Devotions @ 3 on 9-28-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

Our study in Proverbs continues, right compared to wrong. BUILD IT UP or TEAR IT DOWN! “By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down” (Proverbs 11:11). (The blessing of the upright may refer to their prayers for the community, or to the benefits which their presence and godly influence bring to the city. The deceit, broken promises, fraud, and profanity of the wicked are enough to ruin any local government.) Scripture says, “First of all, then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men; for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Timothy 2:1-4). Paul concluded: prayers for all men is both a privilege and an obligation, for we are debtors to all with the reference to the good news of salvation. In praying for all men, we should be humble, worshipful, trustful, and thankful. A Christian should pray for his government and not engage in a revolution or violence.) We should pray for all men everywhere. Jesus described His followers as: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matthew 5:13). (We should be to the world what salt is in everyday life. Salt seasons food, it hinders the spread of corruption; it creates thirst, it brings out the flavor. Salt acts as a preservative, and makes others long for righteousness. If one fails to exhibit spiritual reality, men will tread his testimony under their feet. The world has only contempt for an undedicated believer.) Be the salt of the earth by living out the terms of discipleship. *****

//Standing Prayer: Always remembering our country, for restoration, our continued peace, and freedom; we ask that You grant wisdom and guidance to those who are in authority, and we pray; and for the protection of our men and women who are on the battlefield, we pray. Lord, heal our land, we pray. There are people in other parts of the world who need protection and relief as they are surrounded by war and poverty; also in need of rescue are Christians who are being persecuted, and we pray.
And so we begin, “Just for Today”: For anyone who feels afraid, we pray.
NOTE** For prayer requests and/or updates, please communicate that information by leaving a note and your email address in the comment section below, OR at the Message Center for Devotions @ 3 which is: https://www.facebook.com/messages/t/KittyeSharron
*>NEW Prayer Requests: *>One in our group asks prayer for the family of a 37 year old drummer from her church who was killed in an auto accident last night. He leaves behind a wife and one child, and it is for them, we pray. *> A dear woman says she is unsure how she will get through the difficult days ahead as she says her final goodbyes to her beloved mother who passed into glory, and we pray.

