANUARY 31, 2019: UNITED PRAYER TOWER
 
VISION: (One in Jesus)
MISSION: (Uniting in prayer around the world)
SCRIPTURE: (1st Timothy 2: 1) "First, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone." (read verses 1-6 for full understanding of this Scripture passage)
 
United Prayer Tower is "Prayer Arm" of North America CFO and CFOI (International). The statements above, describing our Vision and Mission, blend perfectly well with our chosen Scripture reference. We are called to pray, to stand in the gap for the furtherance of God's Kingdom in and through CFO events worldwide. God called Nehemiah to pray and help Jewish people move forward with the plan God had for them. Likewise, UPT is to keep moving forward with God’s intentional plan for furtherance of CFO Worldwide.
 
Recently, Holy Spirit brings to my heart Theme and Scripture of 2019 CFO North America Annual Meeting: LISTEN! John 10: 27 (ESV) “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”  I challenge each of us to ponder Jesus’ words in John chapter 10 and other Scripture references on “listening”.
 
I believe in 2019 Holy Spirit is calling UPT to “Listen with great intensity” waiting upon Holy Spirit guidance in our personal times of prayer, together in our UPT weekly prayer call, during CFO Events, continuing to pray as “One in Jesus”.
 
PRAISING GOD FOR…

1. UPT Council Ring Members coming from all Zones in North America, along with ex-officio members including Dana Belmonte (CFOI Coordinator), Johnson Thomas (CFOI President), Tina Bracken (CFO North America), Carolyn Miller (UPT Coordinator)
2. UPT weekly Prayer Call being a time of truly bonding together in prayer.
3. Witnessing God’s Hand in answers to prayer.
4. UPT Website (Thanking Gary Fick for web design, adding new information, care-taker of website, that many people are checking out UPT website)
5. Variety of UPT Pamphlets (Thanking Matt Leach for design and printing)
6. UPT financial needs met in 2018
7. WE BELIEVE: “PRAYER IS THE MIGHTIEST FORCE IN THE WORLD”

LOOKING AHEAD TO GOD’S PLANS IN 2019??? (Carolyn’s thoughts)

1. Possibility of developing “Prayer Resource” Packets for all Prayer Hosts/Hostesses, to be distributed at 2019 NA CFO Annual Meeting?
2. Making “Prayer Resource” Packets available (if needed) for CFOI Prayer Hosts/Hostesses to be distributed at Oct. 2019 CFOI Board Meeting?
3. Establishing contacts in CFOI Regions so as to receive prayer requests and praise reports from around the world? 
4. Is there a way God wants UPT to be on Social Media?
5. Seeking God to know if UPT is to be sending Prayer Requests/Praise Reports to a larger CFO/CFOI Audience (how that might work?)
6. How about inviting past UPT Council Ring members (as non-voting members) to join us on our weekly UPT Prayer Call?

 
In closing I will share with you “Qualifications of the Fisher of Men”
(Gleaned from Glenn Clark’s book “Fishers of Men”, Chapter VII)

1. The “Fisher of Men” must, first of all, be humble.

“It is a humility that manifests itself in transparency. The transparent person is filled with goodness---the goodness of Christ, who said ‘Why call me good? None is good save one, even God’? The transparent person is filled with power---the power of Paul, who said, ‘I glory in my weaknesses, that the strength of Christ may rest upon me…when I am weak, then am I strong.’”

1. Second requirement of the Fisher of Men is courage. “The call to the saving of men is a call to high adventure. Courage and humility, (although seemingly in direct opposition), are in reality closely allied, the opposite halves of the same circle.
2. Move on with God in prayer. “If you are laying foundations for a civilization that will never fail, if you are transparent and courageous knights of the new Kingdom of the Spirit, you are building for a kingdom whose foundations are already laid in eternity and whose limits can be measured only by the infinitude of the stars. Ride into the Kingdom of Heaven. You will find it only in the hearts of men. This new continent you are penetrating is the continent of human souls”.

 
Giving thanks to God for His Gift of PRAYER and that we are “Fishers of Men”.
 
Carolyn Miller, UPT Coordinator
January 31, 2019

UPT Prayer Vigil--Preparation for ACR Meeting, Nov. 2-5

(Ponder in Prayer words of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

 17 Day Prayer Vigil…October 21 through November 6

“Prayer does not equip us for greater works-Prayer is the greater work. Fruit remains firm through prayer-but remember that it is prayer based on agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony” (From Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Highest” Oct. 17)

May Holy Spirit quicken our hearts as we pray Jesus’ Words!

