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Saturday, July 06 2024
Good Morning Praying, Faithful, Friends of God! Jesus said we are no longer enemies of God and He taught us how to pray. PTL! Through our free gift of faith that we received from God, we find ourselves becoming more connected to Him, more faithful and trusting and obedient and really wanting to work at becoming more like Jesus. As His friends, He helps us, teaches us, molds us and leads us to His best. What joy we know in Christ! -These seem to be the theme threading through our devotionals for today (below). I'm going to let you sit at His feet and chat today as you spend time with Him through the devos. What's God saying to you?
We have much to celebrate and some things to keep working on. We also have some great things to discover yet in our journey to Christlikeness and for growing His Church. What's your custom part in all of that? Ask Him and for what He wants you to do next. Then do it! Tomorrow we will celebrate some of the great stories we have of God's faithfulness, share some of the dreams and visions He's given us to move forward and pray into His plans earnestly. Start with these devos and then intercede for tomorrow for His good works to be celebrated, His plans to come to life, His presence to overwhelm us and for His Kingdom to come and will to be known and done. Thanks!
Mediate on the prayer Jesus taught us as well: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come and will be done on earth as in heaven, Provide for all our needs today. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Forgive us our sins and help is to forgive and love as we have been forgiven and loved. May we live and love like You more in '24. For we want to honor You because You alone are worthy and Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory. Amen! Be glorified as You lead us Lord. Amen!
UR: To Know God
“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 22:16 (NIV)
As a teenager, I was often asked, “How is your relationship with God?” I was unsure how to respond because I could not hear the voice of God as it seemed others in the church could. Could I sincerely say that I knew God?
I prayed and asked God to speak to my heart.
The more I prayed and studied scripture, the more God worked in my heart. God did not speak to me as often as I wanted, but God did not leave me without an answer.
In Jeremiah 22:16, the prophet tells us what it means to know God: to do what is right and just and to defend the cause of the poor and needy. And Jesus rebuked the Pharisees saying, “You have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matt. 23:23). Live and work for truth, justice, goodness, but do not forget prayer and the study of scripture. Then, without a doubt you will be able to say, “I know God!”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for sending answers to our prayers that change our thinking and move us toward a fuller knowledge of who you are and how you call us to live. Amen.Harvest blogs:
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This week and this year each of us will face many different experiences. Problems will arise, burdens will come. Decisions will need to be made and many are life-altering. You might be facing some today. If not today, then soon.
What will we do? If we are serious followers of Jesus, we know we must pray, because only prayer brings God into the middle of our circumstances. God has created us in His image. As such, we have a certain level of control. We can decide to do things without God, or prayerfully invite Him in.
If we try to handle life alone, we will quickly discover that our mere humanity will fail us.
We all want to pray effectively. No one desires to lift some flimsy, selfish prayer that accomplishes little, but the "effective, fervent prayer" that “accomplishes much," of which James 5:16 speaks.
Jesus, as always, gives us the answer for effective prayer. He models for us the perfect prayer to pray in any situation—the prayer that is always rewarded: "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” (John 12:27-28, emphasis mine)
Lord Jesus, my prayer life has fallen woefully short of Your example as You yielded Yourself to the will of the Father in the garden. Your word says that when I am weak, that is when You are the strongest in my life. Please look on the situation I am in, the people I am praying for, and all that I should be bringing to You in prayer that I have decided I have the right to fix myself. Remind me that You, the Almighty God, are on the other end of my prayer, seated on the throne of heaven, and that You alone have the authority to dwell in that place. It is not about seeking my own solution or answer, but Yours. Father, help me to see that You alone are to be glorified in the midst of my prayers!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God as the one who will soon crush Satan under your feet (Rom. 16:20).
- Thank him for revealing the mysteries of his salvation to you (16:25-27).
- Asking God to show you your sin, confess any ways in which you have been involved in causing divisions in Christ’s people or have put up obstacles that impeded the spread of his Word (16:17-18).
- Commit yourself to being “wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (16:19).
- Pray for workers to go into the harvest fields of the world. Ask God to prompt his people to abundant contributions of finances, prayer, and encouragement to send these missionaries.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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ODB:
Pastor Bailey’s newfound friend shared with him the story of his abuse and addiction. Though the young man was a believer in Jesus, because of his exposure to sexual abuse and pornography at an early age, he was plagued with a problem that was bigger than he was. And in his desperation, he reached out for help.
As believers in Christ, we wage war with unseen forces of evil (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). But we’ve been given weapons to fight our spiritual battles. They aren’t the weapons of the world, however. On the contrary, we’ve been given “divine power to demolish strongholds” (v. 4). What does that mean? “Strongholds” are well-built, secure places. Our God-given arms include “weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense” (6:7 nlt). Ephesians 6:13-18 expands the list of things that help protect us, including the Scriptures, faith, salvation, prayer, and the support of other believers. When faced with forces bigger and stronger than us, appropriating these munitions can make the difference between standing and stumbling.
God also uses counselors and other professionals to help those who struggle with forces too big to tackle alone. The good news is that in and through Jesus, we needn’t surrender when we struggle. We have the armor of God!
By Arthur Jackson
REFLECT & PRAY
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Who might you reach out to for support in your personal struggle? What spiritual armor will you put on?
Dear Jesus, You’re more powerful than any force—seen or unseen. I need Your presence and power to be at work in me today.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Putting on spiritual armor to fight our spiritual enemy is a theme throughout the New Testament. Believers in Jesus need His help and guidance to navigate this life and “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). That’s why He’s given us His armor to equip us. Paul calls us to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12 esv). In Ephesians 6:13-18, the apostle details what makes up the armor of God: “the belt of truth,” “the breastplate of righteousness,” “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace,” “the shield of faith,” “the helmet of salvation,” and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Through faith, by God’s grace, we receive salvation and the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us strength to fight, and our faith shields us from the enemy’s attacks.
Alyson Kieda |
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Saturday, July 06 2024
Thank God I'm Forgiven! PTL! Hallelujah! AMEN! How often do you question this? STOP! If you belong to Christ (You have asked Him to come live in you, forgive you, change you--You belong to God. PERIOD!) You were one way, came to Him, are forgiven, and now working on becoming more like Him, and now a new way and growing into your new nature as you shed the old more and more. PTL! TGIF! All of this ties to our devotionals below. Check them out prayerfully and prepare for the day God has planned for you. Rejoice!
Good Morning Transformed, Bold, Disciples and Apostles! Well this is probably part of the becoming process as you work on becoming more like Jesus and grow in these things. That's the perfect place to be as you humble yourself, die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus daily. Have you earnestly asked God to examine your life, ways and choices and thin out the junk and hindrances? We are a work in process, and prayerfully, progress. Tis the season to be weeding our gardens and harvesting some fruit, veggies and flowers. I've been doing tons of weeding lately physically and spiritually. How about you? I'm anxiously awaiting the promised good fruit from my efforts. What needs some weeding in your life? What are you doing about it? Yesterday a dear friend and I pondered this as we are both looking at what the last working years of our lives should look like and how to shed the good and better things for God's best. There's some weeding that needs to happen for the best fruit God has planned for us as we trust and follow Him. Jesus' modeled healthy rhythm of pruning, abiding, preparing and then good fruit production (the semi-circle) came to mind and the reminder of working from rest and pruning, abiding then fruit came to mind. What might God be stirring you to work on? God has some really good plans for you or He would have called you home. They are custom made for you for whatever season you are in. Focus in on those, shed the peripheral things that are ok but not His best. I think as we age we get better at this out of necessity and the new reality that we really cannot do it all or do all the things we used to. We learn to travel light and focus on the most important things. I wish I had learned and applied this earlier in life! BUT GOD is gracious and as we focus on Him, He helps us to shed the old and step into the new more earnestly. PTL! What are you focused on as you enter the last leg of the race set before you? What will you do about that? As I am learning this, God keeps stirring me to disciple and help others learn all this sooner in life and to choose God's best over self. I often think about how different my life would be had I learned and embraced and chose to live this way earlier in life. Who might God be bringing to your mind to mentor in this? Start praying for them and opportunities and boldness to go share in love and disciple well. Soon our building will be ready to accommodate small groups of disciple makers year round to gather in small discipleship groups. Pray into that and how may want to use you and who is drawing to join Him and us in this. Hone in on His best and pursue the very best and lasting fruit like Jesus, disciples and apostles. Amen! It only take mustard seed size faith to produce amazing fruit! PTL!
