For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7.
Gird on the armor of the Lord…. Opposition will come. Unbelief will be manifested by those who do not encourage faith and hope. When you cannot tell which way to turn, rest the whole matter with God. Encourage in your heart the faith that works by love and purifies the soul…. The Lord has a work for you somewhere, but wherever that field may be, do not make an incomplete work of your consecration. Strive earnestly to glorify God, who has given His only begotten Son to save you. When you teach the Word, keep to the affirmative, and let the melting mercy of the love of God into your heart, and the quickening influence of His Holy Spirit into your mind…. Be of good courage in the Lord…. Now is our time to pray and to believe and to do earnest work before the church, the means of higher education, and the agency of the Holy Spirit. That agency is truly for your life. Christ, the Chief Physician, has the only wisdom that can apply the unfailing remedy. I am instructed by the Holy Spirit to say, “All who believe the truth are to be the Lord’s messengers.” As disciples they are to learn continually of Christ, how to lift up their thoughts, to enlarge their expectations, and to have the loftiest conceptions of His excellence and grace, that the endowment of His Holy Spirit may compensate for the loss of His personal presence. This the Saviour sought to impress on the minds of His disciples. Let there be more earnest prayer in seeking the Lord. “Every one,” said Christ, “that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth” (Luke 11:10). I am enjoined to urge upon every teacher of the gospel the need of multiplying and enlarging their conceptions of what Christ will be to them in carrying responsibilities. Capabilities increase wonderfully under the Holy Spirit’s power…. Will you seek the Lord most earnestly? Pray, pray as humble seekers. Do not put your ingenuity to work to prove that others are evil, but tell them in tenderness to probe deeply their own sinful hearts, and pray that the Lord will purge the soul temple of sins. Let each confess his own sins; then may he draw nigh with full assurance of faith.—Letter 296, September 9, 1906, to O. A. Olsen, at the time secretary of the North American Foreign Department of the General Conference.
The Upward Look p. 266
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray that God will continue to work in David’s life. Buck
—-Please pray for those affected by the wildfires. G
—-Randi (age 10) is missing. Please pray for her safe return. Arlene
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Dear Friends,
When she was young, Eileen’s favorite book of the Bible was the book of Esther. As a child, she often pretended to be Queen Esther and save her people from the wicked plotting of Haman.
Often when reading that book, we would laugh at how Haman received the very punishment that he thought to inflict upon God’s people. Truly his life and death illustrates what God’s Word declares, “The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.” “His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” Ps 37:14, 15; 7:16
One time, as we were reading from the book of Esther concerning Haman’s humiliation and death, Ron commented, “There’s a little Haman in all of us.” I was shocked! Yet, as I thought about it, I could see how true his words were. How often we are filled with self importance. How many times we feel slighted if we are not given the recognition that we think that we deserve. How often we are filled with thoughts of hatred and retaliation against the one whom we think has wronged us.
Yet, this is not Jesus’ way. Our Dear Saviour told a parable illustrating how pride separates us from Him. “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:10-14
Peter tells us, “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:5-7 James adds, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:7-10
When we feel that we have been wronged, we are to bring our case before the King of the Universe, Who assures us, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Rom 12:19 He, alone, can help us. He, alone, judges aright. We are to leave our case in His hands and continue doing His will and walking hand in hand with Him no matter what is going on around us or in our own life. David advises, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Ps 37:1-12
May we turn from our pride and self importance and view ourselves as God views us. May we, when we feel that we have been wronged, refrain from attempting to justify ourselves but let the Great Judge of the Universe do the justifying. May we bring all of our trials, all of our cares, all of the situations arise that perplex us, and lay them at our Loving Saviour’s feet knowing that He, Who loves us more than He loves His own life, will make all things right in His time.
