Don’t Leave Home Without It!
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.~Psalm 5:3, NLT
Though thy haste be never so much, or thy business ever so great, yet go not about it, nor out of thy doors, till thy hast prayed.
~Lewis Bayly {Practice of Piety, p.100}
Lewis Bayly was an 18th century Puritan and you almost need an interpreter to understand what he is saying. ChatGPT can interpret for you. Bayly list five principles or as he calls them ‘meditations’ on praying before you leave your house in the mornings. Here is ChatGPT list:
- The busier I am, the more I need God.
- My plans can change in an instant, so I need God’s guidance.
- I am not promised another day, so I should begin this one with God.
- Prayer doesn’t steal time from my day; it prepares me for my day.
- I am entering a spiritually dangerous world, so I should not leave home spiritually unarmed.
My list is slightly different because I have added what he says in his introduction to the list and I begin each one with NEVER: has a warning sound!
- Never allow being busy to become an excuse for beginning your day without prayer. The busier your day, the greater your need for prayer.
- Never assume the day will go as planned. Think of your day as a Mission Trip, “Be flexible or you will get bent out of shape.” Interruptions, accidents, difficult people and disappointments are bound to happen. These things can cause irritation, frustration and even anger.
- Never assume you have another day so attend to the needs of your soul. When it is cold, you put on extra clothing to keep your body warm. Don’t send your soul out into the cold naked. Attend to its needs just as you do the body.
- Never believe the lie that Prayer is a waste of time. That thought is propaganda from hell.
- Never take off in the morning without checking with the CONTROL TOWER. We are not living in the Garden of Eden. We live in a dangerous world that is antichrist. Don’t go out half-cocked or unprepared. Check with the control tower; put on the armor and keep you eyes on Jesus.
Make Psalm 73:26 a part of night meditation
“My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
—Psalm 73:26
- Came up with a solution to our Wednesday night delimma. I will do both services. So when the time changes in November, we will have a Wednesday day service with a light lunch. It will begin at 10:30 am. Our night service will be at 6:00 and it will be a duplicate of the morning. You do not need to come to both. We will begin the am services November 18. We have the Veteran’s Day Stew on November 11 and we will wait till after the stew.
- Don’t forget someone out there needs you to intercede for them today.
- Outdoor Church Sunday September 6 @ 8:00
- Get the WORD TO THE WORLD Sunday September 13th. I am challenging every member to give $35 to translate a scripture verse so that people who have never had a bible in there language will have one. Our goal is to do the book of JAMES, 108 verses. I think we will give you two Sundays to get your $35, September 13 and 20.
- Slidder and Hotdog supper Wednesday night September 16. Originally had this for the 9th but we decided to use the pavilion and so maybe the weather will be cooler by the 16th.
- Monday October 26…we are hosting the pastor appreciation banquet at the POINT. Things are a little different this year. We will need a 49er type meal because this is also the annual meeting of the executive committee. Instead of feeding 20, we will be feeding 60. We will get the KFC, drinks and rolls but we need your help with the other things. Instead of having the 49er meal on Oct. 23, we are asking the 49ers to help us with the meal on Monday October 26. You do not have to attend the meeting just bring your food at lunch time and stay for lunch. It will work if we have a servant’s heart!
- October 28 is our Bill Smith Jambalaya Supper and our November Wednesday night meal falls on Veterans Day and we are having a stew and Joe is going to have us a video of our veterans at the round table.