Check out our devotionals below and how they all tie to this. There is a thread. Do you see it? What's God saying to you today? Who are you processing and planning with? Who is God calling you to invite in? What will you focus in on and do? Daylights burning! Pray, Receive, Focus, Process, plan, GO! You are custom made for such a time as this! Great fruit is ripening! Can you taste it? Check out the Harvest Blog at the bottom because some of you will need to work on this and at turning off the noise, releasing anxiety to God and to obey by praying for our leaders, putting the country and world in His hands in prayer and refocusing on the things that He has for you to change the world one soul at a time. help us Lord! Amen!
ODB:
A longtime friend sent me a note after my husband’s death: “[Alan] was . . . a grappler with God. He was a real Jacob and a strong reason why I am a Christian today.” I’d never thought to compare Alan’s struggles with the patriarch Jacob’s, but it fit. Throughout his life, Alan struggled with himself and wrestled with God for answers. He loved God but couldn’t always grasp the truths that He loved him, forgave him, and heard his prayers. Yet his life had its blessings, and he positively influenced many.
Jacob’s life was characterized by struggle. He connived to get his brother Esau’s birthright. He fled home and struggled for years with his kinsman and father-in-law, Laban. Then he fled Laban. He was alone and afraid to meet Esau. Yet he’d just had a heavenly encounter: “The angels of God met him” (Genesis 32:1), perhaps a reminder of his earlier dream from God (28:10-22). Now Jacob had another encounter: all night he wrestled with a “man,” God in human form, who renamed him Israel, because he “struggled with God and with humans and [overcame]” (32:28). God was with and loved Jacob despite and through it all.
All of us have struggles. But we’re not alone; God is with us in each trial. Those who believe in Him are loved, forgiven, and promised eternal life (John 3:16). We can hold fast to Him.
By Alyson Kieda
REFLECT & PRAY
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When have you wrestled with God? How is it comforting to know He’s with you in your struggles?
Dear God, please help me to bring my questions and troubles to You knowing You hear them. One day my questions will be no more.
For further study, read Making Decisions God’s Way.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jacob’s wrestling match with a stranger, who turns out to be God in human form (Genesis 32:24-30), marks a turning point in his life and is the event that explains the origin of the name of the nation of Israel. The name Israel can be translated “the one who strives with God” or “God strives.” Israel is a combination of the Hebrew words sarah (“to rule,” “contend with,” or “strive”) and El, the Hebrew name for God. Jacob names the place of his life-changing encounter with God Peniel, which means “the face of God.”
Monica La Rose |
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Upper Room: Prayer Changes Us
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
Years ago, an assistant pastor of the church to which I belonged at that time spoke to me in such angry tones that I wanted to change churches. However, since I was in charge of a special ministry in that church with people depending on me, I stayed.
The last thing I wanted to do was pray for that pastor, but I did. At first, my prayers were not charitable. However, as time went on, I began to pray certain Bible verses for him. Over time, our interactions became more friendly. Six years after the initial incident, at the farewell reception that the church held for him and his wife before they moved to another state, that pastor hugged me and said he appreciated my devotion to ministry.
From that situation I learned not to take it so seriously when someone offends me; the circumstances can, and probably will, change. And I discovered that it is difficult to continue to feel angry toward someone for whom I am praying. Our criticism of others often will not change anything, but our prayers certainly will.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Gracious Lord, thank you for the way prayer changes us and changes others. Give us the courage to keep praying in difficult times. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Harvest Blogs:
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July 5 - Honor Those Who Govern
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Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:17)
These four commands of Scripture will revolutionize our lives if both understood and obeyed. Honor everyone. Honor means to esteem, value at a price, or reverence. Biblically it is considering others as more important than ourselves. Love your brothers and sisters. This is seeking the highest good of others through Christ. Fear God. Stand in holy awe of our God. Honor the emperor. This is the greatest challenge of them all and seems counterintuitive to our normal way of thinking. Reverence your leaders, your president, mayor, or governor as someone appointed by God and pray for their success in governing wisely.
Father, today we have lost our sense of honor. At this moment I begin to honor you, reverence you, and esteem you above all. I esteem and submit to your perfect Word, even when I do not fully understand it. Enable me and your people to honor everyone. Forgive me now for the specific ways I have dishonored others in word and deed. Empower me to love my brothers and sisters in Christ. Give me specific ways to both treasure them and practical ways to serve them in this season. I cry out today for holy fear of God to be brought back to your church. Teach us to trust you with all our hearts and to lean not on our own understanding. May the awe of you and your name take root in your people so we once again will be known as those who fear you. You know that we live in a season when dishonor is far more common than honor. To honor those who lead us as president, mayor, and governor seems insincere and tainted with evil. Forgive me and forgive us for vilifying those you’ve placed in office and those who are running for office. Give us the gift of honor, so we can learn to esteem even those with whom we disagree by displaying your love and grace towards them in word and deed. Right that which is wrong in me, in my family, community, and city. Display honor and grace through my life and choices today.
--Adapted from Praying God’s Word Over Your City: 40 Days of Prayer for A Transformed Community by Trey and Mary Anne Kent. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God for the depth of the riches of his wisdom and knowledge (Rom.11:33).
- Give thanks that “from him and through him and to him are all things” (11:36).
- Confess times of thinking that God owes you favors or explanations (11:35).
- Commit yourself to thinking deeply about God until you come to the end of your ability to understand.
- Ask God to help you reach that point with wonder and amazement rather than doubt or cynicism (11:33-36).
- Pray that God will help all believers to be students of his ways with eyes to see and minds to understand more of his caring control. Ask that God’s kingdom will soon come in fullness.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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Saturday, July 06 2024
Good Morning Free in Christ, Dependent upon God, Transformed, World Changers! PTL! That is what we are growing to become as a Body and individually! Today we celebrate those who stood for, fought for and gave their all for--our freedom from tyranny and liberty! This nation was birthed and built upon God's good ways of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think that is reflected from Solomon's conclusion to Ecclesiastes, "The best life, God's best for us, is to love God with all our hearts and enjoy life in Him." (my paraphrase). For us today, that's learning to live and love more like Jesus and doing more of what we are created and gathered to do for such a time as this. Today we celebrate our independence as a nation and also pray for and remember those fighting for our freedoms here and around the world. And we thank God for our freedom in Christ, worship Him, and seek His will and plans for us to transform this nation through leading those around us to the love, life, and liberty found only in Christ. May God bless America and America bless God again! And may He continue to bless and lead us to become world changers of Christ! Amen! Check out the Harvest Blogs below for more on praying into all of this that overflows to action.
The Word for You Today reminds me of the bold sacrifices of those who founded this nation and those throughout history that lived, breathed and fought for God's Kingdom to advance. We are reminded in Joshua that we get to chose Kingdom life and to be bold and courageous. What are you choosing? Who are you choosing? We are also reminded that the battle is the Lord's and He has already decreed and won the victory. Turn off all the noise and chaos and hatred being spewed all around and chose God, Love and bold faith to stand firm in and for Christ. Keep fighting on your knees and through your choices and actions for His Kingdom to advance and His will to be done. We are in God's hands as Charles Stanley reminds us today. He is the King of the Universe and Lord of our lives in Christ. Amen! He created us and placed us here for such a time as this. PTL! So what's your role in His Kingdom and your part in helping us to advance it? Pray into that and let us choose to be about our Father's business together! We are sent to change the world one soul at a time! That comes about as we die to self and live this life as if Christ is all that matters. Check out the Upper Room that reminds us of our mission to transform by being love and living and loving like Jesus. Let us don His easy yoke and go love well and allow God to use that to transform this nation and advance His Kingdom one soul at a time! AMEN!
