Today from 12 noon we will gather beside the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom to join in our bishop called day of fasting and prayer to become a dynamic movement of God. Join us as we empty yourselves and cry out in prayer with us. Check out the harvest blog about prayer being our foundation. God has called us to become a House of Prayer for the Nations and His dynamic movement of revival.

Darlene Geiger has asked for prayer for her heart surgery this morning. Pray for success, shalom and wisdom for staff.

Pray for connections to continue to grow and God's presence and salvation to fall during our bread ministry this morning.

Pray for our Vision team meeting tomorrow evening for God to come and lead and His will to be done.

Good Morning Transformed, Growing, Praying, Teammates! God is transforming us from one way to another to another as He grows us in response to our prayers. Praying is our foundation for anything of God to come alive and flourish. Jesus is our cornerstone that we build upon and He is the capstone or keystone that completes and ties us all together. He's the alpha and omega--beginning and end and really everything in between. Amen! He has gathered us as His disciple and apostles and worshipers. We gather to worship, learn and prepare to go make disciples and change the world. He has custom made plans as part of that He created you for. Worship, thanksgiving, praise, prayer, growing relationships, and love flow as we meditate on who He is, our true, empowered identity in Christ and His awesome plans for us! God is on the move! Let us continue to seek and follow more in '24 and more earnestly. Amen!

Praying to be more earnest has led me to some amazing places in the Lord and with this hunger and thirst for more as He pours His Spirit out on me and leads this open and willing heart to more--much more in '24 and for beyond. COME! Have Your way with me! Move me to earnestly follow You! Thank You Amen! Pray that with me with and ask for an open and willing heart and learn to experience the deep love and moving of God to his best! He has much more for us as we earnestly seek to become His dynamic movement and determine to allow Him to lead and send us. Join me! Talk to me about what He is stirring in you. Let us seek and discern together and work on His plans for you and us.

I cannot even fully explain what I have been experiencing as I have been allowing Him to transform, refine and lead me to His next things. I do know, and Karen can confirm, that I was one way and God is in the process of transforming and leading me to a new way and His plans for me and us. I cannot help but just wanting to spend time with Him more, dwell deeper in His presence, and prepare for what's next for me and us. COME! The past two days I physically beat my body as I spent Monday weeding and trimming bushes for over six hours in this heat at the church. Then yesterday I had to repair a wall from leaking and mow at home before the coming flooding rains, again in this heat and humidity. I poured myself out and was exhausted and hurting. I could hardly wait to get to bed to allow my body to recover both nights. BUT GOD!  He got me up at 1:30 the last two mornings. Let me tell you, my body has not fully healed but I am compelled to get up and just abide in Him. He is lovingly faithful to speak to my heart, inform my thinking and prayers and prepare me for the day(s) ahead. And man is He speaking! I find myself using three other books and resources each morning besides our devotionals. It is now three and a half hours since I sat down at my desk and began to commune with God in worship, prayer, praise and study. I am so blessed and refreshed! Now I had a very hard time standing up, but I'm back at it working on this blog, preparing for my zoom pastors huddle at 6 and to head to church for bread and prayer day. God is so good and kind! I am refreshed, filled with His presence and being readied for the day ahead as His loved servant sent to love, lead, teach and pray like Jesus! How cool is that! Who'da thunk earnestness would be so awesome! His love is refining and amazing! He has awesome plans that come alive as we abide in His presence. Now the prayer is that I could articulate well what He is saying and wanting me to share to help, inspire and teach. I guess I'm fasting some sleep the past few days, yet being renewed and refreshed and carried through by His love and sufficient grace. He has been invited to be the Lord of me, my schedule and my day and He said sure! Today, He has been revealing what to share here, what to pray into existence and release in power, some things for our fast and prayer today and somethings to share with our Vision Team tomorrow, along with some sermon thoughts for Sunday. Funny how they all have a thread through them as God continues to speak to and lead me.

Now I know this may get long, but God wants me to share some things about our devotionals for today that actually still tie to the past few days from our Ephesians 4 study and questions about how to forgive, get rid of anger and hate and obey God's commands to love like Jesus. What's He been saying to you and who are you processing with? Be still. Abide. Listen. Process. Plan and follow. Those are the steps to an earnest, fruitful life in Christ. Meditate on Eph. 4 and 5 as we will discuss these Sunday. I had plans to just breeze through the chapters, but God may be wanting us to dwell here a bit. We'll see as we follow His Spirit together. Funny God thing: I've been compelled to open a book my friend wrote about disciple making and church planting again. I had put it down a few years ago after barely starting it. God's timing is amazing as I started into it again more earnestly! God blessed me to see Him writing about many of the things I have been hearing from God and experiencing lately. Yesterday's reading lead to his explaining a lot about Eph. 4 and calling us to read, reread, and memorize Ephesians. I've been seeing how Paul's teaching about the APEST gifts of Eph. 4 changed his thinking and how he is now applying that to his church plants. Pretty cool! Thanks Lord for teaching and affirming! God has been taking me much deeper into this study and expect to see some of that Sunday as we finish Eph. 4 and begin Eph. 5.

Now for our devos for today. God is still speaking to our hearts and answering some questions about how to overcome anger, hate and unforgiveness. Did you see that when you talked to Him through your time with them? Our Daily Bread reminds us that His is a voice we can trust. Turn off the noise and chaos. Still your self die to your own understanding and ways and listen and receive. He is speaking love, maybe correction, and direction to and over you. The Upper Room reminds us He wants to help us to change our hearts and minds as He purifies in and with love. TWFYT is still about marriage and can me applied to our marriage to Christ. What a joy and blessing that is! But great marriages always take work, prayer and God at the center. I love the reminder that we have to work on and learn the "art of openness and allow yourself to be vulnerable [die to self], transparent, and ready to trust..." That is true worship and faith come alive in Christ! Amen! Charles Stanley is reminding us of the transforming love of God that wants to lead our surrendered souls to His best as He works on conforming us to His image and our acceptance of our true identity in Christ. He works from the inside out. Do our lives reflect His transforming love at work inside of us? We are a work in process, and hopefully, progress. Are we allowing Him to lead us to His best as we shed the old and step more fully into our new nature? Come Lord! have all of me! Change me! Mold me! refine and purify and lead me to Your best! Come! Amen!

That's enough for today to absorb. Dwell in His presence and allow Him to speak to and transform your heart and direct your steps. The rest of what I studied ties to more teaching about how to forgive and move away from anger, hate and fist shaking at God for us to discuss on Sunday. Be still and know! God is speaking love over you right now. Listen. Hear. Receive. Process. And follow well today my friends. I'd love to hear and I know Sarah would to, to hear what God is revealing to you right now. Write it down and pray through it and share it. What's your story of being in the process of being transformed from one way to another, from one glory to another? Someone needs to hear that story and experience God's delivering, healing, encouraging love through you! Please commit to doing that as you sit at Jesus' feet and then put on His easy yoke and walk with Him to the harvest field of today. Amen! COME! Shalom shalom!