Rose

Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. Isaiah 43:1. Every obstacle to the redemption of the people of God is to be removed by the opening of the Word of God and the presentation of a plain “Thus saith the Lord.” The true light is to shine forth, for darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. The truth of the living God is to appear in contrast with error. Proclaim the glad tidings: We have a Saviour who has given His life that all who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Obstacles to the advancement of the work of the Lord will appear, but fear not. To the omnipotence of the King of kings, our covenant-keeping God unites the gentleness and care of a tender shepherd. Nothing can stand in His way. His power is absolute, and is the pledge of the sure fulfillment of His promises to His people. He can remove all obstructions to the advancement of His work…. The church of Christ is God’s agency for the proclamation of truth, empowered by Him to do a special work, and if she is loyal to God, obedient to all His commandments, there will dwell within her the excellency of divine power. If she will honor the Lord God of Israel, there is no power that can stand against her. If she will be true to her allegiance, the forces of the enemy will be no more able to overpower her than is the chaff to resist the whirlwind. There is before the church the dawn of a bright, glorious day, if she will put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness, withdrawing from all alliance with the world. The members of the church need now to confess their backslidings, and press together. My brethren and sisters, allow nothing to come in that will separate you from one another and from God. Talk not of differences of opinion, but unite in the love of the truth as it is in Jesus. Come before God and plead the shed blood of the Saviour as a reason that you should receive help in the warfare against evil. I assure you that you will not plead in vain. As you draw near to God, with heartfelt contrition and in full assurance of faith, the enemy who seeks to destroy you will be overcome. Turn to the Lord, ye prisoners of hope. Seek strength from God, the living God. Show an unwavering, humble faith in His power and willingness to save. From Christ is flowing the living stream of salvation. He is the Fountain of life and the Source of all power.—Letter 199, September 8, 1903, to “My Brethren in Positions of Responsibility in the Cause of God.”
The Upward Look p. 265
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Prayer Requests
—-I would ask for prayers for a young lady fighting depression. Her name is Courtney. She is constantly crying and cannot receive professional help till the 25th of this month. Lift up the husband also as he is terribly frightened. Ernest
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Dear Friends,
A friend often talks of her verbally abusive father and all of the hurt that caused. She and her siblings determined to be “cycle breakers” and raise their children in a loving manner. Sometimes, as she is talking of the things that they suffered at their father’s hand, I think of my own grandfather when he was a little boy. His father was not only verbally but physically abusive to him and his brother. They greatly feared their father, but they had no love for him. In fact, they hated to see him come home from work. He would not allow the boys to talk at the table or to laugh or sing in his presence.
Worse still, my great-grandfather, when he came home from work each day, made the boys come to him for their punishment. He had no idea if they had done something wrong or not. He just figured that they had to deserve punishment just because they were boys and he knew that boys got into mischief.
First, my great-grandfather would make Harold lie across his knees and the spanking would start. This was no gentle spanking: it was way too hard. Harold had a way of coping with this injustice, however. Almost immediately, he would start crying loudly. Satisfied that he had been punished enough, his father let him go.
Then it would be my grandfather’s turn. Even though he knew that by crying he could escape quickly from his father’s hand, he would not make a sound. Soon the spanking would turn into a beating. Still my grandfather would not cry. Finally his father would tire of this and let him go. Because of this unjust treatment, he ran away from home at age 10 and spent his teen years roaming the forests of the eastern United States, eating the wild plants his grandmother had taught him were safe and whatever fish he could catch. When he got married and had children of his own, he left all the disciplining to his wife. He did not want to become like his father.
Many people view God as being much like my great-grandfather. They think He is severe and cruel and angry with us continually. They picture Him as looking down upon the earth and watching for reasons punish us, but He is not like that at all. He is, “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” Ex 34:6 ”He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Ps 103:10-12 He assures us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jer 29:11 “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Isa 49:15,16 “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made us alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) Eph 2:4 Wonderful Saviour!
May we see God as He really is—loving and kind, just and fair, the Giver of all true happiness and goodness. May we wholeheartedly respond to His great heart of love. May we serve Him joyfully throughout all our life is my prayer.

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? Isaiah 58:6, 7.