COME! Fill us! Prepare us! Cloak us in Your armor as we don the easy yoke and go love as we are created to do for such a time as this! Thank You for our freedoms and for placing us here! May we be about your business and live and love more earnestly like Jesus. Unite and bless your people to go bless this nation and may this nation bless You again! Yes Come! Your will be done and use us! And Father, please bless and protect those fighting for our freedoms here and around the world. Provide for their needs and protect them and their families. Brings Your shalom. Bless our wounded warriors too and provided for their needs. Raise up Your revival army as we humble ourselves, repent of our wicked ways and pray. Heal our land and use us well! The battle is Yours and already won! Thank You! All for Your glory Lord! Your Army in One and in His name we ask! Amen!
Harvest Blogs:
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Happy 4th of July from Harvest Prayer and OneCry!
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July 4 - Freedom to Pursue the Heart of God
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And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. (Acts 19:8)
When you consider the inalienable rights identified in the Declaration of Independence—gifts given to us by God—you see that “liberty” comes right after “life.” To truly understand what that liberty is and why it must again be declared and defended in our nation, we need to start with a very specific liberty—religious liberty. Why? Because it is truly our first freedom.
Do you recall the story of the Pilgrims? They hold a special place in our hearts as models for setting aside time to give thanks to God our provider and sustainer. But they also influenced the founding spirit of our nascent nation with their commitment to liberty. The Pilgrims famously arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 after fleeing persecution for their faith in Europe. Once on this side of the Atlantic, they proceeded to establish the Mayflower Compact— a covenant made expressly before God, and which upheld religious toleration.
Wave after wave of settlers came here and embraced the Pilgrims’ desire to freely pursue faith and freedom, and this became a core element of America’s DNA. In fact, religious liberty became so foundational to the framework of our nation that it was actually incorporated as the very first freedom designated for protection in the Bill of Rights.
Now, our nation’s Founders didn’t come up with this idea on their own. It is based on ideals from the Bible. We know all people have dignity as individuals made in the image of God, and we quickly see in the early chapters of Genesis that part of that dignity includes a freedom to choose right from wrong. In the New Testament, too, we find that Jesus does not force decisions on His hearers and that gospel missions are based on persuasion, not coercion. Ultimately, robust faith requires every one of us to choose for ourselves whom we will serve.
We must focus our intercessory attention on this first freedom— to freely pursue God’s heart—for without it we are lost as a nation. May Americans never falter in cherishing the freedom to choose Christ and to worship Him freely. May we be a people of true and robust faith.
Lord God Almighty, thank You for the spiritual seeds of thanksgiving, faith, and freedom that the Pilgrims sowed in our land. Please stretch me, and every other believer who wants to see America remain a beacon of light for religious liberty in our world, towards a deeper level of intercession than we have ever known! Gather Your people and Your Church together to ask that each person in this nation will cherish our liberty to seek and honor You freely. May hearts in our land turn fully to You, Lord Jesus, and may we choose to serve You wholeheartedly!
--Adapted from We Declare: 31 Days of Intercession for America by David Kubal. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God verbally, saying, “Jesus is Lord” (Rom. 10:9).
- Thank Christ for fulfilling God’s law for you and granting you his righteousness (10:4).
- Confess any attempts you are still making to earn righteousness and favor with God.
- Commit to a lifestyle of confessing the lordship of Jesus.
- Ask God to remove any lingering distrust (10:11).
- Pray for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done on your part of the earth as it is in heaven. Ask that the lordship of Christ, which we confess verbally, will be applied in just and righteous actions.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here.
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TWFYT:

Charles Stanley:

Upper Room; Love Your Neighbor
[The expert in the law] answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” - Luke 10:27 (NIV)
I moved from Moscow to North Carolina to live with my daughter and son-in-law. Since they worked many hours, I often stayed at home alone. Three months after moving I didn’t have any new friends because I didn’t speak English. Missing my extended family and church community in Russia, I was depressed.
Then on my morning walk one day, I met a neighbor named Nancy whose heart is full of love for those in need. Even though my English was limited, Nancy showed interest in me. She called my daughter, and with Nancy’s encouragement, my daughter enrolled me in an English course. Nancy became a good Samaritan to me, offering friendship, support, transportation to church, and help with English.
The Bible teaches us to love and care for those who suffer as we would care for ourselves. Suffering is not always easy to spot, and it comes in many forms. But the Holy Spirit guides us as we look for ways to care for others. Loving your neighbor includes acknowledging those in need and caring for them with love.
TODAY'S PRAYER
God of love, help us to acknowledge and care for others as you care for us. Amen.
Saturday, July 06 2024
See Sarah's prayer blog below. Note the girl who passed at the races last night was only 34. I knew her and talked about God at times with her. Pray for Kayla's family.
Good Morning Training, Bold, Disciple Makers! That is us and we are working at that More in '24. Check out The Word for You Today and Charles Stanley devos below that tie to this. We are training and working on running our races well focused on Jesus and His purposes. We are working on seeking God for our custom made purposes and doing them as we pray for boldness and to get moving. God has great plans for us! May we be found faithful and moving towards His greater things for us. I was reminded last night how short life is and the urgency for sharing the Good News with other and connecting them to God and training them to be Jesus' disciple makers. What's your part? Who need to hear the Good news and meet Jesus and experience His love through you? What are you gonna do about that? Who are you partnering with? Pray! Prepare and GO! Live and love like Jesus boldly! Amen!
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Sarah email:
Hope you are having a good week. Weather hasn't been too bad to deal with, and we won't complain, will we!
Just a few thoughts I wanted to share with you:
A true fact about a zebra and their baby's relationship. Did you know that when a Momma zebra has her baby, she will take her baby and remove themselves from the herd. They will spend approximately 2 to 3 weeks apart from everyone else.
It's during that time that Momma and baby are bonding; getting to know one another. That baby is learning to identify with his momma. He is checking over every stripe on her head. So that when they return to the herd, he will have no trouble locating his momma.
Even though you may look at any zebra's head and think their striping is all the same, it actually is different - they are uniquely and wonderfully created by God.
I got to thinking about the Momma Zebra and baby's early on in life routine - and how that is very important in the life of the baby - so they get to know their momma, to feel safe and secure; to know who their momma is if they are feeling threatened, they will know where to find momma who makes them feel safe.
Reflecting on my Jesus journey, this reminds me of the times that Jesus spent time alone with His Heavenly Father. He spent time with Him to find comfort, to pray for others, to ask advice, to feel and grow closer to Him.
In Matthew 14:13 - Jesus withdrew by boat to a solitary place after hearing that John the Baptist had been beheaded.
Mark 6:31-32 - Jesus told His disciples to come with Him to a quiet place to rest after many people were coming and going. After Jesus fed the 5000, scripture tells us that Jesus went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray after dismissing the crowds.
Matthew 6:6 Jesus told His followers to go into their room, close the door and pray to their Father in secret.
While Jesus spent time alone with His Heavenly Father and saw and experienced the benefit of that time well spent, Jesus also taught His disciples to retreat and be alone with God.
As a disciple, a follower of Jesus, He is trying to teach us the same lesson. He is telling us - we need to get alone and spend time in prayerful conversation with God.
While some of you may be skeptics and say or think to yourself: "What's the benefit to doing that?" Let me share a few, what I think are very solid benefits to spending alone time with God:
- You get to know God even better - spending time with God in a group can be beneficial however spending time alone with God helps you to know Him in a different way. God wants a personal relationship with each of us - He knows all about us, and still loves us and wants to hang out with us.
- We renew our strength when we spend time with God. Isaiah 40:31 "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint"
- When we spend time with God, we will receive enlightenment and wisdom
- Staying close to God - spending time alone with God will help us stay closer to Him throughout our day and help us to hear His voice better.
So I haven't any good reasons why we shouldn't follow Jesus' advice and not spend time with Him.
Here's the challenge: Make a conscience effort in your day, to step away from everything around you and spend time with our awesome God.
Watch and be ready to receive - you WILL get to connect with Him in the deepest areas of your heart. He will give you wisdom, encouragement and direction.
You are strengthened and fortified when life is hard. God will give you His strength in your weakest and most challenging season.
Come on - accept the challenge - you have nothing to lose, but much to gain, by spending that alone time with our Awesome God!
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Prayer needs:
Jamie - daughter of Chris and Yvonne Muik - medical test and waiting results and treatment.
