Pray Network Forum

The Web of Prayer

Phil Miglioratti (MA ’74)

Spring 2001 TEDS Bridge magazine

I think five or six of us showed up that June 1990.

We placed our chairs in a small circle and introduced ourselves: “Hi, I’m Al from Palatine…I’m Joe from Arlington Heights…John from Lake Zurich…Gary from Schaumburg.” They had come to my office to pray, to pray with other pastors.

Even six months prior, only dragging me to pray with other pastors would work.  I thought these meetings were intimidating.

On its tenth anniversary the church I pastor still was hovering around the “100 Barrier,” and the last thing I desired was to put a positive spin on how fulfilling that was.  The church I had left nine years earlier was growing off the charts; for every one person we added, they added 99!  I just did not want to listen to the ministerium wax eloquent about the latest theological fad or nit-pick about another church that didn’t do things exactly right.  Needless to say, my heart needed a spring cleaning.

But spring of 1990 came and with it one of the most exciting times of my spiritual journey. Our church had come into an unexpected time of repentance (we called that morning “Shock Sunday!”). This led to a new awareness and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.  Thanks to my co-pastor I found myself in dialogue with another evangelical pastor; he graciously walked me through some basic steps for keeping the church from flying apart at the seams.  During one of our discussions he mentioned a group of pastors that had gathered for prayer in the past but lately had not made any effort to.

Then it happened.  I asked him for the mailing list.  Pastors from a variety of locations and denominations received a postcard in the mail from some other pastor with an unpronounceable last name and from an unheard, “no-name” church.

That June meeting in 1990 began the Pastors’ Prayer Group, and since then we have met every week for prayer.

The Pastors’ Prayer Group is a strategic component in the exploding global prayer movement.  Alongside Pastors’ Prayer Summits, the National Day of Prayer, Prayerwalks, Prayer Journeys, and a growing list of others, the Pastors’ Prayer Group has a unique contribution to make to the overall refining and restructuring of the church.  They are an invitation to band together with fellow pastors.  So far, nearly 300 Pastors’ Prayer Groups have registered.

This isn’t about becoming prominent in your community, nor is it the latest technique of church growth.  The call to lead or network a Pastors Prayer Group is a call to submission, sacrifice, and service: unreturned phone calls, unanswered letters, under-attended gatherings.  But not these alone.  It also entails overflowing joy and overcoming confidence in the presence of the Lord!

 There was a time when the word “grandparent” evoked images of rocking chairs, gray hair, wrinkles, and big meals. However, things have changed. Recent data indicates about one-third of all adults are grandparents, and their average age is 64, and the average age for becoming a grandparent is around 47. My husband and I became grandparents at 43.

Now, not only has our image of a grandparent become fuzzy, so has the grandparent’s understanding of their role. Messages aimed at a [population with money to spend and time to spare), scream, “Indulge yourself. You’ve earned it, live independently.

God is the Creator and Designer of all. Grandparenting is His idea. He created it, and His Word has much to say about it. Within the pages of the Bible, God defines the role of grandparent and describes how to carry it out. It is here where we find the answers to our confusion and learn what God has to say about grandparenting.

If you want to understand God’s design and yearn to grandparent with a purpose for the glory of God. I invite you to join me in exploring what His Word has to say about the biblical portrait of a goodly grandparent.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his child’s children,  . . . (Proverbs 13:22).

That you may fear the Lord God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long (Deuteronomy 6:2).

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts (Psalm 145:3-4).

Be careful to obey all these words that I command you that is may go well with you and with your children after you forever when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 12:28).

There are many more verses, but I hope these will give you an idea of a biblical design for a grandparent. And how to live out God’s design.

I am praying that God will do a mighty work in the lives of grandchildren all over the world through grandparents committed to His biblical design. I am also praying you will fulfill your assigned role with purpose and pray intentionally for your grandchildren and their parents.

I have used exerts of my friend, Deborah Haddix ‘s book, Biblical Portrait of Grandparenting, Discovering and Living Out God’s Design of our Role. It is available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Biblical-Portrait-Grandparenthood-Discovering-Living-ebook/dp/B07NP7984P/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=deborah+haddix&qid=1590960666&sr=8-8     In fact the Kindle book is free.

