A symbol of the New Covenant

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746-1763):
"The ancient allegorical sense of the ass and colt is not to be despised: that the ass may signify the Jews, who had been used to bear the burdensome rites and ceremonies of the law; and the colt, the wild and untamed Gentiles, and the coming of Christ, first to the one, and then to the other:..."

Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon (1734?):
"The colt had never carried any one before. Jesus had never been carried before by any animal, except perhaps at a very tender age. He took the mother from the village for a short way."

The Pulpit Commentary (Nineteenth Century):
"...the ass represents the Jewish people, which had long borne the yoke of the Law; the colt adumbrates the Gentiles, as yet unbroken," whereon never man sat." Christ called them both, Jew and Gentile, by his apostles. Loose them, and bring them unto me. He speaks with authority, as One able to make a requisition and command obedience."

All of these commentators are from long ago and I haven't included the ones that disagree with the above symbolism. So just take it all with a grain of salt. I haven't found any present-day commentators who have backed up these ideas.

The mare and the colt can be tied to Genesis Chapter 49 when Jacob blessed each of his sons before dying. To Judah, he said (vv. 10-15) ...

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until tribute comes to him;

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11 Binding his foal to the vine

and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,

he has washed his garments in wine

and his vesture in the blood of grape

14 “Issachar is a strong donkey,

crouching between the sheepfolds.*

15 He saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant,

so he bowed his shoulder to bear,

and became a servant at forced labor.

* or saddlebags

I'm going to wrap up the discussion on the colt because it's clear that I could spend at least all week on it, but at this point, it's getting more and more complicated as I dig so deep that I'm in over my head.
     I did want to point out how movies of biblical events can mess with our recollection of what the Bible truly says. When I started this investigation into the donkey, I thought, AHA! Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, presenting Himself as the Messiah, facing His sacrificial death, just like Isaac rode on a donkey as Abraham took them to where he would sacrifice his only son, and just like Mary rode on a donkey as she entered Bethlehem where Jesus became flesh. BUT, the Bible doesn't say any of that. Abraham prepared a donkey for the journey, but it doesn't say that Isaac rode it. And the Bible doesn't say anything about Mary riding a donkey on her journey to Bethlehem. For all we know, she and Joseph walked the whole way. I only share this to caution everyone to always return to scripture instead of taking for granted what we think we know.
     I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into an often overlooked but significant creature of Holy Week. Join me in continuing prayers of praise and thankfulness to our Lord and Savior, the King above all Kings.

See last year's post for what the significance of today...

On Wednesday before His death, Christ was in the temple. The chief priests and elders question Him as to His authority and He puts a question back to them that they can't answer that basically questions their authority...

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Please join me during this Holy Week in praising our Lord and Savior, and thanking Him and our Father for the sacrifice they endured for each and every one of us.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #ResurrectionSunday #Easter #colt #mare #donkey #symbolism #peace #sacrifice

A symbol of peace

 

The donkey is a symbol of royalty. Riding a donkey into the city is something that a King would do after winning a battle, symbolizing a restoration of peace. By riding a donkey the King was illustrating that there were no more enemies to fight, that it was safe. However, Jesus did this before the battle was won. He knew what was about to happen to Him and so this triumphal entry into the city actually symbolized His humility. It illustrated that He was coming to face His enemies, but that He was not going to fight them.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9
(Compare to yesterday's bible verse from Matthew).

Believe it or not, there's even more to unpack about this, so we'll continue tomorrow.

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Please join me during this Holy Week in praising our Lord and Savior, and thanking Him and our Father for the sacrifice they endured for each and every one of us.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

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The mare and the colt

 

Until I was introduced to commentaries, I didn't really understand the bible to be one cohesive book. I honestly thought that each writer wrote their book and at some point, a group of religious leaders chose which ones to include and which ones to omit, all devoid of any grand plan.
     Thankfully, I'm alive during a time of endless biblical resources and can now better understand the truth of scripture. It is one book. Each chapter, every single word was written with divine inspiration from our Heavenly Father.
     Scripture explains and supports scripture. The symbolism and foreshadowing are ever-present throughout and it gives me goosebumps when I realize the words written hundreds of years before the birth of our Lord and Savior are brought to fruition in the New Testament.
     Take, for example, the colt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
Mathew 21:1-5 (ESV) says:

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt,

the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Before Jesus got to Jerusalem, He knew where the colt would be and He knew the conversation that would take place.
     In Matthew, he notes the mare as well as the colt. John MacArthur states in his commentary that maybe the mare was brought along to "induce the colt to cooperate." He also writes that Jesus rode only the colt, that the "them" in verse 5 was referring to the coats, not both donkeys (which makes a lot more sense.)
     I have a lot more to share about this, so we'll continue tomorrow.

