Nov. 10 SparkysHeart — ACTS 10-12

Nov. 10 SparkysHeart — ACTS 10-12
Sparky's Prayer: Thank You Lord God, that whether a government is compassionate, aggressive, or kindly caring toward the Gospel, Your Word will prosper. Help us to faithfully proclaim Your Word and never to be full of pride. Help us to never give false praise and to remember that God will share His glory with no one and to remember that the gates of hell will never prevail against the church of God. Thank You for the training in Your Word. In Jesus' mighty saving name, we pray. Amen.
http://www.thestreamtv1.com/

Ephesians 6:10-12 — Strong in Christ
PAUL'S PRAYER: Dear Father God, King, and Commander of the holy armies: Though You have lifted us up to reign in the heavenly places with Christ, remind us that Your armies are engaged in a fierce struggle to take earth for heaven. Do not let us relax as if there is no war going on. This is not a time of peace. Never let us let down our guard and fail to look to our armament. Make us to be strong in You and in the strength of Your might! In the name of Jesus, the Faithful Warrior. In Jesus' mighty saving name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/praying_paul/pwp.pl?314

VERSE: They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to My Words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the House of Israel and the House of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. ~ Jeremiah 11:10 (NIV)
THOUGHT: Sometimes those with the greatest opportunity for blessings spurn them and fall back into the sinful habits of their heritage and culture. The consequences of this rejection of God, and His will, are enormous. For the last ten days in our devotionals, we have looked at the glorious future that lies ahead for us in our walk with Christ. Unfortunately, there are some who never climb on board the train of grace. They do not follow God and disdain those who do. In the face of their criticism, let us make sure we are truly faithful to God's calling, not just in word, but also in deed.
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we look forward to being with you. Yet, dear Father God, we face many challenges in commitment to be faithful. We do not want to fall into the bad and sinful habits of some who have gone before us and who rebelled against You. Please empower our faith to be like those who served You wholeheartedly. Please deliver us from any impure deed or thought. In Jesus' mighty saving name, we pray. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/

WHAT JESUS DID! — Like Lightning!
Matthew 24:23-28 (NLT) "Then if anyone tells you, `Look, here is the Messiah,' or `There He is,' do not pay any attention. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. See, I have warned you. So if someone tells you, `Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' do not bother to go and look. Or, `Look, He is hiding here,' do not believe it! For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near."
WJD THOUGHT: Pretenders and deceivers! That is what Jesus calls them. They are fakes, phonies, and liars. When Jesus returns, He assures us that there will not be any doubt about it. Everyone will know just as lightning can be seen on the horizon. His return will be with glory and power. This glorious day will not be hidden from anyone. Instead, it will be a day to glory in for all of God's people! So we are not to lose heart as we wait for His return. We have not missed the boat. He has not forgotten us. When He comes we will share in His victory!
WJD PRAYER: O Lord God, please give us patience as we wait for Jesus' return and the vindication of Your truth before all peoples. Please bless the efforts to win the lost of every nation so that they, too, can be prepared for that glorious day. Forgive us of the sins of doubt and impatience and replace them with confidence and anticipation of the Lord's return. In Jesus' mighty saving name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/matthew/1110-wjd.html

WHAT JESUS DID! — Why Not in the Temple?
Mark 14:49 (NLT) "Why did you not arrest Me in the Temple? I was there teaching　every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the　Scriptures say about Me."
WJD THOUGHT: Just as Jesus used a question in the previous verse to confront His accusers about their injustice and He confronts their fear and treachery in this verse. They come to arrest Him at night in the place of prayer away from the crowds. They feared the crowds who were loyal to Jesus. They feared the people because they believed in Him. So rather than conducting their "arrest" of Jesus of Nazareth in the daytime, they slither through the darkened streets to a place they can arrest Him without being seen by the crowds. However, Jesus wants to make clear that their treacherous schemes work only because He allows them to work: He is determined to honor His Father's Will and fulfill what the Scriptures had said about Him. Jesus will be arrested, brutalized, and murdered by these people. However, their evil deeds happen only because He offers Himself for our sins, not because they have power over Him.
WJD PRAYER: Father God, for Your Son's faith, obedience, and sacrifice, we give You thanks. Make His example motivate us to be faithful no matter what circumstances we find ourselves facing. In Jesus' mighty saving name, we pray. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/mark/1110-wjd.html

WHAT JESUS DID! — The Lord Needs It!
Luke 19:28-35 (NLT) After telling this story, Jesus went on toward JerUSAlem, walking ahead of His disciples. As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples ahead. "Go into that village over there," He told them, "and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, `The Lord needs it.' "So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, "Why are you untying our colt?" And the disciples simply replied, "The Lord needs it." So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on."
WJD THOUGHT: What an attitude! If the Lord needs it, I will offer it. If the Lord wants it, I will do it. No questions asked. No explanation needed. No hesitation found. We have seen a rich young man turn back from following because the Lord asked him something he would not do. This is not the case here. "The Lord needs it!" Such a simple request was met with an equally simple response — no words, just compliance. Little did he know that his act of submission and obedience to Jesus' need would bring about such a glorious event — the Triumphal Entry that is described in the following verses. So the question each of us needs to ask today is this: "What does the Lord need from me?" Make our response be the same as the unnamed owner of the colt.
WJD PRAYER: God of glory and grace, our heavenly Father, please work on our hearts. Do what is necessary to keep it soft and responsive to Your will. Make us always be open to whatever Your Son needs of us. Make us respond without hesitation. Most of all, make Your precious name be glorified and Your Kingdom be served in our willingness to obey. In Jesus' mighty saving name, we pray. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/luke/1110-wjd.html

