“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but
whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13
“For the death that He died, He died to sin, ending its
power and paying the sinner’s debt once and for all; and the life that He
lives, He lives to glorify God in unbroken fellowship with Him. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to
sin, and your relationship to it broken, but alive to God in unbroken
fellowship with Him in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its
lusts and passions.” Romans 6:11-13
“My little children, believers, dear ones, I am writing
you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyne sins, we have an Advocate, who
will intercede for us with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous, the upright, the
just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way – purpose, thought,
and action.
“And He, that same Jesus, is the propitiation for our
sins – the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would
otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature – our worldliness, our
lifestyle; and not for ours alone, but also for the sins of all believers
throughout the whole world.” I John 2:1-2
“There is no use saying we want to be saved if we want to keep our
sin. However, that does not mean that we
will never fall into sin again. We are
still human beings! – No, we are not perfect, but we want to be. That is the difference [and a good proof] between
a saved sinner and a long sinner. One
loves sin, and the other hates sin.[1]”
Take time to really consider the meaning of Kay
Friederichsen’s wonderful illustration. When
we surrender to Jesus and admit the heavy weight of our sins, Jesus reaches out
and breaks the straps of that ‘backpack’ we carry around with us.
If He can take it from us, it is up to us to keep trusting
Him to carry it and stop trying to take it back from Him. And when we begin to notice the straps of the
backpack are hurting our shoulders once more, we just need to use the ‘spiritual
soap’ He has provided for us in I John 1:9 to give it back to the one who paid
to carry it for us!
Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still
prays for you each day)
PS: Find my
statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com
(where you will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to
share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google
search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’. (Also,
there is an android ‘Google
Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone. Not sure about Apple.)
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (any updates?)
· Christians in Afghanistan – Many Christians went to this country to
share the Good News to many who would never have heard of Jesus. These leaders and baby Christians are now in heightened
danger and need your prayers to protect them and sustain them during this
time.
· Those Left Behind in Afghanistan – Please pray for those who have
been unable to escape from Afghanistan before America abandoned the
country. They (especially the women) now
face persecution and death at the hands of barbarians. How heart wrenching.
·
Family of Eric – Eric at 52 died suddenly leaving his 47-year-old
wife and three girls (ages 16, 19 and 23).
Pray the Lord comforts the family through this time of mourning. Pray for their wisdom and that God will send
trustworthy, honourable, Bible-based councilors for the many decisions that now
must be made.
·
Jay – Please pray for him as he watches his ministry begin to be used by the
Lord in a new media, due to the lockdown.
Give him strength, wisdom and protect his health.
· UPDATE - Peyton - eldest granddaughter of Jeff
and Rachael – is entering her second year of college. Please continue to pray for her that she does
well, makes good decisions and continues having a good relationship with the
Lord.
·
Adam –
please pray for his strength and peace as he pursues a new job and that the
Lord will guide him clearly in his decisions and that his wife will be the
loving supporter he badly needs.
· Barb – my brother’s
faithful and kind wife. Thank you for
praying for her. She needs prayers to
sustain her and protect her health and energy during this time of additional
stress and challenge.
·
UPDATE - Sophie – three-year old daughter of a friend who is
chronically unwell and frail. Please
pray for her, her parents and health carers to find ways to manage the symptoms
and heal her.
·
Hans –
a dear friend in Germany, the immunotherapy for his lung cancer seems to be
working for now. Pray for his ongoing
strength through the pain, patience and God’s mercy. Pray for his healthcare providers and that he
is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will support
him through this journey. Pray for his
Mom (age 84) who is also unwell -- that their time together is filled with
extraordinary good memories and lots of love.
·
Callilah
- a lost child. Pray the Lord will
capture her heart.
Pray for those in full-time service
Pray to uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word, are bold and courageous in the face of evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.
Pray for those with ongoing health concerns
Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health. Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.
Pray for the World
[1]
© 1958, Moody Bible Institute
of Chicago, God’s Word Made Plain, by Mrs. Paul Friederichsen, pp. 94-95.
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