Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Michelle J. Goff

February is Iron Rose Sister Ministries’ Prayer Month—always has been, always will be. We prefer to adopt a “pray without ceasing” mentality, but it is encouraging when we can set aside a specific time to pray together over the same things.

As we usually do, we have made a Prayer Calendaravailable that has a prayer prompt and a scripture reference for each day. There is also an information page that has more detailed instructions about other Prayer Month activities, like the new Monday evening open prayer hour we are offering via Zoom.

The first of those Prayer Nights is tonight, February 1, 7pm Central (and all other time zones listed on the info page). We will have four Breakout Rooms: one for English-speaking women, one for Spanish-speaking women, one for women who want to pray and/or hear prayers in both English and Spanish, and finally one for men that want to join in prayer for Iron Rose Sister Ministries. Prayers in that room will also be in English and Spanish. The Zoom link for the Monday Prayer Nights is also on that info page.

Our biggest prayer for our Prayer Month is that each of us individually and all of us as a we join in prayer, will be redefined by it.

May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. (Ps. 141:2)

James 5:13-18 details many of the merits and purposes of prayer. As you read these verses below, mediate on how both the person doing the praying and the person being prayed over are being redefined by prayer, even before any answer to that prayer is revealed by God.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

How does the process of redefinition happen through prayer?
How have you been redefined by prayer in the past?
Are you ready to be redefined by prayer along with us this month?

Written by Liliana Henríquez, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colombia

"Two are better than one because…if one falls, the other raises him up…” (Ecc. 4:9-10). This passage is generally used when we speak about couples or marriages, but I have found that it also applies to prayer partners. I have had the joy of having very close friends with whom I have shared my most intimate prayer requests and we have come together to mutually intercede before God. Knowing that someone else is praying for my needs makes me feel appreciated and loved. And the fact that I can pray for the wishes of a dear friend allows me to express how much I love and appreciate her.

Partners of any kind have to be selected with great care and wisdom. Therefore, today I want to share with you some tips that could help you when choosing a prayer partner: 

• Make sure you choose a prudent friend, who makes you feel confident that she will not divulge your requests.
• If possible, choose someone who is also going through the same situation that you are or who has the same desire or project. This may help you feel more empathy on her part. Example: a work issue, infertility, etc.
• Each one of you can write your requests on a piece of paper and exchange them.
• Match each request with a promise or passage of scripture. This will make you feel supported by God. For example: If your request is, "Lord, allow me to understand your will," you could use this Bible verse: " I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Ps. 32:8 KJV).
• Prioritize your requests. As God responds, you can add other prayer requests.
• Define with your prayer partner, the time of the day when you will be connected in prayer. Some days you could pray from your home separately, and other days you could have a video call and pray together.
• Keep a written record with the start date of your prayers and the answers you receive from God as time progresses.

You will be surprised how quickly God responds when two people agree to intercede on a specific issue. It is God's will that we intercede for one another, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph. 6:18 KJV).

I encourage you not to pray alone, but to share your heart with a wise friend who can help you carry your burdens. Because two are better than one...

Do you already have a prayer partner?
Can we help connect you with one?

Written by Kat Bittner, member of Iron Rose Sister Ministries Board of Directors in Colorado Springs, CO

If the events of 2020 have taught us anything, it’s that life here on earth is increasingly unpredictable. Political unrest, social chaos, and a global pandemic left many of us questioning, “What next?” Some in the faith may have even wondered when God would just end it all and call us home. Amid all the ambiguity and anxiety, how do we settle our hearts into a state of rest? How do we find peace?

Peace amidst all the trouble can only be found in real relationship with God. A real relationship with God entails regular communication with Him. It depends on regular prayer. And if there was ever a time for developing or improving our prayer with God, 2020 was the catalyst for doing just that. Prayer has always been our intercessory means to God. It’s like fuel to an engine or water for the body. It is a crucial part of our life. And prayer is paramount to relationship with God.

Personally, 2020 redefined prayer as an immediate and more deliberate intercourse with God. It became a daily interchange with God rather than the occasional speaking to God. My prayers now involve a reading of Scripture followed by moments of silent reflection so that I might listen to what God has to say to me, too. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jer. 33:3, NKJV).

Prayer has become a genuine dialogue in that respect rather than a one-sided discourse. I call on God and He listens. “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jer. 29:12, NKJV). He calls me to Him and I listen. “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart" (Prov. 4:20-21, NKJV). Through prayer, God and I come together mutually. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, NKJV). As a result of this reciprocity in our relationship with God, His peace envelopes us. And when we accept the peace He offers us, we can assuage the anxiety of this world. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV).

