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Saturday, May 18 2024
*** Bread Ministry today 10-12 NO Huddle tonight***
Pray for Sarah for health and legs as her an Neen prepare to head to the woman's retreat at twin Pines shortly. Pray for all the woman to be drawn close to God and dwell in His pursuing love.
Pray for Christ Muik as he needs more foot surgery today. Pray for Surgeon and staff to get everything right and for shalom and provision for he and Yvonne.
Pray for Karen's mom, Kay, for her biopsy Fri and for peace in the waiting and for good results
Pray for me for health and for cardioversion to work on Fri. and for my a fib to stop and me to be able to get off meds. They are really messing with me physically and mentally.
Pray for all of us to see and follow God well and to allow Jesus to be our Lord and Shepherd. Ask for help to purge the bad, good and better things and to focus on God's best for you and others.
Pray for our National Conference next week and for Kathy as she represents us as our Lay Delegate.
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Good Morning Surrendered, Faithful, Praying, Communing, Growing in Relationship, Followers of the Way! Amen! How are those things going with you? Who do you have in your life that has permission to speak truth into you, pray for you, help you? Pray for some close co-laborers to travel this journey to Christ and Christlikeness with. Commit to seeking God's best and helping and encouraging each other to it. Start pronouncing these good things over yourself, your friends and our church.
I really am earnestly praying for and seeking a few men to be prayer partners, encouragers, processors, and accountability partners. I need that. We all do. Men with men and women with women. Iron sharpens iron. Are you sensing God's call to that too? Talk to some close trusted friends. Talk to Sarah or me and let us earnestly seek to do this as it is part of God's best and healthy way for us. Maybe start lite by just getting a few friends together to try some out activity this summer like hanging at Rita's or with neighbors. Keep asking God to grow this. Watch what he's doing and join in.
Check out our devos below beginning with the Upper Room's Faith of a Farmer. Do you have that kind of faith? Who is helping you grow into it? How about The Word for You Today's reminder of the blessing of unanswered prayers? Ask God to grow us in paying attention to His perfect will, not ours, and to have His heart and mind for prayer and ministry daily. Then there's Our Daily Bread's reminder about the lies we believe as Satan sows into our hearts. Man, turn off that noise and tune into God. He's speaking truth in love over you and has great plans for you. Focus! And the Charles Stanley reminds us of the hindrances of self-will. Not my will Father, but Yours! Help me Lord to die to self, take up cross and agape love like Jesus as I follow Him. Amen! Finally spend some time meditating on and praying though the Harvest Prayer stuff. God is speaking to you--right now! Yes you! What's He saying? What will you do about it? Who are your partners on this journey? Keep seeking, knocking, asking, receiving and following well! God is with you always and working all things together (including you and your helpers) for His best. Amen! Go and grow in Christ as you live and love more like Him today! And lift those praises for all He's doing and about to do. PTL! Hallelujah and Amen! Keep sowing and fertilizing in prayer and actions!
UR: Faith of a Farmer
Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the coming of the Lord. Consider the farmer who waits patiently for the coming of rain in the fall and spring, looking forward to the precious fruit of the earth. - James 5:7 (CEB)
A few white clouds drifted in a blue sky over the Smoky Mountains. In the distance I could see a farmer on a tractor, tilling the field for planting. The farmer could not know what the weather would bring or whether the seeds would produce a bountiful crop. Yet, undaunted, the farmer has faith that the seeds will produce an abundant crop and prepares the land.
The words from James quoted above came to mind. As followers of Christ, our witness is like the seeds a farmer plants. We don’t know how well our seeds will grow or whether they will bear fruit. But like a farmer who returns each spring to plant once again, we must have faith that some of our seeds will land on good ground and produce a harvest that will bear much fruit for the kingdom of God.
I pray my faith remains as strong as that of a farmer and that my witness will bring an abundant harvest.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear Lord, guide us through the day so that we hear your word and through our actions become witnesses of your goodness to others. Amen.
