Devotions @ 3 on 10-1-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

Proverbs continues with right vs. wrong. GUARANTEED TROUBLE! “He who is guarantor (surety) for a stranger will surely suffer for it, but he who hates being a guarantor is secure” (Proverbs 11:15). (To be surety for a stranger means to guarantee, or be responsible, for his debt or promissory note. The one who does this will suffer for it by paying a stinging penalty. On the other hand, the one who hates suretyship saves himself a lot of headaches.) To make oneself responsible, or liable, for another’s debt when they are unable to pay, is like falling into a trap. But isn’t this a form of kindness to help a friend?  Guaranteeing to pay another’s debt brings big trouble! You will come to regret it. You may be enabling him to buy something which is not God’s will for him to have. You might be encouraging him/her to be a spendthrift or even a gambler. If you sign for him and he defaults, you end up paying for something that is not your own; friendship will end and bitterness will begin. It would be better to give money outright if there is a legitimate need. In any case, to avoid trouble, one should not become surety for another. Scriptures counsel believers to “hate” being a guarantor. It’s not to make us stingy; it’s for our protection, and for the protection of relationships, so that we can be of long-term encouragement and a blessing to those with whom we live and love.*****

//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 thinks not of themselves, rather the needs of another, 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 at the bottom of this devotion, OR at the Message Center for Devotions @ 3 which is: https://www.facebook.com/messages/t/KittyeSharron
*>NEW Prayer Requests: *>A dear mother has just discovered her mentally impaired, adult son, has been on drugs, is now in jail for assault and battery, and we pray. *> A friend prays for a friend’s 90 year old mother who recently sold her house so that she could move to an apartment building which is designed for the elderly. Her house sold so quickly after it was put on the market; now the dear lady has to be out of her house by November 5th. She is on the waiting list, and hopefully her apartment will be ready before then, and we pray.  *>A sister prays for her sister who gets little or no relief from medications for her chronic pain, 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 much longer. Praying, too, for his devoted wife of 60+ years, and we pray. **<Battling Cancer: **>A dear lady prays for her 65 year old neighbor; he has progressive lung cancer, and we pray. **UPDATE NEEDED:>A dear wife prays for her husband who has a rare, aggressive cancer (appendiceal adenocarcinoma), and fluid around the lungs; this dear man is suffering beyond words. He was admitted to the hospital several days ago to have his lung drained, a very painful procedure., He was to undergo additional procedures, but they were unable to put in the stent, feeling very discouraged. Now he has to have more procedures, and we pray. <And for this dear man’s wife, who is trying to work, cope with all her husband’s grief, and still keep up with household duties, we pray. **>Update:> Continuing to remember a dear man with progressive kidney cancer. Saturday night he was admitted to the hospital for further testing after experiencing high blood pressure and he was having difficulty breathing. His oncologist took him off his new cancer medication because the number one side effect is high blood pressure. Since stopping the medication, his blood pressure is now under control. Today, the dear man is having a heart catheterization, and we pray.  He is in good spirits and trusting God. Hopefully, he and his wife will be able to take a trip in the coming weeks to visit their son. He 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 +:**> Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, and we pray.**Grieving:<**<For the family of a 37 year old church drummer who was killed in an auto accident. He left behind a wife and one child, and it is for them, we pray. <**Although much time has passed, a dear widow continues to grieve as she is still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels so alone, has no ambition, and we pray. **<Health Problems:**<A dear lady prays for others but has multiple health issues herself, and we pray. **< A dear lady who was 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 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 Wednesday 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 +: *<A wife is praying for her dear 80 year old husband who has only 25% heart function. He has had several stents as a result of a heart attack 30+ years ago, and as of recent has been taking nitroglycerin. His doctor is arranging for a nuclear stress test, and we pray. **<A dear lady has been diagnosed with some heart abnormalities, and is facing more testing. On Thursday 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: **>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. Hopefully,  a weekly, Wednesday, Bible study group will help to bring restoration and togetherness of these hurting hearts, and we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries: **<A dear lady tore the plantar fascia in her right heel and will be wearing a boot for the next 4 weeks, and we pray. **>Update:> A dear man prays for his 84 year old friend and neighbor who fell on Monday and remains hospitalized. He has fallen twice since he’s been in the hospital; has no feeling in his right leg and cannot tell when he’s standing on it.  The dear man continues going through medical testing to determine the cause, 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: **<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.**>Update:> A 20 year old woman who was in treatment at a mental hospital is out on her own but, is still not making good choices, working at a strip club. However, the lines of communication seem to be opening; the young lady has agreed to have lunch with her grandmother tomorrow. The grandmother is a believer and is asking prayer for their lunch meeting and the conversation that will go with it. Also she asks prayer for the young lady’s parents who are involved in a cult, 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 normal, 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, will begin 4 weeks of physical therapy on his knee, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **> A sister prays for her sister who is scheduled for hip surgery on Thursday, and we pray.**>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 this month, 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