Good Morning Worshipers! Let us prepare our hearts to worship in Spirit and Truth and to enter His courts with thanksgiving! What praises, thanksgivings, and Kingdom stories do you have to share and celebrate with us today? I know God has used some of us and given us stories to share, tests that have become testimonies, and supernatural workings of God we all need to hear and celebrate. Come! Let us worship!

I'm thankful God is delivering me and preparing me to lead today. May has been quit the journey! BUT GOD! He has used it and will lead me from it pruned and ready for some good fruit production. PTL! He is the Potter. We need to remember we are the clay and to stay supple and moldable in His artistic hands. For we are His masterpieces, made new in Christ, to do the things he created and gifted us to do. What's you part in His Good News Delivery Company, masterpiece? What are you created, gifted, molded, and empowered to do for such a time as this? Let's discuss that, discover together and stay committed to praying into this! Check out the I to We devo about this below. I love how God often affirms what He's been saying and leading us to. Eph. 2:10 is one of our foundational purposes and we are His masterpieces, made new to do what we are created for. PTL!

Today we will pray, seek to grow in our connection to the Vine and discover some of our purposes as we pray and discern together. Our fruit grows from staying connected to and abiding in the Vine before and as we step out in faith to His plans. That often takes dying to self and crucifying our comfort to follow Jesus better. How's that going? How can we help each other? Check out the Upper Room below about this. Stepping out in faith and releasing our comfort for His stretching can be fear causing. Fear not for God is with you--always and he is always working all things together for good. lean not on your own understanding. Trust God to lead to His best plans for you and then be bold and courageous as you step out with Jesus and some partners. Check out The Word for You Today below about trusting God and stepping from comfort zones that will lead to good and lasting fruit! And then wrap up with the Connection prayer blog as you still self, seek and abide in preparation for what's next. I'm praying for you and God is cheering you and us on! Come! let us enter His courts with praise!

I to We

 

UR: Divine Connection

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5 (NIV)

In this age of the internet, it can be difficult to go about life as usual when connectivity is suddenly lost. All communication seems to come to a standstill. This happened to us when our home internet connection was interrupted. There was a loud pop, and then our Wi-Fi cut off. We couldn’t do any work on our computer or laptop. We had to depend on our limited mobile-phone data to complete our work and connect with others. Later we figured out that the Wi-Fi had been cut off due to a faulty power adapter.

Just like an internet connection, our spiritual connection with God can break down too. Unresolved sin in our lives can build up and make us feel distant from God.

If a strong internet connection is so important to our daily lives, how much more crucial is our spiritual connection with God! Without it, we can do nothing. We are like branches without a vine, a tree without its roots. But we can maintain a close connection with God by reading scripture, acting on our faith, and sharing the love of God with others, especially those who need hope in their lives.

Today's Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the connection we have with you through Jesus Christ. Draw us near to you, and help us to rely on you. Amen.

TWFYT

 

Connection

June 1 - Kingdom-Minded Prayer

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3) Even as a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17), our “natural man” spirit (sin nature) fights against any prayer practice—much less allowing a habit to form—that would seek to put our own prayer agenda in a secondary and submissive posture to anyone else’s, even God’s! However, as we grow in our Christian walk with the Lord, we begin to note the prayer priorities of not only Jesus, but also men like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Paul, James, Peter, and John; and women like Hannah, Esther, Ruth and Mary. Time and time again each of these individuals put the agenda and will of God at the top of their prayer list. Unashamedly and unhesitatingly they acknowledged that they preferred God’s will for their life more than their own. Additionally, their prayers for others focused much more often on their spiritual rather than physical needs or desires! The Apostle Paul was totally committed to this “kingdom-minded” prayer habit; opening and closing his nine NT letters to churches in various cities with a “spiritual blessing” prayer. Is there a sweeter or more submissive-to-God’s-will prayer than that of the young woman, Mary, who prayed—when she was told of her Holy Spirit conception—“Behold, the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). Is that not the same kingdom-minded prayer commitment Jesus expressed in His final Garden of Gethsemane prayer. Knowing the crucifixion was imminent, He prayed: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Lk. 22:42). Lord God, You have blessed me with so many amazing examples of kingdom-minded pray-ers who lived their lives yielded to Your will. Heal me of my selfish desires that would focus upon my own wants and needs rather than Your plans and purposes. Help me to remember to pray with the mind of Christ because my life is now hidden with Him. Not my will but Yours be done! --Adapted from Giving Ourselves to Prayer: An Acts 6:4 Primer for Ministry (Chapter 26, Habits of Effective Pray-ers by Dennis Connor). This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.