Tracy Huber is suffering from some sever vertigo.
A woman that Pastor Don knows, died suddenly in the stands at the race track (Tuesday night). She was in her 40's. Please keep her family, friends, and those that surrounded her tonight in your prayers.
Ramon Susa - dealing with some health issues and unanswered medical questions. Praying for test results to come.
Mark Henninger - healing from cataract surgery
Cheryl Clauser (Milidine Waterman's sister in law) had her pacemaker repaired and now home and regaining her strength.
Thank you all for praying for those mentioned and not mentioned. Please continue to pray for one another and our home bound. If anyone has any prayer requests and would like pray for please let Pastor Don or myself know and we will make sure that our warriors are aware of the need.
Bread ministry today (Wednesday) pray for all our volunteers, for those that will come through our doors, and for all that will be sharing God's love.
Have a great rest of your week everyone!
Blessings,
Sarah
Saturday, July 06 2024
Note: We have not received the new Upper Room devotionals yet. I will try include them at the bottom until we get them or if, like today, they tie to this blog.
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Good Morning God's Revival Vessels! Pronounce that over you and us right now and join in prayer...Oh Please Lord! We cry out for revival and may it begin in me and us and through us! Raise up a longing remnant that cries out, releases your power over our neighborhoods, communities and nation. COME King of the Revival! We humble ourselves before you. We repent of our wicked ways and cry out in prayer for You to come and heal our land. COME JESUS! Amen!
I think we are all yearning for revival and for our nation to come back to God and His ways. We are His faithful remnant working for revival. But we are not seeing a lot of fruit. We are working towards becoming a dynamic movement of God but to do so need to move from adding a few members here and there to multiplying disciples and to work on becoming a House of Prayer for the Nations. That's revival as many people come back to God or realize their need for God and the folly of their ways and are drawn to His people who can teach them and help them to become more like Jesus. Please meditate on Dave Butts blog today and the Upper Room too (below). God is calling us to prayer and to be His vessels of revival.
I've been crying out for God to lead us to what our part is right now as we cry out and prepare for revival. And He said, "That's it!" PRAY! PREPARE! Watch what I am about to do and be ready to join me. Release my will in heaven and on earth through powerful praying. Could adding AC to the FH be part of His plans for us? I believe so as we prepare a space to continue ministry to our neighbors year round. For sure praying, preparing, planning and reaching out to those He is drawing from the fires of Hell is all part of our call! And then preparing disciple making disciples is our on-going part. What's your part and easy yoke? We will discuss some of this Sunday and begin to earnestly cry out for revival. Yes Come Lord! Revive us! Amen!
In another devo I read today I asked this question of God last year: "What if the desire of our hearts was God and for His things instead of for our perceived needs and wants and even sinful things? What if we lived as if Christ is all that matters and that He wanted to live and love through me? What if we embraced Jireh (God is all we need)?" He is more than enough and has plans for us that are more than we could dream or imagine! PTL! Daylight is burning BUT GOD! He is lighting the fires of revival and wanting to use His longing, praying, preparing remnant! May we be found faithful and ready and responding well! Amen!
Dave Butts:
When God Shows Up in Church
By Dave Butts
Christians around the world are praying for revival. What are they praying for and do they have good reason to expect revival? Is revival something God wants to do for His people today? To answer these questions, we need to understand that God has always worked in the area of revival with His people. From the earliest days of Israel, on through the history of the Church, God’s method of dealing with His people has been to grant periodic times of special blessing in which His presence is made manifest and His people are drawn back to Him. The result of that is a changed society.
Perhaps the clearest view of revival can be seen by looking back at Israel in the Old Testament. Historians tell us that there are seven major revivals in the Old Testament. I would suggest that if you take away the word “major” there are somewhere between fifteen and sixteen revivals. Very clear, distinct times, in which the people of God were restored to a time of religious excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment with a resultant change in society.
You typically see something like this: Israel, as a people, called by God to make a difference…called to be a light to the Gentiles. You see them under a leader such as Moses or David, people who are living a life that causes them to be set apart from the people around them. They are worshipping God, they’re holding on to His Word, they are doing what God wants them to do. Then, typically, after a generation or so when a leader has died you see Israel begin to slide. You begin to see them move farther and farther away from obedience to the Word of God. They begin to accept idolatry from the tribes around them. Pagan practices begin to come in, with acts of immorality and all the problems associated with that – eventually times of war and even slavery.
Typically at this point of decline there arises a remnant of people who begin to pray. They begin to cry out to God asking the Lord to save them. Then, in His own timing, God sends a leader and there comes a time of revival when they begin to throw off their idolatry and paganism and restore once again the true worship of Jehovah. They begin to again hold on to the Word of God. The nation experiences a time of national prosperity, spiritual excitement and religious significance that lasts for about a generation. Then you see the cycle begin to happen again. Over and over again throughout the Old Testament: revival and decline, revival and decline.
As you move into the New Testament you see a group of people who were born in a time of revival. But we know historically that it did not last. Through the history of the Church you once again see the exact same pattern of revival and decline. It seems to be the way God deals with His people. Down through the years many countries have experienced periodic times of revival. Within the United States we have experienced three times of national revival, known as the Great Awakenings. During these times, God moved and changed the course of our nation. Many of us believe that God is getting ready to do it again in our day, in our age.
What is this thing called revival? I believe that revival is the Church waking up to the presence of Jesus in her midst. It is nothing more and nothing less than you and I beginning to experience what we already know theologically and intellectually. You believe that Jesus is with you. Why? Because He said He would be. You don’t necessarily believe it because you feel Him, but just because Jesus said it. He said that where two or three are gathered together there am I in your midst. You also have to believe Colossians 1:27: “Christ in us, the hope of glory.”
We believe that Jesus is present when we gather as the Church. But we don’t act that way. That is not the way things happen on Sunday. You know why I know your church needs revival? The reason I know your church needs revival is when church services ended last Sunday, you went home. What would happen if Jesus was there? Let’s just suppose Jesus was there. Would you be looking at your watch? Would you be eager to leave? One of the characteristics of the great revivals was extended times of worship. They never wanted to end the service. Now obviously people had to leave, they had to take care of physical things, they had jobs that they had to go to, but as soon as they were done they were back, because that was where God was. They wanted to be in on the action. They wanted to be where God was. They wanted to experience His presence.
I want to suggest to you that revival is not strange or mystical. It is simply the Church waking up to the presence of Christ in her midst. It is almost as though God reaches out and slaps us and we wake up and we realize God is there. That is what revival is. It is God shaking us. It is God waking us up. And we recognize that Jesus really is here.
We are desperate for that in our nation today. I am not in any way a critic of the Church. The more I travel the more I fall in love with the Church of Jesus Christ. I am seeing so many wonderful things happen. Christians are doing wonderful things in the name of Jesus, acts of love, mercy and self-sacrifice. It is amazing what is happening today, and has been happening for years. We are doing all we know to do. But it isn’t working.
Most of the churches have all kinds of activities. They’ve tried all kinds of programs. They’ve given and done everything they know how to do to get the Church going and to impact society. But in all that has happened in the last fifty years in the Church in the US, are we a more moral and ethical nation because of what we have been doing as a Church? It is unbelievable when we consider the tremendous acts of sacrifice, service and ministry in the last fifty years in the Church, and yet it is apparent that the Church is going one way and our nation is moving the opposite way as fast as it can.
In a very real sense, we are at this wonderful point of despair. We are at a wonderful point of hopelessness in which the Church is beginning to recognize that we have been doing everything we know how to do and it is not working. It is time for revival. It is time to humble ourselves before God in prayer and ask Him to make Himself known in the midst of His people so that our nation can be saved and our world impacted for Christ.
How does revival come? Any student of revival will tell you that there has never been a revival without a movement of prayer. God always calls His people to prayer in anticipation of revival. I would ask you today to get serious about praying for revival. We need to shift our prayer focus to the issues that are close to God’s heart, especially that His people, His Church, would wake up and discover the presence of Jesus in our midst.
