COUNTING Your Blessings and
DIS…COUNTING Your Woes
“Be Thankful”
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“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Why do we sometimes magnify or count our woes more than our blessings? Why do we sometimes maximize or dwell on the 1% that is negative and minimize or downsize the 99% that is positive? Why does it often seem like “the hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings?” Our woes should never dominate or supersede our blessings…God has been so good to us! “We are too blessed to be stressed!” I am reminded of the song lyrics, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
In reality, it is never as bad as it seems…especially if God is in it. Someone else is probably worse off than you. Forget about yourself and focus on others, and God will take care of you! God is always looking out for your best interest, according to His will, as you faithfully serve Him. Psalm 56:9 says, “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” I have heard the expression, “Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.” What further resonates in my mind is, "It’s best to count your blessings and dis…count your woes," regardless however your life on earth goes. “Be thankful” and give thanks in everything, and you will be amazed at the joy it will bring. For this is God’s will and He knows what is best, so just allow His perfect plan for you to manifest.
God has blessed us in so many ways. The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, but in reality we should give thanks every day and always count our blessings. You should always be thankful and trust God. Trust in Him and let His peace rule in your heart and mind as you count your blessings and dis...count your woes. Fret not and rest in Him. Proverbs 3:24 says, “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” Someone said, “When I’m troubled and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.” I came across these meaningful words below penned by an unknown author that pretty much sums up what I am sincerely trying to relay.
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
So, will you be thankful? Will you practice thanks…giving and use your time wisely by “counting your blessings and dis…counting your woes?” You will be glad you did! Meanwhile, with that action in motion, it’s in order to say…“Happy Thanksgiving!”
Flo Shaw
Director
World Network of Prayer
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SACRIFICIAL GIVING AMID THANKSGIVING
“Black Friday” and “Blue Monday”
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over…” (Luke 6:38).
If we are not careful we can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of excessive holiday spending. Many people normally take advantage of Black Friday, but at times overdo it through the excitement of sales, and spend beyond what is anticipated.
Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., and often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, with many promotional sales and deals offered. It routinely has been the busiest shopping day of the year. The original name "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black.” Consumers rise early to get a start on “giving” their monies for gifts and desired items…and spend and spend and spend! Some, only to find that their overexcitement and overspending on “Black Friday,” in the aftermath, regretfully has turned into a loss…making the next day for them, a “Red Saturday, because they are “in the red!” Then conviction may come in a Sunday church service, and realization of poor stewardship and the budget deficit may sadly bring on a “Blue Monday” the next day! Why? Because of overspending, perhaps mainly on unnecessary temporal things.
If we stretch ourselves to achieve materialistic things that have temporal value, then how much more should we embrace sacrificing ourselves to achieve spiritual things that have eternal value? Good stewardship is how we handle, protect, and invest that which belongs to another and yet has been entrusted to us for a period of time. God has given us much, and “to whom much is given, much is required.” A true missionary’s heart does not start when one crosses the sea, but when one sees the cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). How much more should we give of ourselves, monies, time, talents, and resources to God and for His work.
So, biblically speaking, “give, and it shall be given unto you,” and you won’t have to beat yourself up later because of spending unwisely and being “black and blue” emotionally, but you can be a cheerful giver, knowing that you are sacrificially giving to God’s great purpose. As we give sacrificially unto the Lord and for the cause of His kingdom, He will reward our giving. God is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). For those who struggle with spending properly and are not at an ideal level of giving sacrificially yet, let’s join in prayer.
Pray:
- that we practice good stewardship principles and implement a biblical plan for financial health, stability, and sacrificial giving, so God may bless our finances (II Corinthians 9:7).
- that negating behaviors or circumstances that lead to unnecessary/emotional spending habits will be identified and eliminated in our lives (Proverbs 21:5).
- that we budget, be frugal in our purchases, and not wasteful in our lifestyles. Jesus is a great example of frugality; He took up leftovers after feeding the multitude (John 6:5-12).
