By Whose Authority?

Daily Devotional

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Day 9/7 – Capricious Authority

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Christ the Center  – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”    2 Corinthians 5:17

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing” Martin Luther

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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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Capricious Authority

Day Two Hundred Fifty

“If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.”  Ecclesiastes 10:4

God does not promise you that the authority He will place over your life will be good.  Sometimes He puts you under the authority of rash people who are capricious in their behavior.  When that happens, you must avoid two things: First, don’t become the slave of authority.  You are solely the slave of God. Observe, inquire, and form opinions, but remember that you belong to Christ. Second, don’t despise your authority or rebel against the “system;” it is God­ ordained.  “There is no power but of God.  The powers that be are ordained by God.”332

Wardlaw said, “The weak reed, by bending in a rough wind receives no hurt, while the sturdy oak is torn up by its roots.”  When authority is brash and unreasonable,  don’t resist it.  Keep your mouth closed and God will quiet him down.  “The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.” 333 Solomon continues by suggesting that a wise person maintains objectivity and observes what is happening.   It is difficult to place things in perspective during such times. Wisdom sees things as they are and responds properly rather than reacting.

Maintaining power over your spirit is a higher virtue than proving that you are right.  You can only do this by remembering that God placed the authority over you and will not allow him to harm you.

332  Romans 13:1

333  Exodus 14:14

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Proverbs 1-2 1 Corinthians 16 (New King James Version)

Proverbs 1-2

The Beginning of Knowledge

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2 

To know wisdom and instruction,

To [a]perceive the words of understanding,

3 

To receive the instruction of wisdom,

Justice, judgment, and equity;

4 

To give prudence to the simple,

To the young man knowledge and discretion—

5 

A wise manwill hear and increase learning,

And a man of understanding will [b]attain wise counsel,

6 

To understand a proverb and an enigma,

The words of the wise and their riddles.

7 

The fear of the Lord isthe beginning of knowledge,

Butfools despise wisdom and instruction.

Shun Evil Counsel

8 

My son, hear the instruction of your father,

And do not forsake the law of your mother;

9 

For they will bea graceful ornament on your head,

And chains about your neck.

10 

My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not consent.

11 

If they say, “Come with us,

Let us lie in wait to shedblood;

Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

12 

Let us swallow them alive like [c]Sheol,

And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;

13 

We shall find all kindsof precious [d]possessions,

We shall fill our houses with [e]spoil;

14 

Cast in your lot among us,

Let us all have one purse”—

15 

My son, do not walk in the way with them,

Keep your foot from their path;

16 

For their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed blood.

17 

Surely, in [f]vain the net is spread

In the sight of any [g]bird;

18 

But they lie in wait for their ownblood,

They lurk secretly for their ownlives.

19 

So arethe ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

20 

Wisdom calls aloud [h]outside;

She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 

She cries out in the [i]chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words:

22 

“How long, you [j]simple ones, will you love [k]simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

23 

Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 

Because I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 

Because you disdained all my counsel,

And would have none of my rebuke,

26 

I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

27 

When your terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 

Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30 

They would have none of my counsel

Anddespised my every rebuke.

31 

Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 

For the [l]turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 

But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,

And will be [m]secure, without fear of evil.”

The Value of Wisdom

2 

My son, if you receive my words,

And treasure my commands within you,

2 

So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

Andapply your heart to understanding;

3 

Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

Andlift up your voice for understanding,

4 

If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as forhidden treasures;

5 

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,

And find the knowledge of God.

6 

For the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth comeknowledge and understanding;

7 

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He isa shield to those who walk uprightly;

8 

He guards the paths of justice,

And preserves the way of His saints.

9 

Then you will understand righteousness and justice,

Equity andevery good path.

10 

When wisdom enters your heart,

And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 

Discretion will preserve you;

Understanding will keep you,

12 

To deliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks perverse things,

13 

From those who leave the paths of uprightness

To walk in the ways of darkness;

14 

Who rejoice in doing evil,

Anddelight in the perversity of the wicked;

15 

Whose ways arecrooked,

And who aredevious in their paths;

16 

To deliver you from the immoral woman,

From the seductress whoflatters with her words,

17 

Who forsakes the companion of her youth,

And forgets the covenant of her God.

