If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:22)

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18)

Each year about this time the NCAA enters their national basketball tournament. College teams from around the nation seek to win the championship or at least make the final four. This season of competition is described as “March Madness.” To win, teams incorporate various strategies to defeat their opponents.  One such strategy is entitled the “full court press.” This strategy describes one team’s effort to distract and confuse their opponent by applying intense defensive pressure all over the court to prevent the other team from easily passing the ball and scoring.

People of faith, Lent is a time when the people of faith may apply a full court press in prayer to apply pressure against the evil that is attacking our world.

Ash Wednesday, March 1, marked the beginning of the Lenten season. In response to our lord and savior’s gift of salvation and the great cost to him, the church observes Lent, the 40 days prior to Easter, to examine our lives as followers as we seek to eliminate anything in our lifestyles that hinders a closer relationship with Christ.

As part of our full court press, the Covenant family is reading “Drawing the Circle - A 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson. Since the kickoff of the book on Ash Wednesday, we will be reading a chapter daily, and then on each Wednesday from March 1 to April 5 we will be meeting for discussion of the topic for that day and participate in prayer. 

Prayer is the power and strength of the church.  This is how God speaks, leads, and guides us into our purpose and mission as disciples.

If you are unable to attend each Wednesday, please attend the ones you can.  I encourage you to read and meditate on the short chapters and pray daily.  Our goal is to put the enemy under the full court press in order that we might grow spiritually and numerically.