Day 16

ABANDONED DEVOTION:

Creative Praise:

In response to the following Scripture, sing a song of praise to Jesus, draw Him a picture, or write Him a poem.  

Praise the Lord your God that He “is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

3-Stage Bible Study:  Read the Q—Analyze the Verse—Write Your Response

What good works must you do to be satisfied with bread from God?[i]

“‘Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.’  Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’  Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him who He sent.’” (John 6:27-29)

Prayer Journal Questions: Listen to the Lord as you meditate on the following verses. 

What are sins that God is showing you that need to be confessed in your life and in your generation? 

“The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth.” (Psalm 25:9-10)

What are ways you can pray for and pursue revival on your campus? 

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’” (Isaiah 40:3-5)

GLOBAL PROCLAMATION:

Forgotten People Group: The Tajik of Tajikistan

The five million Tajik are one of the major groups of Central Asia. Their homeland, Tajikistan, is the mountainous center of Asia, surrounded by the Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan includes the Pamir Mountains, which reach altitudes of nearly 25,000 feet. Most of the people live in the parallel valleys below.

The Tajik have repeatedly been invaded and conquered throughout their history. The armies of Alexander the Great, the Arabs in the seventh century, Genghis Khan, the Turks, the British, and the Russian empire have all had a profound impact on these people. In fact, the numerous invasions have been the major factor in the dispersion of the Tajik to other locations.

What Are Their Beliefs?
Most Tajik are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafite branch, although some Shi'ites exist. About 10% of the people are classified as non-religious. This has probably been a result of Russian atheistic pressure.

Tajikistan is surrounded by ethnic and religious tensions. Much of this tension exists between the conservative Wahhabi sect of Islam and the Sufi sect of Islam.

What Are Their Needs?
Some evangelistic materials, such as the Jesus film and the Bible, are already available in Tajiki. However, the people have remained closed to the Gospel. Today, there are only 364 known Tajik believers in Tajikistan and no missions agencies are currently working among them.

Prayer Points

• Ask God to raise up long-term missionaries who will go to Tajikistan and share Christ with the Tajik.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will give vision for outreach and a genuine burden for the Tajik to believers in this region.
• Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to these precious people through dreams and visions.
• Pray that God will open the hearts of Tajikistan's governmental leaders to the Gospel.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint the Gospel as it goes forth via television and radio to the Tajik.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Tajik bound.
• Pray that God will call out prayer teams to begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
• Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Tajik by the year 2010.

Promise from Scripture:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…” 1 Timothy 2:3-6

Generational Barrier:

The Missionary Movement – All Hands on Deck – There is a wrong perception in many portions of the Church pertaining to certain gifts being needed for the missionary movement and not others. God has gifted His body perfectly in order to accomplish every aspect of the missionary movement that He has purposed in His divine wisdom. Pray for the emerging generation to recognize that all the gifts are necessary and not just a few. Pray that students would recognize how their gifts and passions fit into the missionary movement.

Prayer Journaling Response:

Take a few moments to record thoughts, prayers, and any insight. Also, it is often helpful to record how the Lord led in prayer – Scriptures, mental pictures, or a word or thought. Practice not only praying but also listening to the Lord. As we understand how the Lord is leading us, we can more quickly tune into the Lord’s voice when we have major decisions facing us or in times when the Lord feels far from us.

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