When that happens, our lives become different. When Jesus is there, suddenly things that we accepted before, are no longer acceptable. Some of the things that go on in our church and in our society are changed because it is the Lord who is present. That is why in those great revivals in the past, there was a bit of emotionalism. Suddenly they came into a church service and there was Jesus. Now they did not see Him in the flesh, but there was a powerful sense of the presence of Jesus. What do you suppose happens if you come into a church service during a revival and there is a strong sense of the presence of Jesus and you’ve been sinning all week? When you come into the presence of the awesome holiness of God suddenly there is weeping, crying out, and sometimes even falling down before God in repentance.
Heaven-sent revival is our only hope. We don’t have answers. We don’t know what to do. We don’t have any programs in our churches that are changing whole communities and our society. It’s just not happening. What we need is God.
How do you pray for revival? Psalm 85 is a good place to begin: “You showed favor to Your land, O Lord. You restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger. Restore us again, O Lord our Savior, and put away Your displeasure toward us. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger through all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”
Based on that passage we will find ourselves praying, “Lord, revive us again, do it again in our day.” We will come before God saying, “Lord, this is what you have done and this is what we want you to do in our life and in our nation.
Dave Butts (1953-2022) was the co-founder and president of Harvest Prayer Ministries. His popular prayer guide, Asleep in the Land of Nod has been used by hundreds of churches to help their congregations pray for revival.
Upper Room: Lost and Found
Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep. - Luke 15:6 (NRSVUE)
Many years ago on a beautiful fall afternoon, I was on a walk with my dad and our dog. The dirt road was bordered by woods on both sides. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, it was time to go home. But our dog suddenly wasn’t with us. She had followed the scent of a wild animal, and no amount of calling brought her back.
As my tears started flowing, Dad told me to take off my jacket and put it on the ground. We had to go home, but he promised to return to look for her. Later, he found her in the dark, curled up on my jacket. After all these years, I still vividly recall my joy at seeing her bound into the house.
When we have wandered away from God, where do we look for God’s love and grace? Maybe we have a special place of comfort and safety to which we can retreat and get back in touch with God, who constantly searches for us. Just as our dog found safety in the scent of my jacket, we can return to a place and time when we experienced God’s love for us and find peace.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear Lord, may we always remember the words of the psalmist who proclaimed, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore” (Ps. 121:8). Amen.
Harvest blogs:
Although all of us are called to intercede, many people have a specific “calling” to give themselves to intercession. What do I mean by that? There are certain people who God seems to specially grace with the desire to pray for hours a day on behalf of others. While we may struggle to stay focused in prayer for ten to fifteen minutes, these choice pray-ers seem to effortlessly spend hours at a time pleading cases before the throne.
If you begin to sense God calling you to this ministry, here are some tips:
Find another intercessor to mentor you. Make sure it is someone who has a good relationship with his or her pastor and church. Sometimes intercessors can become withdrawn and even critical of their church. That is not healthy; and you do not want to be mentored by someone like that.
Make sure you spend time in the Word. As you begin to spend long times in prayer, reading and meditating on God’s Word will help you stay balanced. Intercessors who are not grounded in God’s Word quickly become targets that Satan can manipulate for his purposes. Never pray at length without an open Bible. Pray the Word.
Guard against a prideful spirit. One of Satan’s best tactics for destroying intercessors is to fill them with pride. You may start to feel more spiritual than others. You may start to get annoyed that your church “isn’t doing things right.” These are signs of pride creeping in. Pride will totally invalidate your ministry!
Develop your calling. Spend even more time in prayer. Read books about intercessors and intercession. Fill your prayer closet with things that stimulate your prayer life: maps, photographs, powerful quotes, and the like.
Lord Jesus, You are even now interceding for Your people! Give me a deep desire to grow in the “gift” of intercession so that I can devote more of my time and attention to the needs of others and the purposes of Your kingdom. Draw me to Yourself. Protect me from the attacks of the enemy who wants me to become prideful. Keep me grounded in Your word and help me to develop a richer and more powerful prayer life day by day!
--Adapted from The Power of Personal Prayer (Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose) by Jonathan Graf. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God as the one worthy of the worship of our entire lives (Rom. 12:1-2).
- Give thanks for God’s mercy shown to you personally.
- Confess times of conforming to the pattern of this world.
- Commit yourself to the continual renewing of your mind.
- Ask God to be true to his promise that you will be able to test and approve what is his will.
- Pray that each of God’s people will be reminded of the different gifts he or she possesses, according to the grace of God (12:6). Ask that they be further equipped through worship to use those gifts for God’s kingdom (12:7ff.).
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount. |
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Saturday, July 06 2024
Good Morning Surrendered Bondservants of Christ! Amen! May this be me/us Lord! May we learn to humble ourselves in surrender to You and Your will. May we learn to die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus. Learn to bow before our King and be about Your business in Your ways and timing. Thank You! Come! Fill us, mold us, lead us as we surrender to You and don Your easy yoke. Teach us to be more like Jesus and to be about Your business. Thank You! Your Kingdom come and will be done! Amen!
Yesterday was a great day of worship, praise prayer and learning from His Word! Sarah reminded us of our power source--God and our need to plug into that. We thought about how we have potential energy that needs to be tapped and applied to get traction and movement. We are custom made, gifted and empowered, for such a time as this, just as we are, to go and make disciples. Amen! We were reminded that we all have a part to play in God's Good News delivery company and that prayer is a critical and key component as the prayers of God's righteous people (us) are powerful and effective. Check out Harvest Prayers blog helping us to develop as pray-ers. Claim and release your power in prayer and release God's power in heaven and on earth too. Partner with Him in powerful prayer to bring His will alive and to empower our Body too!
Yesterday as we contemplated our dependence upon God even though we a free in Christ, we were reminded of His ways that are far beyond our human understanding. How can we be free and dependent? Well that is God's way. Right? How can we live by dying? We need to die to self and become a bondservant of Jesus to truly live! Amen! Check put TWFYT and CS (below) speaking about the molding and shaping and growing that comes as we endure the storms of life with Christ and learn to surrender to allow Him to shape and guide us to His best. I was reading another devo today that asks, "How would an attitude of surrender affect your life? How might it bring you more freedom, not less, as the world would have you believe?" Yes we are free and surrendered and learning to live well in Christ. May we always seek to die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus and work on that every day. Humble yourself and bow before our King, receive His marching orders, rise in praise and obedience and go learn to live and love more like Jesus. Stop depending on your own thinking! Acknowledge God in all your ways and allow Him to lead you today, surrendered bondservant of Christ! AMEN!
Harvest Connection Blog
July 1 - Growing Your Prayer Life
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God wants to teach you some things about your prayer life:
Abide in Me - Learn how to stop, listen, and be silent throughout the day. It is the art of listening that makes My voice clear and distinct. I want you to learn how to quiet your soul in the midst of anything and everything. To abide in Me. Some of this is external - resisting the noise of the world. Some is internal - practicing the presence of God. Retreating. Consciously listening, for I am here and I am not silent. (John 15:4-5)
Ask More of Me in Prayer - Until now, you have asked for nothing. Ask and you will receive so your joy may be full. As you do, the world will see Me. I want to use you to show the world—and I want to use your church to show the world—that I answer the prayers of My people. That I am there constantly, waiting for them to pray. (John 15:11)
Let Me Help Your Life to Bear Great, Lasting Fruit - I have so much more for you than you can imagine! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I have given you spiritual gifts. My very Self, the Holy Spirit, resides in you. I will guide you into great prayers if you will listen to Me, and I will produce great fruit through you if you will surrender and obey My promptings. I want to produce fruit through you that will last into eternity. But … you must pray! (John 15:16)
Walk carefully through these Biblical thoughts again. Would you pause right now and respond in prayer to each of these things He is saying to you?
Sovereign Lord, teach me to abide in You and with You. There are so many things and so much noise competing for attention in my life – and only “one thing” is needed…sitting at Your feet and listening. I want to dwell in Your presence and disengage from all that distracts me from time with You. Show me how to be bold in my prayer life – to ask big things of You that align with Your kingdom purpose so that others might see Your power. Holy Spirit, help me to stay attached to the Vine so that my life might be fruitful and useful for the glory of Your Name!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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TWFYT:

CS:

Saturday, July 06 2024
God Bless America and may America bless God! Amen!
