WHY ANOTHER PRISON MINISTRY?
WHO WE ARE
STATEMENT OF
FAITH
MISSIONARY PARTNERSHIPS
HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN GET INVOLVED
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Daily Quiet Time Series
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Shared Bible Studies
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
GAP & YOU
HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN GET INVOLVED
HOW TO PRAY FOR BELIEVERS
IN PRISON
Men and women inside prison walls are in
desperate need of prayer support. As fellow believers, we have a
responsibility to share their needs and burdens with our heavenly
Father.
PRAYER
raised the dead,
parted the Red Sea,
caused the sun to stand still,
overthrew armies and healed the sick,
brought fire from the sky on Elijah's sacrifice,
brought water from the rock and bread from heaven,
paved the way for the conversion of millions of people.
God uses the prayers of His people to
accomplish His purposes on Earth.
WILL YOU PRAY?
We can breath a simple prayer: "God, please
be with my brothers and sisters in prison." He must smile as He hears
prayers from our hearts and lips. You see, He has already promised to
never abandon His children. Hebrews 13:5 says, "For he hath said, 'I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."' So, in a sense we are
reminding God of His promise to all His children. And since He is
trustworthy, His nature compels Him to respond.
As God's children, we must also be diligent in following through with our
word. When we tell someone we will pray for him or her, we have given
our word and must keep it. How many times have we politely mumbled the
words, "I will pray for you," and later forgotten those words. We may
have meant it at the time, but we didn't follow through. So we must be
careful to follow through with our commitment.
The promise to pray is a commitment and pledge of our word. Although
concrete and barbed wire separate imprisoned men and women from the
local church, they are still part of the Body of Christ as children of
God. Prayer helps to bridge the gap between us and them.
GAP Prison Ministries is asking you to make a firm commitment to pray
daily for our brothers and sisters in prison. What should we pray for
when we have committed to praying for a brother or sister in prison? We
have provided prayer suggestions for the BIPs (believers in prison) below.
A WEEK OF PRAYER
SUNDAY
Pray that no matter who the leader might be
conducting their Sunday services, the BIPs will hear and obey the Word
of God. The Lord's day is a time when we can ask Jesus to feed His sheep
from His Word as it is shared during the chapel service. Many people
across the country volunteer to speak in prisons during Sunday services
and very often the speakers rotate weekly. The men and women do not get
attached like we would to a shepherd/pastor in the local church. This
means that they must learn to listen carefully for God's voice through
many styles and methods of teaching. Hebrews 10:25: "Let us not give up
meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
MONDAY
Pray that the BIPs commit to a daily quiet
time with the Lord. Every believer needs to spend time in God's presence
in order to have the spiritual energy to get through the day. A
tremendous amount of evil and negative thinking surround our imprisoned brothers
and sisters. Prayer and Bible study time spent with their
Father in heaven is a vital source of power and strength for them. 2
Timothy 2:15: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the
word of truth."
TUESDAY
Pray for the families of these men and
women. When someone is sentenced to prison, he or she is also separated
from parents, mates, and children. Lift them and their families up in
prayer as they try to cope with their pain of separation and loneliness.
Many prisoners try very hard to parent their children and to be
supportive to their families. Because of this separation, many inmates
struggle with loneliness on a daily basis. Col. 1:3: "We always thank
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you."
WEDNESDAY
Pray for the BIP's protection. Because many
of our BIPs stand up for the Lord in difficult places, they face verbal
and physical attacks. Mental discouragement is a daily battle and only
our Father's power and grace can overcome it. Ask our Father to protect
our brothers and sisters with His angels and to strengthen their
confidence in Him. Heb. 1:14: "Are not all angels ministering spirits
sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"
THURSDAY
Pray they fellowship with other believers.
Because of the constraints of prison life, it is sometimes difficult for
BIPs to gather as believers to pray, study the Bible, and bear one
another's burdens, all essential to the spiritual growth and survival of
each believer. Gal. 6:2: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way
you will fulfill the law of Christ."
FRIDAY
Pray that our brothers and sisters stand on
the Word of God against temptation. Just as we face on the outside,
there are many opportunities to make wrong choices in prison. Ask the
Lord to strengthen them as they face decisions about what to watch on
TV, what conversations to be a part of, and what their behavior should
be. Many are learning to change life-patterns and need our prayer
support. 1 Pet. 5:8: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
SATURDAY
Pray that each BIP will be strong in his or
her witness. Standing up for the Lord and sharing our faith is
challenging to us all. But standing up can be even more challenging for
believers in prison. The need for evangelism and discipleship in prison
are great, and many of our brothers and sisters are true missionaries
where we cannot go. Lift them up! Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
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