Sunday, December 3, 2017 First Day of Advent!

Sunday, December 3, 2017

First Day of Advent!

Mark 13:33–37 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.

To ponder and pray:

·       Jesus is speaking of his second coming at the end of time. We must live so that it does not matter when he comes. Our life becomes a preparation for the vision of happiness.

·       Do I anticipate the Lord’s coming, or do I dread it? Why do I feel as I do about this? (The Irish Jesuits. Sacred Space for Advent and the Christmas Season 2017-2018 (p. 5). Loyola Press. Kindle Edition.)

Prayer:

Thanksgiving:

Good morning, Lord! With the dawning of Advent I give You thanks and praise. I lift Your Name, Most High God, in the sanctuary. I sing of Your glory this day and bow my heart in worship to Your Name. You are marvelous and glorious and I love You.

Confession:

I confess my heart before You this day and each day. I choose to live fully open and vulnerable in Your Presence. I release fear of vulnerability and ask You to teach me to feel connected to You in my confession. I refuse to allow shame to alight, and come against condemnation and the lies of the enemy as I am vulnerable and open before You. (Confess your heart before the Lord as an act of trust, surrender and the pursuit of intimacy, as well as an act of obedience to our loving Father. Mine today: I confess my feelings of failure and my need of You in the area of a relationship that is precious to my heart. I want to be filled with Your Spirit at all times and live and walk Your Way. Show me when to confront and when to yield. Place the heart of the servant and do not let me continue to be reactive or easily hurt. Forgive me for my part of the conflict, and guide me to know when I need to be silent. Teach me and instruct me, Lord. You are the Great Father and You are the One Who created us for relationship. This place in my heart is one of great need for Your heart and intervention.)

Supplication:

God, I thank You that my needs are Your concern. You care for me. I am Your child, and You desire good things for me. I love You, Father. I lift my needs to You. There are some things that feel like I am repeating myself, but You said that we could keep on praying, keep on seeking, keep on asking. I choose to trust You that it is not too much for You. (Take the time to ask, seek, pray, knock on the Lord’s door with your needs. Mine today: My health again. The ear/sinus problem is now in my throat and chest. With this ongoing sickness, I ask first for healing and next that I would be able to continue to serve my family and not be out of commission. I also lift up the relationship I confessed to You and ask that You will continue to guide us both in Your Way. I thank You for this amazing person and I thank You that You have a great love for each of us. Draw us together and not away from one another. I desire to walk Your Way regardless of their struggles with that choice or their wounds coming between us. I bless them with Your heart and Your love, Your grace and Your mercy. Flow through me with grace. Flow through me with mercy. Do not allow me to let one second go by wasted in resentment. Let each encounter be one of joy, blessing and love.)

Intercession:

I lift my children to You today. I am grateful that You have led me into praying for them as well as gifting me with the office of praying for them. I ask that You will bless them each with wisdom and knowledge. I ask that You will fill them with Your Holy Spirit and flow through them each with mighty power. I pray for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, faith, self-control for each. I ask that Your Fruit will grow in abundance in them and in each person in our home. I pray that peace like a river would flow in our home. I pray for joy unspeakable and full of glory. I ask for Your Throne to be established in each of our hearts, and that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord and have Jesus living and established in our hearts as well. (Lift victories, praises, progress, needs and concerns. If you choose to journal, I encourage taking the time to read back once a week or once a month and making sure we focus in on how God is moving 😊 For Chloe today: Lord, I thank You that You are truly working in Chloe’s sleep and health. I bless You and give You honor and thanks. I thank You that she is also making progress in using kind words and in her interactions with others. I pray that she will fully cease the tendency to jump to tantrums and crying/screaming when she does not like something. Help us not to give in to demands but be sensitive to fairness and justice. For Christian today: I thank You for the incredible changes we are seeing in his development! I am so grateful for the respite workers that are starting to come to our home. We had a wonderful experience with it yesterday. I share my heart of gratitude and bless You, Lord. Thank You. I lift up his toilet training. I continue to knock on Your door for a miracle that he will choose to use only the toilet. Remove fear, anxiety, stubbornness, and distraction and give him peace, confidence, willingness, and focus. I pray for his gross motor skills to improve so that he can do his own wiping without struggling.)

Thanksgiving and Consecration:

God, it is so good to sit in Your Presence this day and let my heart be open before You. I thank You, Father, that You are in this time with me and throughout each minute of my day. Go before our family in all we set forth today. We give You honor and praise. I lift each person praying with me today and ask for Your mighty power to break chains, remove burdens, fill our hearts and minds with Your peace, love, and truth, and do great and mighty miracles that we cannot even perceive. Seal our time of prayer this day! In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

Blessing and Benediction:

Jude 1:24-25

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.  Amen. 

God bless you as you go forth this first Sunday of Advent! God bless us, every one <3