Harvest prayer:

August 7 - Prayer Is Your Foundation If someone gave you money to build a home, you would develop your plans with an architect. But you might discover that the money they provided was not enough. Back to the architect you’d go. You would downsize one room or another, maybe even deciding that some rooms would be nice, but unnecessary. But there is one part of the construction you could not eliminate: the foundation. Even though unseen, everything depends on a solid foundation.   Most churches have multiple components. There is the worship ministry, the preaching ministry, the children and student ministry, the missions ministry. Off to the side—peripheral at best—is the prayer ministry. It is small and even non-existent in most churches and a sign of our urgent need for revival. It illustrates a foundational conviction we must embrace: Prayer is not a side-room … it is the foundation!   Study the Scripture and see if this is not so. Read the 650 passages on prayer in your 1,000 page Bible and determine where prayer should fit in your life and your church. Pick up any biography of a great Christian leader and you will instantly see that prayer was never peripheral. They lived and moved in unceasing prayer and it was the primary secret of their power with God and man.    Father, You created us for Yourself and designed prayer as the way You accomplish Your purposes on earth as it is in heaven! It is a mystery to me that through imperfect flesh, You accomplish Your perfect will, but I believe it because Your word says it is true over and over again! Prayer must always be my foundation, and the foundation of my family! Lord God Almighty, I also ask You to open my eyes and the eyes of the leaders in my church to see that prayer is NOT a side-issue, but the firm foundation upon which everything else is built.  ---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org. Prayer Points Read Ps. 40:1-3 and praise your Redeemer and Savior. Thank God for lifting you up out of the mud and mire of sin. Confess those times you’ve desired to return to the slimy pit of sin. Commit yourself to living in such a way that others may “see . . . and put their trust in the LORD.” Ask God to enable you to stand firm on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Pray that Jesus the Rock will be the foundation and cornerstone of your family. Ask especially that teens you know will find a firm place to stand in Christ. 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.

ODB:

UR: A Change of heart

The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. - Matthew 12:34 (NIV)

One Saturday, I invited some friends over for breakfast. The smell of coffee and bacon filled the air as we gathered together.

The conversation eventually turned to our jobs. As I shared my frustrations about the setbacks I had experienced over the past year, I startled myself with the vitriol in my words. But I quickly reassured myself, I’m just having a bad day.

Later, as I began gathering the dishes from the table, words from Matthew came to mind: “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Maybe my angry words were more of a reflection of the current condition of my heart than I wanted to admit. I began to see how the frustrations and setbacks at work had led to unchecked anger and hard-heartedness. My spiteful words revealed not just a bad day but a heart that needed the attention and redemption of Christ.

It’s easy to pass off careless words as a “bad day.” But if we carefully examine our words to see what they reveal about our hearts, we can then humbly ask Jesus for truth, healing, and transformation in our areas of weakness.

Today may we invite the Savior into those places of our hearts that need his truth, then allow him to soften and redeem both our words and our hearts.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, fill our hearts with your love and truth so that all the words we say will bear good fruit and bring glory to your name. Amen.

TWFYT:

CS:

Good Morning Praying Friends of God! Have you ever contemplated deeply just what it means that Jesus called you "friend"? Think about all the facets of being His friend today. That should lead to all kinds of praise on this gloomy day. Growing in friendship with Jesus blossoms as we pray and spend time in His presence. His loving friendship overflows from us and draws others to becoming His friend. He was called a friend of sinners. PTL! Right? Think about some other friends of Jesus that you know and how He may be leading you into a deeper friendship and ministry together. I think we can all say that we have been mad at a friend at least once in life. How do you mend those friendships? Humble yourself, confess, repent and work at restoring that relationship--just love on them and receive their love. That works the same way with our friendship with Jesus too. Think about all the lonely, friendless people around you. How might Jesus be leading you to befriend someone and share His friendship with them. Investing in friendships is crucial today. And investing in our friendship with Jesus is vital for our health. So, what is your Friend leading you to do today about any of this? Will you listen and try it, trust and follow His advice? He is a true Friend with your best interests at heart. Rejoice and love on Him some this morning! It's a great day to fellowship with our Friend and some of His friends and maybe even to lead someone to friendship with Him. Amen! Who's your Buddy?

Our devotionals for today speak into growing our relationship with Jesus and the importance of some good practices for growing as His friend. The Word for You Today speaks about our daily bread and nourishing our souls and minds as we sit at Jesus' feet and prayerfully open His Living Word. He is the Bread of Life! Feast on Him and His Living Word everyday. Hunger and thirst after that friendship as you study and pray. The rest of our devos discuss praying and it's vital importance. Check out Charles Stanley's reminder of just how important prayer is. I believe Jesus is calling us to work on His wish that His Church would become a House of Prayer for the Nations. How is your Friend inviting you into your part in that? Our Daily Bread reminds us about confessing and repenting as we pray and spend time at Jesus' feet and with others. God is calling us to start some small accountability groups and this speaks into that as we pray for each other and seek to grow in Christ and love like Him more. The Upper Room reminds us to be in a constant state of prayer and how our prayers can change things and even bring healing and help. Prayers and a growing prayer time with our Friend, Jesus, changes us too! Amen! Harvest Prayer reminds us the power of prayer over Satan and enemy attacks and shares some great prayers to engage with and remember for those dark times. Satan be gone! Come Holy Spirit! Fill us with Light and Love. Jesus bring Your wisdom alive and lead us today as we spend time with You in Your Word and in prayer and praise. Come. Father, thank You for hearing and answering our prayers! Lord prepare us, send us and grow us in You. Use us for Your glory. Grow our friendship with you and lead us to others to befriend and love on like Jesus. Thanks! Amen!

TWFYT:

CS:

ODB:

UR: Continued Prayer

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. - Acts 3:16 (NIV)

On June 4th, 2018, my blood pressure increased, and my body began feeling weak. I informed my son and my nephew, who is a hospital nurse. They immediately admitted me to the hospital, where I was placed in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and then underwent surgery. When I opened my eyes, my family members, pastors, and friends were around my bed.

The prayer and mission committee started praying for me. And because of a pastors conference in the city, many pastors and leaders also visited and prayed for me. I also prayed, but I felt that it was time for me to end my work in children’s ministry. However, our great and kind God heard our prayers, and I recovered. To my surprise, dozens of churches invited me to help with vacation Bible school ministries and to speak during Passion Week meetings.

In today’s Bible reading, we see the faith of the friends of a paralyzed man. In much the same way, I believe the prayers of churches, friends, and relatives brought me healing. God’s grace, my wife’s care, and much prayer also provided encouragement to me. For Jesus Christ, nothing is impossible.

