I Peter 5 - "Who You Say I Am"

Every time I woke up during the night these words were going through my mind...

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of God
Yes I am
In my Father’s house
There’s a place for me
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

At 3:22 the Lord had me praying for a friend who is living out what appears to be her mother's final days on this earth. He had me pray not only for physical needs but also emotional, mental and most of all spiritual needs. As I prayed this song continued to run through my mind. We never know when our time will be to leave this earth. We also never know when the Lord will return. But we can know one or the other will happen for all of us. We must be spiritually ready for that time. We must be 'prayed up' as the old timers use to say. We must know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are ready to meet our Maker. This takes accepting Him into our heart and living for Him. As we do, we draw deeper in our faith and our trust in Him will grow. No matter what comes our way, He will be our strength. One of the times God woke me to pray last night I began thinking about our study earlier in the evening. I love our Wednesday night group. I learn so much from it. It's like I am a sponge soaking it all in. I am so thankful for the teaching God gives Doc to present to us. He is so gifted. He also is so open to God's direction which magnifies his teaching. We have been studying end times and how it is getting closer. We are living on 'borrowed time.' It broke my heart to hear of some of the signs we are living in. Some I knew while others were new to me. As these signs occur, His time draws nearer. He desires for all to accept Him before He returns. How is that even possible if we, as believers, are not sharing Him? How can it happen if we keep His love to ourselves? What is it going to take for us to be bold in our witness? Oh my. These are some hard questions but they are ones we all need to answer. As I said, we never know when our time on this earth will be up or when the Lord will return. I want to be ready no matter what the day or time. I desire more people to be able to say the same thing. I am responsible for sharing Him with others. This falls under my responsibility for myself. I think of the words of I Peter 5 this morning that give direction to pastors on how to live. We are to be an example for others to follow. The best example I can be is to love people with Jesus' love which will bring them into relationship with Him. There are tough circumstances to work through but I must never give up. The more the enemy fights against me, the more I need to be empowered by God's strength. I stand upon I Peter 5:8-9...

Dear Jesus,
Thank You once again for the privilege to pray during the night. Thank You for bringing people to my mind the way You do. I was so blessed over the last couple of days to find out people I had prayed for when You brought them to my mind needed extra prayers due to the circumstances they were going through. Lord, it is not fun seeing people go through tough days but it is necessary for all of us so we will have the opportunity to draw closer in relationship to You. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so I can be Your hands and feet throughout this day. I pray for more of You and less of me. Lord, be with my friend and her family. I pray for each one of them to realize You are their strength. There are so many people going through tough days. I pray for each one of them to draw closer to You. Father, I also pray for more trust in You myself with a situation in our life. Thank You Jesus for being My Heavenly Father! Amen.