Could it just be?

Perhaps you heard Jay Leno's comment -- worth considering and passing along:

With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mudslides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of swine flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?

Prayer for the Day

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

-- Thomas Merton

Pray On The Full Armor of God

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Daily Victory Prayer
(based on Ephesians 6:10-18)

Lord, I'm reminded that my "struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (v. 12). Therefore, I pray that You will once again equip me with the full armor of God so that when evil comes, I may be able to stand my ground (v. 13).

Equip me, Lord:

• With the belt of truth (v. 14). May Your truth rule in my heart and be in my mind and on my lips today.
  
• With the breastplate of righteousness (v. 14). Apart from You there is no righteousness, but through Jesus I have been "born again" and made righteous in Your sight. May I live as a righteous person.
• With feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace (v. 15). May I reflect the Gospel in my words and actions, that through me, with my every encounter, others may be drawn one step closer to You.
  
• With the shield of faith (v. 16). May I take You at Your word concerning promises about the present and future -- promises of everlasting love, abundant life, and so much more.
• With the helmet of salvation (v. 17). Remind me that nothing can separate me from Your love and that by grace I've been saved. In Your grace, help me to say "no" to all ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life (Titus 2:12-13).
• And with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (v. 17). May Your Holy Spirit reign in my life and bring to my mind just the right Bible verses to be in my heart and on my lips. May I be "filled with the Spirit" and ready with Scripture as You were, Jesus, when the devil tempted You.
• Finally, keep me in an attitude of prayer (v. 18). Remind me to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions." Cause me to be alert and always praying for the saints; to be joyful and to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
  

Thank You that You hear the prayers of Your people, and that I am Your child. Help me to be Your person in this world today -- salt and light, moment by moment.

From The Pray! Prayer Journal, by Dean Ridings

Do You Remember?

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.....I thought this item from the May/June Upper Room may speak to those of you parents still trying to get used to your kids being off in college. It's by Susi Lockard.

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.....When my children were infants and I rocked them to sleep, I sang to them and prayed for them. I remember holding my 14-month-old son and praying for his future relationships with his roommates, his friends, his wife. For years, I came back to the same prayer. I know I must have wearied the Lord with my prayers; but Matthew 7:7 tells us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.

.....When my son went off to college, I couldn't wait to hear about his roommate. "Well, Mom, he is a recovering drug addict. He was sent here for a year of rehabilitation and is studying art, taking part in sports, and trying to re-enter normal life."

.....I felt as if God had let me down, and my disappointment came through. "I don't understand. I have prayed for 18 years for you to have a good roommate who would have a good influence in your life.

.....My son, wiser than I, answered, "Maybe his mother was praying the same prayer." My son knew that he had been nurtured all his life and now had a chance to nurture a young man with serious problems.

.....God answers our prayers from wisdom greater than ours. I thought that my son needed a strong Christian friend; God knew that my son needed to be a strong Christian friend.

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Do You Grumble?

.....A man had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would ask the blessing.
.....One day after his usual combination complaint-prayer, his little girl asked, "Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?"
....."Why, of course," he replied. "He hears us every time we pray."
.....She paused on this a moment, and asked, "Does he hear everything we say the rest of the time?"
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Commentary: OUCH!