Devotions @ 3 on 10-10-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

Proverbs compares right from wrong. GIVE to GET – WEALTH BUILDING SECRET USING GOD’S MATH!  This is a financial secret from the God of heaven for His people. “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want” (Proverbs 11:24). (One gives freely and gains even more, another withholds and comes to poverty.) Giving away financial assets to godly causes will increase your net worth, while holding back money leads to poverty. Old Testament scripture, Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, tells us to “cast your bread upon the waters by giving it away, for it will come back to you sometime in the future by God’s blessings. New Testament scripture: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, ‘He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.’ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality; which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (11Corinthians 9:8-11). We enrich ourselves by being generous. We impoverish ourselves by laying up treasures on earth. What we save, we lose. What we give we have. Fools think they have to look out for number one, meaning themselves, and only give to God a little of what is left. If nothing is left God gets nothing. Wise men also look out for number one, meaning God Himself. They give to God first, and live on whatever is left. The blessed God of heaven sees the different spirit and rewards them accordingly. The secret is: ONE CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO GIVE! *****

//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 is missing their dear mother who now resides in heaven, we pray.
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*>NEW Prayer Requests: >Another hurricane is expected to hit the Florida Panhandle and surrounding areas today, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: <**Addiction: **<A dear mother continues to clean up a mess after discovering her mentally impaired, adult son, had been on drugs. He is presently in jail for assault and battery, and for that situation, we pray. **<A dear lady is trying to quit smoking, and we pray. **<Update:>A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic and is struggling to stay sober; it has been discovered that he is also battling drug dependency. This dear lady is so grateful for the many who daily bend the knee on behalf of her son. In an effort to avoid using alcohol or drugs, he is working every day, busying himself , and we pray. **Aging:**> A niece prays for her dear 90+ year old aunt who is recovering from a recent stroke, and we pray. **Update>A friend prays for a friend’s 90 year old mother who recently sold her house and has to be out by November 5th. She has been on a waiting list for senior housing. Until her apartment is ready, a temporary unit has been found for this dear lady, and we rejoice. Moving day is October 27th and she is hopeful to be in her permanent apartment before Christmas, and we pray.**<A dear lady prays for her daughter-in-law’s aged grandfather who is under Hospice care. Praying, too, for his devoted wife of 60+ years, and we pray. **<Battling Cancer:< ** A dear wife continues to pray for her husband who has a rare, aggressive cancer (appendiceal adenocarcinoma), who is suffering beyond words. The cancer has now spread to his lungs, and we pray. **>Continuing to remember a dear man who is very fatigued and suffers with progressive kidney cancer. He has been advised to slow down and not over do, rest when tired. Hopefully, the man 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. **<A sister prays for her sister who gets little or no relief from medications for her chronic pain, 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 lonesome and 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 sister prays for her brother who recently had his house broken into. As if that wasn’t enough, while in his car, he was recently hit from behind which pushed him into the car ahead of him. Though no injuries to himself, his car was damaged both in the front and back. It is not known what out of pocket expenses will be involved, and we pray.**<Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, they have ongoing problems with dementia; efforts are being made to help them handle their finances, and we pray. **Grieving:**> The dear, elderly woman who had been in a coma at a nursing home, passed away Thursday. Remembering the family as they prepare for her memorial service which will be today, and we pray. **<Although much time has passed, a dear widow continues to grieve; she is still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels very alone, has no ambition, and we pray. **<Health Issues/Problems: **>UPDATE NEEDED:>An aunt prays for her niece who has been having problems with high blood pressure. She recently fainted and was on bedrest. She went back to the doctor Monday, and we pray.**>A dear lady and her father are awaiting an appointment to have genetic testing in order to see if they have inherited the rare gene, linked to cancer and numerous conditions, which runs rampant in their family, and we pray.**< In that same extended family, two brothers await the results of their genetic testing to find out whether or not they have inherited the mutated gene which runs rampant in their extended family, and we pray.