Those who place their names on the church book should do so with a full and intelligent understanding of what this action involves. It means that you have solemnly pledged yourself to serve God. It means that you have made a full surrender of self to Him, in order that Christ may reign where self once reigned. It means that you have given up your pet ideas and policies, and have yielded your mind to the mind of Christ. It means that your fixed purpose is to be one with God, one with His people; that you will exercise self-denial and self-sacrifice to advance the interests of His kingdom; that you will strive to overcome everything that hinders growth in grace.

The Lord leaves in darkness no man who has an ear to hear and a heart to understand. Let everyone keep the eye single to God’s glory. Be not led astray by the snares of the wicked one. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Let the warnings that God has given in His Word be voiced by the watchmen on the walls of Zion and heeded by every soul in the Master’s service.

Every case will be tried; every soul will be proved. Let each one ask, “Am I an evil servant? Do I by precept and practice lead other souls in false paths?” Remember that your influence is affecting others for good or for evil.

I beseech the members of every church to seek now for the greatest blessing Heaven can bestow—the Holy Spirit. If in faith you seek for a greater measure of God’s Spirit, you will be constantly taking it in and breathing it out. Daily you will receive a fresh supply. Your everyday experience will be enriched by the rich current of God’s love. Before you lie vast fields of truth, vast sources of power. Let the daily prayer be, “Take from us what Thou dost choose to take, but withhold not Thy Holy Spirit from us.” We must have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The truth of God is for us. The religion of Jesus Christ never degrades the receiver, but makes him pure, that he may see God. It gives him an intensity of desire to be like Jesus Christ, the One altogether lovely, the Chiefest among ten thousand…. Why should we not love Him and give Him our undivided service?

As were God’s people anciently, so should we be prepared to advance when the cloud rises and moves forward, and to halt when the cloud hovers over a certain place. None can stand still, making no advancement.—Manuscript 56, May 9, 1902, “Written for Our Admonition.”
The Upward Look p. 143
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Lee’s father who has an aneurysm in his brain and is in the hospital. Also continue to pray for my mother. Brian
—-Please pray for wisdom to know whether to get a different car or not. H
—-Please pray for Stacy who has cancer and who is learning the truths in the Bible. E
—-Please pray for my immediate post open heart patient for successful recovery. Emerson
—-Please pray for my brother who is having surgery right now. Asking for prayer for all to go well and for quick healing. Donell
—-Prayer needed for a friend who is having surgery today. Her name is Mindy. Michael
—-Below are some prayer requests that just came through on my prayer net. May we lift them up to the One who can heal. Thanks.
Prayer Request for an unnamed woman, the Lord knows her name. She has had two miscarriages due to uterine fibroids and lungs to have a baby. Prayers the Lord will open her womb as she is pleading like Hannah that a miracle can occur.
Prayer for my husband Dan. Specifically for a breakthrough in his thinking and understanding about anger and the habit he has had of expressing anger all of his life. Without acknowledging an issue you cannot overcome. Prayer that he will turn his heart back to the Lord and seek Him, spend time with Him and see how desperately he needs Jesus. Prayers that no one, not even a family member will come between our marriage.
Prayer for a woman by the name of Krista. A young SDA woman in a marriage that suffers from addiction to pornography. Her anger in this issue among other things has led her to distrust God and to struggle to talk with Him. She is hurt as to why God would allow this to happen to her life. She is a young wife and very discouraged.
Prayers for Adrianna and Peter. Peter is not an Adventist but his wife is. They have two boys and it is very difficult to raise children in a home divided.
Prayers for Paul and Yvette. Another unequally yoked home where the wife is SDA and the husband is not. He has recently been coming to church and will be coming over to my house for dinner Friday night. Prayers he will feel warmth and love from the Adventists he is being welcomed by. Michael
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Dear Friends,

When Ronnie Jay was eight years old, I bought him his first gerbil. He was so happy! He took very good care of it and played with it daily. It became very tame and was a much loved pet. Gerbily-erbily knew who his family was. He never bit us, but anyone not a part of the family was “fair game.”

That little rodent lived for nearly five years. We were all very sad when he died. To soothe Ronnie Jay’s sadness at the death of his pet, we went that very day and bought another one, but it never was the same. Over the years it became a tradition, when one gerbil would die, we would go to the store and buy another baby gerbil until Ronnie Jay became too busy to play with one.

Each of these little rodents had a common trait that made us laugh. It was the way they ate M&M’s. When given one of these coated chocolate candies, they carefully shelled it and ate the chocolate inside. Not one of the gerbils he had, would eat the outside of the candy. They must have thought that the candy coating was the shell of a very sweet seed. They approached life in the way they had been taught, even though it did not always make sense.

It is the same way with us. Our thought patterns, our actions, our words are largely developed from the experiences we have gone through. They do not always make sense, but we stick to them because they are familiar. In the same way, our religious beliefs are often founded upon the beliefs of our parents or grandparents rather than a deep study of the Word of God.

How important that we study God’s Holy Word for ourselves with as much diligence as if we were seeking a rich treasure. Indeed, the Scriputures are full of spiritual riches. A good concordance is essential. I like Young’s Analytical Concordance as it groups the Hebrew or Greek words by their meaning. When testing our beliefs by the Bible, we must find all texts that deal with the subject. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” to find God’s message to us. As we gather the texts together, we may find that some commons beliefs are based on tradition rather than the Word.

Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim 3:16, 17 “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jer 10:23 We must have the direction of God or we will go astray. We must pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we study. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20, 21

May we set aside our preconceived ideas and “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May the words of the psalmist be the rule of our life, “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Ps 119:98-104
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/19VJsLTejVE/pray-for-the-holy-spirit.html