Today's Prayer

Loving God, thank you for the healing and care you provide. We ask for comfort, healing, and peace for those who are ill. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.Harvest:

August 8 - Power Over Satan While walking the earth, Jesus cast out demons. The Pharisees entertained thoughts that He really was performing the works of Satan. Scripture shows us the truth: A Divided Kingdom (Luke 11:17-23) “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls. So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are safe. But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first man’s armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”  Blasphemy Against the Spirit (Luke 12:10)  “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”  Deliverance from Evil (Luke 8:30–33)  “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and the demonic spirits begged Jesus to let them go into them. He gave them permission. So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. Jesus preached. Jesus healed. Jesus cast out demons. He wanted to expand the Kingdom of God on earth by throwing demons out of spaces, namely people and territories. He shared an illustration, demonstrating how casting out demons works. Contrary to what Jesus’ accusers said, His works emanated from God, not Satan. He also said if they blasphemed Him, they could be forgiven, but if anyone blasphemed the Holy Spirit, they would not be forgiven. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is attributing His work to being the work of Satan. Lord, I repent for any thought, act, or word that has attacked and misjudged a man or woman of God doing Your work. I will not blaspheme the Holy Spirit. I declare I will be like You. I will cultivate an understanding and awareness to discern what is or isn’t of God.  I thank You, Lord, that You walk with me and that I can grow sensitive to You. I thank You that You will ensure that I recognize You and Your hand in every situation. I thank You that I will know without a doubt what is of You and what is of Satan. I thank You that like Christ, if necessary, I will cast out demons in Jesus’ name.  I praise You that You want this for me. You want me to be like You, and as I submit to Your will, You will transform me to be more like Jesus. --Adapted from Praying What Jesus Says by Natasha Miller. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount. Prayer Points Read Ps. 73:23-26 and give praise to the one who holds you every day by your right hand. Thank God for guiding you by his wise counsel. Confess any time you have desired some earthly trinket more than the riches of your heavenly Father. Commit yourself to staying close to God today. Ask God to be “the strength of [your] heart and [your] portion forever.” Pray for any unsaved friends or relatives by name. Ask that they will embrace the peace that comes with having God hold them by the hand. 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.

Good Morning Forgiving Because We Have Been Forgiven Much, Incarnaters of Agape Love! Okay, what's this all about Pastor Don? It seems God has us on a track that began Sunday as we studied Eph. 4 and thinking about how in the heck we can forgive when we are angry, and how we can chose love when we hate. It all boils down to trusting God and allowing Him to help you love, forgive and choose joy and His best. How Lord? HELP! We are commanded to love like Jesus, even enemies and to pray for persecutors. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven and even pray for that in the Lord's Prayer. We are commanded to incarnate Christ, His agape love, and to allow Him control. Pastor Don, I thought you said Jesus' yoke is easy? I'm weary, angry, hurting, depressed. Letting go of this pain and forgiving seems impossible, not easy and I don't think I want to. What's the deal? I want to but find it almost impossible and such a heavy burden. Help me Lord! Yep! That's the perfect place to start. Die to self, crucify that anger, hurt and unforgiveness and beg for Jesus to lead you to love and forgive like Him and His easy yoke for you to put on as you strap yourself to Him. He does promise rest to the weary and heaven knows we are weary and in need of closure and rest.

Let's start with Eph. 4:17-32 that we didn't get to Sunday: ... 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy... 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”
 Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

No way Pastor Don! I don't want to. I don't think I can? Listen child of God, God has forgiven you much. Choose His ways. That doesn't mean you need to become chummy chummy again. Forgiveness opens the door for you to heal and move on to better things. Put them or the situation in God's hands and ask Him to help you to die to self, love, forgive and follow Jesus to what's next. He is faithful to answer those prayers!

God must really want us to discuss these things as He has been highlighting His Word and bringing it and His love to life. So many hurting people around us, maybe that is some of us in this season. He again has threaded our devotions all through this for a second day. He is speaking LOVE to your heart today. or he is trying. Will you allow Him in, trust and obey, receive? For others of us this needs to me a reminder from God that helps us prepare and be ready to continue in trust like Job. The Lord gives and takes away, Praise the Lord, my soul. Joshua before entering the Promised Land challenged the Israelites to choose who they would trust and worship and follow. He said to be strong and courageous and challenged them to choose to worship and follow God no matter what, like he and his family. Prepare your hearts to be ready to do that when those wilderness times come. God will always be with you and always love and accept you when you choose to trust Him and open your wounded heart to His caring love.

Our Daily bread reminds us that God is in control--always. Even when we face devastating loss like Job, we can, we need to, choose to praise the Lord and giver of life and of all we have. Stand on His promises and obey His commands even when you don't want to. He is faithful and there with you. The Upper Room continues with the reminder that Satan is prowling about try to destroy us. BUT GOD! He is our protector, deliverer, help in times of trouble and does allow things to stretch our faith and grow us--hard things. Are you ready for whatever? Set your heart and mind on God and His ways. Turn off the noise and chaos and focus on the Prince of Peace and His helping love. The Word for You Today continues to talk about the agape love required for marriages to flourish, but can be applied to the church since we are the Bride of Christ. They speak into how to agape love and forgive. For some, the marriage or relationship can never be healed nor restored, nor should it be. That's the place where we really have to just pour ourselves out to God and allow Him to help us forgive and move on. It's a journey much like Job experienced. Don't be like Job's wife and want to curse God and die. We may feel like that for a season in our grief. But if we, like Job, have determined to always trust God, we can get to the place of being able to follow God and grow in trust again. Charles Stanley reminds us of another way to refocus--PRAY!  Praising in he storm and praying for those who mistreat you help you to refocus to God and to receive His loving help. Doing that changes you. I love the way the Chosen deals with disappointment, grief and shaking our fists at God and others. It helps us to remember that the disciples were with Jesus and had to learn how to adjust to all kinds of hardships and unanswered questions while growing in trusting Jesus. This life is hard! BUT GOD! Choose to trust Him and ask for help for your unbelief and grace to carry you through to His best ahead. Prepare your hearts. Open your hearts. Receive His agape, forgiving, comforting, strengthening Love. He really does love you beyond measure and has some really good things for you even if that requires some devastating hardships to endure. Determine now to always persevere in faith and gather some teammates to help you. He is there and will always be. So rejoice, pray and grow in trust. Maybe reach out to some others to help you in this journey or maybe reach out to lovingly walk with another (and ask God to help you not be like Job's finger-pointing wrong friends but to bring shalom) 

God loves you and is with you always. His love, comfort, joy and peace are always available. Always remember that! I'm praying for you right now. Shalom!

