Prayer Forgive Me Father

For the times I took Your Name
in vain. For the lies which erupted
from my lips along with impatience
with family and friends. For the many
indiscretions along the road of life and
times I did not trust Your Word.
For the fear held upon my chest
and intolerance for those not quite
up to my artificial standards. And
yet I know how much You love
me in spite of my shortcomings. The
forgiveness You shine upon my soul
is more than enlightenment. Thank You
Father. Thank You Father. Thank You.

An Analysis of Friendship

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24, NKJV)

"Some people come into your life for a lifetime. Some come for a season."

"I put everybody who comes into my life into the category of a tree."

God will show you, who your true friends are. Many times when your back is against the wall, you realise the people who have always been there, like a silent partner. And sometimes new ones will be sent in line with that prayer you prayed. They'll emerge to calm the storm and they will help you to get back on track.

So don't allow past hurt, bitterness, envy, jealousy, pride or any other of your sinful nature empower you. Your empowerment should come from Christ via the Holy Spirit who feeds you with the 'fruit of the Spirit'. With the fruit of the Spirit operating in and through you, you will see everyone who God places in your life through the eyes of Christ.

Friendship is a gift from God to each of us. Value your friends. Help them to get back on track when they slip up. Be happy for them when things are going great for them, even if your world is turning upside down. Pray for and with them. It is not possible to dislike someone you pray for. When you go to God in prayer for a friend it means you are developing a closer relationship with God. And you cannot go to God in spirit and in truth if you have hatred in your heart.

But most of all go develop your friendship. Friendship needs maintaining for it to develop to a higher level. Don't run at the first sign of disagreement. It's a relationship and you are getting to know each other. Whenever you have a problem with a friend talk to that friend about the problem, don't sweep it under the carpet or run to God. God is not the one you have the problem with to be running to Him, complaining about your friend. The bible tells us to confront the one who wronged us [Luke 17:3-5].

It is evident therefore, that there can be a variety of friends in ones life, at any one time. Some you may refer to as leaves, others branches and also friends like roots. So today, I would like to encourage you to see your friends for who they are, don't try to make leaves into branches, or branches into roots. God designed a tree the way He desired and likewise our circle of friends are in our lives for specific reasons. Find out what you have to offer and take from the friendship what you are meant to receive. When it's time for someone to move on, 'let 'em go', with your blessings; always being mindful of the bigger picture; God's plan for your life. And through it all, know that God is still in control.

The leaves, the branches and the roots all have their purpose in our lives. So we need to be thankful for everyone that comes into our lives, whether they become seasonal or lifetime friends. So let us be a light that shines into the lives of others; knowing that whether their influence are positive or negative, they serve a purpose and there is a lesson for us to learn that will help us to move to the next chapter of our lives.

ATTEND UPON THE LORD WITHOUT DISTRACTION (See I Corinthians 7:35)

why should the work cease whilst I leave it and come down to you? (See Nehemiah 6:3)

I must be about my Father's business? (See Luke 2:49)

The Lord bids us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 Peter 5:8)

The book of Nehemiah relates how Nehemiah committed to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. He secured the aid of others, and they proceeded to be about God's business. The rebuilding project had at least two core foes, Sanballat, and Tobiah. They used various means in their demand to halt the development, and progress of the plan. They laughed at, and mocked Nehemiah, and his men. Lies were told, schemes were hatched, death threats were made, letters were written, lures were
attempted - all this they did in their rabid efforts to stop God's work.

What valuable lessons to be learned from the story of Nehemiah. Unquestionably, he gives an impressive example of attending unto the Lord without distraction. Nehemiah's soul was anchored on what God had commissioned him to do. Though the conflict was fierce, it was no match for the faithful servant of God who relied on sovereign assistance to ace the destined assignment. Nehemiah, the man of God, purposed to dismiss any obstruction opposed to the divine mission. He defeated all that was arranged against it.

What counts as so remarkable in this biblical book is the righteous perseverance of Nehemiah. He sought God's help steadfastly, and continually through supplicant prayer. He refused to allow himself to become distracted, or kept from the completion of the task. Every time the resistance came against the work, Nehemiah had an answer, a strategy, a method to overcome the plans of the enemies. He and his
people would not be deterred. They tenaciously clung to God, and the wall was rebuilt. Wise communion with the Lord enabled them to conquer through natural labor, and the skillful use of spiritual warfare.

The evil sources sought to annihilate instead our Lord rendered to them a crushing defeat. Again, God supplied proof that "I am the Lord." (See Leviticus 19:12)

Sandra Renee Hicks

UNYIELDING HONOR

Weakness invites moral plight, war and aggression
Encouraged by mistrust, misjudgment and delay.
All we love can be destroyed and transformed
By the powers of darkness maneuvering our way.

When something wicked stares us in the face
To corrupt our morals, faith and resolve.
God gives us courage to defend what's right
No matter the sacrifice or danger involved.

Evil seeks to destroy the good in man
And silence the memory of God's law.
It's up to the faithful to stay unyielding
Defending the liberty and justice of all.

Our men and woman who serve in harm's way
Are the armor of what the free world depends on.
Without their sacrifice of body and soul
All that we stand for is gone.

Honor, morality, faith and integrity
Are the glue which holds society in place.
Pornography, hate, jealousy and greed
Cause man to be plagued by disgrace.

Night and day we're informed by headlines
Which seem to give evil added time.
Always at war killing one another
In our world full of violence and crime.

Be thankful for the upright among us
Who desire to obey God's laws.
Repentant when wrong they change their ways
Serving the rest of us despite our flaws.

Honor, morality, faith and integrity
Are what life's heroes are made of.
Defending what's right; confronting what's wrong
Propelled by achievement, and love.

Whom Will You Trust?

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. —Ephesians 2:8

Ayn Rand, an American philosopher who died in 1982, gathered a sizable following who read her books and attended her lectures. An avid individualist, she had this to say: “Now I see the free face of god and I raise this god over all the earth, this god who men have sought since men came into being, the god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. This god, this one word, I.” When asked if she believed in God, she answered, “This god is myself, I.” Egotism—faith in oneself—that’s what this philosopher believed in.

The apostle Paul bore witness to a trust that is exactly the opposite of that misplaced self-confidence. He declared, “[We] worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). He put his trust solely in Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, the true God of love and mercy.

We read in the book of Ephesians, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (2:8).

Are we embracing the philosophy of egotism, which is really a confidence that will prove eternally self-destructive? Or have we, like Paul, embraced the self-sacrificing grace of Jesus Christ? — Vernon C. Grounds

By grace now I’m saved—Hallelujah!
Praise God, and through faith it’s been done;
Naught of myself, but believing
In the finished work of His Son. —Gladwin

We are saved not by what we do but by trusting what Christ has done.