Good Morning Free and Dependent Children of our Sovereign God! We have been set free because of our faith in Jesus, yet we are dependent upon Him. We live in the land of the free, dependent upon our Living, Sovereign God but as aliens and strangers. He has placed our leaders in place for His purposes and called us to obedience to them that we might live "peaceful and quiet lives". Check out the Harvest Prayer blogs below about this. It can be very hard to trust and obey in this environment today, yet we remember that Jesus came into prominence during Roman rule and Israel being subject to that authority that God placed in control over them. His new born Church thrived and grew exponentially as slaves to Rome. As we follow Jesus and submit to Him in trust and obey, we learn how to live free and dependent. Help us Lord! Charles Stanley reminds us that the battle is the Lord's and helps us learn how to walk in victory with Christ. In this election season, again my heart plea for you is to turn off the noise of those stirring you to fear, anxiety, hopelessness, anger, and hate. Open your Bibles and prayerfully submit to God. Trust Him and allow Him to work all things together according to His perfect plan. Yes be informed to vote well, but other than that and praying, what else can we do but trust and obey? Who is offering you hope, the dementia patient or the felon or the God of all Hope? He is sovereign! He knows, cares and is at work for your and our good, even placing our leaders in place according to His perfect plans. And that is often way beyond beyond our comprehension. Prov. 3:5-6 reminds us to not lean on our own understanding but trust and acknowledge God in all our ways. That takes dying to self as we follow Jesus. God promises us that His peace beyond understanding is available. Are you doing what you can to position yourself to receive it? Are you choosing trust and joy no matter what you are facing? Be still, exhale all the junk and know that He is God and in control. Amen! He has great plans for you! Plans to prosper and not harm even in the midst of all kinds of chaos! Start today at Jesus' feet. Submit to Him and follow His ways. Then you will be able to know His peace beyond understanding. Yes, help us Lord! Amen!
Remember this: When we enter into the very last days, God promises that things will get very wicked, evil, dark and hard in increasing intensity. And He promises to be with us and help us. Put on His Spiritual Armor in prayer today and prepare to stand firm in faith always. Suppose today is the beginning of the last days, within three and a half years things will get so bad that Jesus has to come back to rescue His followers. For all our lives we could never imagine how that could happen to this country in our life time and so fast and, yet, here we are. This has not taken God by surprise, has it? NO! So, doesn't it make sense to turn off the noise, trust God, stand firm in Him and on His Word which has already revealed all these things and how to be able to endure to the end and even do what we can to lead others to Him before it's too late. Who do you know that you want to save from the fires of Hell? What will you do about that? Focus there, pray hard as you trust and follow Jesus. That's His easy yoke for these very hard and dark days. "Go! Make disciples...I am with you always, even to the end of time." Amen! Let us determine to be about our Father's business and to help and encourage each other in this battle.
May God help you to trust, obey always, stand firm, choose joy and know His peace! Amen! Now exhale all that junk! Turn off the noise! And focus on our Prince of Peace! Dwell in His Shalom! He's got this and you! PTL! He is The Lord, our God! Almighty and Sovereign! Victor! Prince of Peace and our Shield! Amen
Harvest blogs:
June 30 - Be Subject to the Governing Authorities
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Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1)
In our current political climate, verses like Romans 13:1 sound like a Pollyanna dream from long ago. Can God actually call his people to “be subject to the governing authorities”? We see so many specific errors being propagated by our leaders that it makes it difficult for us to embrace this simple, clear command from God to his people. Yet, the next sentence sheds more light on why God calls us to submit to our leaders—he himself instituted them. God is the Authority behind our authorities. Granted, God never makes agreement or is ever to blame for legislated evil or wickedness of any kind. Our calling is to “be subject,” to submit or place ourselves under in rank of those who govern over us. They are accountable to God and we are to them as long as they obey his Word. We are always called to stand against evil in government, in society, and in our very own lives. Yet, God’s call to submit is to work a work of humility in his people. Let’s pray about this truth.
Heavenly Father, may we as your people learn submission to you by submitting to the governing authorities. I ask today that we, your children, would live such godly, submissive lives that we would be a great blessing to the church, the world, and to those who rule over us. Forgive me for my times of rebellion against the righteous laws of the land and for speaking evil against those you instituted to govern over us. Righteous King, I cry out for your people to be salt and light today, even to those who lead us. May your people help to transform our country through living and preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teach us humility, submission, and to be subject to those who rule over us as unto you. We submit to our leaders out of reverence for Christ. Shine brightly in our nation through your humble, righteous, kind, and contagious church. May the best part of our nation be the fruit born out of the prayers and labors of those called by your name. Exalt your name through our nation. Save leaders. Empower godly leaders. Rebuke false leaders. Overturn unjust laws. Transform the heart, soul, and mind of our nation through the power of the risen Christ.
--Adapted from Praying God’s Word Over Your City: 40 Days of Prayer for A Transformed Community by Trey and Mary Anne Kent. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God for his plans, from all eternity, done in perfect faithfulness (Isa. 25:1) which will come to pass as he purposes (Isa. 14:24).
- Thank God for his plans for you—to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).
- Confess to him your failure to learn contentment in every situation as Paul did (Phil. 4:11).
- Commit yourself to fearing the Lord, which leads to life, and thus rest content, untouched by trouble (Prov. 19:23).
- Ask God for real contentment in what you have (Heb. 13:5), remembering that he will never fail you nor forsake you.
- Pray that God will challenge you to be involved in some kingdom endeavor close to home such as an assistance ministry. Ask God to give you real satisfaction in helping others.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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CS:

Saturday, July 06 2024
Good Morning Very Loved, Saved by Grace, Students of Jesus! Disciples are learners that follow a master. Jesus is our Master. The disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. And He did. Prayer is critical and a key component of a life well lived in Christ. Prayer is the foundation on which anything of Kingdom value is built. Today. I am leading off with Harvest Prayers blog on Prayer. Meditate and talk to God about what is being shared and prayed. he longs to have you rely on Him 24-7 and to be a ceaseless pray-er. He loves you, is with you and we need to be connected to Him all day every day. Amen! Be still at His feet today and have a great conversation. He really loves you and is with you always and has great plans to direct you to. ODB talks about His love for you (see below)Rejoice and dwell in His presence! See you tomorrow! Shalom!
Harvest:
June 29 - God’s Invitation to More of His Love
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God is the God of more. He longs for us to grant Him access to our lives through the continuing posture of unceasing prayer. The Lord has some things to say to you that will help you see the inestimable value of such a life—to forever change the way you view the privilege of prayer. If you were to sit with Him and ask “Lord, what do you want to say to me personally about prayer?” what would He say? Based on things He’s already said in His Word, we can imagine the conversation might go something like this …
“I want you to know that I’m waiting for you. I am more interested in prayer than you are, because I am more complete in my love than you are. If you loved like I love, you would want to talk with Me without ceasing. Unceasing prayer is not a command, but an invitation! And, I long for you to long for Me. I do not want to be shut out, to be ignored, or to not be consulted, for I know that there is so much more for you in My kingdom if you will pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
“I want you to know that prayer is not complicated. It is the heart of humble helplessness that looks to Me, not to yourself. This is faith. Your greatest qualification for prayer without ceasing is your helplessness. The more helpless you are, the more qualified you are to pray. I am knocking at the door, desiring entrance. I am longing for you to open the door and grant Me access to your greatest areas of helplessness, all day long. To pray is to let Me in.” (Revelation 3:20)
Lord, how can I ever comprehend the depth of Your love for me? May I continually come to You as a helpless, weak servant who knows that You alone can use me for Your purposes. Without You, I can do nothing! I am powerless without Your Spirit working within me. Please help my heart to find its way to deeper levels of Your love for me so that I will grow in my life of prayer in ways I cannot even imagine in this moment. I freely give You access to all that You have created me to be so that Your love for others and for the world will be in me also!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God that he is in control of every storm (Mk. 4:35-39).
- Thank him that he does not want anyone to perish but to have everlasting life in him (2 Pet. 3:9).
