Sarah Update below...keep praising and praying! God hears and is with us--always!!!
Good Morning Persevering in Faith Co-Laborers! we will begin our journey through the book of James. (read chapter 1 for ). Chapter 1 is about our confident stand as Christians--persevering in faith. I see that all around us at St. Matts. Keep at it friends! God is with you and He has joined us with others to walk with. He has good plans for you and us. Plans to prosper and not harm. He walks through the darkest valleys with us and leads us to the refreshing still waters and lush green pastures as we persevere in faith and trust. And we have each other to lean on as well. Knowing these things leads to the ability to choose joy no matter what's going on around us. So, how's that choosing joy going for you ? Dwell in God's love and ask for the faith to endure and for some friends to walk with and pray for too. You are very loved. You are God's masterpiece created for special purposes only you can do. God will sometimes lead us through some things to get us where we need to be or to invite some others into. Trust Him and ask for help to choose joy . He is for you, not against you! Amen!
I thought God was leading one way then another as I engaged Him through my quiet time and with our devos. Then as I stepped back, I saw a thread through all the devos and blogs below--even my Scripture calendar. That quotes Philemon 1:6, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." How do we come to understand all the great things we have as a result of inviting Christ to be our Lord and Shepherd? By being active in Him, doing what you are created and gifted to do and by sharing your faith. Meditate on this passage and ask God to reveal Himself so you can join Him and so you can experience all He has blessed you with! Don't forget to praise too!
Next I engaged with my I to We devo. I love this and would love to use this with some of you to learn and grow as teammates! They discuss living our lives together as priests of the Lord. What does it mean to you that we are all priests unto the Lord called to offer spiritual sacrifices that please God? (1Peter 2:5) They end with this thought and prayer: "...the Lord asks us everyday: to lay our lives down and to do it TOGETHER." Pray "Ask God to help you depend on brothers and sisters...and ask Him to convict you to ask for help when you are struggling..." That got me thinking about how you and our church leadership have come along side me to help me move through this heart stuff well, to heal and to set good boundaries of only doing what God has for me. Thank you! Who do you need to walk with, share with, pray with, be accountable with and go with? God wants us to be His co-laboring priests sharing our faith and spurring each other on. The rest of our devos for follow the I to We one below as they move through the process of helping each other through stuff. We need each other and need to be there for each other too. We are God's vessels of love, healing and hope and sometimes correction. Please pray to find a few partners and to be open for honest sharing and to seek help when needed.
I looked at my prayer journal from last year with and entry that read: "I feel God calling me to plant a church or house church. I began earnestly pursuing that." And here we are one year later. I have been pursuing this and studied, was mentored, prayed with some and now I begin a study with Adam Roberts about how we can come alongside him as he and Michelle have started a house church here in Emmaus. Pray for God to guide us, use them and grow His Kingdom through us. Pray we hear God and only do what we see Him doing. May His Kingdom come and will be done in, through and around me, you and all of us together! Amen! He really does have great plans and He is helping us to do what we can with what we've been given for such a time as this. And it shows! PTL! And keep at it! I'm praying for you and for us, priests unto the Lord united in Christ for His perfect plans. Amen!
I to We
TWFYT
Connection blog
- Becoming a Servant of God
To declare “yours is the power” is to announce in an act of personal alignment with God’s movement: “ours is the submission!”
Henry Blackaby and Claude King have made this teaching more clear in our day by indicating that instead of running programs based on our desire to “help God’s work get done” we are far more likely to succeed if we simply “find out where God is working and join Him there.”
Do you want to be a servant of God? Find out where the Master is, then that is where you need to be. Find out what the Master is doing, then that is what you need to be doing. . . . Blackaby says, “When I am in the middle of the activity of God and God opens my eyes to let me see where He is working, I always assume that God wants me to join Him.”
Are you able to prayerfully submit to the plans and purposes of God rather than insisting on your own?
Merciful Father, I’m tired of striving to do things for You instead of doing them “with” You. I’m sure I have followed many rabbit trails in my quest to serve Your kingdom when I should have been watching faithfully to see Your work all around me. Help me to humble myself and look for Your activity instead of seeking to go my own way. Please give me the heart of a servant.
--Adapted from Power Praying by David Chotka.
ODB
Sustained by God
[The Lord] will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22
My family and I brought my dad home from the hospital. He had a degenerative disease, and we were now adjusting to the new twenty-four-hour medical routines of his suddenly becoming bedridden and requiring a feeding tube. I was also planning for my mom’s gastric procedure and dealing with demanding clients at work. Feeling overwhelmed, I sought privacy in the bathroom one day and cried out to God: Help me, Father. Please give me strength to get through the days ahead.