I have developed “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for Grandchildren” that many grandparents have found helpful to pray Scripture for their grandchildren. Just by joining the mailing list on the right side of this page, you will receive the blogs about grandparenting and suggestions to pray for your grandchildren.  I will email you a free downloadable copy of Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren” you can print.   

By Lillian Penner, Author of Grandparenting with a Purpose, www.grandparentingwithapurpose.com,pennerlp@gmail.com

God is on the move ...

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2020/june/meet-the-man-proclaiming-jesus-at-the-george-floyd-memorial-site-where-a-supernatural-awakening-has-begun

Ps 24:7-10 BSB

7Lift up your heads, O gates!

Be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of Glory may enter!

8Who is this King of Glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O gates!

Be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of Glory may enter!

10Who is He, this King of Glory?

The LORD of Hosts—

He is the King of Glory.

Please come, Lord of Hosts, King of Glory, Lord Jesus Christ, only Savior of the world.

Rom 8:28, 37-39 BSB

28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose...

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Please work all things together for all who love You and are called according to Your purpose. Let us be more than conquerors through You.

Nothing can separate us from Your love.

Hab 3:17-19 Douay-Rheims Bible

Habakkuk Rejoices

17For the fig tree shall not blossom: and there shall be no spring in the vines. The labour of the olive tree shall fail: and the fields shall yield no food: the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

18But I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus.

19The Lord God is my strength: and He will make my feet like the feet of harts: and He the Conqueror will lead me upon my high places singing psalms.

Even though chaos, violence and tragedy are around us, You are the Conqueror, and our strength, and protection, and we rejoice in You.

Let Your light drive out darkness. Let Your love destroy hate. Let Your will be done on earth as in heaven, Your kingdom come and Your Name glorified.

Your Name Lord Jesus Christ, is the banner over us.

Amen.

WE ARE ALL GULLIBLE AT DIFFERENT POINTS

I have recently been enthralled by some of the writing of Rachel Held Evans. She has written some powerful things illuminated by thrilling stories. It may not surprise you that I do not agree with her in some points. But I do recognize her as a fellow believer in Christ.

In honest disclosure, at the beginning of her book Inspired she gave a long list of theologians who had influenced her thinking. I had only heard of one of them. I looked up each one, but I would not dare describe their positions without having read a single book by those I didn't know. It was interesting to me that her list began with some pretty far out Old Testament scholars, and proceeded to some really sound New Testament scholars climaxing with N.T. Wright whose books I have read and love.

I have read two of Rachel Held Evans's books, Looking For Sunday, and Inspired. Especially in Inspired, Rachel (if you will grant me the privilege of calling her by her given name here) tells marvelous stories. She is one of the best storytellers I have ever read. Her portrayal of the gospel as story is accurate and illuminating. Even when I didn't agree with Rachel's point, I was captivated by her stories. But her main arguments for her doubts were close to tantrums that God did things and others believed things of which she didn't approve. I have to admit that I also hold some of her criticisms. And I recognize that she tried to balance criticism with love. But she presents things like authorship of Leviticus or Colossians as well as statements about the dates of certain books of the Bible as unquestioned facts. She admirably makes fun of her doubts, but I would have been happier had she pointed out that some of the arguments for those things don't make sense. But I come from a different perspective. And I recognize that there are people who have been taught those things and believe them to whom she speaks more clearly than I ever could.

C.S. Lewis often dabbled with things in fiction that he would never have said in nonfiction. He was surrounded by people who were not believers. To them he was pointing out that even if things you believe are true, God is still God.

While Rachel undoubtedly adopted theological, moral and social notions that I believe are wrong and harmful, I believe she was also aware that she addressed a culture that has embraced them.

While I admit that I may be wrong in my convictions, I wish she had more doubts about her doubts.

If Rachel were still with us and writing, she might think my convictions are as gullible as I think her doubts are. From an earthly point of view it is a tragedy that she died so young. But she is in the presence of our Lord. I will be there before long. From the perspective of history and eternity we will all stand before God in the blink of an eye. At that point I doubt if we will care about the answers to these issues. Until then, I will seek to broaden my perspective while writing what I am convinced is true. I do wish I could tell stories as thrilling as she did. I pray that God will improve my ability with everything I write.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/
http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/
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http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

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One of the most courageous actions recorded in Scripture is found as Joseph of Arimathea going to ask for the body of Jesus. It does not take much imagination to understand what Joseph must have been thinking when he considered going to Pilate. He must have known he would lose his place on the Sanhedrin and in society by doing that. He had to have considered the fact that connecting himself to a condemned criminal might cost him his life as well. 

