For Joni
By GodIsWithUs (6 min
29 sec)
“I love You, O Lord, my strength.’ The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my
deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold. I call upon
the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
“The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.” Psalm 18:1-6
Assignment
1. Set
aside an hour and find a place where you will not be interrupted.
2. Bring
your Bible, notebook, something to write with, a refreshment and a way to
review the WeakDay Devotions below (from the last 10 days).
3. Settle
in and pray that the Lord will use this assignment to better equip you to
explain the key basics to someone unfamiliar with the Gospel.
|
|
Devotion Title |
Scripture Reference |
|
1 |
Stain of Sin |
Luke 7:40-47 |
|
2 |
Perspective for His Children |
Luke 12:22-32 |
|
3 |
A Gift NOT a Reward |
Luke 11:37-44, Ephesians 2:8-9 |
|
4 |
The Train |
II Thessalonians 2:13-17 |
|
5 |
Just a Spark |
Hebrews 10:19-25 |
|
6 |
The Man on the Cross Said So |
Luke 23:35-43 |
4. Open
your notebook to a fresh page, date it for today.
5. Select
one of the above topics, read the Scripture references, locate the devotion and
read it.
6. Consider
how this may help you explain the principle underpinning it with a new believer
or even a pre-believer.
7. Write
your ideas in your notebook and pray for opportunities to share this principle
with someone you know or meet this next week.
Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still
prays for you daily)
PSS: Find my
statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com
(where you will also find a series of
beginner Bible studies to share). 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. For the books, go to Amazon
books. For prayer requests and
updates email me: darlene@weakdaydevotion.com
Please update your PRAYER
REQUESTS
·
URGENT ISRAEL–
115 days have passed of this horrible and unwanted war. Pray Israeli forces locate
and save the remaining hostages. Pray for the wisdom and safety of the Israeli
soldiers, for those who have lost loved ones and for those moving through enemy
territory as they risk their lives to restore peace and purify the land of all terrorists. Pray also for the Palestinian people – many are
helpless captives of war.
·
Barbara –
the beloved wife of my brother, Tim (who passed away the end of January
2023). As one of God’s faithful widows,
pray God always protects her, especially at night. Pray He guards the structure and integrity of
the house. Pray He places willing people
in her path to help her as she faces a life without Tim.
·
Michael C
– please pray for him and his family as they hold vigil as his father passes
away.
·
Yoshimi – has
started to attend church and read her Bible.
Pray she grows into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that
she finds work she can enjoy and benefit from.
·
Lindsey - the youngest daughter
of my dearest friends, Annette and Lyle, needs your prayers for healing and
strengthening. Pray for her patience and
the wisdom of her health care providers.
·
Jeff and
Rachael’s family: - Peyton, granddaughter, graduated from college Dec
2023. Carter, grandson, is doing great
in his first year in college. Both are
exceptional students and love the Lord. Pray
they are not distracted by worldly things, that the Lord watches over and
protects them, that they continue to do well as their lives develop under God’s
loving hand and that their love of God’s Word increases daily.
·
Patti and John –
pray God continues to inspire them with His love and compassion and that He
will guard their health. Pray also for
travelling mercies as Patti is now the only one who drives. (Joshuah 1:6-9).
·
Sarah and Andrew – he left his job two years ago and she went to
work in a new role. Pray for this
precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the
Lord.
·
Bettina –
is preparing to retire after a lifetime of service to her company. Pray each of her five married daughters, spouses
and 18 grandchildren support her as she enters this new phase of her life and
they all continue to grow in their love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Ian –
continue to pray that his desire to grow his understanding and effectiveness
with personal evangelism is fulfilled.
·
Elina –
needs God’s wisdom and the courage of her convictions and resolve to live a
life that is Christ-honouring for herself and her young son, Jimmy.
·
Megan (for
emotional healing) and Scott, her
husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through
troubled times.
·
Christine –
give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives
his life to the Lord.
·
Robin –
continue to pray for her strength and healing as she continues her journey
after the loss her beloved mother (was 93 years old) and pray for the strength
of her daughter who is comforting her.
·
Pray for true,
Christ-centered revival in America.
Pray for those in
full-time service
Pray the Lord upholds our Christian leaders – that they
never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of
evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety,
ingenuity, strength and for their families.
·
Scott and Carolyn
Petty – my new pastor and his
wife. Pray he and Carolyn and their
three boys feel how welcome and supported they are. Pray for their wisdom, strength, patience and
focus on the Word.
·
Elaine and Jim
Pounder and their ‘Little Church’
ministry. They thank you for your
prayers. Continue to pray for their safety,
health, strength and time with family as their ministry continues to spread
around the world in a model of home churches. Pray for continued growth of
their YouTube channel and website: The
Little Church World at https://www.youtube.com/user/thelittlechurchworld
·
Pat and Isobel –as they serve tirelessly in challenging
times. Pray the Lord refreshes and
strengthens them with ‘streams in the desert’.
·
Ray and Kathy –
they have just completed moving and settling his Mom (who is fading into the
growing fog of dementia) to Sydney. Help
her settle in peacefully. Pray for Ray
and Kathy’s ministries to grow through the witness of their love and compassion
and that their devotion to each other deepens.
·
Jenny S–
Pray Father-God continues to give her robust health, sufficient financial
support and winsome wisdom -- and keep praying He provides her with a new car
(she would love leather seats). Help her
identify the value of her unique contributions wherever she goes.
·
Talitha
– in full-time children’s ministry needs financial support for her work. Pray God moves the hearts of those around her
to provide ample support for her work.
