Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. Philippians 1:27.
I pray that the people of God may not cast aside the peculiarities of their faith. Christ is glorified by a life of constant, well-defined faith. Paul declares, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Christ is to be glorified by the living, working faith of His people. The just shall live by faith. Christ has not left His people to stumble along in darkness. He has marked out the way before them. He says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). It is along the path of self-denial, the royal highway cast up by the Redeemer, that God’s people are to travel.
My brother, bow in submission before Him who has brought life and immortality to light. Let your will and the will of Christ be one. Talk this, pray this, live this. God’s word to us is, “Go forward,” and this word we are to obey, though we shall meet with obstacles seemingly as insurmountable as the Red Sea. Let us trust the Lord God of heaven to open the way before His people. “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). This patience of the soul is the rest of faith. The Lord will bless His tried, faithful people. He will not leave them to become confused.
In the last great day every word, every act, will be subjected to the crucial test of the Judge of all the earth…. The Lord calls for heartfelt repentance from those who claim to be His people. Self-indulgence is to find no place in their lives. The church of God is to be jealously guarded from every phase of dishonesty, every taint of corruption. The love of Christ is directly opposed to all avarice, all pride, all pretense. The Lord calls for humble, contrite hearts. He will work by His Holy Spirit upon all who will be worked, all who love Him and keep His commandments. And they will make the presence and power of God so manifestly to appear that the enemies of the truth will be compelled to say that God and His angels are indeed the friends and helpers of those who serve Him.
Schism and division are not the fruits of righteousness; they are of the wicked one. The great hindrance to our advancement at this time is the selfishness that prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another. The last prayer that Christ offered for His disciples before His trial was that they might be one in Him. Satan is determined that this oneness shall not be, for it is the strongest witness that can be borne that God did indeed send His Son to reconcile the world to heaven.—Letter 41, February 24, 1903, to Dr. F. E. Braucht, a physician laboring in Chicago
The Upward Look p. 69
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for R who is having trouble at work. A
—-Please continue praying earnestly for my dear mother. She is on total life support now. Please pray for her healing. Connie
—-Please pray for B, B, and F who have health problems and need God’s healing power in their lives. Buck
—-Please pray for the situation in Ecuador. Antoinette
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, my mother and I went to Wisconsin for a vacation. While there, we saw everything there was to see and did everything there was to do there at the time. That included visiting Cave of the Mounds. As we walked through that cave, I was awe-struck by the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites and other rock formations. It looked like a fairyland. That began a love for caves that has lasted throughout the years.
No matter where we would go on vacation, I would always try to find a nearby cave. Ron doesn’t like caves much, but he would go because I enjoyed them. His biggest complaint about a cave tour is that the guide nearly always gets us down in the depths of the earth and then turns out the lights. The guide tells everyone in the tour group to be silent. There is not one tiny ray of light. The blackness is so dark that it can be felt. After what seems like an eternity to Ron, the guide turns on a small flashlight. It is a relief to be able to see something again. After turning on the light switch, the cave is once more flooded with light and the beautiful formations are again visible. In the last cave we went to this past summer, Ron had an additional problem. He was the last person in line and the guide hurrying us through turned of the lights of each section before he had a chance to get into the light of the next section.
Just as that cave was totally dark without electric lights, so without God’s Word to guide us, we are in total darkness, darkness as complete as it is inside a cave. The psalmist declares, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Ps 119:105 Through study of the Scriptures, we may find the narrow path that leads to Heaven that Jesus speaks about. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt 7:13,14
Peter makes an interesting comparison between his experience upon the Mount of Transfiguration and God’s Word. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 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 1:16-21 Think of it! More sure than seeing Christ glorified among them, greater than listening to His being encouraged by Moses and Elijah, beyond hearing the voice of God declare Jesus to be His Son [Matt 17:1-9] is the study and following of God’s Holy Word.
Then Peter give warning, but there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.” 2 Peter 2:1 Jesus warns us of the same, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders.” Matt 24:24 Paul also warns, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29, 30
How can we recognize the true from the false? Through the light of God’s Holy Word. We must compare all that we hear, all that we see, all that we read with a “Thus saith the Lord.” “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa 8:20 In these last days of earth’s history, our only safety is in hiding God’s Word in our heart. (Ps 119:9-11) We must pray earnestly for guidance, take our concordance to find all that is written concerning a certain subject, and change our life accordingly.