Prayer is key. It is key to relationship with God. It is key to accepting the peace offered in Jesus Christ. And prayer is key to the unpredictability of our life here on earth. We need only to be mindful of it. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17, NKJV). Will you be mindful of prayer? Will you, too, be redefined by it?

MICHELLE: Katie, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about prayer. I know you are a prayer warrior, but I also know that prayer has not always looked the same in your life. Can you describe how it has been redefined for you over time?

KATIE: Where do I start? I have so many things that I want to share about prayer! I have so many notes and thoughts and examples, literally a lifetime of being redefined. I want to share a message of hope and encouragement. But I feel like if I don’t watch out you are going to get my life story through prayer.

My life - literally before I was born - was a prayer.

Me, my marriage, my family, my friendships, my works, Iron Rose Sister Ministries (IRSM) in particular…

The ministry would not be here if it were not for prayer. Prayer can be the alpha and omega of our lives, our days, our decisions and our relationships.

What a beautiful way to connect us with others and with our Father—the mission of IRSM—through prayer!

My prayers have redefined me in many, many ways.

Prayer has changed from a laundry list of requests to an open conversation.

Prayer can look different to many people but as a child of the 90’s in a small-town USA in a church of Christ it looked and sounded just about the same to me. It could be predicted almost as easily as the three songs and a prayer. I know now that there were prayer warriors in the room, one of which, who I never heard pray out loud while I was a child, may easily have been my own mother. She may not have formally prayed with me, but her willingness to listen and teach me to share played a part in my own prayer life.

As a child my nightly prayer was, “As I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Gigi, Grandma, Grandpa etc. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

My prayers as a child
My prayers in college
My prayers as a young mother
My prayers as a missionary
My prayers as a mother of young children - lots of anger
My prayers as a wife
My prayers as IRSM Board President

For a long time, I found my identity in being a missionary and therefore when that was missing I was scared and angry. I knew my identity was found in Christ, not in anything else… but I didn’t believe it or put it into practice until I was refined through prayer.

Prayer was where I found that identity, when my prayers were authentic and real—that lead to prayers with others that were the same way.

MICHELLE: Is there a facet of prayer that you feel has been especially transformative or redefining?

KATIE: One of the biggest examples for me which also has refined other most important relationships in my life is forgiveness. Unforgiveness in my life created a fear that was manifested as a warning sign of anger. My marriage and family were suffering and I found relief through forgiveness that comes through prayer. Not just prayer and not just forgiveness from God but open conversational, untraditional prayers with prayer warriors of different ages and strengths.

Right now, I am going to focus on the prayer of forgiveness and how it has removed the sin of anger in my life. It was a process of refinement that used the fire of forgiveness to remove the impurities of anger and unforgiveness that redefined the way I pray.

I cannot underestimate what prayer has done in my life. Like so many things in our relationship with God, it’s simple but not easy.

The simplest and most important message for this blog is that through prayer, real conversation with Eloah selikhot, God of forgiveness (Neh. 9:17), we can find forgiveness and transformation. Nehemiah chapter 9 is actually a beautiful example of prayer. My prayers have become conversations and meetings, and laughter, and tears.

MICHELLE: What a beautiful thought, to talk with the God of forgiveness! Is there anything else you have learned from Him?

KATIE: I am close to God when I recognize His presence and I believe “Pray without ceasing” is the fact that God is always with us and we need to recognize that.

I can look at passages of Jesus’ interactions and hear prayers of longing, cries for help and fulfilled promises. He shows so many examples of prayer—even His conversations with the disciples and restoration of sinners are prayers. When He lists the Beatitudes, He is saying these people are the blessed and blessing the faithful at the same time.

MICHELLE: What other blessings have you seen through prayer?

KATIE: Encouraging others to pray has been a great blessing for me. How? By praying in the moment. In a time of COVID one of the weirdest things has been the hesitation to hold hands during a prayer. Connecting to others physically during a prayer.

I would say that praying with you, Michelle, over the last 7 years has been 90% over the phone. But we have had a those very special moments, usually around your kitchen table where we were able to hold hands, many times with others, and pray it up!

We have prayed for peace, strength, births, deaths, thanksgivings, and forgiveness.

Many times, the prayer leads to action.

Being redefined changes the definition. God can literally change the definition of something that I am going through or change me.

