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!
TWFYT:
ODB:
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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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CS:
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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