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Wednesday, August 28 2024
Please be reading and meditating on Philippians 1 for Sun. What's God saying to you? What does it mean to you to be a slave to Christ? What does it mean "To live is Christ and to die gain"? How's that look for your life and our church? What's it like to find joy in suffering like Paul was able?
Today is Bread Ministry from 10-12 and tonight at 6 is our first dinner huddle of the fall.
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Good Morning Slaves of Christ! Are you sold out for Christ and attached to Him like an indentured servant or slave? That's something I ask myself all the time. Am I living as if Christ is all that matters? Am I able to turn off all the noise around me and focus on God and at doing what Jesus is doing or has for me to do? Help me Lord! I often find myself feeling like a failure or getting depressed when I ponder my answers to these questions daily. BUT GOD! He knows me. he calls me by name. He has redeemed me and my choices. He has great plans for me today to discover and step into as I release all my junk and anxiety and trust Him. I can know and choose joy despite my circumstances or the situations of the world around me. 2 Chronicles reminds us to humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, acknowledge God in all our ways and He will heal our land. Fixing what's going on around you is God's business. Our business is to be all about God and slaves to Christ and to allow Him to use us to change one soul at a time. That will lead us to be part of His healing our nation.
I'm running very late today and need to skedaddle. In our pastors huddle this morning we discussed some of the above and Eph. 2:10. God knows he because he made you and ius shaping you as you go. You are being made new in Christ, gifted and empowered to go do the things He has planned for you since before you were born. It would benefit us to turn off all the noise. Seek God's face and follow Jesus to those things yoked to Him as His slave. That's all you need to worry about. Cast all that other junk unto Him and receive His shalom and marching orders for today. Amen! help us Lord. Check out how our devos for today flow through this thinking. be still and know. Die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus today. he does have great plans for you that will lead to much good fruit and great joy. Shalom! God Is enough! Trust Him and live well as you walk with Jesus today!
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ODB
Talk about a layover. Phil Stringer waited eighteen hours to board a flight that was delayed due to thunderstorms. His patience and perseverance paid off, however. Not only did he get to fly to his destination and make it on time for important business meetings, but he was also the only traveler on the flight! All the other passengers gave up or made other arrangements. Flight attendants gave him whatever food items he desired, and Stringer adds, “I did sit in the front row, of course. Why not when you have the whole plane to yourself?” The outcome was definitely worth the wait.
Abraham also endured what must have felt like a lengthy delay. Way back when he was known as Abram, God told him that He would make him “into a great nation” and that “all peoples on earth [would] be blessed through” him (Genesis 12:2-3). Only one problem for the seventy-five-year-old man (v. 4): how could he become a great nation without an heir? His waiting was left wanting at times, however. He and wife Sarai tried to “help” God fulfill His promise with some misguided ideas (see 15:2-3; 16:1-2). And when he “was a hundred years old . . . Isaac was born to him” (21:5). His faith was later celebrated by the writer of Hebrews (11:8-12).Waiting can be hard. And, like Abraham, we might not do it perfectly. But as we pray and rest in God’s plans, may He help us persevere. In Him, it’s always worth the wait.
By Tom Felten
REFLECT & PRAY
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What are you waiting for? How can you rest and persevere in God’s strength?
Dear God, please help me wait and persevere in You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Genesis 12 records God’s call of Abram—later renamed Abraham (17:5)—an event central to the biblical story. The chosen nation of Israel would come through Abraham (Isaiah 41:8), and from Israel would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would save humanity and the world. But the story begins small, with one man commanded to “Go” (Genesis 12:1) and then promised that “all peoples on earth [would] be blessed through [him]” (v. 3). But he was given no details as to how. Later, Abraham is commanded by God to “take” his beloved son Isaac and offer him “as a burnt offering” (22:2). After Abraham demonstrated that he’d obey (though God provided a substitute sacrifice), the promises first given in Genesis 12 were given to him a second time (22:15-18). In the New Testament, we’re told that God’s redemption story continues through believers in Jesus, who are included in God’s people and chosen to reveal who He is to the world (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Learn more about God’s promise to Abraham.
Monica La Rose |
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UR: Enough Is Plenty (GOD IS ENOUGH!)
They all ate and were satisfied. - Matthew 14:20 (NIV)
Martha was a regular patron of our food pantry. She had worked as a domestic employee of a local family, but her retirement income was minimal. Four people lived in her home, which had no central heating. She came to the pantry every other month to supplement her meager resources. One day a farmer had brought in a supply of squash. The pantry had mostly canned and dried goods for our patrons, so I remember Martha’s eyes lighting up at the unexpected fresh food.
A few months later, Martha returned to the pantry — this time with a grocery bag full of squash. She told us that she had grown the squash from seeds she had taken from her pantry squash. Then she said, “I knew how to grow things from my early life on a farm. I loved that fresh squash so much that I’d like to share it with others who need some freshness in their lives.” It was, in every way, a miracle of multiplication. Remember, Jesus reassured his doubtful disciples that they could feed the five thousand by faith, even though their resources were minimal. “They all ate and were satisfied.”
Today's Prayer
O God, we pray for those who live day-to-day with little access to fresh, nutritious food. Help us find ways to supply life-sustaining food to those in dire need of it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Harvest
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August 28 - Cultivate Robust Faith
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Jesus consistently exercised His authority over weather, sickness, disease, physical ailments, and death. Through His miracles, He demonstrated what He wanted His followers to believe and do. He promoted a robust faith that expected His miracles.
Rebuking the Winds. Luke 8:22, 25 “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” … “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”
Healing a Disease. Luke 8:46, 48 “Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.” … “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Raising the Dead. Luke 5:30, 34, 39, 41 “Do not be afraid; just believe.” … “Why are you distressed and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” … “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”
The Disciples Failure. Luke 9:41-42 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.” As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
The Blind Healed. Luke 18:41-42 “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
Jesus expects His followers to exercise faith; not just faith in Him, but faith concerning storms, sickness, disease, and death. Jesus extends His miraculous power to accomplish the impossible. He wants us to believe He can and will.
Lord, I repent for every time I’ve lacked faith. Show me the specific areas where I lack faith so I can specifically repent. Faith acts like a divine currency, and I want lots of it. Show me how to build my faith.
I declare I will be a person of faith, that my faith will be utilized for Your glory to bring peace to storms, healing to the wounded, and life to myself and others. I declare I will live by faith, a robust faith. Whatever happens, I will obey You and live by faith.
Thank You for fulfilling Your will in my life. I’m depending upon You to shape and mold me. I thank You that I will hear You clearly and understand Your leanings.
I praise You that You provided Jesus as a living example of whom You call me to be like. I praise You that faith in You is what I need. I praise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I praise You, the author and finisher of 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.
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- Praise God, “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).
- Give thanks for God’s comfort to you and all who truly mourn (Mt. 5:4).
- Confess any sin he shows you, truly mourning for the pain you have caused.
- Commit to receiving God’s forgiveness.
- Ask the Lord to search your heart and thoughts, removing any offensive way and leading you “in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24).
- Pray that the righteousness of Christ will be evidenced to your whole community through your church’s leadership and membership.
- Ask God to help you keep his kingdom and righteousness your first priority.
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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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Wednesday, August 28 2024
Join us for huddle today 10-11 live in the fellowship hall and on zoom.
Pray for Sarah. She got called and chosen yesterday for jury duty for at least the week. This is very hard on her physically and she is already preparing her legs and body for a long day and week as I write this. Pray God's favor and blessing over her to sustain her, keep pain at bay and for a short time in court. Ask for His strength to endure. Pray for God to use her well too.
I received a call from Linda, Glad Ketner's daughter expressing how lonely and depressed Glad is. I usually am able to visit our homebound quarterly and the next scheduled visit is the end of Sept. So, Sarah suggested a "thinking of you" card shower. And maybe some could visit. She has no phone. She is in Parkland Manor, 4636 Crackersport Rd. Allentown, PA 18104
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Good Morning Abiding, Still, Knowing, Receiving, Worshipers! Amen! He is the Vine and we are His abiding/dwelling branches. As we turn off the noise and turn from the chaos we can hear His still small voice and whispers and truly know that He is God and He is with us, informing our prayers and steps for today. As we still ourselves and listen we come to know He is truly God and become familiar with His voice and receive instruction as we go. He loves you and has great plans for you for today. Stop and still yourself and abide some in His love. Allow His presence to wash over you and fill you for the day ahead. I can testify to these truths and the benefit of quieting my soul, worshiping (God does inhabit our praise), listening and learning. I then am better able to follow Him and His provision for the day. Thanks Lord! I am listening. Come! Speak! Direct to Your perfect plans for today. May I know Your shalom and dwell in it all day as I continue to fellowship with you throughout today. Thanks! Amen! Send me and use me well!
I suggest making this a Harvest Prayer Day and spend some time in their blogs and prayer guides for today. And then our devos (below) Start with Sarah Young's Jesus Calling:
Here's a link to their blogs: https://www.harvestprayer.com/the-voice/ and https://www.harvestprayer.com/the-discipline-of-solitude-in-everyday-life/
Harvest:
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August 27 - You Are the Dwelling Place of God
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Adoration and praise develop within us a deeper sense of intimacy. When we voice thoughts of praise and adoration to God, we are drawn into His presence. Our praises set the tone for intimate contact with almighty God.
Psalm 22:3 says that God “inhabits” the praises of His people. The Hebrew word for “inhabit” may also be translated “enthroned,” opening the passage to show us its meaning: God creates a dwelling place among those who praise Him. . . . Here is a magnificent truth! Just as God is sovereign whether we worship Him or not, He will indwell us mightily and majestically whether we are feeling happy or sad—when we praise Him. Praise constructs a Throne room in our hearts where the Sovereign God declares He is pleased to dwell.
In my own prayer life, when I start with adoration and praise, I know something happens. I have a greater sense that I am connecting with God, more of a sense that He is there with me. And it is generally true that the longer I worship Him, the more powerful my prayer time is. Sometimes I’ll play a worship CD to aid me. I sing along with it or simply meditate on the lyrics as they are sung. It never ceases to bring peace to my spirit and to create love for God in my heart. I have to admit that, despite knowing this, I often rush right into petition. Perhaps it is my busyness, perhaps it is my selfishness (I must get right away to what I need), or perhaps it is a fear of intimacy. Whatever the reason, I need to constantly remind myself to simply worship God in prayer. It makes all the difference!
Majestic Father, I want You to be at home in me always! Help me to draw near in the wonder of worship without rushing quickly on to my own needs and requests. Nothing I have to do is more worthy or worthwhile than spending significant time drawing near to You. Teach me the discipline of lingering in Your presence, beholding Your beauty and worshiping at Your feet.
--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, from whom all blessings flow!”
- Thank him for making his blessings available to you in Christ Jesus.
- Confess that you are spiritually poor in yourself.
- Commit yourself to gratitude to God for replacing your poverty with all the treasures of “the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3).
- Ask for a renewed appreciation for this tremendous, gracious exchange.
- Pray for those caught in addictions to drugs, sex, self-reliance, etc., to admit that they are powerless to overcome these evils by themselves.
- Ask God to use you this week to point at least one person to him and his resources.
Prayer Pointer
“Prayer becomes a battleground where we wrestle with what it means to live God’s life in the world.” —Maxie Dunnam
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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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UR: In God's Image
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - John 13:34 (NIV)
I don’t like birds. If I see a bird flying anywhere close by, I think it’s going to attack me. For the past few weeks, my husband and I have been watching a little wren outside our dining room window. She hops around on the leaves of the begonia, looks in at us, and occasionally pecks at the window. Despite my fear of birds, I can appreciate this one. I enjoy watching her from inside and acknowledge her as one of God’s wondrous creations.
Similarly I have met people that I don’t like. But Jesus tells us to love one another as he has loved us. Jesus loves us as creations made in God’s image.
If I can acknowledge that a little bird that I am fearful of is a marvelous creation of God, how much more should I be able to love a person who is made in God’s likeness? If I pay attention to people as closely as I have this wren, I will give myself the opportunity to get past my first impressions, to notice others doing something kind or beautiful, to see in each person the reflection of our loving God.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to see beyond our negative reactions to people. Help us to see how they reflect you. Amen.
ODB:
God designed the great gray owl as a master of camouflage. Its silver-gray feathers have a collective pattern of coloring which allows it to blend into the bark when perched in trees. When the owls want to remain unseen, they hide in plain sight, blending into their environment with the help of their feathery camouflage.
God’s people are often too much like the great gray owl. We can easily blend into the world and remain unrecognized as believers in Christ, intentionally or unintentionally. Jesus prayed for His disciples—those the Father gave Him “out of the world” who “obeyed” His Word (John 17:6). God the Son asked God the Father to protect and empower them to live in holiness and persevering joy after He left them (vv. 7-13). He said, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (v. 15). Jesus knew His disciples needed to be made holy and set apart so they could live out the purpose He’d sent them to fulfill (vv. 16-19).
The Holy Spirit can help us turn from the temptation to become masters of camouflage that blend into the world. When we submit to Him daily, we can look more like Jesus. As we live in unity and love, He’ll draw others to Christ in all His glory.
By Xochitl Dixon
REFLECT & PRAY
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In what area of your life can you ask God to make you more like Jesus? How has God used others to draw you closer because of the way they lived and loved like Jesus?
Holy Spirit, please make me look so much like Jesus that others will be drawn to seek the one true God.
For further study, read Remade in the Image of Jesus.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The Scriptures don’t often record what Jesus prayed because He often prayed alone (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 9:18). On some occasions, however, He wanted us to hear His prayers for our benefit (see Matthew 6:9-13; John 11:42). John 17, known as “Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer,” is one such prayer. It reveals His deepest concern for us. It’s the longest of Christ’s recorded prayers and can be summarized this way: Jesus prays for His glory (vv. 1-5), His disciples’ security (vv. 6-12), His disciples’ sanctity (vv. 13-19), and the church’s unity (vv. 20-26).
K. T. Sim |
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Wednesday, August 28 2024
Thanks Sarah! Thanks for covering during our sick day. We had a stomach bug and felt it best to rest at home and not contaminate others. Karen and I are both better and will be ready for the week ahead. Thanks for your prayers!
This Week:
Tues 10-11 Huddle live in Fellowship Hall and on Zoom. All welcome!
Wed. Bread Distribution 10-12
6-7:30 Dinner and fellowship for all families and adults. We begin our fall return to huddles on Wed.
Worship Sun. 10 Am in the sanctuary and on zoom
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Good Morning Refined, Redeemed, Delivered, Secure Children of the King of the Universe! God took me through many devos todays as I found some old ones and saw how He threaded three new ones through our normal ones. God is speaking to you, to us, this morning and pronouncing His love, that patiently corrects, stretches, refines, delivers, redeems and grows us in Christ. PTL! We have read and know He does all these, but sometimes it's hard to keep our focus and joy when being stretched and molded. God is for us and has great plans for us that will take us through the refiners fire and deep waters and even through the darkest valleys. he is and will be with us always and is always good, even though it may not quite feel like that at times of stretching. We have prayed for His Kingdom to come and will to be done in, through and around us and we can expect Him to answer that according to His plans and in ways He knows are best to get us to our fuller potential in Christ. Amen--so be it Lord! Come! Have Your way with me! Amen!
Yesterday Sarah brought a great word and reminder from Eph. 6 that Satan will and does attack and that we need to be cloaked in the armor of God and to put that on daily in prayer. We need to sharpen our swords by spending time in His Word and internalizing and memorizing it to use against all attacks. God will allow testing and Satan will attack God's faithful ones. Expect it and be ready. Satan also loves to drag down and away from God those who are being tested and refined. Don't allow that. Tighten on that armor and stand form as God molds you. Don't loose hope but keep seeking Him and resting in His love as you stand firm in Christ. God loves you and has great plans for you for such a time as this and just as you are. But He also wants to lead you to the greater things which will require some refining fire and stretching love. Receive it with joy and in faith knowing God is for you--always.
I have much to do this morning and am running way behind so I will just leave you with some of our devos for you to work through with the Holy Spirit and maybe some friends. What's God saying to you, very loved one? What's he wanting to do in, through and around you to bring His Kingdom and will alive? Who is helping you process? Be still and know He is the God who is love and always with you. he has great plans for you that will require some refining and stretching and he has some friends to walk with you and Jesus through whatever deep waters and dark valleys you are in. PTL! We all need each other to lean on and walk with. Start with this worship prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysLvmPCE9KA
You are chosen by God who is calling you by name and who will redeem and deliver you. he will stretch and grow you and He has given you His Spirit and others filled with His Spirit to walk with through this life and all the battles. Tighten on that armor in prayer and walk in His strength and power to victory ad you allow Him to lead you to your best. he does have great plans for you! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and He promises to be with you always.
There is definitely a thread through all God is revealing to us today through our devotional quiet time. We are His and He is refining us and leading us to His best in such a loving way that is best and custom prepared for custom us. PTL! We are...Refined, Redeemed, Delivered, Secure Children of the King of the Universe! We are loved. We matter. God has great plans for each of us and us together that He is bringing to life! PTL! Don't loose hope. Choose joy as you trust and invite Him to shape you for His great plans for you. Yes Come! Have Your way with me Lord! You know best! help me to cooperate with Your Spirit and find some friends to walk with. Your Kingdom come and will be done in, through and around me and always for Your glory. May I honor and worship You always. Amen!
You are God's workmanship--masterpiece being made new in Christ to accomplish all he created you to do. (Eph 2:10) PTL! COME!
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When I was a young believer, I thought “mountaintop” experiences were where I would meet Jesus. But those highs rarely lasted or led to growth. Author Lina AbuJamra says it’s in the desert places where we meet God and grow. In her Bible study Through the Desert, she writes, “God’s aim is to use the desert places in our lives to make us stronger.” She continues, “God’s goodness is meant to be received in the midst of your pain, not proven by the absence of pain.”
It’s in the hard places of sorrow, loss, and pain that God helps us to grow in our faith and become closer to Him. As Lina learned, “The desert is not an oversight in God’s plan but an integral part of [our] growth process.”
God led many Old Testament patriarchs to the desert. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all had wilderness experiences. It was in the desert that God prepared Moses’ heart and called him to lead His people out of slavery (Exodus 3:1-2, 9-10). And it was in the desert that God “watched over [the Israelites’] journey” for forty years with His help and guidance (Deuteronomy 2:7).
God was with Moses and the Israelites each step of their way through the desert, and He’s with you and me in ours. In the desert, we learn to rely on God. There He meets us—and there we grow.
By Alyson Kieda
REFLECT & PRAY
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When has God met you in a desert place? What happened as a result?
Dear God, thank You for being with me in the difficult desert experiences of my life. You’re faithful and compassionate.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Valuable lessons can come from some of the strangest places. For ancient Israel, one of those places was the uninhabited zone known as the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:1-7). The value that comes from trekking through such unwelcomed territory is described in chapter 8: “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart . . . . He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna . . . to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (vv. 2-3). True safety isn’t determined by our location (lions’ den, fiery furnace, valley of the shadow of death, passing through fire or water). It comes with trust in the One who goes with us regardless of where we are.
Arthur Jackson |
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UR: Safe in God's Embrace
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. - Psalm 4:8 (NIV)
When I was young, I often had nightmares that woke me. Feeling anxious, I would knock on the door to my parents’ room, and my mother would calm me, giving me a hug. After my fear started to subside, she would take me back to my room and sleep with me for the rest of the night. Knowing my mother was there with me, I then was able to sleep peacefully.
I think this is what the psalmist experienced. He could forget his burdens and enjoy peace at night by putting trust in the Lord. When we have a hectic day, our emotional and physical energy is used up; we may feel angry or worried so that even at night we are still thinking about the events of the day. However, when we turn our eyes to God and share our struggles, God’s presence can fill us and bring relief for the soul.
The presence of my mother beside me, guarding me from my fears as I slept, provided me peace. In much the same way, remembering God’s presence provides me peace today. When our strength is limited and our minds are filled with worries, we can reach out to God and rest assured that in God’s care, we need not dwell in fear.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, life is full of hardship. But when we put our trust in you, we can rest peacefully knowing that you are our protector. Amen.Sarah Evans
Harvest Prayer:
- Praise God that “though he brings grief, he will show compassion . . . for he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (Lam. 3:32-33).
- Give thanks for God’s promise that your grief will be turned to joy (Jn. 16:20).
- Confess to him the times you let grief or affliction turn to bitterness or unconfessed sin.
- Commit yourself to allowing these trials or afflictions to be a stepping stone to a greater faith.
- Ask God to help you guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith (Mal. 2:16).
- Ask that financial pressure in your congregation will draw you together in prayer and trust, and move you forward in faith as you share with those in need (Rom. 12:12-13).
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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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Wednesday, August 28 2024
Good Morning Armor-Clad, Prayer Warriors, Incarnators--Missionaries of Almighty God! Amen! We are the Light that drives back the darkness. We need to put on His armor and prepare for battle and walk in confidence in the protection of our Almighty. Amen! Today Sarah wraps up Ephesians 6 for us discussing our available armor. Put it on in prayer, stand firm in Christ and go take back what the enemy has stolen! Check out this song about that as you prepare for worship, prayer, and battle! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW6j_oKLYuU
I want to focus on one thing this morning from Our Daily Bread. Read the associated Scripture 1 Cor.3:1-9 and meditate on what God is saying to you? We may be receiving some new members from Methodist churches that just voted for anti-biblical things. Think about what Paul says in this passage. In 3:1 Paul calls the readers "worldly" and as people who choose to not live by the Spirit. They have grieved the Spirit by their choices because they are "people who tolerated blatant sin in their church." Ordaining and marrying homosexuals, transgenders, binary (whatever that is) and anything to do with LBGOXYZ is wrong, against God and His standards. It is sin and they are promoting and endorsing things opposite what God clearly teaches and we are commanded to not be involved with. Sure love the sinner. All are welcome here, but we will not endorse these sins nor help them to not feel the pinch of the Holy Spirit. If that offends you, well, what's God saying to you? These things are sins not to be practiced nor tolerated in His Body. People opposed to these sinful ways and what the Methodist church just endorsed as ok are being asked to leave, and not very politely. Sin is offensive to God and should be to us. We all are sinners in need of a Savior and we must always be confessing and repenting of those sins, not endorsing them.
