Worship - Prayer - Bible Study

I would be remised if I did not include my brother William D. Holland affectionately known as Pastor Bill by so many in Florida and elsewhere.

My brother Bill and his wife are pastors of New Beginnings Christian Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Wild Bill is an amazing pastor who loves the Lord, Loves the Word of God and Loves God's people. He has been a great encouragement to me in developing this website.

Their church is at 7020 Ramona Blvd, Jacksonville, Fl. 32205 

New Beginnings website is: https://www.nbccjax.org/ 

Sunday Celebration 10:00 AM

January 2023

January 28, 2023

I am not sure how this page will evolve. It is very different from the rest of the website because I want what is displayed to continually be available. Yet, there are prayer or worship related events that I do want to share with you as well. 

Recently Pohick Bay Church hosted a second Men's Prayer Breakfast. We were blessed to share the morning with Shiloh Baptist Church and their new Pastor (elect), Reverend John Mitchell. Shiloh Baptist has been a long-time member of a group of churches that participated in the Pohick Bay Park Easter Sunrise Service. We have not been able to return to having the outdoor service due to Covid. However it was a joy to hear some of the men referencing the return of a Sunrise Service.

During the time we were encouraged to pray generationally. The idea that when we pray we must be intentional and consistent in praying for our children and the children of the next generation. Our nation is so far from God because  so many have left their love of the church and the Word of the LORD.  We were reminded of the purpose behind the 2 Chronicles 7:14 message to believers.  God reminds his people that he is ever ready to work in our lives and that includes in our nation as well. We need to make this scripture relevant in our own prayers. If we look upon this scripture as being for the Jews only we miss the point. God does not say if my chosen people whom I have identified as Jews, he says if my people who are called by my name. If you have been born again that means you. We must daily humble ourselves before Almighty God recognizing that all of our righteousness is from Christ Jesus living in us. We cannot count on our own righteousness. We must pray for forgiveness when we fall short of God's expectations and requirements. We must pray for forgiveness for our wayward nation and leaders. We must pray that God himself will have mercy upon us as his people and forgive our sins and heal our land. If we are not actively praying and interceding on behalf of our sinful nation what hope will our nation have. But if God's people lift up this nation consistently, insistently, faithfully, God will fulfill his own will and Word. As we pray: Pray for our Family, Pray for our Church, Pray for our Nation.  Pray for whatever needs the Lord lays upon your heart,  acknowledging that he can do anything but fail.

July 2023

July 12, 2023

While visiting my brother in Jacksonville, Florida, I attended their Tuesday Night Prayer services. This is a small congregation much like my fellowship at Pohick Bay Church. It was just a few present. The leader of the prayer meeting was one of the leadership in the congregation. He guided us through the prayer meeting with scriptures and explanations. What I found to be both instructional and motivating was the format with which he guided us through the time of prayer. Rather than try to explain I am copying the format here with some minor exceptions.

ACTS- Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication

Adoration - worship; veneration

• 2 Chronicles 6:14-15: "O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart; who has kept with Your servant David, my father, that which You have promised him, indeed You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand."

• Names of God:

1. Who is God to you? El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty)

2. El Elyon (The Most High God)

3. Adonai (Lord, Master)

4. Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)

5. Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)

6. Jehovah Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)

7. Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)

8. Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)

9. Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)

10. Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)

11. El Olam (The Everlasting God)

12. Elohim (God)

13. Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)

14. Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)

15. Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord Of Hosts)

Confession - a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime

• Romans 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

• 2 Chronicles 7:13-14: "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

• Daniel 9:4-6: "I prayed to the Lord God and confessed and said, 'Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, wh spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.'"

Thanksgiving - an expression of gratitude, especially to God

• 1 Chronicles 16: 8-9: "Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders."

• Psalm 9: 1-2: " I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High."

Supplication - the act of asking for something earnestly or humbly

• Matthew 6:9-13: "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'"

Beyond this document the leader of the prayer meeting requested prayer for the salvation of the world, prayer for our nation and government leaders, our president and other elected officials, prayer for church leaders, etc.

I share this meeting with you not because of any uniqueness but as an example of concerted effort to bring unity of prayer throughout the church. Even though the number of attendees were small yet those of us who were present were on one accord as we lifted up specific prayers of of adoration and worship, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. 

As I left the meeting I felt that this was a significant enough occurrence that I wanted to share it. it was more than individuals having their own prayer needs but it became a focused effort to bring those in attendance into a state of harmony or unity. 

The furtherance of this  type of uniting believers in prayer was continued in the following Tuesday. Using the same format of focusing our prayers on  Adoration (worship; veneration), Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication,(ACTS) using scripture to encourage and guide the 4 phases of the time in prayer. An added element of the prayer time was recording the requests and the dates (3 x 5 index cards) as well as optional identification of the individual making the prayer request. The benefit for recording the needs is to mark when we began praying for the needs and allow us to keep the needs before the Lord from one prayer meeting to another. When the Lord has answered the request we are able to celebrate his moving on our behalf. 

I offer this observation to encourage you as you are part of corporate prayer as well as your individual prayer time to focus your prayer time in a scriptural format and using scripture as you pray. Not merely coming before the Lord with your requests but first acknowledging Him and His greatness. Then making sure that your heart is right in the sight of the Lord. We need to make sure that there is nothing between us and our savior. So that we can indeed come before him with confidence and assurance. 

Go to What's Coming Up