Devotions @ 3 on 11-3-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

Proverbs continues in contrasting righteous and wicked. ALL SHOW – NO GO; SIMPLE is BETTER! “Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant than he who honors himself and lacks bread” (Proverbs 12:9). One’s image is worth little! (The combination of low rank and food on the table is better than pretended status with starvation.) This is a very relevant proverb in which we see two men. The first is despised by the world, for he does not make the splashy show the world values. He is a simple, hardworking man, who prefers peace and quiet at home to any worldly party or popularity. By hard work he has achieved a modest measure of comfort and success – he has a servant for companionship and labor. The second man is popular and flashy, always seeking the approval and limelight of the world. He moves in the popular circles in town and presents himself as charming and successful wherever he can. But his image is all show, for he is basically broke, especially if his debts were paid! Thinking work is beneath him, he lives mainly for image. The simple, honest man is better than the pretentious fool. So many fall victim to temptations: peer pressure is powerful; easy credit makes it possible to live beyond one’s means; and corrupt bankruptcy laws allow pretenders to start over when debtors claim their assets. True success is working hard, enjoying simple domestic pleasures, and living a contented and godly life. Modest possessions with love, peace, and righteousness are better than even wealth with trouble. Wise men ignore what the world thinks; they will NOT use foolish debt to buy nice things beyond their means. They choose the lower seat in public life. Frequent divorces, substance abuse, and dysfunctional lives expose the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The lie of image does NOT pay; it destroys men. The New Testament says: “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1John 2:15-17). Many persons, especially the young, waste and wound their lives worrying about what others think, though it means nothing in terms of real value. What God thinks of you is far more important than what the world thinks. *****

//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 has a difficult time praying for others, we pray. (This is probably not the website they should be on! 🙂 
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*>NEW Prayer Requests: *>A dear lady had to take her 90 year old mother to the ER after a fall. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but the mother was diagnosed as having a bad sprain and needs to rest, and we pray. *>A friend is thankful for the healing of a man who had prostate cancer, now cured and we rejoice; and she now prays for 4 other friends who have cancer; 2 have stomach cancer and two have lung cancer, 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:>Remembering a dear man who suffers with progressive kidney cancer. He had a recent PET scan and has consulted with his oncologist regarding treatment options. The treatments which are available are known to adversely affect blood pressure and would make his current medication ineffective; so it is difficult to know how to proceed. A nurse will be coming out for a visit on Monday, the 5th; at which time those concerns and others will be addressed; too, the dear man’s energy level is very low, and we pray. **Update:>We continue to lift up a dear lady who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She has been receiving chemotherapy, but her tumor markers are back up, 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 an upcoming doctor’s appointment 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: **<Update:> A sister who worries about her 64 year old brother with epilepsy and is lonesome and prone to drinking excessively; however, he is doing well, hasn’t drank for a couple of weeks, and we rejoice, and for continued abstinence, 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: **<One among us is having recurring muscle spasms in her leg, and we pray.**<A dear widow is having trouble with her knee and has an appointment with the specialist next month, and we pray. **<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. Nervously she waits, but 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 with severe degenerative disease. 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 whose implanted defibrillator 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 tests which showed there is moderate plaque and she has very high cholesterol levels which puts her in danger of 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:>One among us is disabled due to a previous stroke. She is grateful for the many prayer warriors who have bowed the knee on her behalf. Her leg is improving with less blistering; however, she continues to have inflammation and swelling, and for continued healing, we pray. **<Identity Crisis: **<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 for continued healing and restoration in this family, we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries: **Update:<A dear wife prays for her husband who has been hospitalized after a bad fall. Tests revealed there was bleeding on the brain and he was given Vitamin K to counteract his prescribed blood thinner. He had another CT scan which showed a mass behind the pharynx. A biopsy was done yesterday, but the surgeon has not defined what it might be. The surrounding tissue is swollen and infected. Cultures could take up to 2 weeks for the results. The dear man continues to vomit which is likely a result of the head injury, and we pray. **<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,  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:**<A dear man asked prayer after responding to an ad which 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:>One among us has been diagnosed with ADHD. While she manages to hold down a full time job with long hours, it has been very rough on her. She continues to have a heavy workload which is becoming heavier with increased hours, but it’s really taking a toll on her. She continues to suffer from fatigue and mental stress and is unsure whether or not she can hold up under the pressures of her demanding job. Although she would rather not, she may have to consider looking for another job, 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: **< Remembering the dear 49 year old woman who had a total hysterectomy on Wednesday, October 31st, she is doing well;  is expected to be off work for 3-8 weeks, and we pray. **<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; will see a 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.**Update:>Remembering the dear man who had knee surgery on September 11th, while he remains hopeful that the continued physical therapy will help; he now has a bursa sac on the outside of his knee and is having a difficult time bending the knee. He will again be seeing his surgeon at the end of the month, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **<A dear man prays for a friend who has stage 5 renal prostate cancer. He is scheduled for surgery today and is holding onto hope that a donor’s kidney will be available, and we pray. **<A dear lady who has suffered with knee pain and injections is planning to have knee replacement surgery, and has an appointment to consult with a specialist on the 29th, 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. **<One among us is making plans to leave for out of state on the 26th. She and her husband do this every year; last year they had a terrible accident on their way home; we certainly don’t want a repeat!, and we pray
For these and the many unspoken requests we pray all in Jesus name. Lord bless our homes. AMEN