WHAT JESUS DID! — The First
John 18:15-18 (NLT) Simon Peter followed along behind, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the courtyard with Jesus. Peter stood outside the gate. Then the other disciple spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, "Are you not one of Jesus' disciples?" "No," he said, "I am not." The guards and the household servants were standing around a charcoal fire they had made because it was cold. And Peter stood there with them, warming himself.
WJD THOUGHT: Jesus protected His disciples from harm. Peter, on the other hand, is confused. Hours earlier, He had proclaimed His love and had predicted His faithfulness to Jesus even in the face of death. He had proved that faithfulness by drawing a sword to help defend his Lord. Now, however, he wavers in his loyalty when the prospects are not a glorious victory in battle. Confusion and disappointment with what we think should be God's methods often lead us to moments of withered loyalty, too. Let us remember the lesson of Peter; just because things are not going the way we think they should go does not mean that God has abandoned us. God does bring the victory, but oftentimes it comes at a different time and through a different doorway than we presume.
WJD PRAYER: Our Lord God, forgive us for those times our loyalty wavered and withered under the onslaught of unexpected trials. So often, dear Father God, we get an idea of how we think things should go. We expect You to follow our path, rather than for us to be faithful as we follow Your Path. Forgive our arrogance, our impatience, and our Peter-like confusion. Thank You, dear Father God, for the sure knowledge that You do restore those of us who waver and that You do make us stronger even when our weakness has caused that failure. In Jesus' mighty saving name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we humbly pray. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/john/1110-wjd.html

Daily Guide to Miracles from Oral Roberts Ministries
God Heals Ear Disease — by RaKeesha from Michigan
During my freshman year of college I experienced a great test of my faith. I began having trouble hearing my instructors, and I was diagnosed with otosclerosis in my left ear. This is a disease involving an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that causes hearing loss.
My grandmother is a praying grandmother and also a Partner of this great ministry. She began calling the Abundant Life Prayer Group to pray for my healing. I talked to the Lord freely about my ordeal and told Him how petrified I was about my scheduled appointment with the specialist to have my hearing retested. This would dictate whether the medication he prescribed had worked. If not, my only alternative would be a hearing aid. During this time, I read God’s Word daily, and it gave me strength and calmed my fears.
When the audiologist began to test my left ear, a miracle happened. God opened the blockage! The test showed my hearing was testing in the normal range, so I was told to revisit the doctor who had diagnosed the disease. And when I did, his puzzled expression after looking at my ear let me know our prayers had been answered. My ear was healed!
My Declaration of Faith for Today: I have not been given the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. So I do not walk in fear.
Remember, "Something GOOD is going to happen to you!"
prayer@orm.cc
Visit the Make Your Day Count website: http://www.makeyourdaycount.com

What Are You Doing?
My son-in-law went fishing the other day, with an old trout rod we had bought him for Christmas one year.
He was fishing for salmon on the banks of a local river, catching one big fish after another. A fisherman, equipped with expensive bait and rods, was catching nothing.
Finally, he came over to my son-in-law and asked, "What are you doing?" Looking at the old trout rod, he scratched his head and murmured. "Hmm ... I will have to try that!"
We all enjoyed listening to my son-in-law tell the story and shared a good laugh.
We, as Christians, are called to be "fishers of men", and we, too, use something the world considers foolish to catch our "fish" — the message of the cross!
1 Corinthians 1:18 — For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (NKJV)
God's ways often seem foolish to the wise of this world, but only God's ways lead to life and godliness.
As we, who are God's children, live our lives beside God's river, we are being watched. We may not be doing things the way the world dictates. In fact, at times, we can look foolish, but there will be some who come close to ask, "What are you doing?" We will then have the privilege of being "fishers of men", sharing with them the message of the cross and aiding in drawing them into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 4:19 — Then [Jesus] said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (NKJV)
We come in agreement with Julie’s Prayer: Lord God, You have called us to be fishers of men. Help us to live our lives in such a way that people will see that we are different in a way that makes them hungry to know You. Open our eyes to see the ones who stand beside us, and help us to be faithful in our witness to them. In Jesus’ mighty saving name we pray. Amen.
Julie Klassen — juliefrompearls@gmail.com
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
http://daily.presbycan.ca/

WHAT JESUS DID! — Do you give credence to God's messengers and their words?
Acts 26:27-28 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? [Do you give credence to God's messengers and their words?] I perceive and know that you do believe. [28] Then Agrippa said to Paul, You think it a small task to make a Christian of me [just offhand to induce me with little ado and persuasion, at very short notice].
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IBGN-IBEGOODNOW-NEWSLETTER/