We are living in the last days of this earth’s history, and it is time we understood what we must do to be saved. The Lord will work intelligently for all who will work intelligently for Him. My brethren and sisters, there is something more for you to do than to sit in your churches Sabbath after Sabbath and to listen to the preaching of the Word. You have a work to do for [your] friends and neighbors. God requires … that you visit these families and seek to create an interest in the truth for this time. You are not laboring together with God if you neglect the work of helping others to take hold upon eternal realities. Our ministers are not to be encouraged to hover about the churches to repeat to the believers week after week the same truths. We have a truth that is saving and precious. The Word of God must be planted in many hearts; the bread of life must be dealt out to many hungering souls…. It is a blessed work to lift up Christ before the world. When the work of the judgment is finished and decisions have been made for eternity, it will be seen that it is those who have given themselves wholeheartedly to the service of God who will stand right with heaven. Some of these may not have been able to leave their families to go to some mission field, but they have been missionaries in their own neighborhood. Their hearts have been so filled with the love of God that their great anxiety has been to win souls for Him. This has been more to them than silver and gold and the precious things of this world. And as they have labored in simplicity to minister the Word of truth, the Spirit of God has sent home the Word to the hearts of the people. My brethren and sisters, let us study the simplicity there is in the Word of God. Let us see what we can do to advance the cause of Christ in the earth. Christ was in this world as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. There were many who set themselves against His work. There will be those who will oppose you. But your work is to preach Christ and Him crucified; and when you do this, the salvation of God will be revealed in the conversion of souls…. Let the light shine where you are. Lay hold of the power that there is in Christ, and learn to overcome through the merits of His blood and the word of your testimony.—Manuscript 93, September 7, 1909, “Address to the Church at Salt Lake City.”
The Upward Look p. 264
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my neighbor and children as her husband will not allow them to go to church or have family worship. Jose
—-Latest Update on my Dad Bill, He has stage 4 cancer and it has Metastasized into his bones and throughout his blood. The doctors will start him on some sort of pill today to lengthen his life. It’s not over until MY GOD says so! Connie
—-Just received a devastating news about my friend’s daughter Sandra is in coma right now. She was hit by a car while driving a few days back. Please keep her in your prayers. Samantha
—-Please pray for my cousin Rose, she is on the ventilator with covid19. She is a fighter and her husband died this morning from covid. She has no idea. Mary
—-Praise God my hand is much better. Rose
—-Please pray for Joel, he had a heart attack today and is in a coma. Sim
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Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that it has been nineteen years since 9/11. A whole generation has grown up with little idea of what a change it wrought in the lives of Americans. I had barely begun my workday when Ron called and told me to turn on the radio. He explained the reason. Shock and unbelief surged through me. Before I could even get my radio turned on, Ronnie Jay called with more details. I told Bev. Since our office was in the basement at the time, we took turns going upstairs to the jury room to see the devastation on TV. The rest of the day, my radio was on.
As the reporters recounted the events that brought to rubble the World Trade Center and surrounding buildings and part of the Pentagon, I thought of the many thousands of people who had gone to work that morning or were on those hijacked planes going wherever they needed to go. Only moments before, their day was routine. Only moments before, their lives were filled with plans for the future, thoughts of the mundane, anticipation of an evening with family and friends.
In a moment all had changed. Many were engulfed in flames, some jumped to their death, most rushed down the stairs trying to escape. Even in this tragedy, God was working to protect and guide. Most made it to safety, although many did not. As I listened to the reports both at the time and then in the weeks afterwards, I couldn’t help thinking how quickly our life can change. I couldn’t help wondering how many of those people were ready to die.
How easy it is to get caught up in our own future plans without a thought heavenward. James speaks of this: “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” James 4:13-15 Peter agrees, “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:24,25
How urgent it is that we have God’s Word hidden in our heart. (Ps 119:11) How vital it is to have that close connection with our Dear Saviour so needful for our present and future happiness. How important it is to so live that if some tragedy befalls us and we lose our life, we will be ready for the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the happenings of 9-11 were life changing, even so will that greatest of events be. Jesus warns us, “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 21:26-30 (See also: Luke 12: 35-46)
May we “take heed lest at any time [our] hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon [us] unawares.” Luke 21:34 May we “watch…and pray always, that [we] may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” vs. 36 May we soon be filled with joy as we look up “and see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” to take us to those Heavenly mansions He is preparing for us. (Mark 24:62; John 14:1-3)
Rose

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3.
