Sarah Prayer Email below
Good Morning Forgiven, Restored, Commissioned, Protected, Empowered, Sufficient in Christ, Bringers of Good News! Well Pastor Don, that sure is a mouthful! Maybe, but it's truth to pronounce over you, our church and God's Body! We are custom made for our custom part in bringing the Good News. We are made new and empowered by the Holy Spirit when we come to Christ to do all He has created us to do. (Eph. 2:10) What might that be? The Great Commandments and Great Commission--Love God, others and each other as Jesus loves and go make disciples in His way. That's our purposes. And their custom made for us and our gifts, abilities and circumstances, empowered with new everyday mercies. PTL! I think of Jesus' easy yoke for us weary and striving in our own strength--come to Him and find rest for your souls. Yoke to Him as you learn to walk in His gentle and easy ways. I think of Proverbs 3:5-6 and the reminder to stop leaning on your own understanding. God is always doing new things, new ways and all we need to do is trust Him and allow Him to direct our steps. I think of Solomon who said in Ecclesiastes how meaningless life is without God. And he would know as he pursued all kinds of things to find meaning and purpose for his life to no avail. He teaches that we should love God and enjoy life. We love God! Thank Him for His love and your faith. And we can enjoy this custom made life as we surrender to God and Jesus' ways and just allow Him to use you, as you are, for His plans today. And as you do He will grow you more fully into your created potential and use you as you grow into the greater things He has for you. PTL! So, stop striving in your own strength and follow God's lead, provision and peace (Jesus' easy yoke) and love well and enjoy life! Find soul satisfaction that you are God's forever and He is well pleased with you, His faithful child! AMEN! Go team!
We've been on this journey the past several years to become more like Jesus and to doing more intentionally the things He has for us each day. We are making progress and seeing some good fruit from that! PTL! The fruit showed up yesterday as we fellowshipped, ate some donuts together, shared the Good News with some, prayed with some, encouraged some, served all who God sent and loved well during Bread and Donut day. And like Acts 2:42-47 (read it prayerfully today!) the Lord added to their numbers daily. PTL! God is doing that through us as several people that we have connected to and are connecting to God have expressed interest in joining our church. And many others keep coming back to be fed by the Living Bread being distributed by His faithful servants weekly. God is on the move and using us as we love Him and others and enjoy this life we've been given. What JOY we are experiencing as God uses us just as we are with what He's given us! His grace and provision are sufficient! PTL! (our next donut day is Feb 14th...come and see what the Lord is doing! Or come and see at our next brunch Sun Jan 28th after worship and bring a friend! These new disciples are coming because someone saw God at work in them and invited them to come) Keep praying into all God is doing and for some new connection points for us this year as we seek to Become More in '24...more of Christ and His way and less of me! More Love! More Holy Spirit Power! More growth as disciples of Jesus. And more doing of the things He did! That's our mission as we learn to live and love more like Jesus everyday!
I am still processing our vision team meeting the other night. God spoke to us in volumes as He began to show us some open and some closed doors and some things to build upon. Thanks Lord! Continue to lead us and help us to hold loosely and follow well. It can be a wild ride as we "fly the airplane while building it"! But that is God's way as we let go and trust God to reveal as we follow Him step by step in faith. He reveals and provides as we take those daily steps of faith from our comfort zones and allow Him to lead us on the thrill ride of our lives! He's created us to accomplish our parts of His plans and purposes. He's given us the Holy Spirit and gifts to accomplish these as we follow Him into the unknown but promised awesome future. Tighten those seatbelts and your helmet of faith straps tight. Love God! Be all you can be in Christ, doing all He has for you--your custom made part in His Good News Delivery Co. that only you can do. And Enjoy the ride!
