2 Corinthians 3:17

 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the brave men and women who serve and have served in the military. Pray for them, their families. Pray for a day when there will be no more battles.

     Please also pray that the Church will come together, that there will be a revival in this country, and that we will not throw away our freedom to worship the one and only true living God.

     Also, join me in rejoicing the dedication and perseverance of the apostles. Let us praise and give thanks for their sacrifices, and for our merciful Father who paved the way, that the gospel was received.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #bibleverse #bible #MemorialDay #freedom #gratitude #remembrance #thankful #Jesus #sacrifice #GoodNews #gospel #salvation #praise

John 8:36

 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the brave men and women who serve and have served in the military. Pray for them, their families. Pray for a day when there will be no more battles.

     Please also pray that the Church will come together, that there will be a revival in this country, and that we will not throw away our freedom to worship the one and only true living God.

     Also, join me in rejoicing the dedication and perseverance of the apostles. Let us praise and give thanks for their sacrifices, and for our merciful Father who paved the way, that the gospel was received.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #bibleverse #bible #MemorialDay #freedom #gratitude #remembrance #thankful #Jesus #sacrifice #GoodNews #gospel #salvation #praise

Praise for the cross

 

I woke up this morning, singing Chris McClarney's "Hallelujah For The Cross":

Hallelujah, thank You, Jesus

I was a prisoner, now I'm not

With Your blood, You bought my freedom

Hallelujah for the cross

It is ironic, and a God thing because today I was going to write about Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. He came here from Heaven to live in the flesh, as we do, and demonstrated how we're to live. He never sinned, yet He took the wrath for all of our sins.

     This also makes me think of His/our Father and the sacrifice that He made in sending His only Son. Anyone who has ever said 'goodbye' to a loved one leaving for battle can relate, at least in human terms. We can't however, comprehend having the foreknowledge of such a horrific death. 

     We also can't comprehend what Jesus went through in the time leading to His death. In the garden, He sweated blood, because of His anguish (Luke 22:44). This is a rare occurrence known as "hematohidrosis."

     Praise Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit for our freedom. Praise Them for Their love, grace, and mercy. Lift up your voices and sing, "Hallelujah for the cross."

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4 ESV

You may also like:

"Faith in God" from November 22, 2012

"A Loving Gift" from November 4, 2019

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Please join me this week in praying for the brave men and women who serve and have served in the military. Pray for them, their families. Pray for a day when there will be no more battles.

     Please also pray that the Church will come together, that there will be a revival in this country, and that we will not throw away our freedom to worship the one and only true living God.

     Also, join me in rejoicing the dedication and perseverance of the apostles. Let us praise and give thanks for their sacrifices, and for our merciful Father who paved the way, that the gospel was received.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #bibleverse #bible #MemorialDay #freedom #gratitude #remembrance #thankful #Jesus #sacrifice #GoodNews #gospel #salvation #praise

Sheep and goats

 

Which will you be? A sheep or a goat?

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Matthew 25:32-36 NKJV

See Matthew 25:31-46 for the full story of Jesus judging the Nations.

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Please join me this week in praying for the strangers that we have opportunities to serve. Pray that the Lord will guide us and that the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do His will in being hospitable. Pray for an open and loving heart so that we can show and spread the light within us to everyone we meet.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @7DegreesOfMe
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerse #bible #hospitality #love #judgment #sheep #goats #Matthew #parable #jesus

A new life

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1 Peter 1:3 NKJV 

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

Strain to what lies ahead

 

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

Your new self

 

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

A new creation

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

New each morning

 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness. 

“The Lord is my portion,” 

says my soul, 

"therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

Rivers in the desert

This year, when the ball drops and the clock strikes twelve, we'll rejoice like never before for having survived a year like none other. Because we are God's children, we have the assurance of knowing that whatever 2021 brings, we'll persevere, adapt, and continue to praise God, our Father who loves us and cares for us.
     This is Google's 2020 video. I love that the word most searched for was "why". To me, that says that people are searching for something deeper, and it's my prayer that maybe in that search, they'll find God.

