Ronnie Floyd

December 4th, 2017

How to Start 2018 in the Right Way Spiritually

If you do not plan to succeed in your spiritual life in 2018, you will fail. I want to challenge you to start 2018 in the right way spiritually. If you start strong, you are setting yourself up to finish strong.

There are many things you can plan to do to achieve this spiritual need and goal, but I want to suggest one that has really helped us at Cross Church.

Focus Leads to Success

At Cross Church, we have found that when we have a focused effort, it helps us go so much farther together. For the past several years, Cross Church has been allocating twenty-one days together to start our lives right spiritually each year.

Consider Twenty-One Days in January

January 1-21, 2018, we will be placing our focus on 21 Days of Prayer. We will focus our prayer each day in three specific areas:

Personal: A specific personal need that you have on your heart. In other words, pray for your greatest burden or burdens daily.
Church: We will communicate specific things our church needs to focus on each day.
National: Our nation has so many needs, and we will communicate some specific needs for our church to focus on each day.

There is something dynamic that occurs when we pray in agreement, at the same time, about specific things.

Additionally, we will encourage as many people as possible to fast, however God is leading them, during these twenty-one days. Fasting is abstinence from food with a spiritual goal in mind. When we humble ourselves through fasting, our prayers are purified, our hearts are softened, and God’s power ignites us like nothing else.

But let me be more than clear: The overall emphasis is something every person can do. Everyone can pray with specificity about things on their heart and things we will share for twenty-one days.

Daily Engagement and Communication Will Occur During Each of the Twenty-One Days: January 1-21, 2018

During these twenty-one days, our goal is to engage and encourage each other through daily communication. There are two ways we will communicate during each of these twenty-one days:

1. Daily Texts Sent at 6:00 a.m. CST

In these short daily texts, we will lead you to target a personal need, share a church need, and a national need. We will also share a Scripture as you pray for these needs and anything else God places on your heart.

You can sign up by texting “21days” to 313131. This daily text will provide focus and intentionality to our 21 Days of Prayer.

2. Join Me Daily via Facebook Live or Call in via Phone at 6:30 a.m. CST

During each of these twenty-one days, join me via Facebook Live, or call in via phone at (563) 999-1422 each morning for a brief message from God’s Word and prayer together.

These daily experiences will last no longer than 20 minutes. You can participate with us wherever you are in the world, and invite others to join us.

Plan Now for Spiritual Success in 2018

Whether you choose to participate with us or not in these twenty-one days from January 1 through January 21, develop your own plan. The key is having a plan to make your life all God wants you to be in 2018.

Think about your plan for the year and plan to join me for these twenty-one days of prayer.

Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray,

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

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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry, and host of the Ronnie Floyd on Life and Leadership Today podcast.

To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.

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

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.

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December 1st, 2017

Three Prayer Priorities for America in December 2017

America, National Day of Prayer, Prayer

I believe in the power of praying in agreement with other believers about specific things based upon the power of God’s Word. Unify with other Christ followers, churches, and ministries with these three prayer priorities for America in December 2017.

We are going to be praying for unity in America for the next several months. Yes, we did reveal in November that Pray For America: UNITY is our 2018 theme for the National Day of Prayer. We chose this theme because we believe strongly this is God’s heart. Therefore, from now until and even beyond our Thursday, May 3, 2018, National Day of Prayer, we are going to call for, forward, and pray for unity in America.

Whether you pray daily or weekly for our nation, please join us in praying with the authority of the Scriptures for these three priorities for America:

1. #PRAY4UNITY IN AMERICA

“Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3

Father in Heaven, You are the only One who can bring unity, harmony, and oneness in America. We pray and ask You for unity in America.
Lord, call the churches of America to live in unity within their own church and in unity with churches that are biblically based and Jesus centered.
Jesus, as Your church walks in unity, harmony, and oneness, may Your church personify, lead, and call America to unity.
Lord Jesus Christ, in this crisis moment in America, it is incumbent upon each of us to come together for the sake of the gospel, the testimony of the gospel and the advancement of the gospel globally; so God may we make EVERY effort.
Father, while our nation is filled with so many challenges and division abounds, we will call for and forward the National Day of Prayeron Thursday, May 3, 2018, and #PRAY4UNITY in America.
Lord, as UNITY is our theme for the 2018 National Day of Prayer, may You use the thirty to forty thousand gatherings across America to call and pray for UNITY. #PRAY4UNITY
God, use each of us to unify our families, our churches, our workplaces, our communities, our region, our state, and our nation.
Lord, lead each of us to forward this theme both nationally and globally through our speaking and social media. As testimony and challenge, I encourage each of you to tag it in your social media: #PRAY4UNITY
Father, lead Dr. Ronnie Floyd and the staff team of the National Day of Prayer Task Force as they work toward this pivotal day in our nation, and as they begin to plan for the national observance of the National Day of Prayer in Washington, DC.
Lord of all Provision, please meet all the financial needs of the National Day of Prayer.

2. TRUST GOD TO LEAD THE LEADERS OF AMERICA THROUGH THESE CRITICAL TIMES OF DECISION MAKING.

“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Lord, we trust You to convict our nation’s leaders of Your desire for them to work together in unity for the well-being of our nation.
Sovereign Lord, we appeal to You alone to give our nation a future and a hope.
Spirit of God, move upon the leaders of our nation to work together toward resolving the following issues for the welfare of our nation:
- Tax reform
- Healthcare reform
- Immigration reform
- National security
- Religious liberty
- Sanctity and dignity of human life
- Terrorism nationally and globally

Lord and Defender, we appeal to You to protect the leaders of our nation and their families, as well as the members of our military nationally and globally, and all the first responders in our nation.

3. BELIEVE GOD FOR HIS SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION IN OUR NATION ON THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER – MAY 3, 2018.

“You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

Lord, on this day when millions of people gather in thousands of settings, please listen to our prayers as we seek You with all of our hearts.
Father, in these most critical moments in our generation, please call leaders of denominations, churches, government, education, business, cities, and all communities in America to create numerous gatherings that will saturate their regions in prayer for unity in America.
Spirit of God, give Dr. Ronnie Floyd and the staff team of the National Day of Prayer Task Force God’s wisdom, power, and leadership to serve these thousands of gatherings.
Lord of all Provision, we appeal to You to meet the continual financial needs of the national organization of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

In all humility, I appeal to you to share with friends, pastors, churches, and denominations the need to pray in agreement over these three prayer priorities for America during the month of December.

Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray for America,