God Loves a Cheerful Giver

2Co 9:1 For indeed regarding the ministry to the saints, it is not necessary for me to write to you.
2Co 9:2 For I know your eagerness, of which I boast to Macedonia on your behalf, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has aroused the greater number.

2Co 9:3 Yet I sent the brothers, lest our boasting (which is on your behalf) should not be in vain, that, as I said, you may be ready.
2Co 9:4 I say this lest perhaps Macedonians should come with me and find you unprepared. We (not to say you) would then be put to shame in this confident boasting.
2Co 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brothers that they would go forward to you, and make up beforehand your blessing, it having been promised that this would be ready, thus as a matter of blessing, and not as of covetousness.
2Co 9:6 But I say this, He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.
2Co 9:7 Each one, as he purposes in his heart, let him give; not of grief, or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that in everything, always having all self-sufficiency, you may abound to every good work;
2Co 9:9 As it is written, "He scattered; he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever."
2Co 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for eating, may He supply and multiply your seed, and increase the fruits of your righteousness
2Co 9:11 you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which works out thanksgiving to God through us.
2Co 9:12 For the ministry of this service not only supplies the things lacking of the saints, but also multiplying through many thanksgivings to God,
2Co 9:13 through the proof of this ministry they glorify God for your freely expressed submission to the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of the fellowship toward them and toward all,
2Co 9:14 and in their prayer for you, who long after you, because of the exceeding grace of God on you.
2Co 9:15 Thanks be to God for His unspeakable free gift.

OCCUPIED:
This earth was not created to remain void (empty), God brought order and filled His beloved with His Spirit:
Isa 45:18 For so says Jehovah the Creator of the heavens, He is God, forming the earth and making it; He makes it stand, not creating it empty, but forming it to be inhabited. I am Jehovah, and there is no other.
Isa 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. I did not say to the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain. I Jehovah speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
Isa 45:20 Gather yourselves and come; draw near together, escaped ones of the nations; those who set up the wood of their graven image, and those that pray to a god that cannot save. They know nothing.
Isa 45:21 Declare and bring near; yea, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this of old? Who has told it from then? Is it not I, Jehovah? And there is no other God besides Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.

REVIVAL! REVIVAL! REVIVAL!!
The Lord has spoken time and again about daily fellowship with other believers. "GATHER TOGETHER...DRAW NEAR TOGETHER... TAKE COUNSEL TOGETHER."
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who promised),
Heb 10:24 and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works,
Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

We must be in daily fellowship with the Brethern and seek God's perfect will fervently (Matt 7:7, Matt 6:33), and His kingdom:
"...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Amen.

What a Weekend in PA!

Praise God for a double portion!
Pastor Sam and I prayed for a lady named Dawn;
She walked by the Inner City Mission (Pastor Frank's) in Philly
and called out for prayer, so we stopped her.
She wants free from the drugs and the hooking but she doesn't have enough faith.
Pastor Brandon and Lucy said the hair stood up on her arms as we prayer for her.
We saw her later. She had changed her clothes.

On Kensington Square:
Doris got healed from rheumatoid arthritis
Some other churches from the area offered to help her with tough love support
to help her home situation.
Malcolm gave up his alcohol addiction and anger
He and his girlfriend, Jill, made a commitment to give up pre-marital relations
they each received Bibles- and hope to get married soon.
We prayed for strength and shelter, and their devotion to God's way.

...We're still praying for deliverance for Gabe and his friend for deliverance from heroine, from the lies and deception of "humanism" and false doctrine, from the traditions and philosophies of men, and that they would know the Truth. We preached it-they need it: The Word never goes void. Amen?

Later, in the park:
Patty and John prayed for deliverance from her gambling addiction and that they will find a way back to Delaware.

A very angry young woman let me minister to her for some time, until she calmed down. She received the Word and prayer for healing and deliverance, asked me for a Bible, and later apologized to the Pastor for her behavior. The ladies son also asked to know Christ better and received a Bible.

We ended the day in worship with Carmen, Jayme, and a gospel singer (from the park).
How good it is to worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth, in Word and deed, and in Song!
Amen?
Thank you Jesus!
All glory to God!
Amen.