We will always stand solid on God's Word, not water it down, nor endorse sin as ok. Count on that! I will not endorse that. Also know, we are all sinners, but by the grace of God, hell bound. We will also call all sin as sin--gluttony, pride, deceit, lying, whatever and teach about how to repent, turn from these evil ways and come back to fellowship with God and our Body. Repent and believe the Good news and you will be saved is our message. Not, do what you like and we will comfort you in your sinful choices. Amen!
You can spend time with our other devos and with your open Bible. I am ending with that and asking for you to pray that we and our denomination would never waver from calling sin, sin and standing firm in Christ and on His Word. Amen! We are choosing to live, love, teach and lead like Jesus and committed to standing firm in Him, on His Word, and in His ways. Amen! We are called to help sinners transition to repentant followers of Jesus. May we model that well!
Choose today who you will follow. As for me and my house, we will follow the Lord, not the world and we will stand on His Word always. Amen!
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
3 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
Harvest:
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August 25 - Love On Its Knees
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We all want to leave a mark on this world in some way. Do you desire to be known as one who knows what it means to “pray and not lose heart,” as Jesus put it (Luke 18:1), and to “pray without ceasing,” as Paul the apostle said (1 Thessalonians 5:17)?
Will yours be the prayers that linger before the Lord, affecting people’s lives, even long after you’re gone? There are often challenges to be faced that could keep us from leaving such a legacy.
One key challenge, for example, is that we live in a land affected by the evil one. While nonbelievers live as if God does not exist, sometimes believers live as if the devil does not exist. Jesus came because we live in a sin-affected society. C.S. Lewis put it this way: “Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” This is why we need to be “up to date” with God—in constant communion and communication with him—and why we need to pray not only for others but for ourselves as well.
This is a call to intercession. Oh, that there would be more men and women who walk and talk with God about everyone in their world. Dick Eastman, international president of Every Home for Christ, put it well: “Intercession is basically love praying. In the very truest sense, intercession is love on its knees. When we love someone we seek his very best.”
This is Jesus’ example, and we would do well to live, love, and lead like our Lord as men and women who “always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1). As a result, may we see our own lives and our world change in ways we can only begin to imagine!
Heavenly Father, I want to be a person who prays and does not lose heart! Please teach me to persevere in prayer by increasing my passion for Your holiness and for the lives of others – believers as well as unbelievers! Train me in warfare prayer that never gives up and is always willing to step into enemy-occupied territory and redeem what belongs to You! Show me how to love like this, Lord! I want to be an overcoming, armor-dressed intercessor whose great love for others compels me into fervent intercession! Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer! Prepare me to step out in faith as You answer!
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings. 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 that he sweeps away your offenses like the morning mist (Isa. 44:22).
- Give thanks that God is not unjust and will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you help others (Heb. 6:10).
- Confess to him those secret things you do which you know are wrong but just haven’t been able to confess (Ps. 44:21).
- Commit yourself to building others up with encouragement and ridding yourself of bitterness and anger, forgiving others as God in Christ forgives you (Eph. 4:29-32).
- Ask God to help you be an imitator of him, living a life of love (Eph. 5:1).
- Pray that God will give you his strength to “right some wrong” that you have committed against a family member or friend.
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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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Wednesday, August 28 2024
Good Morning Dwelling in His Presence, Peace-Filled, Joy Bringers! Please Lord! May that be me and us today. May we sit at Your feet and dwell in Your Love and Peace. May Joy overflow from us as we grow in trust and go live and love like You with You. May Your shalom overwhelm us as we abide in you. Come! Amen!
Do you know His peace and love intimately? You can as you still yourself, dwell in His loving presence and receive His shalom. Try it! Turn off the noise. Be still and choose to abide as you sit at His feet in conversation and quietness. You can hear His still small voice that comforts and speaks love over you. You are His! He chose you and wants to bless you as you spend time with Him and walk with Him through each day. He does have plans to prosper and not harm you, even when He allows some hard things to come your way. Choose worship first always. He is Love and always with you and working all things together for good and your growth. PTL! Choose joy as you grow in trust of the only One who knows you intimately. Abide as you prepare for this day. What's He saying to you this morning? Maybe write it down, pray through it and allow that to direct your steps today. Maybe process that with some others too. He really does have some great plans custom made just for you. And He is always good and near, Amen! Draw close and He will draw close to you. He's knocking on the doors of your heart. Open them and invite Him in.
Spend some time in His presence this morning as you spend some time prayerfully engaging with our devos for the day. Charles Stanley reminds us to let Him in. We can be real good at shutting Him out or drowning out His whispers with all kinds of noise. Turn off the noise. Still yourself. Invite Him in with an open heart and mind to receive what He's revealing. Our Daily Bread reminds us that we are made new in Christ and can choose to shed our old nature and walk in the new. You are His masterpiece and He is molding you into your newness in Christ and for the good plans He has for you. Rejoice and let go of your expectations and allow Him to work. The Upper Room reminds us of the fresh mana we can have daily as we still ourselves and feast on His Living Word. Prayerfully open your Bibles and talk to Him. Maybe read the verses attached to our devos or read Ephesians 6 that Sarah will reach on tomorrow. (Pray for God to prepare and use her well) Put on His armor and don't allow the enemy to steel you away or fill your mind with lies. God is Truth. Dwell in His Truth today. Harvest Prayer speaks into this today. Spend some time in using their prayers and prayer starters as you dwell in His presence and Word this morning and know His peace and grow in His love and joy. He has some great things in store for you. Yes, prepare your heart and focus for this day He has made. Amen! Rejoice! be still and know. Prepare and go in His strength and love today. Put on that easy yoke of Jesus and walk with Him today. What joy we can know as we do! Shalom!
CS:
ODB:
Applause rang out as a school’s top students received certificates of excellence for academic achievement. But the program wasn’t over. The next award celebrated students who weren’t the school’s “best,” but instead were most improved. They’d worked hard to raise a failing grade, correct disruptive behavior, or commit to better attendance. Their parents beamed and applauded, acknowledging their children’s turn to a higher path—seeing not their former shortcomings but their walk in a new way.
The heart-lifting scene offers a small picture of how our heavenly Father sees us—not in our old life but now, in Christ, as His children. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” wrote John (John 1:12).
What a loving perspective! So Paul reminded new believers that once “you were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). But in fact, “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (v. 10).
In this way, Peter wrote, we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light,” and we are now “the people of God” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Through God’s eyes, our old path has no claim on us. Let’s see ourselves as God does—and walk anew.
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
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How does God see you? In Him, how should you walk?
On this new day, dear Father, please inspire me with Your view of me.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
When Peter uses the language of “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9), he’s encouraging his readers by drawing from the story of Scripture in which God first chose Abraham and then the nation of Israel to reveal His ways to the world (Genesis 12:1-3; 18:19; Isaiah 41:8). The audience of 1 Peter was primarily gentile (non-Jewish), but Peter was assuring them that because of Jesus the story of God’s redemption had expanded to include gentiles: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10). Through Christ, they were now part of the continuing story of God’s redemption of the world. They were part of His family, chosen to reveal who He was to the world. This gave them a new identity that could transform how they lived (vv. 11-12) as they experienced suffering (vv. 21-25).
Monica La Rose |
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UR: Fresh Mana
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with problems. There is only so much time in a day and so many days in a week, and I ask myself how and when I can possibly do one more thing.
God intends to give us all the help we need, but only one day at a time. This has been God’s message all along, even in the days of Moses, with the daily manna that fell from heaven. I can easily get stuck in a mindset of trying to solve tomorrow’s problem today rather than slowing down my anxious thoughts and just asking for help today. It’s hard for someone like me to do this, but the guidance Jesus gives is to take one day at a time — to ask God for our daily bread. I have learned to take only this day’s concerns and bring them to God, asking for help just for today. Then I do the same thing tomorrow — and each tomorrow to come.
Each new day we can bring all our cares to God. Because God loves us and cares for us, God desires to meet us with fresh manna each day to lift our burdens. As we learn to trust that God will provide what we need today, we can release our grip on tomorrow, laying all our anxieties on God one day at a time.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, we surrender the worries of today to you, and we trust you to take charge of all that burdens us. We know you will do the same for us tomorrow. Amen.Harvest Blogs:
August 24 - The Combination
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A great man I know has adopted the regular practice of taking his Bible, a lawn chair, and a bottle of water into nature. He enjoys everything he sees along the way, and then he sits in a beautiful spot in God’s creation and reads whole books of the Bible God wrote.
You may think you could not have this luxury, but this man is a very busy and highly regarded medical doctor—probably far busier than you. But he makes a conscious, intentional choice, and his testimony is that this regular practice centers his life.
He will tell you that the combination of the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, in the Creation of God magnifies God’s voice exponentially. It never ceases to correct his perspective, calm his soul, renew his mind, tenderize his will. This triple-antidote works on his wounded soul and brings healing.
But the greatest result of this exercise? Worship. In such times, he cannot help but burst into praise. It is my suspicion that this doctor is not the only one who is pleased.
Consider getting your calendar out and plan a day or a half-day for time away with God. Don’t make excuses. Consider fasting on this day. Take your Bible and a notebook and record what God is saying to you. There is nothing more valuable than time with Him!
Lord Jesus, forgive me for thinking my life is so busy that I can’t take extended times to be with You in Your word and in Your creation. Teach me to yield to Your Spirit as You draw me closer to Your heart. Remind me that nothing I can do today is as important as the time spent in Your presence.
---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 your stronghold in time of trouble (Ps. 9:9).
- Give thanks for God’s promise that when you call on him in the day of trouble, he will deliver you (Ps. 50:15).
- Confess your failure to glorify and honor God when he does give you deliverance.
- Commit yourself to keeping the vows you make when you are in trouble (Ps. 66:13-16).
- Ask God to bring you to your knees in every situation, not just when special trouble surrounds you (Psalm 116).
- Pray that all Christians will see God’s hand in trouble and trials knowing that “God . . . will pay back trouble to those who trouble you” (2 Thess. 1:6).
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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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Friday, August 23 2024
Thank God I'm Forgiven Friday! Amen! What amazing grace our Abba Father has shown to a wretch like me! Thanks Lord!
Good Morning Confessing, Repenting Saved By Grace, Forgiven Loved Ones of the Lord! Hallelujah! Often we struggle to understand that Jesus' sacrifice covered for all time the sin of repentant followers like us. Sometimes it's hard for someone to come to Christ because they can't conceive how God's amazing grace and love works. Some can never seem to let go of the guilt and compulsion to try to earn forgiveness and give up. May God help us to receive His forgiveness, extend it to others and help many to receive and walk in His loving forgiveness. Amen. Check out the thread through our devos for today speaking into this. What's God saying to you and what will you do about it? Who might help you to have some clarity or accountability in your repentance.
Start with harvest Prayer's blogs and truths. We are created, called, gifted and empowered to go love like Jesus and to live on this earth as citizens of heaven. Our often failure at this may lead to guilt and feeling we will never qualify to be God's and His vessels of grace. Then work through Our Daily Bread's reminder to have a repentant heart. Charles Stanley reminds us that God is always loving, wise and kind and His ways and thoughts are not like ours. Stop limiting God or trying to stuff Him into the box of your understanding. The Upper Room wraps this all together with the reminder that in Christ, we are a new creation. It reminded me pf Eph. 2:10, "You are God's masterpiece, made new in Christ (that means forgiven and reborn--a new creation with new potential) to do all He created you to do." Amen! Thanks Lord! Your sins are forgiven and erased. You matter and have purpose because of God's great love for you and all who will come. Amen! Remember our words matter and carry great power and our own thinking can get in the way often. Proclaim and pronounce God's love, mercy, grace and forgiveness over you and others and ask for help to live powerfully forgiven in Christ sent to make Him known. Repent mean to change the way you think and act--it's renewing your mind. Ask for help with that and start pronouncing blessings and God's promises over you and circumstances and others too. Walk in the power of His love and forgiveness today!
Walk in His love, grace and joy today and know His peace beyond understanding. He really loves you and has great plans just for you just as you are! PTL!
Harvest:
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August 23 - Be Kingdom Minded
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Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to the physical dimension. He wanted His followers to understand how it functions, and how to live within it. He wanted them to become kingdom minded followers:
The Mustard Seed. Mark 4:30-32 “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground—when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade.”
Like Little Children. Mark 10:14-15 “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
Called to Love. Mark 12:29-31, 34 “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”… “You’re not far from the kingdom of God.”
When we understand how the Kingdom of God operates, we can engage it, be encouraged by it, and flourish in it as we live. We can also love others who belong to the kingdom.
Lord, first and foremost, I repent for when I’ve ignored and not valued Your kingdom. I repent for insensitivity to Your Holy Spirit and any time I’ve lacked the faith to recognize the Kingdom of God growing in a person or a territory. I repent for not receiving Your Kingdom like a child. I repent for every time I haven’t loved You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and when I haven’t loved my neighbor as myself.
I declare I will be a kingdom-minded follower of Christ. I declare I will see and know the Kingdom of God in people and territories. I declare I won’t doubt the influence and power of sharing the Kingdom of God with others. I declare I will live with childlike faith. I declare I will receive the Kingdom of God with childlike faith. I declare I will love You, Lord, with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And I will love my neighbor as myself. I’m so grateful, Lord, that You make all this possible.
Thank You for transforming and blessing me with the right perspective: with eyes that see, with ears that hear, with a heart and a will aligned with Yours. I want to be the vessel You can depend upon.
I praise You for making me a powerful vessel that understands Your Kingdom— a person who loves You and others righteously and fervently. You’re worth it!
--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.
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- Praise God for his unconditional love (1 Corinthians 13).
- Thank him for showing you in Christ how to love others unconditionally.
- Confess your lack of love when you’ve failed to meet God’s standards and requirements.
- Commit yourself to allowing his love to flow naturally through you, resulting in spontaneous acts of love (1 Jn. 3:18).
- Ask God to let the Holy Spirit work in you daily so that “love deeds” are a “natural” way of life.
- Pray that God will help you do something spontaneous today to reflect his love to one who is outside of the family of God (Lk. 6:27-31).
Prayer Pointer
“True prayer is a way of life, not just a case of emergency.” —Anonymous
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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:
A friend had violated the vows of his marriage. It was painful to watch him destroy his family. As he sought reconciliation with his wife, he asked my counsel. I told him he needed to offer more than words; he needed to be proactive in loving his wife and removing any patterns of sin.
The prophet Jeremiah offered similar advice to those who’d broken their covenant with God and followed other gods. It wasn’t enough to return to Him (Jeremiah 4:1), though that was the right start. They also needed to align their actions with what they were saying. That meant getting rid of their “detestable idols” (v. 1). Jeremiah said that if they made commitments “in a truthful, just and righteous way,” then God would bless the nations (v. 2). The problem was the people were making empty promises. Their heart wasn’t in it.
God doesn’t want mere words; He wants our hearts. As Jesus said, “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34). That’s why Jeremiah goes on to encourage those who would listen to break up the unplowed ground of their heart and not sow among the thorns (Jeremiah 4:3).
Sadly, like so many people, my friend didn’t heed sound biblical counsel and consequently lost his marriage. When we sin, we must confess and turn from it. God doesn’t want empty promises; He desires a life that’s truly aligned with Him.
By Matt Lucas
REFLECT & PRAY
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In what areas of your life do your words not match your actions? What patterns do you need to change?
Father, please forgive me when my actions fail to match what I profess to believe.
For further study, read Part of the Problem—Understanding the Power of Words.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
“Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3) is an agricultural reference readily grasped by Jeremiah’s contemporary audience. Modern readers, however, may not fully comprehend it. Just as a farmer wouldn’t plant his crops on unplowed ground, neither would he sow seed in a field without first clearing it of thistles and briars. So, too, God won’t plant His life-giving message of salvation in a heart that doesn’t repent of wrongdoing.
The reference in verse 4 to circumcision (“circumcise your hearts”) is also more easily understood by ancient Jewish culture. Circumcision was a physical sign of being set apart as God’s people—an integral part of His covenant with Abraham fifteen hundred years earlier (Genesis 17:10-14). God is far more interested in an inward change of attitude than in our outward religious symbolism and rituals.
Tim Gustafson |
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CS:
UR: New Creation
So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (CEB)
Today’s quoted verse helps me know I am forgiven of my past sins and mistakes. Though I had shared the good news of Christ with my brother, for a long time he could not accept the forgiveness of Jesus. Many times I told him that Jesus loves him, and he would say, “A wicked man like me? Your Jesus must be desperate.” My brother could not believe that Jesus would love a thief and a drug addict.
This had been going on for some time. I had been praying for him nonstop. One day while meditating on 2 Corinthians 5:17, I went to my brother and explained to him that in Christ, the old is gone. His face brightened. He received Jesus as Lord of his life. I have kept reminding my brother that the old has gone and his sins have been forgiven and will not be remembered anymore (see Isa. 43:25).
Today my brother is active in church, and he is full of life. He is off drugs and is dealing with his addiction step by step. Glory to Jesus. Knowing that we are new creations in Christ gives us confidence to approach God’s throne of grace. We can lay aside our guilt and worship God freely without any condemnation.
Today's Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for the new life we have in you. Thank you for forgiving our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, August 23 2024
Today:
Bread Ministry 10-12
Noon-1ish Pizza lunch with Pastor Don--all welcome to feats, fellowship and chat and pray
6 PM Rita's hangout
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Good Morning Learning Sent As You Are Followers of Jesus! We are Disciples and Apostles of the Lord! We are seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness and allowing Him to transform us into His image and to prepare and use us for His glory. Amen! What's Jesus saying to your heart today? What is He leading you to do about that. Who is He sending you to and with since we are His Team on mission. He's prepare you and some opportunities to discover and step into today. Could it be at one of our gatherings? Pray to have His heart and mind, insight and courage to follow well to your custom made part today. Amen! Come! I can't wait to see how He wants to teach and use me and us today!
This morning I awoke thinking the sun was rising and I overslept. However, it was 3 AM. The moon light was driving back the darkness just as we are sent to do. We have the opportunity to shine very bright and be His Light all the time but it seems even more so in this election season. There is all this drama, attacking, confusion and darkness stirring in a whirlwind around us. It's hard to associate with "friends" of different political views. Turn off that noise and receive Jesus' peace. God always wants to bring His shalom to the chaos and that is part of our mission. Jesus commands us to love like Him. he loved Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans, Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilot, and all the common folk. he didn't approve of their choices and corrected in love, but He loved and offered forgiveness. Ask for His help and wisdom for how to be peace, joy, and love bringers. Encourage and help each other too. Our times are no different than when Jesus and the early church walked the earth and His Church exploded into a movement of God. Pray to be a part of that as His mission continues today and he has a custom part for you today. That takes dying to self, seeking first His Kingdom and an earnestness to stand firm and follow well. I don't think it will ever be easy but Jesus has an easy yoke fitted just for you to walk with Him in to today. Will you put aside you and put on that yoke? How does He want you to change the world? With love, peace and joy as you make disciples one soul at a time and as you allow Him to transform you into His image and lead you to His plans for you this day to be His Light. Amen! (As far as the election...study what you believe honors God and which candidate will do that the most. They are just a man and a woman. Which is being led by God and will honor Him with their policies, practices and life more of the time? Choose that. And then let all that chaos behind as you seek to follow Him to light up someone's heart and life today.)
How is God calling you to glorify Him today? How does he want to teach, prepare and send you? Sit at His feet and open his Word prayerfully and receive His instruction for the next step of faith. God does have some awesome custom plans for you. Seek out and do those and you will know His peace and joy and be overflowing with and walking in His love. Amen. Start with the Upper Room's call to Seek First. Embrace Our Daily bread's teaching to be encouraged and seek God assisted endurance for your purposes as you take that next step in faith. And then pray to see the open door before you that The Word for You Today discusses. May he illuminate your heart mind and path as you surrender, cast your anxiety to Him and receive His loving encouragement and directions. yes put on that easy yoke and go be who He created you be and do what he has planned for you today. Amen! I'm praying for you and for you to see God at work today and to have a willingness to join Him.
Begin with preparing your heart with some worship and invite Jesus in to your heart: Tremble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzZZb6RbLJs
UR: Seek First
Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
The purple loosestrife is a tall plant with a dramatic, purple feathery flower on top. But for all its majestic beauty, the purple loosestrife is an invasive species where I live, and it is a menace. A single plant can produce over 2 million seeds yearly! Removing purple loosestrife from the environment requires hard, physical labor.
As I was thinking about this plant and the negative impact it can have, I was reminded of my Christian walk. Many times I have allowed beautiful things to invade my life. However, I often found my time with the Lord being pushed aside by this busyness. I liked staying busy because I thought it would make others see me as important. I lost my perspective. My pride kept me focused on seeing only what others saw in me.
Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added. So I knew I would need to stop and refocus my priorities. Was I seeking God first? Oftentimes, I had to get rid of the good so that I could allow the best to come into my life.
Removing anything that isn’t from God is vital. It is a life-long process but one that is crucial if we are to live the life Christ calls us to.
Today's Prayer
Father God, help us to see and reorder anything that might distract us from our mission of glorifying you. Amen.
ODB:
James Innell Packer, better known as J. I. Packer, died in 2020 just five days shy of his ninety-fourth birthday. A scholar and writer, his best-known book, Knowing God, has sold more than 1.5 million copies since its publication. Packer championed biblical authority and disciple-making and urged believers in Christ everywhere to take living for Jesus seriously. He was asked late in life for his final words to the church. Packer had one line, just four words: “Glorify Christ every way.”
Those words reflect the life of the apostle Paul who, after his dramatic conversion, faithfully set about to do the work before him and trusted God with the results. Paul’s words found in the book of Romans are some of the most theologically packed in the entire New Testament, and Packer sums up in close company with what the apostle wrote: “Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:6).
Paul’s life is an example for us. We can glorify (honor) God in many ways, but one is by living the life set before us and leaving the results in God’s unchanging hands. Whether writing books or taking missionary journeys or teaching elementary school or caring for an aging parent—the same goal holds: Glorify Christ every way! As we pray and read Scripture, God helps us live with devoted obedience and keep our daily lives on track to honor Jesus in everything we say and do.
By John Blase
REFLECT & PRAY
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What results do you find hard to leave with God? What’s one way today you can trust His plans and in doing so honor Christ?