18 

For her house [n]leads down to death,

And her paths to the dead;

19 

None who go to her return,

Nor do they [o]regain the paths of life—

20 

So you may walk in the way of goodness,

And keep tothe paths of righteousness.

21 

For the upright will dwell in the land,

And the blameless will remain in it;

22 

But the wicked will be [p]cut off from the [q]earth,

And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Footnotes:

  • Proverbs 1:2 understandor discern
  • Proverbs 1:5 acquire
  • Proverbs 1:12 Or the grave
  • Proverbs 1:13 Lit. wealth
  • Proverbs 1:13 plunder
  • Proverbs 1:17 futility
  • Proverbs 1:17 Lit. lord of the wing
  • Proverbs 1:20 in the street
  • Proverbs 1:21 LXX, Syr., Tg. top of the walls;Vg. the head of multitudes
  • Proverbs 1:22 naive
  • Proverbs 1:22 naivete
  • Proverbs 1:32 waywardness
  • Proverbs 1:33 at ease
  • Proverbs 2:18 sinks
  • Proverbs 2:19 Lit. reach
  • Proverbs 2:22 destroyed
  • Proverbs 2:22 land

1 Corinthians 16

Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first dayof the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by yourletters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. 4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans

5 Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). 6 And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.

8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there aremany adversaries.

10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do.11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

12 Now concerning ourbrother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

Final Exhortations

13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all thatyou dobe done with love.

15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and thatthey have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints— 16 that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.

17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.

Greetings and a Solemn Farewell

19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be [a]accursed. O[b] Lord, come!

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ bewith you. 24 My love bewith you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Footnotes:

  • 1 Corinthians 16:22 Gr. anathema
  • 1 Corinthians 16:22 Aram. Marana tha;possibly Maran atha, Our Lord has come

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PRAYER REQUESTS 

Please Pray for those people caught in the path of the Hurricane Dorian. 

Please pray for Lisa Greene who is having both her hips replaced… Pray for her surgeon and her quickly for coverage and that God will be seen in her.  

Please Pray for Jerome Hugo’s mother, Vicki, who collapsed recently.

Please Pray for Brother Lance going through perilous times. Pray he would let God’s strength and peace show through Lance’s weakness and his testimony be a Blessing to many. 

Please Pray for our unSaved family members and those around us that we have relationships with.  Or, is that you? … Have questions &/or need Prayer?… If yes, please reply or call (702) 592-4098. 

Please Pray for family members and those relationships around you who say they are Saved, but their lives don’t show it. And, if that’s happens to be you, the Holy Spirit can change you into a New Creation, Christ in you… but, you must totally surrender everything to Him. (As long as you think you can do it on your own, He’ll let you; and, you will fail.) … Have questions &/or need Prayer?… If yes, please reply or call (702) 592-4098. 

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 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. Update: He hadhas a blood clot in his leg removed.  Pray for God’s Healing and undeniable Touch on Mark’s life.  

Please continue to keep Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico in our Prayers. This Sister and her family, in a short time period, have been hit with a more tragedies (persecutions) than most of us have in our entire life time…  the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children. And, 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. 

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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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.)

Please continue to Pray for Brother David Porter’s friend’s son, Giovanni (18yrs old). 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 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.  Please Pray Frank will be bold in his sharing Christ in 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  … 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 continue to assist in saving babies’ lives. 

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.

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 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.)

Day 8/19 – An Illustration of Grace

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His Light in you  – Mathew 5:16  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Mathew 5:16

“You will carry into eternity the product of your investment in this life. Life is too short and the stakes too high to live mediocre lives.”  Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”

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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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An Illustration of Grace

Day Two Hundred Thirty-one

“The Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry, for the land commits great harlotry by forsaking the Lord.”‘ Hosea 1:2

God commanded His prophet Hosea to enter into a marriage with Gomer that was not only dishonoring to the husband, but was against custom, legal sense, and reason.  He woos to himself a worthless woman and yokes himself to her in a nonsensical marriage.  God uses this marriage to depict to the nation of Israel how He views His relationship with her.  Israel, the whore, lusts after other gods and sells herself to a never-ending  string of lovers.  Still God elects Israel to be His bride, the object of His affection.  No reason for such love can be given other than to say that it serves His purpose.  Grace has no rationale.

