“You answer our prayers with amazing wonders and with awe-inspiring displays of power. You are the righteous God who helps us like a father.” Psalm 65:5a (TPT)
God faithfully answers our prayer with awesome deeds (NLT). Did you realize that we honor God with the size of our request? If we only ask for small things that could be accomplished by ourselves or accidentally, we demonstrate that we think of God as small. But when we ask for huge, impossible things, we elevate God, acknowledging that He can do anything. It is not that asking God for a car spot is bad, it is just small! Our God is BIG, and we should make our requests BIG! He wants to do awesome among, and He is going to, soon! So why not ask for things like 1 billion souls to be saved, for ALL of Athens (or UGA) to be saved (1Timothy 2:4), for America to be restored to our destiny as “one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all,” for greater works to be released through the body of Christ, for prodigal children to return and step into their destiny as leaders in this movement, etc. And our “ask” is not a wish list, it is a faith declaration that we believe God is not only able, but has given us the responsibility of releasing His greater works here through faith filled, audacious prayers!
Ask God to stir up audacious faith in the body of Christ across our city and nation! Ask Him to increase yours. Confess where it has been weak and cry out for a new level of faith to pray bold, big faith-filled prayers. Ask Him to stir up this faith in your pastor and church leadership, that your church would become a joyful house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:6-7). And thank Him for the great things He is about to do in light of this great prayer movement that He has launched in this season!!! Thank Him that you get to be a part of it!
Here are some ways you can be praying audaciously with others and for our city this month….
Student Pastors Prayer
Thursday, August 5 / 9 to 10am
Watkinsville First Baptist Church
We will relaunch our monthly prayer gathering for Student Pastor in Athens. It will be good to be back in the room together and to stand as one to pray for the young people and the student ministries impacting them. If you’re not a student pastor, please take this opportunity to pray for the students at your church to be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, gripped with who they are in Christ and sent with a passion to reach their campus. Pray for the student leaders and pastors to be stirred and taken deeper in Christ, as they can only take the students where they have been or going. Pray that volunteer student leaders would step up and be prepared for the coming harvest of young people in our city!
Back to School Prayer Vigil
Saturday, August 7 / 9am to 6pm
The Gallery at Athens Church
Come pray for all the students in our Athens area as they return to school. Whether your church has a slot or not, you are welcome to come at any time to pray for our children in Athens! Please bring a list of the students you know (from your church) and write their names under the school they attend on the poster boards that will be hung all over the room. There will be a prayer guide available (please use it on and beyond the actual prayer vigil day) at https://athensprayernetwork.com/back-to-school-prayer-guide-2/. This link will be posted on the APN Facebook page and found on the APN Website on the “events” page. Please do join us, as our children really need a prayer covering as they head back through uncharted dangerous waters.
Athens Intercessors Community
Monday, August 9 / 7 to 9pm
APN Prayer Center
Each month intercessors from around Athens converge, to hear what God has been saying to each of us, and get a sense of where we are heading as we press into this new era. These are always amazing times as the watchmen link together and stand in our positions across our city, in unity!
Campus Ministries Unity Prayer
Wednesday, August 11 / 9 to 11am
St James UMC – 111 West Lake Drive, Athens 30605
This is an opportunity for the various teams who minister at UGA to come together in unity to pray with and for each other and for revival on the campus. If you are ministering at UGA, please mark your calendar and plan to come join us. Please note that this is during our normal Pastors Prayer slot. We are encouraging pastors to come connect with these various campus ministries and leaders.
Athens Prayer Walk
Saturday, August 14 / 10am to noon
The Arch – Corner of College Avenue and East Broad Street
Our Prayer Walk this month is on the weekend before classes start back up at UGA. As such it is very timely!!! If you are in town, please join us for this very important opportunity to stroll together and cry out to God to break forth at UGA and across Athens. In person, on site prayer really does matter! We are crying out for revival, even reformation, on this campus, across our city and beyond! We are preparing the way for the suddenly here! These prayer walks are always unique and a huge blessing to those who come! Please join us if you’re able!
Pastors Prayer Breakfast
Wednesday, August 18 / 8 to 10am
Phoenix Community – 660 W. Broad Street, Athens 30601
Here’s an opportunity, hosted by Phoenix Community Church, for Senior Pastors to come share breakfast together and pray with and for each other as we launch into this new season of harvest together! If you’re a Senior Pastor, please come and reconnect with the other senior pastors from across Athens! This is in leu of normal monthly Senior Pastors prayer gathering on the second Wednesday.
Each month Senior Pastors from across Athens come together to pray for and with each other! This has been so amazingly powerful! From wherever you are, please use this as an opportunity to join us in praying for the pastors in our city, starting with your own!
Pray that God would give them supernatural stamina, divine insights and wisdom from above, along with extraordinary creativity and Holy Spirit boldness, as they lead their congregations through this challenging, unprecedented, and hostile season. Ask God to show them how to prepare for the suddenly of revival and reformation. Ask God to empower them to lead well, and for each church to be an instrument of life and help to the Athens community during such a time as this. Pray that God would protect, even expand the kingdom unity among pastors in our city.
In the midst of the tremendous weight that is currently on them, ask God to abundantly bless, extravagantly refresh, greatly encourage, divinely protect and supernaturally provide for your pastor, their marriage and their family. Ask God to meet each of these lead shepherds in Athens right where they are, and give them all that it takes to stay intimately connected to God and run strongly throughout this battle and season of transition. Plead with God for the authority of His word to increase in each pulpit and for each pastor to experience an increase in anointing in their preaching! And cry out for God to use our pastors as a powerful holy voice in our city and beyond, that they would not be silenced, fearful or hidden!