See last year's post: 

Resurrection Sunday versus Easter

*MacArthur, John (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible, New King James version.
     Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN.

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Please join me during this Holy Week in praising our Lord and Savior, and thanking Him and our Father for the sacrifice they endured for each and every one of us.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Willingness to work

 

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Soul of the diligent

 

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; 

but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Proverbs 13:4

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

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Ask and receive

 

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, 

because we keep His commandments and 

do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

1 John 3:22

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

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Work heartily

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Colossians 3:23 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

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#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #unemployed #jobseekers #encouragment #poor #poverty #work #depression #blessing

 

Share your blessings

 

I was going to share a different verse today but accidentally came to this one and thought it was very appropriate for our prayers this week. 

     Those of us who are blessed need to share our blessings with the less fortunate as we are led by God to do so.

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,

    for he shares his bread with the poor.

Proverbs 22:9 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #unemployed #jobseekers #encouragment #poor #poverty #work #depression #blessing #charity

Motivation during job search

 

By the time I went back to work in May, my unemployment finally went through and I was able to replace the savings and pay off the credit card I used during the shut-down.
     I didn't spend any money during that time except as needed for groceries, and even while shopping for food, I was more frugal than before.
     Fortunately, my husband was still working so we were blessed to have an income, but that didn't diminish the anxiety of me being out of work. When you depend on two incomes, it's a struggle when you lose even one of them.
     From talking to different people, I know we get these perceptions of those who have been out of work for a long period of time. (I'm only talking about able-bodied people who normally would have a job - not those on disability, or with other extenuating circumstances). Maybe their industry isn't up to full capacity and so jobs are scarce right now. Maybe they're just worn out from rejection. We don't know their individual circumstances, and we don't need to know. 
     It would be Christlike of us to pray for them and to ask how we can help. Pray that they feel the desire and motivation to keep searching for a job and that the opportunity that God provides for them will be accepted.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, 

that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

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Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #unemployed #jobseekers #encouragment #poor #poverty #work #depression

Pray for the unemployed

A year ago I was unemployed because of the pandemic. It was the first time I had been out of a job since the 1980s recession. Even though I knew it was temporary, it affected me deeply. I didn't realize how important it was, beyond finances, for me to work.
     At first, it was like my identity was taken away from me. I felt lost and without purpose. The depression was overwhelming and it was difficult for me to do anything.
     For the first month, dealing with the Unemployment office became my full-time job, but that wore on me, too because of the perceived futility in all of it.
     The second month I finally got around to turning to God. He lifted me up and helped me to relax and make the most of this time. I got to where I enjoyed being home. When everything reopened, I found myself deeply depressed again having to give up the freedom and peace I discovered while being off. But we work in order to pay the bills, so I had to adjust my feelings and attitudes once again.
     The whole experience was so draining. It really gave me a renewed appreciation for the unemployed and what they go through in order to navigate the system. They have to deal with the unemployment office, look for a job, fend off debt collectors and cope with the strain of not having an income. It's a lot.
     So this week, I'd like for us to pray for them. My main prayer is that they turn to God like I finally did, and allow Him to guide them through this situation.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #unemployed #jobseekers #encouragment #poor #poverty #work #depression

Prudent wife

 

House and wealth are inherited from fathers, 

but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:14 ESV

I had to look up the word "prudent" and just in case you were unsure about it, too, the Oxford Languages Dictionary (online) defines it as, "acting with or showing care and thought for the future." 

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

Adornment

 

 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 

1 Peter 3:4 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

Let her be praised

 

10  An excellent wife who can find?

    She is far more precious than jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,

    and he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good, and not harm,

    all the days of her life.

17 She dresses herself with strength

    and makes her arms strong.