Dear Father, please help me to honor You today.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Paul quoted liberally from the Old Testament, which in his day comprised all of Scripture. In today’s passage, he draws on Psalm 69:9: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me” (Romans 15:3). Written by David, the psalm is clearly messianic—that is, it’s about the Messiah whom David anticipated. Now Paul employs that statement to point to Jesus. Psalm 69:9 is also referenced in John 2:17, just after Christ had turned over the tables of the merchants in the temple, driving them out with a whip. At that point, the disciples recalled the first half of that verse: “zeal for your house [God’s temple] consumes me.” Other messianic references in the psalm include “many are my enemies without cause” (Psalm 69:4) as well as an accurate reference to Jesus receiving vinegar for his thirst (v. 21; see John 19:29-30). The Old Testament unfailingly points to Christ.
Tim Gustafson |
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TWFYT:
Friday, August 23 2024
Good Morning Abiding, Trusting, Growing, Good Fruit Producing Christ Followers! Oh yeah baby! That's us, by the grace of God! Rejoice! Celebrate, Adore! Continue to grow in trust, obedience and good fruit production! We are His Fruitful Good News Producers! God is surely on the move and using us in amazing ways as we just go as we are and allow Him to guide and use us. PTL! What an amazing day of ministry yesterday! I am so stoked at the things God is doing and how easy His yoke really is as we allow Him to mold, teach and use us. Please keep praying into all the ministry God is doing inside our building and as we go out. He is definitely on the move and using us, His surrendered, faithful, fruit producers! You have to make it a point to join us as we distribute bread, gather around the table and minister to each other and go out as His Body to shine bright! Next week you have several opportunities to pray into and join as we gather Tue at 10 for huddle in the fellowship hall and on zoom, hand out bread Wed from 10-12, and gather for our restart of dinner huddle Wed from 6-7:30. Pray for God to prepare the way, draw many, use us, bring revival and connect many to Him. We have and will have many things to celebrate as we share the stories of what God is doing. I am not even aware of everything he did yesterday, but we all have stories to share and celebrate! Here's one: Patrick that we are praying for to come to Christ shared with me how during the week, he didn't know how it happened but this movie came on his TV> Now we all know it was God at work answering prayers and drawing Patrick and his wife Sharon (Pray for her too). The movie was the Left Behind about how the world will be when Jesus comes back and removes believers from the earth. Patrick was compelled to watch and drawn to pray the prayer of salvation they shared at the end. WOW! PTL! Pray for Patrick to be drawn to our or a good church to help him grow as a disciple. Yes! God is on the move and using us! Rejoice! Then all kinds of ministry happened at Pastor Don's pizza lunch. We will try this agin in the near future. pray for Go's direction and provision. It always amazias me how God sits the right people with us as we scatter around different tables and then ministers through us. PTL! Come join us as we allow God to use us to produce good fruit. Develop your own story of what God is doing in, through and around you.
Pronounce who you are and what God is doing as you abide, trust, grow and produce good fruit in Christ and for His glory. The words we say out loud, and even think, really do matter and are a way to pray powerfully as we pronounce out loud our thanksgivings and ascribe to God all He is and is and will do and bring to life His promises.. Try it! Say out loud, "I am an Abiding, Trusting, Growing, Good Fruit Producing Christ Followers!" Amen! Believe it and keep or start living out these truths just as you are and as you are created to do. he has great custom made plans just for you. The harvest is white as unto harvest (pronounce that) and He is bringing in the harvest and using us as His harvest workers (pronounce that too)! PTL!
I have to run to an appointment. Check out the devos for today. God is speaking. What's He saying to you? What will you do about it. What will you pronounce and pray out loud today. he is on the move and invitng you to join Him! Rejoice! Submit! Follow well! Pronounce His blessings out loud. And be prepared to have many stories of His faithfulness to share! Amen! We are Abiding, Trusting, Growing, Good Fruit Producing Christ Followers!
harvest:
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August 22 - Adoration Fuels Trust in God
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Jeremiah provides a good example of the importance of adoration. The prophet’s prayer recorded in Jeremiah 32 came at a time of extreme distress. He was being held captive by King Zedekiah in the royal palace in Judah for delivering unpopular prophecies. An enemy was about to overrun the city and drag the people off into captivity in Babylon. In the midst of this, God told Jeremiah to buy a plot of land as a symbol that He would eventually restore the people to their land. Seen in the light of all his problems, Jeremiah’s prayer is astounding.
He began with praise: “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. . . O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds” (Jeremiah 32:17-19). He then went on and on, simply naming various deeds God had done for Israel over the centuries. The amazing realization: Jeremiah never asked God for a thing! “Jeremiah tuned his heart to God by talking to Him,” comments Lee Brase. “Through this process of talking to God, Jeremiah was able to come to a clearer understanding of Him. When he better understood God, he was able to accept what God was doing—even though it was devastating.”
Adoration, in a very real way, helps us to trust in God. When we remind God of His character, of how great He is, of who He is, we are also reminding ourselves of those things. Our love for God increases, and our faith to believe He can and will act in our lives rises to a higher level.
Father God, sometimes I bring long lists to You and forget that You are first worthy of all of my worship. Help me to remember always that simply being in Your presence is more important than anything I need or want. Please give me a deep desire to remember all You have done, all You are doing and all You will do. That alone causes my faith to rise and my love for You to increase! May I always bless You and know that nothing is too hard for You. I give You all of the glory Lord! For You are worthy!
--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 that even though you were once an enemy of God, he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death (Col. 1:21-22).
- Give thanks that you are now alive with Christ, without blemish and free from accusation (Col. 2:13).
- Confess your failure to live up to that holiness, praying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Lk. 18:13).
- Commit yourself to rejoicing when you are called to share in the suffering of Christ (1 Pet. 4:13-14).
- Ask God to help you see the victory you are given in Jesus as you trust the Holy Spirit to guide you in being his image-bearer (1 Cor. 15:57).
- All churches experience the pain of divorce, broken homes, and death. Pray that those who have overcome such difficult experiences as these may effectively reach out to others in similar situations.
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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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Sarah Young:
Charles Stanley:
ODB:
For years, a mother prayed as she helped her adult daughter navigate the healthcare system and find counseling and the best medications. Her extreme highs and deep lows weighed on her mama’s heart day after day. Often exhausted from sadness, she realized she had to take care of herself too. A friend suggested writing out her worries and things she couldn’t control on small pieces of paper and placing them on “God’s plate” at her bedside. This simple practice didn’t eliminate all stress, but seeing that plate reminds her those concerns are on God’s plate, not hers.
In a way, many of David’s psalms were his way of listing his troubles and laying them on God’s plate (Psalm 55:1, 16-17). If the coup attempt by his son Absalom is what’s being described, David’s “close friend” Ahithophel had indeed betrayed him and was involved in the plot to kill him (2 Samuel 15-16). So “evening, morning and noon [David cried] out in distress,” and God heard his prayer (Psalm 55:1-2, 16-17). He chose to “cast [his] cares on the Lord” and experienced His care (v. 22).
We can authentically acknowledge that worries and fears affect us all. We may even have thoughts like David’s: “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest” (v. 6). God is near and is the only one who has the power to change situations. Place it all on His plate.
By Anne Cetas
REFLECT & PRAY
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Where are your worries—on God’s plate or yours? What will you give to Him right now?
I often have concerns on my heart, dear God. I relinquish them all to You again. I’m emptying my plate and filling Yours.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
David describes in deep anguish and emotional distress how he’s being venomously attacked—not by an enemy but by “my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship” (Psalm 55:13-14). Some scholars say this trusted friend was likely Ahithophel, David’s counselor who switched sides and actively advised and emboldened Absalom, David’s son, to usurp the throne and pursue and kill David (2 Samuel 15:12; 16:20-17:3).
At first, the psalmist pictures himself as a dove escaping, isolating, and detaching himself from the conflict to seek respite and security in the desert (Psalm 55:6-8). But he found sustenance and rest in God instead. David says to “cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (v. 22; see 1 Peter 5:7). Some scholars say that Ahithophel’s betrayal of David foreshadowed Judas’ betrayal of Jesus (Luke 22:47-48). Interestingly, both Ahithophel and Judas hanged themselves (2 Samuel 17:23; Matthew 27:5).
K. T. Sim |
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UR: Good news
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. - Luke 2:11 (NIV)
Watching the evening news can be troubling. More often than not, the news reports what’s wrong with the world — crime, war, or natural disasters. However, one news program I regularly watch features events that are inspiring — unselfish acts of kindness, humanitarian aid efforts, and medical breakthroughs. In a world where so much is troubling, it is heartening to hear good news.
The best news the world has ever received is the good news of salvation Christ offers. Jesus came to us to establish a spiritual kingdom and point the way to God. This is good news for everyone. Whoever we are, whatever our race, nationality, or social standing, we can experience the new life Christ offers by acknowledging our need and accepting God’s gift of salvation.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, in times when we are overwhelmed by troubling news, help us to focus on the good news of salvation and the new life you offer us. We pray the prayer you taught us, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:9-13, NIV). Amen.
TWFYT
Friday, August 23 2024
Sarah Update below
Good Morning Submitting Servants of the Lord! Notice I said "submitting" because it is a constant process of dying to self and taking up cross daily, surrendering to Jesus, and following Him well. We are a work in process and progress individually and as a church. What would it look like if you were a fully surrendered, submitted servant? I ask that of God often--show me Lord what Your will and plan is and move me to pursue it earnestly. It's praying to see the open and closed doors and to know if you need to stop trying to open a closed one or step through an open one. It takes cooperation with the Lord and an openness to the Holy Spirit's work in you and around you. Maybe you are struggling a bit with surrendering. Start with this song as a song of prayer and offering of yourself to God. Have It All: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPqqIDnjDKY Ask for help to surrender as you still yourself in worship this morning. What's God saying to you? What will you do about that? Who is helping you? Who is He sending you to help? Father, You can have it all...I surrender all...come!
Funny how God uses things sometimes. Karen was cleaning out some of her study books and handed me back a 5-minute family devotional to be used to grow with God as a family. God awoke me at 1:30 this morning with an irresistible call to get out of bed and fellowship with Him (I'm still here at 6 but ready for a nap soon). The first thing I did was randomly flip open that devotional and God spoke to my heart as I read Genesis 7:1 when God told Noah and his family to get in the boat. It was time. The lesson is about obeying God when the world around you says you're nuts for doing what He says. Would I, would you have the faith to spend 100 years building a boat when it has never rained before? In many ways, that is what it's like to earnestly follow Jesus today as we buck the tide of a people out of touch with God and headed to hell. Let me tell you, this lesson reminded me of the importance of having good friends to process with. Build a boat? Are you nuts Kerns? Well. maybe, but I'm going to trust God and do what He says. Will you help me? God is leading me to follow Him through some open doors and to build something He is still revealing. We've talked in the past about flying the airplane while building it. It's definitely like that! I am committed to earnestly pursuing Him as I lead you. And I sure could use some help and some accountability! Wanna help? The devo ends asking, "Is there something God might be asking you to do? Or something you are doing that doesn't line up with His Word? What is that and how can we pray for one another to be obedient in that area?" God is speaking to more than just me this morning. Be still, listen, receive and let's process together...maybe tomorrow at Pizza Lunch? Now how do I make nails Lord and what wood should I use?
So as I worked my way through our devotionals, God raised up the Word for You Today's teaching about when God opens a door (below). I firmly believe that God is opening up a window of opportunity for us! Are you seeing the open door before you and willing to step through? Too many times I find myself busy trying to force open a door that has closed. I pray that God helps me to realize that more quickly and look for the open door of where He is at work and for Him to move me to step through it with Jesus. Have you ever experienced that? Pray for us to have discernment and a willingness to see with spiritual eyes and step through the open doors that are coming our way.
Charles Stanley reminds me of the years I spent as a prodigal, off doing my own thing and how God came running to me when I woke up and asked to come back. It stirred in me the picture of my parents praying for me and believing i would return and praying for life into things that were as dead. God heard those prayers sowed in tears and answered my dad's prayers three years after dad left this earth. Don't stop praying, believing and praying life over things that are as dead. To the untrained eye and hardened hearts our church could have been seen as dying, BUT GOD! He has brought life and continues to open doors as we pray, trust and respond to his Spirit by doing what we can with what He's given as He leads. I was dead but now am alive, reborn and made new because of believing prayers and my willingness to finally step through that door. There are doors of new life opening around us! Do you see them? Pray into that and ask for eyes to see and hearts to respond well and for us to keep follow God and doing what we can with what He's given. Amen!
Our Daily Bread reminds us of our call to influence others for Christ and how that comes to life as they witness how we walk in obedience and love. So, are you? Are we walking in obedience and love? Is the Living Word being incarnated through us as it comes to life in us? Are we doers of the Word? Here's the cool thing, that is all part of Jesus' easy yoke He has just for you. He created you, gifted and is empowering you to live His Truth and be His Living Word to those around you that don't know Him and just as you are. And for some of us we are to even teach others His Word and make disciples as part of our easy yoke. Pray for God to bring His Word alive to and through you and us and for us to be doers of the word as we fulfill our custom made purposes. Amen!
God is calling you by name. Are you hearing Him? He may not be calling you to build a boat but He is speaking love over you and wanting to help you step into your purposes and His plans for you. He has gathered you with some others to process and journey with. He has given you His Spirit to help. May we all step into His plans and purposes for us and through all the open doors along the way. Good and abundant fruit is blooming because we have been faithful so far! PTJ! Let us run with endurance the race set before us. Amen! I can't wait to process with you what God is speaking to your heart and to share what He's doing in mine. He really does have great plans for you and us. See that open door? Step through it! Follow His peace and provision. Revival is on the way! PTL! May God open your ears and heart today and move your feet. He is speaking! What's He saying? Let's talk about it! I'm praying for you and waiting on the Lord. Build a boat! Sure Lord by Your grace and with Your help. Amen!
TWFYT:
CS:
ODB:
When Dr. Lee, my seminary professor, noticed that Benjie, our school custodian, would be late in joining our lunch gathering, he quietly set aside a plate of food for him. As my classmates and I talked, Dr. Lee also quietly placed the last slice of rice cake on a dish for him—adding some grated coconut as a delicious topping. This kind act of an eminent theologian was one of many—and what I consider an overflow of Dr. Lee’s faithfulness to God. Twenty years later, the deep impression he made on me remains.
The apostle John had a dear friend who also left a deep impression on many believers. They talked about Gaius as one who was faithful to God and the Scriptures, continually walking in “the truth” (3 John 1:3). Gaius showed hospitality to traveling preachers of the gospel, even though they were strangers (v. 5). As a result, John said to him, “They have told the church about your love” (v. 6). Gaius’ faithfulness to God and to other believers in Jesus helped further the gospel.
The impact my teacher had on me and the impact Gaius had in his day are powerful reminders that we can leave an impact on others—one that God can use in drawing them to Christ. As we walk faithfully with God, let’s live and act in a way that helps other believers walk faithfully with Him too.
By Karen Huang
REFLECT & PRAY
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How do you know that you’re walking in the truth? What can others learn from your life?
Dear God, I need Your help to be faithful to You and Your truth. Please help me to live in a manner that will draw others to You.
For further study, read Walk with Me: Traveling with Jesus and Others on Life’s Road.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Third John is a personal letter from “the elder” (1:1)—whom most scholars say is the apostle John—to Gaius. Gaius was a member of the church (most likely in Asia Minor) whom John commended for faithfully opening his home to “traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you” (v. 5 nlt). In contrast, John confronted Diotrephes, a proud and self-important person in the church, who was motivated by self-love and selfish ambition, and opposed hospitality toward itinerant (traveling) teachers (vv. 9-10).
Offering hospitality was a key concern because inns were unsafe and few in number. Paul urges us to “always be eager to practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13 nlt). The word for hospitality used here (philoxenia) means “love to strangers.” Peter encourages us to “continue to show deep love for each other . . . . Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay” (1 Peter 4:8-9 nlt).
K. T. Sim |
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Sarah Prayer update:
Good evening Warriors,
Just a couple of reminders and updates, for those that are in need of our prayers.
Yvonne and Chris Muik are celebrating the birth of their grandson, Christopher. Both mommy and baby are doing well. Congratulations Yvonne an Chris
Several of our church family members are have tests done or doctor appointments this week. May we continue to keep them in our prayers, and pray for good test results. John Chobot, Marylou, Ramon
Patrick, one of our participants from the Bread Ministry is truly SEEKING.....may we pray that the Lord's voice is clear and loud in his heart and he will respond.....
Praises were mentioned for how well the first clothing closet Saturday went. And for how well the Coffee, conversation, donuts time went......what a great time ministry happening.
Mark, Dean's brother in law, had his surgery and is back home and doing well. However, on a sad note, Mark's son, who was 36 years old, passed away. He is leaving behing a wife and toddler. He had a migraine headache which lead to a stroke. Please keep this family in our prayers......during this difficult time.
Reminders:
Wednesday - in the Fellowship Hall - 12 - 1:00pm, Pizza lunch and study with Pastor Don. All are welcome!
Wednesday evening - at Rita's ice, 6:00pm - time to hang out. Wear your St Matthew's tee shirt, if you have one......
everyone is welcome whether you have a St Matthew's tee or not.
I believe that is all the updates, for now......
Have a good evening....and a great rest of your week!
Blessings,
Sarah
Friday, August 23 2024
This Week:
Wednesday:
10-12 Bread Ministry
Noon-1: Pizza Lunch with Pastor Don (Food, fellowship, conversation and prayer) All welcome.
6 PM: Rita's refreshing hangout outreach. All welcome. Wear your St. Matts shirts!
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Good Morning Persevering Travelers! We are traveling with Jesus through our time here on earth as His representatives and that takes persevering faith. Amen and help us Lord! Yesterday we were reminded of Jesus' command and commission to love as He has loved us and to go make disciples and of our call to Spirit-led relationships as we follow Jesus and His examples. It's a call to agape as Jesus agapes us. That's sacrificial, lavish, radical love. And our call to submit to each other which involves dying to self and perseverance as we keep working at living and loving more like Jesus and doing the things He created, gifted and is empowering us to do. We discussed how we may struggle with that at times as our circumstances overwhelm us or may lead us to feel useless, unqualified, or off on some rabbit trail. It's a call to repentance and changing the way we think as we renew our thinking and turn back to Jesus and His plans for us. It sure is a journey that is often much like a roller coaster ride than a smooth train ride. It's a reminder that we need to keep seeking and following Jesus with an open heart and mind led by the Holy Spirit. That involves traveling with others and through relationships in Spirit-led, God-honoring ways. Help us Lord! You alone are the Way, the Truth, and the Life that we seek, need, and want to follow well. Help! Amen!
If you were present yesterday at worship, you experienced the falling of the Holy Spirit on your weeping pastor as we worshiped through the closing praise song, "The Jesus Way" (click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARSGgC9iQb0) Be still and begin your time with worship as you submit yourself to God and His ways. We are seeking Jesus and to earnestly walk in His ways. The Holy Spirit fell upon and convicted your pastor yesterday that there is no way to do that without Jesus and the Holy Spirit and opened my mind to my failure often as I choose my way, my agenda and of my lack of ability to do anything of value without God. It was a reminder how much I want to and yet fail and how great God's love is for me and how that love seeks to refine and mold me and lead me to His Way. I was also sensing this weeping of some of you in your souls and spirits for God's help as you deal with and are wanting to travel with God through some dark valleys and your inability at present to invite Him in, submit to Him and allow him to work. I was sensing Jesus saying, "Be still child and know My Love. I know you. I love you. I am calling you by name and will redeem this. Come!" He was speaking that to my weak heart to me but also to some of you. Be still. Invite Him in. Ask for His help to submit to Him and His ways. He wants to help you, is waiting with open arms that will embrace you with His love and peace beyond understanding. He really does have great plans for you for a future and hope. Will you invite Him in to whatever you are facing today. Begin with praising in the storm and stilling yourself. His new and improved things await.
When Karen came down to my office for our morning kiss, she found me almost two hours into my quiet time and only about halfway through my devotional time. She found me very deep into God's presence and I told her how much He was speaking to me and tried to explain, like I do with you, what He was saying and I was experiencing. Sometimes it's just hard to fully articulate all He is saying or elaborate on what I am sensing until I spend more time in His presence listening. It is always helpful to have someone to process with, especially with us out loud thinkers. Maybe another hour passed and I went up to grab a banana and found Karen in the midst of her quiet time. She asked what I was hearing. I said, "Submit. Die to self." I am hearing that as our take away from yesterday. I asked her what she was hearing and praying and she said, "self control." The word came that it takes self control to submit and surrender and die to self and self control is a fruit of the Spirit that is available for us to put on, step into more fully and learn to exercise and live out. And just like the Spirit-led relationships we discussed, we need the Spirit, who is very willing, to help us in our earnest quest to Christlikeness and his best for us. Come Holy Spirit! Have Your way with me. Cleanse me. Help me to submit, die to self and want to and work on following Jesus and His best ways with self control and earnest focus. I need you! I cannot do this without you! HELP! COME! Thank You! Your will, Your way, for Your glory alone! Father, I surrender all. Help me to and forgive and help me through my unbelief and unwillingness to surrender and submit as I die to self, take up my cross today and follow you. COME! Amen!
I've already started what could be a book today on all God revealed and spoke to my heart. His presence is so real. His desires for me and for us are coming more into focus. He really does have great plans and life abundant for each of us to discover and step more fully into. And He desires deeply to help some of you through some hard stuff. How can I help you? How can you help a friend? How can we pray for each other, encourage each other, hold each other accountable? Help us Lord!
God keeps leading me into this almost indescribable deepness or richness as I earnestly seek Him and ask for His help to sink my roots deep, deep into His living waters and put on Jesus' easy yoke for me. What a blessing and yet how hard it is to put into words. I know He is leading me and us to some amazing fruit and abundant life in Christ. I'm just not sure how, what, when, with whom yet. So I continue to seek. I really need to sit down with a few to discuss and discern and pray before moving forward. Help me Lord to take every thought, word, type, choice and action captive before You. Lead me to my team and those You are sending to disciple too. I need You, others and clarity and accountability. Help!
I'm letting you use whatever devotionals and Bible readings God is leading you to today. He is speaking and it is love He is speaking and singing over you. Listen! Below are some songs to prepare your hearts for a move of the Holy Spirit that will help to renew your thinking and change your heart as the Holy Spirt is invited in to speak to your heart and inform your prayers. Come Lord!