God has a plan and purposes along the way for each of us and us as His Body. He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, even those yet to come. We know who we are (or are discovering that as we step into our new natures more fully and our custom made purposes along the way to becoming more like Jesus). And we know Whose we are and are assured that He is with us always and we will be with Him always. Come Jesus Come! Send me! That's your prayer for today as you commit to let go and let God have His good way with you and use you well. Check out our devos for today below that thread through all of this as you spend some time with God today. Turn off the noise and chaos all around you. Be still and know He is God, He loves you and has great plans for you. And step into your anointing today! Love God and enjoy this life He's given you and live it with gusto and for His glory! Amen! Check out today's Harvest Prayer Revival prayer for today too talking about praying expectantly for a vision for revival. Yes, Come Jesus come and use me well today! Amen!
We are: Forgiven, Restored, Commissioned, Protected, Empowered, Sufficient in Christ, Bringers of Good News! (Did you notice how everyday since Kathy shared her "restored" testimony on Sunday how God brings up restoration every day in our devotionals! God is calling us to be restored and to become restorers of broken down lives all around us!) Come Jesus! Send me and use me for your glory as you revive and use me to bring love, joy, peace, hope, help and revival alive--Christ and His ways incarnate through me! Come! Amen!
Harvest prayer for Revival:
January 11, 2024 - Praying for Revival (Day 11): Ripe for Revival
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What might spiritual awakening look like in our day? Let’s keep it simple. Acts 1–2 reveals the qualities present whenever the Spirit revives His people and awakens the lost. In Jerusalem, Pentecost’s transforming power of the Spirit on His people arose out of sustained and earnest prayer. The transformation produced powerful preaching. That preaching resulted in profound repentance and faith. And that profound faith launched and sustained a radical way of life that impacted every facet of the city.
There are hopeful signs of a coming spiritual awakening. We should be deeply impressed with the quantity and quality of prayer being mobilized across our nation. The bride of Christ is waking up to the dangers in front of her. A unity, unlike any in previous generations, is forming. This unity is diverse, multiethnic, and multinational. The one thing missing, however, is vision.
I believe God will provide it, but we must pray for that united vision. I believe we are, indeed, ripe for revival and spiritual awakening. Let’s ask God to give us the vision to see what its fulfillment would look like. And let’s ask God to give leaders the wisdom to embrace it.
Lord, I praise You that there is always hope for another Great Awakening in my nation! Inspire my prayers with belief that it is in Your heart to do it again, in my day! Alert and prepare Your Church to pray with urgency and in great unity for a coming spiritual awakening. May the leaders in my church and all others be ready to embrace this vision. Show me how to pay attention in Your word, especially in Acts 1-2, to the ways Your Holy Spirit poured out life and power in the Church. Would you do it again, Father? Help Your distracted and complacent ones to become focused on praying hopeful prayers and give us a vision for revival that is diverse, multiethnic, and multinational. I long to see You pour out Your Spirit, Lord!
Pr a y e r Po i n t s:
• Praise God that there is always hope for another Great Awakening in our nation! Ask God to inspire your prayers with belief that it is His heart to do it again.
• Praise God for how He is alerting His Church to pray with unity and urgency for a coming spiritual awakening. Pray for your leaders to embrace such a vision.
• Pray through Acts 1–2 by paying attention to the ways the Holy Spirit poured out life and power to the Church. Ask Him to do it again.
• Pray that your church will be inspired to lift up hopeful prayers that go beyond distracted and complacent faith.
• Pray for a vision of prayer for revival that is diverse, multiethnic, and multinational.
--Adapted from Day 11 by Bob Bakke: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival) compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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Charles Stanley:
ODB:
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“Please clean the front room before you go to bed,” I said to one of my daughters. Instantly came the reply, “Why doesn’t she have to do it?”
Such mild resistance was frequent in our home when our girls were young. My response was always the same: “Don’t worry about your sisters; I asked you.”
In John 21, we see this human tendency illustrated among the disciples. Jesus had just restored Peter after he’d denied Him three times (see John 18:15–18, 25–27). Now Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!” (21:19)—a simple but painful command. Jesus explained that Peter would follow Him to the death (vv. 18–19).
