“So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”‭‭Genesis‬ ‭45:4-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/gen.45.4-8.esv
All,
This stands out because Joseph says, “God sent me before you to preserve life.” Joseph understands how God had a purpose in all his trials. After being sold by his brothers and in prison for 7 years, Joseph still praised God. Are you in a trial now? Is it tough to praise God at times? He can take anything and turn it for His purpose. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose “Romans 8:28. Please pray that we and our friends stay focused on God today and trust Him. Please pray for Tyson’s group as they are forming. 

“So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.””‭‭Judges‬ ‭16:6-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/jdg.16.6-10.esv
All,
This stands out because the author of Judges says, “Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies.” Why would Samson continue to have a relationship with someone that obviously wants to do him harm? Did he have so much pride that he thought no one could harm him? Do we have habits or relationships that are harmful to us? Does pride tell us we will not be harmed? Please pray that we and our friends put our trust in Jesus and obey Him. Please pray for the CLC Buckhead social on August 10 from 6-8pm. 

“”O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39:4-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/psa.39.4-7.esv
All,
This stands out because David says, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” Do we regard today as precious? When I’m on vacation, I treat everyday so that I can enjoy every second. God has a purpose for all of us and this day is a opportunity to be a part of His purpose. Without God showing us “the measure of my days”, we may be tempted that we always have tomorrow. Please pray that we and our friends ask God to “measure my days”. Please pray for the CLC Buckhead social on August 10 from 6-8pm. 

“In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?””‭‭Genesis‬ ‭38:12-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/gen.38.12-16.esv
All,
This stands out because Moses says, “For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.” Tamar is the line from which Jesus comes. However, this series of events doesn’t seem very Holy. Are you ever surprised at how God turns events into His purpose? None of us are perfect, but yet He uses everyone of us for His purpose. Please pray that we and our friends seek a closer relationship with God today and are about His purpose. Please pray for the Buckhead CLC social at Capital City Club on Aug. 10 at 6:00 pm. 

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:4-8, 39-40‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/psa.37.4-8,39-40.esv
All,
This stands out because David says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act”. The order is significant to me. God asks for commitment and trust and THEN He acts. I would rather God act first in a situation. However, we do have the ultimate act of Jesus on the cross. Is that enough to commit ALL your heart to Him today? Please pray that we and our friends trust in the Lord with ALL of our heart today. Please pray for Hunter’s group as it’s building. 

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:7-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/psa.36.7-10.esv
All,
This stands out because David says, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.” Is God your fountain of life? I get tempted to honor created things over God. Those things can be taken away and they don’t provide everlasting joy, God is everlasting and joy only comes as a fruit of the Spirit. Please pray that we and our friends “seek first the kingdom of God today” (Matt 6:33). Please pray for Tyson’s group. 

“The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33:16-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/psa.33.16-22.esv
All,
This stands out because David says, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love”. What is your hope in right now? If it’s in anything but God, you are hurting yourself. God has a purpose for us today and He knows true joy is in that purpose. Please pray that we and our friends are about God’s purpose today. Please pray for Tyson’s group as it’s forming. 

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32:1-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/psa.32.1-7.esv
All,
This stands out because David says, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” One of the best parts of CLC is putting our transgressions out there and having a community of guys walk with us through them. Augustine said, “Thou has formed us for thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in thee.” Please pray that we and our friends get alone with God today and confess our transgressions. Please pray for Hunter’s group. 

“The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.'” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.”‭‭Judges‬ ‭7:2-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/jdg.7.2-6.esv
All,
This stands out because The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.'” It is such a faith builder when God puts us in these situations where we MUST rely on Him and not ourselves. Does God have you in a situation today where you are powerless? Please pray that we and our friends be about God’s purpose today, spend time with Him and rely on Him. Please pray for the CLC Buckhead social on August 10th. 

“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.””‭‭Judges‬ ‭6:12-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/jdg.6.12-16.esv
All,
This stands out because the angel of the Lord said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” Did God send you to help someone today? Does God have a solution for a problem in which you are uniquely gifted? Do you trust that He will be with you? Please pray that we and our friends listen and trust God in His purpose for us today. Please pray for Hunter’s group as it’s forming.