- Confess to God your wrong response to the stormy, unexpected events in your life that leave you feeling panicky and fretful.
- Commit every stormy situation, as well as every good one, to God as he cares for you, restores you, and makes you strong (1 Pet. 5:7, 10).
- Ask God to calm any anxiety or fear that you are experiencing.
- Pray for troubled unbelievers to find victory over stormy lives in the calm that only Jesus can give.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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ODB:
To express her sadness, Allie, a young girl, wrote on a piece of wood and set it in a park: “To be honest, I’m sad. Nobody ever wants to hang out with me, and I have lost the only person that listens. I cry every day.”
When someone found that note, she brought sidewalk chalk to the park and asked people to write their thoughts to Allie. Dozens of words of support were left by students from a nearby school: “We love you.” “God loves you.” “You are beloved.” The school principal said, “This is one little way that we can reach out and maybe help fill [her void]. She represents all of us because at some point in time we have all or will all experience sadness and suffering.”
The phrase “You are beloved” reminds me of a beautiful blessing by Moses to the Israelite tribe of Benjamin just before he died: “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him” (Deuteronomy 33:12). Moses had been a strong leader for God, defeating enemy nations, receiving the Ten Commandments, and challenging them to follow God. He left them with God’s view of them. The word beloved can be used of us as well, for Jesus said, “God so loved the world that He gave [us] his one and only Son” (John 3:16).
As God helps us to rest securely in the truth that every believer in Jesus is “beloved,” we can reach out to love others as Allie’s new friends did.
By Anne Cetas
REFLECT & PRAY
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How are you learning to rest securely in God’s love? How will you share that love with others?
May I be confident in Your love for me, dear God, and spread Your love to those around me.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The “blessing scene” in Deuteronomy 33 is reminiscent of Genesis 49 where Jacob, on the threshold of his death, assembled his sons to bless them: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come” (v. 1). Verse 28 concludes: “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.” What Jesus did is similar to these Old Testament blessings. Prior to His crucifixion and after His resurrection, Christ’s words and actions indelibly marked His chosen followers. Luke’s gospel closes with this scene: “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven” (24:50-51).
Arthur Jackson |
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UR: Saved by Grace
By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 (NRSVUE)
From a young age, I loved to go to church. I was very active in youth ministry, and my grandfather, who was the pastor, regularly involved me in worship. I enjoyed my time at church, but my faith was not strong.
After my grandfather’s death, I stopped going to church and got caught up in worldly distractions. I began a marketing job and became wrapped up in secular society. Some of my friends were members of the local mafia. My life was a total wreck.
After some time, my mother urged me to turn to Christ. But I thought to myself, I am such a sinner! How can God love me? But 2 Corinthians 12:9 reassured me that God’s “grace is sufficient” and that God loves me. I have been saved — not because of my work and deeds but because of God’s grace. So I turned to God and began trying to use my life for the glory of God. Since that time, whenever I have felt weak or depressed, God has showered abundant grace upon me.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank you, God, for your gift of grace to us. Guide us as we seek to follow you. Amen.
Friday, June 28 2024
Oh Lord, Thank You for forgiving and cleansing me! Thank You that I am forgiven! Thank You for your perfect plan to make a way for us. Thank You Jesus! Thank You Holy Spirit for leading me to salvation and helping me to repent. Today--everyday--I praise Your holy name and thank You for saving a wretch like me and making a way to become new in Christ and leading me to Kingdom living. May I honor You and Your holy name. Your Kingdom come and will be done in, through and around me. Thank You! Amen!
REMINDER: Communion will be this Sunday at 10 and on Zoom too. Prepare your hearts!
Good Morning Worshipers! Do you know that worship is more than something we do on a Sunday? Worship is a lifestyle and action daily. As we obey and follow God we worship. As we still ourselves and sit at His feet we worship. As we trust and go make disciples we worship. As we work on growing into the people God created us to be and do the things we are created to do, we worship. May we worship 24-7! Amen! May we worship in Spirit and Truth. How does that look for you? What might you need to purge or put on hold to worship more fully or what might you need to get doing? He is worthy! Amen.
On this TGIF Friday I have spent two hours already in worship and praise as I've been sitting at Jesus' feet listening, processing, praying and even encouraging a few people I am praying for. I've been recalling all God has, is, and plans to do in and through me and our Body and just praising. I've been releasing His power and will in prayer. And I've been informed and refreshed as I have invited the Spirit to have control and lead me and for Jesus to be my Lord and Shepherd today. What an awesome start to my day off from church stuff! Yet I am never off from representing God nor worshiping! Yes I am worshiping today! Thanks God! Lead us to worship and follow well!
I'm going to ask you to spend some time with God and in our devotionals for today (below). What are you thankful for? How is your life an act of worship? What might need correction? What is praiseworthy and needing focus? What might you build upon as you work at becoming more like Jesus? What's God saying to you? Who are you processing with? Worship! Praise! Follow well! I have already prayed for you and I know God has great plans for you today and this weekend! Amen!
ODB:
After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans worked to slowly rebuild. One of the most hard-hit areas was the Lower Ninth Ward, where for years after Katrina, residents lacked access to basic resources. Burnell Cotlon worked to change that. In November 2014, he opened the first grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward after Katrina. “When I bought the building, everybody thought that I was crazy,” Cotlon recalled. But “the very first customer cried cuz she . . . never thought the [neighborhood] was coming back.” His mother said her son “saw something I didn’t see. I’m glad [he] . . . took that chance.”
God enabled the prophet Isaiah to see an unexpected future of hope in the face of devastation. Seeing “the poor and needy search for water, but there is none” (Isaiah 41:17), God promised to “turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs” (v. 18). When instead of hunger and thirst, His people experienced flourishing once more, they would know “the hand of the Lord has done this” (v. 20).
He’s still the author of restoration, at work bringing about a future when “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage” (Romans 8:21). As we trust in His goodness, He helps us see a future where hope is possible.
By Monica La Rose
REFLECT & PRAY
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When have you witnessed renewal after devastation? How can you be a part of God’s restoring work?
Restoring God, please help my life be a witness to the hope I’ve found in You and the future You’re bringing.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
After prophesying that God would use the Assyrians and Babylonians to judge an unrepentant Judah (Isaiah 1-39), the prophet comforts God’s people with the hope of future deliverance and restoration (chs. 40-66). Isaiah begins with affirming God’s sovereignty and majesty—He has the power and will certainly save and restore them (ch. 40). The prophet also assures the Israelites of His loving, providential care for them (ch. 41). They have a very special relationship with Him—they were sovereignly chosen to be His servant. His covenant with them is still in force (vv. 8-10). God assures them that He’ll bountifully provide for them, turning the desert into a land of flowing water, abundant and productive, so that the world would “see this miracle [and] understand . . . that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it” (v. 20 nlt).
K. T. Sim |
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UR: Care and Comfort
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. - 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV)
Last night my family learned that the mother of one of our 13-year-old son’s classmates passed away. We were shocked, and we wanted to be there for her daughter and her family. But it can be hard to know how to respond to the grief of others, especially as a young teenager. Before bed, my son and I prayed for the woman’s loved ones, and we discussed many ways we could support them.
When our family woke up this morning and began our daily devotional time, we read a meditation in The Upper Room about someone who might be waiting for others to reach out. I truly feel this was God’s nudge for me to remind our son that even if a gesture may seem awkward, we need to be a light of kindness. As Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up.”
God desires for us to take care of our neighbors, whether we ask someone how we can help, cook a meal for someone going through a hard time, or offer a hug. May we all ask ourselves, “How can I be a blessing and a comfort to someone today?”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, help us to comfort those in pain. May we be a light to encourage others in your name. Amen.TWFYT:

CS:

Harvest:
June 28 - Carrying a Burden in Prayer
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As you grow in your prayer life, it is very likely that you will find one or two prayer concerns that excite you when you intercede for them. For example, you may get excited when you pray for revival in the church, or maybe it's when you pray for missionaries, or abused women, or your pastor, or pastors in general. This represents another prayer burden. For many, God will place a calling on their lives to focus a great deal of time lifting up a specific issue.