ODB:

UR: Autopilot

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

While I was in the US Navy, I taught a course on the automatic pilot system used for naval aircraft. This system enabled an aircraft to fly at a preset altitude, attitude, and heading without pilot input. However, should another aircraft or obstacle appear in the path of the aircraft, the system would not change course to avoid the obstacle. Even though the aircraft could fly itself, the pilot had to be alert to any impending danger and take action.

Sometimes we put ourselves on autopilot, going through the motions of life without any input from God. When we stop listening for God’s direction, we can easily run into trouble. Judges 16:20 says that the Lord departed from Samson, and he didn’t know it. Although Samson was to be set apart from birth, he ended up as a slave in Philistia. The challenges of life can easily disrupt our journey if we are not paying attention. When we keep our focus on God, we realize that God is constantly talking to us, providing course corrections to keep us in God’s will for our lives.

Today's Prayer

Faithful God, keep our eyes open and focused on you. Make us aware of the obstacles around us, and guide us on the path that you would have us take. Amen.TWFYT:

CS:

Wagner's letter below

AC installation commences today. PTL! And pray we are able to fix the sanctuary AC and sound as well.

Pray for our Support and Vision Team meeting Thurs that we would hear God, process and plan well and follow to His best.

Pray for me to be able to process well and share what God has been revealing to me about some new things He may have for us in the next few months.

Pray for revival and for God to raise up harvest workers as He brings in the harvest. Thank Him for all He has been doing and for His plans to prosper and grow His Church.

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Good Morning Christ Incarnating Co-Laborers! We are one as he is one! Yet we are uniquely created and gifted to contribute our parts to the whole and all for His glory! We all have a part from prayer warrior, encourager, server, helper, giver, steward, leader, teacher, disciple maker, and many more roles as varied as we are. We are one and we need each other and are better as we fulfill our purposes. We matter! You matter and God is at work. PTL! You are created, gifted, empowered and counted on for such a time as this! PTL! Follow Jesus today! Turn off the noise. Focus on Him with a determination to do your calling for today and each day to follow. That is to become more like Jesus and doing more of your purposes. It's living and loving like Jesus, just as you are (His easy yoke) for such a time as this. Amen!

Yesterday we didn't quite get through all of Eph. 4. Next week we will wrap that up and move into Eph. 5 as we discuss being the Light. The end of Eph. 4 talks about getting rid of all anger and hate and forgiving. How in the world do we choose that when we are so deeply hurt, so full of grief and in no way want to let go of that anger, hate, an not even consider forgiveness. Well first of all know that God loves you and knows all your hurts and tears and He wants to walk with you through this dark valley to the other side. he's collecting your tears in a bottle and waiting with open arms when you get to the place where you are able to invite Him into your pain and to come help you through. He knows and cares and is there. Until you get to the place where you can not lean on your own understanding, clinging to your pain and anger, and need for revenge and answers, you will stay mired in those dark places. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. Holding God at arms length keeps you from the peace and strength and comfort he is wanting to give. So, start by inviting Him into your pain, hurt, anger and hate. Ask Him to help you to forgive and release the pain. Ask Him to help you refocus and choose joy. These things are choices we are commanded to make so they are available to us and lead to healing and being able to move on. You may need some others to help you, hold you up and prayer, and listen as you vent and release. If you stay fixated, angry, hateful, you keep yourself mired in darkness and depression. You do nothing to resolve the issues and can be consumed. Satan loves to keep you there. Look at all the anger and hate being spewed all around us today. His ways are totally opposite the worlds. He says revenge is mine. Jesus commands us to love like He does, even enemies. We can only do that with His help and by releasing all to Him even those who hurt and persecute us. I love the verse that reminds us that if we give an enemy a cup of cold water, we will heap burning coals on their heads. Now that's not throwing the water in their face! But think about it...God's ways are best and healing. He knows, cares and will handle things. try your best to let go, let God and ask Him to come help you do so. he is gracious to do so and reminds us that when we have a thorn in the butt that His grace IS sufficient. We can choose joy and life. It's available to us and comes alive when we get to the end of ourselves and our pain and release everything to God. He's there waiting to comfort and help you to move on to life abundant that he promises. If you are struggling right now, talk to Sarah or me or a trusted close friend and walk together towards God's deliverance for this. I'm praying for you right now.

ODB discuss triggers and resentment and choosing to be more like Jesus. They use one of my favorite passages, Romans 12. Just start by meditating on that today.

Rom 12:9-18 Ask God to bring this alive for you today. Ask God to help you agape love. That's dying to self love that Jesus showed us.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

The Upper Room discuss the abundant life we are promised. Even when we are in hard places, we can draw close to God and know His love, peace, help and choose to release our anger and trust Him. Turn off the noise! And Charles Stanley reminds us that we are never alone. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! God has better for you--abundant life if you chose to receive it. He's waiting for you with open arms of love and help. Trust Him. Draw close. Be still and know. God has plans for you. Plans to prosper and not harm. He will deliver you and walk with you through whatever you are facing. Choose Him! breathe out the junk and give it to Him and receive His love.

ODB:

UR: Life Abundant

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. - Genesis 1:31 (NIV)

For nearly 30 years I have suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. This illness takes various forms for different people, and in my case I experience extreme fatigue with very little pain. But it stops me from doing things I want to do and serving the Lord in the way I would like to.

At times I have resented my illness, wanting to lead a full and busy life only to be pulled up short by my limitations. But sometimes I am able to look upon my illness as a blessing. It has stopped me from being proud since I can no longer rely on my own skill. I now have sympathy for others who are ill, which has made me a kinder person.

And I can pray. There is no shortage of people who need my prayers. When I say to someone, “I’ll pray for you,” I can mean it and do it. There is now time for me to listen to other people, to hear their woes and confidences, and then encourage them through emails, texts, or letters. The pace of my life is slower. There is time to listen to the birds and revel in nature. Even in the frustration of chronic illness, God is with me, helping me to live life abundantly.

Today's Prayer

Loving Father, help us to find your presence and blessing in our current circumstances. Give us strength and courage to trust you. Amen.