·
Isaias and Judith
Catorce – have
faithfully served as key leaders and teachers for Ambassadors for Christ
Philippines (AFCP – TMS Global). Judith
is better, yet still needs your prayers for continued strengthening after cancer
surgery and treatment. I had the
privilege of visiting their ministry and encourage you to learn more about
their tireless work and consider supporting them by going to www.tms-global.org . Select the ‘Give’ option at the top of
the page. Select ‘Give to a
Worker.’ Type the amount of the gift and
the code 6028 (which equals ‘Catorce’), then follow the simple directions.
·
Andrew M. – national
coordinator of (Deaf Ministries Intnl). Pray for the wedding of his daughter this
weekend – that all will go smoothly and pray for Andrew’s continued strength
and wisdom and for his beloved wife, Toyoko, as she supports
him.
·
Simon, Tamara and
their children – Simon has moved
to a new ministry with new challenges.
Pray for him and his entire family.
·
John and Sheridan
– a most delightful couple.
He is the pastor of a church with a small and faithful congregation, and
she supports him in many ways. Pray God
encourages them to not grow weary of their work and that the Lord brings
abundant fruit.
·
Patrick
- a Bible scholar, who is presently part of an English Translation Review
Committee, reviewing a new translation of the New Testament, ‘The Antioch
Bible’ (translating from Syriac to English).
Pray for their hoped-for goal of finishing the entire NT this calendar
year and that he has increasing skill in the complicated languages he is
working with.
·
Audley M – In his 90s, has remarried after his wife passed
away. Pray for their union in Christ,
heath and strength. Pray for his wisdom
and the effective growth of his wonderful radio ministry (Florida, Virginia,
Alabama, Indianapolis) as America hunger for ‘True meat’ and for sufficient
energy to work on his book.
Pray Especially for
Salvation for:
·
Louisville family
of Jeff and Rachael – that a desire grows in their heart for a
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
R & B
– exploring the Truth for themselves. Please place true believers in their
paths to disciple them.
·
Becky
– still in rehab for spinal surgery.
Pray for her patience and for her health care providers to be wise and
compassionate, that her family rallies around her to care for her and, most of
all, that she finds the Lord in all this.
·
Fred and Barb –
brother of Patti -- for salvation.
·
Bryan and Julie
(Patti’s daughter) Pray for the salvation of at least one of the family and
that the others will follow shortly thereafter.
They are parents of Callilah, Adrian, Micah, Kevin and Nate --
lost, damaged and troubled children – all of whom we have prayed for over the
years.
·
Sophie–
six-year-old daughter of a friend is chronically ill and frail. Please pray for her, her parents and health
carers to find ways to manage her symptoms and heal her and that this will lead
them all to God’s saving grace.
·
Paul –
please pray for him. He still has not
found a job or work after more than ten years.
Please pray the Lord provides needed work so he can begin to heal and
strengthen.
·
Peggy – a
dear friend and colleague of my sister-in-law who has been battling cancer in
her neck for years. Her new oncologist
has started a combination of chemo and radiation that seems to be working, but
she is miserable. Please pray for her as
she waits for her body to heal and strengthen and that she finds salvation.
·
Sue and Rob – opened their home to support Luke who is angry and lost. He has been there a long time now and refuses
to move out. Please pray the Lord saves
all three and that Luke realises he must take responsibility for his own
life. Pray for continued patience and
compassion of Sue and Rob.
·
Demi and John – one evening John went out their backdoor to run
an errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several
times (one pierced his heart). He has
recovered physically but pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives
together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.
·
Jen N –
a Jewish woman I’ve met at work, please pray for her that she will find a new
role and that she stays safe and healthy.
Please pray for her and her two boys (ages 16 and 17).
·
Don Yockey- has lost his fight with cancer. Please pray the Lord uses this time to open
the family’s hearts to His love and salvation.
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.
·
Wayne B – is slowly losing his precious wife, Lyn,
(diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia three and a half years ago). She has been in care since May of 2020 but
recently had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility.
She sometimes knows who he is but is no longer able to respond. Pray for comfort for Wayne as he deals with
this difficult situation.
·
Joni – a long-time friend, wandering through the
challenges of cancer treatment. No
results yet from the PET scan, but other tests indicate her cancer is
gone. Nevertheless, she is still
recovering from the treatments and needs your prayers as she lives alone.
·
Hans–
a dear friend in Germany struggling with lung cancer and financial
difficulties. Pray his new social worker
will be able to help him and that he will have patience. Pray for his healthcare providers and that he
is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will remind
him of the Lord’s love. Pray for his Mom
(age 84) -- that their time together is filled with extraordinarily good
memories and lots of love.
·
Jake – continues his battle with COPD (emphysema) and
heart problems (he’s now had five stents put in). Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and his other friends and health
carers to help him through his health journey.
·
David – his meds are now stable and he
is feeling much better. The good news is
that he will not need a pacemaker. He is
now getting back to his normal routines.
Pray for his patience and continued wisdom for his health carers.
·
Heidi
-- (David’s daughter and home carer) feeling better after battling through a
serious flu. Please pray for her complete recovery and that she will be strong
and healthy.
·
Jen – pray
for her safety and welfare and that those who support her and her beloved pet
are there when she needs them. Please
pray for her patience and that she will realise how much the Lord loves her.
·
Philip and Sue –
Philip recently had surgery. Pray for
his health carers and for Sue as she supports him through his recovery.
·
Leon –
out of intensive care into the high dependency unit. Pray for his health-care providers that they
are wise and compassionate.
·
Dana,
daughter of Annette and Lyle just gave birth to their first grandchild. All healthy.
Pray God watches over this precious, new child throughout her life and
that He captures her heart early in her life that she may inspire others by her
faith and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment