prayer warriors (following Jesus Christ, everyone welcome)

[Lemon-Drop]

Prayer request:

There’s fires near me. I don’t need to evacuate yet, but I have pretty bad asthma and the air quality is awful. I also just got this alert:

I’m not actually in this area so I don’t need to evacuate. But it’s within 30 minutes.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Prayer request:

There’s fires near me. I don’t need to evacuate yet, but I have pretty bad asthma and the air quality is awful. I also just got this alert:



View attachment 3255516
I’m not actually in this area so I don’t need to evacuate. But it’s within 30 minutes.

Praying! Forgive me if you already have, but if you haven’t already now would be the time to go ahead and pack your bag, put it in the car or by the door and get any animals ready to go. Leashed/in travel crates. That way you are ready to just hop in the car as soon as the order goes out.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Hello I would like to join this thread! Also will pray for those near the fire!

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Hello I would like to join this thread! Also will pray for those near the fire!

Welcome! Thank you!

 

[The Chick Addict]

Thank you! I would also like y'all to pray for my hen Emerald who has an impacted gizzard and is not doing so well!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Thank you! I would also like y'all to pray for my hen Emerald who has an impacted gizzard and is not doing so well!

Praying!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I just wanted to share something. I realized recently that I finally have a story - a testimony, I guess.

This may be a bit triggering for some people, so this is a warning.

I was born and raised in a Christian family.

We went to church pretty regularly. I don’t remember that much. During the first few years of my life, we went to a baptist church.
At some point, we ended up switching churches and going to a different church I remember little tokens we’d get for memorizing verses, singing songs, and things like that.

When I was nine, I started thinking about it -my faith- a bit more. One summer day right after VBS, I was in my backyard thinking about what we had learned. I distinctly remember looking at the bright blue sky and made the decision to give up my life to him. I ended up talking to my parents about it that evening. They seemed very excited. A few months later, on September 3rd, 2017, I was baptized in a river through my church.



After I was baptized, I definitely tried to change. But I kept feeling that it wasn’t quite right. I had thought when I became Christian that life would quickly become easy. But since hard things kept happening, I started to wonder, ‘did I actually accept Jesus as my savior?’

When I was probably around 11, I felt a little rebellious and didn’t really want to go to church. I felt that mostly I went to church, VBS, Christian camp, a Christian school, and all that, for show. I’d pray hoping that people would see me as ‘good’. I wanted, like most people probably do, for others to view me well. I didn’t feel that close to God. While he was still there, in my mind it was like trying to send a letter to the president. He might receive it, but it’s very unlikely he’ll pay much attention or send a response. A lot of hard things happened, and I just didn’t know why.



In 2019, I was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and social and general anxiety disorders. This hit hard. I didn’t know what I should do about it. I knew that it had been part of me my whole life, and it made sense - why I had difficulty making friends, why I did certain things, etc. but it also lowered my self esteem, and I questioned my faith. Why did God, who supposedly made all things good and how he wanted them to be, make me disabled? Why did I have all these struggles? If he’s so loving, why did he give so many people things like cancer? Why then were there wars? I had a lot of questions, but didn’t really ask them to anyone. I’m my mind, if I had questions, it was my fault and I didn’t have a relationship with God.

At the beginning of 2020, Covid hit. I already hadn’t been super close to God, but with lockdown took it as an excuse to not go or listen to church, leave my Bible gathering dust on the shelf, and just do literally nothing for my relationship with God.

During this time, so much happened. I entered a really low part of my life. I was tired and messy. I was socially withdrawn. I became depressed and suicidal. I would self harm as a way to cope with my emotions. I hated myself. I tried to take my life twice.

During this, someone in my family also confessed that they had been abused by my brother. Growing up, I thought my family was pretty close to perfect. But I realized I struggled with my brother. He would threaten, hurt (physically and verbally abuse) me to get at my parents. At first I thought this was all normal Authorities were/are involved. My dad is living with my brother, while my sisters and my mom live at home. I’ve had some pretty traumatic things before that (medical issues, family members and pets dying, witnessing horrible things, and mainly an internal battle) but this was by far the most heartbreaking, traumatic thing I’ve faced.

People said hurtful things at school, and when I got home, all I’d see was the hurt online.

Even though He was still there, I didn’t see God at all in those couple of years. I did start therapy and medication which helped a little bit, but I still didn’t feel complete.

Then, this summer, my neighbor asked if I wanted to go to church with her. My parents were on their anniversary, so I went by myself with her. On that Sunday, I felt something. A lot of the things I had been asking myself were answered just through the sermons, and reading certain verses stuck out to me. The community was incredibly welcoming to me as well, even though I didn’t talk much. Some people recognized me from years earlier. It had been so long since I had been to church, but I immediately felt a sense of ‘this is right. This is what I need’. So, I started attending as often as I could. My neighbor was willing to drive me, and we’d arrive early on Sunday mornings, I’d help setup for the young adults, then I’d go to the ‘regular’ service and then I eventually went to the high school service, which I was welcomed warmly into.

I then started attending youth group regularly. Since I started attending church again, I’ve had amazing conversations, felt joy and peace, and strengthened my relationship with God. My anxiety has lessened, and I hope to feel this joy forever - even in the hardest times.

I know that my life won’t be easy, there will be many afflictions and trials, and I will struggle. But knowing that I have God, my family, and this caring church community, I think I’ll be able to make it. My goals this year is to just trust God and seek the good in everything.

