Prayers

Here is the link to Eric LeGrand's speech as he accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at last summer's ESPY awards.  His book came out today and is called "Believe."  His charity on FB is "A Walk to Believe: One Step at a Time for Eric LeGrand."  He is organizing help and attention for others with spinal cord injuries or illnesses who are not in the public's eye!  Quite a young man--while he works on his own recovery to walk, he works for others so they do not struggle alone.  It is a challenge for us to see what God is doing through Eric--if you were under crushing circumstances, would your first thought be "How can I find and help others?"  God is with him as He is with all His children! Amen!  Help out in any way you can--so many are struggling with so much today.  Please continue to be God's hands, feet, voice, and heart to the world!

Be God's!
Sissy  

Oh, yeah, about that link :)

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYAogRQx3dc]

"Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law."
Psalm 119:18
 

 
Many of us live our lives in a kind of spiritual nearsightedness. We refuse to
experience the fullness of our faith because it might cost too much, or it might
make us uncomfortable. God offers to let us see this world through His eyes, and
a more beautiful sight does not exist. Allow Him to give you His sight, and behold
the wonders of the world.
 
Father, remove the blinders that I so often place upon my eyes. Expand my horizons
beyond the limits I place on myself. Grant me vision through Your eyes of love to
see the world and Your path as You would have me walk it.  I will give you all the
glory for the wonderful things You have done for me.  In Jesus' name I pay, Amen.

Praying for the request that are pouring in and always have this thread in my thoughts as well as prayers.  There is a poster on the bds with the SN SuperGnat and he put a request out on another thread about his father inlaw who is 81 has multiple health issues and just got diagnosed with lung cancer.  Please pray for the entire family as I am sure this will be a difficult time for them.

Praying, brother.

Update:  Job is doing remarkably better and seems to have put several of his issues behind him and can breath and enjoy life again.  Special prayer for all those that are suffering in private that just need a break in life and I pray they receive it.

Awesome, and Amen!

Eric Legrand's speech was moving. What a great heart and testimony.

"Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me Thy law graciously."
Psalm 119:29

Truth has no hidden traps in it. When we live in truth, we live above
reproach. When we lie, even a little bit, we open ourselves to problems
that are unnecessary. Walk in the ways of God, always holding to the truth,
and then you will find that there is nothing to fear.
 

Lord, remove any lie or deceit from my mouth. Let truth and tact rule my words.
If I find no truth within me to share, then let me keep silent. Amen.

We live in deceptive and perillous times, but we should also be excited, because our redemption draws near.  I think of the prophecy that predicts that evil men will go on doing evil.  Bad men will go from bad to worse, inventing new ways to sin and approving of those who do wickedness.  They call good 'evil' and evil 'good'.  Sound familiar? 

We are to be a light shining in the darkness. 

Matthew 24

New International Version (NIV)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ²“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^[[a]] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

²²“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵See, I have told you ahead of time.

²⁶“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹“Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’^[[b]]

³⁰“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^[[c]] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.^[[d]] ³¹And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

 

Zephaniah 3:

 

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

⁶“I have destroyed nations;
    their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
    with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;
    they are deserted and empty.
⁷Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’
Then her place of refuge^[[a]] would not be destroyed,
    nor all my punishments come upon^[[b]] her.
But they were still eager
    to act corruptly in all they did.
⁸Therefore wait for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.^[[c]]
I have decided to assemble the nations,
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
    all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

Restoration of Israel’s Remnant

⁹“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
    that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
    and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Cush^[[d]]
    my worshipers, my scattered people,
    will bring me offerings.
¹¹On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.
¹²But I will leave within you
    the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust in the name of the Lord.
¹³They will do no wrong;
    they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
    and no one will make them afraid.”

¹⁴Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
¹⁵The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm.
¹⁶On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.
¹⁷The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

¹⁸“I will remove from you
    all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
    which is a burden and reproach for you.
¹⁹At that time I will deal
    with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
    I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
    in every land where they have suffered shame.
²⁰At that time I will gather you;
    at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
    among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes^[[e]]
    before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

 Greg

sorry my computer a work didn't have notepad, so I got all those markups on my post. 

That's OK,  Greg, we got it!  And keep looking up for His return is near!

Be God's!
Sis  

"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken me in Thy way."
Psalm 119:37

We cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of what is really important in our
churches and in our Christian lives. Certainly, our church buildings are important,
but stained glass windows and elaborate decoration never saved anyone.  The work of
the church will go on regardless of the condition of the buildings that house them.
Let not your eyes be turned from the way of the Lord. Focus always on Him.
 