CS:

Wagner's news

Greetings Friends, As we prepare to return to Kenya in just 4 days, we wanted to share a condensed version of the message we have been sharing with churches while on home assignment these past 8 months. Go and Make Disciples Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) The theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This passage is not just an afterthought at the end of Jesus time on earth. It is the culmination of the entire narrative of the Bible up until that moment and it is the blueprint for how that narrative would continue to unfold and is still unfolding. God desires that He be glorified by all peoples (all nations), and He calls us to have a part in sharing the Good News with the world.   Make disciples. While missions’ messages often focus on the word “go”, we have focused on “make disciples”. RVA exists to “educate and disciple students”. Quite simply, a disciple is someone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, intentionally learns from Him, and strives to live more like Him. Discipleship is critical to laying a foundation for followers of Jesus who will in turn make more disciples. We have encouraged churches to focus on making disciples, especially with our children and youth. An RVA alumnus writes, “The core building block of missions anywhere is to make disciples. Churches are collections of faithful disciples, making disciples who make disciples.”   Reaching UPGs. Focusing on disciple-making is at the core of what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. It is easy to get distracted with many other good things and lose sight of the importance of making disciples. While this discipleship is not limited to just our families or churches, it does begin there. But we also need to recognize that Jesus clearly identifies the target audience in Matthew as “all nations”. This highlights the importance of seeking to reach Unreached People Groups (UPGs). Global Frontier Missions (GFM) has produced a video illustrating the idea of UPGs. The Power of Multiplication.  Another great video from GFM illustrates how one-on-one discipleship would be a far more effective way to reach the nations than mass evangelism. In fact, it has all the elements of a great video: a focus on missions, a math lesson, and a thought-provoking question to end. [Keep reading!]   Putting it into practice.  This year, we have been personally challenged to focus on raising disciples with the boys entrusted to our care. We desire to be even more intentional about pointing our boys to the Bible as the authoritative source of truth and helping them to develop disciplines which will promote spiritual growth. More Resources In addition to the links above, here are a few more helpful resources that we would recommend. One of the great benefits of home assignment is that we break from our regular work and routine, giving us opportunities to read more and hear what God is seeking to teach us. Not surprisingly, many of these resources focus on discipleship. Raise to Release: A Missional Mandate for Parents, by Victor and Esther Flores. They encourage readers “to consider the implication the imagery of children as arrows has on parenting, world evangelism, and the glory of God.” GFM also has a free 5-week study on missions that can help you and your church better understand the Great Commission and your role in reaching the world for Christ. A podcast from the Culture Translator at Axis.org (an excellent resource for parents and anyone working with youth) interviewing Dr. Jeff Myers on the 3 Biggest Reasons Young People Choose Jesus. [Hint: one reason has to do with having a biblical worldview which comes from studying and knowing the Bible, part of the discipleship process.] As a quick reminder, you can find links to many of these resources on our blog site. And so… “WHO IS YOUR ONE?” Who are you regularly meeting with as you follow Jesus’ command to “make disciples”? How are you growing together in your spiritual disciplines? Together, are you seeing God’s heart for the lost, for the unreached peoples of the world? Thank you so much for your prayers! You are appreciated.   In His Service,   Brian & Missy

Good Morning Alive in Christ, Self-Controlled, Self-Disciplined, Self-Sacrificing, Jesus-Focused, Spirit-Controlled, Heaven-Bound, Hope-Filled, Co-Laborers in Christ! Now that's a mouthful! That salutation came right from a Season 4 Chosen Bible Study I am using. Meditate on these truths. Pronounce them in faith over you and us. They can be and are part of our true identity. Start here and focus on these in your journey to become more in '24. More of Him and less of me! Remember this saying? "I am who I am because I am allowing I AM to be Who He is in and through me." Is that true for you? It can be and is really worth the effort to work at that! Have you lost sight of what's already yours in Christ? Refocus and choose well my co-laboring friends! God has created you for such a time as this and he does have great, attainable purposes just for you today! Rejoice! Live and love like Jesus more in '24!

Our devos flow and thread through this thinking today. Check them out below! What's God saying to you? What will you do about it? Who is helping you? Who are you helping? Charles Stanley reminds us to not be conformed to the ways of this world but be transformed into Christ's image bearers. This takes dying to self and crucifying some things daily to follow Jesus well. The Upper Room reminds us there are some hurdles to overcome and to keep focused ahead on the race God has for us. Our Daily Bread talks about being finishers. Brought to my mind the always present thought about who am I preparing to carry on and finish what I started in Christ? Who am I discipling? Who trained me and what jobs need some finishing? And the Word for You Today discusses parenting which again reminds me of seeking and training some spiritual children. Who are your spiritual children? How are you praying for them? Who is being prepared to replace you and carry on your legacy in Christ? Then really meditate and pray on the Harvest Prayer blogs and prayers today. 

Be the Salt and Light! Focus on Jesus and what lies ahead. Train up some disciples and pray for disciple makers to arise and for St. Matts to become a House of Prayer for the Nations and a disciple making hub. Talk to God about your race and how to run and finish well. Tomorrow we will discuss Eph. 4 and the reminder that we are one. We are unified in Christ and gathered to accomplish His plans for us. Let us keep after it! Let us continue to seek Him and follow His perfect plans. let us light up the world with revival fires! Daylight's burning for sure, BUT GOD! he has great plans to come and he desires for us to be a part of it. What's your part? What will you do about that? Choose to run well my: Alive in Christ, Self-Controlled, Self-Disciplined, Self-Sacrificing, Jesus-Focused, Spirit-Controlled, Heaven-Bound, Hope-Filled, Co-Laborers in Christ! Amen!

CS:

UR: Jumping the Hurdles

Harvest

August 3 - Be Salt and Light “You’re the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people! You’re the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus represented the Kingdom of God and expected His followers to be people of action: to apply what they knew; to live out loud; to be salt and light. Jesus wants to be seen and known through us. As we remain connected to Him as our source of spiritual flavor and light, we can bring salty flavor and a bright light to this world. Lord, I repent for standing muted, dulled, or snuffed out by sin. I repent for any darkness I’ve allowed into my life. I repent for when I’ve quenched the Holy Spirit. I repent for allowing fear or self-ambition, instead of honor, to guide my actions. I repent for when I’ve not allowed You to act through me. I repent for not always following Your lead. I desire to bring Your salty flavor and Your light into the world. I declare boldness for myself! I won’t shrink back, but I will immediately obey what You speak to me through Your Word and the Holy Spirit. Thank You for using me for Your glory. Thank You for wanting me to be salt and light, to represent You in this world. I praise You for being the source of all good and perfect things; that You know the beginning from the end; that You will finish the good work You started in my life. --Adapted from Praying What Jesus Says by Natasha Miller. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount. Prayer Points Praise Jesus as the one who “rose again from the dead” and “ascended to heaven” where he is “seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.” Thank God for access to him through Jesus the Intercessor. Confess any skepticism of God’s willingness to hear your prayers. Commit yourself to living under the flag of King Jesus today. Ask the ascended King to rule over even the details of your life. Pray that the children in your circle of close contacts will know that they belong to the King of heaven and earth. Ask God to help you model the dignity of living for Jesus. 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.

Air Conditioning install begins Monday and may take until Thurs. PTL! We will soon be able to restart ministry in the building. Pray for God to lead us to His new things for us to connect to neighbors. 

Today is bread day, 10-12. Pray for connections and relationships and for God to use us. Pray for Gail as she leads and the staff of volunteers. Thank God for them. Pray he keeps raising up harvest workers and for us to bring the bread of life alive.

Tonight Family Ministries gathers for a food/ice cream fellowship night. Pray for God to lead us to His plans for the fall and the restart if 2 peas in a pod meals.