May we “study to show [ourself] approved of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May we be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving [our] own selves.” James 2:22 May we follow the Light continually is my prayer.
Rose

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Hebrews 1:14.
The angels who do always behold the face of the Father in heaven would prefer to remain close by the side of God. But the Lord gives to every angel his work for this fallen world. Divine help is provided for men. They have the opportunity of cooperating with heavenly intelligences, of being laborers together with God. The possibilities of gaining a fitness for the presence of God, of being enabled to see His face, are placed before them. Heavenly angels are working to bring the human family into a close brotherhood, a oneness described by Christ as like to that existing between the Father and the Son. How can men so highly honored by God fail to appreciate their opportunities and privileges? How can they refuse to accept the divine help proffered? How much it is possible for human beings to gain if they will keep eternity in view.
Satanic agencies are ever warring for the mastery over human minds. But the angels of God are constantly at work, strengthening the weak hands and confirming the feeble knees of all who call upon God for help. The promise to every child of God is, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. Then ask; believe what God has said. He will surely fulfill His word. Say from the heart, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever” (Psalm 73:26). The victory must be gained day by day. As followers of Christ we are to stand on vantage ground before the world as Christ’s representatives. Let us then engage in this part of the Christian warfare, determinedly overcoming every weakness of character….
The Lord has had truehearted men and women, those who have made a covenant with God by sacrifice. They have not swerved from their integrity; they have kept themselves unspotted from the world. These have been led by the Light of life to defeat the purposes of the wily foe. Will human beings now act their part in resisting the devil? If they will do this, he will surely flee from them. Angels will do for you the things you cannot do for yourselves. They are waiting for your cooperation….
While you have one desire to resist the devil, and sincerely pray, “Deliver me from temptation,” you will have strength for your day. It is the work of the heavenly angels to come close to the tried, the suffering, the tempted ones.—Manuscript 14, February 23, 1899, “To Every Man His Work.”
The Upward Look p. 68
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Prayer Requests
—-I have an unspoken request. Rose
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Dear Friends,
About a month after her seventh birthday, Eileen and I were driving to Ron’s job site to do an errand for him. I was under a lot of stress at the time for various reasons. I was so preoccupied with my problems that I didn’t realize where I was. I thought that I was a block farther down the road where there was a turning light. The last thing I remember was being stopped at a red light, getting ready to make a left turn as soon as it turned green. It turned green and in my upset condition, I thought it was a green arrow. It wasn’t.
When I woke up in the hospital a few hours later, I was told that I had pulled out in front of a UPS truck. Eventually, Eileen and I got completely over the accident. The only reminder she has are a few scars on her forehead that really don’t show unless one looks carefully for them, and I still have a small area about the size of a nickel on my knee where there is no feeling. I can poke it with my finger or with a pin and the result is the same: I cannot feel a thing. A nerve must have been severed and was unable to regenerate completely like the rest of the nerves to my knee had.
Just as the sensory nerves are important for us to have feeling, so our conscience must be alive to the workings of the Holy Spirit. Just as I have no feeling in that small area on my left knee, so we can become numb to the Spirit’s voice if we continue to turn away from His pleadings. Jesus warns, “I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” Matt 12:31,32
It is through the Holy Spirit that we are convicted of sin. It is through His working upon our heart, that we feel our need of our Dear Saviour. Jesus explains, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 16:7-14;14:26
David prayed, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Ps 19:13 How earnest we should be in our religious life. How careful we should be not to spurn His great mercy and love. Paul asks, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” Heb 2:3,4
If we continue to refuse to listen to the Spirit’s voice, we eventually no longer hear that still, small voice speaking to us. Eventually, we no longer care for the things of God. Paul admonishes us, “grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Eph 4:30 He further explains, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.” Rom 8:26
May we be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s voice as He speaks to our heart. May we be obedient to His will. May our ears be attune to His pleading voice allow Him complete control of every part of our being is my prayer.
Rose

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Hebrews 5:8, 9.
Christ came to our world, and lived in the home of a peasant. He wore the best garments His parents could provide, but they were the humble garments of the peasants. He walked the rough paths, and climbed the steeps of the hillsides and mountains. When He walked the streets He was apparently alone, for human eyes did not behold His heavenly attendants. He learned the trade of a carpenter, that He might stamp all honest labor as honorable and ennobling to all who work with an eye single to the glory of God….
