Prayer List Request

PRAYER LIST REQUEST 05/20/2012

Dear Brethren, Glorifying God for always allowing us an awe-inspiring sermon and a splendid worship. Welcome back, Ate Anne from a long vacation. It is really good to see some visitors and praying that they will come back every Sunday. It pep up and energizes me every time I see the same cheerful faces and wishing that someday, the Lord will multiply our church attendees, not just in burgeoning or increasing in numbers but faithful and promising followers of Christ. Thankful for the abundance of food that we delightfully share every Sunday. Praise Report: Thanking the Lord for a safe trip for my eldest sister Elsie from LA to SF and for her generosity to my mother, to me and my siblings Thanking God for my 2 wonderful nephews who are not only very smart, but also for making their mom so very proud of their numerous achievements & for being obedient, respectful, matured and responsible grown-up individuals I am extremely thankful to God for always protecting us everyday Prayer List Requests: Please continue to lift up in your prayers for Sister Rosie’s mom, Mommy Gloria for the passing away of her mother If we can pray incessantly for good health for Pastor Ruddy and his family and that God will always protect them all the time Please include in your family devotions for the VBS this June – God’s mercy, grace, protection for all the teachers and students and every participants that they will always be energized and motivated to be present from the beginning until the end of the VBS classes Please keep in your prayers Mommy Carmen Cartahena strength and healing Please keep in your prayers also for Sister Leslie Martinez’s healing and strength Please pray also for every couple that is attending on May 28th couple’s retreat at Brother Steve and Sis Lanie’s house I Samuel 28: 5-10 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6 He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreamsor Urimor prophets. 7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor, ” they said. 8 So Saul disguisedhimself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consulta spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.” 9 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off( the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trapfor my life to bring about my death?”     Firstly, he disobeyed the Lord when he had spared the spoil of the Amalek. He had shown mercy on these people and this is a total disobedience to the commandment of the Lord. Rebellion is as the sin of the witchcraft. We know that Saul also spared the cattle and offered it to the Lord which is a total abomination to sacrifice unto the Lord. He was also zealous in seeking to eradicate the necromancer or the spiritist. But he himself ended up inquiring one to be able to communicate with the spirits of the dead. If you noticed in the story that Saul’s action with regard to spiritists demonstrates this, at one time casting them out, and at another time seeking their counsel. The falling away or deteriorating of Saul’s faith had caused the Spirit of the Lord to depart from him. We could never understand why even the person who had a strong faith would ever ignore a solemn covenant with the Lord? Was it just a flippant, superficial, or facetious faith only? The presence of the witchcraft has been in existence from earliest times and has manifested up to this point of time. In essence idolatry has some connection with the witchcraft or anything that displaces God. Remember the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrificed it to the devil, and not to God. “REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF THE WITCHCRAFT”. The unbelief and communion with God do not consort together. They are not allies. God would convey his message through dreams to Saul. By Urim the mind of God was made known through the priests. But Saul had slain the priests, and therefore, cut himself off from that source of communication. Through prophetic, personal, and priestly everything was cut off. God abhorred this despicable act that he did on the priests. He sought the witch’s advice when he disguised himself to speak to the dead prophet Samuel in his plaint or desperation because God had already departed from him and would not listen to him anymore. When Saul sought the help of the witch, it is such a mockery and contempt in the eyes of God. He acted not in faith but in pretense or charade. The king of Israel, the anointed of the Lord, has fallen into a grievous sin! The prophet is one who speaks for God; but if God has turned away from that person, then the servant prophet has no message to convey!                   This is a warning to us to heed to God. To ask God to search our hearts. How delightful it would be, if all of us are capable of out rightly obliterating or eradicating the flesh!!! But we can’t. Only through its full measure of Christ help and grace that we are able to conquer sins. It is always a choice that we make either wrong or good. But if we dread God, our response is to follow and not to lose any connections with Him. It is such a pitiful part if we as believers, are eking out to achieve something which can never be granted because God knows, the motive is not to glorify God but to gratify our desires for pleasures, lofty ambitions and manners & thus, replacing God and ignoring His authority over all things in our lives. A warning to us, to have an unfeigned and authentic love to our Master. We are not here to judge anybody but to be constantly reminded of the great love of the Lord. Psalm 9:21 which says, Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Conclusion: “Living in the light of the truth of God’ s word and application” God bless everyone. Have a good morning. In Christ love, Sister Zen