Devotions @ 3 on 11-2-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

Continuing in Proverbs to compare righteous and wicked lives. YOU are WISE or YOU are FOOLISH! “A man will be praised according to his insight, but one of perverse mind will be despised” (Proverbs 12:8). (People speak well of one who has insight and acts wisely, but they have nothing but contempt for one who has no principles.) Well, what is a perverse person? One who thinks, speaks, and acts wrongly; doesn’t care what others think of him, has a foolish approach to life, is contrary, unreasonable, ignorant of wisdom, obstinate, impulsive, irritating, and offensive; neither fears nor loves God, has no desire or regard for godliness or holiness; that person will be despised. On the other hand, wisdom works and will bring you honor. This has nothing to do with intelligence; education is not the issue. All that matters is wisdom. Well, what is wisdom? The power and ability of good and right judgement, and knowing just what to do in a variety of conditions. One who has wisdom sees a situation and responds the way in which God would expect. He/she has knowledge and understanding, is discreet and prudent, has foresight, is fair and kind, and exalts mercy and truth. Well, just how does one go about obtaining this wisdom? It starts by fearing God, then adding His commandments and His hatred of evil, avoiding even a little folly for it can quickly cause your wisdom to stink! (See Ecclesiastes 10:1.) Wisdom is freely offered in the book of Proverbs and the rest of the Bible. The opportunity is there for anyone who is willing to read and learn. A day is coming when the Lord Jesus will judge all men; every life will be examined by Him and nothing will be hidden. He will commend some and despise others. The wise who obeyed His word will hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Those who have been foolish will hear, “I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). On that judgement day, will you be commended or despised? The choice is yours! *****

//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 seeking wisdom, we pray.
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*>NEW Prayer Requests: *>A dear lady who has suffered with knee pain and injections is planning to have knee replacement surgery. She has an appointment to consult with a specialist on the 29th, and we pray.*>A dear wife prays for her husband who has been hospitalized after a bad fall. Tests reveal there is bleeding on the brain and he has been given 4 vials of Vitamin K to counteract his prescribed blood thinner. He had another CT scan yesterday; and a mass was found behind the pharynx. He is scheduled for a biopsy today, and we pray*> One among us is having recurring muscle spasms in her leg, and we pray.*>A dear man prays for a friend who has stage 5 renal prostate cancer. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow and prays that a kidney will be found within the next 24 hours, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: <**Addiction: **<A dear mother prays for her son to be able to quit smoking. He has a hereditary condition which is further exasperated by smoking, and we pray. **>A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic and is struggling to stay sober; he is also battling drug dependency, and we pray. **Aging:**>A friend prays for a friend’s 90 year old mother who sold her house and has recently moved to a temporary unit; she is hopeful to be in her permanent apartment before Christmas, and we pray.**<Battling Cancer: **UPDATE NEEDED:>Continuing to remember a dear man who suffers with progressive kidney cancer. He will be consulting with his oncologist to explore other treatment options, and we pray. **<We continue to lift up a dear lady who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, is receiving chemotherapy, and we pray. **<Battling Disease:**:>A stepmother prays for her stepdaughter who has been diagnosed with stage 4 liver fibrosis and may need a transplant. She had a biopsy done on Friday, and has a doctor’s appointment this week ,to find out the treatment plan, and we pray.**Caregivers:**<A dear lady holds down a full time job and often has to rearrange her work schedule, including travel plans, in order to help her aged parents, 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.**<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 +:**<Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, they have ongoing problems with dementia, and we pray. **//Grieving:**>This is a standing prayer. Although much time has passed, many continue to grieve over the deaths of their dearly beloved, departed family members. (Widows/widowers, parents, grandparents, siblings, and/or extended family) all silently missing the presence of their loved ones, and we pray. **<Health Issues/Problems: **<A dear widow is having trouble with her knee and has an appointment with the specialist next month, and we pray. **Update:>An aunt prays for her niece who continues to have elevated blood pressure, and other symptoms. She has an appointment to see her doctor this coming Tuesday, November 6th. She also has an appointment to see the specialist on December 4th, and we pray. **<A dear lady had genetic testing on October 30th, to find out if she has inherited the rare gene, linked to cancer and numerous conditions, which runs rampant in her family. It takes about 3 weeks for the results, and we pray. **<A dear lady prays for others but has multiple health issues herself, and we pray. **<Continuing to remember a dear lady who was recently diagnosed with severe degenerative disease. She was also having leg cramps but has had relief from drinking V8 juice! She has begun physical and aquatic therapy. Tuesday she had a pre-appointment for an upcoming sleep study and will be picking up equipment for that next week, November 7th. Prior to that, she has an appointment with a nerve doctor/orthopedic surgeon this coming Monday, November 5th, and we pray. **<Among us is a widow who continues to suffer from loneliness and chronic bouts of Diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and has difficulty sleeping, and we pray. **<Heart Related +: **<A dear lady prays for her aged father who has an implanted defibrillator which shows his heart is getting shocked back into rhythm, he cancelled all of his appointments, now has to be rescheduled, making it difficult on the dear daughter who has a job and is trying to work; as well as helping her parents, and we pray. **<A wife continues to pray for her dear 80 year old husband whose heart function is at only 20%. The dear man had a heart catherization and was told by the doctors that nothing more can be done for him. As a result, he is very depressed, discouraged, 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. Two weeks ago she had more testing; saw her doctor on Tuesday for the results. There is moderate plaque and very high cholesterol levels which puts her at danger for a stroke. She was prescribed medication and has to maintain a strict diet, and is to return for more testing on December 15th. Her doctor has also ordered a sleep apnea test. Furthermore, she will be seeing an orthopedic specialist on Monday, November 5th, about her shoulder pain and immobility in her right arm, and we pray.