Google - year in search 2020

As we get ready to say goodbye to 2020, let go of any ill-will and focus instead on the road that God is laying out before us. Through Him, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26b)

 

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 

Behold, I am doing a new thing; 

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? 

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #sovereignty #perservere #survival #plan

A future and a hope

 

Each year I write about the coming new year, usually choosing a theme instead of a resolution. I don't always post these to my blog, because sometimes I don't finish writing it, or sometimes I finish writing but just don't get around to posting it. For 2020 I had trouble settling on a theme and wrote about a couple of ideas but never finished them. Then, March came and blew everything out of the water anyway. There was no way I could have planned for that, and definitely no way I could have adhered to any pre-2020 "ideal" of how I should handle such a tumultuous year. 

     As of this writing, there have been 19.1M cases of the virus in the U.S. and 333,000 deaths. There have been 80.7M cases worldwide and 1.76M deaths. Countries all over the world have had to be in lock-down to slow the spread of this virus. Economies have tanked. Unemployment has soared. Businesses have gone under. Hospitals and funeral homes are overwhelmed. 

     In our country alone, we've seen division and violence like never before. People are getting killed for asking customers to wear a mask. Health and political officials are receiving death threats for doing their jobs. I never thought I'd see and hear the things that have transpired this past year in a country like ours. If I weren't a child of God, I honestly don't know how I would have survived the year.

     I haven't settled on my theme for 2021 but someone said that the word for 2020 should be "perseverance," because even with everything I stated above and all of the things I didn't include (aka Australian bush fires, Black Lives Matter protests, the explosion in Beirut, murder hornets, West Coast fires, Nashville explosion, etc...) we're here, doing the best we can, adapting day to day, and praising God for His sovereignty through it all. 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 

plans for welfare and not for evil, 

to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear #2020 #2021 #new #hope #God #sovereignty #perservere #survival #plan

A Child is born

 

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

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Please join me this week in praising God for sending His only Son and allowing us to share in that experience through the teachings of the Gospels (See Luke 2:1-7). Praise Him for all of the new lives He brought into this world in 2020 and for giving us that 'breath of fresh air' when we needed it most. Let us pray for the health and welfare of all of those born this year and their families. May they dwell on the joy and miracle and blessings of new life.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #Christmas #Bethlehem #miracle

The Christmas Star

 

During the Christmas season, I often wonder what Mary and Joseph must have been going through and feeling. Giving birth is a miracle in and of itself, but to give birth to our Savior? Wow! I can't even wrap my head around that. I wonder, 'was it an easy delivery?' 'were they overwhelmed in His presence?' 'Was He cognitive of who He was?'
     This past week there was a lot of media attention on the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter and how it was the "Christmas star" as if to explain away a one-time event by demonstrating it happens about every 400 years. I didn't do my due diligence in researching this because I didn't know I was going down this path until just now, so if I have something wrong, I apologize. However, the star of Bethlehem wasn't a one-night occurrence. Matthew 2:9-11 tells us that the star led the wise men to the house where Jesus was. By the time they got there, Jesus may have even been anywhere up to two years old, so the star led them for at least several months.
     If I'm way off on this, let me know and I'll change it. It just upsets me when something that was so obviously a "God-thing" is explained away as something normal (albeit rare). It takes away from the miracle, and from the rejoicing.
     So, let your hearts be filled with the joy of the miracle of His birth, dwelling on this most perfect Gift from our Father in Heaven.