Affliction and adversity may cause much inconvenience and may bring great depression, but it is prosperity that is dangerous to spiritual life. Unless the human subject is in constant submission to the will of God, unless he is sanctified by the truth and has the faith that works by love and purifies the soul, prosperity will surely arouse the natural inclination to presumption…. In the valley of humiliation, where men depend on God to teach them and to guide their every step, there is comparative safety. But let everyone who has a living connection with God pray for … those who are standing on a lofty pinnacle and who, because of their exalted position, are supposed to have much wisdom. Unless such men feel their need of an Arm stronger than the arm of flesh to lean upon, unless they make God their dependence, their view of things will become distorted and they will fall. The Lord has instructed me to urge everyone to realize that man is human. The church of Christ is in need of close communion with the Lord Jesus. Those who feel most their dependence upon God are usually those who have the least amount of earthly treasure on which to depend. Of all the trees, the Scotch fir tree is one of the best from which Christians may draw inspiring lessons. The Scotch fir requires less soil for its roots than any other tree. In a dry soil and amidst barren rocks it finds sufficient nourishment to keep it as green in the winter as in the summer. With the least amount of earth about its roots, it towers above all the other trees of the wood, reaching the highest toward heaven…. The church members who are standing in their lot and place are trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. Although their surrounding circumstances may be adverse, yet, like the fir tree with little soil about its roots, they constantly reach heavenward, drawing nourishment from above. Like the fragrant boughs of the fir tree, they impart grace for grace received. The hidden nourishment that comes from God is returned to Him in purest service…. God calls for every man’s best energies. No man can find in any human being the strength that will enable him to serve God with all his powers. He must be a partaker of the divine nature.—Manuscript 145, September 2, 1902, “Diary.”
The Upward Look p. 259
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Prayer Requests
—-I have hurt my wrist and cannot use my hand, so typing is difficult because I’m doing it one-handed. Please pray that God will place His healing hand upon me. Rose
—-

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. Revelation 14:9, 10.
The Lord desires to see the work of the third angel’s message carried forward with increasing efficiency. As He has worked in all ages to give victories to His people, so in this age He longs to carry to triumphant fulfillment His purposes for His church. He bids the saints to advance unitedly, going from strength to greater strength, from faith to increased assurance and confidence in the truth and righteousness of His cause. Let us ever bear in mind that our work is to be one of advancement. We are to follow on to know the Lord. God understands the actuating principles of every mind. He has witnessed the persistent, rebellious course of some whom He has warned and counseled repeatedly. His all-seeing eye has noted the determined following of human devisings. The way of man is before the Lord. He knoweth the thoughts. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). He looketh to the ends of the earth, and He seeth under the whole heavens. The Lord searcheth the hearts. We are to stand firm as a rock to the principles of the Word of God, remembering that God is with us to give us strength to meet each new experience. Let us ever maintain the principles of righteousness in our lives, that we may go forward from strength to strength in the name of the Lord. We are to hold as very sacred the faith that has been substantiated by the instruction and approval of the Spirit of God from our earliest experience until the present time…. Arouse the people to the importance of the times in which we live, that they may be led to place themselves under the discipline of Christ. In His human life Christ revealed a divine nature; no defect appeared in His character. Beholding His life of self-denial and sacrifice that He might minister truth to the world, they may be changed in life, and learn to reflect His likeness…. Let us not be unconcerned regarding our responsibility to form righteous characters, but let us place ourselves under the molding influence of the Holy Spirit that we may form characters that will reflect the divine life.—Letter 66, August 28, 1911, to S. N. Haskell, president of the California Conference.
The Upward Look p. 254
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my urgent unspoken prayer request. LS
—-Please pray for David. He is getting worse again. Buck