To be honest, I find the lack of courage one of my greatest character flaws. So I am drawn to this event, praying that God will rub some of Joseph’s courage off on me.

Joseph’s act is displayed for us is in Luke 23:50-53

First, Joseph must have carried out this act in Humility.
We might compare his behavior with that of Peter the night before. Peter boasted to the Lord that he was ready to go with him to prison or death. And Peter did show amazing bravado that night. He followed those who arrested Jesus right into the High Priest’s court. Can you imagine doing that? I can’t. He even sat down around a fire with the servants of the High Priest. But Jesus told Simon who he was facing on this night, and who it is that may attack your courage. “Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.” I think it is clear that Joseph did not boast to Caiaphas or Pilate that he was going to do this thing. He just went and asked.

I think he must have acted with Resignation.
Joseph could not have known what consequences he would face by going to Pilate and then going among the soldiers who hung Jesus on the cross. He had to have been willing to face them to have carried this out.

Joseph was motivated some by his Expectation.
The Bible says he was expecting the kingdom of God. I don’t know what Joseph understood of the kingdom of God, but he must have had a sense that God himself was involved in this matter. Luke does not tell us that anyone else helped Joseph take his body down. But John does. Do you know who was with him? It was Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night in John 3. It was Nicodemus whom Jesus told about being born again. It was Nicodemus who may have understood that Jesus was not just of this world.

And I believe he had to have some Conviction.
I don’t know how much Joseph believed then or even later about Jesus. But he had to believe enough to risk his life.

Finally, I think some of Joseph’s courage may have come from Devotion.
I don’t think you can picture that scene without recognizing Joseph’s respect for Jesus. And I suspect it took more than respect for him to go through the ranks to speak to the highest ranking officer in Roman Syria. I believe he likely had a sense that Jesus had come from God. Nicodemus certainly did, as others may have. Nicodemus said, “We know that you are a teacher come from God. For no one could perform these signs if God were not with him.” And I suspect courage born in my heart will come from the realization that God is God, and devotion to Jesus His Son as Lord.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/
http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/
http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/
http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website
http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube
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That is not true. A case in point is found in Matthew 16. When Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus did not just say Peter was right, He said flesh and blood had not shown Peter this. Our Lord’s Father in Heaven revealed it to Peter. Jesus had first asked His disciples who people were saying he was. He then asked who they thought He was. Jesus consistently wanted others to recognize Him. 

In Luke 23:3 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And He answered, “You have said so.” I assume Jesus was referring to something Pilate had said privately to his wife or other confidants. But this is a pattern that applies to us. Whether you serve or reject Him, the day will come when you will confess that He is Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:10,11 that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Here are some important principles that can be drawn from this fact.

Jesus wants everyone to consider who He is.
Have you thought about this question? Have you honestly and openly looked at the New Testament claims about Jesus? Have you considered His character revealed in scripture? Are you aware of the prophecies made about Him from the Old Testament? Have you considered His love and promises to those who come to know Him? Are you aware of the price He paid to forgive your sins?

Jesus wants us to recognize Him.
Your eternal destiny depends on your recognizing Him, surrendering your heart and will to Him, coming to know Him yourself.

Jesus wants us to tell others who He is.
God draws people to Himself, but He usually draws them by His truth from the lips of His followers. He told His followers that we are His witnesses.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/
http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/
http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/
http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website
http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube
https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author's Page
https://www.amazon.com/David-Young/e/B008C7VLAQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

From our colleague at InterVarsity Press

My head is still a bit foggy from the weekend, with news, tweets and headlines ranging from peaceful protests and constructive dialogue to others of rioting, violence and deep misunderstanding. Even our little city in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ran the emotional gamut yesterday with a beautiful, peaceful protest march for understanding during the day and then a complete city lockdown overnight as angry protesters smashed store windows and threw rocks at police officers.

