1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This first letter to Thessalonians was the very first letter the Apostle Paul wrote. This letter was written to a church that was only a few months old. The church was made up of new believers whom had come to Christ through Paul's ministry. They were a vigorous yet, struggling church. This church of very young believers were severely prosecuted with the weight of the rumor that Paul was not an Apostle. Since he was not part of the original twelve that walked with Jesus. This church faced threats, their property being taken away, dealing with sexual promiscuity as a religious right in their society, misunderstanding of the second coming in the congregation, and those in the church who were indifferent to the Holy Spirit and the works by the Spirit. So in this letter Paul addresses all of these issues.
This is the conclusion of Paul's letter to the church it is an amazing prayer. At the beginning of this letter Paul states that he prayed always for this church. My spirit has been so challenged this week to lift my church in prayer. Like Paul our eyes may be open to the issues that confront our church. We could complain, or report the issues. We could pretend as if we don't see the issues. Or even just feel hopeless and frustrated. Or we can stand in the gap and pray. I mean really go in and battle for our church! To pray specific for the needs of the church. I encourage you to pray over your church, it's leaders, the congregation, and all the ministries. Ladies the power for change is in prayer. If your not sure how, or what to pray, the templet for your prayers is this verse. Let's begin blessing our church with this wonderful spiritual tool of prayer.