Peter barely had time to comprehend Jesus’ words before he asked about the disciple behind them: “What about him?” (v. 21). Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” Then He said, “You must follow me” (v. 22).
How often we’re like Peter! We wonder about the faith journeys of others and not what God is doing with us. Late in his life, when the death Jesus foretold in John 21 was much closer, Peter elaborated on Christ’s simple command: “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:14–15). That’s enough to keep each of us focused on Jesus and not on those around us.
By Matt Lucas
REFLECT & PRAY
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How are you tempted to compare your faith walk with others? How will you keep your focus on Jesus today?
Heavenly Father, please continue to conform me into the image of Your Son.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days before ascending into heaven. During this time, He “proved to [his disciples] in many ways that he was actually alive” (Acts 1:3 nlt). The New Testament records some eleven post-resurrection appearances of Christ. The risen Jesus met with different people for different reasons. He had unfinished business with all His disciples. The Passover weekend was a traumatic one for them, and every disciple had “deserted him” (Matthew 26:56). In fact, Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times (John 18:15-27), but Christ restored him (21:15-19). His disciples needed to be forgiven, restored, reinstated, and recommissioned to do God’s work.
K. T. Sim |
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UR: Love One Another
Put away . . . all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:31-32 (NRSVUE)
My day started with hurt and irritation from a friend’s critical remarks. While I ran errands my anger grew, and I began to develop a grudge. The grocery store parking lot was full, but I spotted an open space one lane over. I sped up and rounded the corner to grab it but then saw a car approaching with its blinker flashing. I scowled as I waited for the other driver to park. But to my surprise, the man stopped and waved me into the parking spot. I was grateful but unmoved by the gesture.
I raced through the store and found myself behind the same man in the check-out lane. He turned, smiled, and began emptying my cart for me while the cashier scanned his items. I stood amazed. I returned the smile and thanked him for both good deeds. He shrugged and said, “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice.” I cringed and felt my face go red as I remembered Jesus’ command: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (Jn. 13:34). I realized I was angry over something trivial, and a sudden rush of gratitude swept over me. I am thankful for the man whose acts of kindness had an impact on my attitude.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear Lord, help us to focus on being kind when things don’t go our way. May we always remember to love one another no matter what the circumstances. Amen.TWFYT:
Sarah Prayer Email:
Good evening warriors,
Here are a couple of prayer needs:
Friend of Lisa Wenner's, Carol is asking for prayer for her sister Lori Barefoot, and for Carol's father Mark Trimber.
Lori has been having episodes of tingling and numbness in her face and hands. She has had a number of test done,
but no answers yet.
Mark is in the hospital and has tested positive with COVID. He is extremely fatigued and weak, and has a bad urinary tract infection.
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Praising God for Harry Waterman's surgery going well. He is going good and is spending the night in the hospital, and hopes
to be discharged tomorrow (Thursday).
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Pray for those that are dealing with water in their homes. This can be very stressful to many. Thank God for people that
have and are coming to the 'rescue' of those in need.
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Praise God for Coffee, Donuts and Conversation time today. Good conversations and prayers were offered.
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Continue to pray for those mentioned on Sunday:
Barbara Shade, Howie Barley, Gladys Ketner, and any other church family members that may come to mind.
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Tim Schware made it safely to Eric's in Maryland and then the next day to Virgina. There were areas that were a bit
rough and he did see several accidents along the way but Yay God, He put a hedge of protection around him.
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The Vision team had a good meeting last evening. Please continue to pray for your Vision team as they seek God's
guidance and direction for 2024 and the future.
Have a great rest of your week, everyone!
Blessings,
Sarah
Proverbs 29:18 - Where there is no vision (no revelation of God and His word) the people are unrestrained.
But happy and blessed are they who keep the law of God.
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