**>UPDATE NEEDED:>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. Too, her father died recently and she is meeting with family so as to have closure for her father’s funeral, and asks for strength to get through it, and we pray. **<Help Needed:**<A dear lady, whose husband has recently passed away, desperately needs to find a job with insurance benefits, and we pray.**<Homebound: **UPDATE NEEDED:>One among us is disabled due to a previous stroke, and we pray. **<Identity Crisis: **Update:>A dear grandmother continues to pray for her 16 year old granddaughter who is struggling with gender identity, and the granddaughter is still wallowing in that lifestyle. However, it has affected the entire immediate and extended family; some have begun, attending Wednesday morning Bible study. Much can be said for the shared wisdom, love, and influence of a Christian grandparent; she continued to urge her granddaughter’s mother to begin attending church. It seemed to fall on deaf ears; but as time went on, the granddaughter’s behavior worsened, so much so, that the mother’s eyes were opened to her need for You, Lord. That mother has now gone to church twice with the grandmother, and plans to continue since she now knows You (God), are not punishing her for walking away from You. She now understands, You are a God of grace and forgiveness. The mother is planning to go again to worship You at church this Sunday, and we rejoice; and for continued healing in this family, we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries: **Update:>A dear man continues to pray for his 84 year old friend and neighbor who is recovering at home after suffering paralysis in his right leg, and is now using a walker, moving very slowly doing better, but has to work very hard to move his legs, and for continued healing, 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, suffers from high blood pressure, but is not a candidate for risky surgery. Her only relief is through medications and physical therapy. Much of her treatment is not covered by insurance which puts a financial strain and adds more worry on this dear lady, and we pray. **Life’s Needs: **<A dear mother prays for her son who is preparing for entrance exams to get into college, and we pray.**<A dear man asks others to pray for him as he humbly strives to transform into a better person, and we pray. **<Life’s Problems:**Update:<A dear man asked prayer after responding to an ad for a job opportunity to partner alongside a fellow Christian; but it turned out to be a scam! However, he still needs a job, and we pray.**< The parents of a precious 2 1/2 year old girl are concerned that she is not yet talking. They are consulting a specialist, and we pray. **<A teenage boy is struggling with stress at home because of his father’s anger issues, which are also, adversely, affecting his mother and his girlfriend, and we pray.**UPDATE NEEDED:>One among us has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and has been put on medication. She manages to hold down a full time job with long hours, has a heavy workload, but it’s really taking a toll on her, she is suffering from fatigue and mental stress, 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, and for continued success, we pray. **<Marital Crisis: **<A young, unchurched, married couple, with an infant son, has decided to divorce, and for that situation, we pray.*<A dear man is having issues with his wife in deciding what to do about his current job situation; therein exists some unspoken needs, and we pray.**> There are at least 7 couples who are having difficulty in their marriages, and we pray. **<Marriage Plans: **<A dear couple has set a wedding date which is a year away, and we pray. **<Mental Health+: **Update Needed:>A dear grandmother continues to pray for her 20 year old granddaughter who has had mental problems and now works at a strip club. The grandmother is a believer and is trying to build a better relationship with her granddaughter, to hopefully influence her, 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. **<Respiratory: **<Many are suffering with symptoms from colds, flu, and/or allergies, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **<Update:> A dear 49 year old woman had a total hysterectomy on Wednesday, October 31st and went home yesterday. She is expected to be off work for 3-8 weeks, and we pray. **<A dear lady prayed for her brother-in-law with an infection in his leg; he had a successful surgery, and for continued healing, we pray. **<Update:>Remembering the dear man who had another surgery to remove recurring growths from under his tongue; he is now back to work, doing well, even thinking about retiring, and we rejoice. ** Remembering the elderly lady who had a successful Bi-femoral artery bypass on the 17th, and for continued healing, we pray. **<Remembering the dear man who had a 4th surgery on his eye on the 15th. He may have to have a 5th surgery since he is still having double vision from that eye. He has an appointment with the specialist on November 12th. Too, the dear man has Afib and will be consulting with the heart doctor and the end of the month. For answers and continued healing, we pray.**<Remembering the dear man who had knee surgery on September 11th, remaining hopeful physical therapy will help, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **<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