When this kind of burden begins to come on you, I have two words of challenge. First, never demand that your burden become other people’s burden too. If God leads you to set up a prayer meeting to pray for your burden or to find some prayer partners to pray with you, wonderful. But don’t get discouraged if others do not join you. And don’t force them or try to make them feel guilty. God gives each of us different burdens. Your burden is no more or less important than anyone else’s. Second, do everything you can to fuel your burden with truth. By that I mean, get information about your burden. Do research, read. Find out some facts. If it is a specific person, try to find out things that you can pray about, without being nosey in the process. Our church has a program in which intercessors pray for a specific child in the congregation. Often these intercessors will ask parents (or the child herself), “What’s happening in her life? What are some specific things I can pray for her?” [What prayer burdens do you carry? Ask God to show you if you are uncertain.]
Lord, You search me and You know me! Pour out a burden in my heart for people, situations, a nation, or whatever You know is within me waiting to be felt and acted upon! Help me to be a good listener, so that I am able to press obediently and enthusiastically into Your heart for this issue or responsibility in order to carry it in a godly way. Thank You for entrusting me to intercede for whatever burdens You bring me!
--Adapted from The Power of Personal Prayer (Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose) by Jonathan Graf. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God for being the great healer who gives real peace and security for you to enjoy (Jer. 33:6).
- Give thanks for the many miraculous healings that show God’s power at work.
- Confess your failure to appreciate the health God gives you and your complaining when things aren’t going well (Ps. 139:23).
- Commit yourself to praising God each day for a healthy body, for legs and arms, fingers and toes, eyes and ears—a body that functions so beautifully.
- Ask him for guidance in blessing him at all times even if these body parts aren’t always working right (Ps. 34:1).
- Pray for your church to be very compassionate and able to minister to those who do not experience good health, have disabilities, or have met with serious accident.
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Friday, June 28 2024
Good Morning Connected, Longing, Directed, Protected Pilgrims! For God's glory! PTL! We still ourselves at His feet and dwell in His loving, informing presence. We long in prayer for many things that He desires too like revival, new life, salvation, His Kingdom to come and will be done, to use us, heal us, lead us, and have His way with us and so many more things. He directs our steps, prayers, choices and responses. He covers and protects us and those we are covering a we don His armor and walk in His way. And we are pilgrims--journeyers. We are aliens on earth and here to complete our individual and corporate missions before making that last journey to our promised future and hope. I was really touched as God threaded all this through our devotionals for today (below) and His reminder that we are His disciples gathered by Him, placed where we are for His custom purposes. I keep thinking and praising about how He is using and growing us. I keep praying for the "how to" and what to do for me and us as we journey towards our fuller potential and becoming His dynamic movement.
Two things are clear, we have much to celebrate and more to work on yet. We are on our way! Rejoice! And keep at it! Praying, seeking, gathering, processing, planning, going and working on living and loving more like Jesus. Keep your eyes open for where God is working and who He is drawing for us to invite into our journey. I'm praising God for the ten new disciples that have joined our Body and are serving. I praise God for the several others that are being drawn and participating. I'm praising God for all of you and all you are doing! I'm praising God for our potential and the good fruit to come. I'm praising God for Jesus' easy yoke! I'm just praising and praying for His Kingdom coming and growing and His will being done in heaven and on earth! I'm praising God for saving, growing and using a wretch like me! We have so much to be thankful about and so much to expect to come as we trust, die to self and follow Jesus together! AMEN!
Still yourself at His feet and engage with these devos. What's He saying to you? Revealing for us? What will you do about it? Who are you processing with? What are you thankful about? Rejoice! He is the Lord of you, us and this day! Amen!
UR: Power Source
Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. - Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)
I took on the challenge of remodeling my basement to provide additional space for an office and recreation room. The project included running wire to connect lights, receptacles, and switches. Have I done everything right? I pondered. One last step remained. I had to tap in to the power source by connecting the wire to the main service panel. I switched on the circuit breaker, and the lights came on. I was elated.
No matter how meticulous I was in connecting all the wires, it was for naught until I tapped in to the power source. The same is true with us as people of faith. We may think we have made all the right connections. We attend church services, participate in the sacraments, and follow biblical teaching as best we can. But until we connect to the power of God, we are as dead as a disconnected appliance.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that we are spiritually dead until we are made alive through faith in the redemptive work of Christ. Through faith in Christ we are empowered to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). We are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Eph. 2:10). God, our source of life, blesses us with this gift not just to benefit us but others as well.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Source of life, help us to embrace the newness of life you offer, serving others and glorifying you. Amen.ODB:
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The story of the Bible chronicles the stories of waiting—of individuals, of a nation, and of the early church. Noah waited for the rain to begin and the floods to subside; Abraham and Sarah waited for a son; Joseph waited to be reunited with family; the Israelites waited to be freed from slavery, to enter the promised land, to be freed from exile, and for the Messiah to save them. Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, lists many individuals throughout biblical history who by faith waited but “did not receive the things promised,” only seeing “them from a distance” (v. 13). Today we wait for Christ’s return and an end to sorrow, pain, and death. We’re longing for “a better country”—heaven (v. 16). The author of Hebrews tells us to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (10:23).
Alyson Kieda |
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TWFYT:

HP:
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June 27 - Be Clothed in His Armor
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Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
This image was clear to the hearers in Paul’s day as they observed the Roman soldiers that filled every town. Using that warfare picture, Paul reminds us of the necessary armor for the believer in his battles; armor which is available to every Christian. It is wise at the beginning of each day to “put on” your armor in prayer.
- Gird your loins with truth. This means truthfulness, honesty, integrity which will protect us from the tempation to the opposite which would make us vulnerable. It also implies knowing and believing truth that will guard us from the lies of the Father of all lies.
- Put on the breastplate of righteousness. We must realize and claim the righteousness we have in Christ and cover our vital organs with a commitment to personal holiness.
- Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We must get ready to move by realizing our mission. We lace up our witnessing shoes. We prepare to share the gospel of peace gladly and quickly with everyone we meet, which is Satan’s greatest fear.
- Take up the shield of faith which is able to quench all the flaming arrows of the wicked one. One of the most powerful weapons in battle was a flaming arrow. The Romans had developed a defensive weapon in a body-sized, leather shield. It had a front and a back with a vacuum between which would quench a flaming arrow. Satan is continually flinging darts at us designed to destroy us. We often think these are just our thoughts. But I am convinced otherwise. Our powerful defense is faith and “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” We must combat his flaming arrows with the faith that comes from God’s Word.
- Take up the helmet of salvation. That which protects us most in our battle is our absolute security in Christ if we have come to know Him. Our salvation saves us in our minds. We must remember this as we face the day.
- Take up … the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. There is nothing more powerful than Scripture. It is literally God’s Word and our greatest weapon against Satan’s lies. Jesus Himself rebuked every temptation of the enemy in the wilderness with God’s Word, and so must we. This is why Scripture memory is so vital.
It is a critical exercise each day, and multiple times throughout the day, to check our strength (making sure we’re relying on the Lord) and check our armor (using the right protective weapons against the Enemy.)
Father, today I faithfully put on Your armor as both a physical act and a spiritual reminder of Your divine protection and power! I will place the helmet of Your salvation upon my head as a reminder that You are my salvation. I put on the breastplate of righteousness because You are the righteous King, and the belt of truth, for You alone are the Truth! I will prepare my feet to travel anywhere You direct me to share the gospel of peace! I raise Your shield of faith to protect myself from the flaming arrows that will come against me today! And, I prepare myself to do battle using the sword of Your word! Lord, continue to give me strength through Jesus to serve You with everything in me every moment of this day!
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God for his strength and confidence, enduring from everlasting to everlasting (1 Chron. 29:10-11).
- Give thanks that God is your strength and confidence and that he will never fail you or forsake you (1 Chron. 28:20).
- Confess to the Lord your failure to rely completely upon him and his Word (Isa. 41:10).
- Commit yourself to being strong and doing the work God has for you without complaining (Phil. 2:14).
- Ask God to forgive you for not depending on him and that you may wait on the Lord and be confident of his love (Jeremiah 31:3).
- Pray that your church will be strong in preparing its membership to grow in their daily walk and work for him as parents, teachers, workers, etc.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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