It's DONUT DAY at the bread Ministry 10-12!!! Come on out for some fun, fellowship, donuts and coffee! God has plans for you when you show up!
Good Morning Long-Haul Travelers In Christ! There is a season for everything and seasons in our journey towards eternity and increasing Christlikeness. Do you know the season you are in and the plans God has for you in this season? (Check out TWFYT below). Do you ever think about how God has created you for such a time as this? There is always something for you to do no matter the season or circumstance you are going through. God custom made you for this day and the many seasons yet to face. Seek Him and allow Him to use you well and always. The UR reminds us that we are all priests of the Lord. Yes you are and He has ministry for you and everyday to discover and do. We are called to be more than hearers and good fruits awaits our faithful steps of trust and obedience. Amen! Ask God to show you the opportunities and for wisdom and boldness to step into them. Ask him to inform your prayers, open your heart and move your feet. Ask for His help to live and love more like Him just as you are in this season. And yes, we may struggle but ODB reminds us to take EVERYTHING to the Lord in prayer. When we are weak, he is strong. he helps, carries, protects, provides, leads and is with us always. Amen! He has great plans for you just as you are. he knows you and those plans and is calling you by name to come take His hand, put on Jesus' easy yoke and His armor and to walk with Him to His best for you and others . So, rejoice. Worship. trust and obey. And follow Jesus ! Amen! I'm praying for you and can't wait to hear the stories of how God has used you and of all the answered prayers! It's the year of God's favor and a day to rejoice, trust and be Christ as you go. We are in this for the long haul! persevere in faith as you go and know Jesus is with you always! Amen!
TWFYT
The UR: A Surprise Opportunity
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. - 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
The printer got ahead of itself and started to print multiple pages at once — then it jammed. I took it to the technician I usually worked with, and he told me he would have to take it apart.
I went back the following day, hoping the printer was fixed because I needed to print the liturgy for ’s worship service. The technician explained that he had cleared the jam and gotten the printer running again. I was about to pay him when he said: “No need. When one receives a blessing, one should give a blessing. I read some of what you wrote as I extracted pages from the printer. I came to know about God as an adult, which was a great blessing for me; it changed my life. As I read some of your writings, I felt God was continuing to bless me.”
I was moved by this surprise from God. The technician and I had never spoken about our faith. But this encounter gave us the opportunity to speak about God and faith, give thanks for the presence of God, and recognize each other as kindred spirits. We had the assurance of knowing we are children of God.
's Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for opportunities to meet other people of faith and share in the joy of following Christ. Amen.
Anita Bailey’s heart was warmed when she got this social media message about her son Jalen: “I was a greeter at [church] and a young man with a child in his arms came up to me and put his arms around me. . . . I stared for a second, then I recognized him and said, ‘Jalen!' We embraced and chatted briefly. What a fine young man!” The greeter knew Jalen in his rebellious days when Anita and her husband, Ed, had felt powerless to save their son from the consequences of his unwise choices, which had resulted in twelve years in prison for him.
Though the Baileys felt powerless, they were not prayerless. And neither was King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. When harassed by a menacing coalition of enemy forces, he called a prayer meeting (vv. 1-4). “Our God, will you not judge them?” he prayed. “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (v. 12).
Have you ever felt powerless or clueless in the face of circumstances that were out of your control? Why not call a prayer meeting—either alone or with others? That’s what Jesus did in the face of His coming crucifixion (Luke 22:39-44). Prayer space is the sacred place where the petitions of powerless people are offered to our almighty God in the name of Jesus.
By Arthur Jackson
REFLECT & PRAY
What’s keeping you from bringing your challenges to God in prayer? How can you partner with others in prayer for mutual support?
Almighty God of resurrection power, please help me in my powerlessness as I fix my eyes on Jesus.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The temple in Jerusalem is where the Israelites sought God in prayer during national crises (2 Chronicles 6:18-40). When Israel was threatened by a large enemy military coalition, Jehoshaphat assembled the nation at the temple and prayed for God’s help (20:1-12; see 6:34-35). Responding to the people’s faith, God assured them of victory: “Do not be afraid or discouraged . . . . For the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you” (20:15, 17). Prayer is where powerless people offer petitions to an almighty God.
K.T. Sim
Connection Prayer blogs
- Prayer Born of Love
God is willing and able to use us to touch the lives of others in gracious and loving ways. Intercessory prayer will “put us in their shoes.” We will be drawn into their sorrows, and needs. We may not have the resources to bring healing, blessing, joy, and peace to them, but we know the One who does. He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Through intercession we will release God’s power and grace into other’s lives. We will touch their lives in a way that non-intercessors cannot.
As we pray prayers propelled by love, we are one with Christ in His ongoing ministry of intercession. We are members of His body, and as such we share with Him in this ongoing work. Our prayers of intercession are an extension of His ongoing love-driven ministry of intercession.
When we truly love others we are committed to their ultimate good. Love means that we want them to be blessed “with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We want them to have “everything [they] need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). We want them to enjoy the fruit of the Spirit and to be effective and fruitful. And knowing that God in His goodness is willing and able to grant such blessings, we willingly extend ourselves in prayer for those we love. That is intercession at its best. That is prayer born of love.
Loving Father, You have given me an incredible gift to unwrap in Your Presence! I have the ability, the privilege and the great responsibility to pray Your desires, hopes and dreams into the lives of others. As I grasp the reality of living continually in Your throne room, may the eyes of my heart be drawn to the people and situations around me that need Your touch. Help me to have great love for every man, woman and child living upon this earth , and for those yet to come!
Praise God as your mighty, protective, and loving Father.
Thank him for adopting you as his own son or daughter and for making you heir to all the promises given in Scripture (Gal. 3:26-29).
Confess those times you have forgotten who you are—a child of the Most High God.
Commit yourself to remembering each day that you have been born into God’s family and have “clothed yourself with Christ” (3:27).
Ask God to help you understand and appreciate your complete inheritance in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:18).
Pray that the fathers you know will be able to reflect the Father’s love, compassion, and wisdom to their children, so that the entire family will grow to trust and love God.
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayerleader.com. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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