SUNDAY! SUNDAY!
-maple street in York-
I was covered and surrounded with kids from the minute we got out of the car until clean up time...even then, Quasear needed his bandage fixed. Meghan ministered first aid. We worshiped in song. We made bean soup with long green beans from a tree (pretending). Meg and I got our hair done in twists and braids and pulls...ouch! (Lucy kept saying 'poor meg!') We loved it. Scotty and I hit the streets to invite the neighbors out for food. The kids helped! Wilma (Theresa's mom) refused to come back to God and get rid of her anger at having been homeless, without help-and now "stuck" on maple street, with more problems-Lord, how can we help her? Lord, will you soften her heart?
The guys fixed bike chains (several times). We prayed for deliverance from heroine addiction for Robert and another younger guy. It's the second time we've prayed for Robert-the Holy Spirit was really working on him-I pray he stays strong and the Lord takes him out of there-somewhere else. I just keep seeing that house that he walked back into-the notorious drug house. My heart's broken.
Many more houses are boarded up and vacant.
Lord, thank you for Your Word and Your promises.
Thank you for the hope of Calvary.
Thank you for the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for dying so that we could live.
Thank you for the food and the help,
In Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where shall my help come from?
Psa 121:2 My help comes from Jehovah, who made Heaven and earth.

We prayed for help and God sent help.
I called the wrong number and it happened to be a friend who visits Kathy, regularly.
Kathy lives in a poor neighborhood in Manchester, MD.
We've been ministering to her for a year
to quit smoking.
and to walk again.
Today was her birthday so it was great to visit today-and take bread
and a Word.
She stays joyful in the Lord despite her wheelchair
and is persistent in prayer petitioning the Lord to help her walk again
and to move her paralyzed hand.

Lord, we lift up Kathy to you
for deliverance from the nicotine addiction,
for healing of her body and for strength
thank You for her health and restoration
thank You, Your promises are true.
In Christ, Amen

DIVINE APPOINTMENT:
as we pulled into the parking lot
two young boys, one who I met at VBS last week
rode bikes behind the car
...perfect timing.
We brought Bibles for them
and a few Christian CD's
Nathaniel asked his mom:
it's ok, he can keep them
but we don't need bread

Jesus said:
Joh 6:51 I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Lord, bless this family
and these young boys that they might come to know You, love You and serve You alone.
In Christ, Amen.

Thank you Lord for safety and provision,
your kindness and your help
your grace, deliverance
and power.
In Christ.
Amen

Only one came back to thank Him

Raven met "i Care" ministries and Crossroads Church to help hand out food in Westminster, MD last evening.

One guy got healed last week and came back to thank us:
Dave had gone through a Mission recovery program several years ago, but suffered adverse effects form the alcoholism and lifestyle of addiction.
Last week he asked for prayer. He'd been labeled with ADHD, so we taught repentance and the Word, then prayed over him
and prayed the Word over him-the mind of Christ...

Tuesday night, Dave came back out to thank us for the prayer. He noticed the change of mind last week (a sound mind) and he's still doing well. Praise God!!

It reminds me of the ten lepers Christ had healed and only one was thanked Him.

Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and glorified God with a loud voice.
Luk 17:16 And he fell down on his face at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17 And answering, Jesus said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
Luk 17:18 Were none found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

The Lord showed me twice yesterday that we all should be on our faces in humility before the Lord and
we all need to glorify God with a loud voice.

Others had been healed...but no one else came back to praise God.

3 more ladies ask for prayer:
Sara needs money to bring her 7 year old from El Salvador to America
Adela needs salvation
Vicky needs healing from diabetes

Praise God-He is able to do more than we ask or imagine!

The Lord sent 9 intercessors from Crossroads, one an interpreter! Thank you Lord for sending help.
Thank you Lord for the food.
Thank you Lord for the Truth-Your Word, going forth
boldly!
Amen!

RAVEN East Coast Ministers in Manchester, MD

We ministered until after dark, about 9:30 and I still had to call one lady, Karen back and talk some more. She is the lady that I met and preached to last year, Clara's daughter, who was drunk and belligerent to me, then we helped her with food. She was out when we drove by and it was definitely a Jesus thing: she cried as we talked----an awesome move of God.--(maybe more on that subject later-a tough one b/c she made me promise to not tell anyone-even though Jen was there, a witness. I had to tell her if there is anything ever dangerous or illegal I may have to tell someone-that almost sounds like an accusation to her and she gets a little upset at that.)

There were two other neighborhoods and we ministered at length to another woman and her daughter. So, as you know. God is awesome and awesome in this place. Amen! thanks again for your prayer. I hope Jen will go back again with me. She said it was such a blessing to her and she knows she needs to continue ministering to this one teen, Brandi, whose Mom I ministered to. And she promised Bibles to some other kids in the neighborhood.

Praise God!!

DD