20 She opens her hand to the poor

    and reaches out her hands to the needy.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,

    and she laughs at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,

    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household

    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;

    her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women have done excellently,

    but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,

    and let her works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31 Select verses (ESV)

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

She loves Him

 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV

Pray that your Pastor's wife loves God with all her heart and that she feels how much our Father loves her.

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

Qualifications of an overseer

 

This verse is in a section of my Bible labeled "Qualifications for Overseers" and I thought it was fitting for a Pastor's wife also, so I modified (italicized words) and removed one section (...) of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 to fit with our prayers this week. 

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of Pastor's wife, she desires a noble task. Therefore a Pastor's wife must be above reproach, ... sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. She must manage her own household well, with all dignity keeping her children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage her own household, how will she care for God's church? She must not be a recent convert, or she may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, she must be well thought of by outsiders, so that she may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

The role of Pastor's wife must be a daunting task, having to share one's husband with the entire congregation, personal events being shared as the sermon anecdote, being held to higher standards in the minds of some. Please lift up your Pastor's wife in prayer. Send her a card. Text her to see if she needs anything. Love her as your sister.

If you have a bible verse or a prayer you would like to share for your Pastor's wife, please leave it in the comments below.

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

Love from a pure heart

 

When my husband and I started attending The Ridge, we went sporadically because we were visiting different churches in town each week. After visiting one or two we'd go back to The Ridge for a week or two. I was definitely drawn to that particular church but my husband wanted to check out as many as possible. 

     During our third or fourth visit, the woman sitting in front of us turned around and introduced herself as Terry. We talked for several minutes before the service started and then she asked if we had heard her husband speak before. I asked her who her husband was and she said, "Rollie." 

     Until she said that, I had absolutely no idea she was the Pastor's wife. I don't know what my expectations were, maybe that as the Pastor's wife she would be surrounded by people needing her attention, or busy doing something other than talking to me, a stranger. I don't know. What I do know is that, smooth as silk she struck up a conversation with me and made me feel like I belonged there. I don't remember anything she said, but whatever it was, it was what I needed to hear at that specific time.

     So, to Terry and all of the wives of Pastors, I want to say "thank you" for everything you do, for your words of kindness, encouragement, and love, and for fulfilling such an important role in God's Kingdom.

The aim of our charge is love that issues 

from a pure heart and a good conscience 

and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1:5 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe <--- recently changed
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

Pray for the Pastor's Wife

 

May God bless the Pastor's wife. 

     A woman in our Lifegroup yesterday, we'll call her Dee, shared a little story about her mother. At some point during her life, Dee's mom told her children about how "rowdy" she used to be in her younger days. This surprised the grown children and Dee commented, "But you're a Pastor's wife." Then it hit me...we pray for our Pastors, but often forget to pray for their wives.

     Can you imagine being married to a Pastor? I feel like they are held to this higher standard than the rest of us, whether real or imagined. What a burden that must be.

     From stories I've heard from the Pastor, I gather that when God called him into service, He also called his wife, so her heart is there for the task. I am in awe of her.

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for our Pastors' wives. Pray that they feel nothing but love and encouragement from their congregations. Pray that the church family lift her up in their prayers and support her. Also, pray that their husbands are sensitive to their needs.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #PastorsWife #woman #church #love #ChurchFamily #wife #PrayerGroup

Spirit of adoption

 

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Romans 8:15-17 ESV

Please continue to be faithful in your petitions. If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

I'll come to you

 

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:18 ESV

Please continue to be faithful in your petitions. If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

The vulnerable

 

We aren't all called to adopt, but there are ways which we can help vulnerable children in other countries get the necessities of life and learn about Christ. (If you know of a program in the U.S., please share it with me).

These are just a few programs that I and/or my husband have personally been involved with*:

STCH Ministry 

helps care for the orphans in the Dominican Republic. There seems to be an overabundance of orphans there. 

Naomi's Heart Mission

reaches the poorest children in the Philippines and also helps feed the surrounding area residents.

World Vision

has numerous programs to help people all over the world, but also offers a program to sponsor a child.

And the King will answer them, 

‘Truly, I say to you, 

as you did it to one of the 

least of these my brothers and sisters, 

you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:40 ESV

Please continue to be faithful in your petitions. If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

*these are not affiliate links - I do not receive money or compensation for sign-ups or click-throughs.

