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Day 121 - 1 May 2021 reflections

Day 121, 1 May 2021



Ps 133



PSALMS 133

A Song of Ascents. Of David.



1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

for brothers to dwell together in unity!

2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2 ) It is like precious oil upon the head,

that runs down on the beard-

even Aaron's beard-

and going down to the collar of his garments;

3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) as the dew of Hermon,

that descends upon the mountains of Zion,

for there the Lord has commanded the blessing,

even life forever.



2) Our Daily Bread for 1 May 2021

https://odb.org/CA/2021/05/01/dwelling-in-our-hearts

entitled Dwelling in Our Hearts



Eph 3:14-21



To Know the Love of Christ

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 (Eph 1:10; 1:21) from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 (Ro 7:22; Col 1:11) that He would give you, according to the riches

of His glory, power to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man,

17 (Col 1:23; Jn 14:23) and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through

faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 Eph 1:15may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth

and length and depth and height,

19 (Eph 1:23) and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge;

that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 (Ro 16:25; Eph 3:7) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly

beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us,

21 (Ro 11:36; 1Pe 5:11) to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.



Sometimes the words of children can jolt us into a deeper understanding

of God's truth. One evening when my daughter was young, I told her about

one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith-that God through His Son

and Spirit dwells in His children. As I tucked her into bed, I said

that Jesus was with her and in her. "He's in my tummy?" she asked.

"Well, you haven't swallowed Him," I replied. "But He’s right there with you."



My daughter's literal translation of Jesus being "in her tummy" made me stop

and consider how when I asked Jesus to be my Savior,

He came and took residence within me.



The apostle Paul referred to this mystery when he prayed that the Holy Spirit

would strengthen the believers in Ephesus so that Christ would

"dwell in [their] hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:17).

With Jesus living within, they could grasp how deeply He loved them.

Fueled by this love, they would mature in their faith and love others

with humility and gentleness while speaking the truth in love (4:2, 25).



Jesus dwelling inside His followers means that His love never leaves those

who've welcomed Him into their lives. His love that surpasses

knowledge (3:19) roots us to Him, helping us to understand

how deeply He loves us.



Words written for children can say it best: "Yes, Jesus loves me!"



By: Amy Boucher Pye



Reflect & Pray

How does Jesus dwelling inside you give you great comfort?

How can you grow closer to God knowing that His power gives you strength?



God, You're not far off, but are close to me. May I delight in Your love

and share it with others.



3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation



Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools



Week 4 - The Blessings of Grace Day 7 God's Bulldozer - Luke 3:5-6



5 (Isa 40:4; 42:16) Every valley shall be filled

and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;

and the crooked shall be made straight

and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6 (Isa 40:5; 52:10) and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.



When a new highway is being constructed, the roads crew work hard

in preparing for the new surface to be laid. Giant bulldozers cut through

the hillsides, moving earth, leveling, filling, evening the path out where

the roadway will run. When the work is first begun, if often looks like chaos:

and even after the highway begins to take shape, the land is still ugly,

scarred by the unslighty gashes cut through the landscape. Yet after

the work is completed and the grass and trees are replanted, we forget

the temporary upheaval and see only the

beauty of the land and the convenience of the new roadway.

In Luke 3:5-6, John the Baptist presents a prophecy of the coming of Christ,

a prophecy quoted from Isaiah 40:3-5 . The prohecy speaks of the preparation

of the world for the coming Messiah, but ia also applies to the preparation

of the individual heart to receive him.

Sometimes, the Holy Spirit must do major work in our hearts to prepare us for

the coming of Christ into our live. Like a bulldozer, he brings down the

mountains of pride in our lives. He fille the empty places , correts the crooked,

grades down the rough edges of our hearts.

Often this is not pleasant work. We prefer to maintain the rugged landscape

of Self, and we do not like the ugly scars that are left after the bulldozer

has done its job.

But if we submit to the Sprit's "Construction work" in us, the way will be

paved for the Lord to enter into our lives, and others will see in us,

the way be paved for the Lord to enter into our lives, and other will see

in us the glory and salvation of our God.



Application



a) What "construction work" has to Holy Spirit done in me?

b) What restoration has taken place because of that work?

c) How do today's verses help me put in prespetive the work

God still wnt to do in me?



44) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland



Ps 37:25-26



25 I have been young, and now am old;

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

nor their offspring begging bread.

26 The righteous are gracious and lend,

and their offspring are a source of blessing.



5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:



When you are ill or injured



Matthew 8:14-17



The Healing of Many People

Mk 1:29-34; Lk 4:38-41



14 When Jesus entered Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother, lying sick with a fever.

15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she rose and served them.

16 When the evening came, they brought to Him many who were possessed with demons.

And He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all who were sick,

17 to fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,

"He Himself took our infirmities

and bore our sicknesses."



The Lord's prayer



Matthew 6:9-13



9 "Therefore pray in this manner:

Our Father who is in heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;

Your will be done

on earth, as it is in heaven.

11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.

12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."



6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)



Ontario



Quick facts on Muslims in Ontario



Ontation 2015 population 13 687 7000



est Muslim Population 1 001 542



CNMM Networks: Ottawa, Durham, York, Toronto, Mississauga, Halton, Hamilton,

Niagara, Kitchener, London, Windsor



Ontario has 55% of all of Canada's entire Muslim population. This means that

the whole of the Muslim world is represented somewhere in this province. Most

Musslims are understandably located along the southern border stretching

from Windsor eastward all the way up to Ottawa. Yet Muslims are constantly

resettling in more and more suburban and even small towns of Ontari. Mosques

are springing up, and where there are enough gathered, Islamic schools

are starting.