Ramone Sosa is having a biopsy as I write this. Pray that docs find issues and for healing and pain relief. pray for shalom for the family. Pray for Amber and Ariana as they take over lead of the Clothing Closet. That open Aug 17th and there is much work to do to get ready. Pray for helpers and for God to continue to use this ministry to serve our neighbors and connect others to Him.

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Good Morning Standing on the Promises Seekers of God's Will, and Followers of Jesus--Surrendered Servants! Oh may that be me and us Lord! Come! Bring Your Word and promises alive. Keep us seeking You and receiving and releasing in earnest prayers. May I/we die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus today. Prepare these broken vessels and use us for Your glory. Your Kingdom come and will be done as we seek first Your Kingdom and righteousness! Thank you for forgiveness, mercy and grace. Cleanse us. Help us repent. And may we be ready and willing when you say go. Thank You. May we be more like Jesus and follow Him well as we ask in His mighty name! Amen! Be still and know. Follow and Go!

Start with the Upper Room this morning (we are still working through some issues to get the physical devos in stock). Be still. Know. Refresh in His Spirit and then go, follow. Then check out Harvest blogs and start praying and standing on God's ever true promises. He is faithful to respond as we pray and believe these. Amen! The Word for You Today reminds us to depend on God. That starts by getting to know Him and spending time with Him. What are you focusing on today? What's causing anxiety, stress and distraction? Turn off the noise. Stop the busyness. Pause and refresh then go allowing Jesus to be you Lord and Shepherd today. Check out Charles Stanley's reminders about seeking God first. Our Daily Bread wraps this up with the question:  "What does it mean for you to find your only hope in [Jesus]?" Well? what would that look like if that is true for you? How about our Body? 

Turn off the noise and still the chaos is a choice of obedience as we still ourselves and refocus on God. We are able to choose joy because we hear Him, know Him, follow Him and grow in trust as we see Him at work answering prayers and being true to His promises. He is faithful! Amen! Are we? Honestly, the sooner we accept the fact that in this world Christ is all that matters and He lives in us and wants to live and love through us to change the world, the easier it is to die to self, turn off the noise, hear His whispers, and go in His strength for His purposes for you each day. He's at work. He's transforming us from one way to another and then to another for His glory and to be usable to be part of His mission to change the world. We all have a part. Be still, refocus, know, grow and then go and follow well. But don't wait to follow and don't run ahead. He will make it clear when to go and when to wait, when to speak and when not to. He is with you. Put on His easy yoke, just as you are, for today and allow our Good Shepherd to lead us step by step to His perfect plans. Amen! He has great plans for you! Be still. Know! Yoke and follow well today! I've already prayed for you and me to do so. Come Lord Jesus! Shepherd us as we yoke to you! Yes, Your Kingdom come and will be done! Send me! Amen!

UR: Restorative Stillness

[The Lord] says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

My purse was heavy on my shoulder as I grabbed my keys and hurried toward the door. I wanted to pray, but I needed to get to work. I was tired of plunging into the world without spending time with God, relying on my own strength and wisdom throughout the day. Sure, I mumbled prayers while in traffic, but I longed for intentional time in God’s presence. I hesitated at the door, then turned around and entered my place of prayer. God met me there. It was a selah moment.

Selah is a Hebrew word that concludes several scripture verses. Though its precise meaning is unknown, some scholars believe selah indicates a pause during a musical rendition. Brief silences add to the beauty of music and intensify the listener’s experience.

We also need stillness in our lives. Time spent in God’s presence is restorative. There we discover the true meaning of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” Incorporating moments of stillness with God into our lives can transform the chaotic noise of our days into wonderful symphonies.

Today's Prayer

Loving God, help us make time today to pause in your faithful presence. May we find refuge and strength as we acknowledge you as the source of our joy. Amen.

Harvest

July 31 - Praying the Promises of God If you were to have the privilege of reading through my Mother’s Bible, you would discover highlighted promises. Beside many of these verses, you would see the various names of each of her children. If you could somehow parallel those verses with the actual life experiences of each of her children, you would discover those promises have been fulfilled in amazing specificity. Mom believed in this process of praying by God's promises, right up to her death. And, it worked with God-glorifying consistency! Around 1983 my pastor-Dad suffered a terrible moral fall. It rocked our world for several years. At the end of the ordeal, he left my mom, married another woman and moved away. We thought it was the last we would ever see of him. My mother, before she died two years later, felt she had received a biblical promise from the Lord regarding my Dad. She prayed it often and believed God on his behalf, until the day she died. Here was the promise: Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation. (Psalm 91:14-16) Five weeks before my mother died, my dad came to a full and complete repentance. In his remaining years, God greatly used my dad with thousands of pastors. He would humbly warn and instruct them of the subtle work of the enemy to which no man is immune. "No man can rise so high that he cannot fall,” he would often say, “and no man can fall so low that he cannot rise again by the grace of God!" Dad lived 25 years after my mother received and claimed this promise (a “long life”). God honored him in ways which Dad felt he should not be honored. One of those was the forgiveness and love of his family. God used him and “let him see [God’s] salvation.” Promise given … promise believed and prayed … promise fulfilled. What God did for my precious, praying Mom, He will do for you. Read your Bible. Hear His voice. Claim His promises. Pray them in … and watch God’s faithfulness. Father, Your promises are true and there are so many just waiting for me to pray into my life and the lives of others. Thank You for hearing and answering. Great is Your faithfulness! ---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org. Prayer Points Praise “Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” Thank him for his willingness to leave his heavenly home to live among sinners. Confess any way in which you have been unwilling to sacrifice in order to come alongside those in need. Commit yourself to having the attitude of Jesus (Phil. 2:5-11). Ask God to give you that selfless love. Pray that the presence of Jesus through you will effectively draw an unsaved neighbor to him. Ask God to give you the right actions, words, and love in your community. 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.

TWFYT:

CS:

ODB:

Good Morning Seeking, Listening, Praying Friends of God! Keep knocking. Keep listening and discerning. Keep working on your relationship with God and each other. Pray about a close group of friends that you can partner with to seek, pray, discern, pray some more, listen some more and process with. God is speaking. Are you hearing Him clearly? Are you discerning well or do you need to have some others help you to process. We all need each other in this journey towards Christlikeness. God has some partners just for you and He will speak, lead and guide you as individuals and together better as you continue to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness. Turn off the noise. Refocus. Be still and know, process and go in the strength and blessings of the Lord to live and love like Jesus. Amen! Check out the Upper Room about discussing and discerning and planning around the table. We do this with Family Ministries and our Adult huddles. May God grow this kind of praying and processing. Amen!

