Good Morning Powerfully Praying, Standing or the Word, Springs of Living Water of Yahweh Jireh! This salutation comes right from our threaded together devotionals from this morning (below). These thread through things we have been studying for awhile as well as our discussions at huddle last evening as God quilts us and our ministries into His masterpiece and we work on becoming, living and loving more like Jesus. Do you see it? What's God saying to you? Who are you processing with? What plans of God will you release in prayer as you stand on God's Word, refresh others and bring new life, hope, help and love that come from an overflowing relationship with our God who is enough--our Provider? Be still a bit and know. Listen, receive, process, release and enact His plans!
What's the threads? May be different for you. Process that with some others. This is what God revealed to me this morning:
The prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. Because of our faith in Christ we are considered righteous in God's eyes. PTL! So, our prayers are powerful and effective. They release God's power and will on heaven and earth. And they change us too. Nothing like time sitting at God's feet listening and praying to transform us and for releasing His will and power. Even when it feels like He is not answering, we need to remember He always does. Sometimes He says "yes", 'no', or "not yet". We are commanded to pray continually. Why? because God is always at work, wants to use us and the situations around us, and even change us or redirect us through our prayers and what He is doing. Prayer and time in God's Word, even praying Scripture, helps us to stand firm, defeat the enemy, be filled with wisdom and to direct our steps. Check out TWFYT and all the promises from Scripture to pray through and meditate upon. We are (or can be) powerfully praying, standing on God's Words servants of Yahweh. PTL!
As we are transformed and build on prayer and Bible study, the thoughts of Our Daily Bread and Charles Stanley devos and even our huddles the past few days thread from that to our hearts. Do you see it? What's God saying to you? I would suggest that you open your Bibles and meditate on the Isaiah 58:6-12 passage of ODB. Sounds like it's describing the things we are already doing and speaks into what lies ahead for us this summer. How cool is our God! As we pray, stand on His Word and sit at His feet, He leads us to our mission and His provision for us! PTL! We are sinking our roots deep into God and His Word, receiving nourishing provision and sent to bless others with what we've been given and blessed with. (read that again and pronounce it out loud) We are sent to rebuild society that has no idea who God is and what His love is like. They see it come alive through us as we serve, just as we are, where we are placed, with what we've been blessed with. We are doing some of this and there is more to come as we continue to work at becoming more like Jesus and doing more of what He created us to do and what He has for us. AMEN! God is calling us out of the building this summer to go to the places where He has placed us or is leading us to do what we can with what He's given to connect to others, bless them and show them and lead them to God's love. Pray hard into this and for wisdom for our Vision Team and Wed night Huddle and Family Ministries to multiply God's Kingdom right where we do life daily this summer. Do you live in or have a connection to Sr. Housing? Maybe He wants to start a Bible study or some way to serve your neighbors? Maybe it's some men's or woman's ministries? Do you go out to eat with some friends? Maybe He wants to connect you to the staff or customers? Maybe you play a sport and God has a way for you to serve and connect to your team? Maybe He wants you to host a picnic in your yard to connect to neighbors? The possibilities are limitless and will be connected to things you already do with some of the people you already do life with or who God is leading you to serve and serve with. It will be several small groups connecting to each other, others and God as we step out of the building and be Christ where God has placed you. It will be multiplying disciples. Beginning around Memorial Day, we will be stepping out of the building. Where is God leading you and with who? Pray into this and listen and process with others. We are God's well-watered gardens sent to refresh others--to seek and save the lost. Amen!
Now before you get all panicky, remember God is our strength and peace and is with us helping us to obey His command to be bold and courageous. Pray into that too! Charles Stanley reminds us that God is enough! Do you believe that? We all know it's true, but have we internalized it and are we standing on that Rock? He reminds us of how God helps us and what part of our mission is: "His goals [for you] are to love, lead you to a life that is fruitful and fulfilling, influence others around you, and to prepare you for eternity [where you will continue with what you are doing now]." There are four points to pray into as we prepare for our summer out being Christ's Body, as we move from isolation to distribution and from adding to multiplying disciples. Think about divide and conquer and the theorem of multiplication. God is enough and so are we with Him in us. When we are weak, we are strong because He is in us and with us. Amen!
He has great plans custom made for you to discover and do this summer! PTL! What might they be and where is He sending you? What does He want to do right where He has placed you? Pray into this and process with some friends and begin making His plans with joy and much thanksgiving! This is the next step in becoming a dynamic movement of God and will be part of God's provision to fund His plans through our Body for years to come! PTL! What's He saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it? With who? How has God threaded all of this through you today? Share that with us. Follow Jesus and know Him and His peace and make Him known! Amen! What joy and great stories of God's faithfulness await us this summer! I can't wait!!!
Upper Room: The Power of Prayer
Pray continually. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)
There was a period of three years in my life when I faced the loss of my mother-in-law to cancer, the death of a dear aunt, and the reality that I would never give birth to a child. One Sunday morning while listening to prayer requests in church, I heard someone say, “Our prayers are working.” It angered me to hear those words. My prayers had not been answered. Were my prayers even heard? Why would the prayers of other believers be answered but not mine?
It took some time, but I came to realize that though my prayers did not reverse the outcomes of those situations in my life, my prayers did change me.
Prayer helped me deal with the passing of loved ones and encouraged me to love those who are here with me better. Prayer gave me the ability to open my heart and mind to the possibility of adoption; my husband and I now share our life and home with a beautiful son. God did hear my prayers.
The answers to our prayers may not be what we have hoped, but there will be answers. Do not give up on prayer; it is working.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, help us to believe that you hear us when we pray and to trust that you will answer. Amen.
The Word for You Today:
Our Daily Bread:
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Ole Kassow of Copenhagen loved bicycling. One morning, when he saw an elderly man sitting alone with his walker in a park, Ole felt inspired by a simple idea: why not offer elderly people the joy and freedom of a bike ride. So, one sunny day he stopped at a nursing home with a rented trishaw (a three-wheeled bike) and offered a ride to anyone there. He was delighted when a staff member and an elderly resident became the first riders of Cycling Without Age.
Now, more than twenty years later, Ole’s dream to help those who miss cycling has blessed some 575,000 elderly people with 2.5 million rides. Where? To see a friend, enjoy an ice cream cone, and “feel the wind in their hair.” Participants say they sleep better, eat better, and feel less lonely.
Such a gift brings to life God’s beautiful words to His people in Isaiah 58:10–11. “Help those in trouble,” He told them. “Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” God promised, “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring” (nlt).
God told His people, “Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities” (v. 12 nlt). What might He do through us? As He helps us, may we always be ready to help others.
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
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In your town or city, who needs help? What simple assistance can you offer them today?
Dear God, please show me a simple way to help others so they can find life in You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
One of the more common accusations from the prophets to the people of Israel and Judah was that their religion was merely about performance. They were going through the motions of devotion to God without demonstrating it by their actions. Isaiah confronts the people for their display of piety without showing concern for their fellow Israelites. They were fasting, covering themselves in sackcloth and ashes, and bowing their heads in a show of humility (Isaiah 58:1-5). Yet God calls for a fast that frees the oppressed and cares for the needy, not a false show of piety. Jesus also warns about a false show of piety when He speaks of fasting (Matthew 6:16-18).
J.R. Hudberg |
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Charles Stanley:
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