David also felt overwhelmed by troubles (Psalm 55:2-5). Attacked by his son Absalom, betrayed by his close friend, and helpless over the ensuing violence in Jerusalem, David said, “Fear and trembling have beset me” (v. 5).
But David chose to trust God (v. 23). He believed “[God] will never let the righteous be shaken” (v. 22). Years of trusting the Almighty had taught David that although troubles may unsteady us, those who place their faith in God will never be irrevocably lost and hopeless. “They will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (37:24 nlt). David knew God would support him with His strength and wisdom: “I call to God, and the Lord saves me” (55:16).
Fourteen years later, we continue to care for my dad at home. The years have taught me that when we cast our cares on Him, He sustains us (v. 22). God bears our burdens, and He bears us up too.
By Karen Huang
REFLECT & PRAY
How does God remind you He won’t let you be shaken? How can you entrust your troubles to Him?
Dear God, thank You for helping me walk through the days ahead.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The Bible repeatedly assures us of God’s care. In Psalm 55, David urges, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” (v. 22). Later, the prophet Nahum writes, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (Nahum 1:7). Centuries later, Peter pens similar words: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). How do we know God cares for us? The Bible tells us He’s a “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 86:15). He loved us so much that Christ died for us—providing help and care for us now and the hope of eternity with Him (John 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:10).
Alyson Kieda
UR: Get Up Again
Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. - Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
I had undergone major surgery and was hospitalized for three weeks when we suddenly lost our source of income. We were forced to sell our house in order to avoid being crushed by the mortgage. An inner voice nagged me: You are not a good enough Christian; God would have prevented this. You should have prayed with more faith. This is the end. All I could say in prayer was, “Help!”
I then remembered ’s verse from Proverbs and found solace. Knowing that even godly people can fall took away my sense of guilt. It also gave me hope that I would get up again — no matter how severe my circumstances were.
Proverbs 24:16 rang true when I reflected on the many hardships my husband and I had already overcome. God lifted us each time. This encouraged me to get up and get on with life, knowing we would overcome this new setback as well.
God didn’t promise a smooth life without obstacles, setbacks, or challenges. Yet, as God’s children, we have a privileged position: God is by our side throughout the journey — no matter what. We must not let obstacles define us or keep us down. With God on our side, we will get up again.
's Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to see your faithfulness in every situation. Thank you for helping us get up when we fall. Amen.
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Sarah update:
Good evening, Warriors
Here is the praises and prayer needs from 's worship.
Zoom Huddle - at 10:00am via zoom. Join us if you can!
Praises:
Mike Lacise is praising God for helping him through the past couple of years at his work, as he had to manage
two buildings, that were miles apart. He is now going to be managing one building which is only 10 minutes from
his home!! Yay God!
Josie is thankful that her dog is doing good again. the dog didn't feel well, but the Lord healed!
Darlene Geiger is thankful for family - they celebrated her 90 year old cousin's birthday. And many family members were all together
celebrating!
Enol and Braiden Paul made it home safely to the Philippians. Braiden is prepping to begin school there and Richard is getting ready to start college here,
in the states at Lehigh university.
Prayer needs:
Tim Roland has asked for prayer for his brother, Tom. he will be having surgery on , to remove a tumor from his kidney. Please pray that they are
able to remove it without having to remove part of or all of the kidney. (His other kidney doesn't have full function) Pray also that the tumor is not cancerous.
Marylou Snyder- her sister Joanne will be having an outpatient procedure on . Pray that all goes well, and for the nedical team.
Tim Derr's daughter and granddaughter will be flying back to Florida on . Please pray for safe travel for them.
Neen's friend, Beth will be having surgery on the 31st, for breast cancer. Pray that they will be able to remove all the cancer. May God's
peace surround her and her family
Millidine Waterman is having knee trouble. Pray for healing of arthritis and safety getting around.
Lori Rohrer - upcoming back surgery, hopefully , barring no issues with insurance. Pray that all goes well and for the medical team.
Prayers also for Karen Kerns as she will be having stent surgery . Prayers that all goes well, no insurance issues and may His
peace surrounds her and Don
**
Thank you everyone for helping out with the brunch. Great time of eating and Fellowship
Next brunch will be on ,
Hope you all have a great week! Stay cool and remember to check on one another!!
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