And they're not comlacent, either. Many Islamic leaders are energetic in their

advancement of Islam in Canadian society. Recently in the Niagara Region,

the local mosqoe distributed via Canada Post as many as 50000 full-colour

brochures on Islam. An that mosque's Facebook page proudly show pictures of

"reverts", or white Canadians who havve converted to Islam as a result of

receiving the flier and engaging with the mosque community. Antoerh town

reports Muslims going door-to-door evangelism.

Agree in prayer for:



- net network leaders - the need is great

- the development of network leadership teams

- good connectiosn with local pastors, congregations and individuals

whom God is calling into this ministry.

- wisdom facilitating outreach and training activities for mobilising

believers

- new full and part-time workers among Muslims throughout all these areas

- for pastors and churches to respond not in fear, but full of faith and love

towards Muslims, sharing Jesus with them.



Adding further



30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 13 April to 12 May 2021



From https://www.30daysprayer.com/



https://www.30daysprayer.com/pages/long-distance-church/



LONG-DISTANCE CHURCH

GOSPEL MESSAGE REACHES MUSLIMS IN TORONTO AND TEHRAN



Pastor Nasser preached God’s Word to his largely Iranian congregation

in Toronto every Sunday without realizing he was reaching

an international audience of one.



Mahla, who immigrated from Iran, was using her cell phone to "broadcast"

Nasser's sermons live to Tehran each Sunday, where her husband,

Kavan, still lives.



Most Sundays, Mahla would ask the pastor numerous questions about his sermons,

hoping Kavan would overhear the discussion

and embrace the Gospel message himself.



One Sunday, Mahla gave a joyous report.



"My husband got saved!"



Soon, Kavan was inviting friends and neighbors to his Tehran home

for the Sunday broadcasts from Toronto. One day, 53 people squeezed

into his small home to hear the sermon.



Today, thousands of Iranians log onto Instagram to watch what has become

known as the "Long-Distance Church" of Toronto and Tehran.



Iranians have migrated to Canada in increasing numbers since the Iranian I

slamic Revolution of 1979. Many arrive in the West seeking freedom

after questioning the harsh religious restrictions enforced

by the Iranian Islamic regime.



Today, approximately 250000 Iranians live in the Greater Toronto Area,

where they struggle to learn English, find work, and complete lengthy

legal entry requirements while living far from family back home.



Iranian women are finding new freedoms and identities through Christ

in Toronto, where they form the majority of Iranian Christ-followers.

Young Muslim men are also experiencing a growing openness to the Gospel.



Thousands of Iranian Muslims in Toronto have come to know Jesus as their

only Savior and Lord! Many gather in the city's dozen or so largely

Iranian churches, while others gather in homes or have assimilated

into traditional Canadian churches.



Pray that Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer. 49:34-39) about the ancient Kingdom

of Elam (Iran) continue to be fulfilled today.



Judgment on Elam

34 (Ge 10:22; 14:1) The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah

the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah

king of Judah, saying:

35 (Isa 22:6; Ps 46:9) Thus says the Lord of Hosts:

I will break the bow of Elam,

the chief of their might.

36 (Jer 49:32; Eze 5:10) Upon Elam I will bring the four winds

from the four quarters of heaven,

and will scatter them toward all those winds.

And there will be no nation

where the outcasts of Elam will not go.

37 (Jer 9:16; 48:2) For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies,

and before those who seek their life.

And I will bring disaster upon them,

even My fierce anger,

says the Lord;

and I will send the sword after them

until I have consumed them.

38 And I will set My throne in Elam

and will destroy from there the king and the officials,

says the Lord.

39 (Jer 48:47) But it will come to pass in the latter days

that I will restore the fortunes of Elam,

says the Lord.



Pray for Iranians who are disillusioned with Islam to see Jesus

as their only Savior and Lord.

While some Muslims have a sincere faith in Jesus, others "convert,"

hoping it will help them receive refugee status. Ask God's Spirit

to help churches discern the hearts of those who profess faith.

Pray for unity and faith among Iranian Christians as they battle

their own anxieties and the tensions within their communities.



(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .



7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada



http://www.ehc.ca



1st Day of the month



- Pray for an outpouring of God's Holy Spirit on Canada



Joel 2:28 And it will be that, afterwards,

I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream

dreams, and your young men will see visions.

Acts 2:17 "In the last days it shall be," says God, "

that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall

prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream

dreams.



- Pray that the heart of our Prime Minister

would be directed to do that which pleases God



Prov 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water;

He turns it to any place He will.



Conclusion:



Pray to the Lord for brothers to dwell together in unity



Pray to the Lord to delight in His love

and share it with others.



Pray to the Lord for Him to do

continual work in your life.



Pray to the Lord be righteous in His ways .



Pray to the Lord to heal you when you feel sick .



Pray for Muslims in Ontario to receive Christ as Saviour

and that chirstian outreach will be strong.



Pray that Jeremiah’s prophecies about the ancient Kingdom

of Elam (Iran) continue to be fulfilled today.



Pray for Iranians who are disillusioned with Islam to see Jesus

as their only Savior and Lord.

While some Muslims have a sincere faith in Jesus, others "convert,"

hoping it will help them receive refugee status. Ask God's Spirit

to help churches discern the hearts of those who profess faith.



Pray for unity and faith among Iranian Christians as they battle

their own anxieties and the tensions within their communities.



Pray that the heart of our Prime Minister

would be directed to do that which pleases God



Pray for an outpouring of God's Holy Spirit on Canada and the nations

of the World.



Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.

and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness



Remember eternity starts now -

Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.