Among people love is awakened by something in the beloved that is attractive.  A helpless, cooing child evokes the desire to reach out and take the little one in your arms.  Nothing in people evokes such a response from God.  Objectively, we merit only condemnation and banishment from His presence.  Notice God’s commitment to His faithless wife Israel.  “And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.” 305  In her wretched, miserable plight, God takes her under His legal protection forever.  This Divine initiative the Bible calls grace.

Gomer did not warrant Hosea’s commitment to her.  Israel did not warrant God’s commitment to her.  You do not warrant God’s commitment to you.  You are the object of God’s grace.

305  Hosea 2:19-20

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Psalm 103-104 1 Corinthians 2 (New King James Version)

Psalm 103-104

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies

A Psalmof David.

103 

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, blessHis holy name!

2 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So thatyour youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 

The Lord executes righteousness

And justice for all who are oppressed.

7 

He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the children of Israel.

8 

The Lord ismerciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

9 

He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His angerforever.

10 

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

Sogreat is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

12 

As far as the east is from the west,

Sofar has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 

As a father pities hischildren,

Sothe Lord pities those who fear Him.

14 

For He [a]knows our frame;

He remembers that we aredust.

15 

As forman, his days arelike grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16 

For the wind passes over it, and it is [b]gone,

And its place remembers it no more.

17 

But the mercy of the Lord isfrom everlasting to everlasting

On those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children,

18 

To such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 

The Lord has established His throne in heaven,

And His kingdom rules over all.

20 

Bless the Lord, you His angels,

Who excel in strength, who do His word,

Heeding the voice of His word.

21 

Bless the Lord, all youHis hosts,

You[c]ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

22 

Bless the Lord, all His works,

In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Praise to the Sovereign Lord for His Creation and Providence

104 

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, You are very great:

You are clothed with honor and majesty,

2 

Who cover Yourselfwith light as witha garment,

Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

3 

He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,

Who makes the clouds His chariot,

Who walks on the wings of the wind,

4 

Who makes His angels spirits,

His [d]ministers a flame of fire.

5 

You who[e]laid the foundations of the earth,

So thatit should not be moved forever,

6 

You covered it with the deep as witha garment;

The waters stood above the mountains.

7 

At Your rebuke they fled;

At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.

8 

[f]They went up over the mountains;

They went down into the valleys,

To the place which You founded for them.

9 

You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,

That they may not return to cover the earth.

10 

He sends the springs into the valleys;

They flow among the hills.

11 

They give drink to every beast of the field;

The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 

By them the birds of the heavens have their home;

They sing among the branches.

13 

He waters the hills from His upper chambers;

The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

14 

He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,

And vegetation for the service of man,

That he may bring forth food from the earth,

15 

And wine thatmakes glad the heart of man,

Oil to make hisface shine,

And bread whichstrengthens man’s heart.

16 

The trees of the Lord are full of sap,

The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

17 

Where the birds make their nests;

The stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 

The high hills arefor the wild goats;

The cliffs are a refuge for the rock[g] badgers.

19 

He appointed the moon for seasons;

The sun knows its going down.

20 

You make darkness, and it is night,

In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 

The young lions roar after their prey,

And seek their food from God.

22 

Whenthe sun rises, they gather together

And lie down in their dens.

23 

Man goes out to his work

And to his labor until the evening.

24 

O Lord, how manifold are Your works!

In wisdom You have made them all.

The earth is full of Your possessions—

25 

This great and wide sea,

In which areinnumerable teeming things,

Living things both small and great.

26 

There the ships sail about;

There isthat Leviathan[h]

Which You have [i]made to play there.

27 

These all wait for You,

That You may give themtheir food in due season.

28 

WhatYou give them they gather in;

You open Your hand, they are filled with good.

29 

You hide Your face, they are troubled;

You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

30 

You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;

And You renew the face of the earth.

31 

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

May the Lord rejoice in His works.

32 

He looks on the earth, and it trembles;

He touches the hills, and they smoke.

33 

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 

May my meditation be sweet to Him;

I will be glad in the Lord.