I can get sidetracked from the really important things, Lord. Help me to remain steadfast
concerning Your work and Gospel. Set my priorities as You would have them. Guide me in my
prayer life to pray Your will and to listen for Your answer.  Father, I lift our country,
our leaders, Your church and its leaders, our military and first responders and their families
all to You for Your protection and for You to penetrate their hearts and minds to do Your will
and not do evil, to lead with Your moral standards and compassion.  I lift the persecuted church
around the world.  I pray for Israel and all her people.  I pray that Your Spirit would go out
and bring comfort, strength, wisdom, peace and especially the gospel for the salvation of many,
Lord.  Give Your church the courage and words and opportunity to reach those who need Your touch
to meet their needs.  I pray that we not get distracted by things of this world that will pass away,
but that we will live our lives in a way that glorifies Your name for You alone are worthy. 
I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

An hour ago I was called by a coroner to tell me that my sister, Patti was found dead. Please pray for my family. I had her say the Lords prayer with me a couple years ago, but I don't think her heart was in it, nor did I ever see any evidence. This is the sister that some of you had prayed for, with mental illness and a bunch of other stuff ... Thank you!

AB4C, I am so sorry for your loss.  Please remember that it is not for us to judge what is in a person's heart when they pray, but it is between God and that person.  Even in depressing times, a person can say a sincere prayer.  I will keep you and your family in my prayers and I will believe Patti and God spoke together; I have often done so out of my pain.  The Lord will not turn away those who seek Him even if they do so with heavy hearts.

Father, we lift our brother and his family to You at this time of mourning.  We pray for their comfort and that You would make Your presence felt by all in a very real way.  Give them strength and peace and rest and guidance throughout the coming days to handle what lies ahead.  Father, You have promised in Your word that those who seek You will not be cast out, and we thank You for those many promises to which You are always faithful.  Please, in Jesus' name, let salvation have come to that house, and lift to You the eyes and spirits of those who mourn Patti's passing.  Your graciousness is boundless; let us always find our peace in Your word.  Amen

Aboy, I'm very sorry to hear that, and I wish nothing but the best for you and your family in Christ.  Your sister's gone to meet the Lord I'm sure.

Tony,

I'm sorry to hear about Patti.  I remember when you requested we pray for her.  Like Sis, I'm optimistic that she meant it in her own way, and that the Lord knows our hearts better than we do,  I wrestle with communicating with my nineteen year old autistic son, and assurance that he is saved,  He goes to church with me, and he always asks to go, expressing regret if we ever miss,  I don't know if it's from familiarity and habit, or an exercise of faith.  He also says things like "I want to go to Heaven", but I don't know if he just wants to see his Nanny or his Pop- two grandparents who are with the Lord. 

We just have to be faithful to instruct and leave the rest to the Spirit.  With those we love who have mental issues, or imaired ability, we simply have to trust the nature of our God that He is Just, loving, and patient- eager to show mercy to His lost sheep.  If we can look past their failings and love them, I imagine the Lord, who is beter than we are, can love them as well.

Greg

Hope to see those of you who voluntarily seek to talk sports without hostilities, and share in helping one another and honoring our Lord.


which lord is that?  jesus?  buddha?  mohammed?  zeus?  krishna?

just trying to figure out which one I should be honoring right now.

which lord is that?

Romans 10

New International Version (NIV)

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[a] 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]

Amen, Gators.  I am eager for the day when we see the world bow their knees and finally pronounce that Jesus Christ is Lord.  May He come soon!  None who seek the Lord with all their hearts will ever be turned away.

I continue to pray for our brother AB4C and his family as they grieve the death of his sister.  May Christ our Lord ever be in their hearts to speak peace to all who mourn.  I though much about what he said and how we responded to sharing the Lord with people and not being sure if the acceptance was real.  When the disciples asked Jesus about what would happen to one of their own, Jesus answered, "What is that to you? You follow me."  It is our job to plant seeds, water them, but God sees to it that they grow.  I remember sharing with my father while he was still engaging in drinking, and years later he got sober.  He made amends to me for childhood incidents and that doesn't happen for many people.  Then I got the neuromuscular disease and had to move home, and I had a sober father to take care of me--a second chance to relive a corrected father-daughter relationship--again something most people don't get a second chance at.  Would I choose to be healthy over the restoration of that relationship?  Not a chance.  My weakness was God's blessing; he gave me back my father instead of my health.  When my father died, I prayed he was sincere in accepting the Lord; there certainly was a behavior change, but that is not always the indicator that is most accurate spiritually.  As we were cleaning out his possessions, I found in his wallet a prayer written for him to God.  The paper was worn with folding and unfolding, frayed at the edges from use.  I believe that was God's hint to me that my father was indeed sincere in his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his savior--again, most people don't get that confirmation.  I am at peace in my heart that when the time comes, my father and I will be reunited in heaven.  I pray that assurance is spoken in some way to our brother because he already knows he can trust the Lord with all his heart and not to lean on his own understanding.  What we would look for as true devotion to the one true and living God is not always what is displayed, but just because we can't see someone else's heart doesn't mean the relationship between a person and God is not real.

May the peace of God that passes all understanding guard all our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Amen!   

AB4C, so sorry for your loss. Praying that the Prince of Peace will be ever present with you and your family during this time!

Gary

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Luke 19:10

Father God, please guide us and strengthen us to keep on praying even when words
fail us. Give us the words to share with others so that we may spread Your gospel
and show Your love through compassion and encouragement.  May we be part of a great
movement for You in Jesus name, Amen.

Be God's!
Sis  

Thank you all. Everything is going well do far. Tomorrow I go to get her belongings. The people that work with the deceased and all the details have been amazing.