God awoke me at 3 am. I tried to resist but by 3:30 realized I needed to get up and spend some extra time in prayer and study. It is now 4 hours later and I think I have discerned how He wants to piece this blog together. (I don't think I could share all I am hearing and processing--it's just too much and would overwhelm you.) BUT He did really grab my heart today and the way He is putting our devotionals together verify and bring clarity to what He wants me to share with you. The rest will be for my continued prayerful consideration. So let me start with the first things He highlighted to me from a study that we don't all have and that is the constant call to die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus. Read and meditate on Mark 8:31-36. What does it mean to follow Jesus to you? How do we do that well? What does He expect? Well it starts with dying to self and crucifying some things. Today for me that meant arising early and spending extra time in prayer and meditation. It meant crucifying my desire to sleep in and my plans to be out the door early this morning being about my agenda. But let me tell you how worth it it is. I am still abiding in this extra close presence of the Lord right now and hearing His voice as I type this. (It's now 5 hours since I got up--God will redeem!) And I expect He will go before me with favor today, redeem this extra time, bring His plans alive and use me well. Do you really want to be a follower of Jesus? What does He say to do? Read it below and talk to Him about that. Process it with some friends too. Jesus asks in V. 37, "Is anything worth more than your soul?" Really think about that. What have you placed above your soul and your relationship with Jesus? In what things are you leaning on your own understanding? Where are you giving God advise, or correcting, like Peter? What does it mean to you that Jesus said if you want to follow Him you need to deny self, die to self, give up your own way? I am praying that I and all of you want to and really work at becoming a true follower of Jesus. My word for this year keeps coming to my mind: earnestness. Help me Lord! Help us to earnestly pursue you, die to self, crucify the things that hinder your working and ways, put on Your yoke and follow Jesus well. Lead us and move us to some accountability, processing partners too. Thanks! Amen! Come! Have all of me!

The rest of our devos thread through what God has been revealing to me this morning. What's He saying to you as you engage with them? Charles Stanley besieges us to choose His Spirit. He talks about crucifying self will and ways and control. You really are not God despite what the world keeps telling you. Choose to walk by His Spirit today. The Word for You Today reminds us to take every thought and action captive before God. I pray this over myself all the time and am chipping away at progressing towards doing that quicker and more often. It's a journey worth the effort as we allow God to change us and our ways and free us to be fully His. Then we wrap up with Our Daily Bread's reminder that people are watching us? Are they seeing Jesus in a good way and being drawn? They ask two important questions at the end that we need to answer. Ask these two questions first: Who is this man Jesus? How has He affected my life? Then process the other questions with some friends: "How does your life reflect God's ways to others? What do you need to change to represent Him better?" Selah (That means take a dramatic pause and allow the previous to penetrate)

That is what God has been talking to me about all morning. I have a lot of work to do yet! Thank God I'm forgiven and being helped to achieve His best for me. Thank God for some close accountability partners. Thank God for grace, which is sufficient and new mercies everyday! We are called to be the aroma of God. To some that's a stench. Don't focus on them. But some will be drawn by that sweet aroma of Jesus living and loving through us. Those are the ones God is preparing for you and you for them. Focus there as you focus on God. Follow earnestly and well, just as you are. He has great plans opening up for you today. Rejoice! I am very interested to hear what God is saying to you and Sarah and I are available to help you get started process. The best is to find some close friends to do that with. I have and continue to thank God for all of you and pray for His Kingdom to come and will to be done in, through and around each of you and us together! Yes Come! Thanks Lord! Your will. Your way. Amen

UR: Chocolate Chip Brownies

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

Often when I was young, my mom would make her famous chocolate chip brownies, and sometimes we would sit together after school to chat as we ate them.

During high school,

a friend of mine became pregnant at 16. Some of my friends’ mothers were shocked, and I can still recall their words of disapproval. But over a pan of chocolate chip brownies my mom and I talked about ways to help. Mom suggested that we host a baby shower for this expectant mother and invited some friends to our home to plan it. The shower was lovely, and my friend and her mom were teary-eyed and appreciative. I learned, through my mom and her brownies, the importance of adapting to life situations through prayer and not letting discouragement get in the way of finding joy.

As a parent, I have continued the tradition of making chocolate chip brownies, and I enjoy the conversations that crop up at our house as the brownies are served. Reliving memories of discussions from my childhood are treasures that I am blessed to share with those who now gather at our family table.

Today's Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us to show your love to others. We pledge to love them for the sake of the Christ we follow. Amen.Mark 8:31-38...Father, open this Word to us. Holy Spirit come and speak. Amen! What's God saying to you? Maybe write it down, pray about it, and discuss with some friends?

31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

CS:

TWFYT

ODB:

Good Morning Surrendered, Empowered, Following Friends of Jesus! Amen! May that be me and us Lord! May we surrender, earnestly seek and follow You. Empower us in our weakness to be all in and about Your business Your way. Thank You for hearing our prayers, being with us, molding us and going before us with favor. When we are weak, You are strong and Your grace is sufficient. You are all we need! Come! Fill us and lead us to our purposes today. Mold us, Potter. Send us! Use us for Your glory! Your Kingdom come and will be done. Send me! May we see and follow well, unite in small groups that connect to neighbors and do what we can with what You have provided and to sow lavishly. Thank You! Help us to be in the world but not of it. Forgive us for our Pharisaical, judgmental ways. Purify us that we would be ready when You lead. Give us prepared hearts and willing hands and feet. Thank You. May we become your dynamic movement and the people and gathered group You have made us to be. Yes Come! Be glorified as we learn to live and love like Jesus more in '24. Amen.

I keep seeing all these pharisaical posts about the last supper spoof at the Olympics. First of all I don't have cable or pay much attention to anything on TV. They have their liberal agendas front and center and are very worldly. Why fill your mind with that crap? They do what worldly people do. Should we be appalled or expect anything different? NO! Should we be on the look out for every sin and attack on God like the Pharisees and want to force people to our standards? NO! Jesus said to love--even those who persecute you and to expect hateful attacks. He also reminded His disciples to expect it because they hated and attacked Him and they would continue to laugh at, mock and even persecute His followers. We are called to be different. We are no longer citizens of this worldly kingdom led by Satan. We are missionaries here. Would you travel to a jungle tribe that never heard of Jesus that did ungodly things and point fingers and demand to conform to your ways? No! You'd go, try to connect and help them to come to know God and then help them to embrace God's ways and then to change. Hate for Jesus, His ways and His followers is to be expected. We are to be different. We are to love always and be more like Jesus. He promises to help us. Keep your focus on Him and chose to walk in His ways who loved us while we were enemies. He prayed this for us in John 17: 13-19. What's He saying to you?