TWFYT:
ODB:
Adolf Hitler believed big lies were more powerful than small ones, and, tragically, he tested his theory successfully. Early in his political career, he claimed he was content to support others’ aspirations. When he came to power, he said his party didn’t intend to persecute anyone. Later, he used the media to portray himself as a father figure and moral leader.
Satan uses lies to gain power in our lives. Whenever possible, he provokes fear, anger, and despair because he’s “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan can’t tell the truth because, as Jesus said, he doesn’t have any truth inside of him.
Here are a few of the enemy’s lies. First, our prayers don’t matter. Not true. The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Second, when we’re in trouble, there’s no way out. Wrong again. “All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27), and “he will also provide a way out” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Third, God doesn’t love us. That's false. Nothing can “separate us” from God’s love through Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
God’s truth is more powerful than lies. If we obey Jesus’ teaching in His strength, then we “will know the truth,” reject what’s false, and “the truth will set [us] free” (John 8:31-32).
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
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What are some lies you’re likely to believe? How might God want you to refresh your mind with His truth?
Dear Jesus, You’re the way, the truth, and the life. Please show me lies I’ve believed and help me to cling to the truth I read in the Bible.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In today’s passage, Jesus unequivocally declares that Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan (also known as the devil, the enemy, the thief, the evil one, the tempter) is in direct opposition to Jesus, “the truth” who sets us free (v. 32). Satan has “no truth in him” (v. 44), but Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). In the last hours before His crucifixion, as Jesus stood before Pilate, He stated: “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth” (18:37). Jesus came to earth to declare the truth about Himself, to explain the Father to us, and to expose the truth about ourselves, as He did with the Samaritan woman at the well (ch. 4). While Satan “[came] only to steal and kill and destroy” (10:10) and was “a murderer from the beginning” (8:44), Jesus brings life eternal (3:16).
Alyson Kieda |
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CS: 
Harvest Prayer:
May 15 - Clearing Our Conscience
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In prayer we will not only see how we have sinned against God, but also to see any unforgiveness we are carrying towards others. God wants us to forgive them, just as we have been forgiven to show the world what it means when a believer walks with God. He wants us to represent Him well.
If someone hurt one of your children, you would have a hard time having a casual conversation with them until they have acknowledged and sought forgiveness for what they’d done. When we hurt God’s children, He wants us to acknowledge, confess, and make restitution with those we’ve hurt. His great desire is unity in His family, which is one of the most profound witnesses the church has before a watching world. In fact, Jesus instructs us to stop our worship before Him until we have cleared our conscience.
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. (Matthew 5:23-24)
God deeply transformed my life when I was 17. I was a believer, but had wandered from the Lord for several years. God brought me to the end of myself and I finally surrendered my life completely back to Him. During that season, my father wisely advised me to take a legal pad, ask God to show me any sins I had committed against Him or others, and then write it down. It filled seven pages, front and back! I then went to those I had wronged and sought their forgiveness. I didn’t have to be elaborate. My simple confession to them was this: “I’m trying to get my life right with God. He has shown me that what I did was wrong. Would you forgive me?” There wasn’t a single person who denied that request.
I can remember the last phone call I made to clear my conscience. Finally I knew that there was nothing between me and God or anyone else. The roof was off and the walls were down … and I was free! That was 50 years ago. I still make “sin lists” regularly. Thankfully they’re not as long, but it is in this Spirit-evaluation that God continues to uncover needed areas of growth. And, I will need to do this until I die.
Forgiving Father, help me to quickly recognize and confess my sin before You! Show me how to keep short accounts with You every day of my life! Give me great courage to ask for and extend forgiveness whenever it is needed so that You will hear and answer when I cry out to You!
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise the Lord God Almighty, whose deeds are great and marvelous.
- Thank God for the opportunity to become godly, and that “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).
- Confess your lack of the devotion to God which results in a life pleasing to him.
- Commit yourself to a life of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Col. 3:12).
- Ask that the grace of God will teach you “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live [a] self-controlled, upright and godly [life] in this present age” (Titus 2:12).
- Pray that your church leaders will be uncompromising examples of godliness for your congregation. Ask that they will receive consistent support from the congregation.
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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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