Although I know it’s not true, I often feel helpless. But then I wake up this morning to this job I get to do with IVP, and I see that I can help. I can be a megaphone for parents, teachers, pastors, writers who do have the words to articulate and guide us through these difficult times. I can point you to these wonderful people, their experiences and the words they labored over to put into books. I am humbled to work with them to share their messages of encouragement, understanding and much-needed change. Let me know if I can help connect you with any of these authors for interviews. I am also happy to send digital or hard copies of books to help you and those you interact with make sense of the world around us. And, since this is not an exhaustive list of all the titles that speak to this time, you will also find here a list of books from Bryon Borger. He knows books better than anyone so be sure to also peruse this list of excellent titles from a number of publishers.

From IVP…

Is Christianity the White Man's Religion? How the Bible Is Good News for People of Color by Antipas L. Harris

Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity by David W. Swanson

Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience by Sheila Wise Rowe

Beyond Hashtag Activism: Comprehensive Justice in a Complicated Age by Mae Elise Cannon

Soul Care in African American Practice by Barbara L. Peacock

Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope by Jasmine L. Holmes

The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power by D. L. Mayfield

The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best by Irwyn L. Ince Jr. (August)

The Colors of Culture: The Beauty of Diverse Friendships by MelindaJoy Mingo (September)

Grace and peace,

Krista 

One of the Civil Rights protest slogans is "No Justice No Peace."

That slogan has strong implications. When a peaceful Civil Rights protest is followed by rioting, it makes me wonder, “Has implication turned into action?”  The answer to that question affects my view of race in America.

There is no firm information as to who is responsible for these riots.  I still, in my heart, believe the riots are not caused by the Civil Rights Movement. But my gut is telling me be on guard in personal interracial encounters.

A person “on guard” will, by nature, display micro-aggression, at a minimum. I know this and I try to avoid that aura, but I’m not certain how well I hide my fear.

People of color are always “on guard.”  I understand. But I have to say, I, myself, sometimes feel micro-aggressed during personal interracial encounters.

I pray for those feelings to end for all.

Until a Divine solution on race is recognized by Americans, I have one suggestion.

This suggestion applies only to normal police activities.  In the current racially sensitive environment, have majority minority communities police patrolled only by minority police officers.  This would include ethnic officers, African-American and Latinx, assigned as appropriate, if necessary.  I know this is a racist idea, but in racist-America, at least such police assignments would provide better understanding between the police and the cultures they are serving.  None of the multitude of other racial problems are solved by this suggestion.  Just looking for a place to start.

Have you heard about the new “Revised & Expanded Grandparenting with a Purpose" book? It is filled with effective ways to pray intentionally for your precious grandchildren. An excellent grandparenting book to read while sheltered at home.

In addition to the senior discounts, God has given most of us the special gift of grandparenting when we approach our mid-life season of life. The privilege of being a grandparent frequently is called “the frosting on the cake.” a special time in life.

We are living in challenging times as the world is sinking into spiritual depravity. The media-driven culture is desensitizing our grandchildren and many of their role models are disappointing them. Since our world is in moral and spiritual decline, we are in a battle for the minds and hearts of our dear grandchildren. The enemy is trying to steal their lives and the plans God has for them. In addition to trying to destroy their faith, the enemy is trying to destroy the morals of our country, especially the family unit. It is urgent that we stand in the gap to pray for the spiritual, emotional, and physical protection of our grandchildren and their parents so they do not become victims of our culture.

However, God has given grandparents a sacred trust, an opportunity to imprint a child’s life with God’s faithfulness. Just as Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Israelites, when their lives were threatened, we can stand in the gap for our grandchildren with our example and our prayers. By standing in the gap, reflecting our love for God, we share how He has blessed us as we walk with Him and continue to grow in our relationship with Him.

Dr. Ken Canfield, Founder of the Nat’l Assoc. for Grandparenting and Grands Matter writes, “For any grandparent who hungers for supernatural strength and insight and who labors on behalf of their children and grandchildren, this book is a must-read.”

I invite you to utilize the resources in this book to help you stand in the gap to pray intentionally and deliberately, reflecting the face of God to your grandchildren. I hope and pray this book will challenge you to be your grandchild’s faithful prayer warrior, asking Jesus Christ to do a great work in their lives. The study guides after each chapter make the book an excellent resource for group study.