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

Father and Protector

 

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

    is God in his holy habitation.

Psalms 68:5 ESV

Our prayers are making a difference. Please continue to be faithful in your petitions. If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

He will never abandon us

 

  Hide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

    O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off; forsake me not,

    O God of my salvation!

For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

    but the Lord will take me in.

Psalm 27:9-10 ESV

Our prayers are making a difference! Please continue to be faithful in your petitions. If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

*********

Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

The fatherless

 

Yesterday, while listing the people of the Bible who were adopted, I completely forgot about Esther who was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. Some Bible versions say "uncle", but mine says "his uncle’s daughter" which is a cousin.

And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Esther 2:7 NKJV

Like Moses, Esther saved God's people, her people.
     I never looked at it that way before, that the four people of the bible who were adopted, were such key people in God's plan. Adoption is obviously important to our Father since it's mentioned or talked about so often in the Bible, and even becomes the terminology associated with our salvation. In the Old Testament, it doesn't say "adoption" specifically, but it often talks about taking care of the fatherless.

He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, 

and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 10:18 NKJV

We'll talk about spiritual adoption in a day or two.

If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

*********

Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

Pray for the adopted

 

I have to be totally honest with you and say that I know nothing about being adopted or about adopting a child, but I'm hoping someone may have a story or testimony to share. God put on my heart for us to pray for not only the adopted, but also foster children, stepchildren, and the parents who raise them.

     Two of my dearest friends have adopted daughters (late teens to early 30s) and just happen to be going through some struggles with them right now. None of the conflicts are because they're adopted, but between that and the Pastor talking about how we're all adopted into our Father's family, it seemed like a group we should focus our prayers on this week.

     This is obviously a topic dear to our Lord because look at the people in the Bible who fit into this "category"...Moses, Samuel, and Jesus. Moses was adopted by Pharoah's daughter. Hannah surrendered Samuel to Eli. Jesus' true Father is Yahweh, but He was also the step-son of Joseph. 

     And then there's us. We who are God's children are adopted. More on that later.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV

If there's anyone you would like us to pray for this week, please let me know.

Let's pray for:

E.

R.

H.

and that their relationships with their mothers may strengthen.

*********

Please join me this week in praying for those who are adopted, who are in foster care, and who are living with a step-parent. May they feel loved and accepted. May their parents also feel loved and accepted by the child. Lord, please work in these relationships, especially during times of struggle, building a foundation of communication, love, and patience.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #adoption #adopted #chosen #love #family

Guilt from deliberate sin

 

It's also known as mortal sin.

     If we know something is wrong and we keep doing it anyway, does God forgive us when we repent? I assume so, but I also assume it grieves the Holy Spirit. I searched this subject and it took me through a long and winding journey with no real answers. 

     My thoughts, as one who has committed deliberate (and repetitive) sin, is that God forgives us when we come to Him with a sincerely repentant heart. If we ask for forgiveness knowing full well we're going to repeat the sin, He knows. It's in the back of our minds, even as we're praying for forgiveness. 

I believe the best thing to do is to pray for HELP. Ask Him to help you stop doing the sin. Ask Him for strength, wisdom, guidance, whatever it takes to free you from this temptation.

     The reason I bring this up is that I got to thinking about the things I haven't been able to let go of from my past and realized they were things that were premeditated; things that I KNEW were wrong but chose to do anyway. So, I think this feeling of guilt is maybe rooted in the fact that these sins were committed knowing full well that they were sins, and that I was going to do them anyway. It's kind of like that saying, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission." 

     I continue to work to better myself and to give things up to Him and not make a decision without Him. Jesus prayed all of the time. He lived a life without sin. What does that tell us about what we should be doing?

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Romans 2:12-16 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are carrying around guilt and shame, especially for those who are troubled with the past and can't let go, even though our Father has forgiven them. Pray that they recognize that Jesus died for all of their sins, that those sins are now wiped away and they are now a new being in His eyes.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #guilt #shame #accusation #Satan #anxiety 

Innumerable evils

 

Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

For innumerable evils have surrounded me;

My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;

They are more than the hairs of my head;

Therefore my heart fails me.