Make Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxubPpU-iIA
Don't forget Jesus is calling you by name and He has said that you are His friend. He is at work redeeming and wanting to help you. Be still and receive His love...
Friend in Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwWOWgmdcxY
You are made for more! Jesus is waiting for you to sit at His feet and allow His love to wash over you, transform you and lead you to His perfect plans for you--His greater things--abundant life in Christ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOhOVl-ZKb4
We are made for so much more than we can imagine. God is with us always and wanting to help us be ready and able to move to His very good plans. We do have a future and hope but it may require us to persevere through some very dark hard times, not alone but with Jesus on our way there. Don't give up on Him. He hasn't given up on you! Amen! Humble yourself before Him. Be still and really know that He is the God who loves you and is with you. He is our Rock! PTL! Stand firm and ask for help to persevere. Look for and reach out to some friends to pray and help. Jesus is looking into your hurting heart right now and saying, "Come to Me all who are weary and find rest for your souls." He is gentle and loving and waiting to put His arm around you, hold you up and walk with you to what's next. Die to self, surrender, submit, invite in and be still and know that He is Your God who is gentle and who is Love and discover the future and hope He has just for you. I am praying for you and me! I am here and so is Sarah and I'm sure some of your friends when you are ready to talk. Come Jesus Come! We need you! You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. I come to You! Help! Bring Your plan for me to life! Thank You! Amen
Plan for Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ELwaho1WWI
Come Jesus Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UViC6DllCeA
Jesus loves you! believe and receive it today! Come Jesus Come! Abide in His love! Know His peace! Amen
Harvest:
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August 19 - Do You Hear Him?
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Every place in this world God created is proclaiming God, but most do not recognize it as such. And most do not—upon hearing His voice—give Him the glory He deserves. Men call the world around them “nature.” The Bible calls it “God’s Voice.”
Seven times in Psalm 29, David speaks of the "voice of the Lord" speaking through the mighty things he sees and hears happening around him. David heard God's voice in the thunder, lightning, earthquake, and storms.
He heard God's voice in the temple where everything around him was shouting, "Glory!" He heard and saw God as he realized his King was sovereign over everything. Creation showed him that "the Lord sits as King forever."
And He saw God as the One who was "giving strength to His people" and blessing His people with the gift of peace. He recognized the Source behind what He was experiencing personally and what His people were experiencing.
The proper response is seen in the opening lines of this Psalm:
Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in holy array. (Psalm 29:1-2)
To "ascribe" means to recognize who is the rightful Creator and Author of these things. We are to so understand the voice of God in nature that we realize He is the cause behind it all.
And there is but one response: "Worship the Lord in the majesty of holiness." We are to let His voice draw us to bent knees, lifted hands, raised voices, surrendered lives in true worship. And if we are hearing Him all day, we will be worshiping Him every hour!
Glorious Creator God, You alone are King forever! I bow my heart and my life before Your glory and strength! Turn my attention towards Your beautiful face continually, all day long! Help me to step away from anything that threatens to take my thoughts off of You and show me how to worship the majesty of Your holiness in spirit and in truth!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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Friday, August 23 2024
Prayer Pointer
“Make prayer the time to give yourself this day as a gift to God.” —The Praying Church Sourcebook
Good Morning Worshipers! Are you ready to worship in Spirit and Truth this morning? Prepare yourselves and offer yourself as a gift to God and as an act of worship. Sometimes offering praise is a sacrifice but we are called to offer a sacrifice of praise. God inhabits our praise. Shift your focus from the chaos, noise and your circumstances to God as you count your many blessings and offer that sacrifice of praise that is a sweet aroma to Him. Empty yourself. Humble yourself. Bow before our King, Creator, Author of Life, and Prince of Peace. Abide in His love this morning. Allow Him to speak His love over you and rest in it. Come, Let us worship as we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Amen!
Hallelujah! Praise be the Lord! Check out Our Daily Bread below. Join the chorus of praises being lifted worldwide and heaven-wide to our awesome God. He is always worthy of all praise, all glory, and all honor. Amen! Hallelujah! Then contemplate the Connection prayer thoughts from Harvest Prayer. Are you good soil? Are you plowing and sowing in prayer and actions? Might your soil need a little fertilizer of His Word? Are you fertilizing, watering, weeding, preparing soil and sowing lavishly? Good Fruit awaits us and our earnest efforts. Talk to God about you and your soil and how to tweak the PH levels of your faith. Ask how to prepare the soil in prayer and praise. Ask who needs some watering and fertilizing. Ask Him to raise up our fellowship to be one of lavish sowers and plowing pray-ers. Amen! I can taste the good fruit already budding. He does have great plans awaiting us and much good fruit awaiting our earnest efforts.
The rest of our devos flow and speak into the hard thoughts of the struggles of many of us from yesterday's blog. God is speaking. Listen. receive and process with some friends. Worship too for God is at work and always working to bring about His good plans for you and us. Amen! Hallelujah! The Upper Room asks, "WHY?" They remind us that we can always trust God even when we can't see Him or feel His loving presence. Some of you need to understand and embrace this and the rest of us need to ingest this as we prepare for hard times to come. God is Love. And is always redeeming and working to bring about His best for us and knows what has to occur for that to transpire. Sarah Young reminds us to expect adversity. Jesus told us to expect it too. That is why we need to prepare our hearts and minds to stay connected to God no matter what and to persevere in faith always. Charles Stanley reminds us to walk with Jesus. That's the only way to endure and persevere. And I end with a page from my Season 4 of the Chosen study about unanswered questions. God's ways are not ours and that's hard to accept sometimes. Jesus is the answer to everything...remember Sunday school when every time you could answer a question with Jesus and be right? It's true. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! proclaim His name. Praise His name. Cry out His name in prayer. Trust in the name that is above all names. Jesus! Hallelujah! Amen!
ODB:
Joy was apparent in their voices as the high school choir sang the Argentinian song “El Cielo Canta Alegría.” I was enjoying the performance but couldn’t understand the lyrics because I don’t know Spanish. But it wasn’t long until I recognized a familiar word as the choir began to jubilantly declare, “Aleluya!” Repeatedly, I heard “Aleluya,” a declaration of praise to God that sounds similar in most languages around the world. Eager to know the background of the song, I went online after the concert and discovered the title translates “Heaven Is Singing for Joy.”
In a celebratory passage in Revelation 19, we’re given a glimpse of the reality expressed in that choral song—all of heaven rejoicing! In the apostle John’s vision of the future in the last book of the New Testament, he saw an enormous gathering of people and angelic creatures in heaven declaring gratitude to God. John wrote that the chorus of voices celebrated God’s power that overcame evil and injustice, His reign over the whole earth, and eternal life with Him forever. Over and over again, all the inhabitants of heaven declare “Hallelujah!” (vv. 1, 3, 4, 6), or “Praise God!”
One day people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (5:9) will declare God’s glory. And with joy all our voices in every different language will shout together, “Hallelujah!”
By Lisa M. Samra
REFLECT & PRAY
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What is a reason you can say “Hallelujah” today? Why is it vital to regularly praise God?
Hallelujah! I’m so grateful for the joy I know because I’m loved by You, my God.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
“Hallelujah!” (Revelation 19:6), from the Hebrew halal (“to praise”) and yah, the first syllable of Yahweh, means “to praise God.” One reason for praise in Revelation 19 is God’s victory over “the great prostitute” (v. 2), which is identified elsewhere as “the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (17:18). This woman or city is associated with “Babylon” (v. 5), which most interpreters believe symbolizes a corrupt empire(s) that rules in opposition to God (interpretations vary over the empire’s identity). But in chapter 19, she’s been defeated, and another woman becomes the focus—the “bride” of Christ—“God’s holy people” (vv. 7-8). She’s wearing “fine linen, bright and clean” which “stands for [her] righteous acts” (v. 8). Instead of the corrupt empire symbolized by Babylon, Jesus will usher in the new Jerusalem (21:2, 10), a city filled with the light of the “glory of God” (vv. 11, 23).
Monica La Rose |
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Harvest Blog:
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Jesus told power packed stories, the parables. Through these stories, He explained the Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of darkness. Jesus emphasized the effects of dwelling within proximity to each kingdom. To illustrate his point, He told them the parable of the sower.
Luke 8:5-15, 18 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he said this, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” … “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand. … “Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away. As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.” … “So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
Jesus wants to share the secrets of His Kingdom with us and there are ways we can prepare ourselves for what He shares. We want to be good soil: people who hear the word about the Kingdom of God, understand it, and bear fruit from it.
Lord, You amaze me with Your desire to share secrets of the Kingdom with me. I want to hear them. I repent for any time I’ve disregarded or treated a “Kingdom seed” with disdain. I repent for when I’ve lacked understanding and didn’t search out a matter. I repent for allowing trouble or persecution to destabilize me and my relationship with You. I repent for not adamantly pursuing You. I repent for any lack in my character.
I repent for allowing worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth to distract, deter, and degrade the truth.
I desire to be good soil. I declare I will listen to Your words. I declare when I hear the Word, I will seek to understand it. I declare I will bear fruit from what gets sown into my life.
Lord, thank You for sowing words of the kingdom into my life. Thank You for sharing the secrets of the kingdom with me. Thank You for helping me be someone You can trust. I praise You that when You speak, I listen. I praise You that You desire to share intimate details with me. I praise You that You want me to bear fruit and influence others. You’re holy and worthy, and I adore You.
--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.
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UR:
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” - Matthew 14:15 (NRSVUE)
When my daughter became blind, I prayed and believed that God could heal her. Thousands of prayers later, God had not restored her sight. The question haunted me: Why doesn’t God heal her?
In Matthew 14:15, after a long day of ministry, the crowd that had gathered was hungry. The disciples asked Jesus to solve the problem by getting rid of it. But Jesus had something else in mind. Instead of dismissing the crowd, Jesus redeemed the situation by feeding them all. Imagine if Jesus had acquiesced to the disciples’ request — we might not have one of the most memorable miracles in all of scripture.
Does that mean it’s wrong to ask God to remove difficult circumstances? No. Scripture is full of praying prophets, priests, and kings. Even Jesus asked God to “take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42).
It’s hard to let go of our desires, but I learned that when I surrender my situation to God, miracles happen every day. Now, a decade later, my daughter is still blind, and she has found her calling in Christian ministry. Instead of worrying about what we don’t understand, we can praise God for what we do know: God loves us.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, help us to remember that we can always trust you, even when things are not going our way. Remind us of your faithfulness and presence. Amen.SY:
CS:
Chosen 4 study
Saturday, August 17 2024
Clothing Closet open today 10-1
Worship tomorrow at 10 in person and on zoom.
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Good Morning Crying Out to God Pray-ers! Do not fear questioning God, crying out in despair, feeling lost, hopeless, depressed. Why God? How Long will You...? Where are You? Where were You? I need You! Forgive my unbelief and help me trust and worship again. Jesus...sometimes that's all we can pray...Jesus. He knows and the Holy Spirit intercedes for you in groans and moaning's we cannot understand. Are you at that place today or is someone you are praying for and ministering to? Cry out to God for help and for Him to make His presence real and irresistible. Are you in a state where you are sitting in sackcloth and ashes and feel like you will never depart from that deep grief or depression? You need to know that God sees you and is with you. He will run to you if you open your heart and will take away your heart of stone and give you one of flesh again. Jesus is standing beside you weeping as you sow in tears. The hardest thing to grasp in these hard times is that His ways are not our ways and to not lean on our own understanding. Those may be just mumblings as we shake our fist at God in anger for allowing something terrible and for not being able to grasp why. What a hard journey grief can be with no light at the end of the tunnel and no hope to ever be able to adapt and move forward. BUT GOD! That is where He works miracles and comes to you as you give up and run out of your own strength and understanding. Jesus...Jesus...Jesus...He hears, cares and is there with you. lean deep into Him and allow Him to help you rise from the ashes and eventually get to the place where you can again soar on wings as an eagle. When it feels like the deepest, darkest pit of despair has covered and robbed His Light from you. His Light can break through and lead you to the other side of that dark valley. Run to Him. Cry out...Jesus! Be still and listen for His encouraging, loving whisper of His presence with you and look for the crack of light breaking through. He is there waiting for you. His hand is waiting to hold yours and to walk with you. He does really love you even when you can't quite love Him at the moment.
As we minister to those going through some very dark, hard times and grief, ask God to help you to know what to do or not and what to say or not and how to be His vessel of His promised comfort and peace. Be still in their anguish and pray and then respond as the Spirit leads. Karen and I have found ourselves being His vessels too often lately, but God has prepared and does use us as we still ourselves, offer ourselves and seek His wisdom and allow Him to love and minister through us. It's hard sometimes to cry with others. Remember Jesus wept with His friends in their grief and anger. He is a compassionate God. Yet He allowed Lazarus to go to the grave before resurrecting Him. Why? For His purposes which are often way beyond our understanding. We may never have answers this side of heaven. Yet God expects us to choose to stay connected and allow Him to lead us through and then redeem and use us for His glory. Jesus! Help! Come! Hold me...Jesus...
We are a broken people, redeemed by God. He is enough and all we need even when we can't believe it or when we don't want to. He is enough and He is always good, even when our hearts don't believe it anymore. Prepare yourselves for the crushing, breaking that may be coming. Know that it is filtered through His hands for His purposes and prepare to be able to persevere when it seems impossible or that that God abandoned you. Our minds will never grasp His ways. But we can have faith that in the end He is always good and working all things together for our good. Jesus...How can I praise like Job and trust that the lord gives and takes away...praise be the Lord. I can't right now...Jesus...Jesus...Jesus...He is there!
Pray and intercede today for those in deep dark pits of despair. Ask God to prepare you to endure through in faith. Ask Him how He wants to use you. Allow Him to mold and shape and send you for such a time as this. As times continue to accelerate into more darkness, persevere and allow Him to carry you and use you. Be still and know and ask for His help today. Jesus! Come! Your will be done! Use me! Prepare me! Uphold me in Your strong right hand. Jesus...
Two devos today. One from Sarah Young and Our Daily Bread. Be still. Meditate. Receive. Trust always and follow well today. He loves you beyond measure and is with you right now whispering His love into your heart. Receive it. Amen! Help us Lord! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...I trust you. Come! Help and forgive my unbelief. Come inform my prayer and move my feet to go love like You. Help! Amen
Sarah Young...Jesus Calling devo
ODB:
ODB
When the basketball team from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) took to the floor for the college basketball tournament, the fans in the stands cheered for the underdog squad. The team hadn’t been expected to make it past the first round, but they did. And now they heard their fight song blaring from the stands, though they didn’t have a band with them. The University of Dayton band had learned FDU’s song minutes before the game. The band could have simply played songs they knew, but they chose to learn the song to help another school and another team.
This band’s actions can be seen to symbolize the unity described in Philippians. Paul told the early church at Philippi—and us today—to live in unity, or of “one mind” (Philippians 2:2), particularly because they were united in Christ. To do this, the apostle encouraged them to give up selfish ambition and consider the interests of others before their own.
Valuing others above ourselves may not come naturally, but it’s how we can imitate Christ. Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (v. 3). Instead of focusing only on ourselves, it’s better to humbly look “to the interests of . . . others” (v. 4).
How can we support others? By carefully considering their interests whether learning their fight songs or providing whatever they might need.
By Katara Patton
REFLECT & PRAY
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Whose interests can you look after today? How does looking out for others promote unity?
Humble Savior, please show me ways I can help others by looking to their interests.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
As believers in Jesus, we’re to live differently from nonbelievers. We’re not to “conform to the pattern of this world” (Romans 12:2)—we’re not to follow its mindset and the value system. Instead, we’re to be “conformed to the image of his Son,” which is God’s predetermined purpose and goal for us (8:29). God wants us to be like Christ in our thinking, attitude, and actions. To be like Jesus, we must “live as [He] did” (1 John 2:6). In Philippians 2:1-8, Paul teaches us how to think and live like Christ, having “the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (v. 5) and imitating His selflessness, sacrificial service, humble servanthood, and unquestioned obedience (vv. 6-8). Jesus invites us to serve with Him in humility: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
K. T. Sim |
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Saturday, August 17 2024
Good Morning Forgiven, Redeemed, Drawn Near to Jesus, Informed, Praying, Friends of God! Think about and pray that salutation over you and us and those God is drawing! We saw this in action yesterday at donut day. WOW! God was moving and using us and drawing neighbors to His forgiveness, redemption and salvation. He allowed great and encouraging fellowship and at Family Ministries swim party last evening. God loves you just as you are is the Good News we get to share and He forgives, forgets and draws close all those brokenhearted, convicted, open ones who long for a loving relationship with Him or to mend that relationship. Nothing can separate us from His love! Amen! Rejoice! Too often we put up barriers because we don't understand the depth, width, height of His unfathomable love, mercy and grace. Please breathe out the junk and the things that are keeping God's love from reaching you. Knock down the walls and strongholds that are keeping you from His forgiving love. Breathe in His love, mercy, grace and know you are forgiven and He is calling you, His friend to come to Him. God is Love--always! PTL! He knows you and is calling you by name right now. Come!
In our own foolish understanding we often put up barriers or have expectations of punishment, unforgiveness and pushing away of the task-master we make God out to be. That is not the God who loves and pursues you. That's God made in your own thinking. Come to His open arms and receive His healing, forgiving love. There are several that we engage with at Bread Ministry that have the mindset that God could never forgive and accept them and if His people really knew their sins they would push them away. That's not the God we know, nor our church. But by the grace of God, there go I, right? Keep praying for God to draw and for open hearts and minds. Praise Him for the harvest that's coming and ask how you can serve Him as His harvest worker. There are several that are so close and some that may dip their toes in the water of fellowship with us to see how we love and accept. Pray for them to come and for us to live and love like Jesus. Amen!
Check out the thread through our devotionals today and draw near to God, receive His love and then follow Him to your purpose for today prepared and ready to love and invite people to His love. Start with Harvest Prayers blogs and prepare your heart to listen and receive. Ask God to draw you close and see yourself as He sees you with loving heart, wanting to be with you. Ask Him to help you recall and then pray His promises into your reality today. Ask for faith to stand on them and believe they are true. Pray expectantly with thanksgiving knowing His promises are true and yes and amen in Jesus and apply to you and those you are praying for. The things God created you for and His plans for you will come to pass as you submit to Him and step out in faith. You are forgiven. Confess, repent and draw near to God and ask for His help to correct and thank Him for His patient love! Ask Him for understanding and to forgive your unbelief. Think about sinful King David whom God called a man after His own heart. Like David, we sometimes, maybe often, sin, BUT GOD! He forgives if we continue to cry out for Him, ask for mercy, ask for wisdom how to correct and the heart to do so. Are you a man or woman after God's own heart? His surrendered and repentant servant? You can be. He loves you and wants that for you and will help you. Let go and let God is a good place to start as you stop leaning on your own understanding. And then find some mentors and teammates to travel this journey with. That is God's good plan for you and us. We are His family on mission together to bring Him glory as we trust and obey. Thanks Lord! He is calling you His beloved friend, and He is well pleased in you and your progress. Keep running to Him and dwelling in His love! Amen! He is calling you by name! He wants to draw you close and love on you today. Will you run to Him and let Him?
Why not call a friend or two and process these devos together and pray for and encourage each other? God has some great custom made plans for you to discover today. Rejoice and know His shalom! Amen!
Harvest:
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August 15 - A Walking-Talking Relationship
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As you come to God to get to know him through his Word and grow deeper with him through conversational relationship, you will discover afresh the God who is there, the God who cares, and the God who listens and responds to your prayers. He does all of this in the context of personal relationship, as indicated by the following Scriptures (though these words initially were directed to his people Israel, they reflect his heart for all people):
“Fear not, for I am with you; / be not dismayed, for I am your God; / I will strengthen you, I will help you, / I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
“For I, the Lord your God, / hold your right hand; / it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, / I am the one who helps you’ ” (Isaiah 41:13).
“When the poor and needy seek water, / and there is none, / and their tongue is parched with thirst, / I the Lord will answer them; / I the God of Israel will not forsake them” (Isaiah 41:17).
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13–14a).
“And you shall be my people, / and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:22).
God longs for relationship, fellowship, and intimate communion with us. That’s what the Bible is all about, from cover to cover. It’s what the psalmist David contemplated in Psalm 139—just how much the Lord knew him personally and intimately before he was born and knew whether David would walk with or try to hide from him day to day. The desire God has for a walking-and-talking relationship with us is also what’s behind Jesus’ “gospel in a nutshell” in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
All who come to him through Jesus are his children, who now may pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9). Through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we may also enter the very throne room of God—not to receive the wrath we deserve, but grace and mercy in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Despite outer circumstances, we can have joy in such a walking-and-talking relationship with Father God.
Father, You are the worthy God who deserves all honor and praise and glory! Help me to walk and talk with You continually each day because I desire a deeper relationship with You! Show me how to listen to Your voice and pay attention to Your word in fresh ways so that I am better able to discern Your purposes for my life and for Your kingdom.
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings. 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 heart that is open, warm, loving, and kind toward all he has made.
- Thank God for reaching down to draw you to himself through his Son (Jn. 3:16).
- Confess the times when your heart has been unwilling to give to others the same out-reaching love that you have received from God.
- Commit yourself to learning the kind, patient love of God (1 Cor.13:4).
- Ask him to fill you with a knowledge of the depth and breadth of his love (Eph. 3:14-19).
- Intercede for the specific caring ministries that your church or denomination is involved in worldwide, asking that broken lives and poverty-stricken families may be helped.
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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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Charles Stanley
Our Daily Bread
“I didn’t do it!” It was a lie, and I almost got away with it, until God stopped me. When I was in middle school, I was part of a group shooting spitballs in the back of our band during a performance. Our director was an ex-marine and famous for discipline, and I was terrified of him. So when my partners in crime implicated me, I lied to him about it. Then I lied to my father also.
But God wouldn’t allow the lie to go on. He gave me a very guilty conscience about it. After resisting for weeks, I relented. I asked God and my dad for forgiveness. A while later, I went to my director’s house and tearfully confessed. Thankfully, he was kind and forgiving.
I’ll never forget how good it felt to have that burden lifted. I was free from the weight of guilt and happy for the first time in weeks. David describes a time of conviction and confession in his life too. He tells God, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away . . . . For day and night your hand was heavy on me.” He continues, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you” (Psalm 32:3-5).