35 

May sinners be consumed from the earth,

And the wicked be no more.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

[j]Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

  • Psalm 103:14 Understands our constitution
  • Psalm 103:16 not
  • Psalm 103:21 servants
  • Psalm 104:4 servants
  • Psalm 104:5 Lit. founded the earth upon her bases
  • Psalm 104:8 Or The mountains rose up; The valleys sank down
  • Psalm 104:18 rock hyraxes
  • Psalm 104:26 A large sea creature of unknown identity
  • Psalm 104:26 Lit. formed
  • Psalm 104:35 Heb. Hallelujah

1 Corinthians 2

Christ Crucified

2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the [a]testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching werenot with persuasive words of [b]human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Spiritual Wisdom

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdomwhich God [c]ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed themto us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the [d]Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightlyjudged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes:

  • 1 Corinthians 2:1 NU mystery
  • 1 Corinthians 2:4 NU omits human
  • 1 Corinthians 2:7 predetermined
  • 1 Corinthians 2:13 NU omits Holy

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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 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. 

+++

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.)

Day 7/26 – The Quest for Autonomy

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Be Steadfast  – Hebrews 12:3 (ESV)  “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”  Hebrews 12:3 

“According to the eternal economics of Scripture, when you give you gain.”    Walter A. Henrichsen (“Walt”)

——://///

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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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The Quest for Autonomy

Day Two Hundred Seven

“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”‘ Genesis 3:4-5

When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in a perfect environment; no sin, pollution, opposition, and no prohibitions- with the exception of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Genesis records no other command given to our first parents.  This tree with the prohibited food did not give them the ability to know right from wrong.  If that were the case, you could not declare them culpable, for how can you charge someone with wrong when they don’t understand right from wrong?  The issue of the tree was who gets to determine what is good and evil; what is in my best interest and what is not?

This issue focused man’s struggle with God. Satan said that if they were able to decide what was good and evil for themselves they would be “like God.”  You can see why taking of the fruit was such a temptation.  Note that Adam and Eve’s thirst for autonomy came before the Fall; it brought about the Fall.  God created them with a desire to be autonomous, and then asked that they limit this appetite by allowing God alone to determine what was and was not in their interest.  This same struggle remains with us today.

The Serpent’s thesis was that God does not need to be taken seriously; obedience in faith is characterized as hopeless stupidity.  This fuels your appetite for autonomy: the need to exercise understanding rather than submit to what God says.  The statement, “I want to be like God,” can be the most holy and noble of ambitions, or it can be the most sinful, depending on what you mean by it.

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Psalm 40-42 Acts 27:1-26 (New King James Version)

Psalm 40-42

Faith Persevering in Trial

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

40 

I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

2 

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

Andestablished my steps.

3 

He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see itand fear,

And will trust in the Lord.

4 

Blessed isthat man who makes the Lord his trust,

And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 

Many, O Lord my God, areYour wonderful works

WhichYou have done;

And Your thoughts toward us

Cannot be recounted to You in order;

IfI would declare and speak of them,

They are more than can be numbered.

6 

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;

My ears You have opened.

Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

7 

Then I said, “Behold, I come;

In the scroll of the book it iswritten of me.

8 

I delight to do Your will, O my God,

And Your law iswithin my heart.”

9 

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness

In the great assembly;

Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,

O Lord, You Yourself know.

10 

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;

I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;

I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth

From the great assembly.

11 

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;

Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

12 

For innumerable evils have surrounded me;

My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;

They are more than the hairs of my head;

Therefore my heart fails me.

13 

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;

O Lord, make haste to help me!

14 

Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion

Who seek to destroy my [a]life;

Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor

Who wish me evil.

15 

Let them be confounded because of their shame,

Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

16 

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

Let such as love Your salvation say continually,

“The Lord be magnified!”

17 

But I ampoor and needy;

Yetthe Lord thinks upon me.

You aremy help and my deliverer;

Do not delay, O my God.

The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 

Blessed ishe who considers the [b]poor;

The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

2 

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,

Andhe will be blessed on the earth;

You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

3 

The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;

You will [c]sustain him on his sickbed.

4 

I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;

Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

5 

My enemies speak evil of me:

“When will he die, and his name perish?”

6 

And if he comes to see me,he speaks [d]lies;

His heart gathers iniquity to itself;

Whenhe goes out, he tells it.

7 

All who hate me whisper together against me;

Against me they [e]devise my hurt.

8 

“An[f] evil disease,” they say,“clings to him.

And nowthat he lies down, he will rise up no more.”

9 

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,

Who ate my bread,

Has [g]lifted up hisheel against me.

10 

But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,

That I may repay them.

11 

By this I know that You are well pleased with me,

Because my enemy does not triumph over me.

12 

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,

And set me before Your face forever.

13 

Blessed bethe Lord God of Israel

From everlasting to everlasting!

Amen and Amen.

BOOK TWO

Psalms 42–72

Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses

To the Chief Musician. A [h]Contemplation of the sons of Korah.

42 

As the deer [i]pants for the water brooks,

So pants my soul for You, O God.

2 

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and [j]appear before God?

3 

My tears have been my food day and night,

While they continually say to me,

“Where isyour God?”

4 

When I remember these things,

I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go with the multitude;

I went with them to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and praise,

With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

5 

Why are you [k]cast down, O my soul?

And whyare you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him

[l]Forthe help of His countenance.

6 

[m]O my God, my soul is cast down within me;

Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,

And from the heights of Hermon,

From [n]the Hill Mizar.

7 

Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;

All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

8 

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall bewith me—

A prayer to the God of my life.

9 

I will say to God my Rock,

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 

Aswith a [o]breaking of my bones,

My enemies [p]reproach me,

While they say to me all day long,

“Where isyour God?”

11 

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God;

For I shall yet praise Him,

The [q]help of my countenance and my God.

Footnotes:

  • Psalm 40:14 Lit. soul
  • Psalm 41:1 helplessor powerless
  • Psalm 41:3 restore
  • Psalm 41:6 empty words
  • Psalm 41:7 plot
  • Psalm 41:8 Lit. A thing of Belial
  • Psalm 41:9 Acted as a traitor
  • Psalm 42:1 Heb. Maschil
  • Psalm 42:1 Lit. longs for
  • Psalm 42:2 So with MT, Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Tg. I see the face of God
  • Psalm 42:5 Lit. bowed down
  • Psalm 42:5 So with MT, Tg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg. The help of my countenance, my God
  • Psalm 42:6 So with MT, Tg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg. put my Godat the end of v. 5
  • Psalm 42:6 Or Mount
  • Psalm 42:10 Lit. shattering
  • Psalm 42:10 revile
  • Psalm 42:11 Lit. salvation

Acts 27:1-26

The Voyage to Rome Begins

27 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to onenamed Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. 2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. 3 And the next daywe landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave himliberty to go to his friends and receive care. 4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter ofCyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a cityof Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.

7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter ofCrete off Salmone. 8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city ofLasea.

Paul’s Warning Ignored

9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because [a]the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.” 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, andwinter there.

In the Tempest

13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained theirdesire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. 14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called [b]Euroclydon. 15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her[c]drive. 16 And running under the shelter ofan island called [d]Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the [e]Syrtis Sands,they struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next daythey lightened the ship. 19 On the third daywe threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us,all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And now I urge you to take [f]heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.”

Footnotes:

  • Acts 27:9 The Day of Atonement, late September or early October
  • Acts 27:14 A southeast wind that stirs up broad waves; NU Euraquilon,a northeaster
  • Acts 27:15 be driven
  • Acts 27:16 NU Cauda
  • Acts 27:17 M Syrtes
  • Acts 27:22 courage

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PRAYER REQUESTS 

Please Pray for Geo, a banker, who was deployed by the military to the mid-east. 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. 

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 Pray for my daughter, Jonna, and 6 of our grandchildren … We are spending the week with them in SD, CA and doing a mini vacation Bible school and sharing Jesus with them. Please Pray The Holy Spirit would guide each one of them to His Loving Salvation.  

Praise Report: Sister Diane’s grandson, Logan, had eye surgery and is full of giggles and smiles. As they will not know the results from the surgery for some time, please continue to Pray for Logan. 

Please continue to Pray for Lidia’s husband, Carlos, who needs heart surgery, but has been in the hospital for over a week now with pneumonia. 

Please Pray for Brother Walt’s son, Elijah, Emilia, Elijah’s girl friend, and their new baby. Pray that Walt be reunited with his son and family. 

Please Pray for Brother John LaPorte’s friend and Sister in the Lord, Rachael, who has received her counceling degree  and is looking for a job. Pray she uses the Bible as her only counceling Guide to lead her clients to the Lord. 

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

Please continue to Pray for Brother Mark P, a missionary in the Philippines. He said they have an issue with a senior leader who was living another life unknown to them, in deep sin. This leader was second under Mark over the entire ministry.  Mark asks for Prayer, specifically, in 2 areas:

  1 – That Marks keeps his own heart and hands Holy; and 

  2 – … that this individual needs to Repent. 

I would like to add to Mark’s Prayer Request… we need to Pray

for Mark, Mark’s wife, this individual and for all that are touched by him. … And Note: We can only look to One Perfect Example in our lives… Jesus. (People will let us down, but He will never let us down.) And, from God’s Word, we read and need to mediate on:

  Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

  Romans 3:10 – As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

  James 4:11-12 – Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.   …

  Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

  Colossians 3:12-14 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, Holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;   …

  James 1:19-20 – Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:   …

  Luke 6:31 – And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

  Romans 2:1-4 – Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.   …

  Ephesians 4:26 – Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

  Romans 2:6-8 – Who will render to every man according to his deeds: …

  Mark 11:25 – And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

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 and stayed single all this time. Within the recent past, it appears his wife, Arlene, has been Saved and the couple are beginning the 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 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 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 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. 

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 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 Jim Nelson and family ministering in China. 

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 Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico. And, please continue to Pray for her church caught up in the tragedies surrounding the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children.

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.  10 WAYS TO PRAY FOR OUR PERSECUTED CHRISTIAN FAMILY.. Pray our brothers and sisters will:

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5) 

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3) 

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17) 

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3) 

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29) 

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29) 

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25) 

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41) 

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44) 

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

+++

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.)

Day 5/11 – Controlling The Work Of God

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Serve Others  – 2 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV)  “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”  2 Corinthians 4:5

“Much of the modern church is ashamed to mention such countercultural topics as the differing roles of the sexes, disciplining wayward believers for disobedience, and extramarital sex or homosexuality being sins. Yet the Scripture unequivocally teaches these doctrines, and our shame of God’s Word effectively neuters our ministry from the world.”  from “The Discipline of Delusion: How Secular Ideas Became the New Idolatry” by Jerry Bangert

BONUS – 50 Plus of Best of David Wilkerson (short audios): https://lylebrennan.com/2019/05/09/a-gift-50-plus-of-best-of-david-wilkerson-short-audios/

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A history of these Daily Devotions can be found at: lylebrennan.com. 

This email contains, sequentially: Memory Verse (above), 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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Controlling The Work Of God

Day One Hundred Thirty-one

“The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

How do you control the wind?  Jesus says that the work of the Holy Spirit is analogous to the wind; you hear and see its effects, but cannot tell its origin or destination.

How often you would like to reach inside another and alter their perception of reality.  You say to yourself, ‘Why can they not understand this simple message of redemption?”  But they cannot, and you cannot force it.  Unless the ‘Wind” has His way, they remain blind and dead in their sin.

Man is never more insecure than when he cannot create, measure, and control. The work of man can be created, measured, and controlled, but the work of God cannot.  If you try you will inevitably become abusive in your interpersonal relationships, trying to force people into meeting your expectations so that you can accomplish your objectives.  The work of God requires a walk of faith. When you apply the template of your business on your church, calling your pastor to the same business techniques you use in the marketplace, you pressure him into trying to do the impossible.  The cause of Christ is best served when you allow God to create, measure, and control, and you give yourself, by faith, to the task of investing in the lives of others.  Let God do with your investment what He wants.

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2 Kings 13-14 John 2 (New King James Version)

2 Kings 13-14

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

13 In the twenty-third year of Joash[a] the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reignedseventeen years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not [b]depart from them.

3 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all theirdays. 4 So Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. 6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, butwalked in them; and the [c]wooden image also remained in Samaria. 7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz [d]rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then [e]Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, [f]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reignedsixteen years. 11 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, butwalked in them.

12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13 So Joash rested[g] with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it,and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it.Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them.And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it!But now you will strike Syria onlythree times.”

20 Then Elisha [h]died, and they buried him. And the raidingbands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. 21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders;and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Israel Recaptures Cities from Syria

22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

24 Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. 25 And [i]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

14 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what wasright in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. 4 However the [j]high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5 Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 6 But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lord commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.”

7 He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took [k]Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to [l]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that wasin Lebanon sent to the cedar that wasin Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that wasin Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has [m]lifted you up. Glory in that,and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongsto Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. 13 Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—[n]four hundred cubits. 14 And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did—his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah—arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16 So Jehoash [o]rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 19 And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah,[p] who wassixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath[q] and restored it to Judah, after [r]the king rested with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reignedforty-one years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25 He restored the [s]territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the[t] Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who wasfrom Gath Hepher. 26 For the Lord saw thatthe affliction of Israel wasvery bitter; and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. 27 And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, what had belongedto Judah—arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29 So Jeroboam [u]rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes:

  • 2 Kings 13:1 Jehoash,2 Kin. 12:1–18
  • 2 Kings 13:2 Lit. turn
  • 2 Kings 13:6 Heb. Asherah,a Canaanite goddess
  • 2 Kings 13:9 Died and joined his ancestors
  • 2 Kings 13:9 Or Jehoash
  • 2 Kings 13:10 Joash,v. 9
  • 2 Kings 13:13 Died and joined his ancestors
  • 2 Kings 13:20 Having prophesied at least 55 years
  • 2 Kings 13:25 Joash,vv. 12–14, 25
  • 2 Kings 14:4 Places for pagan worship
  • 2 Kings 14:7 Lit. The Rock;the city of Petra
  • 2 Kings 14:8 Joash,2 Kin. 13:9, 12–14, 25; 2 Chr. 25:17ff.
  • 2 Kings 14:10 Made you proud
  • 2 Kings 14:13 About 600 feet
  • 2 Kings 14:16 Died and joined his ancestors
  • 2 Kings 14:21 Uzziah,2 Chr. 26:1ff.; Is. 6:1; etc.
  • 2 Kings 14:22 Heb. Eloth
  • 2 Kings 14:22 Amaziah died and joined his ancestors.
  • 2 Kings 14:25 border
  • 2 Kings 14:25 The Dead Sea
  • 2 Kings 14:29 Died and joined his ancestors

John 2

Water Turned to Wine

2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw someout now, and take itto the master of the feast.” And they took it.9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guestshave well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and [a]manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers [b]doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house [c]has eaten Me up.”

18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this [d]to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

The Discerner of Hearts

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

Footnotes:

  • John 2:11 revealed
  • John 2:14 Lit. sitting
  • John 2:17 NU, M will eat
  • John 2:22 NU, M omit to them

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PRAYER REQUESTS 

Please Pray for Brother K and his family as him and his wife have children from two different marriages including their own. The children are manipulating each other and the parents; and, trying to put a wedge between the him and his wife. 

Please Pray for Sister Anna who is now home in El Salvador taking care of her mother.  

Please 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 Simon, Sister Sonia’s friend, he needs heart and kidney transplant; and, above all needs to receive Jesus.  

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 Jim Nelson and family ministering in China. 

Please continue to Pray for Sister Diana who is witnessing to young persons with confused doctrine.  Pray God would speak through her and provide His Holy Clarity directly these young people. 

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 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 the healing of baby Caden (Kevin Odor’s grandson) – born with Agenesis of the corpus callosum (rare neurological birth defect). 

Please continue to Pray for Sister Fabiola and her children in Mexico. And, please continue to Pray for her church caught up in the tragedies surrounding the murder of her husband, x-husband and one of her children.

Please continue to Pray for the Salvation of Hagen who is HIV positive and is deathly ill. 

We continue to ask for Prayers and Gods Grace and Mercy for Baby Grace and her parents, Lisa and Darren. 

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.  10 WAYS TO PRAY FOR OUR PERSECUTED CHRISTIAN FAMILY.. Pray our brothers and sisters will:

1. Sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5) 

2. Know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3) 

3. Experience God’s comfort (2 Thess. 2:16–17) 

4. See God open doors to evangelism (Col. 4:3) 

5. Boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29) 

6. Mature in their faith (Col. 1:28–29) 

7. Be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23–25) 

8. Remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41) 

9. Forgive and love their persecutors (Matt. 5:44) 

10. Be rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

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

Please continue Pray for our President & government leaders that they will would seek God and Walk in His Ways.    

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 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.)