Prayer Guide

May 3, 2025

Spring Has Sprung!

Yeah, it’s that time—time to start mowing the grass, pulling the weeds, planting the flowers, bushes, grass, and trees! It’s time for mosquito spray. It’s time to keep an eye out for wasps, yellow jackets, ticks, and snakes.

It’s spring!

It’s the time when things start growing again.

So let me ask a question: Are you growing older or growing up in the Lord? The Apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of growing up: “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:14–15; emphasis added).

If you are alive (and you are if you’re reading this), you are growing older in the Lord. I will have been saved for 49 years this upcoming July—if I live that long. There are no guarantees! Growing older does not require intentionality, courage, discipline, or prayer. It just means your heart has continued to beat and you haven’t been in a horrible car wreck.

Growing up in the Lord? That’s another matter entirely! Growing up means you are being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in how you live. You recognize when and where you are falling short, and you are doing something about it. You are intentional. You realize that no one drifts into godliness. You don’t accidently become a soul-winner. You don’t glide into godliness.

You make plans to grow stuff such as grass, plants, and flowers. If you don’t, all you grow is weeds.
This spring, ask God where you need to grow. He knows. Then be intentional at working on what He points out.

If you don’t, you’ll only grow old in the Lord, not up.

Pray for Christians to have an abiding relationship with Jesus

Jesus commanded, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:4–8; emphases added).

We often drift. We get so caught up in the busyness of life, trying to figure out what’s next that we don’t “keep the main thing the main thing” (Stephen Covey). Apart from an intimate relationship with Jesus, we will do nothing and accomplish nothing. You can draw a man no closer to Christ than where you are.

• Pray believers will abide in the Word of God.
  • Read, study, and feed our souls with it daily.
  • Live our lives based on the truth of the Word of God, not what we see or feel.
  • Focus on the promises of the Word of God, not the circumstances of life.
• Pray believers will live in a spirit of prayer.
  • Begin our days in prayer.
  • Pray the Word of God back to God.
  • Turn every challenging opportunity into a time to call upon the Lord.
• Pray believers will bear much fruit.
  • Walk in an intimate relationship with Jesus.
  • Share Jesus with people.
  • Live lives characterized by “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

Pray for churches

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.” Acts 9:31

• Pray for the Word of God to be proclaimed from every pulpit in Memphis with Holy Spirit power! Pray by name for pastors and churches that God brings to mind. The Spirit of God will guide you regarding what to pray.
• Pray that Christians would not be satisfied with emotionalism, traditionalism, or dead orthodoxy but would instead hunger for the Word of God and the living presence of God.
• Pray that churches would become “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7 NLT).
• Pray for genuine revival to break forth in churches and that people would embrace the Holy Spirit moving in a fresh way.
• Pray that God will raise up men and women who love God, love people, share Jesus, and make disciples. “The church is not developing her recruits into disciplined soldiers. We are fighting the greatest battle of all time with the most untrained army on earth” (Vance Havner).

Pray people will see the uncertainty and brevity of life and will turn to Jesus

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’” James 4:13–15

Pray for those who are graduating from high school and college

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9

These students will be making foundational decisions that will shape the rest of their lives.

• Pray these graduates will stay connected to a Bible-preaching, Christ-honoring church.
• Ask God to protect them from worldly philosophies that are contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.
• Pray God will raise up multitudes from this class who will be burning witnesses and devoted disciple makers on their campuses and in their spheres of influence.

Pray for the Pastor Search Committee

I want to remind you of Mark Batterson’s foundational prayer principle: “Prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do.” While the men and women on the Pastor Search Committee are all godly, committed, wise, mature, diligent believers, we still do not get God’s best WITHOUT PRAYER!

The members of the Pastor Search Committee need God’s wisdom, discernment, courage, determination, humility, unity of mind, and ability to wait on Him. They need God to lead them to HIS man. And they need—we all need—God’s man to recognize and answer God’s call for him and his family to Bellevue.

For the latest information from Chad Hall, Chairman of the Pastor Search Committee, and a prayer guide for the committee, please go to bellevue.org/updates.

Pray for political leaders

We have been commanded to pray “for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2).

• Pray those who are saved will lead with righteous values and share the Gospel of Christ with other political leaders.
• Pray the pressures of leading will cause lost politicians and judges to call on Jesus to be saved.

Donald J. Trump

Vice President of the United States:
J.D. Vance

Supreme Court Justices:
John G. Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States
Clarence Thomas
Samuel A. Alito
Sonia Sotomayer
Elena Kagan
Neil M. Gorsuch
Brett M. Kavanaugh
Amy Coney Barrett
Ketanji Brown Jackson

Governor of Tennessee:
Bill Lee

Tennessee Senators:
Marsha Blackburn
Bill Hagerty

West Tennessee Congressmen:
Steve Cohen
David Kustoff

Memphis/Shelby County Elected Officials

City Council:

Shelby County Commissioners:

Pray for America