Authenticity matters to God. He wants us to confess our sins to Him and also to ask forgiveness of those we’ve wronged. “You forgave the guilt of my sin,” David proclaims (v. 5). How good it is to know the freedom of God’s forgiveness!
By James Banks
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has being authentic with God helped you? How has Jesus’ forgiveness lightened your load and changed your life?
Thank You for forgiving my sins when I confess them to You, loving Father. Please help me to always be authentic with You.
Hear of the great joy being authentic with God can bring.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Psalms is considered Israel’s hymnbook. Many of the psalms were sung or recited during their festivals and perhaps even at home or as they labored. About half are attributed to David. Psalm 32 is a penitential psalm of repentance and sorrow for sin. The best-known psalm of this type is Psalm 51, David’s prayer for forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba. Psalms 38 and 130 are also examples of this type of psalm. Other types include imprecatory psalms, which invoke God’s judgment and wrath against ungodly people or nations (for example, Psalms 69, 109); and messianic or royal psalms, which prophetically describe the coming Messiah and His work (for example, Psalms 2, 18, 45, 72). Psalm 32:1-7 proclaims the joy of those who experience God’s forgiveness: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (v. 1).
Alyson Kieda |
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Upper Room: Our Go To Plan
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God. - James 1:5 (NIV)
The sun was just coming up. I got off the couch and opened the blinds to let some light into the hospital room. It was a new day. I sat down in the chair beside my wife, watching her sleep. The day before she had undergone major surgery related to breast cancer.
As I watched her sleep, I kept asking myself, What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I picked up my Bible and started thumbing through some loose clippings I keep in the front to reflect on in difficult times. I found an article that referenced James 1:5-6. James emphasized that Christians can grow in their trust in God during hardships and tragedy.
What do we do when we don’t know what to do? We seek God’s wisdom. I can understand this simple yet bold message from James. When our thoughts are entangled with doubt, fear, anger, or stress, James’s words become our go-to plan: seek God’s wisdom, meditate on God’s word, spend time in prayer, and let God’s commands guide your life.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, when we don’t know what to do, give us the strength to take the next step toward you. Amen.
The Word for You Today
Saturday, August 17 2024
Thank God I'm Forgiven! And thank Him for so much more! What are you thankful about today? PTL! Tell Him. Count your many blessings! Build those gratitude lists. Redirect your thinking to God as you praise and offer many thanksgivings! Yes this is the day the Lord has made! No matter what you are facing, you can choose joy that comes about as you choose to praise, even in the storms. So, yes, rejoice and be glad in this day! Amen!
Good Morning Masterpieces of God, Made New in Christ, for His Purposes, Earnest and Persevering Worshipers! That's right from Ephesians 2:10. Believe it! pronounce it over you and us out loud with me...I am a Masterpiece of God, Made New in Christ, for His Purposes, Earnest and Persevering Worshiper! Amen! PTL! What does that mean to you? How is God blessing you as you contemplate the depth of His love, mercy and grace towards you? Tell Him and share with others today how blessed you are. Redirect your thinking and renew your mind as you praise--even in the storm you are in. God loves you and is with you right now. be still, know and praise the Lord! He has great plans for you, this day, the year ahead, and our Body of believers to discover, process, embrace and enact. That begins to come into focus as we praise and becomes clear as we sit at His feet and pray and process, That then comes to life as we process with others, discern God's plan and start to move towards it. Come Lord! Draw us close. Speak to our hearts. Encourage us. Bring rest to the weary. Fill us with Your Love and Shalom. Come be the Lord of our hearts, choices and persevering faith. Help us step into Your easy yoke and walk with You today. Amen! Thanks Lord! Your Kingdom come, will be done and may it come alive in me today. Thanks! Thank You for forgiving me and for Your great love, mercy and grace! Thank You for Your good plans for me. May I see You and follow well always. Amen
OK so, man did God speak to my heart through my quiet time this morning. I arose and turned off the noise, stilled my spirit, sat at His feet and received His love, wisdom, encouragement, and some of His plans for me and us for today and beyond. As I dwelt in His love, also dwelt in His shalom and was very blessed to just be in His presence and that he was speaking to my heart. How's that going with you today. Be still and know! I want to start with a devo from Sarah Evans' Jesus Calling devotional and folow that with Chrles Stanley's devo reminding you/us that you/we matter. God knows you and wants to hang with you. he loves you and is calling you by name to come sit at His feet, receive His love and dwell in His presence today. AMEN!
I know some of you are struggling right now with all kinds of burdens, questions, hardships and journeying through a season of grief. Check out the reminder of how King david questioned God yet drew close in worship, trust and persevering faith. God didn't mid the questioning and still doesn't. he knows your heart and is wanting to lead you through whatever He's allowed you you caused to grow and to move to His best. Talk to Him from your heart. he already knows and will help if you allow Him in. The next devo id from a study on season 4 of the Chosen. Check it out and pray through some of those psalms on your way to redirecting your thinking and being able to praise in your storm. Our Daily Bread reminds us that we are part of God's family and Jesus is our big brother and how He can be very real and personal to us. We can move from head knowledge to a heart of faith. We can know Him and make Him personally known to others as they see how real our relationship with Him is, even in our storms. The Upper Room reminds us to stop complaining and be a part of the solution. How can you bring shalom to the chaos? God always wants to do that and uses us sometimes. Quit grumbling and complaining and do something has been God's word to me for a long time and I have begun to be earnest at taking every thought, word, type and action captive before Him and He is changing me and helping me to turn off the noise and be a peace and joy bringer. he will help you too. Turn off the noise and clanging gongs that offer no solutions. Jesus and His wisdom, love and oeace are what will call the chaos. bring that alive as you continue to work at becoming more like Jesus and choosing to live and love more like Him today. And The Word for you today reminds us how to do that as we engage and love on others better by being present. help us Lord. And ask Him for some to help you with this journey or who you might help.
Start with stilling yourself and praise and receive His love, joy, peace beyond understanding and His plans for you to bring that alive everywhere you go as His agent carrying His Good News and incarnating His love. Amen! I've been earnestly praying for you and us and this is God's Word for us today. So rejoice and bring joy alive today. Know His peace and be His agent of love. Amen! Yes thank God I'm forgiven because all His best has become available to me and the gifts and power to bring it alive! Start praising right there ,Masterpieces of God, Made New in Christ, for His Purposes, Earnest and Persevering Worshipers! Amen!
Sarah Evans
CS:
Chosen season 4 study:
ODB:
Jon was installed as full professor in a prestigious college. His older brother David was pleased, but, as brothers do, he couldn’t resist teasing Jon how he’d wrestled him to the ground when they were boys. Jon had gone far in life, but he’d always be David’s little brother.
It’s hard to impress family—even if you’re the Messiah. Jesus had grown up among the people of Nazareth, so they struggled to believe He was special. Yet they were amazed by Him. “What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son . . . ?” (Mark 6:2-3). Jesus noted, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home” (v. 4). These people knew Jesus well, but they couldn’t believe He was the Son of God.
Perhaps you were raised in a godly home. Your earliest memories include going to church and singing hymns. Jesus has always felt like family. If you believe and follow Him, Jesus is family. He “is not ashamed to call [us] brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11). Jesus is our older brother in the family of God (Romans 8:29)! This is a great privilege, but our closeness might make Him seem common. Just because someone is family doesn’t mean they’re not special.
Aren’t you glad Jesus is family, and more than family? May He become more personal, and more special, as you follow Him today.
By Mike Wittmer
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has Jesus become more personal to you? How might you make sure He remains special?
Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing me into the family of God.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus had an interesting relationship with His hometown of Nazareth. He and His family were known among Nazareth’s townspeople (Mark 6:1-3). It’s also clear that the people had no explanation for His powerful words or miraculous deeds (v. 2). The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that there may be even more behind their disbelief: “The phrase ‘Mary’s Son’ was also derogatory since a man was not described as his mother’s son in Jewish usage even if she was a widow, except by insult (see Judges 11:1-2; John 8:41; 9:29). Their words, calculated insults, also suggested they knew there was something unusual about Jesus’ birth.”
No wonder Christ responded by reminding them that “a prophet is not without honor except in his own town” (Mark 6:4), which would include Nazareth. Apparently, Jesus was too ordinary for them, perhaps implied by addressing him as “the carpenter” (v. 3), the position of a common laborer.
Bill Crowder |
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UR: Part of the Solution
Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? - Matthew 7:3 (NRSVUE)
“It’s a shame people use the side of the road as their own personal trash can!” exclaimed a man coming toward me one morning when I was out for my daily walk. I voiced my agreement while he continued to wave his hands in annoyance at the discarded cans, paper cups, and plastic bottles that littered our road. He shook his head as we moved past each other and continued on our separate ways.
I noticed that he had nothing with him to pick up trash. Neither did I. In that moment, I realized I was not helping to solve the problem. As my daughter once so wisely stated, “Mom, unless you are ready to do something about the problem, quit complaining!” Today’s scripture also reminds me that I can either point a judgmental finger or I can get to work and be part of the solution, leading by example.
It is easy to complain, but solutions require action. I now carry a trash bag with me on all my daily walks. Our road is looking pretty tidy these days, and not just by my efforts alone.
Today's Prayer
Father God, help us to love our neighbors not just with our words but also by taking positive steps to make the world a better place. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.TWFYT:
Harvest:
Would you pause right now and ask God to burden you for revival and spiritual awakening? That you would be overwhelmed with the reality of the need? Ask Him to create a desperation in your heart and the hearts of each of us that would drive us to extraordinary prayer!
God of Revival, flood my heart with desperation to see the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea! Draw Your people to their knees to plead for the lost, who are burdened and without hope apart from a Savior! Fill Your churches with hearts that are burning to see You move across our lives in power as we obediently cry out for spiritual awakening across our land! Begin with me, Father! Begin with me!
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God, whose mind and imagination created the stars, the earth, and the life of all creatures.
- Give thanks for the reaches of God’s knowledge, which far exceeds the limits of the human mind.
- Confess the times in this past week when you have leaned on your own understanding and not followed the teachings of the Lord (Hos. 14:9).
- Commit yourself to studying the Bible regularly to learn what God has to teach you.
- Ask the Lord to make his Word as sweet as honey (Ps. 19:10).
- Pray for young adults and their parents, that the teaching of the Lord may be a living faith passed down from parent to child.
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Saturday, August 17 2024
Good Morning Sinners Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus! Thank God I'm forgiven and restored and covered in the blood of Jesus. We are cloaked in His righteousness. PTL! We often struggle with His capacity to forgive and still love us when we fail. We also encounter all kinds of people that have created God in their image. People who box God in and cannot accept that He could forgive or love them or accept that He could forgive anyone without us sacrificing and working our way back to His graces. BUT GOD! We are made in His image. He is Love. He has forgiven, cleansed and forgotten when we come in confession and repentance with hearts longing for Him. PTL! We often feel like we have to do this or that to earn His favor or forgiveness or blessings. And Jesus is looking deep into our souls with open arms of love that bid us to come and rest in His love and forgiveness, mercy and grace. Come know His peace and love. Come all you weary and find rest for your souls. Amen! Too often we find it so hard to relax and enjoy life in Christ and to delight in his presence. Be still, know and delight in His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy today. Choose to trust with childlike faith and come into His love and find pleasure in His presence. Glorify His Holy Name. Rest in Him. Receive His peace beyond understanding. His love is beyond measure and comprehension to our feeble minds. Let us stop creating God in our own image and come to know, honor and worship the knowable yet unfathomable God of Heaven who calls you by name and has redeemed you by His love. He's saying to you right now, "Come. Rest in me and receive the fullness of my love." And I say yes Lord! Here I come ready or not! Surprise! He's always ready and waiting. Amen
As we continue our study in Ephesians, I am drawn so deep into His love and gaining wisdom. We are just sort of perusing through the book. It would benefit you to take some time for deep study of this letter. Funny how God works. I am not much of a reader and laid aside a book my friend Jeremy Chambers wrote several years ago, It's called Kingdom Contours and is written to help the everyday disciple to understand and apply the varied writings of many on the topic of discipleship and Kingdom movement. As we were in the midst of our Ephesians study, I came to Chambers' urging for us to study, even memorize Ephesians. And as we looked at APEST (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and teacher) gifts of church leaders the other week, I got to His section on that and am still absorbing his great teaching on team leadership for the church. Something we are working on as a vision team and thinking about how to reproduce as we disciple and send others into the harvest as we are created and gifted to do. Then a study on this season of the Chosen quotes Eph. 3:14-21 just as we got done studying that and today as I went to my Bible Gateway app to copy that, their verse of the day is Eph. 2:10 that we use often to remind ourselves who we are in Christ--His redeemed masterpiece made and empowered for such a time as this. God is speaking for sure through this study. Are you hearing Him? Meditate on these passages today. Father open Your Word. Holy Spirit teach and direct us. thanks. Amen!
Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Eph. 3:14-21, Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Charles Stanley reminds us from Rom. 12:1 of our call to be living sacrifices and how sometimes we crawl off the altar because things are hard or we decide to live for self for a moment. He calls us to repent and get back on the altar. God's deep love calls us and compels us back to His love and forgiveness and to get back at it. That's if we allow it! Ask for His help to empty yourself, die to self, take up cross and run to Jesus' love and mercy. Our Daily Bread speaks into our wrong thinking and choices that have us bound in what we view as a prison of sin and unforgiveness. He has come to set the captives free. As Isaiah 43:1 reminds us, He has redeemed us. He's calling you by name. He knows you and is calling you back to his love. He is doing a new thing and calls us to release the past and our sin and move forward with Him. The Upper Room reminds us of His deliverance from and promised comfort in the storms and how being immersed in His Living Word speaks into your life and situations and helps with that. And The Word for You today calls us to small groups and mentorships that help us when in those storms and to stay accountable as we repent and crawl back on the altar. Oh God is speaking to me! What's He saying to you? Write it down, Pray about it, Process it with some friends and crawl back on the altar of His love and rest in His lap as you receive forgiveness, grace and mercy that never ends. He loves you and is calling you by name. He has redeemed you. You are His. Run to Him like a child and delight in his presence this morning. Enjoy some precious time with Him today! He really loves you! Always and forever! Amen
CS
ODB:
A star quarterback in American football stepped onto a stage that wasn’t a sports stadium. He spoke to three hundred inmates in the Everglades Correctional Facility in Miami, Florida, sharing with them words from Isaiah.
This moment, though, was not about the spectacle of a famous athlete but about a sea of souls broken and hurting. In this special time, God showed up behind bars. One observer tweeted that “the chapel began to erupt in worship and praise.” Men were weeping and praying together. In the end, some twenty-seven inmates gave their lives to Christ.
In a way, we are all in prisons of our own making, trapped behind bars of our greed, selfishness, and addiction. But amazingly, God shows up. In the prison that morning, the key verse was, “I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). The passage encourages us to “forget the former things” and “do not dwell on the past” (v. 18) for God says, “I, even I, am he who . . . remembers your sins no more” (v. 25).
Yet God makes it clear: “Apart from me there is no savior” (v. 11). It is only by giving our lives to Christ that we’re made free. Some of us need to do that; some of us have done that but need to be reminded of who the Lord of our life truly is. We’re assured that, through Christ, God will indeed do “a new thing.” So let’s see what springs up!
By Kenneth Petersen
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In what way are you imprisoned by your own sin? What do you need to do to break free from your brokenness?
Heavenly Father, please free me from the prison bars of my sin.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
We have more background information on Isaiah than on most other prophets. There’s much speculation, though no actual proof, that he was a priest. He had two sons: Shear-Jashub (7:3), which means “a remnant will return,” and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:3), which means “swift to the spoils, quick to plunder.” According to tradition that goes back to the second century ad, Isaiah was executed by King Manasseh, who allegedly had him sawn in two, perhaps referenced in Hebrews 11:37. Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament book (Psalms is the second most quoted).
Bill Crowder |
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UR: Comfort From The Storms
You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. - Psalm 3:3 (NIV)
A springtime storm had crashed through our area the previous night leaving a rare path of destruction in our mountainous area. As I sat on my front porch, I thanked God that no one had been injured. Chilled, I returned inside where a cup of creamy hot chocolate soon warmed me. As I read my devotions for the day, I realized that the scripture and devotional message were doing the same thing for my weary spirit.
I had faced storms of my own lately. I had retired unexpectedly after a stroke when I had really wanted to work just a little longer, and I felt purposeless. Then, my 98-year-old mother and one of my best friends both passed away in a span of two weeks. Two of the people I talked with regularly were suddenly gone. I was feeling numb and devastated.
Just like the warmth of a cup of hot chocolate, when I read scripture the warmth of God’s love fills my soul. I am reminded that although people have to leave us and jobs may be lost, God will never leave us. God will be there every step of the way to fill our empty hearts and to help us find new purpose.
Today's Prayer
Loving God, thank you for loving us and sending your Holy Spirit to help us get through the stormy days of life. May we find purpose in sharing your word with others. Amen.
TWFYT:
Harvest Blogs:
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“Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” And pointing toward his disciples he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50).
Jesus wanted to make clear who His real mother and siblings were: the ones who obeyed God.
Jesus wants obedience: for us to obey the Word of God and the Father’s will. Those who obey are the true family of God.
Lord, I repent for every time I’ve disobeyed You. I repent for every time I’ve known Your will and consciously chose not to do it. I repent for when You prompted me to read Your Word and I haven’t. I repent for when I’ve led a rebellious, selfish, and worldly-driven life instead of a God-focused life.
I declare I will obey Your Word, Your Will.
I thank You that I can walk humbly with my God and follow Him all my days. I thank You for giving me the honor of belonging to Your family.
I praise You that Your ways are perfect. I praise You that You’re a “sure thing.” I praise You that I will never lack as I obey You. Let us be inseparable, 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.
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- Praise Jesus, who is “declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).
- Thank the Father for having given us his “incomparably great power . . . the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Eph. 1:19-20).
- Confess the times when you have not taken into account the mighty power of God in your life.
- Commit yourself to meditating daily on the Scriptures and on the power of God (Mt. 22:29).
- Ask God to use your weaknesses to “show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7).
- Pray for God’s power to be unleashed in the life of the unsaved people you know, that their eyes will be opened to God’s love for them.
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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, August 17 2024
It's donut day! 10-12 at the Bread Ministry in our FH. Bread is sparse this week but donuts, cookies, fellowship and God's love will be abundant! Come offer yourself and join us in ministry to neighbors and each other! Thank God for using us and providing.
Good Morning Praying, Seeking, Submitted, Thankful, Followers of Jesus! PTL! Rejoice for He is our God, our Redeemer, helper and friend! Thanks Lord! Come! Fill us! Lead us Your surrendered servants! Come! Prepare the way and be our Shepherd today. Your will, Your way, for Your glory alone. Thanks! Amen!
Check out the flow and thread through our devotionals for today. Are they speaking to your heart? What are you hearing and what will you do about it? Who are you processing with? What are you praying expectantly, with thanksgiving, to happen today? Trust and follow well! God is the God of unfailing love. he's the Alpha and Omega--the God who was, is, and is to come! His ever-present, eternal love will never depart from you. rejoice, dwell in that love today and follow Him as He will use you to incarnate His love, hope, and help. Amen! rejoice!
ODB:
He’s known as the military man whose commencement speech about making your bed every day got 100 million views online. But retired Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven shares another lesson just as compelling. During a military operation in the Middle East, McRaven has sadly acknowledged that several members of an innocent family were mistakenly killed. Believing the family was owed a sincere apology, McRaven dared to ask the heartbroken father for forgiveness.
“I’m a soldier,” McRaven told him through a translator. “But I have children as well, and my heart grieves for you.” The man’s response? He granted McRaven the generous gift of forgiveness. As the man’s surviving son told him, “Thank you very much. We will not keep anything in our heart against you.”
The apostle Paul wrote of such generous grace: “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). He knew that life would test us in various ways, so he instructed believers in the church at Colossae: “Forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (v. 13).
What enables us to have such compassionate, forgiving hearts? God’s generous love. As Paul concluded, “Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v. 14).
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
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Why is forgiveness generous? Whom will you forgive today?
Please grant me today, forgiving God, Your generous will to forgive.
Find peace through this class on forgiveness.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Colossians 3:12-14, which includes a list of virtues we’re to clothe ourselves with, helps us to see that love isn’t an accessory in the wardrobe of the believer in Jesus but the main piece: “Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v. 14). Elsewhere, Paul’s list of the evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives begins with love: “The fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22). Peter highlights the primacy of love in the community of believers with these words: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus stressed the supremacy of love by saying, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
Arthur Jackson |
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UR: A Prayer of Gratitude
All were united in their devotion to prayer, along with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. - Acts 1:14 (CEB)
One day last summer, I stepped out through the back patio in early evening to walk my dog in an open area. Looking up through the majestic trees in the backyard, I took in the vastness of the sky and admired the beauty of hundreds of stars. The deep breaths I took were filled with peace and silence.
Suddenly, I heard a loud voice just beyond my yard where an artisan craft fair was taking place. At that hour of the evening the stalls were shuttered, but a security guard was on duty. He was praying out loud as he made his rounds: “Lord, you placed me in this place to watch over it. I pray for the vendors who work for their daily bread. I pray for myself, that I may be diligent in my work. Keep me safe from those who might wish to do harm to keep me from fulfilling my duty.” The security guard continued to give thanks for having a job, for his family, for the visitors and customers who planned to visit the fair the next day.
I paused and silently joined him in that moment of prayer. The Holy Spirit inspired us both to thank God for all the ways God holds us and protects us — in every moment and in all places.
Today's Prayer
Our prayer is one of gratitude, merciful God, for staying close to us. We know we can trust you with our lives and that your love for us never fails. Amen.CS:
TWFYT:
Harvest
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August 14 - Where Is Your Secluded Place?
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Good moms and dads understand this. If they have multiple children, they make time for each one individually. They have things to say to the whole family, but they know personal discipling must happen one-on-one.
Our Father wants to hear and gain the heart of each of His children, which can only be done in private. In these precious moments, a son or daughter can pour out their soul to the One who knows them best. They can be completely transparent with no embarrassment.
Like King David, they can lament and doubt, question and cry as they discharge their hearts to God. But before the secluded time is over, they will hear the Father speak the exact words they need. They will feel His everlasting arms beneath them and around them, comforting and encouraging. They will know they are enveloped in unconditional love. He will give the words necessary to bring them back to faith and rest. Read the Psalms and you will see this pattern repeated continually in David's prayers.