Christ, the Lord of the whole earth, was a humble artisan. He was unrecognized, neglected, and despised. But He held His commission and authority from the highest power, the Sovereign of heaven. Angels were His attendants, for Christ was doing His Father’s business just as much when toiling at the bench as a carpenter, as when working miracles for the multitude. But He concealed the secret from the world. He attached no high titles to His name, to make His position understood, but He lived the royal law of God. His work must begin in consecrating the humble trade of the craftsmen who have toiled for their daily bread. Had Christ passed His life among the grand and the rich, the world of toilers would have been deprived of the inspiration which the Lord intended they should have.
Meek and lowly was the life of Christ. He chose this life that He might help the human family. He did not take His place upon a throne as Commander of the whole earth. He laid aside His royal robe, He laid off His kingly crown, that He might be made one of the human family. He took not on Him the nature of angels. His work was not the priestly office after the appointments of men. It was impossible for man to understand His exalted position, unless the Holy Spirit should make it known. For our sake, He clothed His divinity with humanity, and stepped down from the royal throne. He resigned His position as Commander in the heavenly courts, and for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. Thus, He hid His glory under the guise of humanity, that He might touch humanity with His divine, transforming power….
Those to whom Christ has given a probation in which to form characters for the mansions He has gone to prepare are to enter into His life example.—Manuscript 24, February 22, 1898, “Christ’s Life on Earth.”
The Upward Look p. 67
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Prayer Requests
—-I have the job interview today at 1:00 PM after all. Please pray that if it is God’s will that I get it. JT
—-Please pray for my sister Pat they are moving her into a care home. and hospice will be taking care of her. her mind is going from all the drugs they are giving her for pain. pray that she ill accept the Lord as her Savior and that she will not have to suffer long. M
—-Also pray for a dear friend of mine .we have known each other since the 80’s.she has walking pneumonia and bronchitis . she is like a sister to me. more so since I am losing my younger sister. thanks. M.
—-Please pray for my friend, she in the hospital. She has just lost her daughter. Loretta
—-Need prayers please, lost my precious sister yesterday, please pray for all the family. Patti
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Dear Friends,
Yesterday, I was reading a poem by my great-great-aunt, Aletha Phillips-Spoor called Making a Garden. I’d like to share it with you.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1.
There is a counterfeit Christianity in the world as well as a genuine Christianity. The true spirit of the man is manifested by the way in which he deals with his fellow man. We can ask the question, “Does he represent the character of Christ in spirit and action, or simply manifest the natural selfish traits of character that belong to the people of this world?” Profession weighs nothing with God. Before it is everlastingly too late for wrongs to be righted, let each one ask himself, “What am I?” It depends upon ourselves as to whether we shall form such characters as will constitute us one of God’s royal family above.
If we would become Christlike, we must study Christ’s character…. It is necessary that we should closely examine ourselves, and enquire, “Is this Christ’s way? Would Christ pursue this course of action? What kind of an impression am I leaving upon the minds of those with whom I am connected? Shall I pursue a course of action that will weaken the confidence of anyone with whom I deal and cause them to think lightly of the Christianity that I profess? Shall I be uncourteous, un-Christlike, unmerciful toward the purchase of the blood of Christ?”
I would speak words of warning to the brethren of our churches, for I fear that many are acting the part of the slothful servant who hid his lord’s talent in the earth. His sin was the sin of neglect, the sin of failing to improve the great treasures of knowledge that were committed to his trust. God has given precious light to His people with which to enlighten the world, and are not many treating it with indifference, and acting as though the heavenly gift were of little consequence? …
Fair weather disciples will not answer to the Lord’s call in time of peril toward which we are hastening. It will take those who not only hear but do the words of Christ to be active disciples—“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). A new energy proceeding from beneath is taking possession of the whole synagogue of Satan, and a new life descending from heaven is taking possession of every human agent who is consecrated, devoted, and who is seeking to work the works of God….
Let those who minister in word and doctrine mix faith with earnest prayer, and seek to put to use every ray of light that comes from the Written Word. The voice of God calls from heaven, and demands the use of every entrusted capability. Every talent is to be used to its uttermost.—Manuscript 6, February 21, 1895, “Genuine and Counterfeit Christianity.”