13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

Stop the finger pointing! We were once sinners too. But by the grace of God we have been saved. Who do you see Him at work on and how might He want you to go love them and be His hands and feet? Who are you praying for earnestly for God to transform and bless. Stop complaining and go change the world by His love! Yesterday after teaching us about Ephesians 3, Sarah reminded us that God and His ways are a mystery and beyond comprehension. We often think we have it all figured out and surely our ways and preferences have to be His instead of allowing His heart and mind to transform and lead us. He knows those who will come and is at work in uniting them into His Body. It's our time to focus on those people. It's our time and mission to go love and make disciples like Jesus who actually ate and partied with tax collectors and sinners. Sarah asked, "How do you view yourself in the Kingdom?" She reminded us that Paul called himself the vilest of sinners...BUT GOD! God transforms us, our hearts and choices as we die to self and allow Him control. Don't be a noise maker and clanging gong and finger pointer. Instead remember God's grace and love that continues to hang out with sinners like us and mold us to His image. Then go love like Jesus. Turn off the noise. be still, listen and follow His whispers. Allow Him to use you to transform the world around you one soul at a time that He has prepared for you. Thank Him and ask for His help. Keep earnestly praying and following and processing with friends of Jesus. One day, one step of faith at a time with Jesus. That's all God asks and is Jesus' easy yoke for you. Now what will you do about that today? What is the next step the Holy Spirit is stirring you to take? Follow Him and just be and bring love. Sink your roots deep into Love and draw His grace deep into your soul. May we be known as the people who love like Jesus, not the finger pointing Pharisees people of the world think we are and keep trying to trigger. Die to self. Just love! Know peace. Let God work. Follow Jesus! Amen! And know joy! And remember, we cannot do this well on our own. We need God and each other! PTL!

God is calling us to repent. That's admitting we are sinners that fail often, confess, change our thinking and ways. That becomes possible because we have come to Christ and are forgiven. Ask God to give you His eyes. ears, heart, mind, passion and compassion in preparation for His new things for you. Ask Him to purify you and us as His set apart (holy) people and to sanctify and ready you and us to go and love well. You know sometimes it feels like when we play hide and seek and He says, "Ready or not here I come!" May He find us ready!

Charles Stanley talks about repenting and learning to walk more like Jesus. Our Daily Bread reminds us that God is at work and wants to be King of our hearts. Is He? He tells us to not fear and like Mary and Daniel heard, He can say to you, "You are highly esteemed" in God's eyes. He doesn't point fingers. He lovingly receives us as we are and gently corrects. That's our model and example to follow. The Upper Room reminds us that He is with us always, even in the unknown and hard things. Keep trusting Him. Don't lean on your own understanding. The Word for You Today reminds us to keep depending on God. I have prayed to not be called to anything that I can do on my own, that I would need to depend on God. He's gracious to answer that prayer. It can be scary stepping into the unknown in faith. That is required, though, and He promises to be there and to walk with us. He is enough and His grace is sufficient. Amen! 

You are custom made for such a time as this, not to do your own thing your own way. We are called to die to self, follow earnestly and go live and love more like Jesus. How does the Holy Spirit want to help you with that today? William Booth (founder of the Salvation Army) said, "Work as if everything depended upon work and pray as if everything depended upon prayer." Really, that's earnestly pursuing God and for doing His ways earnestly. I am not sure what has changed in me to pursue this earnest living, except that I have earnestly prayed for God to take control of me and help me to earnestly pursue His plans and best for me. I am feeling a change and becoming different from what and how I was. Please continue Lord and sustain me. Would you consider praying that over you and our Body and then taking the next step of faith God is revealing? He has great plans awaiting you to discover as you do. Daylights burning! It's time to get earnest. God is pursuing and preparing this remnant for some awesome things to come--His Kingdom to come and will to be done! Amen!

CS:

ODB:

UR: God in the Unknown

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

I’m recovering from a strained calf muscle, my second in a few short months. This, along with creaky joints when I get out of bed in the morning and a glimpse in the bathroom mirror, remind me I’m getting older. I sometimes wrestle with aging and the fear of the unknown future. What will become of me if I lose my spouse? What if my body or mind fail and I can no longer care for myself or live in my home?

And then I remember my source of peace and turn to the words that calm my fears: “Even in your old age and gray hairs I . . . will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you: I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isa. 46:4). These words help me to settle into God’s loving embrace and to look to the future with more anticipation than dread. I have no need to fear the unknown because God will not abandon me.

Even though I cannot know the future, I feel safe and secure under God’s protection and take comfort in scripture. I know my body will change, but God’s love for me will not. And I look with anticipation and great joy to the end of my earthly journey, when I will meet Jesus face to face. Until then, I will trust in the One who calms all my fears and walks with me through the unknown.

Today's Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your promise to be with us through all the days of our lives. Amen.TWFYT:

Harvest

July 29 - Lord of the Sabbath Constantly people looked at Jesus and watched what He and His disciples did. In particular, the Pharisees observed with critical hearts, and challenged Jesus concerning the disciples’ activities on the Sabbath. Why did they break the Sabbath laws? As Jesus taught the Pharisees, let Him also teach us: Mark 2:25-28: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry—how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?” … “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. For this reason the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mark 3:3-5: So he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Stand up among all these people.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to save a life or destroy it?” But they were silent. After looking around at them in anger, grieved by the hardness of their hearts,  he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Lord isn’t legalistic. He established the Sabbath as a time of rest because humanity needs rest. On the Sabbath He wants to bless us, not to confine us. He doesn’t want to keep starving disciples from eating, endangered animals from rescue, or sick or injured people from healing. Yes! You’re Lord of the Sabbath. You’re Lord of everything. I acknowledge and bless You for that. I serve a spectacular God! Lord, I repent for when I’ve behaved in a legalistic fashion. When I’ve applied a godly rule while missing Your intent. Reveal in my life where I might be doing this. I desire to follow Your law congruently with Your heart’s intent. I desire to bring godly tenderness into every situation. I desire to serve You uprightly and according to Your ways, not the ways of humanity. I declare that all my choices will be based on my personal relationship with You. I declare that I will walk uprightly and love You, Lord, with all my heart, soul, and strength, and that I will look at Your Word with the understanding of Your heart. Thank You for opening my eyes to legalistic, ungodly behavior. Thank You for breaking me free from oppressive misunderstandings of Your Word. Thank You for expanding my heart to reflect the fullness of Your heart. Thank You for letting me rest in You. I praise You that You’re a merciful God, operating with the best intentions and practices. I praise You for establishing rest for Your people. I praise You for Your consistency and perfect virtue. I cherish You, Lord. --Adapted from Praying What Jesus Says by Natasha Miller. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount. Prayer Points Praise God that birth and conception are miraculous and a special gift from God. Thank him for planning all your days before you were even born (Ps. 139:16). Confess any dissatisfaction over the gifts and abilities God has given you. Commit yourself to God daily and, like Paul, be content in whatever situation he has placed you (Phil. 4:11). Ask God to bring personal peace as a member of your family. Pray that children in your family circle and among your friends may be blessed with godly parents who are good examples and who discipline them in love (Prov. 22:6). 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.