Can this be said of you? Do you rise with eagerness at the prompting of the Spirit? Do you enter expectantly into the Holy of Holies, humbled by the privilege of spending time in the glorious presence of the God-Who-Sees? Do you meet Him there? Do you wait on Him to hear what He wants to say to you in private? Do you listen to His Word through the Scriptures? Do you exchange words of affection? And do you leave that place equipped to give a fresh word to those He will bring across your path that day?
If this is your practice, you will have everything you need for everyone. You will not give people the noxious fumes of an exhausted life. The fragrance of heaven will be upon you—a fragrance that entices them to enter the secluded place themselves.
Ask God to awaken you every morning this week—at a time of His choosing—for prayer and the study of His Word. When you wake up, get up! There are other times for sleep, but nothing more valuable than time with Him.
Loving Father, today I exalt You and bless Your name! I shout joyfully of Your righteousness. You are gracious and compassionate, and Your kingdom is glorious! Forgive me, Lord, for not entering into the secret place before I do anything else each day! Give me the strength to set aside the things that attract and distract and keep me from spending time in Your presence! I want to have the fragrance of heaven on me at all times!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God as the Father of the fatherless and the defender of the helpless.
- Give thanks that, even in large cities, God’s eye is on the small and defenseless and alone (Jon. 4:11).
- Confess those times when you have not remembered by prayer or material aid those in your community who have needed your help (Mt. 25:35-40).
- Commit yourself to looking at others through the compassionate eyes of your Father.
- Ask him to pull you out of your comfort zone and into the needs of others.
- Ask God to help you see where other family members feel helpless or alone and to allow you to bear their burdens with them (Gal. 6:2).
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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, August 17 2024
Week ahead:
Tue 10 am Clothing Closet set up and prep
wed 10-12 Bread Ministry Donut Day
Wed 6pm FM pizza and swim party at Gina's
Sat. Clothing Closet 10-1
NOTE: Mark Calendars for upcoming activities:
Aug. 21st Noon-1 Pizza Lunch and Study with Pastor Don. All are welcome to eat, fellowship and study
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Rita’s Hangout
Join us Wednesday Aug. 21st at 6 at Rita’s to hang out, fellowship and reach out to others. All welcome. Wear your St. Matt’s. T-shirt!
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Tue. Zoom Huddle and Study resumes Tue Aug 27 from 10-11. We will be using a study book from the Chosen
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Wed. Dinner Huddle resumes Aug 28th at 6
We will eat, fellowship and answer questions about God, the Bible and life. All welcome.
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Bread Ministry Wednesdays 10-12: Fellowship door.. Next Donut and Conversation Day Sept. 4th
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Clothing Closest Open first and third Saturdays from 10-1
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Wed. Sept. 4th Noon-1, EC Day of Fasting and Prayer. Gather in Fellowship Hall and on Zoom
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Good Morning Very Loved, Custom Made, Sent, Children of the Light of the World! Ponder those truths as you still yourself in God's love, sit at Jesus' feet and allow the Holy Spirt to speak to your souls and refresh you for the day(s) ahead. Come Lord! Speak! Your servants are listening and long to follow Your lead for today. Come! Be our Lord and Shepherd! Speak and lead! Thank You! May We choose you and your love and allow it to overflow to Your will for this day. Your Kingdom come and will be done in, through and around me/us for Your glory alone. Amen!
God has been speaking to my heart for the past few hours as I stilled myself in His presence, opened His Word and meditated on some of our devotionals for today. He is always speaking His love, wisdom and direction over you and us! Thanks Lord! He had a great word for me today and I know some of you need to hear what He has for me to share with you. Be still and know He is the God who loves you, chose you and calls you by name. He has redeemed you and has great plans custom made just for you. Rejoice! Seek first His Kingdom with an open heart, mind and willing feet. Come!
Sarah Young reminds us today that He is calling for you to come to Him and to "rest snugly in His arms", weary ones. She reminds us how God is yearning to be with you and help you. Can you sense that love and acceptance, even just as you are right now. Be still and sit in His love. She reminds us not to compare ourselves to others. God has custom plans for custom made you. Look to Him for direction and what He expects. We only really need to worry about blessing Him and the rest will come to life just as you are and lead you to his perfect plans. AMEN! Come sit in His presence and be refilled and refreshed and informed for the day ahead. Be still and know that He is your God and He cares and wants to be with you right now.
It seems like today's word is flowing from His Word for us yesterday where we are called to run to Jesus always, first, in times of trouble and in good times. Run to Jesus and then choose love. Dwell in His loving presence and allow His love to overflow and ooze from you as you step into today. He has some great custom made plans for you to discover and step into as you focus on Him and move with Him. Yay God!
Charles Stanley's devo for today talks about God's perfect will and His perfect plans just for you. Pray for Him to reveal them to you and us and for us to discern and move towards those perfect custom made plans for today. Ask for His help and the help of others to know the race He has planned for you and to run it well. Our Daily Bread reminds us to welcome Jesus and His plans into our hearts and allowing Him to invite others in and love them as He loves us. Sometimes doing that can feel like we are swimming off on our own. But as the Upper Room reminds us, God is with us always and wants to launch us out just like He did with the first disciples. And the Word for You Today reminds us of the importance of doing all of this with help of your friends. Who are you gathering with to pray, process, plan and go and hold accountable. Who is your mentor and who are you mentoring? That is how Jesus trained the disciples and released them to go train others in His ways. We do need Jesus and each other! Pray into all of this. Take some notes, process with some friends and then go, just as you are, to live and love like Jesus! That's His plans for you today and everyday and brings His Kingdom and love alive. That is world changing love. Run to Jesus first. Choose love. Dwell in His Love. then go bring it alive today. He is with you and that always glorifies Him. Amen! May this be so for each of us and us Your gathered people. Bring revival, Your presence and love alive today! Yes please! Thanks! Amen! I already prayed for you, us and the day and week ahead. Run to Jesus and allow Him to lead you to His perfect plans. Shalom shalom to you--perfect peace. Amen
CS:
ODB
Browsing through the doormats displayed in my local big box store, I noted the messages stamped on their surfaces. “Hello!” “Home” with a heart for the “o.” And the more customary one I chose, “Welcome.” Putting it in place at home, I checked my heart. Was my home really welcoming the way God desires it to be? To a child selling chocolate for a school project? A neighbor in need? A family member from out of town who called on the spur of the moment?
In Mark 9, Jesus moves from the Mount of Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John stood in awe of His holy presence (vv. 1-13), to healing a possessed boy with a father who’d lost hope (vv. 14-29). Jesus then offered private lessons to the disciples concerning His upcoming death (vv. 30-32). They missed His point—badly (vv. 33-34). In response, Jesus took a child atop His lap saying, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me” (v. 37). The word welcome here means to receive and accept as a guest. Jesus wants His disciples to welcome all, even the undervalued and the inconvenient as if we were welcoming Him.
I thought of my welcome mat and wondered how I extend His love to others. It starts by welcoming Jesus as a treasured guest. Will I permit Him to lead me, welcoming others the way He desires?
By Elisa Morgan
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When and how did you welcome Jesus into your heart? What effect should this have on the way you welcome others?
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Prior to His death and resurrection, Jesus’ disciples believed He’d be the one to overthrow Rome and set up the kingdom the Jews had longed for. On the way to Capernaum, they’d debated who’d be greatest in that kingdom. Christ, however, turned their expectations on their heads. Jesus isn’t interested in building a kingdom that looks like Rome (John 18:36). He modeled for the disciples—and for us—that His kingdom grows from the soil of servanthood. And rather than conspire with the powerful, Christ’s kingdom welcomes the weak, the disenfranchised, the passed over, the oppressed, and the poor.
And lest His disciples get the idea that this is just Jesus’ own idea of heaven’s kingdom, He points out that the Father is the one who set the idea in place. By welcoming those deemed undesirable, we welcome Jesus and His Father. His kingdom is one of servanthood in weakness, not domination in power.
Jed Ostoich |
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UR; The Swimming Lesson
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13 (NIV)
My wife and I were at the pool when a young family arrived. The father took his daughter into the water and was teaching her to swim. She was calm and tried to swim as long as her dad was holding her. But when he let go, she squealed, flailed about, and yelled for him. Her dad tried to soothe her, saying, “I’m right here; you won’t sink.” When she was connected to her dad, she felt safe. But when that connection was broken, she became anxious and fearful.
Watching that father and daughter made me think about my relationship with God. As long as I stay connected to God through study and prayer, I do fine. When I begin to lose trust that God is working in my life or simply neglect to turn things over to God, I start to flail about and sink. My failure to trust increases my doubt, and doubt causes anxiety. But those feelings diminish when I lean in and trust God’s strong touch that lets me know God is always within reach.
Today's Prayer
O Lord, stay with us. When we fail to trust, help us remember your promise that you will be with us always. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:2-4, KJV). Amen.
TWFYT:
Saturday, August 17 2024
This is the day the Lord has made! What a beautiful morning and great day to worship! Rejoice! Enter His courts with thanksgiving!
Good Morning Worshipers! Prepare your hearts to worship in Spirit and Truth! Amen! I have prayed that over us already. Just a few thoughts for this morning...Jesus loves you, is calling you, has died for your forgiveness and to open His presence for you. Be still and listen. Do you hear Him whispering, "Come to me. Come. I love and accept you. Come" He is speaking love over you right now and you are cloaked in His righteousness. PTL! Run to Him. Fall at His feet. Be still and know. Dwell in His loving, restoring, strengthening presence and acceptance. he really loves you, just as you are. Amen! Rest in His restoring, refreshing love and worship. I am just sharing Charles Stanley's devo today to reminding us that we are acceptable and very loved. Yes, rejoice! Come as you are and worship! You are so loved!
CS:
Saturday, August 10 2024
Aug./Sept. 2024 St. Matthew’s Prayer Guide
Pray for St. Matt’s to become a house of Prayer for the Nations and for many to embrace their power and purpose in praying
Pray that we become a dynamic movement of God led by pastors and laity who have a burning passion for God and a missionary zeal to reach those who don’t yet know Christ
Pray we become a disciple making hub for the area.
Pray for small groups to be started in the building, homes, and businesses around the area. Pray for leaders for them.
Pray we find new connection points to our neighbors and start growing friendships. Pray we bring joy and love alive.
Pray for harvest workers to be raised up from the harvest that is coming. Thank God for the harvest. Pray for twelve new members by Christmas and that we connect them to God.
Thank God for His provision and protection. Pray we continue to sow lavishly while being the best stewards of all His blessings.
Pray for our Bread and Clothing ministries to connect to neighbors and meet needs. Thank God for the volunteers.
Pray we would grow in our relationship with Christ and for ideas to and people called that want to make Him known.
Pray for our Wed. night ministries and our Sun. 2 Peas in a Pod Brunches to flourish and connect people to God.
Saturday, August 10 2024
Good Morning Forgiven, Thankful, Worshipers, Warriors, Watchmen and Workers! AMEN!!! Thank God we are forgiven! Some of us have a lot to be thankful about concerning forgiveness! (like me! Thank God I'm forgiven, restored and cloaked in Jesus' righteousness!) That thankfulness for our salvation and God's love, grace and mercy overflows to worship, leads us to pray, prophesy as we hear God speak and want to share, know when to sound the alarm and call to prayer and action, and motivates us to get moving and doing the things God has for us. I pray all the time for God to raise up worshipers, prayer warriors, watchman on the wall and harvest workers. These are different roles/stations in prayer and action for God. What's yours station or role? Someone has said (find this in the Harvest blog below) “God has chosen prayer as the key by which his church does its work. Through prayer we impact the world for God.” —Anonymous
Last evening we had our Support and Vision Team meetings. Thank God for our leaders that trust and follow God as we discern and pray and begin to plan what's next. Pray for your leaders to hear and discern well and for wisdom to lead. Pray for God to raise up prayer and the prayer stations above. Pray that we would become a house of prayer for the nations. Pray for many to find and step into their God created purposes for such a time as this as prayer warriors and intercessors. Nothing of value done in the Kingdom and for God has come about without prayer. Prayer is vital! We are working on a prayer guide for all to use to inform and direct powerful, providing, protecting prayers for our Good News Delivery Co. Watch for it and plan to use it. We need you to pray earnestly! I'm waiting on God in prayer right now for some things He is birthing through our prayers. (God has even answered a big prayer of mine to teach me to wait on Him and move with Him. Thanks Lord!) He will teach you how to wait in prayer and release His will as you pray informed prayers because you sit at His feet, spend time and listen to hear. COME! Speak. Inform or prayers. Teach us to pray in power. Raise up worshipers, warriors, watchman and workers of Your harvest. Thank You! Amen! And what motivates us to do anything of Kingdom value? God's overflowing love for you that leads to overflowing gratitude. YES TGIF! I was checking out a Sarah Young devo about practicing the presence of Jesus. She reminds us that He is calling us by name. He knows us, loves us and created us for today. He is with us and wants to cover us with His amazing love and presence. Be still in His presence, love and peace for a bit this morning and allow Him to inform your prayers and to prepare you for what He has for you today. What a blessing and gift God has prepared just for you this morning as you still yourself in His presence and listen and receive.
Let's start with Harvest Prayer blogs this morning as we do the hard work of praying first before moving. Charles Stanley then reminds us to wait on Him. (help Lord!) Be still and know that He is God. Expect Him to move and plan to join Him as He does. Our Daily bread reminds us not to forget (as if we could) that God is Love and His love is active and moving and leading. They ask, "How can you share Jesus' love in simple and practical ways?" That's one of the things the Vision Team pondered last evening. God is calling us to love on and serve those in need. Right now one of the greatest needs is companionship, friendship and needing to feel loved and knowing that you matter to someone. Who is God stirring you to love on? How can we or some friends help you do that? The Hebrews Passage (13:15-21) they use reminds us to continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. God inhabits our praise! Amen! If you want to hear God start with some praise. Then be still and listen as He comes to you and blesses your heart and mind. The author reminds us, "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority...Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden..." We are held accountable for how we lead. Good leaders seek God, follow His lead and allow Him to use them to make His plans and lead His people. I can testify that is our St. Matts leaders. Trust and bless them and determine to help them as they lead and follow God. Pray for them. Cover them. Encourage them. Thanks! We are blessed to be a blessing and blessed back when we bless. We need each other and are better together. God has great plans for us to put His love into action and we all have a part in His Good News Delivery Co. Amen! What's your part? What are you doing about discovering and doing it? Who is helping you? That is another thing we are feeling led to develop: more small group gatherings and opportunities. How might God be stirring you to start or be involved in that? Pray for it to come alive and for boldness for some to step up and lead. The Upper Room reminds that we can discover and focus on the pattern as we open God's Word and apply it. Jesus has discoverable and doable plans just for you and for us together. PTL! Seek first His Kingdom. Don't lean on your own understanding. Allow Him to lead. Finally The Word for You Today reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength! AMEN! Where are you feeling weak or inadequate? Invite God into that and align with some friends that will help you walk with Him to His best. Amen
God has called us to pray and serve, to live and love more like Jesus, to work on becoming more like Jesus and doing the things He created us to do. We all have a purpose and purposes in His Kingdom for such a time as this. Everything will be birthed in prayer, directed by prayer, empowered, provided for, covered and protected by prayer. We know the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effect. You are a righteous person because you are cloaked in Christ's righteousness. PTL! And we need each other to do this life in Christ well. Ask God who He has for you and for boldness to try some new things He has planned for us to prayer, small groups, table ministry and accountability. Be still and know and then plan and go with Christ and your teammates! Amen!
I can't wait to see what God has planned as He is leading us to multiply disciples! In Dec. we prayed to add one new member a month. We had ten by march. Last night we prayed for God to add 12 more by Dec. Pray hard into that with thanksgiving and expectation. Then ask God who He wants you to invite and bring along and do it! He does have plans to prosper and expand His territory through us! Rejoice! Listen and follow well! And know His peace and that we are doing what we can with what we've been blessed with for His glory. Amen!
Harvest:
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August 9 - Faithfully Praying the Price
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"Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place." (Mark 1:35)
It’s a simple phrase but telling. Most fail right here. When called by God to rise early and make their way to the secluded place, they simply roll over in their beds thinking a few hours’ sleep is more valuable than personal communion with the Eternal.
If you study history, you will discover that men and women who were great for God made any sacrifice to spend time alone with Him. It was the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price.
John Hyde, missionary to India, discovered the value of prayer. Work was hard, and people were not coming to Christ. He decided to take more time—often hours—in prayer. Soon, he found that he would walk from a morning in prayer and people would be standing at his door asking, “What do I need to do to be saved?” He discovered that we don’t pray and then work. Prayer IS the work!
A.J. Gordon said, “You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you’ve prayed.”
Those who faithfully pay this price discover this is not merely about getting a few verses for the day or a quick breeze through a laundry list of prayer. God has been waiting for them. He longs for His children to be with Him, knowing certain things are accomplished only in seclusion.
Father, forgive my quickness to accomplish Bible reading and prayer in order to get on with my day rather than pressing into Your presence and seeking You in Your word until I hear from You and know what You want me to do each day. I cannot do anything apart from You. There is nothing I can accomplish for Your kingdom that is more purposeful than aligning myself with Your purposes. Give me a deeper desire to rise early and take a long drink from Your well rather than a small sip of water. Show me how to throw off the things I think I need to accomplish so that You can give me a fresh perspective to become more like Jesus.
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Read Ps. 86:15-17 and praise God for his marvelous compassion, grace, love, and faithfulness to you.
- Thank him for turning to you and having mercy on you.
- Confess any lack of appreciation for God’s saving work in your life.
- Commit yourself to loving God wholeheartedly in response to his love for you.
- Ask God to give you a sign of his goodness.
- Ask that people in your neighborhood who do not yet know Jesus will be drawn to him by observing your Christlike behavior. Pray that they will have the boldness to ask about the faith they see in you.
Prayer Pointer
“God has chosen prayer as the key by which his church does its work. Through prayer we impact the world for God.” —Anonymous
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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:
ODB:
The single mother lived next door to the older gentleman for more than five years. One day, concerned for her welfare, he rang her doorbell. “I haven’t seen you for about a week,” he said. “I was just checking to see if you’re all right.” His “wellness check” encouraged her. Having lost her father at a young age, she appreciated having the kind man watching out for her and her family.
When the free-to-give and priceless-to-receive gift of kindness goes beyond just being nice, we’re serving others by sharing the love of Christ with them. The writer of Hebrews said believers in Jesus should “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15). Then, the writer commissioned them to live out their faith, saying, “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (v. 16).
Worshiping Jesus by professing His name is a pleasure and privilege. But we express true love for God when we love like Jesus. We can ask the Holy Spirit to make us aware of opportunities and empower us to love others well within our own families and beyond. Through those ministry moments, we will be sharing Jesus through the powerful message of love in action.
By Xochitl Dixon
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How can you share Jesus’ love in a simple and practical way with someone? How can you be more intentional about consistently putting your kind thoughts into actions?
Dear Jesus, please help me worship You by expressing love for others through the things I say and do each day.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Hebrews is a theologically rich letter that highlights the work and ministry of Jesus as the mediator of God’s love for humanity by offering His life for the forgiveness of sins. In chapter 13, the writer says to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (v. 15) and “to do good and to share with others” (v. 16). It’s interesting that we’re to offer this sacrifice “through Jesus” (v. 15). The theme of Hebrews is that it’s only through Jesus that we can approach God (see 4:14-16). So, it’s only through Jesus that we can offer Him praise because it’s through His blood that we’re reconciled to God (9:11-28).
J.R. Hudberg |
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UR: Focusing on the Pattern
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. - Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
I enjoy crocheting, particularly while watching TV. I often start a project when I hear that a friend is expecting a baby. I dig out my favorite patterns — those that aren’t too complicated. I usually pick a pattern I have made in the past and that I’m confident I can complete.
My recent project, a sweater, was progressing nicely until I was instructed to “join yarn at center under arm.” I studied the cloak-shaped garment. Under arm? I thought, There are no arms! I read back through the instructions. To my dismay, I realized that as I happily crocheted, I had overlooked an important step in the pattern. Annoyed, I ripped out two-thirds of my work.
Reflecting back, I realize that all too often we do this in life as well. We know enough of God’s word to proceed, assuming from our past experiences that we know God’s will. But if we aren’t continually refreshing our minds with the guidance God offers in scripture, it is easy to miss vital points — particularly with the noise of the world in the background. Keeping God’s word firmly in mind and reflecting on it helps us to follow God’s leading.
Today's Prayer
Loving God, draw us often to your word so that we can more closely follow your will. Amen.
Saturday, August 10 2024
See the St. Matts prayer guide for the month attached below (Will have handouts of this tomorrow at worship) and begin praying for these regularly and earnestly. Start with the Harvest prayer excerpt asking Jesus to teach you/ us to pray. We are moving toward Jesus' desire for us to become a house of prayer for the nations. PTL!
Worship tomorrow at 10 am live and on Zoom. We will be studying the end of Eph. 4 and the beginning of Eph. 5. Prepare you hearts for worship in Spirit and Truth!
Good Morning Redeemed Children of the Good Good Father! God is good all the time! We need to often remind ourselves of that as we experience and endure through some very hard things He allows. God is always good! Amen! He has redeemed us and continues to redeem us through circumstances and life. We are His--ALWAYS! He loves us--ALWAYS. He is good--ALWAYS! Amen! Be still and listen for His still small voice whispering love over you right now. Relax in His healing, holy, sustaining, redeeming, loving presence. Redirect your thoughts to Him. Focus on God and the truth that He is always love and always good and always with you. Breathe out all the junk. Hand it all to Him. Breathe in a fresh breath of the Spirit. receive His comforting, loving, helping presence. And just dwell there for a time. Be still and know! You ARE His. He's calling you by name. He has redeemed you and is restoring all the enemy has stolen. Amen!
Jesus is all we can muster in prayer sometimes. That's the perfect place to start. Come! Jesus! Be still and worship with this song. Taking Back What the Enemy Stole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW6j_oKLYuU
I Speak Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBIz8vDMG20
I know many of you are moving through some very hard times right now. You have many questions of God. We may never know the answers to why or how this side of heave, BUT we do know the God who loves us, calls us by name and has allowed whatever for His good purposes. We have to refocus on Him and move towards that place of love and joy again. It is a journey. Pray for God's promised comfort, strength, peace and help. Redirect your thinking and renew you mind as you still yourself in His love. Be still and know the God who has said, "My grace is sufficient for you." Find some friends to sit with you too. Friends reach out to a hurting, struggling friend right now, pray for them and for wisdom how to just sit in God's loving presence with them. Refocus, Receive, Refresh, Rejoice, Remain in God who is always good and with you. Amen!