Like the transformation of the cross… or the transformation of a butterfly… or the transformation through prayer.

MICHELLE: It sounds like God has redefined prayer itself for you. Would you agree?

KATIE: I have never been a very traditional prayer. My husband has questioned my banter with God. But those who know me well know that I can get lost in a conversation with my Father just as I can get lost in a conversation with others.

Writing this blog has produced pages of notes and reflections and conversations with a couple of my greatest prayer partners. They both agreed that my prayers are like conversation and jokingly that I can get lost in a prayer as I get lost in a conversation. They know that I think a missed opportunity for prayer is like the greatest conversation I never had. They have witnessed the interweaving of how our open and honest relationships combined with open and honest prayers have led to great things.

Iron Rose Sister Ministries is a beautiful example of the power of prayer in my life and in the refining of myself and Michelle especially. I will wait to talk more about that in a future blog.

As far as the takeaways from this moment… Pray. Lay your heart before God and especially when it comes to forgiveness for yourself or others don’t wait. I pray it will be a great conversation!

One final thought: Don’t let prayer be the greatest conversation you never had.

Written by Michelle J. Goff

When Iron Rose Sister Ministries first began in 2013, Board President, Katie Forbess, and I, Founder, Michelle J. Goff, knew that God had called us to greater things than we could imagine (John 14:12). Yet we did take the time to verbalize some of what we imagined as dreams and long-term goals, asking God constantly, through prayer, to reveal when would be the right time to fulfill them, drop them, or redefine them.

To explain some of that foresight and vision God provided, when initially registering the name of the nonprofit in Colorado, Iron Rose Sister Ministries was chosen, for multiple reasons. Iron, like iron sharpening iron from Proverbs 27:17. Rose from the uniqueness of the roses in God’s garden, each in different stages of their growth, and more beautiful together, in spite of our thorns. Sister because of how we are sisters in Christ, but also left in the singular for two reasons: 1) We each have a personal responsibility to be that Iron Rose Sister in other women’s lives, and 2) in Spanish, the plural for sister, “hermanas,” as a term that, when used by itself, also means “nuns,” which we are not! Finally, Ministries, in the plural because the English name and U.S. based registered nonprofit would be the parent company (or “big sister”) for other ministries in other languages over time.

Along with the initial registration of our name, we also registered the name Ministerio Hermana Rosa de Hierro, the Spanish equivalent, (Hermana-Sister, Rosa-Rose, and Hierro-Iron). But if you notice, Ministerio is the singular form (not MinisterioS). This is because it is one of the “little sister” companies of Iron Rose Sister Ministries.

Since the beginning, we have placed a priority on providing the same resources in English and in Spanish, in addition to the ways we modeled the use of those materials in bilingual contexts. Over time, we have seen how different needs in each language have altered some of our offerings in each language, for example, publishing the Spanish blog three days/week and the English blog only once weekly.

We are now also privileged to introduce Ministério Irmã Rosa de Ferro, the Portuguese branch as we begin, in the first part of this year, to roll out Portuguese materials! The need for Portuguese resources to equip the more than 106.5 million women in Brazil has been on our radar since “across the Americas” has always been a facet of our primary vision statement. However, we did not envision what God would do to open doors in Portuguese-speaking Africa, specifically in Angola and Mozambique!

We have partnered with Luso African Missions Partners International (Luso is like saying Portuguese-speaking in Africa). Their purpose is to help facilitate the translation of Bible study materials into Portuguese. LAMP, Int’l’s director, Nathan Holland, and I have been discussing the need for Portuguese women’s materials for years, but during COVID shut-downs, the timing was right for LAMP, Int’l to initiate their services and for Iron Rose Sister Ministries to partner with them, as well as develop our own Portuguese Team. There will be an International edition of the books, highlighting the African dialects. And the Brazilian edition, which will be distributed in Brazil and in the U.S. A new Portuguese-speaking mission team in south Florida is excited to receive these resources, as well.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Prov. 19:21)

This proverb comes to mind as I reflect on the way God has used prayer to guide, and even transform the timing and the direction of the initial dreams. Prayer has been integral in the redefining that has taken place in Iron Rose Sister Ministries and her “sister” ministries:Ministerio Hermana Rosa de Hierro and Ministério Irmã Rosa de Ferro. It is our prayer that God continue to redefine our dreams and guide us each step of the way.

A special thank you to our Iron Rose Sisters and Iron Rose Sister Ministries Partners all across the world who continue to dream and grow with us through your prayers and your support!