“The Prayer Team” is a daily devotion written by Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis, written every day since February 2015. Fr. Stavros is the Parish Priest at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, Florida. It began in February 2015 as an opportunity to write more on the subject of prayer and now has branched into other subjects.
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and Read more
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, Read more
I said “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I bridle my mouth, so long as the wicked are in my presence.” I was dumb and silent, I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse and my heart became hot within Read more
God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 One year at summer camp, after doing an activity where everyone encouraged each other, I asked the campers, “How do you all feel?” They said “We feel really full.” Read more
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, Read more
O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Psalm 71:12 Is there a day of the week where you are more likely to sin? Or least likely? My answer for the day I’m most likely to sin is Wednesday. Why Wednesday? Every Sunday, Read more
Moses said to the Lord, “See, Thou sayest to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet Thou hast said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray Thee, Read more
Now when Jesus saw great crowds around Him, He gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; Read more
Teach me the way I should go, for to Thee I lift up my soul. Deliver me, O Lord from my enemies! I have fled to Thee for refuge! Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Let Thy good Spirit lead me on a level path! Read more
For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life (soul)? For what can a man give in return for his life (soul)? Mark 8:36-37 One of the most egregious (in my opinion) mistranslations in the Bible is in Mark 8:36-37. The word which Read more
The Lord said this parable: “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he Read more
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant Read more