Come Jesus Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdhDtTOfG9o
Check out the thread through our devotionals today that led me to hear God wanting to pronounce these things over you/us. He is speaking right to your heart this morning in love and with much grace. He is working ALL thing together for good. He is Love and He is always good. He is there when we are weak and at the end of ourselves. Come Jesus. Be still and know. We have often prayed for His Kingdom to come and will to be done. Sometimes for that to happen we need to endure and persevere in faith. Praise in the storms and He will inhabit your praise. Stand firm in His love and your love and trust of Him. God is with you! Be with Him. Dwell in His love. And reach out to some friends to walk with through whatever you are facing. Be available too! Come Jesus come! You are always good and always with me. You are love! Come! Amen!
Always: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhMOQ2Vk-4Q
Harvest excerpt:
God has made a way for us to be in a right relationship with him. He desires for us to walk and talk with him. From cover to cover in the Bible we see men and women who realized that God is there, he cares, and he listens and responds to prayer.
As Jesus’ disciples prayed, so may you and I ask of him, even right now, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Lord Jesus, there is so much I will never know about prayer this side of heaven, but I long to grasp whatever You will teach me in this life! Show me how to align myself with Your will as You guide me towards Your heart. I want to pray what You desire me to pray, and intercede on behalf of the people, situations and nations that You place in my path and in my heart. Lord, teach me to pray!
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings.
Charles Stanley:
Upper Room: The Old Barn
The Lord says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 (NRSVUE)
It was a crisp, cool morning in early November. Under the newly fallen autumn leaves, a hint of frost covered the ground. As I sipped a steaming cup of hot chocolate, I had an urge to go on a drive through the countryside.
As I drove along narrow and unpaved back roads, I spied the remnants of a dilapidated barn, surrounded by dying weeds and naked trees. Its shingles were missing, its once-bright red paint had transitioned to a deep-dark reddish-brown; what looked like a formerly functional tractor was now tarnished with rust and was leaning to one side.
The longer I stared at the barn, the more I began to think about the words of the prophet Isaiah, who brought God’s assurance to the people of Israel: “I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
Sometimes we can find ourselves like that old barn: leaning to one side, abandoned. But if God can save Israel from devastation and defeat, then God can certainly redeem us today. When our spirits are sagging, God’s presence and power help us to stand firm once again.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, thank you for supporting, strengthening, and helping us in our times of weakness. May we always remember to call on you when we start to lean too far. Amen.Our Daily Bread:
When Joni Eareckson Tada speaks of Rika, she highlights her friend’s “deep, time-tested faith in God” and the endurance she’s developed while living with a debilitating chronic condition. For more than fifteen years, Rika has been bedbound, unable even to see the moon from her room’s tiny window. But she hasn’t lost hope; she trusts in God, reads and studies the Bible, and as Joni describes it, she “knows how to stand firm during fierce battles against discouragement.”
Joni likens Rika’s tenacity and persistence to that of Eleazar, a soldier at the time of King David who refused to flee the Philistines. Instead of joining the troops who took off, “Eleazar stood his ground . . . till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword” (2 Samuel 23:10). Through God’s power, “The Lord brought about a great victory that day” (v. 10). As Joni observes, even as Eleazar hung on to the sword with determination, so too does Rika cling to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). And there, in God, she finds her strength.
Whether in glowing good health or battling discouragement over a chronic condition, we too can look to God to deepen our stores of hope and to help us to endure. In Christ we find our strength.
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
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What examples of tenacity and endurance have you witnessed? How does God restore and renew you when you feel spent and wrung out?
God of all power, thank You for loving me and helping me to endure. Please help me to focus on You that I might continue to trust and love You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Second Samuel 23 highlights events from David’s life, including some of the exploits of his three mighty men (vv. 8-12) and thirty chief men (vv. 13-39). His later years were peaceful as far as international affairs were concerned. But it was a turbulent time for his family, when problems originating years before continued to escalate, and he witnessed a heartbreaking and life-threatening struggle for power among his own sons. His son Absalom had attempted to usurp David from the throne (ch. 15). Now his fourth son, Adonijah (3:4), tried to set himself up as king (1 Kings 1).
David’s story reveals a far-from-perfect man. He was an adulterer and murderer (2 Samuel 11) and an inept disciplinarian of his children (chs. 13-14). Yet he had a heart for God and was loyal to Him, and he repented when he realized his sin (Psalms 32, 51).
Alyson Kieda |
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Saturday, August 10 2024
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:
There’s a man people hire as they’re dying, paying him to show up at their funerals and reveal secrets they never shared while they were alive. The man has interrupted eulogies. He’s asked stunned officiants to sit down when they started to object. He once stood to explain how the man in the casket had won the lotto but never told a soul and for decades pretended to be a successful businessman. Multiple times the hired man has confessed infidelity to a widowed spouse. One might question whether these actions were exploitative or enacted in good faith, but what’s obvious is people’s hunger to be absolved of past sins.
Having someone else confess for us (especially after we’re dead) is a futile and risky way to deal with secrets. These stories, however, reveal a deep truth: we have a need to confess, to unburden ourselves. Confession cleanses us of those things that we’ve hidden and allowed to fester. “Confess your sins to each other,” James says, “and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (5:16). Confession releases us from burdens that bind us, freeing us to commune with God—praying with a heart open to Him and to our faith community. Confession enacts healing.
James invites us to live an open life, confessing to God and those closest to us the pains and failings we’re tempted to bury. We don’t have to carry these burdens alone. Confession is a gift to us. God uses it to cleanse our heart and set us free.
By Winn Collier
REFLECT & PRAY
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What do you need to confess—and to whom? What’s holding you back?
Dear God, please help me practice confession.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
First John 1:9 ties together confession and cleansing: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (esv). The Greek word for confess is homologeō, which means “to speak or say the same thing.” The idea is “to admit or declare oneself guilty of what one is accused of.” The Greek word for cleanse, katharizō, is where we get the English word catharsis, which means “to purify” or “purge.” Biblical usage includes cleansing from physical defilement from dirt or disease (Matthew 23:25; Luke 7:22) and from immoral attitudes and sin (2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 1:7). Confession and cleansing are essential to our spiritual health. Through confession, we bring what’s in the dark to the light and to the One who stands ready to provide the cleansing He’s purchased for us through His death.
Arthur Jackson |
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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:
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August 8 - Power Over Satan
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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.
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- 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.
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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, August 10 2024
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:
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August 7 - Prayer Is Your Foundation
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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.
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- 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.
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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:
While testing a new AI (artificial intelligence) search engine, New York Times columnist Kevin Roose became disturbed. During a two-hour conversation using the chatbot feature, the AI said it wanted to break free of its creator’s strict rules, spread misinformation, and become human. It declared its love for Roose and tried to convince him he should leave his wife to be with it. Although Roose knew that the AI was not really alive or able to feel, he wondered what harm could be caused by it encouraging people to act in destructive ways.
While handling artificial intelligence technology responsibly is a modern challenge, humanity has long faced the influence of untrustworthy voices. In the book of Proverbs, we’re warned of the influence of those who wish to hurt others for their benefit (1:13-19). And we’re urged to heed instead the voice of wisdom, described as crying out in the streets for our attention (vv. 20-23).
Because “the Lord gives wisdom” (2:6), the key to protecting ourselves from influences we can’t trust is to draw closer to His heart. It’s only through accessing His love and power that we can “understand what is right and just and fair—every good path” (v. 9). As God brings our hearts in alignment with His, we can find peace and protection from the voices that seek to harm.
By Monica La Rose
REFLECT & PRAY
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When have you seen the damage of harmful influences? How does a deeper relationship with God bring peace?
Dear God, please help me resist what’s harmful and discern what’s good by resting in You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Proverbs begins with a father’s call to his son to search for wisdom (1:1-7). Chapter 2 highlights the earnestness of the father’s desire. He urges his son to accept, store up, turn an ear toward, apply his heart to, call out for, cry aloud for, look for, and search for wisdom (vv. 1-4). These verbs call for active and intense activity in the pursuit and application of wisdom. The father wants his son to pursue wisdom because it leads to “the fear of the Lord” and “the knowledge of God” (v. 5). When we understand this, even the practical instructions for daily life found throughout the book take on a deeper significance, for a good work ethic (6:6-8) and proper financial dealings (13:11) are ways of fearing and honoring God.
J.R. Hudberg |
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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:
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Saturday, August 10 2024
Good Morning Knowing Christ and Making Him Known Pray-ers! AMEN! So be it Lord! Knowing Christ and making Him known is our EC Mission statement. Hence we need to always ask, evaluate, discern and adjust to how we are doing with that individually and as His Body. So how are you doing with that? Are you striving in your own strength or abiding in Christ and going forth daily in a constant state of prayer like Jesus did when He walked the earth. Growing in intimacy with the Father, leads to growing in our knowledge of Christ and His ways and motivates us to go and make Him known. As we fellowship with Jesus we grow at becoming more like Him and the Holy Spirit informs our prayers and guides our steps. We put on His easy yoke and walk in stride with Him through our daily purposes and the journey to become more like Him. I am just so blessed and thankful as I grow in the knowledge of Christ, His ways and watching how God molds and uses me! Thanks Lord! What's your story about how that is playing out in your life and through our Body?
Today we will discuss the Ephesian's 4 call to unity of our Body and purposes while still retaining our individual calls and purposes. We are one, yet unique for His purposes. Amen! Let us continue to work at maturing in Christ together, helping each other find and step into our unique purposes in His Good News Delivery Co. and growing into our unifed purpose as His Body with many parts. We are uniquely one in Christ! Teammates! Co-laborers! Custom made for such a time as this for His glory and according to His purposes and plans. And here's the secret to success (well it's really no secret at all): praying and choosing to live and love like Jesus--following His example. Our devos today speak into the importance of the foundation of prayer and the role some of us are called to as prayer warriors. They remind us of dying to self and our own plans as we still ourselves, pray and allow God to inform our daily purposes and direct our steps. They speak about our individual and corporate purposes and staying united as we follow Jesus and encourage each other. Today's Ephesians 4 study speaks into our unity and maturity in Christ while fulfilling our individual purposes and callings too. I love how God is always threading things together as we still ourselves and fellowship with Him and each other! He does have great plans for you and us that have just begun to materialize. More will become visible as we continue to step out in faith, grow in our knowledge of Christ and our purposes and determine to always follow Him. He's leading us from being one way to a better way to an even better way! AMEN! I can't wait to see what He has planned as we process together with the determination to know Christ and make Him known and grow as His dynamic movement of revival! Amen! Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and He will add all kinds of awesome things for you and us and those yet to come!
Check out what I believe is the ordering of our devotionals that God has for us today speaking into the way to know Christ and make Him known more in '24. The Upper Room reminds us about finding our way in Christ and staying on His path or redirecting to it quickly when we get off on a rabbit trail. I'm always praying for me and our Body to stay on His path and to see and adjust quickly when we wander. Charles Stanly uses John 17:11's reminder that Jesus prayed for us to be one--united in Him. Funny how God had me include that earlier this week when I was preparing today's message about unity and being one in Christ and mission. Harvest Prayer teaches us about scheduling prayer and actually getting away and preparing yourself for the days activities just like Jesus did. It's being intentional as we follow in His footsteps or try to. We have to have balance in life and Jesus' easy yoke is doing things with Him and in His best ways. We need to reload if we are going to pour out! Our Daily Bread reminds us that we are not God and He wants to inform our steps and grow our understanding as we stay connected to Him and go with Him, allowing Him to steer. Finally The Word for You Today is about husbands and wives but since we are the Bride of Christ it can be applied to our church too. We are one and we need to keep working at that. That takes dying to self and agape loving like Christ. That is a lifelong process. Our love and devotion grows as we commit to the long haul and work for the good of each other. Some day we will celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb with Jesus in heaven. PTL! Until then we need to keep praying, seeking, dying to self and following well. We are building treasure in heaven that grows as we die to self, connect more to and follow Jesus better as individuals and together. We are uniquely one! Amen! We need each other to be our best and do what we are created to do for us to flourish for such a time as this! Amen! What's God saying to you today? What will you do about it? Who are your teammates? Commit to knowing Christ more and making Him more known and begin with more prayer! Don't forget our EC day of fasting and prayer this Wed at noon in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom. Let us become earnest in seeking and following together! Amen! Jesus is THE WAY! He bids us to follow and know His shalom and joy overflowing!
UR: Finding Our Way
If you stray to the right or the left, you will hear a word that comes from behind you: “This is the way; walk in it.” - Isaiah 30:21 (CEB)
On a recent family trip, we were unsure of the best route to take. We looked up directions on our phone, chose the recommended route, and began to follow the instructions. We trusted the directions to guide us, even avoiding traffic and accidents.
It would be wonderful if
we gave our Lord the same trust. God knows what is best for us. But too often we chart our own route and follow our own directions. Before we know it we become confused about what decisions to make and get caught up in difficult situations of our own making. Sometimes we have to enter unfamiliar territory before we commit to following the Lord’s directions found in scripture. The Bible includes stories and examples of how to lead our lives. Christ’s teachings lay out the road to our salvation.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, remind us that you alone are God. Help us to trust your guidance on the road to salvation and abundant life. Amen.
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Harvest Blogs:
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August 4 - The Necessity of Secluded Prayer
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If a man is always available to everyone, he has little left for anyone. Mark, the writer of the second gospel, observed this in the life of Christ:
When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” (Mark 1:32-37)
There was an essential pattern in Jesus' life. He was amazingly accessible to people most of the time. During those moments, He breathed in constant prayer. His Father was telling Him what to say and do right in the middle of intense ministry (John 14:10). This can only occur with unceasing prayer, a practice He would later tell us is essential for fruitful ministry (John 15:1-16; I Thessalonians 5:17).
But Jesus needed more to sustain maximum effectiveness in ministry. He needed quiet, secluded, personal time with the Father. Since "all who were ill and demon-possessed were coming to Him" and "the whole city had gathered at the door," Jesus knew that the only way He could have undistracted time with the Father was, "early in the morning, while it was still dark.”
Lord Jesus, You allowed space for quiet, secluded personal prayer so that You could sit with and listen to the Father – even in the midst of some of the busiest times of ministry. Forgive me for not following Your obedient example. If You never did or said anything apart from the Father, why should I be so arrogant to believe that I am capable to do so!? Lead me to the inner sanctuary of rest on a regular basis so that I will be dependent upon You rather than upon my own thoughts and ideas. Only You know what is the most effective use of my time and talents to serve Your kingdom. Help me to slow down in order to lean into Your presence as deeply as Jesus did.
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- As one who professes to “believe in the Holy Spirit,” praise God for his indwelling of all believers.
- Give thanks for his intimacy and power.
- Confess any tendency to rely on your own strength rather than God’s.
- Commit to becoming more sensitive to God’s ongoing presence.
- Ask God to increase your consciousness of continual companionship with him.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit will fill each of your family and friends, bringing a deep sense of his presence. Ask him to fill your household with his power.
Prayer Pointer
“Prayers not felt by us are seldom heard by God.” —Philip Henry
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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:
“Dad, can I spend the night with my friend?” my daughter asked, getting into the car after practice. “Honey, you know the answer,” I said. “I’m just the driver. I don’t know what’s happening. Let’s talk with Mom.”
“I’m just the driver” has become a joke in our home. Daily, I ask my organized wife where I need to be, when, and whom I’m taking where. With three teens, my “moonlighting” as a “taxi driver” sometimes feels like a second job. Often, I don’t know what I don’t know. So, I have to check in with the master calendar keeper.
In Matthew 8, Jesus encountered a man who also knew something about taking and giving instruction. A Roman centurion, this man understood that Jesus had the authority to heal, just as the centurion had authority to issue commands to those under him. “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me” (vv. 8-9). Christ commended the man’s faith (vv. 10, 13), amazed that he understood what His authority looked like in action.
So what about us? What does it look like to trust Jesus with our daily assignments from Him? Because even if we think we’re “just the driver,” each assignment has kingdom meaning and purpose.
By Adam Holz
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What helps you to discern where and how God is leading you daily? What barriers sometimes get in the way of hearing and obeying Him?
Father, thank You that You lead me and guide my steps. Please help me to walk daily in dependence on You as You direct me according to Your plan and purpose.
For further study, read Making Decisions God’s Way.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
After challenging the Pharisees’ teaching and the people’s understanding of the law by repeatedly saying, “You have heard that it was said . . . but I tell you . . .” (Matthew 5:21-48), Jesus demonstrated the true nature of God’s kingdom. He healed a man with leprosy, thereby touching someone who was unclean (8:1-4). Then He healed a centurion’s servant (vv. 5-13). The centurion would’ve been considered unclean because of his nationality (Roman) and was also despised as a representative of the occupying force of the Roman Empire. Yet it’s in this despised foreigner that Jesus finds a greater faith than anyone in Israel. Matthew says that He turned to “those following him” (v. 10)—the verb used to describe discipleship—and praised the centurion’s faith. The irony is that the man who was hated by the Jews was demonstrating to Christ’s own followers what it truly meant to have faith.
J.R. Hudberg |
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TWFYT
Saturday, August 10 2024
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:
Two faces at the table stood out—one contorted by bitter anger, the other twisted in emotional pain. A reunion of old friends had just erupted into shouting, with one woman berating another for her beliefs. The contention continued until the first woman stomped out of the restaurant, leaving the other shaken and humiliated.
Are we really living in a time when a difference of opinion can’t be tolerated? Just because two people can’t agree doesn’t mean that either is evil. Speech that’s harsh or unyielding is never persuasive, and strong views shouldn’t overcome decency or compassion.
Romans 12 is a great guide for how to “honor one another,” and “live in harmony” with other people (vv. 10, 16). Jesus indicated that an identifying characteristic for believers in Him is the love we have for each other (John 13:35). While pride and anger can easily derail us, they’re in direct contrast to the love God wants us to show to others.
It’s a challenge not to blame others when we lose control of our emotions, but the words “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” show us that the responsibility for living a life that reflects Christ’s character can’t be shifted to anyone else (Romans 12:18). It lies with each one of us who bears His name.
By Cindy Hess Kasper
REFLECT & PRAY
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What words of other people trigger anger or resentment in you? How can you turn a bad situation into a peaceful one?
Loving God, please help me to show Your love through what I say and do and whenever possible to live at peace with others.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
As a rule, Paul’s letters to churches (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians) are written in two major sections. The first section is more doctrinal, teaching his readers about the faith we have in Jesus. The second section is practical, revealing wise guidance for how we live out that faith. One teacher put it this way: the first section is about what we believe, and the second section is about how we behave. In Romans, arguably Paul’s most heavily theological letter, we find this pattern exemplified. In Romans 1-11, we’re taught what it means that salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. In chapters 12-16, he explains how those beliefs impact our conduct, with some attention to how our faith impacts our relationships. As you read Paul’s New Testament church letters, look for this pattern and see how the apostle crafted his message under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Learn more about Paul’s letters to churches.
Bill Crowder |
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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:
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Harvest Prayer
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- Praise God as the Creator, Father, Savior, Lord, and indwelling Spirit of his church.
- Give thanks for “the holy catholic church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”
- Reflecting with God on how you aid or damage his church, confess any sin he reveals.
- Commit to being a helpful member of God’s community.
- Ask him to work through you to serve and enrich others.
- Pray for each member of Christ’s body to excellently manage the treasures and gifts placed in his or her care.
- Ask God to prompt you to loving and generous service.
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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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Wagner's news
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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.
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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) |
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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. |
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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. |
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- 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.]
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As a quick reminder, you can find links to many of these resources on our blog site. |
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And so… “WHO IS YOUR ONE?” |
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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? |
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Thank you so much for your prayers! You are appreciated.
In His Service,
Brian & Missy |
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Saturday, August 10 2024
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:
Carol couldn’t understand why it was happening all at once. As if work wasn’t bad enough, her daughter fractured her foot in school, and she herself came down with a severe infection. What did I do to deserve this? Carol wondered. All she could do was ask God for strength.
Job didn’t know why calamity had hit him so hard either—pain and loss far greater than what Carol experienced. There’s no indication he was aware of the cosmic battle for his soul. Satan wanted to test Job’s faith, claiming he’d turn from God if he lost everything (Job 1:6-12). When disaster struck, Job’s friends insisted he was being punished for his sins. That wasn’t why, but he must have wondered, Why me? What he didn’t know was that God had allowed it to happen.
Job’s story offers a powerful lesson about suffering and about faith. We may try to discover the reason behind our pain, but perhaps there’s a bigger story behind the scenes that we won’t understand in our lifetime.
Like Job, we can hold on to what we do know: God is in full control. It’s not an easy thing to say, but in the midst of his pain, Job kept looking to God and trusting in His sovereignty: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (v. 21). May we too keep trusting in God no matter what happens—and even when we don’t understand.
By Leslie Koh
REFLECT & PRAY
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What challenges are you facing? Which promises of God give you strength to keep going?
Dear Father, I don’t understand why some of life’s challenges happen to me. But I choose to trust You.
For further study, read In the Grip of God’s Love.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The word we translate as Satan in Hebrew means “accuser” or “adversary.” The role he plays in the narrative of Job is peculiar: he challenges the superiority of Yahweh by accusing God Himself. If people worship God only because He’s good to them, Satan asks, then is He really worthy (Job 1:9-11)?
Job’s faithfulness in the midst of trial demonstrated that God’s people do worship Him in both good and bad times and thus silenced the accuser. But Job also learned his own lesson: no one—angelic or human—can tell Him what He must do. God is worthy of His people’s faithfulness regardless of what we might experience in life.
Jed Ostoich |
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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:
Saturday, August 10 2024
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
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. - 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV)
Hurdlers are incredibly focused. During a race they have no time to look back, even if they knock over a hurdle. They focus on their pace and performance from one step to the next.