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

Luke 1:14 ESV

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Please join me this week in praising God for sending His only Son and allowing us to share in that experience through the teachings of the Gospels (See Luke 2:1-7). Praise Him for all of the new lives He brought into this world in 2020 and for giving us that 'breath of fresh air' when we needed it most. Let us pray for the health and welfare of all of those born this year and their families. May they dwell on the joy and miracle and blessings of new life.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #Christmas #ChristmasStar #conjunction #Saturn #Jupiter #WiseMen #Bethlehem #miracle

Be rooted in Him

 

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Colossians 2:6-8 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love

Meditate on His instruction

 

Blessed is the man

    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law* of the Lord,

    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree

    planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

    and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,

    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1:1-6 ESV

*or instruction

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love

Look forward

 

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you crooked speech,

and put devious talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward,

and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet;

then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil.

Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love

Seek wisdom and understanding

I read through numerous bible verses every morning to find the one that speaks to me and also goes along with the topic of prayer for the week. Today's verse was like, "bam," smacking my forehead and saying, "Here I am."

     I have been struggling with my feelings for a long time, but it's been worse recently. So, I've been praying for help, for God to soften my heart, and to show me how I can see things differently. I've also been praying for Him to help me with my focus away from earthly matters, and back on Him.

     Last evening, during bible study, someone talked about when we distance ourselves from God, we need to almost start all over again at building that relationship. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but getting back to that point where everything is about Him is a critical first step and I believe, the rest will follow. We build that relationship with Him through prayer and reading the Bible. That's where we find Him, so that's where we need to be.

     This verse is reassuring to me that I'm on the right track.

Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:2-5 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love

 

Of the Spirit

 

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love

God focused

 

Yesterday, my focus improved. It drifted back to earthly things several times, but it was an improvement over the past several weeks. Sometimes, I need physical "things" to help me focus on God, especially after I've spent so much time tied up in earthly concerns. So yesterday I started out by listening to a Christian music radio station on the way to work (K-Love). That helped lift my spirits. It also put a song in my head that reminded me of Him throughout the day: At the Cross by Chris Tomlin.

     Later in the day, I took my own advice and when I was tempted to scroll through the news apps, I put on my headphones and listened to a reading of the Psalms on the YouVersion app. I said little prayers throughout the day, but need to get back to where I was before becoming consumed with the world. Then, lastly, after dinner, I spent time in the word, reading scripture and commentary.

     I don't say any of this to boast but just to share that returning my focus on things above made a huge difference in my spiritual and mental state, even just approaching it with baby steps.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

David Guzik wrote, regarding this verse:

iii. Jesus didn’t just tell them to stop worrying; He told them to replace worry with a concern for the kingdom of God. A habit or a passion can only be given up for a greater habit or passion.
iv. “What this verse demands is, therefore, a commitment to find and to do the will of God, to ally oneself totally with his purpose. And this commitment must come first.” (France)*

In talking about Matthew 6:22-23, Guzik refers to verse 33, and I've found this to be true:

Being single minded brings light to our lives, and we are also happier and more content when we focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that all the material things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). But when we are double-minded, it is as if your whole body is full of darkness. We try to live for two masters at the same time, and it puts a dark shadow over everything in our life.*

* Guzik, David (2018). Enduring Word. Bible commentary app.

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love

Focus on things above

 

A young lady in our Women's Bible Study group yesterday shared her frustration with where our (meaning the Church's) focus has been the past several months. It seems apparent that a lot of people have been focused on the presidential election. It's caused a great divide and has consumed so much of our attention that she feels, and I agree, that we haven't been as focused as we need to be on God.
     We're allowing ourselves to be consumed with earthly things and our spiritual welfare is suffering for it. Satan is winning (IMO). He's pitting husband against wife, son against mother, neighbor against neighbor. He's filling our hearts with hatred or at the very least, resentment. He's distracting us from what's important.
     I would like to encourage everyone to spend extra time in prayer this week. Instead of reading a news app, consider reading a chapter from Psalms instead. If you know someone who's feeling anxious or overwhelmed, reach out to them and be that voice of reason that they need right now. Focus on God, being His image-bearer, and a beacon of light in a world of darkness.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:2 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love