prayer

ABIDING TO THE ANSWER

/ joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

I have learned that prayer is not primarily about asking. I have learned that prayer is primarily about connecting.

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Prayer is the place where all the puzzle pieces of our relationship with God and His people come together and solidify into action.

I have learned that before asking I need to connect with God and His thoughts about the subjects that concern me. the Bible calls this connection “abiding”.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

Abiding prayer, then, is the key to successful intercessory prayer (that type of prayer that involves lists of things we would like God to do in the name of Jesus).

Abiding prayer starts with listening…. Listening to the Word of God. Discovering the promises of God in the Bible and learning to stand on them. This requires us to read and memorize the Word of God. For most of us that requires a lot of going over. I generally read a book of the Bible over and over until I have it deep in my heart. My current method is to read through the Bible and in between each book I read one of the biblical books that I have chosen over and over. I have done this with the book of The Revelation, the book of Genesis, and now the book of Psalms. That means I have read through The Revelation 66 times and Genesis 66 times. When you read something that many times through, things start to stick. This is the beginning of abiding prayer.

I will write more soon, but tell me…

WHAT SECRETS HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT ABIDING IN PRAYER?

A PLACE OF PRAYER

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One of the things I am believing for our region is that prayer…and answered prayer will become a hallmark of this place.

I am seeing such an increase of the corporate prayer space and it is very encouraging.

The churches of our region are beginning to come together more and more in corporate prayer. Our church has just completed 21 days of fasting and prayer and now two other churches are walking through the lenten fasting season. In addition we now have daily prayer time established in our town through THE WORSHIP ROOM HOUSE OF PRAYER

You can click that icon for more information.

That’s not all. People are gathering in churches throughout our region for congregational prayer several times a week. We are going to be taking out an ad in the local paper to make the community aware of how much prayer is going on. And we have built a web page to promote those times of prayer.

Click that icon to get more info.

In the days ahead we will see many answers to prayer and great encouragement of faith in our region.

WHAT IS ENCOURAGING ABOUT THE PLACE YOU LIVE IN?

GRAMPA IN THE BONES

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I recently had an opportunity to attend a forum on minster’s health. I was struck by a statement that was made by the forum director. It resonated deeply with me.

YOU CAN HAVE JESUS IN YOUR HEART, BUT STILL HAVE GRAMPA IN YOUR BONES.

The idea is that even after receiving Jesus we all have strongholds. Paul the apostle wrote, ” For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5

I have been left wondering what strongholds were erected in my life simply because I was born into the family I was born into. But it is not just the negative things I am thinking about either. What advantages did my family of origin plant inside of me?

I am praying through that I might capitalize on the latter while tearing down the former.

HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT ADVANTAGES COME FROM YOUR FAMILY OF ORIGIN THAT YOU CAN CAPITALIZE ON? WHAT STRONGHOLDS NEED TO BE TORN DOWN?

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER 2026 MEDITATION 15

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Here is our noon time meditation for this 19th day of the 21 days of fasting and prayer in 2026.

1 JOHN 4:1-6

 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

1 John 4:1-6 (Source: Equip the Called)Theme: Testing the Spirits
1. Do not believe every spirit, but test them to see whether they are from God.
2. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
3. The One in you is greater than the spirit of the antichrist in the world.

THINKING TIME:

1.HOW DO YOU TEST THE SPIRITS IN LIFE?

2. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST ALREADY BEING IN THE WORLD?

3. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE GREATER THAN SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN YOU?

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER 2026 MEDITATION 14

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We are systematically working our way through the book of 1 John as we continue towards the end of our 21 days of fasting and prayer. I am looking forward to unpacking all that I have learned during this fast and the changes it has brought about in me.

1 JOHN 3:19-24

This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 3:19-24 (Source: Equip the Called)Theme: Assurance Before God
1. You can be assured before God; even if your heart condemns you, God is greater than your heart and knows all things.
2. When you keep His commands, you have confidence and receive what you ask because you ask according to His will.
3. This is His commandment: believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another.

THINKING TIME:

  1. WHAT DOES CONFIDENCE LOOK LIKE IN YOUR LIFE?
  2. DO YOU SPEND TIME FOSTERING CONFIDENCE IN YOUR LIFE? WHY OR WHY NOT?
  3. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT ARE STEALING YOUR CONFIDENCE TODAY?

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER MEDITATION 10

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Welcome to the noon time meditation on the first day of our final week of Cornerstone’s 21 days of fasting prayer. We are on meditation number 10.

1 John 2:26-29

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

God’s Children and Sin

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

1 John 2:26-29 (Source: Equip the Called)Theme: The Anointing and Abiding
1. The anointing you received from Him (the Holy Spirit) teaches you all things and is real.
2. Abide in Him so that you may have confidence and not be ashamed at His coming.
3. Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him and reflects His character.

THINKING TIME:

  1. WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHING YOU TODAY?
  2. HOW DO YOU PRACTICE ABIDING OR CONTINUING IN THE SPIRIT?
  3. WHAT PART OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE YOU BEING LED TO PRACTICE TODAY?

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER 2026 MEDITATION 9

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Well it’s the final countdown of our 21 days of fasting and prayer, but we are only on the ninth meditation of the fast. We are going to continue catching up throughout this final week of fasting. Please Join us in the meditations.

1 John 2:18-25

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.[e] 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

1 John 2:18-25 (Source: Equip the Called)Theme: Warning Against False Teachers
1. The presence of antichrists is a sign of the last hour; stay alert and grounded in truth.
2. Remaining in the teaching you heard from the beginning ensures you remain in the Son and the Father.
3. Denial of Jesus as the Christ is a denial of God the Father; confess the Son always

THINKING TIME:

  1. HOW DOES SOMEONE DENY THAT JESUS IS THE SAVIOR (THE CHRIST)?
  2. HOW CAN YOU REMAIN IN THE TEACHING THAT BROUGHT YOU TO CHRIST?
  3. WHAT ARE WAYS WE DENY CHRIST AND GOD THE FATHER?

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER 2026 MEDITATION 8

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We are now finished two weeks of our 21 day fast and prayer season for 2026. It haas been eye-opening and convicting to me. There is much that I will be thinking about and praying into over the next several months. I think I will be writing about some of the process God is working in me soon.

Here is our eighth meditation as we continue to catch up in the Book of 1 John.

1 John 2:15-17

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[d] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15-17 (Source: Equip the Called)Theme: Do Not Love the World
1. The world’s desires (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life) are fleeting and pass away.
2. Doing the will of God is the only pursuit with eternal value; it abides forever.
3. Prioritize your eternal connection with God over temporary worldly allurements.

THINKING TIME:

1.What does it mean that the world’s desires are fleeting and passing away?

2. How does that help you too resist and reframe the world’s desires that you struggle with?

3. What is the will of God you know to do right now?