Prayers

Prayer Request:

Please lift up the employees of Ryder. They are going to lay off 499 workers nationwide within the next couple of weeks. That mean 499 more jobless people flooding the streets.

 

Gators, you are always so right on with your instructions about our life as new creations in Christ.  Thanks you!  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it [your faith] is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."  Esphesians 2:8-9


Even our faith is given to us.  We do nothing to earn faith, grace, or salvation or forgiveness; God calls us in His time and freely gives this to us!



geneh, I certainly will keep the workers at Ryder in my prayers.  My brother just used up the last of his unemployment and there are no jobs up here where we live (rural tourist area, seasonal, few businesses, mostly construction).


Father, we lift to You those employees at Ryder and at all companies who are looking at the loss of employment.  We ask Your mercy and grace for those who have already lost jobs and are searching for work.  Open the windows of opportunity for people to find ways to become gainfully employed again.  Give each one the strength and faith to last through the time of searching for new jobs.  Let each one find out that Your promise to take care of them, even during times of loss in this world, will be kept as all Your promises are kept.  We pray for mercy upon our country that we would repent and return to Your ways and find the restoration of our jobs, our economy, our lifestyles, our churches, our healthcare--that all will be restored as we turn back to our walk with You.  Give us strength for any hardship we encounter and endurance to continue our obedience to You until the hardship is resolved.  Be merciful, O loving God, and show us how to receive those things we need which You provide, even if we lose some of what we want.  Speak Your peace upon all those in struggles and lead each one to the new place You have for them.  We ask that You help businesses to prevent layoffs where possible and that You open new doors when the loss of a job cannot be avoided.  We trust in Your mercy and grace.  We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen         

Thank you, keepitreal. It means a lot me and Him.

Never a problem, geneh, that's what we are here for--so many in need and so many who have passed on and so many who have experienced His mercy!  No matter what it is, TAKE IT TO THE LORD!


Be God's!
Sis  

Greg,

I wish I could be in a Sunday School class you taught man you are all over the word and it is flowing through your post!  Just awesome my friend keep it up I love reading them!

Praying for all and lifting up the request on the thread.

Have a fantastic weedend everyone!

Yours in Christ,

WT

Please lift up the employees of Ryder. They are going to lay off 499 workers nationwide within the next couple of weeks. That mean 499 more jobless people flooding the streets.

Very sad! I will pray over them, geneh.

---

Gary,

Bless you for reaching out to the prisons. The Lord goes with you. I will pray, brother.
 

Sis and Greg,

Thank you both for your ongoing wisdom. I have learned so much from you both over the years. I have gathered my commentary and other theological books largely from the advice given by the both of you. :)  

Welcome aboard Padak, folks in your situation is why this thread exists.  Feel free to ask any questions here and someone will answer, either on the thread or with a pm. 

Christianity is a process, no one ever gets it entirely, but progressing in the process is what it is all about.  Unlike other things in life, the process is the goal.

Welcome aboard Padak, folks in your situation is why this thread exists.  Feel free to ask any questions here and someone will answer, either on the thread or with a pm. 

Christianity is a process, no one ever gets it entirely, but progressing in the process is what it is all about.  Unlike other things in life, the process is the goal.

Indeed. Very well said.

The people who are obviously Christians that post on this thread love you and wish to aid you with any problem you may have, no matter what it is, no matter how big or how small it is.

As jjoey said, feel free to PM anybody on this thread.

And welcome to our community of believers!

Praise Report!

The prison ministry went great yesterday morning! We had about 45 young men and the Lord put the revelvance of the Ten Commandments as related to Jusus and our times on my heart. It was awesome and when it came to prayer time we were blessed to get to pray with about half of the room! I got to join two brothers in their prayer for salvation!!!! Even though I woke up with a migrane yesterday morning, God was faithful to get me there and get out what he wanted to get out. Praise God! 

Praying for this thread and all of my awesome brothers and sisters who come here! Blessings to you all!

Gary

 

I got to join two brothers in their prayer for salvation!!!! 

There is no greater praise thank so much for sharing Gary!  My day just got that much better by your post such awesome news and we are so proud of you and your ministry!

Praying for all the request on this thread and wishing everyone a fantastic and blessed week!