I still have the scars from that hard stage of my life. It was pretty recent, actually. But on the same hand that I’d hurt myself, I know wear bracelets that remind me of Gods love. And the scars remind me that I have a story I can share, and that I can come out of those dark times in triumph.

 

[kikiruru]

Praying for all requests in Jesus name amen

 

[kikiruru]

Thank you Lord for answered prayers

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I just wanted to share something. I realized recently that I finally have a story - a testimony, I guess.

This may be a bit triggering for some people, so this is a warning.

I was born and raised in a Christian family.

We went to church pretty regularly. I don’t remember that much. During the first few years of my life, we went to a baptist church.
At some point, we ended up switching churches and going to a different church I remember little tokens we’d get for memorizing verses, singing songs, and things like that.

When I was nine, I started thinking about it -my faith- a bit more. One summer day right after VBS, I was in my backyard thinking about what we had learned. I distinctly remember looking at the bright blue sky and made the decision to give up my life to him. I ended up talking to my parents about it that evening. They seemed very excited. A few months later, on September 3rd, 2017, I was baptized in a river through my church.



After I was baptized, I definitely tried to change. But I kept feeling that it wasn’t quite right. I had thought when I became Christian that life would quickly become easy. But since hard things kept happening, I started to wonder, ‘did I actually accept Jesus as my savior?’

When I was probably around 11, I felt a little rebellious and didn’t really want to go to church. I felt that mostly I went to church, VBS, Christian camp, a Christian school, and all that, for show. I’d pray hoping that people would see me as ‘good’. I wanted, like most people probably do, for others to view me well. I didn’t feel that close to God. While he was still there, in my mind it was like trying to send a letter to the president. He might receive it, but it’s very unlikely he’ll pay much attention or send a response. A lot of hard things happened, and I just didn’t know why.



In 2019, I was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and social and general anxiety disorders. This hit hard. I didn’t know what I should do about it. I knew that it had been part of me my whole life, and it made sense - why I had difficulty making friends, why I did certain things, etc. but it also lowered my self esteem, and I questioned my faith. Why did God, who supposedly made all things good and how he wanted them to be, make me disabled? Why did I have all these struggles? If he’s so loving, why did he give so many people things like cancer? Why then were there wars? I had a lot of questions, but didn’t really ask them to anyone. I’m my mind, if I had questions, it was my fault and I didn’t have a relationship with God.

At the beginning of 2020, Covid hit. I already hadn’t been super close to God, but with lockdown took it as an excuse to not go or listen to church, leave my Bible gathering dust on the shelf, and just do literally nothing for my relationship with God.

During this time, so much happened. I entered a really low part of my life. I was tired and messy. I was socially withdrawn. I became depressed and suicidal. I would self harm as a way to cope with my emotions. I hated myself. I tried to take my life twice.

During this, someone in my family also confessed that they had been abused by my brother. Growing up, I thought my family was pretty close to perfect. But I realized I struggled with my brother. He would threaten, hurt (physically and verbally abuse) me to get at my parents. At first I thought this was all normal Authorities were/are involved. My dad is living with my brother, while my sisters and my mom live at home. I’ve had some pretty traumatic things before that (medical issues, family members and pets dying, witnessing horrible things, and mainly an internal battle) but this was by far the most heartbreaking, traumatic thing I’ve faced.

People said hurtful things at school, and when I got home, all I’d see was the hurt online.

Even though He was still there, I didn’t see God at all in those couple of years. I did start therapy and medication which helped a little bit, but I still didn’t feel complete.

Then, this summer, my neighbor asked if I wanted to go to church with her. My parents were on their anniversary, so I went by myself with her. On that Sunday, I felt something. A lot of the things I had been asking myself were answered just through the sermons, and reading certain verses stuck out to me. The community was incredibly welcoming to me as well, even though I didn’t talk much. Some people recognized me from years earlier. It had been so long since I had been to church, but I immediately felt a sense of ‘this is right. This is what I need’. So, I started attending as often as I could. My neighbor was willing to drive me, and we’d arrive early on Sunday mornings, I’d help setup for the young adults, then I’d go to the ‘regular’ service and then I eventually went to the high school service, which I was welcomed warmly into.

I then started attending youth group regularly. Since I started attending church again, I’ve had amazing conversations, felt joy and peace, and strengthened my relationship with God. My anxiety has lessened, and I hope to feel this joy forever - even in the hardest times.

I know that my life won’t be easy, there will be many afflictions and trials, and I will struggle. But knowing that I have God, my family, and this caring church community, I think I’ll be able to make it. My goals this year is to just trust God and seek the good in everything.

I still have the scars from that hard stage of my life. It was pretty recent, actually. But on the same hand that I’d hurt myself, I know wear bracelets that remind me of Gods love. And the scars remind me that I have a story I can share, and that I can come out of those dark times in triumph. View attachment 3255861

Thank you for sharing your testimony! You've learned that giving your heart and your life doesn't mean life is going to be a bed of roses. It means God is going to be with you through the tough times, even if you don't "feel" Him close to you. He is always there! We know this is true because He said He would be and He cannot lie. He has scars too, so He knows what it's like to hurt, both physically and emotionally. He does not cause bad things in our life. This is a fallen world and Satan is busy trying to destroy it. He has damaged God's good works. But one day soon our Jesus is coming to rescue us and destroy Satan and all his works! What a great day that will be!