"DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER" - A SPECIAL CONONAVIRUS MESSAGE FROM STEVE BROWN OF KEY LIFE - ", March 30, 2020; https://www.keylife.org/articles/dont-forget-to-remember [AS I SEE IT I was just remarking to a friend that it's fine to be on top of how to stay healthy and safe in this pandemic. But after awhile, if you just read all the information mixed in with over-reaction and baseless speculations, it can all make you go crazy! Praise God that for the believer real peace comes not from having done "all the right things" or having b een entertained by the latest coronavirus music concert but by reflecting on God's truth in Scripture. We can completely rest in the truth - made repeatedly in Scripture - that God IS in control and whether we continue to live or go home to be with Him as believers, "it [can be] well with our soul." And so, I challenge you to spend most of your time reading and reflecting on God's Word and meditating on the truth that "Nothing Surprises God." And do take time to remember and reflect on the incredible blessings He has given us - starting with the Calvary (which should be enough), on the many things we already have in Christ (Eph.1). - Stan]
God said to Joshua, after a major crisis, to have his men take twelve stones out of the Jordan and to lay them down on dry ground. “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord” (Joshua 4:5-7). Christians have “piles of stones” too. They are memorials, and the gift God gave to believers and a gift we give to the world as a part of our witness.
In most families someone is the “keeper of the memories.” It’s the person with lots of photos…generally reflecting our memories of happiness and times of celebration. That’s certainly true of our family, and if Facebook is any indication, it’s certainly true of everybody else’s family too. It’s hard to find a photo of a hospital ward, a casket, or a divorce or bankruptcy decree. Do you know why? At least for Christians, the dark side was only a way to create memories of how God brought the light out of it.
Paul said that God hasn’t given Christians a spirit of fear, “but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Most of us wonder if that’s really true. The only way to know is to discover it in a crisis like our present one. The “gift” of the crisis is that we will “know.” Corrie ten Boom, in talking to Christian leaders afraid of what would be a major persecution of Christians, referred to her experience in the Ravensbruck concentration/death camp. She said that she had discovered that God gave the grace when it was needed and not before.
I don’t want to be a “Pollyanna” here. The personal and national crises are real and scary, but don’t forget the memories. War (been there, done that). The polio quarantine of the mid-fifties (been there, done that). The energy crisis of the seventies (been there, done that). The passing of loved ones (been there, done that). The destruction of hurricanes (been there, done that). The coronavirus crisis…now we’ll be able to say we’ve been there too.
But more than that, we’ll be able to add more stones as a memory of God’s faithfulness. We will remember a God who knows that crucifixions are followed by resurrections. It’s built into the universe by the God who created it. It is, after all, the point of the Lord’s Supper. The world says, “Have a drink and forget.” Jesus says, “Drink and remember.”
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PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes againstISIS ! Pray that coalition forces will be able to fully destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS .
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PRAYER MATTERS:
"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against
the disorder of the world. - Karl Barth
the disorder of the world. - Karl Barth
"Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer."- Stan
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“INTERCESSORS ARE THE RUDDER” – A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT - Wanda Alger, June 28th, 2017; https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/I was recently given a word by my good friend, Bill Yount. His word greatly encouraged me as an intercessor. Working for Intercessors for America
James 3:4 talks about the power of a small rudder to steer a large ship. In this scripture about the power of our tongue, consider the power of prophetic intercession! In the Forerunner Commentary on this verse we read, “…rudders manipulate the course of immense ocean vessels with a slight movement of a pilot’s hand. Since it is underwater and aft, the rudder of a ship does its work UNSEEN. A passenger is ignorant of its movements most of the time. Yet, when it is in proper working order, the rudder holds more power over the ship than the wind. The wind will blow, toss, even destroy the ship’s rigging, but the rudder guides the ship exactly where it directs.”
This is God’s promise to the intercessors in this hour of national turbulence. Don’t stop praying! Your prayers have great power to turn the ship! Continue praying, interceding, and discerning the workings and movements of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God’s commands. As we come together to declare God’s faithfulness, this nation will, once again, head in the direction that God intends. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Regardless of the winds of adversity and the fires of the enemy, God’s people have a power that cannot be matched. Let us join in faith and continue to pray and speak of God’s faithfulness in order to bring God’s people and this nation into the fullness of God’s plans. Note this additional encouragement from God’s word:
Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (ESV).
Psalm 33:8-11 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent
PRAY FOR AMERICA : THANK GOD for His many blessings on America AMERICA America "but instead "God be merciful towards America
PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS: 1) Pray for President Trump and his advisers, that they would select Godly leaders at the federal level who will be accountable to do an excellent job (or be fired!) ; that he would seek God's wisdom and be enabled to lead our country effectively in the years ahead; and 2) Pray our leaders at every level of government will Spirit-filled, leading us with Godly wisdom and integrity; that they will only pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit Americans today as well as future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.
SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices will only hand down decisions that are Constitutionally sound and in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.
World-Wide Prayer Requests:
PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes against
*For believers in Syria
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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
God’s promises fulfilledin Burkina Faso -After militants killed Naomi Zoré’s husband, Eli, as part of attacks on Christians in Arbinda, Burkina Faso, Naomi was forced to move to the city of Kaya with her nine children. A church there housed the large family, along with many other Christians displaced by the attacks. Naomi shares how the believers gathered to ask God to remember them and send them help. The number of displaced Christians became more than the local church could handle. Thankfully, Open Doors was able to provide enough food to feed 560 of the most vulnerable families for two months. When she saw God’s provision, Naomi rejoiced: “Today, God’s promises have been fulfilled. He promised to never leave or forsake you … I received my package of [food] and was told it was just for my family!”
April 5 - Pray that Naomi and many others like her who have lost loved ones will experience God’s comfort and peace.
*Representative name or photo used to protect identity.
*Representative name or photo used to protect identity.
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