Psalm 40:11b-12 NKJV

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are carrying around guilt and shame, especially for those who are troubled with the past and can't let go, even though our Father has forgiven them. Pray that they recognize that Jesus died for all of their sins, that those sins are now wiped away and they are now a new being in His eyes.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #guilt #shame #accusation #Satan #depression #anxiety #empathy #blessing

Unrepented sin

I read about unrepented sin somewhere and realized that maybe there was something in my past that I hadn't repented of or confessed to the Lord, and maybe I was feeling guilt from that and thinking it was for something else. So, I prayed for God to show me my unrepented sin and a few things surfaced.
     This is the point where I would normally share the things that God revealed to me, but I've decided not to. After talking to a friend, she reiterated to me that the past is in the past and it's time to move forward. Not that I won't continue to share my past here, it's just some things are best left alone, or kept between me and Him.
     I've blocked certain things from my memory in order to guard my heart, and maybe that's an act of letting go, in some respect, but some events are just pushed down deep inside of us, unresolved. Those are the things that are maybe preying on our self consciences, that are resurfacing as an underlying feeling of guilt and shame. Ask God to show you those things, or better yet, ask Him to just take those from you. God loves you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. He doesn't want us living a life of guilt and shame. Pray for help. Praise Him for His love and grace.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones grew old

Through my groaning all the day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I have not hidden.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You

In a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters

They shall not come near him.

Psalm 32:1-6 NKJV

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are carrying around guilt and shame, especially for those who are troubled with the past and can't let go, even though our Father has forgiven them. Pray that they recognize that Jesus died for all of their sins, that those sins are now wiped away and they are now a new being in His eyes.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #guilt #shame #accusation #Satan #depression #anxiety #empathy #blessing

The blessing

 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:1

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are carrying around guilt and shame, especially for those who are troubled with the past and can't let go, even though our Father has forgiven them. Pray that they recognize that Jesus died for all of their sins, that those sins are now wiped away and they are now a new being in His eyes.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #guilt #shame #accusation #Satan #depression #anxiety #empathy #blessing

Learned guilt

 

You may have "learned" guilt as a child. I'm not talking about normal guilt, what you feel when you do something wrong, but rather a pang of guilt brought about by taking on the burdens of the world. 

     Case in point, my mom. Her latest guilt is for getting the covid vaccine. The first day that you could sign up began at 8:30. At 8:29 she sat poised at her phone with her list of medical facilities to call and within a few minutes had her first appointment. Ever since then, she's been anxiously waiting for everyone she knows to get their shot. She makes sure when the next group is eligible that everyone who she knows who's in that group knows to sign up. I love her for that, but I also worry that she stresses about it.

     I've learned this type of guilt. Maybe it's helped to humble me but maybe it's burdened me with anxiety and depression. I try to give all of my concerns to God and so I also have to trust Him with caring for everyone else. Why am I blessed with this or that and my friend isn't? I don't know, and I don't need to know. It's all up to Him and it's not for me to question.

     I guess maybe there could be a fine line between guilt in that respect and empathy? My counselor has told me time and time again that I'm so empathetic that it is a major contributor to my anxiety and depression; which is another reason I practice giving it all up to God. He is sovereign over all things. If guilt over things that I cannot control or even have a hand in are a burden, then that guilt is from the Accuser and is not of God.

     Let love consume you, not guilt.

 

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for those who are carrying around guilt and shame, especially for those who are troubled with the past and can't let go, even though our Father has forgiven them. Pray that they recognize that Jesus died for all of their sins, that those sins are now wiped away and they are now a new being in His eyes.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #guilt #shame #accusation #Satan #depression #anxiety #empathy

Into the sea

 

I need to learn how to do this ... "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." What good does it serve to hold onto guilt? Who benefits from it? Does the Lord love us more if we wallow in shame for something He Himself forgave us for? Cast it into the depths of the sea. Let it go. Move onto something that will bring glory to God. Praise Him for His mercy and grace.

He will again have compassion on us,

And will subdue our iniquities.

You will cast all our sins

Into the depths of the sea.

Micah 7:19 NKJV

*********

Please join me this week in praying for those who are carrying around guilt and shame, especially for those who are troubled with the past and can't let go, even though our Father has forgiven them. Pray that they recognize that Jesus died for all of their sins, that those sins are now wiped away and they are now a new being in His eyes.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #guilt #shame #accusation #depression #forgiveness