My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don’t have a family to pray with, who don’t have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I’m facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children’s cases about something they’re doing. Don’t be shocked; this is real life.
SING “GLORIA PATRI”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
World without end. Amen.
Billy Graham said, “We are the Bibles the world is reading. We are the creeds the world is needing. We are the sermons the world is heeding.”
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RECITE: THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, bled, died, and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He was seen alive by Mary Magdalene and the other women, the disciples and over 500 other brethren;
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy universal and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
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EPHESIANS 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Steven J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage, “Children must be filled with the Spirit in order to obey and honor their parents. To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit, which happens as we walk daily in submission to the Spirit. This assumes that a child has experienced genuine conversion, so that the Holy Spirit dwells in him. Every parent should pray for and seek to lead his children to genuine saving faith in Christ. A child is saved when he realizes his own desperate need and, seeing God’s gracious gift, he trusts in Jesus Christ as his only hope of heaven. At that point, he receives the indwelling Holy Spirit, who begins the process of sanctification. I’m not suggesting that a child who is truly born again will always demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, that he will always cheerfully obey his parents, and that he will always get along with his brothers and sisters. After all, he is immature, both developmentally and spiritually. But, there will be a discernible change in the child’s heart. He will feel bad about his sin. He will want to please Jesus. He will want to learn more about God’s Word and how to grow in Christ. Christian parents should explain to their children who have professed faith in Christ how to be filled with the Spirit, so that they grow in obedience.”
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PRAYER
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DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 119:25-32
25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “While the souls of the children of this world cleave to the earth as their portion, the children of light are greatly burdened, because of the remains of carnal affections in their hearts. It is unspeakable comfort to a gracious soul, to think with what tenderness all its complaints are received by a gracious God. We can talk of the wonders of redeeming love, when we understand the way of God’s precepts, and walk in that way. The penitent melts in sorrow for sin: even the patient spirit may melt in the sense of affliction, it is then its interest to pour out its soul before God.”
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PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES
1. Clergy (church)
2. Government
3. People (citizens)
4. The press (media)
5. New media/Online journalists
PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP
– For all pastors, church leaders, denominational leaders, Bible teachers, missionaries, and ministry workers.
GOVERNMENT LEADERS
1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
President Donald Trump and his administration
Vice President Mike Pence
First Lady Melania Trump
Second Lady Karen Pence
All White House staff including: Senior Advisor Jared Kushner
All leaders of federal agencies including: Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao
All state governors including: Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
All city mayors including: Irvine, CA, Mayor Donald P. Wagner
All members of Congress including: Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin
All law enforcement officials including: Irvine, CA, Police Chief Mike Hamel
All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / General Robert B. Abrams, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Forces
Leaders of nations around the world including: Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
For the peace of Jerusalem
PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS
PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA
PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD
– For the comfort of the families of the 50 people killed in a plane crash in Bangladesh
– For the comfort of the families of 2 people killed in strange bombing incidents in Austin, TX; and for the recovery of the 2 people seriously injured
– For the comfort of the families of 5 people killed in a helicopter crash in Brooklyn, NY
PRAYER REQUESTS
Barbi
Please save her and guide her and help her to grow in you
Chika
please provide them with 300 Bibles to replace the ones that were destroyed by the rain, please bless them with a stronger church building and increase their faith in You
Umesh
please bless and prosper the Orissa Missionary Movement and indigenous church planting ministries
THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR
Yacoubi
Sophia
Sokteang
THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST
Sisay
Rolly
Aigul
DEVOTIONAL READING: “Happiness,” by Billy Graham
Matthew 6:34 says, “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time…”
King George V wrote on the flyleaf of the Bible of a friend, “The secret of happiness is not to do what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do.” Too many people think of happiness as some sort of will-o’-the-wisp thing that is discovered by constant and relentless searching. It is not found by seeking. It is not an end in itself. Pots of gold are never found at the end of the rainbow, as we used to think when we were children; gold is mined from the ground or panned laboriously from a mountain stream.
Jesus once told His disciples, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The “things” He spoke of were the things that make us feel happy and secure—food, drink, clothes, shelter. He told us not to make these the chief goal of our lives but to “seek the kingdom” and these needs would be automatically supplied. There, if we will take it, is the secret of happiness.
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Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Gospel Light House of Prayer International 