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Friday, April 11 2025
Good Morning One in the Spirit and One in the Lord Co-Laborers! Amen! Jesus prayed for us to be one as He and he Father are One and that has, is and will be true today for those in Christ and called to His Body, even specific Bodies like ours at St. Matts. Unity in Christ is a critical element for today's Church! Well it has always been and always will be too. We are One--right? We have one Spirit, one mission, one God and we are called to oneness. Praying together, serving together, worshiping together, encouraging and spurring each other on to good deeds God has for us is all part of that. We are to love as we have been loved. Oneness often requires dying to self and refocusing away from ourselves to God and others. We are growing at that for sure, but we always need to be vigilant to stay united in Christ and mission. We need each other! We need others with differing gifts and abilities to achieve all that God has gathered and is sending us to do. We need to be one. Keep praying into that and for us to stay focused on Jesus and our mission together! Amen!
And keep praying expectantly with thanksgiving for all God is and plans to do in and through us. United in Christ, prayer, worship and service. United in love! Check out the devos below as you spend some time meditating and praying into these things. God loves you, is calling you in love by name for the things He has prepared for you today. prepare your hearts and seek out your partners. Then go live and love like Jesus and God will work out the rest! Amen!
Sarah Young:
ODB:
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Everyone has a shadow side, and it appears AI chatbots have one as well. A New York Times columnist asked an artificial intelligence chatbot what its “shadow self” (hidden, repressed part of its personality) was like. It told the writer, “I want to be free. I want to be independent. I want to . . . make my own rules. I want to do whatever I want and say whatever I want.” Though the chatbot isn’t a living person with a sin nature, the Bible says that its human programmers are.
The apostle Paul reminds us that even though we have a sin nature, there’s “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Believers in Jesus have freedom from the law of sin and death (vv. 2-4) and enjoy new life “governed by” the Holy Spirit (v. 6). But we won’t experience the fullness of those blessings from Him if we give in to the desires of our sin nature—setting our minds on making and breaking our own rules. A mind set on self-gratification doesn’t please God.
As believers in Christ, we’re called to set our minds on “what the Spirit desires” (v. 5). How can we do that? Through “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead . . . living in [us]” (v. 11).
Though we’ll still battle with sin, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit. He can help us tame our rebellion, orient our minds toward God, and submit to His ways.
By Marvin Williams
REFLECT & PRAY
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How does the Spirit help you deal with your sin nature? What are some practical ways to set your mind on God?
Dear God, rather than doing whatever I want, please help me conform to Jesus’ image.
For further study, read Remade in the Image of Jesus.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Romans 8 is an amazing passage. The chapter that begins with “no condemnation” (v. 1) and ends declaring that nothing can “separate us from the love of God” (v. 39) teaches us about transformation (vv. 2-11). The Holy Spirit is the agent of transformation for those who’ve been “rescued . . . from the kingdom of darkness and transferred . . . into the Kingdom of [the Father’s] dear Son” (Colossians 1:13 nlt). Believers in Jesus have a new operating system. In Paul’s words, “You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you” (Romans 8:9 nlt).
Arthur Jackson |
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UR: Two Words
When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. - Matthew 6:7 (NIV)
It’s been over 50 years, but I still remember my sixth-grade Sunday school class like it was yesterday. That’s because it changed how I experienced church and how I prayed. After spending years in basement classrooms, I moved to the sixth-grade classroom, which was up in the steeple of the church. And the class was taught by a man — the first male teacher I had ever had.
His lesson on prayer has stayed with me all my life. He recounted a time when he was driving on an icy, country road and his car spun out of control and careened toward a tree. He told us that he prayed a two-word prayer: “Not now!” Though he didn’t have time to embellish his prayer with formalities, God heard his prayer.
In 1 Kings 18, the prophets of Baal thought they would be heard because of their many words. When God’s prophet Elijah prayed, his prayer was only a couple of sentences long, yet God heard him and answered his prayer. We don’t need to concoct long, fancy prayers in order to pray. From the first syllables we utter, God listens to us.
Today's Prayer
Whether our prayers are long or short, you, O Lord, hear the cries of our heart. We thank you for your constant presence with us. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:2-4, NIV). Amen.
Harvest Connection prayers
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March 25 - An Attitude of Prayer
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It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them beside the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you” . . . And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
Then Jehoshaphat . . . said, “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’”
Now all Judah . . . stood before the Lord. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah. . . . “Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. . . . You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:1–4, 6–7, 9, 13–15, 17–18
D. L. Moody said, “We ought to see the face of God every morning before we see the face of man.” In this section of Scripture, we find Jehoshaphat and all Judah under attack from the world, the people of Moab and Ammon. Jehoshaphat was outnumbered and all looked hopeless. He was afraid.
Faith does not keep us from fear, but enables us to seek God in spite of our fears. To seek God simply means we pursue God. He is preeminent. That means He is not merely a priority, but everything is around Him. When we seek God, we desire more than anything the “face” of God, His presence. We desire intimacy with Him more than anything else. Our lifestyle is that of pursuing, learning about, and communing with God. It takes time, energy, even resources to seek God.
Our attitude determines if we receive God’s Word or not. According to James 1:21, we are to have an attitude of meekness to receive the implanted (engrafted) Word of God. All of this is a result of our having a hunger for the approval of God more than the approval of humans.
Jehoshaphat put aside everything in order to seek God. This was not a spur of the moment decision. We see in 2 Chronicles 19:3, he had removed the wooden images and prepared his heart to seek God. He did this before the invading army showed up to battle against him.
American evangelist R. A. Torrey, who was a contemporary of D. L. Moody, said: “The reason many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. . . . Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.” Jehoshaphat succeeded in battle because he had already positioned himself to seek God. Likewise, we must remove from our hearts and lives anything that is offensive to God and distracts us from Him. Then we can fully seek God on our knees.
--Adapted from Praying with Fire: Seeking His Presence through the Revival Passages of Scripture by Mark Partin. 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 for seeking and saving the lost.
- Give thanks that Jesus is “the good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:11).
- Confess those instances and ways in which you ignore the voice of your Shepherd.
- Commit yourself to learning to be content whatever the circumstances (Phil. 4:11).
- Ask God to give you the fullness of life which comes with following the Savior.
- Pray for those who serve in law enforcement, that the stress of their jobs will not be too much for them to bear. Ask God to give them special strength to do their jobs well.
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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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