The earnest prayer of a righteous person (grandparent) has great power

and produces wonderful results.  (James 5:16c NLT)

 This Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren is available for purchase on this website. The retail price is $14.99 but available for a discounted price of $15.00 including shipping. Don’t miss out on this discounted price at this time.

Written by Lillian Penner, author of Grandparenting with a Purpose, pennerlp@gmail.com

,

One of my favorite events in scripture is the night Jacob wrestled with God. I don't believe you find anything like this in any religious teaching other than the Bible. The God who created the universe humbles Himself to wrestle with a man. The story is in Genesis 32.

Jacob feared that he and his family would be attacked by his brother, Esau, and an army of 400 men with him. Jacob sent his family and all his possessions across the Jabbok River to protect them. And left alone, all that night a man wrestled with him. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip and put it out of joint. If he hadn't known before, Jacob now knew who this was. This is not the first time in scripture or even in Jacob's own family, that God appeared to someone as a man. I am convinced that Jacob wrestled with the preincarnate Christ whom The New Testament identifies as the I AM who appeared to Moses at the burning bush. He told Jacob to let go of Him because the night was over. But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Jacob, already crippled so that he would limp for the rest of his days, knew he was now risking his life for the blessing of God. And in blessing him God changed Jacob's name to Israel.

But then we read in verse 29 that Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Why did Jacob ask his name? If he didn't already know whom he was dealing with, he wouldn't have asked Him for a blessing. And we read in verse 30 that Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 

I remember something from my childhood that impressed me deeply. My father, who was usually a very quiet man, talked about an answer to prayer that he thought could never happen. And Dad said, “God had to have done that!” That statement from my father encourages me to this day. Many of you can look back on some time in your life in which you were absolutely certain of God's intervention. Your’s, like my dad’s, may have been an impossible answer to prayer. It may have been a miraculous rescue. You may have trembled at the wonder of the universe. You might have been stunned by the complex language of DNA, or the calculated peregrinations of migratory birds. You could have sensed God’s very presence in a prayer meeting, a worship service, or in your private devotions. And you knew it had to be God. Whatever it was, sometime later you asked if that could really have been God. You may have asked a friend or a mentor their opinion. You may even have asked God, “Was that you God?” even though, somewhere in your mind, you knew it had to have been. While most if not all of us have had experiences like that, we sometimes need to remember that He is just as real when we no longer sense His presence. He is God even when He is not wrestling with you.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/
http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/
http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/
http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website
http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube
https://goo.gl/PyzU

Amazon Author's Page
https://www.amazon.com/David-Young/e/B008C7VLAQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Our children have a great responsibility for parenting our grandchildren in these insecure, unstable times we live in today. Young families are busy with their jobs, church activities, children’s activities, etc. There are many distractions for them in their marriage, employment, and parenting. 

In today’s broken world, Satan’s purpose is to destroy the family. It is important that we pray God will give our children wisdom and time management in their monumental task of guiding our grandchildren in the ways of the Lord.

 Prayer

Dear Lord, first, I want to thank you for the parents of my grandchildren.

Help my children to value their children in the same way You value them.

I pray they will commit to the responsibility You have given

them to teach the children to love You and train them

according to your parenting manual, God’s Word.

Give our children wisdom to manage their time so they will be able

to take the time to teach our grandchildren the ways of the Lord.

Give them wisdom on how to nurture and care for the children.

I pray they will be loving and caring parents.

May the children see their home and family as a “safe place.”

Help them to rule their home well,

not provoking the children to anger.

Help them to be fair and understand the children as You understand us.

Pour out your Spirit upon my children,

as they parent my dear grandchildren.

Bless their homes.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Lillian Penner, Christian Grandparenting Network, Prayer team, pennerlp@gmail.com

PS:  I have developed “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for Grandchildren” that many grandparents have found helpful to pray Scripture for their grandchildren. Just by joining the mailing list on the right side of this page you will receive the blogs about grandparenting and suggestions to pray for your grandchildren.  I will email you a free downloadable copy of “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren” you can print.   

Our children have a great responsibility for parenting our grandchildren in these insecure, unstable times we live in today. Young families are busy with their jobs, church activities, children’s activities, etc. There are many distractions for them in their marriage, employment, and parenting. 