Halleluiah !

What a marvelous testimony of Praise Gary – thank you for being a minister of God’s living, enduring Word.

We rejoice in the Lord when the lost come to Him.  All He asks is that we follow Him.

“Surely goodness & mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

I do love this thread ! ! !

Thank you all for your wonderful fellowship & prayers.

It is so awesome to see everyone on the thread! I am so thankful that God allows me to be a part of his witness to others! Amazing Grace indeed!

Gary  

As many of you know, I live in Colorado Springs.  The last few days, we have been experiencing a forest fire west of town in the foothills.  Thank God, there have been no homes destroyed, or lives lost so far.  The firefighters, as always have been outstanding and the Air Force has been sending in the WAFF C130s to help.  The area destroyed is extremely familiar to me, since it includes the rifle and pistol firing range that my oldest son and I spent many hours using. 

Last night, the fire entered an area that is upslope from Glen Eyrie, the international headquarters of the Navigators.  There was a pastors' conference going on and everyone was evacuated, but the canyon is situated behind and heading uphill from that facility.  So far, it has been spared.  Not too far away is a chuckwagon landmark and a water reservoir. 

I would just ask prayer for the safety of the firefighters and the thousands of homes that have been evacuated in those foothills.  God has been good as always, and there are some cool stories coming out. 

Woodmen Valley Chapel- one of the megachurches in town, immediately put up all the pastors at that conference.  They fed them and put them up and loved on them.  A local hotel chain then gave them access to a facility that was complete, but not yet open for their use.  The churches and the local Care and Share have brought out the best in the community as it rises to help those in need.  They almost haven't needed the Red Cross shelters, because local folks have opened their homes to the evacuees.  It's really a blessing to see the testimony of the community and its heart. 

God Bless
Greg

Greg, Lifting up the firefighters and everyone envolved in the terriible fires. Please keep us updated. 

Gary  

In my last few Bible studies, the same theme and verse have been emerging:  ". . . for such a time as this."  I went back
and read Esther's story.

4 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city,
wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to
enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting,
weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
 
4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for
him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs
assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
 
6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that
had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction
of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show
to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with
him for her people.
 
9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s
officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without
being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their
lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
 
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house
you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from
another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position
for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or
drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though
it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king
was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased
with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

Background:  The events of Esther take place in Persia (a few hundred miles east of Israel) where the Israelites had been
taken captive by the Babylonians. After the Jews had been in captivity for about seventy years, the Emperor Cyrus gave an
order allowing them to return to Palestine, and many did so (483-473 BC). Events in Esther’s life took place during this
time, in the period between Ezra chapters 6 and 7. The Persian King Xerxes, who ruled some time after Cyrus, is also
known as Ahasuerus.

Esther’s Life and Times:
Esther was a Jewish girl originally named Hadassah (“the myrtle”) living in Shushan, the capital of Babylon. Her family
did not return to Jerusalem with the other Jews. Because her parents had both died, she lived with her older cousin Mordecai,
who held an office in the household of the Persian Emperor, Ahasuerus. After divorcing his chief wife Vashti, Ahasuerus held
a beauty pageant of sorts to find a new wife. Esther entered this competition and was chosen to be his wife. She received
the name Esther (meaning “star”) when she entered the royal harem (2:7). Soon after this Haman the Agagite, the Prime Minister,
had a dispute with Mordecai, who refused to show the proper respect to him by bowing when he walked by. Haman convinced
Ahasuerus to give an order to put all the Jews in the Empire to death. Mordecai caught wind of this and convinced Esther to
appeal to the Emperor on behalf of the Jews. In the mean time, Ahasuerus was reminded about Mordecai’s past service to him,
and he enlisted Haman to publicly honor Mordecai. Esther later told the king about Haman’s desire to kill all the Jews, which
would include herself, and the king’s wrath turned upon Haman, who was hanged on the gallows originally intended for Mordecai
(chapter 7). The Emperor also gave the Jews permission to kill all their enemies throughout the entire kingdom, which they did.
The Jews established an annual celebration, the feast of Purim, in memory of their wonderful deliverance.