Campus Ministry Directors Prayer
Thursday, August 19 / 3 to 4:30
Upper Loft at Wesley
We will be relaunching the every-other-week prayer gathering for those who lead a campus ministry or local church college ministry. This is a vital place for these leaders to stand as one, crying out together for God to move on this campus and reach the nearly 40,000 students! Ask God to keep this every other Thursday time slot open for these campus ministers to approach the throne of grace together on behalf of the college students in our city!
Groups Pastors Prayer
Wednesday, August 25 / 9:30 to 10:30am
Grace Fellowship – 1120 Malcom Bridge Rd, Bogart, GA 30622
Each month those who lead Groups Ministries come together to share and pray with and for each other. Join us in praying for those who lead Groups Ministries across Athens. People are desperate for authentic community and groups provide it! Groups play an increasingly important role in discipling our city!
Pray that God would continue to lead the Groups Pastors in our city to create more new and effective ways to stay connected and to connect new people. Pray that God would grant them wisdom and creativity. Pray for the groups’ leaders to lead their groups well in new formats. Pray that God would raise up more group leaders for this new era. Ask God to gently remove those who should not be leading groups any more. Ask God to protect and expand this vital ministry in our city. Ask God to release an anticipation for the suddenly in each group. And ask Him for heaven to come down upon every group that meets in Jesus’ powerful Name in Athens!
Executive Pastors Prayer
Thursday, August 26 / 9 to 10am
Beech Haven Baptist Church – 2390 W Broad St, Athens, GA 30606
Each month those who “run” churches in Athens come together to share and pray with and for each other. These hidden warriors make huge decisions in a climate they have never been before. God has been and continues to prepare them for this new season that upon us!
Please pray for the executive / administrative pastor (or those who do that role) in your church and the others who carry this load in the churches across our city. They need wisdom, creativity, boldness and faith. This is a very important ministry at such a crucial time as this! Pray that God would give them supernatural joy and grace as they keep the systems operating and create new ones for Kingdom growth in Athens. Pray for unity between them and their senior pastor. Pray that God would increase His presence and favor on their lives and homes. Pray that God would give them what they need as the Church emerges in this new era.
Prayer for the Middle East
Friday, August 27 / noon to 1pm
House of Prayer at Living Hope – 2150 Lexington Rd, Athens, GA 30605
Each month a group of passionate prayer warriors gather to pray for Israel and the nations in the Middle East. This is such a vital time to be standing with Israel! And you are most welcome to join in. Even if you can’t be there in person, please take time during this hour to pray with them from wherever you may be. There is much power in agreeing prayer!
Altar of Fire
Tuesday, August 31 / 7 to 9pm
Prayer Center at Cornerstone – 4680 Lexington Rd., Athens 30605
We will continue our citywide gathering for intercessors, worshippers and lovers of Jesus in August. This gathering is definitely not for the light-hearted, but for those who want to jump into the fire of God, with a wholehearted passionate surrender to Jesus. This is an amazing time of loud worship, high praise, prayer and surrender. We’ve seen healing, even salvation happen amongst us. If you’re interested in giving it all to Jesus in a corporate setting with others who are desperate for God, this is for you!!! Please mark your calendar and plan to join us.
ONGOING & INSPIRATIONAL…
Pastors “Contending for Revival” Prayer Gathering
Thursdays, August 5, 12, 19 and 26 / 10:30 to 11:30am
The Light – 174 Henderson Ext, Athens 30605
Senior Pastors from around Athens are encouraged to join us for a weekly prayer time as we contend for revival in our city, state and nation. Every one of these are quite amazing, filled with intensity and a strong sense of God’s presence. The last Thursday of the month (August 26) is open for all pastors, key leadership and intercessors in churches to join us as well. Please be praying for your pastor to catch the fire of the Holy Spirit, to prepare for the suddenly and for a passion to see revival released right here in our city! Pray that your pastor would be able to join us if he isn’t already a part of this vital and strategic prayer time together!
Give Him 15
Daily
Everywhere
If you are not already seeing the daily videos or reading the daily post, I would highly recommend it. This will continue till it’s over! Get the GiveHim15 App at the App store or go to https://www.givehim15.com/. You can also get the written post most days on the APN Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1423907481169281
Georgia Prayer Line
Wednesdays / 7:45am
Dial 425-436-6325 – when prompted enter access code 423231#
Please try to log in at 7:40am to announce your city and county. If you miss the live call you can still hear it by dialing 425-436-6309 (same access code).
Athens Daily Prayer Texts
Ongoing
All across Athens area
Daily Prayer Texts are delivered to cell phones across Athens and beyond every day at 8am (ET). They are also posted each day at noon on the APN Facebook page. If you would like to receive these DPT’s on your phone, please text @athenspray to 81010. This is an amazingly simple and awesome way to start your day and to stand in unified focused prayer with others from across our city, for our city!
MORE & UP TO DATE STUFF…
Every day we post something on the APN Facebook page. Usually (and especially recently) it is more than once. These posts include prayer opportunities, prayer points, prayer inspirations and the Daily Prayer Text. It is definitely worth checking daily to help stay connected with what God is doing and to see how other people are praying in our city!
Together crying out for God to do awesomely!
Steve