Oct. 21 (Matthew 4: 4,7,10, 19)                                 Oct. 29 (Matthew 5: 43-47)
Oct. 22 (Luke 4: 18-21)                                              Oct. 30 (Luke 6: 46-49)
Oct. 23 (Mark 16: 15-18)                                            Oct. 31 (Matthew 6: 19-24)                                              
Oct. 24 (Mark 11: 15-18)                                             Nov. 1 (John 13: 12-17)
Oct. 25 (Mark 11: 22-25)                                             Nov. 2 (John 15: 16-17)
Oct. 26 (Matthew 5: 3-12)                                           Nov. 3 (John 14: 26-27)
Oct. 27 (John 10: 27-30)                                             Nov. 4 (John 15: 5-8)
Oct. 28 (Matthew 5: 13-16)                                         Nov. 5 (John 17: 15-19)
                                                                                    Nov. 6 (John 21: 15-19)
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6: 24-26)
Thank you for praying with us,
Carolyn Miller, UPT Coordinator

(Taken from "The Seedbed Daily Text"...July 4th, 2018)

Exodus 17: 8-15 (Key Verses: 8-9) 

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

Consider This...In today’s text we see a picture of what intercession looks like. In the blue corner we have the attacking Amalekites. In the red corner we have Joshua and the Israelites. On top of the hill we have General Moses and two Lieutenant Colonels in Aaron and Hur.
Traditional military strategy would tend to put all the emphasis on Joshua and his army. This battle seems to rise and fall on other factors; namely the position of Moses’ staff. When his staff is raised up, Israel prevails. When the staff is lowered, Israel loses ground. The staff is not magic, rather it is a symbol of the power of God.
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. Exodus 17:11-12.  
Why didn’t God sovereignly cause Israel to win the battle? I think it’s because God wills to work with, in, and through people. Intercessors, servants who stand between God and people, play key roles in the Kingdom of God. 
It’s interesting how Moses is not on the battle field yet he plays the determinative role in the battle. Moses does nothing of apparent significance or perceived strategic importance. He raises a piece of wood in the air. Moses participates in the most essential secret strategy of identifying himself completely with God.He stands in a place where he can take no credit for the outcome yet without his standing there the outcome would go the other way.
In this way, intercessors occupy the most secret and most strategic place of all in the economy of God’s Kingdom. Their job description, if you will, is to identify so completely with the interest of the Holy Spirit in any given assignment they receive. They can tend to lose touch with their own interest. As a result, intercessors can tend to be some of the most misunderstood people in the Kingdom. And yes, they can be more than a little bit weird at times.

While intercessory prayer is a general and broad practice in the church, the role of intercessor is unique and quite specific. It is both a gifting and calling. You tend to know it if you have it. It can’t be taught, but it can be trained.
They exemplify and embody two texts from the New Testament in extraordinary ways.

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7. 
There is another role identified in the text that seems equally critical to the role of the intercessor. Let’s call it the intercessors for the intercessor. Aaron and Hur came alongside Moses and supported him in his intercessory role. In fact, had they not held up his arms, Israel would have lost the battle.
All of this reveals to us the nature of the Body of Christ. No one's role or assignment is more important than anyone else’s, yet each is uniquely significant and strategic. No Joshua = no victory. No army = no victory. No Moses = no victory. No Aaron and Hurr = no victory. Victory came from God through all of them working together in a powerfully unified fashion. In the Body of Christ there is no support staff. Everyone is a servant.

One more word about Aaron and Hurr. Everyone needs an Aaron and Hurr in their life and everyone needs to be an Aaron and Hurr in someone else’s life. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV).

Finally, note the way Moses celebrated the victory. I’m sure he expressed gratitude to Aaron and Hurr and high-fived Joshua and his warriors. It would have been tempting for Moses to take a little credit and share in the glory, especially after being so vociferously criticized earlier. He resisted that temptation.
verse 15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 

The Prayer... Lord Jesus, you are right here, right now. You are my banner. Teach me the meaning of this truth and grace me with the humility to live and move and have my being underneath this banner. Right here, Jesus. Right now, Jesus. Amen. 

Sent to UPT by Charlie Grassl to share with all CFOers.