Don't forget spring ahead Sat night! Get to bed early so you're ready to worship! This Sunday the kids finish up the Armor of God lessons and next week, the 16th, they will model and explain the armor to us.
Beginning Tues we will study and learn how God wants us to use our spiritual gifts. I will be sending private invitations to those who have emailed me their results from the spiritual gifts survey. We will try Tues with dinner at 6 in the Fellowship Hall (at least for the first week) and possibly in person and zoom Wed at noon. If you want to participate, tomorrow is absolutely the last day to send me your results. Thank you! God has gifted us for His purposes! Can't wait to explore and step into our gifts and His purposes together!
***Even if not participating, please pray for those who are to grow into their gifts and to discover how to apply them to God's plans and purposes to grow His Church. Thanks!
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Good Morning Gifted, Empowered Followers of God and His Ways! Amen! We are gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus as we learn to live and love more like Him! Let's keep praying into that, focusing on that and learning together how God has created, gifted and wants to use us!
Some concern was expressed to me yesterday because I didn't do a blog. Remember there may not be a daily blog. I'm not pushing and stressing over producing them daily. When God allows time or gives me a word to share, you will have a blog in your in box. Yesterday was a sleep in, then 6am zoom huddle, then off to church to shop, cook and prepare for Wed. evening huddle and so no time or solid word from God to do a blog. This highlights the importance of seeking, listening, receiving and following God to His best and perfect plans for you daily! WWJD should be replaced with WIJD (What IS Jesus Doing) and what's my part today. He has great plans for you and is with you to help you discover and step into them daily and with some friends. PTL!
You know God does have plans and partners for each of us! Our faith is built on a relationship with Jesus, not religious activities. He sent His disciples out in teams. He has gathered and gifted us to build His Church, spur each other on to good works He has for us, and to co-labor as we do. Who are your partners? Pray into that! Reach out to the ones God is highlighting to you. Maybe it's a prayer partner or two. Maybe it's someone to serve others together with. Maybe it's some people to gather and study God's Word. Maybe it's as simple as going for a meal or shopping together while looking for what God's doing with willing hearts to join Him. Maybe it's prayer walking a neighborhood. God has all kinds of opportunities for you and us to go live and love like Jesus together! PTL! Seek and follow well today! Check out the Harvest blogs below about relationships. What's God saying to you? Then check out my devos I am sharing below that. God is always with us and working all things together for good and He expects us to earnestly seek and follow Him daily and to persevere in faith through the hardest times. He is always good! He is always our Lord and Savior.! PTL! Seek and follow Him and with some friends!
The Lord is my/our Shepherd. We have all we need! He is leading us to green and budding pastures and fruit orchards and beside the still, refreshing, calming waters. He is with us in the darkest places, anoints us for healing, guides and comforts us. What a mighty and awesome God we know and love! PTL! Last evening we had a great dinner huddle and discussed who and Whose we are. Our true identity is that we are God's masterpieces and He knows, loves, calls us by name and has redeemed us. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we are made new and we are gifted and empowered to go do all He created us to do. That comes alive with co-laborers that pray, encourage and compliment our giftedness to go connect to new relationships that lead to saving relationships with Jesus. And then helping them to grow as disciples of Jesus. It's Jesus' easy yoke, custom fitted to you and with some partners. May we be all about that! God has some great things for you and us to discover and step into! Let's roll baby! Amen!
Harvest:
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March 6 - Developing a Relationship
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“The Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” —Genesis 4:9-10
Yes, you are your brother’s keeper. The essence of being a Christian is a relationship—a personal, one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. And Jesus calls us to “love one another”—even our enemies (John 13:34; Matthew 5:44-45). So being a Christian also involves relationships with all other human beings—for all are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27).
Relationship takes time. They take energy; they take commitment; they involve risk. Relationships can bring incredible blessings; they can also bring excruciating pain. God has experienced all of these in his relationship with each one of us.
The same can happen to you as you take the step of sharing the gospel—the good news of Jesus—with your neighbors. I’m not going to sugarcoat this one. If you want to involve yourself in one of the greatest experiences of the Christian life—realizing that the Spirit of Christ has used you in some significant way to make an impact on one of your neighbors for the Lord for eternity—it will cost you.
All relationships involve a healthy investment. As you begin to make such an investment, it’s critical that you place yourself in the hands of the God who promises to walk alongside you. Place yourself in the hands of the one who has already made the ultimate investment in your life and in the life of your neighbor.
It’s important to know that your neighbor is a person of inestimable value. Your neighbor matters to God. Your neighbor is precious to Christ, who was willing to sacrifice his own life for him or her. If that’s how valuable your neighbor is to God, if he or she matters that much to God, then you and I need to make the commitment to treat that neighbor with love and sensitivity. If God loves your neighbor that much, then the time, the energy, the joy, and even the possible pain or discomfort of developing a relationship with that neighbor is a small price for you to pay.
Think about being a channel of God’s love to your neighbor. Think about being an instrument God can use to reveal himself to your neighbor. Ask God today to help you pray for, care for, and share with your neighbor, entering into relationship for Jesus’ sake. God wants to do amazing things through you. Are you ready?
Prayer Starters for Praying Genesis 4:9-10
• Praise God for loving you as a person of inestimable value.
• Thank him for the people in your life who have considered you their brother or sister in the Lord.
• Confess to God any ways in which you have ignored the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people whom he considers to be your brothers and sisters. Ask God to forgive you for these shortcomings.
• Ask God to bring to your mind the name of anyone in your relational circle (family, neighborhood, classmates, co-workers) whom he desires to adopt into his family, as your spiritual brother or sister. When God brings names to your mind, write them down and begin praying for them.
• Ask God to help you view each of your neighbors as a person of inestimable value.
--Adapted from Be Jesus in Your Neighborhood (Developing a Prayer, Care, Share Lifestyle in 30 Days) 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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- Praise God, who is majestic in holiness (Ex. 15:11).
- Give thanks for the privilege of sharing in his holiness (Heb. 12:10).
- Confess any impure thoughts or actions that remained unconfessed.
- Commit yourself anew to living the holy life that God has called you to live (1 Thess. 4:7).
- Ask God to impress upon you the vision of Isaiah: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3).
- Pray that your loved ones will be drawn closer to God as they see your example of holy living.
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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) © 2025 is a free devotional published daily by OneCry Prayer. Find more resources at www.onecry.com |
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Sarah Young
Growing Deeper Together (I to We)
TWFYT
