“Blessed by the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who
comforts us in all affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are
in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God. For just as the sufferings of
Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through
Christ.
“But if we are afflicted, it is
for your comfort and salvation or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also
suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounding, knowing that as you are
sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.” II Corinthians 1:3-7
“but you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you’ and you shall be My witnesses both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the
earth.’” Acts
1:8
“A
mark of the Spirit’s presence is a hunger for God to flow through us in
blessing and enrichment to others.
Loving after ourselves first has nothing to do with the Christian life,
and nothing to do with the work of the Holy Spirit.
“The
promise was not to make people powerful for its own sake, but to equip them to
serve God and fulfil His plans by bearing witness to the Lord Jesus Christ
throughout the world. If the Spirit of
God is within your life, then you will find a new desire to serve...”*
God
is with us through it all...even when things do not make sense to us. He fills us with His power to demonstrate to
those around us, His sufficiency. Yet He
doesn’t create us to be physical, emotional or spiritual superman or
superwoman. We are to be learning more each
day about depending on Him. Others watch
how we live, as if their life depends on it – for it does. When we focus on the problems, challenges,
difficulties, weaknesses, etc., our pipe gets clogged. Trust is the way to keep our “pipe of power”
flowing with His living water.
Take
care with love, especially His! Your
servant and friend in Christ, Darlene
PS: ANY PRAYER UPDATES TODAY? Please send updates! For any of you who wonder if prayer is worth
taking time for, just page back through previous entries and see the hand of
our loving Father in action!
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS: Elaine
and Jim are resettling in Hong Kong – please pray for them. For Linda as she begins her journey. For Cucuawe as he prepares for a 10-day
mission trip this month. Bexleigh continues to grow but
still struggles for life. Pray for her
parents Tyler & Jenna. Please pray for God's Will in this situation and
strength for all the challenges ahead for all involved.
PRAISE
& THANKSGIVING: Hans needs fellowship,
clarity and hope. (Thank you, Andy, for
answering his letter!) Deborah’s husband
is home from surgery. Adrian is doing
better in his attitude but is still in much pain. If anyone is near Caboolture (an hour north
of Brisbane), please contact me so we can help Adrian in a more practical
way!
That
the Lord loves and comforts us through challenges we could not face without Him
and for good friends during times of difficulty.
PRAY
FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: For Daniel Craver (3-4 yrs
old), home recovering from liver surgery. Paul
NS. Tim (my little brother) with CPRD, needs
financial help, especially with no health insurance - needs a disability
pension. David still needs prayer for
his health, but is doing better. Steve
Barns for relief from great pain and depression.
For
a solution for Audley and Beverly (she’s disabled from a stroke and needs a carer
during the day so Audley can go out and work).
Tim B with headaches, that his doctor will OK a new procedure for
relief. For Carlton suffering from
horrible infections in his bones.
Deb,
special friend with multiple Myeloma (please see her blog at this LINK.
(http://debdarley.blogspot.com/ ) Wisdom for doctors caring for so many,
including Tim, Doris, David, Gary, Deb, Adrian and Annette’s friend Sue.
ONGOING
PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray the Lord’s hand is
dramatically apparent in the lives of all who receive and read this
devotion...that His mighty works would be worked out in each life for His
purposes! Hans, a new hungry baby Christian urgently needs
to find fellowship --if you know any Christians near Essen Germany, please
contact me as soon as possible.
Pray for Isaiac Catorce, his family and ministry in the Philippines
and the clean-up after the flood where more than 85 people died. If the Lord lays it on your heart to help,
contact Barbara Hanak at Ambassadors for Christ in Atlanta Georgia (bhanak@afciworld.org)
Cucuawe
as he recovers from the trauma of his 17-year old daughter’s death. Galdor recovering from the loss of his mother
and companion dog of 17 years --he also needs a new job. For Yourri who lost a friend. Please pray for Deepak as he struggles
through some challenges. For travelling
mercies as Reg and Beverly visit South Africa.
Pray for wisdom of my brother as he deals with an important matter.
For
travelling mercies for Michael C & Diane on their extended cruise. For Roger as he considers options for a
pledge of heart. Adam who’s becoming
involved with a cult that’s filling many unmet needs. Scott, for strength as he struggles and grows
(for Donna as she encourages him). For
David K, in his studies. For Kevin
(Godly wisdom with his son), Michael.
PRAY
FOR THE WORLD: God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His
children there and for the many nations suffering from global financial
mismanagement.
ONGOING
JOB RELATED: Barbara’s (sister-in-law) and Hans’ (friend) projects have both
ended and they need new work. (Hans especially
needs paying work – he’s been volunteering to fill the time.) For Tim, my amazing brother, that he might
find satisfying work. Paul K who
resigned from his job and is setting up a consultancy.
*Christ For Real by Charles
Price
No comments:
Post a Comment