PUT IN SOME OVERTIME

Most of us put in the normal time with God. We pray worship study and praise. But do we put in overtime with God. Do we attend Sunday School, Bible Study, and Social and Community Events with our congregation. Do we volunteer for the clothes closet, feeding our community, etc. We all need to put in some overtime with God and like-minded people 🙏.

Our Savior longs to reveal Himself to us as we get to know Him through His word, spend time with Him in prayer, learn to listen to His voice, and enter into times of worship. 

Father, touch our hearts and minds with Your wisdom and knowledge. That fills us with the Holy Spirit that helps us serve You. Let Your Spirit set our atmosphere and guide us through our day. Thank You for the wake-up call, and thank You in advance for the hedge of protection around us today. Thank You, producing ❤️ fruit, understanding, and purpose for our lives. Lord, let Your Word take root in our hearts to give us eyes that see things from Your perspective and ears that hear Your instruction. Father, thank You for understanding our weaknesses and the knowledge of how to implement Your strength to overcome them. Thank You for clearing our names and restoring us to our Father. Thank You for teaching us to breathe when our flesh arouses our emotions 😢 🙏 Thank You for taming our tongues and giving us Your strength to walk away. Thank You, for the Overflow and the knowledge and tools to pass it forward 🙏 Thank You, for the Spiritual soldiers You have surrounded us with, thank You, for covering our children and their children in the Blood of Jesus. Thank You for holding our hands as we walk through this valley of death 🙏 in Jesus' name. Amen

HE IS STILL WITH US

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

God does not take away our pain; He gives us strength to endure it. He does not take away our fears. He gives us the courage to face them. God does not take away our habits or addictions; He provides us with the wisdom and knowledge of how to give them up. God does not change us; He gives us the choice, the strength, and the courage to do it ourselves. Once we choose Him and receive the Holy Spirit, we begin to change, and the more we study, pray, and worship, the closer we become.

Father, we stand before Your throne of grace, thanking You for Your love, guidance, provisions, and protection. Father, let Your wisdom, knowledge, and clarity flow in and through us. Lord, where there is pain, we pray for comfort; where there is fear, we pray for courage; Where there is brokenness, we pray for restoration. Lord, give us understanding so we can implement Your promise in our lives as we stand on and practice what we have learned. Lord, fill us with Your Spirit that empowers us to walk in rightness. Father, right now, we rebuke every generation's curse and every negative word we have spoken over our children, family, friends, enemies, and ourselves by the stripes of Jesus. Lord, You said no weapon formed against us shall not prosper, and we stand on Your word without fear. Father, You said whatever we bind on earth, we bind in heaven, so we bind all unforgiveness, envy, jealousy, addictions, sickness, and depression, and cast them out by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, we declare that all confusion, chaos, and racism be wiped away from our hearts and lives by the strips of Jesus. Lord, we pray for Your divine intervention in our lives; in Jesus' name, Amen.

MAKING THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE

James 4:1-17 What causes quarrels, and what causes fights among you? Is it not this that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have to because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? ...

Studying the Word will teach us that having the best of everything is not as important as making the best of what we already have. Stop wanting what others have and be grateful for what you have. We pray for and focus on the wrong things; we need the Holy Spirit. 

Father, baptize us with the Holy Spirit that opens our hearts and minds to You. Lord, let the Holy Spirit Kindle a fire in us. That gives us a burning desire for Your Word. So we can obtain Your wisdom and the knowledge of how to implement You in our daily lives. Lord, let us not desire things that others have but be grateful for what we've been blessed with. Lord, give us eyes that see things from Your perspective and ears that hear Your instructions. So, Your word will manifest in our lives. Let Your Spirit help us in our weakness and our relationship with You. Lord, speak for us when we know not what to say. Let the Holy Spirit lead us in righteousness and help us serve Your purpose. In Jesus name Amen 🙏 

BECARFUL WHO YOU LET IN YOUR SPACE

2 Timothy 3:6 They are the men/women who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible men/women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires

Paul's description here suggests a con man, swindler, and false teacher and those who reject God in favor of their own preferences. Take time to know people who want to be close to you so you don't get caught in their snares. Whatever we do, include the Spirit because when we walk by the Spirit, we want to gratify the desires of our flesh.

Lord, we want You to be a part of every aspect of our lives, especially when we are weak and confused. Father, give us discernment and patience when we deal with others so we don't get ahead of Your peace and purpose 🙏 because apart from You, we can do nothing. Lord, we understand You are the source of all good things in us. Lord, teach us to walk in the Spirit, not our flesh. Lord, baptize us in the Holy Spirit that empowers us to walk in righteousness and not operate out of selfish ambition, jealousy, Envy, greed, or anger. Father, give us Your strength and courage to deny ourselves and our fleshly desires as we stand on Your word. Lord, help us breathe through our emotions to stay focused on You, rest in You, and trust You with our lives. So, our Fruit will begin to produce our Christ-like character. Lord, as we move forward into our week, help us push away all that is not of You and allow Your love and favor to flow through us.  In Jesus' name, Amen