The PET Scan "lit up" in the words of my urologist. So now I have to have a prostate biopsy. I request prayer that there is no malignancies, nor any further irregularities. The Lord has called me to start a Christian school, so I am asking for prayer that I will be granted grace to complete this assignment.

....let us pray and stand with the people of Nepal at this crucial hour.

What does this mean to you

to me, it’s telling me that God has given us peace we may have struggles within life, but God helps us to get over those troubles because he loves us

Never forget that Jesus loves you

Seek God's Direction Before the Battle

Scripture

Judges 20:18 (NKJV)

So the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin? The LORD said, Judah first!

Obedience Is More Than Asking God for Direction

Judges 20 records Israel's response to the horrific events of Judges 19. The nation gathered together in unity to confront the tribe of Benjamin because of the wickedness committed in Gibeah. Their desire for justice was right, but the chapter reveals that even a righteous cause must be pursued with humble dependence upon God.

Before going to battle, the people sought the Lord and asked which tribe should lead the attack. God answered their question, and Judah went first. Yet despite seeking God's direction, Israel suffered a devastating defeat. They returned to the Lord weeping and inquiring again, and once more God instructed them to fight. Again they experienced heavy losses.

Only after they humbled themselves through fasting, worship, sacrifices, and sincere dependence upon the Lord did God give them complete victory over Benjamin.

This chapter teaches an important spiritual lesson. It is possible to ask God for guidance while still relying upon our own strength. Israel initially wanted God's direction, but they had not yet reached the place of complete surrender. As the battle continued, their confidence shifted from their own military strength to total dependence upon God.

Believers often make the same mistake. We ask God to bless our plans while still trusting in our own wisdom, abilities, or resources. God desires more than our questions; He desires our hearts. True faith is not simply asking God what to do but trusting Him completely as we obey Him.

Judges 20 also reminds us that God's timing and methods are sometimes different from our expectations. Temporary setbacks do not always mean we are outside God's will. Sometimes God uses difficulty to deepen our dependence upon Him and to teach us humility before He grants victory.

The Lord desires His people to seek Him with sincerity, worship Him with humility, and trust Him completely. Victory belongs to those who rely on His strength rather than their own.

Reflection Questions

1. Am I seeking God's direction while still depending on my own strength?

2. How do I respond when God allows temporary setbacks in my life?

3. What area of my life needs greater surrender and trust in the Lord today?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, teach me to depend completely on You. Help me not only to seek Your guidance but also to trust Your timing, Your wisdom, and Your strength. When I face challenges or disappointments, keep me from becoming discouraged. Instead, draw me closer to You and deepen my faith. May my confidence always rest in Your power and not in my own abilities. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God’s mercies are new every morning.

#NewBeginnings #GodsMercy #FreshStart #NeverGiveUp #PrayAndBeginAgain #FaithJourney #LordsbookApp

Verse for Thursday, August 27
Zechariah 2:11
11 “Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

PROVERB OF THE DAY

(Proverbs 27)

1. Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

2. Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.

3. A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

4. Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent,
But who is able to stand before jealousy?

5. Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.

6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

7. A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8. Like a bird that wanders from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his place.

9. Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

10. Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may answer him who reproaches me.

12A prudent man
foresees evil and hides himself;.
The simple pass on and are punished.

13. Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.

14. He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It will be counted a curse to him.

15. A continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;

16. Whoever restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

17. As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

18. Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.

19. As in water face reflects face,
So a man’s heart reveals the man.

20. Hell and Destruction are never full;
So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21. The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And a man is valued by what others say of him.

22. Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

23. Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;

24. For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

25. When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,

26. The lambs will provide your clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;

27. You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.

IF YOU HAVE JESUS, YOU HAVE LIFE

”And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (1 John 5:11).”

Christianity is the unveiling of a present reality: Christ in you; His life, glory, righteousness, wisdom, dominion and grace unveiled and revealed in and through you. This is real. Christianity isn’t a religion. It’s the very life and nature of God imparted to you in Christ and lived through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This life isn’t something you’re going to get when you get to heaven. The Apostle John states it as a present truth in our opening scripture: “...God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Then he continues in the 12th verse, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” This is absolute.

You can’t have eternal life any other way. If you have Jesus, you have it. Read His words in John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” He had said earlier in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Then He made a most profound declaration in the 26th verse, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” This helps to understand why Jesus is, Himself, eternal life and the only One who can give it: _*“…we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

Remember His words in John 14:6, _*“…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Being born again, you’ve come to the Father through Jesus Christ and have received His life. Therefore, be ever conscious of His divine life in you (1 John 5:13). Let it go beyond doctrine to consciousness and experience. Eternal life is what makes you superior to Satan and the limitations of this world. It’s why you have the capacity to live above sin, sickness and death, and live from God instead of trying to reach Him.

FURTHER STUDY:

1 John 5:11-13 (KJV) ”And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Colossians 1:26-27 (NIV) ”the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

1 John 5:20 (NIV) ”We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

GOOD PEOPLE ARE DOING GREAT THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
They're feeding people who are hungry. 
They're helping families in crisis. 
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They're supporting churches and community programs. 
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But every one of these organizations needs something:
FUNDING.
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Imagine if everyday purchases could help:
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