“Come Ye Yourselves Apart”
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14.
No other life was ever so crowded with labor and responsibility as was that of Jesus, yet how often He was found in prayer! How constant was His communion with God! . . . As one with us, a sharer in our needs and weaknesses, He was wholly dependent upon God, and in the secret place of prayer He sought divine strength that He might go forth braced for duty and trial. In a world of sin Jesus endured struggles and torture of soul. In communion with God He could unburden the sorrows that were crushing Him. . . .
In Christ the cry of humanity reached the Father of infinite pity. As a man He supplicated the throne of God till His humanity was charged with a heavenly current that should connect humanity with divinity. Through continual communion He received life from God, that He might impart life to the world. His experience is to be ours. “Come ye yourselves apart” (Mark 6:31), He bids us. If we would give heed to His Word we should be stronger and more useful. . . . If today we would take time to go to Jesus and tell Him our needs we should not be disappointed; He would be at our right hand to help us. . . .
In all who are under the training of God is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices, and everyone needs to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Here alone can true rest be found. And this is the effectual preparation for all who labor for God. Amid the hurrying throng and the strain of life’s intense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. The life will breathe out fragrance and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts.
That I May Know Him p. 259
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Prayer Requests
—– asking for prayers for tom he is in the hospital. He had a stroke on the 20th. Larry
—–Please pray for Shiloh. Her aunt died Friday. Rose
—– Steve H. called me to have us pray for his new granddaughter. He has been to our church, he is on crutches and is an amputee. His daughter Cory had her baby girl emergency C-section today around 12:15 and there are complications. Not sure what at this point, she is being tested now 7:30 pm. Please pray for baby Marilan, not sure on spelling. Deea
—— Please pray for our family and extended family. Today, John’s very precious English speaking mother has fallen asleep in Jesus. Marlette has ended her battle with cancer. God in his mercy allowed her to be home with Papa up until this past Friday. We will miss her very much. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go through our grieving. Nicole
—– I could really use some prayers in my life right now. Things have been incredibly stressful. Danielle
—–My beautiful niece Margaret was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She has her first appointment with the oncologist tomorrow, Monday. She has no details as yet, only the biopsy results confirming it cancer. We ask for your prayers for Margaret as she faces the journey ahead.
She is a young mother with two young boys that need her. Please raise her up in earnest prayer that god will give her victory over this
disease. Our family has been touched by this disease before in a most painful way. So this is especially scary for all of us. Sheri
—— I have a prayer request my sisters ex daughter-in -laws grandaughter is three years old. Her name is Kadence.
She was flown yesterday to __________ Hospital with liver failure. They are trying to figure out if it was a virus or what.
Please put her on your prayer line. My sister said she would like for the LORD to just heal her so she wont have to go on a waiting list for a liver. You pray however you feel the LORD wants you to pray. Mary
—– So my dad took himself to see the radiation doctor about the cancer in his spine today. It isn’t the same one as before like I thought. This one is in a different place. He also told him if it goes in the middle of the spine he could become paralyzed. Dr Jones told my dad that it has to be in his blood stream so he needs to do chemo then. So now Dr J is going to talk with Dr S about trying a different chemo than they used the last time. So please pray. Thanks! Jami
—–Please pray for a dear friend who is having depression problems. HR
—–It Is Written Speaker/Director John Bradshaw announced today that he recently underwent surgery to remove a small cancerous tumor from his tongue. Following his successful surgery, he will now undergo a precautionary course of treatment, with doctors expecting a full recovery by January. In the meantime, It Is Written’s evangelism plans will move forward with guest speakers as he recovers.
“Thankfully, the prognosis is good. God’s leading has been remarkably clear, and thanks to a fantastic team of physicians, I’m already back to talking and eating normally,” said Bradshaw. “Frankly, this whole thing really came as a surprise. When I asked the physician what might have caused it, he said the culprit was likely chronic irritation from a dental issue, but the good news is that this type of cancer is very treatable and completely beatable!” [sent in by Carol]
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Dear Friends,
Most forwards that I receive only get a glance. There are so many and they circulate for years until the truth of Solomon’s statement seems to apply, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecc 1:9 There are a few, however, that I always read. One of those is the “Darwin Awards” that tell the unusual and amusing things people sometimes do that seem reasonable to them but are usually (but not always) fatal. My favorite is the man who decided to impress his girlfriend by flying over her house in a lawn chair. The helium-filled weather balloons he had tied to the chair quickly jetted him to a height of 10, 000 feet. He was finally rescued. I doubt his girlfriend was impressed in the way he had intended.
We shake our head and wonder whatever caused that man to think his plan would work. Yet, we, too, like to think that we are invincible. We laugh at warnings and tend to think that it couldn’t happen to us. In reality we do something that is even worse than the people on the Darwin Awards have done. When we toy with sin, when we cling to it, when we feed it by practicing it over and over again, we soon find that we are weak slaves of the devil and unable to stand in our own strength. Indeed, our strength to fight against the evil one is nothing but weakness and we will end up in as fatal a position as most of the candidates for those yearly awards.
David knew where his strength lay. Our strength lies in the same place. He said, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Ps 46:1 Because of meditating upon the goodness of our Great Creator, David became “a man after (God’s) own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14 Through relying on God’s strength, David was able to deliver Israel from the hand of their enemies.
We, too, can daily have the guidance and help that we need. We, too, can have that close walk with the Lord that He yearns for us to have. Yea, we must have, for we have an enemy far more dangerous than the Philistines were in David’s time. This enemy is constantly on our track trying to deceive, trying to draw us away from the One Who loves us so. Peter advises, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 Without special help from our Dear Saviour, we will be overcome. We will not be able to discern the true from the false. We can call upon the One Who is Mighty to Save. He will hear and answer the sincere prayer for help. He does not leave us to fight the battle alone. He bids us, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” Eph 6:11-18 In these last days of earth’s history, we need especial help of that armour.
May we “study to show (ourselves) approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” that we may clothed with the armour of God. 2 Tim 2:15 May we daily receive the eyesalve of spiritual discernment that the True Witness freely offers. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” that we may have the wisdom that is ours for the asking. Rev 3:18 (James 1:5)
May we go forward each day in the strength of the Lord resisting the foe in His might, asking for the guidance that He longs to give us, allowing Him to change us into His image is my prayer. (1 Peter 5:9; Ps 32:8; 2 Cor 3:18)
Rose