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Day 8/13 – Provision

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Good Works  – Matthew 5:16 (ESV)  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16 

“We never grow closer to God when we just live life. It takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness.”  Francis Chan

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A history of these Daily Devotions along with other valuable Resources can be found at: lylebrennan.com. 

This daily devotion contains, sequentially: Memory Verse (#1 above),  Daily Quote (#2 above): and, below: Daily Devotion from “Thoughts From The Diary of A Desperate Man” by Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”), Scripture Reading  (read the entire Bible in 1 year), and Prayer Requests. 

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Provision

Day Two Hundred Twenty-five

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Matthew 6:33

If you have children, in all likelihood, when they were young they did not worry about where they were going to sleep that night, nor where the next meal would come from.  They felt they did not have to, for it was under your care.  Most children don’t even think about such matters.  Granted, many children in the world are hungry and cold, simply because they have no parents, or their parents are too poverty stricken to provide.

The degree to which you become preoccupied  with what you eat and wear, and where you will lodge at night, reflects one of three things: First, you feel you have no Parent providing for you.  Second, He is so impoverished  that He cannot provide.  Third, you have a Parent who can provide, but wants you to take care of your own needs.  If you are a child of God, you know that He can easily provide. The only remaining question is, will He provide or does He want you to do it?

Jesus said, ‘Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What  shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”293   Again the Savior assures you, “Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”294

When you live acting like your daily needs are your responsibility, you offend your Heavenly Father as surely as you would be offended if your child questioned your ability to provide.

293  Matthew 6:31-32

294  Matthew 7:9, 11

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Psalm 87-88 Romans 13 (New King James Version)

Psalm 87-88

The Glories of the City of God

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

87 

His foundation isin the holy mountains.

2 

The Lord loves the gates of Zion

More than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3 

Glorious things are spoken of you,

O city of God! Selah

4 

“I will make mention of [a]Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me;

Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:

‘This onewas born there.’ ”

5 

And of Zion it will be said,

“This oneand that onewere born in her;

And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”

6 

The Lord will record,

When He registers the peoples:

“This onewas born there.” Selah

7 

Both the singers and the players on instruments say,

“All my springs arein you.”

A Prayer for Help in Despondency

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A [b]Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.

88 

O Lord, God of my salvation,

I have cried out day and night before You.

2 

Let my prayer come before You;

[c]Incline Your ear to my cry.

3 

For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draws near to the grave.

4 

I am counted with those who go[d] down to the pit;

I am like a man who hasno strength,

5 

[e]Adrift among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And who are cut off from Your hand.

6 

You have laid me in the lowest pit,

In darkness, in the depths.

7 

Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

And You have afflicted mewith all Your waves. Selah

8 

You have [f]put away my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an abomination to them;

I amshut up, and I cannot get out;

9 

My eye wastes away because of affliction.

Lord, I have called daily upon You;

I have stretched out my hands to You.

10 

Will You work wonders for the dead?

Shall [g]the dead arise andpraise You? Selah

11 

Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

OrYour faithfulness in the place of destruction?

12 

Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 

But to You I have cried out, O Lord,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14 

Lord, why do You cast off my soul?

Whydo You hide Your face from me?

15 

I have beenafflicted and ready to die from myyouth;

I suffer Your terrors;

I am distraught.

16 

Your fierce wrath has gone over me;

Your terrors have [h]cut me off.

17 

They came around me all day long like water;

They engulfed me altogether.

18 

Loved one and friend You have put far from me,

Andmy acquaintances into darkness.

Footnotes:

  • Psalm 87:4 Egypt
  • Psalm 88:1 Heb. Maschil
  • Psalm 88:2 Listen to
  • Psalm 88:4 Die
  • Psalm 88:5 Lit. Free
  • Psalm 88:8 taken away my friends
  • Psalm 88:10 shades, ghosts
  • Psalm 88:16 destroyed me

Romans 13

Submit to Government

13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will [a]bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to executewrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore youmust be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due,customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Love Your Neighbor

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” [b]“You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there isany other commandment, are allsummed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love isthe fulfillment of the law.

Put on Christ

11 And dothis, knowing the time, that now it ishigh time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation isnearer than when we firstbelieved. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk [c]properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill itslusts.

Footnotes:

  • Romans 13:2 Lit. receive
  • Romans 13:9 NU omits “You shall not bear false witness,”
  • Romans 13:13 decently

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PRAYER REQUESTS 

Please Pray for Brother Robert. Robert says He has a Calling to establish a church. His Prayer request is “… that God puts together a really amazing ministry team. I see it in the Scriptures. There were ministers, elders, deacons. Those seem to be three different categories of the people serving the body. It seems like that was the simple order they had set up. But it was a spiritual thing that would function through the power of the Holy Spirit. My prayer request would be that the Lord puts together the ministry team in what I feel Him asking me to be a part of.”

Please Pray for Mark H. He has a blood clot in his leg and is suffering terrible pain.  Pray for God’s Healing and undeniable Touch on Mark’s life.  

UPDATE: You can’t make this stuff up… Sounds like a script for a movie…

As you may know, we have kept Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico on our Prayer Request list for quite a while now. This Sister and her family, in a short time period, has been hit with a more tragedies(persecution) than most of us in an entire life time…  the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children. RECENTLY, her modest home (a shack by any American standard) was burnt to the ground. …Her neighbor’s house caught fire and due to the closeness of her home, it caught fire, too.  Brothers & Sisters, please Pray for God’s Holy touch on Fabiola and her family.  Although we, His Children, are closely monitoring what assistance the Family of God might be able to provide the family through our Brother Ron Brink, in Mexico… our Prayers are essential. Please don’t relent!

