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Saturday, February 10 2024
Wagner's update below. Pray shalom and comfort over this family at their loss of Harriet Adams, Missy's mom.
Good Morning Transformed, Trusting Sheep--Followers of Our Good Shepherd! Baaa...Are you hearing His voice and following today? Are you allowing His Word to transform you and your thinking and ways? Are you choosing trust and following His voice through the deepest, darkest valleys? Are you finding that He is faithful and growing in trust of our very good Shepherd that loves you and has your best in His heart and actions towards you? Pray for personal and corporate revival. Come Jesus come!
Jesus knows us and still loves us and has good plans for us is something everyone needs to understand and embrace. Many have shunned Him and His ways. Some of His sheep have lost the ability to hear and follow His voice because all the noise and chaotic stimuli has led them off His path, crowded out His voice, and redirected focus. YET...He loves us and is waiting for us to reawaken to His love, voice and good ways. He is faithfully interceding for us, His followers too and has great plans for us to discover as He leads our willing feet--baaa--to overflowing cups. Check out the harvest prayer blog and Charles Stanley below. ODB reminds us of the way to hear well and learn how to travel through this life listening to our Shepherd--open your Bibles! And then be more than just hearers and knowers but doers of it! Follow His Spirit as He teaches, leads and brings His Word to life and to mind throughout the day as the Shepherd calls to you and says, "Follow Me!" TWFYT expounds on following our Shepherd. Maybe mediate on Psalm 23 today too? And then the UR reminds us that no matter what we face, remember that we know the Good Shepherd and that He is always with us, interceding for us, has very good plans for us, even if it doesn't seem it at the moment. Trust Him with all your heart! Love Him with all your heart! Receive His loving care and follow Him well through this day, to His best for you and for personal and corporate revival! Come Good Shepherd! Open our ears to Your voice and loving guidance. Lead us to Your best and revival, Bring Your Word alive in and trough us. Refresh and restore our souls and lead us in Your righteous paths for Your name's sake. Father, Your will be done in, through and around us today and every day and keep our ears, eyes, and hearts open and willing to trust and follow You always. Thanks! Blessings to You today, Lord. We love and trust you. Help our unbelief! Baaa. Amen!
Ask God to prepare you and us for worship tomorrow. We will be studying 1 Corinthians 12 and some of 13 and Ephesians 4:11-16 as we wind down our teaching on spiritual gifts. Maybe you want to spend some time today with your Bibles open there, asking for understanding some of this confusing gifts stuff. I just prayed for God to speak to our hearts, direct our steps and use us well today. Pray along with me for some of our sick and struggling members for health, healing, deliverance and God's shalom over them. God has great plans for us and each day can be a step further into the journey towards that. Rejoice and follow well, sheep of Jesus.
Harvest Prayer Blog:
February 10 - America's Pentecost
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After years of seeking God as group of pastors and praying people, in 1801 a spiritual explosion took place that swept our nation like a wildfire. Vanderbilt University historian Paul Conkin calls it “America’s Pentecost.” Mark Noll, a historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the U.S., insists it was our nation’s most important religious moment that changed the course of history.
Hundreds of denominations were born and thousands of churches were founded. Modern missions exploded on the scene, as well as tract and Bible societies. Abolition was launched. Hospitals, schools, and colleges were founded. The awakening infiltrated every area of life and it spun out for nearly 50 years. The impact on our nation and around the world was astounding.
In the midst of the stressful national issues of our day, we pray we hope and confidence. We have seen the glory of Christ before!
Today, pray for the Church in America: Pray for revival, holiness, love for truth, passion for Jesus, evangelistic fervor and compassionate ministry. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). See also: Joel 2:12-14; Psalm 85:4-7).
Savior and Lord, we bow before You, knowing that we, the Church, have fallen short of Your desires for Your people. We humbly repent for our sinfulness, and for our apathy towards making a significant spiritual impact upon our culture. Give us a fresh love for Your truth, a deep desire for holy living, and passion for sharing Christ to impact the lives of the least and the lost. We desperately need revival Lord! Please send us “times of refreshing” so that we may bring honor and glory to the Name of Jesus!
--Adapted from America’s Pentecost by Robert Bakke, an article in the Premiere Issue of Prayer Connect Magazine.
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- Praise God, the changer of times and seasons (Dan. 2:21), who is in control of all of history.
- Give thanks for this new day.
- Confess any misuse or waste of time.
- Commit yourself to taking hold of today’s opportunities and to enjoying the special pleasures God provides during this season.
- Ask him to guide you to make wise and efficient use of your time.
- Pray that your church leaders will be protected from overloaded schedules. Ask God to give them wisdom as they lead the church and care for their other concerns.
Prayer Pointer
“When we say to people, ‘I will pray for you,’ we make a very important commitment. The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern.” —Henri Nouwen
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Charles Stanley:
ODB:
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When Kristin wanted to buy a special book for Xio-Hu, her Chinese husband, the only one she could find in Chinese was a Bible. Although neither of them was a believer in Christ, she hoped he would appreciate the gift anyway. At first sight of the Bible, he was angry, but eventually he picked it up. As he read, he became persuaded by the truth in its pages. Upset at this unforeseen development, Kristin started to read the Scriptures in order to refute Xio-Hu. To her surprise, she also came to faith in Jesus through being convinced by what she read.
The apostle Paul knew the transforming nature of Scripture. Writing from prison in Rome, he urged Timothy, whom he mentored, to “continue in what you have learned” because “from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures” (2 Timothy 3:14–15). In the original language, the Greek for “continue” has the sense of “abide” in what the Bible reveals. Knowing that Timothy would face opposition and persecution, Paul wanted him to be equipped for the challenges; he believed his protégé would find strength and wisdom in the Bible as he spent time pondering its truth.
God through His Spirit brings Scripture alive to us. As we dwell in it, He changes us to be more like Him. Even as He did with Xio-Hu and Kristin.
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
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How have you been changed through spending time reading and pondering the Bible? When have the Scriptures come alive to you?
Author of all that lives, thank You for inspiring the Bible to be such a life-giving book. May I submit to You as I read the Scriptures.
Learn how to effectively study the Bible.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
When Paul says that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), he’s picking up on the connection to the first two chapters of Genesis. In the first verses of the Bible, God’s Spirit moves over the formless face of the waters (Genesis 1:2) just prior to God speaking the world into existence. The Hebrew word for “spirit” and “breath” are the same (ruakh) and here emphasize that God created the world by His spoken word and through the Spirit.
It’s that life-giving breath that shows up again in God’s creation of humanity (2:7) and that Paul connects to all of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). Scripture gives life and is useful for all things because it’s the very words of God. Paul’s words to Timothy should encourage us to trust both that Scripture is God’s word to us and that it’s just as life-giving now as it was when He spun the earth into existence.
Jed Ostoich |
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TWFYT:
UR: Trust in God:
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. - Psalm 18:6 (NIV)
My life has been a wreck for the past three years. In 2018, my contract came to an end at the power station where I worked, and I was unemployed. In 2019 I started to put my life together by doing ad-hoc training in schools. Soon after, the country was placed under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything came to a standstill. My wife continued with her sewing business making face masks, and she was able to keep the family going. But on December 25, 2020, my wife and friend of 38 years, the breadwinner for our family, passed away. I felt my life was over. The future looked bleak. However, during all this adversity, not a single day went by without food or other daily necessities being provided for me, my two children, and my granddaughter. God carried us through those tough times.
No matter what we are going through, God hears our prayers. When we find ourselves wrecked by life’s troubles, when we feel hopeless and overwhelmed, we may not be able to hear God — but God can hear us. God hears our cries of pain and desperation and offers comfort and encouragement to help us endure.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Heavenly Father, give us strength to endure our pain and sorrow. Give us courage, and reassure us of your constant love and care. Amen.
Wagner's update:
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Greetings Friends,
Sunday, February 4th. What a glorious morning for my (Missy’s) mom to meet Jesus face to face! Remembering each day of the last week, I continue to marvel at all the ways I’ve seen God’s goodness and felt His presence and calming assurance of His deep and unending love.
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| Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. ~Psalm 103:1-2 |
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| We are grateful that our kids were prompted to quickly make travel arrangements and were blessed to spend a few precious hours together with their grandma on Saturday afternoon. Though she remained quiet, we trust that mom heard every sweet memory shared, every word of thanks, every hymn sung, every prayer prayed; and are confident that she felt the tender touch of her three grandchildren and great-grandson. |
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The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
~Lamentations 3:22-23 |
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| As mom’s memory faded significantly over the last year, she never forgot her God and Father. Each time I called or visited in person, mom reminded me of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Hard as it was to sit by her bedside and listen to mom share about her daughter who lives in Africa, one of my dear Kenyan friends continued to gently remind me that at the end the day, all that really matters is that mom continued to know and love Jesus. HE alone is our Living HOPE. |
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Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
~John 11:25-26 |
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| A celebration of mom’s life will be held at St. Matthew’s E.C. Church, Emmaus, on Wednesday, February 21st at 3:00 PM. All are welcome. Additional information can be found here. |
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Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
Mom’s favorite hymn written by Bill & Gloria Gaither |
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Thanks for your prayers!
Brian & Missy |
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