In today’s broken world, Satan’s purpose is to destroy the family. It is important that we pray God will give our children wisdom and time management in their monumental task of guiding our grandchildren in the ways of the Lord.

 Prayer

Dear Lord, first, I want to thank you for the parents of my grandchildren.

Help my children to value their children in the same way You value them.

I pray they will commit to the responsibility You have given

them to teach the children to love You and train them

according to your parenting manual, God’s Word.

Give our children wisdom to manage their time so they will be able

to take the time to teach our grandchildren the ways of the Lord.

Give them wisdom on how to nurture and care for the children.

I pray they will be loving and caring parents.

May the children see their home and family as a “safe place.”

Help them to rule their home well,

not provoking the children to anger.

Help them to be fair and understand the children as You understand us.

Pour out your Spirit upon my children,

as they parent my dear grandchildren.

Bless their homes.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Lillian Penner, Christian Grandparenting Network, Prayer team, pennerlp@gmail.com

PS:  I have developed “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for Grandchildren” that many grandparents have found helpful to pray Scripture for their grandchildren. Just by joining the mailing list on the right side of this page you will receive the blogs about grandparenting and suggestions to pray for your grandchildren.  I will email you a free downloadable copy of “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren” you can print.   

God is at work From Sally McClung's blog https://floydandsally.com/blog/2020/5/22/he-is-at-work

1. The Lord is my strength and my song. Exodus 15:2, Psalm 118:14
2. The Lord is a warrior. Exodus 15:
3. The Lord is greater than all other gods. Exodus 18:11
4. The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. Numbers 14:18
5. The Lord is God—there is no other. Deuteronomy 4:35
6. The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth. Deuteronomy 4:39
7. The Lord is your life. Deuteronomy 30:20
8. The Lord is with you. Judges 6:12
9. The Lord is peace. Judges 6:24
10. The Lord is God who knows… 1 Samuel 2:3
11. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior. 2 Samuel 2:22
12. The Lord is good. 2 Kings 20:19, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 129:4, Psalm 135:3, Psalm 145:9, Jeremiah 33:11
13. The Lord is glorious and strong. 1 Chronicles 16:28
14. The Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
15. The Lord is true wisdom. Job 28:28
16. The Lord is a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9
17. The Lord is King forever and ever. Psalm 10:16
18. The Lord is always with you. Numbers 14:11, Psalm 16:8
19. The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1
20. The Lord is a friend to those who fear Him. Psalm 25:14
21. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Psalm 27:1
22. The Lord is my strength and shield. Psalm 28:7
23. The Lord is trustworthy and true. Psalm 33:4
24. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18
25. The Lord is the King of Glory, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Psalm 24:10
26. The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. Psalm 93:1
27. The Lord is glorious and strong. Psalm 96:7
28. The Lord is compassionate and merciful. Psalm 103:8, Psalm 145:8
29. The Lord is a Father to His children, tender and compassionate. Psalm 103:13
30. The Lord is righteous, good, and kind in everything He does. Psalm 25:8, Psalm 145:17
31. The Lord is close to all who call on Him. Psalm 145:18
32. The Lord is watching everywhere. Psalm 139:1–6, Proverbs 15:3
33. The Lord is a faithful God. Isaiah 30:18
34. For the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. Isaiah 33:22
35. The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. Isaiah 40:28
36. The Lord is the Living God and Everlasting King. Jeremiah 10:10
37. The Lord is my inheritance; I will hope in Him! Lamentations 3:24
38. The Lord is here among us. Micah 3:11
39. The Lord is a jealous God. Nahum 1:2
40. The Lord is slow to anger. Nahum 1:3
41. The Lord is our God. Zechariah 14:1
42. The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Mark 12:29
43. The Lord is risen. Luke 24:34
44. The Lord is the One who judges me. 1 Corinthians 4:4
45. The Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
46. The Lord is coming soon. Philippians 4:5, Jude 1:14
47. The Lord is faithful. 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Corinthians 1:9
48. The Lord is my helper. Hebrews 13:6
49. The Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. James 5:1
50. So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. 

God is love. 1 John 4:16

Any sin is serious. And God's people are not immune to the enemy’s temptations, although we are given armor against them. To some extent, it is not unusual for God’s people to be sucked into whatever sin dominates our culture. But those who desire to be godly will seek deliverance from the sin of the world around us.

