“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:9-12).

It’s so simple that it’s almost unbelievable. In this climate of disagreement and hatred, Jesus is telling us to LOVE one another? How can this be? Ah, yes, indeed! That’s exactly what He’s saying to us. As people of The Book, we have the Good News. God loves us so much that He GAVE us Jesus, salvation, deliverance, redemption, His presence!

I want to share a beautiful testimony by our Cayuga County (OH) NDP Coordinator, Carla Varga. This communication taught me a great deal.

• We need to pray fervently for our NDP family and those going through personal battles.
• It demonstrates a commitment to trust God in all things and all times.
• We should not give up (Galatians 6:9).
• We must stand and defend our field like one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:11-12).

I hope her testimony blesses you as well.

In any given day, there can be moments when all the constant noise in the battle for good and evil can seem overwhelming.

In the desire to be informed even for prayer and intercession, I sometimes find my focus didn’t engage properly. I allow my attention to focus on the problem rather than the Lord Himself, the Problem Solver.

When I was 18 and in college, I became part of the LOA club. LOA stood for “Love One Another.”

We were a diverse group, but the beauty was we were all believers and committed to one another.  As a newbie freshman, I relished the support from the seniors on campus.

John 13: 34-35, our Biblical mandate, was put to practice and memory: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Where is America headed? As I look at what is happening in our nation today, how my soul mourns at the absence of honor and respect to our LORD Jesus Christ and His values in our culture. The general public arena has rapidly descended as the disappearance of the fear of the LORD has vaporized from the hearts and minds of many, especially the highly visible and vocal. The lack of civility, loss of decorum, ill regard for authority are signs of a society in peril, one that desires to serve self.

Have you ever felt you were too tired, too overwhelmed, or maybe too old for the call and purpose God has for your life?

A couple of years ago, a former state coordinator for National Day of Prayer emailed me Galatians 6:9 out of the blue: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” She didn’t realize the season of transition that was beginning for NDP. The Holy Spirit guided her to send that encouragement straight from God’s word. I needed it so badly at that time.

An Event Protest Can Be God's Opportunity

The story I share (sent by an NDP volunteer who, due to the nature of this story, will remain anonymous) is a situation that could occur in any state, any city. It is evidence of the statement that people won’t always remember what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

Protest Diffused By . . .

Approaching the start of our National Day of Prayer 2018 event, a situation arose regarding an older couple who showed up with a few different signs denying God and against our gathering. They sat on a bench smack in the middle of the Superior Court landing area about 15 minutes before we began.

Someone came over to me and said "We have a problem!" Ah, I love a challenge. "Get 'em God!" was my heartbeat.

Northwest Arkansas will be hosting the 2018 National Day of Prayer National Leadership Summit on Monday and Tuesday, October 29-30. The conference begins Monday morning and concludes Tuesday afternoon, allowing for travel on Sunday and Tuesday afternoon. You can register here today.

Dynamic Worship, Bible Teaching and Preaching, and Visionary Testimony

Our Cross Church Singers and Band will lead us in outstanding worship during the worship settings. As well, we will hear dynamic teaching and preaching by Dr. Kie Bowman of Austin, Texas and Pastor Bill Elliff of North Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Bowman and fellow Austin pastor, Trey Kent, will give testimony about the dynamic, multi-denominational prayer movement that has been taking place in their city for almost ten years, leading Austin to be the most prayed for city in America. Dr. Doug Stringer, of Somebody Cares International, will challenge us as he speaks on, “Are We Fit for the Days Ahead?” I will lead us during these powerful worship services and we will unveil our theme for the 2019 National Day of Prayer. You can register today.

Engaging and Equipping You to Advance the Strategy of Prayer for America

If you have attended in years past, you will find this year’s summit schedule different in design. Lisa Crump and I have worked diligently in planning this summit to be extremely helpful in engaging and equipping attendees to advance the strategy of prayer for America. This obviously begins at the local level, and this is what we hope to equip you to do even more effectively… mobilize unified public prayer for America.

Here are a few things you will be equipped to do even more effectively:

• Brian Dunaway, Communications Director of Cross Church, will equip us with powerful strategies for social media and website engagement.
• David Franklin, our National Day of Prayer state coordinator for Georgia, will be assisting us in engaging schools and churches like never before.
• Sheila Kimball, our State Coordinator for Connecticut, will be giving testimony to how they are seeing National Day of Prayer observances in every city and county in their state.
• Sofia Medina-Hickle, Florida’s National Day of Prayer State Coordinator, will share the exciting strategies and movements around Florida.
• Charles W. Herbster and Dr. Douglas Firebaugh of the Corporate Team of Conklin Company will be equipping us on recruiting, training, and retaining teams that win.

Our goal for this day and a half summit is for you to leave excited and encouraged, and more than equipped to lead your area in the most successful National Day of Prayer Observance ever on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Register now!

Register Today and Bring Others With You

Northwest Arkansas is a beautiful place to visit in the fall with the changing leaves in the mountain region. There is much to do in the area, you may even enjoy staying an extra day or two. Great shopping and restaurants will surround you, and we are located less than two hours away from Branson, Missouri. You can fly directly from cities all over America into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), and you can find hotel information on our registration page.

The priority now is to register yourself and the team from your state. Do not wait. Talk to people now, even in mid-summer, so they will have it on their calendar.

Let’s make the 2018 National Day of Prayer Leadership Summit our largest one ever! If you have any interest or desire to be part of the National Day of Prayer, register and attend. We need your help, so register today!

Now is the Time to Lead,

Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, National Day of Prayer

*******

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, and founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry.

To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd, contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email [email protected].

Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd