Good Morning Praying Servants of the Lord! Amen! Several things are rattling around in my head as God has led me on a couple different tracts . So I will try to briefly discuss and share them all. He has a lot to say to us and wants to encourage us and inform our prayers. Thanks Lord! Come! Speak, inform and lead us . You are our good Shepherd and have great plans for us to discover and step into. And You are always with us! Thanks! Amen
First of all we had a great couple of gatherings with Bread and our evening dinner huddle. At both activities we took time to pray for our nation as called to pray by Franklin Graham. Please continue to pray for our nation for unity, love and civility to rise up. Pray for revival. Repent for the sins of the nation and ask God to come drive back the darkness. We learned that one of our members brother is an ICE agent. Because of the attacks on them and how they are spreading to extended family, he advised all of them to get off of social media and delete Facebook and other presences. Please pray a covering over all our military, ICE agents, and first responders and their families. Pray for protection, help, wisdom and provision. Pray for these nasty, evil attacks on them to stop and for civility to rise up. Pray the funding for paying protestors and attackers would dry up and they would be saved, even. Pray for God's Kingdom to come, will to be done, reviavl to come and love to overflow to all. God is wih us always and for us. May we stand firm in Him and for His good ways and do our parts. Check out Our Daily Bread Below, speaking about supernatural protection and visitations. Pray for His angels to come and protect and guide. Pray for many to experience the supernatural love of God! Pray for us to expect it. Ask God to send His armies to protect our ICE agents, military, and first responders and us. Amen!
Been praying for God to lead you all to something to work on this year to grow in your journey to Christlikeness. Someone reached out to me as I was preparing to write this about what they might work on. That's the first that I heard from anyone that is wanting to do this. God loves us as we are but still wants to mold, change and grow us more into His image. That takes us doing our part of cooperating with His Spirit and actually working on some things with His help. How does He want to grow you? Ask and then share with us what you are hearing so we can pray and encourage you. Also pray for some teammates and accountability partners to journey with and reach out and unite. Invite--Unite--Take Flight! someone told me they forgot the words they were working on. As a reminder here are some of those from '23 that I am still praying for. God lead me to 1 Peter 1:13 (Prepare your minds for action and exercise self control ( we will study 1 Peter 1:13-2:10 if you want to read and meditate on. Maybe there is a word there for you?)) as my verse to work on this year and Gal. 2:20 (Be crucified with Christ--I no longer live but Christ lives in me--please Lord!)
Words from '23: Faith, Stewardship, Understanding, Hope, Time, Valued, Boldness, Change, Patience, Relationships, Energy, Pause, Useful, Shalom, Agape, Discipleship. I'm sure there were more. I have seen growth from the people who chose and worked on these words. What does God have for you this year and what will you do about it. Who are your teammates too?
One last thing was to thank you, God's servants and for how you are allowing Him to use you and love hrough you! We are a serving and very loving church, by the grace of God, and His hope, help and love are spreading from us! (Over 70 served ) PTL! Check out the Upper Room and The Word for You about this and talk to God and pray with your teammates about this and use the Prayer Starters at the end. I'm praying for you and God has great plans for you and us. Let us seek first His Kingdom, not lean on our own understanding, allow Him to use us as we are and to mold us to our fuller potential and let us live our lives as an act of worship--a sweet aroma to God. Amen!
ODB:
Kindness Unseen
Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. 2 Kings 6:16
The face was there all along, but no one knew. When Sir Joshua Reynolds painted The Death of Cardinal Beaufort in 1789, he put a demon’s face in the darkness behind the dying man. Reynolds was accurately depicting a scene from a Shakespearean play that mentions the presence of a “busy, meddling fiend,” but some didn’t like his literalism. After Reynolds’ death in 1792, the face was painted over and forgotten. Art conservation work recently revealed it under layers of paint and varnish.
The Bible tells of a spiritual reality around us that the eye can’t see, where God reigns supreme. When Elisha was surrounded by a “strong force” of enemy soldiers and chariots, his servant was frightened and asked, “What shall we do?” Elisha told him that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” and “prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ ” Suddenly the servant “saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:14-17).
The horses and chariots of fire indicate angelic beings there for Elisha’s protection. This is one of many places where Scripture underscores the comforting truth that in a world where danger lurks and spiritual warfare rages, God still watches over us. No matter what we face, how good it is to know that nothing “will be able to separate us” from His love (Romans 8:39).
By James Banks
REFLECT & PRAY
In what ways does God take care of you? How will you thank Him?
Dear Father, nothing can separate me from Your love for me in Jesus, and I praise You for it!
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In addition to the angels described in 2 Kings 6:9-17, other Scriptures speak of the protection and ministry of angels. Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth man who looked “like a son of the gods” in the blazing furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:25). After successfully overcoming Satan’s temptations, angels came and “took care of” Jesus (Matthew 4:11 nlt). As Christ agonized over His impending crucifixion, “an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (Luke 22:43). Jesus reminds us of God’s providential protection and care when He says that He could’ve called on “more than twelve legions of angels” to come to His rescue (Matthew 26:53). Angels are God’s “servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 nlt ). No matter what we encounter in life, we can be assured that God is watching over us. Nothing can separate us from His love.
K.T. Sim
UR: The Table Is Set
The King will say to those on his right, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” - Matthew 25:35 (NIV)
I remember one time when I was at my great-grandmother’s house for supper. She stood next to her old table, which consumed the kitchen and was filled with favorite foods and plates for everyone. “Supper is ready; come to the table,” she exclaimed in a tone of readiness and love.
The old floors creaked as everyone hurried to find their seat. As we all laughed, talked, and enjoyed the food, a small child asked, “Grandma, who is this empty chair and plate for? Did you put too many plates out?” My great-grandmother smiled and answered, “That empty chair and plate are there in case someone stops by and is hungry. We should always be prepared to welcome and feed those in need.”
Just as Matthew 25:35 encourages us to do, my great-grandmother was ready to feed a hungry traveler, neighbor, or friend.
Jesus also wants us to come to the table and be filled. God’s table always has an open spot, and any who accept God’s invitation will be filled with God’s love, mercy, and grace. Come to the table and be filled.
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's Prayer
Dear Jesus, help us to remember and care for those who need to be fed, loved, and encouraged. Thank you for setting a place at your table for each of us. Amen.
TWFYT:
Prayer Starters
Prayer Points
Praise God as your rock, your fortress, your deliverer, the one in whom you take refuge.
Thank God that he hears and answers prayer and showers you with unfailing kindness.
Confess any unfaithfulness, impurity, or deceit.
Commit yourself to courageously challenging the Lord’s enemies as you are armed by his strength.
Ask him to reach down and take hold of you, to arm you with strength, and to rescue you from evil powers.
Pray that God will lay a burden on your heart for one or more unsaved persons he wants you to reach out to. He does not want anyone to perish (2 Pet. 3:9).
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