**<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 a sleep study on October 29th, and an appointment with a nerve doctor 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 with deep muscular, skeletal problems receives physical therapy treatments. He also has debilitating pain in the chest, left arm and leg, and is being treated by a cardiologist. The cost is all out-of-pocket which adds much financial strain to the family, and we pray. **<Heart Related +: **>A dear man prays for his Christian brother who has been admitted to the hospital with heart trouble; his heart is functioning at less than 10%. He had a heart catherization Monday which will, hopefully, provide answers, and we pray. **> A brother-in-law prays for his 79 year old brother-in-law who has been hospitalized with a heart aneurysm, and has growths on his kidney. He had a heart catherization Monday; and is making progress. His blood pressure has come down enough so that he has been put back on the heart pill and is off the IV. Still awaiting test results on kidney function. Once stable the doctors will be able to operate, and we pray. **<A wife continues to pray 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 has been taking nitroglycerin. He is having a nuclear stress test on October 16th, and we pray. **>A dear lady has been diagnosed with some heart abnormalities, and is facing more testing to determine if there are any blockages. Yesterday, she had an echocardiogram, a limited carotid artery ultrasound, and abdominal aorta aneurysm screening; is awaiting results. A sleep apnea test will be done in the next two weeks. Furthermore, she is being referred to an orthopedic specialist because of shoulder pain and immobility in her right arm, 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 man continues to pray for his 84 year old friend and neighbor who fell two weeks ago and remains hospitalized in assisted living because of paralysis in his right leg. He is receiving physical therapy which really tires him out; he’s hoping to be able to soon go home, 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 will have relief 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. **<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’ continues in remodeling their newly acquired older home. They have also been working hard to build up their online business, sales are expected to increase over the next two months, which will keep them very busy, and for continued success, we pray.**<Marital Crisis:**> There are at least 5 couples who are having difficulty in their marriages; one couple 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: **> A 20 year old woman who was in treatment at a mental hospital is out on her own but, not making good choices; she is working at a strip club. However, the lines of communication do seem to be opening between the grandmother and her granddaughter. The grandmother is a believer and is trying to build a better relationship with her granddaughter, and for continued communication between the two, we pray. >Also the grandmother asks prayer for the young lady’s parents who are involved in a cult, and we pray. **<Pregnancy &: **<Update: One dear lady asked prayer for her daughter-in-law who was scheduled for a C-section yesterday. The expectant mother had complications and excessive bleeding during a previous childbirth; but there were no complications with yesterday’s C-section. Thankful for a healthy 7# 7oz baby boy who was born yesterday morning; mother and baby are doing well, and we rejoice. **>Update:> Another grandmother is awaiting the birth of a grandchild, expected to arrive October 16th when labor will be induced, but it could be sooner as the expectant mother is already dilated 2-3 centimeters, and we pray. <**Pregnancy Crisis: **<Update: >We prayed for the expectant father who struggled with memories surrounding the death of his first child, he is now a proud papa of a healthy baby boy who came into the world yesterday (see above). Prayers also went out for his wife who had complications during a previous delivery, and they had a recent scare when an ultrasound detected kidney problems in the unborn baby; but there were no complications yesterday, and all appears normal, and we rejoice; and for ongoing healing and recovery surrounding the birth, we pray; &, Lord, guide and direct this father and mother with wisdom from Above to raise up their child in the direction he should go, and we pray. **<Respiratory: **<Many are suffering with symptoms from colds, flu, and/or allergies, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **>Update:>A daughter prayed for her dear mother who had a suspicious polyp and gallstones. She had gallbladder surgery yesterday which went well, and we rejoice, and for ongoing healing, we pray. **Update:>For the little 11 year old boy, who had his appendix removed on Thursday, it’s been a slow recovery, appetite not good, has lost weight, he is still very weak, and for continued healing, we pray.  **<A dear man who had knee surgery on September 11th continues with 4 weeks of physical therapy on his knee, and for continued healing, we pray. **> A sister prays for her sister who had hip surgery Thursday, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **> **>A dear 49 year old woman is scheduled for a total hysterectomy on October 31st. She is expected to be off work for 3-8 weeks, and we pray. ** >A wife prays for her husband who has to have a 4th surgery on his eye which is scheduled for October 15; he is on meds right now because of allergies; also suffers from Afib, and we pray. **>Continuing to remember the elderly lady who is battling numerous health problems, and is scheduled for surgery 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.
For these and the many unspoken requests we pray all in Jesus name. Lord bless our homes. AMEN