This week:
Today Zoom and in person Huddle 10-11.
Wed. Bread Ministry Donut Day 10-12
EC Day of Fasting and Prayer to become a dynamic movement of God on zoom or in person 12-12:30. We will click this link and join our bishop as he leads our prayer time.
Hello EC Family,
Join us on Wednesday, September 4th for the monthly EC Day of Prayer & Fasting. Bishop Randy will be hosting a live guided prayer experience from 12:00-12:30(Eastern) via Zoom focused on our vision of being a disciple-making movement. Click the button below to join the meeting.
Meeting ID: 821 6318 1677
Passcode: 262172
Wed evening 6-7:30 Dinner Huddle all welcome
Sat 10-1 Clothing Closet
Good Morning Very Loved, Known, Redeemed, Empowered Child of the King of the Universe! Amen! Meditate on the richness of that today! You are eternally loved, known and you matter and have purpose. God hears us, brings shalom ti the chaos and leads us as we humble ourselves and sing His praise! Amen! He informs our prayers and steps as we dwell in his love and wisdom and ask for Him to be our Lord and Shepherd and to teach us to live and love like Him--sacrificially, extraordinarily. Start with our devos below and work your way through the harvest prayer stuff as you spend some amazing time at Jesus' feet this morning and prepare to walk with Him through this day and the chaos around you. he is our Shalom and Good Shepherd! Amen
Walk in Love and be His peace and joy bringers to the confused and lost world today. You are crafted and empowered to go transform the world by His love. Amen!
ODB:
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The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. “I need help,” said the boy. “I have to do take-aways.” The operator proceeded to assist, until he heard a woman enter the room and say, “Johnny, what are you doing?” Johnny explained that he couldn’t do his math homework, so he did exactly what his mother had taught him to do when he needed help. He called 9-1-1. To Johnny, his current need qualified as an emergency. To the compassionate listener, helping the young boy with his homework was top priority in that moment.
When the psalmist David needed help, he said, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4 nlt). He said, “My hope is in” God (v. 7). So, he pleaded for Him to hear and answer his “cry for help” (v. 12). Then, strangely, he asked God to “look away from” him (v. 13). Though David’s needs remain unspoken, throughout Scripture he declared that God would always be with him, hearing and answering his prayers.
Our confidence in God’s constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming there’s no request too big or too small for the unchanging One. He hears us, cares for us, and answers every prayer we utter.
By Xochitl Dixon
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has God demonstrated His love for you by answering prayers you thought would be too small to bring to Him? Which of your needs seems too big or too small?
Loving God, thank You for hearing and answering every prayer I place in Your hands.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
That our life on earth is “fleeting” and “a mere handbreadth” (Psalm 39:4-5) is the consistent reminder of Scripture (see Job 14:1-2; Psalm 144:3-4; James 4:14). In Psalm 90, “Moses, the man of God,” asks God to “teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (v. 12 nlt). David offers the same wisdom: “Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (39:4). The wise know their own end and understand how brief and uncertain life is (vv. 5-6). But their trust and hope is in God (v. 7).
K. T. Sim |
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UR: Maintaining Peace
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. - Romans 12:18 (NRSVUE)
Every Saturday I go out for dinner with my family. One family member always wants Chinese food, but I enjoy trying different cuisines. It is challenging to pick a restaurant we all enjoy. Instead of arguing, I always suggest we eat at restaurants that serve a variety of foods. This way we can enjoy our time together rather than wasting time arguing.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul stated how important it is for us to maintain good relationships with others, however hard it might be. With God’s peace in our hearts, we can find ways to prevent quarrels that only cause enmity. When we open our hearts to the Lord, the Spirit can help us create peace in every disagreement so that small matters don’t develop into big matters.
We will still experience conflict, but God’s wisdom can help us know how to react. With the help of the Spirit, we can find solutions to our troubles so that we can remain at peace in our relationships and enjoy the beauty of God’s love all the time.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, inspire us with your wisdom and peace so that even in difficult moments, we can find serenity and joy in you. Amen.TWFYT:
Harvest
The Practice of Extraordinary Love by Kim Butts: The Practice of Extraordinary Love
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September 3 - Prayer Initiated By the Spirit
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So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him … I speak the things which I have seen with My Father.”
As mentioned before, effective prayer is a loop that begins in heaven, travels through our hearts and minds and returns to heaven. Jesus always did and said what His Father was initiating. The activity did not begin with the man, Jesus, but with the Father to the man and through the man. In this way, Jesus was constantly doing His Father’s will and His prayers were perfectly aligned and stunningly effective.
If you want to be heard, listen first! Find out what the Spirit is saying and then pray in alignment with Him. God always answers prayers that He initiates!
Lord Jesus, may I be a good listener when You speak and an obedient follower when You give instruction to my mind and heart. Thank You that You never leave me alone in the midst of difficult or confusing circumstances. My desire is to do Your will just as Jesus taught through Your word. I never want to act in my own strength, but only to do what is in Your good, pleasing and perfect will.
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- This week, meditate on Psalm 42 each day.
- Today, praise God as the one who quenches your deepest spiritual thirst (42:1-2).
- Thank him for being the living water in your life.
- Confess times in your life when you’ve passed by God’s streams of water and settled for Satan’s stale pond instead.
- Commit yourself to quenching your thirst in the living God alone.
- Ask him to meet with you in prayer today.
- Pray that your own thirst for a closer relationship with God might draw others to him.
- Ask God to get you out of the way so that they might see Jesus clearly and drink deeply of him.
Prayer Pointer
“Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom.” —Charles H. Spurgeon
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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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