The sin that is shaking our country is slander. It is prevalent on Facebook and other social media. It seems to have consumed politics. And yes, it can be found even in God’s church. We are tempted to think that castigating those we disagree with or that we feel are attacking us is the right thing to do. That is an ungodly notion. The Bible clearly condemns slander.

In Mark 7:21,22 Jesus listed slander as one of those things that come from within our hearts and defile us before God.

In Ephesians 4:31 Paul directs us.

This includes all bitterness toward those whose politics, world view, or lifestyle we abhor.

1 Peter 2:1 calls God's people to stop slandering others. 

Like a number of sins, slander defies several of the Ten Commandments. First it breaks the command not to bear false witness. If you say or write something that you have not verified about anyone, a neighbor, a politician or a public figure, you are saying you don’t care as much about the truth as God does. I have heard people defend this by saying, “Well, most of what I said has to be true.” I wish I could say that ruins your whole argument. It certainly does for me. But in this post-truth era, people may not care whether everything you say is true or not. But you can be sure that God is not with you in that tirade.

Slander also breaks the command not to murder. You may be scratching your head at this one. In Matthew 5:22 Jesus said,

Jesus called hatred, murder in your heart. We need to strive not to minimize the seriousness of this evil.

Possibly a little more obscurely, slander challenges the first commandment. God said “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” Pride and hypocrisy are the seeds of slander. The person committing this sin pretends to be better than the person we are slandering. Slander puts into words the worship of your own thinking, your attitudes, your fears, your politics, and even your bitterness.

Some of you are cut to the heart by what I have written. God bless you. Some of you have known all along that hatred of our enemies is not Christ-like. But what are we to do?

First we need to turn to God with a repentant heart. That includes those of you who have not participated in this sin as far as you know. We are all part of the church, and many in the church are guilty of outrageous slander. We must not approach them with an arrogant spirit. Before we say anything to anyone else, we need to pray like Nehemiah and Daniel prayed when they confessed the sins of their people. They had probably never participated in those sins, but they recognized that they were part of the people of God who had sinned.

We are to pray consistently, both for our enemies and for those who would hate and lie about them rather than loving them in the name of Christ. Pray for God to help us love both those who slander and those who are slandered.

And trust that God is sovereign. The saying, United we stand. Divided we fall. Can be traced back to one of Aesop. In a different context, Jesus said, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Although especially in this time of pandemic, I see bright sparks of unity in America, I fear that our nation might not survive the divisiveness in our culture and politics. Trust me, you will not enjoy the destruction this country. And whatever emerges will be worse, maybe worse than anyone could imagine. I am not suggesting that we not disagree with one another. I am crying out to God and to God’s people that we set an example for the rest by not hating or believing the worst about those with whom we disagree. However, even if God’s people seek to be holy in the midst of all this, I am not sure what will happen in our nation as a whole. I am certain that no matter what happens Jesus is Lord, He is coming back, and God is still on the throne. Our security is in Him. Therefore, “love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23)

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Do you remember the cell phone commercial where the guy kept asking, “Can you hear me now?” as he moved from unique location to unique location, attempting to prove that his cell phone company could provide transmission from anywhere? Reminds me of what God may be asking today, although it is not God who is moving, it is we who are on the move. Thanks to COVID-19 regulations, we’ve moved home. We are not in our usual places of work, school, leisure, etc. We’ve even moved from church on Sunday to somewhere in front of a computer, worshipping online. We are a people in transition and God is asking if we can still hear? God’s Old Testament people were in transition – displaced from home – in Babylonian captivity. God was continually trying to communicate with them. It was as if He was asking, “Can you hear me now?” “I have plans for you” God said (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). In the midst of all of today’s transitions, God is asking, can you hear me now? Because I’ve been listening more intently, God’s “plan” for me, in the midst of this transition has become clearer. How about you?

C%C3%B3mo%20pueden%20los%20cristianos%20dar%20una%20respuesta%20a%20la%20crisis%20del%20Coronavirus%20E-book.pdf

Seven%20Changes%20in%20the%20Wake%20of%20the%20Coronavirus.pdf

This White Paper was released early in the first few weeks of the quarantine. It is a call for changes, a view that God is speaking to us, and calling us to change.