Scripture – NLT
Ephesians 6:10-20 –
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Daniel 9:21 –
As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice.
Daniel 10:1-14 –
In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.
When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.
On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.
Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Bob’s thoughts:
We like coming here where our grandchildren are comfortable and we get to visit with more of our family. That today was a cookie bake-off competition was an added bonus.
The congregation is being encouraged to go and do simple things for strangers and give them a “Just Because” card. I’m excited to see the feedback.
The question was posed, how do you interact, or maybe more direct, how do you pray? I can’t think of anything I would be happier to see any church being comfortable doing.
If we are honest in appraising our life, Jesus Christ is the greatest thing ever about us, why wouldn’t we want to share? Never miss the opportunity to pray with or over someone. Don’t wait till you know a bunch of big words that God doesn’t want to hear, pray from your heart. No one has ever turned down my offer to pray, including an atheist I knew.
On a recent trip to Walmart, one of my granddaughters joined me when I prayed over an employee fighting cancer. There wasn’t a dry eye anywhere near us. God honored my simple prayer and my friend’s pain was reduced. Look for the people who need you; they are everywhere. God will guide you with what to say and each time it gets easier. My wife and children prayed for me for years before Christ claimed me.
I can’t remember if it was suggested, but pray for those who do you harm. Before Christ claimed me I learned to leave retribution to God, and He has been way more severe than I would have been. Now when I am wronged, I start to pray for them, and they need it.
Whenever we leave, our 14-year-old grandson never fails to give me a kiss and thank me for coming to his church. If you have thanked visitors to your church, you know how easy it is!
Jan’s thoughts:
With the joy of having our grandtwins with us, we took them to their church and enjoyed worshiping with the rest of our family also.
As it turned out, today was Crossroads’ Grand Re-Opening and Cookie Bake-Off, so the excitement level was high. The new parking lot was completed, allowing for more guests and a smoother parking experience.
Inside there was a t-shirt on each chair along with five cards which were explained during the service. And the piece de resistance was the tables lining the walls bearing trays and trays of imaginative varieties of cookies. A delicious time was had by all!
We were pleased to be present for the vows of two new members.
Pastor Mike reviewed the last couple of years, recalling when he challenged the members to engage in community with each other by joining small groups. He said more than 65% of the congregation became part of such a group and the members have grown because of it.
The next challenge was to work toward buying the building they currently occupy, which they are now making their own. This was obviously a significant commitment.
This morning he outlined a new challenge: to look at the needs of those outside their walls. He invited each person to perform one random act of kindness each day in the upcoming week. They were to give the recipients a Just Because card which explained the reason for the kindness was “just because you were created with incredible value and worth.” The card invites recipients to share their story about receiving this kindness at justbecausepgh.com. I’m eagerly waiting to read the heartwarming and inspiring stories I’m sure will be posted there.
The message today was The Weapon of Prayer, part of the series Wait For It about the difficulty of waiting for God to answer our prayers. Pastor Mike acknowledged that “prayer is a weapon in a very real spiritual struggle.” He stated three reasons why God may answer our prayer “no”: 1 – it’s the wrong prayer, i.e., our motives may be selfish or otherwise misguided; 2 – unintended consequences, such as (his example) if a prayer for sunshine every day all summer was granted, we’d have no rain, resulting in a lack of crops, grass, and water, to name a few things; and 3 – Free will is a gift to each person and God honors our choices.
After reading Daniel 10:1-14, the pastor made it clear that some answers can be delayed by spiritual opposition. This is one of those fascinating passages where God pulls back the curtain and allows insight into otherwise unknowable truths.
His advice when waiting in prayer included:
1 – Be persistent as God may be using that time to prepare us and/or our circumstances;
2 – Go on offense, meaning pray for God’s power to do something, not just to prevent something;
3 – Take authority, and pray knowing that, as believers, we have the power of Christ inside us and our prayers matter to the God of the Universe.
I was glad we were there today. In addition to seeing family, I learned to see God more clearly.
Our prayer for this church:
Heavenly Father, we pray You will bless this endeavor by Your church. Guide them in their prayers and bless those who pray and those who are prayed for. Amen.
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