Latest / Eurasia Region Podcast / S1-E84 | Everyday Eurasia | Debra Voelker

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S1-E84 | Everyday Eurasia | Debra Voelker · Eurasia Region Podcast

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  Hello and welcome to the Everyday Eurasia podcast,
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  Inspiring Faith for Every Day. Each day we are on a journey
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  with Jesus in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, and in so
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  many different places around the world.
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  Is it beautiful that no matter where we are, we can walk with
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  him every single day? Jesus is the one who connects us
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  all and stands at the very center of our lives day after
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  day. Through this podcast, you'll
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  hear voices from across the region sharing devotionals that
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  reminds us of God's presence in our everyday moments.
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  This week is the Global Week of Prayer.
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  We join Nesserine's across the nation's in a sacred united
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  calling to pray for the needs of our global churches and
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  districts so requests shared from every region.
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  We are reminded that we are one body serving 1 Lord with 1
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  mission. This year marks the 30th
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  anniversary of the Global Week of Prayer by Nazarenes Missions
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  International, a beautiful milestone in a legacy of
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  faithful intercession. Today we will listen to Deborah
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  Volcker. For more than 25 years she had
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  the privilege of serving in Nazarene's Missions
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  International. She served for 20 years as a
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  local NMI President in three different churches and 21 years
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  as a District NMI President. And for the past two years, she
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  is serving as the USA Canada Region NMI Coordinator.
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  Each of these roles has deepened her love for missions and given
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  a greater understanding of how enema search from the local
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  church all the way to the regional level.
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  Prayer is the very first work of missions.
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  Matthew 938 says Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send
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  out workers into his harvest field.
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  Jesus spoke these words after looking at the crowd.
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  Scripture tells us he was moved with compassion because they
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  were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
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  His response to that overwhelming need was not
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  anxiety. It was not urgency alone.
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  It was prayer. He said asked the Lord of the
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  harvest. That invitation still stands
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  today In Nazarene missions International prayer is the 1st
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  and fundamental area of impact because prayer connects us
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  directly to the heart of God. Missions does not begin with a
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  plane ticket, a sermon, or even a generous offering.
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  Missions begin when God's people kneel and say, Lord, let your
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  will be done. Prayer reminds us that this is
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  God's mission, not ours. We do not carry the weight of
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  saving the world. God already did that through
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  Jesus Christ. Our role is to stay close to
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  Him, to listen, and to respond in obedience.
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  When we pray, we step into partnership with the God who is
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  already at work in every nation and among every people.
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  Prayer also stretches our hearts beyond what we can see.
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  Most of us will never meet the missionaries we pray for.
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  We may never visit the countries they serve in.
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  Yet through prayer, distances disappear.
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  We become deeply connected to the missionaries joys, their
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  struggles, their safety, and their faithfulness.
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  Prayer turns names on a list into people we love.
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  Sometimes prayer can feel like the smallest thing we do for
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  missions, but Scripture tells us otherwise.
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  The early church prayed and the chains fell off.
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  They prayed and the doors opened.
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  They prayed and the gospel spread across cultures and
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  continents. Prayer has always been God's way
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  of releasing His power through His people.
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  Prayer does something else important.
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  It changes us. As we pray for the world, God
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  softens our hearts. He deepens our compassion.
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  He may even call us to give more generously, to serve more
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  faithfully, or go where we never expected.
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  Prayer prepares us to say yes before we even know the
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  question. When we commit to prayer as part
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  of Nazarene Missions International, we are declaring
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  our trust in God's ability to work far beyond our limitations.
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  We are saying, Lord, we believe you are already moving and we
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  want to join you. So today, may we be a people who
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  pray, who ask. May we pray boldly for workers.
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  May we pray faithfully for missionaries.
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  May we pray expectantly for God to move in ways only he can.
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  Because when God's people pray, the harvest field is never the
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  same. Who is God placing on your heart
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  to pray for admissions? How might God be using your
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  prayers to shape the world? Let us pray together.
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  Lord of the harvest, we come before you in humility and
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  trust. Thank you for inviting us to be
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  part of your mission through prayer.
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  Teach us to pray faithfully, boldly, and consistently protect
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  those you have sent. Call new workers into the
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  harvest and shape our hearts to love the world the way you did.
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  In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for listening to the
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  Everyday Eurasia podcast Inspiring Faith for Everyday.
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  For more Everyday stories, subscribe on this podcast
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  channel, follow our socials, Facebook and Instagram, or our
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  newsletter snapshots. For our newsletter and further
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  information about the Eurasia region, visit our website,
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  eurasiaregion.org.