When a king of Persia gave a decree, it could not be revoked, even by the king who made the decree.  The fact that Esther
had the faith to approach the king without being summoned, the fact that she was able to ask him to let her host dinners for
the king and his appointed leaders, the fact that she used a hypothetical argument to get the king to agree that ethically
the killing of the Jews and specifically her cousin Mordecai, was inappropriate and that the behind-the-scene plot of Haman
was exposed for what it was--all of this speaks of Esther's faith in God and unwaivering trust that He is a just God.

Do we exhibit Esther's faith in God in facing our daily battles--personal and national?  Do we spend the time in fasting
and prayer to beg God for mercy and guidance and forgiveness--personal and national?  Are we fighting for our nation and
our world on our knees?  Perhaps we could all find the time to read this book of Esther in its entirety?  With all the
suffering in our personal lives, our nation, our world, the church, the poor--do you believe we are on earth at this time
accidentally or are we here for such a time as this?

 

If you were told you could no longer pray in Jesus' name, what would you do?

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team
June 23, 2012
By Trevor Freeze

When Rapid Response Team chaplain Terry Sartain found out that he could no longer pray in Jesus' name, he
declined to officiate a ceremony for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. "The only thing I have
to offer is Jesus," he said.

Take your time with the decision, Terry Sartain was told.

A police chaplain for seven years in Charlotte, N.C., Sartain was given the news three days before
a promotion ceremony — there was a change in policy.

He could no longer pray in Jesus' name during public events held on government property.

Maj. John Diggs, who heads the police chaplain program, called Sartain with the news and said
he didn't have to decide on the spot. But to get back to him the next day.

Sartain, a pastor at Horizon Christian Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel church in west Charlotte,
didn't need 24 hours.  He didn't need 24 seconds.

"The only thing I have to offer is Jesus," said Sartain, who asked to be excused from giving the invocation.
"There's no way I would ever deny Jesus. No matter what."

You can read the entire article at http://www.billygraham.org/articlep
age.asp?articleid=8758



Father, we praise You for the steadfast faith of Terry Sartain to refuse to deny Your Son's name.  We thank You for servants like Gary who step out in faith to bring Your word to those in prison, and we rejoice with You and Your angels at the numbers added to Your kingdom that day.  Please renew the fire in all our hearts to walk boldly in Your path and speak boldly Your truth in love.  Let us never compromise for there is no compromise between good and evil.  Your word is a lamp unto our feet, and God, in this time, we know that when it gets dark enough, even a little light can be seen.  Let us start our small steps move to a great march to proclaim Your glory and honor and praise no matter where we are or whom we are with.  Let us keep You first in our hearts and minds.  Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, Almighty God and Lord of all!  Please stretch Your hand to protect those effected by the wildfires and help those who are fighting to save so many.  Let Your intervention be seen and known by all during this frightening time.  Thank You for those whom You have protected.  Speak Your peace and Your truth to our nation from citizen to leader and convict the hearts that would do evil in Your sight.  Give passion to Your church to step out in faith and proclaim Your name above all names.  We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen   

Amen Sis! I will not deny my king! Jesus is my king and I will not deny his glory! :-) 

Amen Sis! I will not deny my king! Jesus is my king and I will not deny his glory! :-) 


Amen, Sis and Gary.

I am always amazed at those like Pastor Sartain's supervisor who accomodate the world's view.  Now, I'm not being judgmental- he may be a fine man and pastor, but I'm much more comfortable with Pastor Sartain's position. 

God doesn't need our praise and approval.  He desires our love and praise- He inhabits our praise.

Many men seems to think we need to take a vote to determine what men will accept as right and wrong.  They are infected with the erroneous thinking that the Constitution is a living, breathing, evolving document- meaning we get to ratify or reject parts we don't like.  Likewise, they reason, we can use the Bible as a guide.  It is good advice.  It is a living, breathing document, too.  We get to edit out the parts that aren't "modern" enough to suit us, or that our theories and our data and technology have convinced us are true.

WRONG.

Isaiah 45:

  “I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,
    ‘Seek me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.

20 “Gather together and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
    there is none but me.

22 “Turn to me and be saved,
    all you ends of the earth;
    for I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn,
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity
    a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
    by me every tongue will swear.
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance and strength. ’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.

Philippians 2:

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death —
        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Greg