Ready Set Go! 40-Day Prayer Challenge

March 28, 2021

by Kathy Marson

I was impressed this past week that we need to come together and pray.  This impression mixed with the power of God turned an afternoon into an assignment from God.

Since my job is part-time and I’m retired, a midday nap is often on the schedule. Settling into the pillows, I felt God inviting me to spend a little time praying about prayer ministry. So I did. God revealed to me that we as a people are not ready for Him to pour out His “Latter Rain” Holy Spirit. He wants us to be ready, and so I asked him, “What should we do? What do you have in mind?”

I wasn’t sure exactly what to do and no specific answer was forthcoming, so I wrote down some thoughts. God reminded me that:

• When He pours out his Spirit (The latter rain) He wants us to experience it!
• When His Spirit falls on His followers, of all stripes, He wants us to be among them.
• His Holy Spirit will be poured out on all of His people who are praying for it, and is not confined to one denomination.

These were exciting thoughts and insights and I want to take God seriously when he puts these thoughts in my heart. I have noticed that God has been giving similar thoughts to others about prayer and the Holy Spirit. Perhaps He has spoken to your heart.

Providentially, when the Lord place this impression on my heart, I decided to get up to make supper! Walking into the kitchen, I heard my phone ding. A live feed was on Instagram from Stephen Farr and Melissa. They were talking about 40-days of prayer. They were explaining that people need to pray together for each other and the Holy Spirit.  This was a jaw-dropping moment. Here my nap was interrupted with this thought and now here are two people (one who I know) saying nearly the same thing. And they were sharing how this would work and how to join in.

The Event

Stephen Farr* and Melissa* will start a 40-Day Prayer Challenge that starts March 31 and goes through May 9, 2021. Participants will read through the devotional book, 40 Days: Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming by Dennis Smith. Stephen and Melissa will be doing a recap of each devotional and time of prayer via Instagram live @unmistakablymelissa daily at 8 p.m. EST and Thursdays at 5 p.m. EST. This will also be live on Melissa’s YouTube Channel, “A Bible and a Girl.” Here is the link to the introduction: https://youtu.be/waJI00iKvx0 

Here is the link to the daily readings: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLABiMv3w38-J7uHiNB8CVOX_PxpRtdUCY

How to Join

First you choose a prayer partner to go through this with you, then you purchase the book, 40 Days: Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming, by Dennis Smith. Call the Adventist Book Center for this book, (800) 286-0161 or you can purchase this on Amazon or ordered directly from from www.spiritbaptism.org. Be sure to find the purple book. There are 8 similar books by Dennis Smith so find this exact title.

The prayer challenge is simple. Each partner reads the daily devotional and you set a time each day to call each other and pray together. Besides praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your lives you will also each choose five people to pray for. These people should be people who need to commit or recommit their lives to Jesus. The books have detailed prayer cards for each of the five people you choose to pray for.

Free Books for the first two to respond

I pray that many of you will join this event. It would be great to have a core group in UCC participating with Stephen and Melissa. I have found my prayer partner and ordered books. And the first two to contact me to join in the prayer challenge I have a book for you. I purchased 4 extra books so you and your prayer partner will have the books right away.

Expect to have your prayers answered. God is powerful!

If you cannot start on March 31 no problem. Each day’s live event will be available both on Instagram and on YouTube. I will also post the links on the resource page of our prayer site. www.uccsda.org/prayer

*To learn more about Stephen Farr and Melissa and more stories of answered prayer, read the whole story on our prayer web site.

* Who are the leaders?

Stephen Farr is the leader and he is a pastor in UCC that is finishing up his studies at Andrews University. He is currently the Andrews University Graduate Student Association chaplain. He will graduate this coming June and then be assigned to a church in UCC. Stephen met Melissa last Christmas through Instagram.  @unmistakablymelissa. God has given her a message to share the Gospel Commission with the world through His word, the Bible, and through Ellen White’s books. I know  you will enjoy this refreshing duo because they are both committed to Jesus and the truth in His word. Melissa has never been through a 40-day prayer event and looks forward to this experience.

Background of Prayer Events for Stephen Farr

Stephen began participating in the 10-days of prayer in 2008. This was before the 40-days books existed. Through the years he has written 80 names in the cover of the book he owns of people he has prayed for. Then 40-days Prayer Challenge books came out by Dennis Smith and he does this as a ministry in the churches in which he has pastored. He buys books for people he thinks should go through the prayer challenge and presents it to them. He feels the Holy Spirit leads him to people to go through this. He encourages people to choose to pray for those that you want to have a relationship with Jesus and to have a salvation experience. This is what the gospel is all about. Going from a life leading to death or a life leading to eternal life.

Answers to Prayer through the 40-Day Challenge

Stephen was discouraged about his health, not being able to run, he had learned about his dad’s stage four cancer and of course the lock downs due to Covid-19. He was asking God to do something in his life when he was walking through an airport in Florida this past Christmas. He opened his phone and saw @unmistakablymelissa. He read her story of how God told her to carry the message of Ellen White and the Bible to the people. He wrote to her and got to know her story. (I won’t share that here because you can find it on her YouTube and Instagram channels.) He began to pray for her. This was just four months ago. Since then he has watched God as she was able to connect with David Asscherick and Tye Gibson. Her ministry has grown exponentially since Stephen began praying for her. She went from just a few hundred followers to 7,000 in just a few months.

Another story of answered prayer

Angry that his sister had married Jason, Stephen decided to add Jason’s name to pray for as he started a 40-day Prayer Challenge. He went away to college. One day he got a call from his sister and she said, “Jason and I are going to evangelistic meetings.” Jason is now baptized and both he and his wife are involved in ministry. Stephen says, “I don’t even recognize my brother-in-law. God changed him.” Stephen did not tell Jason he was praying for him. He simply prayed.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me

will do the works I have been doing,

and they will do even greater things than these,

because I am going to the Father.

And I will do whatever you ask in my name,

so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14: 12-13.

Hashtags that will be used

#40dayblessings #andrewsuniversity #worldchangersmadehere #worldchangersforachangingworld 

Melissa’s Back Story

Melissa shares her back story on her YouTube channel.  Keep in mind that Melissa has a ministry to thousands of people who are searching for truth on social media. She provides it through the Bible and Ellen White's writings and leads them to Jesus and a relationship with him. https://youtu.be/5zQAXzoClsE