**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: **Addiction: **<A dear lady asks prayer for herself; she is trying to quit smoking, and we pray. **<A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic and struggling to stay sober, and we pray. **Aging: <A dear lady prays for her daughter-in-law’s aged grandfather who is under Hospice care and not expected to live. Praying, too, for his devoted wife of 60+ years, and we pray. **<Battling Cancer: **>A dear 32 year old, mother of 3, of whom we have prayed for in the past, has battled colon cancer for the last year and received treatments in Mexico. Yesterday she had more scans to determine whether or not there have been any recurrences, and we pray.**<A dear lady prays for her 65 year old neighbor; he has progressive lung cancer, and we pray. **Update:>A dear wife prays for her husband who has a rare appendix cancer, and fluid around the lungs; this dear man is suffering beyond words. He was admitted to the hospital a few days ago to have his lung drained, a very painful procedure, but doctors had a difficult time getting a tube down his throat because of blockage in the GI tract, so he must undergo additional procedures. His pain has worsened; one procedure has been done; but more are being done today; he will have to be put under anesthetic. A gastro decompression tube will be inserted to open the blockage and, hopefully, they will be able to put in a stent, which is designed to provide comfort and give this man some added relief and more time on this earth. A neuro block in the stomach will also be given which is aimed at providing pain relief for this suffering man., and we pray.**>Update: >Continuing to remember a dear man with progressive kidney cancer; his liver enzymes remain high but stable. He is very fatigued and in much pain. His meds have been adjusted to accommodate break-thru pain but it’s still very bad at times. Hopefully, he and his wife will be able to take a trip in the coming weeks to visit their son. The dear man is scheduled for another PET scan in November, and we pray. **<We continue to lift up a dear lady who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and we pray. **<Chronic Pain: <** Some have overall, unexplained pain, others have pain in specific areas of their bodies, and we pray. **<Divorce is so bitter:< **A dear grandmother continues to pray for her grandchildren who are being exposed to an immoral living arrangement, and we pray. **<Epilepsy: **<A sister continues to worry about her 64 year old brother with epilepsy who is prone to drinking excessively, and we pray. **<Family Affairs: **< A dear mother is experiencing problems with jealousy issues between her two adult daughters, and we pray. **< Financial +:**> A wife prays for an upcoming benefit on Saturday to raise money for her dying husband and for the family, and we pray. **<Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, and we pray. **Grieving:<**<A dear widow continues to grieve; although much time has passed, she is still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels so alone, has no ambition, and we pray. **<Health Problems:**< A dear lady who has been recently diagnosed with severe degenerative disease has been referred to a doctor who specializes in the study of nerves. She will be having a sleep study on October 29th, and her appointment with the nerve doctor is on November 5th, and we pray. **< Among us is a grieving widow who continues to suffer from loneliness and chronic bouts of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and has difficulty sleeping, and we pray. **< A dear man with Type 1 diabetes and vascular dementia has been undergoing tests for his debilitating headaches, and we pray. **> A 20 year old man who has had deep muscular, skeletal problems has been having physical therapy treatments and other testing. He has also been experiencing debilitating pain in the chest, left arm and leg; has an appointment to see a cardiologist on October 3rd to find out whether any of his symptoms are related to his heart. The cost is all out-of-pocket and adds much financial strain to the family, and we pray. **<Heart Related +: *>Update: A dear lady has been diagnosed with some heart abnormalities; she is facing more testing in a couple of weeks; on October 4th she has an appointment with her doctor to review recent blood tests; she will also have a mammogram and bone density test. On October 9th she will have an echocardiogram, a limited carotid artery ultrasound, and an abdominal aorta aneurysm screening, and we pray.**>A sister prays for her brother who has an inoperable tumor near his aorta, and we pray. **< A dear lady endures much verbal abuse from her fatally ill husband who has a bad heart, and we pray. **<Homebound: **<One among us is disabled due to a previous stroke, and we pray. **Identity Crisis: **Update:>A dear grandmother prays for her 16 year old granddaughter who is struggling with gender identity, which has deeply impacted the rest of the family. Recently, one of the grandmother’s daughters attended a Bible study gathering where she met the mother of another young lady who has the same gender issues. She invited her sister to come to the study and it appears she is going to begin attending. Hopefully, this Bible study will help to bring restoration and togetherness of these hurting hearts, and we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries: **>Update: A dear man prays for his 84 year old friend and neighbor who fell on Monday and is in the hospital. As of yesterday, not much is known except that the dear man is having a lot of testing, and we pray.**<An elderly woman who has many health problems asks prayer for her ‘whole body’, and we pray. **>One among us continues to have much back pain, difficulty walking, and suffers from high blood pressure. Her only relief is through medications, physical therapy, and laser treatments twice a week. Hopefully, she can be relieved so as to avoid risky surgery. Much of her treatment is not covered by insurance which puts a financial strain and worry on this elderly lady, and we pray. **<One among us continues to suffer from tendonitis in her left heel which is being helped by wearing a brace, and for continued healing, we pray.**<Job Market: **< One in our group has been working with a recruiter to gain suitable employment with benefits; her husband’s insurance runs out in February, and we pray. **<Making Progress: **Update:>The dear couple who stepped out on faith, to ‘begin again’ are continuing in remodeling their newly acquired older home; presently, they are all fighting colds; also they are working hard to build up their online business, and for continued success, we pray.**<Marital Crisis:**> There are at least 5 couples who are having difficulty in their marriages; it is known that one of them is seeking Christian counseling, and we pray. **<Marriage Plans: **<A dear couple has set a wedding date which is a year away, and we pray. **<Mental Health: **< Continuing to remember a 23 year old man who is at home after being treated for mental disturbances; he has social anxiety, and for continued healing, we pray.**<A 20 year old woman who had been in treatment at a mental hospital is out on her own but, not making good choices, and we pray. **<Pregnancy &: **<Two grandmothers are awaiting the births of grandchildren who are due in October, one around the first week and the other toward the end of the month, and we pray. <Pregnancy Crisis: For the expectant father of an unborn baby who struggles with memories surrounding the death of his first child; he had a recent scare when an ultrasound detected kidney problems in his unborn son, but all continues to look good now, still we pray. **<Respiratory: <**Many are suffering with symptoms from colds, flu, and/or allergies, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **<There are two who are healing from back surgeries, and two had knee surgeries (one goes for post op today; is a little concerned about his pain), and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **>A wife prays for her husband who has to have a 4th surgery on his eye; he also suffers from Afib, and we pray. **>A dear sister prays for her brother who is scheduled for cataract surgery in October, and we pray. **> Continuing to remember the elderly lady who is battling health problems, has blocked arteries, and an open wound on her heel. Surgery is still scheduled on October 17th for a Bi-femoral artery bypass, and we pray. **< A dear lady suffers much pain due to bone on bone in her hip, also has severe curvature of the spine. Surgery for hip replacement is scheduled for November 28th, and we pray.

//Travel Mercies: **<>This is an ongoing prayer request for all who are on the highways and byways. Lord, we ask that You daily keep our travelers safe from harm, and we pray. **<A group of veterans is presently on a trip out west, and we pray.
For these and the many unspoken requests we pray all in Jesus name. Lord bless our homes. AMEN