Please continue to Pray for Geo, a banker, who was deployed by the military to the Mideast. Pray God would keep him safe and that God would bring Geo closer to Him; and, that Geo would share God with all his company and those who come in contact with him. 

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UPDATE: I’ve been told by one Geo’s co-workers, Lorraine Flores, who says she considers Geo a son, that the day Geo was deployed to the Mideast, his girlfriend delivered his new baby. Please Pray Geo would Walk in God’s Light and be a Godly husband and father. And, please Pray for Geo’s family. (Also, please Pray for both Lorraine Flores and her biological son that was deployed the same day as Geo, but to Africa.)

Praise Report: Please continue to Pray for Brother David Porter’s friend’s son, Giovanni (18yrs old). He has checked out of inpatient behavioral health facility and is doing better. You will remember, he was sent to the facility and was on suicide watch. Please continue to Pray for God’s Salvation, Strength, Healing, and Peace in Giovanni.

Please continue to Pray for Brother Mark Pedder, a missionary in the Philippines. Please Pray for Mark, Mark’s wife for strength in their trials, tribulations and persecution. 

Please Pray for Brother David Porter’s sponsoring “Refuge for Women” an upcoming “Refuge Uniting In Prayer” meeting scheduled for August 14th. Pray for the for those involved in assisting women, the women who are victims and those warring with the sex trafficking industry in Las Vegas. 

Please continue to Pray for Gemma that she be delivered from evil and receive Jesus as her Savior. 

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt to be reconciled with his son and his son’s family. 

Please continue to Pray for Brother John LaPorte’s roommate, Brother Freddy, whose commitment to Christ caused his wife to separate from him for 6 years. The couple have 2 daughters. Both parents has stayed single all this time of separation… Within the recent past, it appears his wife, Arlene, has been Saved and the couple are beginning their reconciliation process. They are planning to reunite the family again under one roof in the next few months.  Please Pray for their total reconciliation with God at their helm. 

Please continue to Pray for a group of well-known Southern Nevada commercial real estate brokers and associates recently in a one-car accident. The occupants had all been drinking alcohol.  One passenger died leaving 3 young daughters, one suffered serious head trauma, two had mild trauma, and the driver has been charged.  Please Pray for the driver and all those effected by this tragedy …that God would direct their eyes to Him, The King of Mercy, Grace and Salvation. 

Please continue Pray for our President and ALL our government leaders of both parties. Pray they would submit their authority to His Authority and ask for His Wisdom in directing the affairs of our nation.  Please Pray that God would open their eyes and they would be obedient to His Will. 

Please  continue to Pray for Brother Frank Sun, a Taiwanese, that owns several businesses in China and Taiwan.  He recently preached the Gospel in his Taiwan company inviting his employees to accept salvation. He says that half of his Taiwan staff are now Christians. Please Pray Frank will continue to be bold in his sharing Christ in all his companies and that he will be faithful to disciple the new Believers.  

AND, let each of us use Frank’s example and share the Love and Salvation of Jesus to our coworkers, employees, family friends and acquaintances.  Brothers and Sisters, let’s take advantage of our God given opportunities, invest in the Eternal!

Please continue to Pray for Brother Walt and His Friday Bible Study.

Please continue to Pray for the Women’s Resources ministry in Las Vegas that they would lead women to the Lord and save babies. 

Please continue to Pray for Jim Nelson and family ministering in China. 

Please continue to Pray for Dave Ubank and his family. They are ministering and rescuing children and families in Syria directly affected by  Isis – Pray for their protection and their ministry.  For a short 2 minute video about Ubanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_htIgIvgDM[/embedyt

Please continue to Pray for our Brothers’ and Sisters’ struggling with various addictions. Pray that God would reveal Himself to them that all things are possible through Him… He can Cure any addiction … He is our Great Creator, He is our Savior, He is our Healer …He is our All and All!  

Please continue to Pray for Alejandro Corral, his son Alejandro Jr., and his aunt Josefina. 

Please continue to Pray for Brother Steve Venable dealing with ALS. 

Please continue to Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters and their families that are suffering and giving their lives for our Faith. 

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Please stand with your Brothers and Sisters in Prayer and Support. (See: The Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com)

Please continue to pray for Biblical “headship” in families.

Please continue to Pray for all our children. 

Please continue to Pray that there would be a resurgence of Biblical “Fear of the Lord” in the church and in each of us… “to fear the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Please continue to Pray for our nation that God would open all our eyes to the sin that is drowning us. Abortion, sex outside of marriage, hatred & divisiveness, greed, pride, only to name a few.  Please Pray and Fast for our nation to turn from this evil that is enveloping us.   

II Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Please continue to Pray for Brother Ron Brink’s son who had 3+ military tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and who is now suffering brain damage and PTSD.  Pray for God’s Healing Power to fall upon Johnathon. (Ron is a 20 plus year missionary in Mexico with Touch Baja… for info on Touch Baja and how to touch the Mexican people for Christ, see http://www.touchbaja.com.)

Please continue to Pray for the Sharon India Foundation (“SIF”) to assisting the poor of India.  Through SIF: Widows have received medical treatment and been given quality sewing machines and training on how to use them to make a living. Orphans have been given free education in their neighborhood slum areas.  After natural disasters relief has been provided in the nature of medical, food items, blankets, clothing and building materials.  Bore wells have been successfully dug to provide fresh water to affected areas.  Water purification systems have also been given out on a limited basis. Special shoes have been purchased for lepers with ulcerated feet.  Thousands of books have been translated to assist in the ever growing discipleship outreach of E-Squared (Evangelism and Edification/Disciples).  Sharon India Foundation has no administrative costs and 100% of all donations go directly to the Indian pastors and their ministries. (Let’s reach India and beyond for Christ…see how you can help: https://sharonindia.org.)