The Upward Look p. 66
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Prayer Requests
—-My job interview has been postponed. JT
—-My dear mother and I are in a very bad and extremely stressful situation. My mom is in a hospital on a Bipap machine helping her breathe and stay alive till she can be weaned off which takes time. I have Power of Attorney over my mother’s health care and decisions. I have been told by my mother for years what she wants done if and when she would end up in a hospital which is to do everything possible to keep her alive including her being a full code if needed. She has a Dr. who is doing everything he can possibly do to have her wants and wishes done away with. He wants me to let him give her morphine …take her off the breathing machine and let her die. All this is totally against all her wishes and mine too. He is doing his best to turn everyone he can in the hospital against me. He has lied to me about her condition and he has not prescribed the care and medications that were needed to bring her through this. He is a family doctor and she should have been given a pulmonologist by the hospital. Well he told me I was not making the right decisions for my mom and if I didn’t go along with what he wants for my mom which is to let her die that soon someone else would have to take over and make the decision instead of me. It was a threat to have Adult Protective Services come in and try to take over the decision making. Right after that a Tele med doctor was contacted about what was best for my mom and this Dr. was an specialist in COPD which my mom has and he is a top notch Pulmonologist. He said my mom will get over this in just a short time and he prescribed several medications and breathing treatments every 4 to 6 hours around the clock. He said that in a few days my mom would be well enough to start eating on her own again. Well my mom has started improving right away and she is awake and alert much more now. Well the other Dr. is very angry about this new regiment for my mom and he has drawn in another Dr. to try and talk me into letting my mom die and take her off these new meds which are helping her so much. I cannot tell you how awful it is to be in this situation. All I am trying to do is carry out my mother’s wishes and I am being treated terrible for it by many of the workers in this hospital. Now I have been confronted by Adult Protective Services who were turned against me by this Doctor! They will be coming back any day now to try and talk to my mom. Please, please pray for this terrible situation that is going on! It has been terrible! My mom is so afraid that they will be taking her off her breathing machine so that she will die! This has been a living nightmare for us! Please pray for us and please pray for my moms eternal salvation and healing! And that only God’s will be done and not theirs!!! This euthanasia movement is VERY STRONG! But I know that God is MUCH STRONGER!!! I just want peace in my life I am so tired of everyday being so stressful! Thank you so much for your prayers about this situation. Connie

For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:33.
Our heavenly Father does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. He has His purpose in the whirlwind and the storm, in the fire and in the flood. The Lord permits calamities to come to His people to save them from greater dangers. He desires everyone to examine his own heart closely and carefully, and then draw near to God, that God may draw near to him. Our life is in the hands of God. He sees dangers threatening us that we cannot see. He is the Giver of all our blessings; the Provider of all our mercies; the Orderer of all our experiences. He sees the perils that we cannot see. He may permit to come upon His people that which fills their hearts with sadness, because He sees that they need to make straight paths for their feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way. He knows our frame, and remembers that we are dust. Even the very hairs of our head are numbered. He works through natural causes to lead His people to remember that He has not forgotten them, but that He desires them to forsake the way which, if they were permitted to follow unchecked and unreproved, would lead them into great peril.
Trials come to us all to lead us to investigate our hearts, to see if they are purified from all that defiles. Constantly the Lord is working for our present and eternal good. Things occur which seem inexplainable, but if we trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, humbling our hearts before Him, He will not permit the enemy to triumph.
The Lord will save His people in His own way, by such means and instrumentalities that the glory will be returned to Him. To Him alone belongs the praise….
Every soul that is saved must be a partaker with Christ of His sufferings, that he may be a partaker with Him of His glory. How few understand why God subjects them to trial. It is by the trial of our faith that we gain spiritual strength. The Lord seeks to educate His people to lean wholly upon Him. He desires them, through the lessons that He teaches them, to become more and more spiritualized. If His Word is not followed in all humility and meekness, He brings to them experiences which, if rightly received, will help to prepare them for the work to be done in His name. God desires to reveal His power in a marked manner through the lives of His people.—Manuscript 76, 1903, February 20, 1902, “The Burning of the Sanitarium.”
The Upward Look
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Prayer Requests
—-I have a job interview on Wednesday. Please praythat if it is God’s will I will get it. JT
—-Prayer request for a friend’s son who was in a car accident he went through the windshield and needs our prayers. he is in his 20’s. M
—-Please pray for my aunt Loretta. She had a mini stroke today. Second one this year. Darla
—-Please pray urgently for my dear mother…. She seems to be in a deep sleep that I cannot wake her up from. Please pray for her healing. Connie
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Dear Friends,