“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:1-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/psa.18.1-3.esv

All,

This stands out because David says, “ The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge”. Where do you take refuge?  What is your rock?  I know we all ultimately say the Lord is our rock, but is He our daily “refuge or rock”?  I know I’m tempted to make earthly things to be a rock or refuge for today. Please pray that we and our friends look to God all day, every day as our rock and nothing else lest it can become an idol. Please pray for the annual CLC Prayer and Fundraising breakfast on 12/12. 

“”Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭33:51-56‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/num.33.51-56.esv

All,

This stands our because the Lord says, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides”.  Do we have areas of our lives that God has said to destroy but we haven’t?  Why not?  Too much trouble?  Sympathy?  Idol?  Is it a thorn in your side?  Please pray that we and our friends address these issues today. Please pray for the CLC Prayer and Fundraising breakfast on 12/12. 

“And the Lord ‘s anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ And the Lord ‘s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭32:10-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/num.32.10-13.esv

All,

This stands out because the Lord said, ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me‘. Remember the sin was letting fear prevent them from going into the promised land. Are you letting fear prevent a promise from God in your life?  Are we doing the things we like to do, but not doing some uncomfortable thing that God has placed on our hearts?  Is that “wholly” following God?  Please pray that we and our friends wholly follow God today and rely on Him for those things we fear. Please pray for the CLC Prayer and Fundraising breakfast on 12/12. 

“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.””
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22:11-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2ki.22.11-13.esv

All,

This stands out because the writer of 2 Kings says, “ For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”  Does God care about what’s written in the Bible?  Is it easy to worship a god that man creates, but doesn’t line up with the words of the Bible?  I would be very concerned if I lead a person to do anything unbiblical (Matt 18:6). Please pray that we and our friends know the Bible. Please pray for Craig Fry’s daughter Chelsea. 

“In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭18:1-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2ki.18.1-5.esv

All,

This stands out because the writer of 2 Kings says, “ He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.”. The first King to actually obey God completely. Are you challenged with obeying God completely today?  Can you name the other things in which you put your trust?  Did God not give you that and can also take it away?  Please pray that we and our friends trust in God today and not the things or abilities He gave us. Please pray for Chuck and Darrens group. 

“They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

So these nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭17:32-33, 41‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2ki.17.32-33,41.esv

All,

This stands out because the writer of 2 Kings says, “ So these nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise”. Would your children say your family worships only the Lord?  Do other idols come into play when making decisions?  Money, reputation, status, etc. can be very tempting to consider when making decisions, but do we seek what the Lord wants?  Please pray that we and our friends show our children that we serve God only and hopefully they will follow suit. Please pray for Craig Fry’s daughter Chelsea as she is in the hospital. 

“”Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭20:8-12‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/num.20.8-12.esv

All,

This stands out because the Lord said, “ and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.”  Why do you think Moses also hit the rock?  Was Moses trying to get credit for the water?  Was he uncertain God would do this miracle?  Did he forget when God parted the Red Sea?  Did he forget God spoke us into existence?  Please pray that we and our friends notice how we may try to “help” God’s promises that shows our unbelief. Please pray for Newt’s group. 

“Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭10:28-31‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2ki.10.28-31.esv

All,

This stands out because the writer of 2 Kings says, “ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.”. Does God have ALL your heart?  Have  we done well to get rid of some idols, but still hold on to others?  Do we ask why are these more important than a pure relationship with God?  Please pray that we and our friends abide in Christ today. Please pray for Jeremy as he recovers. 

“So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?'” And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.” And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.””
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭8:9-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2ki.8.9-13.esv

All,

This stands out because Elisha says, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel.”  We’ve heard that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There seems to be a notion of the world now that humans are basically good, whereas Jesus says humans are basically bad(Matt 7:23) and our only hope is in Him.  Is your hope in mankind or Jesus?  Please pray that we and our friends put our hope in Jesus and nothing else. Please pray for Jeremy Garlington today as he has surgery. 

“And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us? Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭16:12-14, 31-33‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/num.16.12-14,31-33.esv

All,

This stands out because Dathan and Abiram said, “ Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey”.  These statements came shortly after they refused to believe God and let fear prevent them from entering the promised land. Many people are tempted to be victims, especially when other leaders tell them they are victims. Please pray that we and our friends look to God for our provision and not be tempted to see ourselves as victims. Please pray for Darren and Chucks group.