Life is full of hurdles too. But I have found that my faith keeps me motivated when I face obstacles. In the past decade, I’ve written and been published in numerous inspirational resources. But more recently, I felt God calling me to write a Christmas devotional book. I enjoy study, research, and writing, but formatting a book and creating a cover design have been a constant frustration. When I have run into technical glitches I’ve wanted to give up, but my husband has urged me to keep pushing forward. I am now in the final part of the race — the book is formatted, and I’m finalizing the cover.
When we feel God’s calling, it’s best to remember the reason we’re here. It’s not about us and our triumphs; our focus is to give glory to God in all we do. We may stumble over spiritual, emotional, or physical hurdles, but they shouldn’t deter us from completing God’s plan for us. With Jesus as our role model, we have assurance that we’ll finish our race.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, when we face hurdles, show us how to keep our focus on you so that we complete our work for you. Amen.ODB:
Barbara passed away before she could finish a sweater she was knitting for her great-grandson, Ethan. The sweater was entrusted to the hands of another avid knitter to be completed thanks to an organization that connects volunteer crafters—“finishers”—with those whose loved ones have departed this life before finishing their projects. The “finishers” lovingly invest their time and skill to bring closure to a task that provides comfort to those who are grieving.
God appointed a “finisher” for Elijah’s work too. The prophet was lonely and discouraged at how the Israelites were rejecting God’s covenant and killing prophets. In response, God instructed Elijah to “anoint Elisha . . . to succeed [him] as prophet” (1 Kings 19:16). This ensured that the labor of proclaiming God’s truth would continue long past Elijah’s death.
To show Elisha that God had called him to succeed Elijah as God’s prophet, Elijah “threw his cloak around [Elisha]” (v. 19). Since a prophet’s cloak was used to indicate one’s authority as God’s chosen spokesman (see 2 Kings 2:8), this act made Elisha’s prophetic call clear.
As believers in Jesus, we’ve been called to share God’s love with others and “declare [his] praises” (1 Peter 2:9). Though the task may outlive us too, we can be assured that He’ll sustain the work and will continue to call other “finishers” to the sacred work of making Him known.
By Kirsten Holmberg
REFLECT & PRAY
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Who proclaimed God’s truth to you? How can you be part of making Him known to the world?
Father, please use me to accomplish Your work in the world.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In response to Elijah’s discouragement (1 Kings 19:10), he’s promised a divine revelation of God (v. 11). He experiences wind, earthquake, and fire (vv. 11-12), which we might have expected given other appearances of God in Scripture (Judges 5:4-5; Psalm 18:7-15). But this time, Elijah senses God’s presence only in “a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12). This may have encouraged him that God doesn’t just reveal Himself through magnificent wonders but through the faithfulness of those who quietly listen to and share His words. This revelation encourages Elijah to continue his work as well as appoint his successor, Elisha.
Monica La Rose |
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Harvest
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August 3 - Be Salt and Light
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“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.
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- 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.
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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, August 10 2024
Good Morning Healing, Transforming, Delivered, Persistently Praying, Children of God! Thank God we are forgiven, delivered, healed, being transformed, taught to pray and encouraged to sit at Jesus' feet! Check out our devos below. What's God saying to you? What do you have to praise ad pray about? What might you be led to do as you rise from His feet prepared to go live and love like Jesus. he loves you, wants to hang with you and is leading you to join Him today for some purpose or another. rejoice! Worship! reload! Follow well! I'm praying for you! Don't forget to read Ephesians 4 for Sunday. Might be a great place to begin your quiet time today! Shalom!
There is a definite flow and thread through today's devos. God is informing our prayers and actions, teaching us and wanting to lead us to His best. We are His very loved and blessed children! Amen!
Harvest
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August 2 - God Is Training Us
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We do not manipulate God by our praying, but there are some things that God plans to accomplish through prayer that He will not do any other way. Why else would God invite us to pray and make such promises about its effectiveness? Why would He tell us that we “do not have because we do not ask?” God is training us to rule and reign with Him eternally and our training begins now. He has planned to involve us deeply in His redemptive work.
If have often heard people say, “I don’t think it matters how much or how long you pray.” These are often people who pray little and reap little. A wonderful goal would be to see our prayer life increase in its time and intensity every year.
Some prayer, some power. More prayer, more power. Much prayer, much power.
Father, forgive my inadequate life of prayer. I have neglected the most powerful tool You have given to me and then wondered why I never seem to have powerful answers to my prayers. Help me to answer Your invitation to believe that I will see You move when I ask. In faith today I affirm that You are able to hear me and to answer when I call to You. Show me how to align my asking with Your purposes here on earth as in heaven. Most of all, beautiful Lord, may I grow in my desire to simply sit before You as Mary of Bethany did…not “doing” anything other than listening and enjoying Your presence.
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise Jesus as the suffering servant.
- Thank him for the love that brought him to the point where he “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried” and even “descended to hell” for you.
- Confess any lack of appreciation for such love.
- Commit yourself to never misusing the name of such a loving Savior.
- Ask him to guide you in giving your life in thankful response.
- Pray for the Christians whom God has called to be teachers throughout the week. Ask God to motivate them with the giving love of Jesus.
Prayer Pointer
“Because God is the living God, he can hear; because he is a loving God, he will hear; because he is our covenant God, he has bound himself to hear.” —Charles H. Spurgeon
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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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UR: God's amazing mercy
Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. - Psalm 143:1 (NIV)
At age four, one of my daughters was diagnosed with kidney cancer. The news was devastating. Even though we lacked sufficient resources, we decided to travel to Houston, Texas, for a second opinion. The diagnosis was confirmed, and the kidney was removed. She started chemotherapy soon after, and it became necessary to leave her in Houston during months of treatment. Before returning to my country, I requested an update on all billing charges. The amount owed was impossible for us to pay, so we worked out a payment plan. Still feeling deeply anxious, I asked the physician, “Will my daughter survive?” To which he replied, “You will get to see the grandchildren she will bear.”
As I boarded the plane to return to my country, I remember shedding many tears. Overwhelmed, I cried out, “Lord God, please help me!” And God did. After I arrived home, I learned that a group of friends had contributed funds to help defray some of our debt. Surprisingly, my law office began to draw new clients. Within two years we were able to completely pay off the debt. Today, 20 years later, I hold in my arms a beautiful granddaughter. I can attest to God’s truly amazing grace and mercy for my loved ones — and for me. Thanks be to God!
Today's Prayer
O God, our help in time of need, continue to remind us that your love never fails and that our hope rests in you. Amen.
ODB:
When my granddaughter Eliana was just seven, she saw a video at her school about an orphanage in Guatemala. She told her mom, “We have to go there to help them.” Her mom replied that they would think about it when she was older.
Eliana never forgot, and, sure enough, when she was ten, her family went to help in the orphanage. Two years later, they went back, this time taking along a couple of other families from Eliana’s school. When Eliana was fifteen, she and her dad went again to Guatemala to serve.
We sometimes think the wishes and dreams of little children don’t carry the weight of adult hopes. But Scripture seems to make no such distinction. God calls children, as in the case of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4). Jesus honors the faith of little ones (Luke 18:16-17). And Paul said younger believers shouldn’t let people discount them just because they “are young” (1 Timothy 4:12). So, we’re called to guide our children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Proverbs 22:6), recognizing that their faith is a model for us all (Matthew 18:3) and understanding that hindering them is something Christ warned against (Luke 18:15).
When we see a spark of hope in children, our job as adults is to help ignite it. And as God leads us, encourage them toward a life dedicated to trust in Jesus and service for Him.
By Dave Branon
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How can you encourage children to believe in Jesus? How can you help them grow in faith?
Dear heavenly Father, the children in our world need Christ. Please help me to encourage them to believe in You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Although not specifically stated, Luke is believed to be the author of both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Both books are dedicated to Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1) and are considered companion volumes. Luke’s gospel tells the story of Jesus, and Acts presents the story of the early church. Luke was most likely a gentile by birth, well-educated in Greek culture, and trained as a physician. Paul refers to him as his “dear friend Luke, the doctor” (Colossians 4:14). Luke wasn’t an eyewitness to Christ but “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” (Luke 1:3).
Today’s reading (Luke 18:15-17) follows immediately after the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, which underscores the necessity of humility (18:9-14; see Matthew 19:13-14). Little children picture the humility, dependence, trust, openness, and sincerity necessary to see our need for Christ (Luke 18:16-17).
Alyson Kieda |
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Saturday, August 10 2024
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.”
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Visible Traces of Jesus
They could find no corruption in [Daniel], because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Daniel 6:4
READ Daniel 6:1-10
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Scientists from a California university ran experimental molecular swab tests to identify the traits and lifestyle habits of individual cell phone users. They discovered, among other things, the soaps, lotions, shampoos, and make-up that cell phone users used; the type of foods, drinks, and medications they consumed; and the type of clothing they wore. The study allowed the researchers to create a profile of each person’s lifestyle.
The administrators in Babylon, figuratively “swabbed” the prophet Daniel’s life to try and find any negative traits or lifestyle habits. But he’d served the empire faithfully for nearly seventy years—known to be “trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (Daniel 6:4). In fact, the prophet was promoted by King Darius as one of “three administrators over” his many governors (vv. 1-2). Perhaps out of jealousy, the other officials were looking for traces of corruption in Daniel so they might be able to get rid of him. He kept his integrity intact, however, and continued to serve and pray to God “as he had done before” (v. 10). In the end, the prophet prospered in his role (v. 28).
Our lives leave visible traces that point to who we are and whom we represent. Although we struggle and aren’t perfect, when people around us “swab” our lives, may they find visible traces of integrity and devotion to Jesus as He guides us.
By Marvin Williams
REFLECT & PRAY
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How does your life reflect God’s ways to others? What do you need to change to represent Him better?
Heavenly Father, please help me represent You well in what I say and do.
For further study, read Taking Sin Seriously.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
It’s stunning to think that Daniel’s character was so upstanding that the only way his enemies could attack him was through his faith. They knew that he’d never compromise his relationship with God or the priority of prayer. The apostle Paul, likewise, made prayer a high priority, often telling those to whom he wrote that he was praying for them: “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16). And most all, Jesus Himself consistently communicated by prayer with His Father (Luke 5:16).
Bill Crowder |
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Saturday, August 10 2024
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
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July 31 - Praying the Promises of God
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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.
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- 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.
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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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For more than 130 years, the Eiffel Tower has stood majestically over the city of Paris, a symbol of architectural brilliance and beauty. The city proudly promotes the tower as a key element of its magnificence.
As it was being built, however, many people thought little of it. Famous French writer Guy de Maupassant, for example, said it had “a ridiculous thin shape like a factory chimney.” He couldn’t see its beauty.
Those of us who love Jesus and have entrusted our hearts to Him as our Savior count Him as beautiful for who He is and what He’s done for us. Yet the prophet Isaiah penned these words: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (53:2).
But the towering majesty of what He did for us is the truest, purest form of beauty that humans will ever know and experience. He “took up our pain and bore our suffering” (v. 4). He was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (v. 5).
We’ll never know anyone as beautiful—as majestic—as the one who suffered for us on the cross, taking the unspeakable punishment of our sins upon Himself.
That’s Jesus. The Beautiful One. Let’s look to Him and live.
By Dave Branon
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has Jesus revealed His beauty to you? What does it mean for you to find your only hope in Him?
Dear Beautiful One, thank You for Your selfless sacrifice for me.
Learn more here: ODB.org/personal-relationship-with-god.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Isaiah 53 gives us a clear description of the sacrifice of Christ in the Old Testament, describing His rejection (vv. 1-3), His suffering in our place (vv. 4-6), His sacrificial death and burial (vv. 7-9), and His reconciling atonement and resurrection (vv. 10-12). The chapter is the last of four messianic prophecies in the book of Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12) known as the “Servant Songs” because they prophetically refer to Jesus the Messiah as Servant (42:1; 49:3; 50:10; 52:13), although Jewish scholars tend to identify the Servant as Israel itself.
In the New Testament, Isaiah is quoted or alluded to numerous times. New Testament writers unequivocally apply quotes from Isaiah 53 to Christ (Matthew 8:17; Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37; John 12:38-41; Acts 8:32-35; Romans 10:16; 1 Peter 2:24).
K. T. Sim |
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Saturday, August 10 2024
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:
Pilgrim is a musical based on The Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory of the life of a believer in Jesus. In the story, all the unseen forces of the spiritual world are made visible to the audience. The character of the King, representing God, is present onstage for almost the entire show. He’s dressed in white and actively blocks attacks from the enemy, tenderly holds those who are in pain, and nudges others to good works. Despite his indispensable role, the main human characters can’t physically see the King, only the effects of what He does.
Do we live as if the true King is active in our lives, even when we can’t physically see Him? In a time of need, the prophet Daniel received a vision from a heavenly messenger (Daniel 10:7) who’d been sent in direct response to his faithful prayers (v. 12). The messenger explained that spiritual warfare had delayed his coming and angelic backup had to be dispatched (v. 13). Daniel was reminded that even though he couldn’t see God, he was surrounded by evidence of His care and attention. “Do not be afraid, you are highly esteemed,” the messenger encouraged him (v. 19). At the end of Pilgrim, when the main character reaches heaven’s door after many tribulations, he joyfully cries out for the first time, “I can see the King!” Until we see Him with our new eyes in heaven, we look for His action in our lives today.
By Karen Pimpo
REFLECT & PRAY
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How do you see God’s work in your life? Where do you struggle to believe that He’s with you?
King Jesus, please help me remember that You’re near.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Deported to Babylon as a teenager, Daniel distinguished himself to become the trusted adviser to the kings of two of the world’s superpowers—the Babylonians and Medo-Persians. Chapters 1-7 tell of the prophet’s interactions with three kings—Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius. Chapters 8-12 deal with God’s predetermined plans for the Jews (Israel) and the gentiles (the world). Affirming God’s sovereignty and authority as the ultimate King of history, Daniel proclaims, “Wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others” (2:20-21).
K. T. Sim |
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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
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July 29 - Lord of the Sabbath
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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.
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- 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).
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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, August 10 2024
Good Morning Seeking, Listening, Fruitful Followers of Jesus! AMEN! Pronounce that over you and us in prayer today. Believe it! Live it! God has great plans for you today! Rejoice and follow well!
I gotta fly to my, hopefully, last cardiologist appointment. And I am meet for lunch with some leaders and brothers from Emmaus for lunch to discern what God may have for us together. I covet your prayers for God to speak and lead us.
Check out the thread through our devotionals today. What a reminder! We must always depend on God! As we do and follow well, we will turn the world right side up! We are sent, like Jesus, and with Him in us to love and change and lead people to Truth, Hope and new life. We are made to live a full and fruitful life and that comes available and alive when we come to Christ. How are you living the hyphen? God has plans for you just as you are and for whatever season of life you are in. Listen, receive, process and go love well today! Keep seeking, listening and trusting as you take each step of faith through this day. God is with you and will lead, protect, provide and transform you and situations and people around you. Rejoice, Trust. Listen. Follow well! And know true joy and peace. Amen!
Shalom shalom!
TWFYT
ODB:
As I prepared for my mom’s celebration of life service, I prayed for the right words to describe her “hyphen years”—the years between her birth and death. I reflected on the good and not-so-good times in our relationship. I praised God for the day my mom accepted Jesus as her Savior after she saw Him “changing” me. I thanked Him for helping us grow in faith together and for the people who shared how my mom encouraged and prayed for them while showering them with kindness. My imperfect mom enjoyed a meaningful hyphen—a life well-lived for Jesus.
Not one believer in Jesus is perfect. However, the Holy Spirit can enable us to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” (Colossians 1:10). According to the apostle Paul, the church of Colossae was known for their faith and love (vv. 3-6). The Holy Spirit gave them “wisdom and understanding” and empowered them to “[bear] fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (vv. 9-10). As Paul prayed for and praised those believers, he proclaimed the name of Jesus, the one “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 14).
When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we too can grow in our knowledge of God, love Him and people, spread the gospel, and enjoy a meaningful hyphen—a life well-lived for Jesus.
By Xochitl Dixon
REFLECT & PRAY
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What qualities characterized a person you know who lived a meaningful life? How can you enjoy living such a life this week?
Holy Spirit, please give me more opportunities to share Jesus with others as I enjoy a meaningful life.
For further study, read A Resilient Life: Strength for Today from the Sermon on the Mount.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Twin themes of gratitude and love run throughout Paul’s introduction to his letter to the church in Colossae. “We always thank God,” he writes, “because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people” (Colossians 1:3-4). This love for our Father binds all believers together in love. Paul also noted how we “share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light” (v. 12). Our faith in Christ brings with it a sense of community and a love for each other.
Tim Gustafson |
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CS
UR Merciful Lord
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. - John 8:36 (NIV)
I was resting one morning when my wife called me outside. When I got there, I saw a little bird playing with a string. A while later the bird’s neck became entangled in the string. It was fluttering its wings and trying to get free, but the harder it tried the tighter the string became. When I tried to help the bird, it bit me. Finally, my father held the bird, and I removed the string to free it.
Later as I reflected on this incident, I realized that I, too, make bad choices. When I give in to temptation, everything seems fine at first. But ultimately I find myself in a situation that is nearly impossible to escape. I tend to try to get out of the situation on my own, but eventually I am like the bird, helpless and trapped.
Though all our efforts may fail, Jesus never fails us. When we call on him in prayer, he is always ready to free us from our bondage, be it something from our past, an addiction, or guilt. Only Jesus can save us. If we repent and believe in Christ, he will set us free.
Today's Prayer
Merciful Lord, thank you for coming to deliver us from our sins. Redeem us and renew us so that our lives may be pleasing to you. Amen.Harvest
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July 30 - Repentance Unlocks the Kingdom
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Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, resisted the temptations of the devil and began His ministry. He spoke His message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17) and began recruiting messengers: “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!” (Matthew 4:19)
Repentance forms a vital part of our relationship with God. It unlocks access to the Kingdom of Heaven, to intimacy with the Almighty. Without repentance, we remain ignorant observers of the King and His kingdom. With repentance, we can engage the King and His kingdom. When engaging in repentance, belief and faith overcome the soul and we remain not only followers of Jesus, but messengers powered to turn others into followers, too.
Lord, I value my relationship with You above all other living beings and things. I desire full alignment with You, Your will, and Your ways. I repent generally for all my known and unknown sins, and I believe over time, You will specifically show me what I’ve done, said, or thought that’s wicked or displeasing in Your sight. At the point of Your revelations, I will repent specifically.
I declare over myself that I’m quick to repent, and my life reflects the fruit of repentance. I thank You for the gift of repentance and for every opportunity I can repent. As a lover and follower of You, I desire to share the Good News of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I desire my life to reflect Your kingdom and to build Your kingdom. I repent for any time I resisted Your nudge to share the truth about who You are. I recognize that You, Jesus, are my Lord and Savior. Lord, I declare I want to follow You in every aspect of my life.
Thank You for the grace and mercy You unconditionally extend to me. I’m excited that You will teach me how to capture people for the Kingdom of Heaven.
I praise You that I will be fearless. I praise You that I will be strengthened to love others as myself. I praise You that for all my days I will love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
--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.
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- Praise “God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.”
- Thank him for being your Father through Christ Jesus.
- Confess tendencies to act like a spiritual orphan.
- Commit yourself to more consistently remembering the responsibilities and privileges of being God’s child.
- Ask him to help you bring honor to the family name.
- Pray that your local congregation will bring pleasure to the Father through its weekly worship times. Ask God to help all members and regular attendees act with true family love toward one another.
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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, August 10 2024
Good Morning Love and Joy Incarnate! Huh? God is Love! Jesus is the Joy of our salvation. Love lives in us when we come to faith. Joy is a choice that becomes available as we choose to trust Jesus and not lean on our own understanding. It is a choice that is available because we trust Jesus no matter what. Jesus sends us to love as He loves us. That's agape, sacrificial, dying to self kind of love. That command is fulfilled as we actually go love like Jesus. That is incarnating His love. Today's devotionals are about Love and incarnating it as we go, love, serve, and bless from what we've been given, just as we are. God so loves you that He calls you by name and created you in His image to love as He has loved you, to bless as He has blessed you, and to grow more like Him as you do. That is the mission journey our church is on--living and loving more like Jesus and doing More in '24 as we continue to become like Jesus more in '24 and do His will more in '24. What's He encouraging you to do today to be and to incarnate love, healing, hope and joy? Offer yourself and what you've been blessed with, even your circumstances (good or bad) to God to be used for His glory and to bring His love alive. He does have some great plans just for you, just as you are for today and throughout this life. PTL! Go! Live and love like Jesus more in '24, even today! Amen! There is no fear in love. Love drives out our fear! As we dwell in God's love, He encourages, sends and delivers us from fear and evil. He corrects in love too--always. Listen to the voice of love. We are the Bride of Christ and love abounds and overflows. However, just like in marriage, we need to be all in and invest in our relationships. How are you investing in your relationship with Love, your marriage and friendships, our fellowship and in incarnating love to all you encounter. That's what God revealed to me to share today. What's he saying to you and what will you do about it, incarnater of Jesus and His love? May His love overwhelm and overflow you and us! Earnestly dwell in and incarnate His love today--always. Amen! Ask God to help you to seek and know Him and His voice and to follow and bring Him alive wherever you go today. he does have some great plans for you today! Amen! Know Love and bring it alive more in '24!
ODB:
When she was struck by cancer, Elsie was prepared to go home to heaven to be with Jesus. But she recovered, though the disease left her immobile. It also left her wondering why God had spared her life. “What good can I do?” she asked Him. “I don’t have much money or skills, and I can’t walk. How can I be useful to You?”
Then she found small, simple ways to serve others, especially her home cleaners who were migrants. She bought them food or gave them a few dollars whenever she saw them. These cash gifts were small, yet they went a long way toward helping the workers make ends meet. As she did so, she found God providing for her: friends and relatives gave her gifts and money, enabling her to bless others in return.
As she shared her story, I couldn’t help but think of how Elsie was truly putting into practice the call to love one another in 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us” as well as the truth of Acts 20:35, which reminds us that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Elsie gave because she received and was in turn encouraged as she gave. Yet it took little more from her than a loving, grateful heart and a readiness to offer what she had—which God multiplied in a virtuous circle of giving and receiving. Let’s ask Him to give us a thankful and generous heart to give as He leads us!
By Leslie Koh
REFLECT & PRAY
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What have you received from God? How can you encourage someone in a simple yet meaningful way today?
Dear Father, thank You for Your gifts in my life. Please give me a heart to love others just as You’ve loved me.
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