- that God bless us with the provisions and finances needed and helps us to wisely invest and to manage the money and resources He has provided (Ecclesiastes 7:12).
- that we sacrificially give ourselves, monies, time, talents, and resources to God, missions, and the work of God, and we also help the poor and needy (Proverbs 19:17).
Flo Shaw
Director
World Network of Prayer
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World Needs:
- Pray for the Lord to reveal the truth about the election in the recount procedure.
- Pray for the Lord to bring America and the world through the Coronavirus pandemic and to reveal the truth about the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Pray for the Lord to heal the 92,700 victims who filed sex abuse claims against the Boy Scouts.
- Pray for the people of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia and for all who lost a loved one in Hurricane Lota. Pray for recovery efforts as Hurricane Lota left swaths of destruction and killed a minimum of 26 people and 99% of properties in Nicaragua are without electricity.
- Pray for the peace of Israel and the return of their land.
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Dr. David K. Bernard
General Superintendent of the UPCI
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Access Challenged Nations
Join the World Network of Prayer and Global Missions in praying for the nations that currently do not have an apostolic work. We will focus on one nation each week.
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The Pentecostals Of Alexandria (POA) invites you to unite with POA’s HOPE Prayer Ministry on October 1 - December 29 for our twelfth 90 Day Prayer Journey. Join our family of warriors from around the world as we pray for parents, family, friends of prodigals, and our beloved prodigals. The Word of God promises they will return. Mark 11:24 states, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” We BELIEVE!
Our plan is to have a daily prayer call available at 8 AM - 9 AM, Monday - Friday, with Intercessors from around the country. We appreciate Partners In Prayer Ministries, led by Rev. Billie Jean Bishop, assisted by Chaplain Michelle Boudreaux for partnering with HOPE Prayer to make this happen. The access number is 563 999 2833.
Please connect with us on Facebook and Instagram @HOPE2Hope15. For more information about HOPE Prayer, connect with us @ poa.church. Click on MINISTRIES, next click on RESTORATION MINISTRIES, and scroll down to H.O.P.E. Ministry.
We will be fasting days 1, 45, and 90 in unity. If you have health issues, please be wise and do only what you can. We encourage fasting throughout the 90 days on your own, as well.
This is a call to ALL to fast and pray. Pray for yours. Pray for all.
It is the intended mindset of this ministry to pray for parents of prodigals, family of prodigals, and children of prodigals, as well as ALL prodigals. The battles we fight are real but greater is our God! This is the time. This is the season.
Praying and believing for the harvest,
Don and Dy Anne Long
POA HOPE Prayer
Email: hopejer3117@aol.com
FB: HOPE2Hope15
IG: HOPE2Hope15
And there is hope in thine end, saith The LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border (Jeremiah 31:17).
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2020 WNOP Events
- 30 Days of Prayer (January 2-31)
- New York Metro District Prayer Conference, St. Albans, New York (January 17-18)
- WNOP Leadership Retreat, Weldon Spring, Missouri (February 5-7)
- Ministry And Prayer (MAP) Seminar, ABI, Oakdale, Minnesota (March 4-6)
- School of Prayer, Ijamsville, Maryland (March 19-21) Postponed
- Advanced Prayer Training Seminar, Del Valle, Texas (April 2-4) Postponed
- Northwest Regional Summons, Renton, Washington (April 30 – May 2) Postponed
- National Day of Prayer (May 7)
- National Apostolic Day of Prayer (May 8)
- Global Day of Prayer (May 31)
- WNOP International Summons, Bridgeton, Missouri (June 18-20)
- “Operation Switzerland” (June 28 – July 7)
- “Operation Turkey” (July 23-30)
- “Operation Jamaica,” Trelawny, Jamaica (August 10-16)
- New England Territory Summons, Tiverton, Rhode Island (August 20-22)
- South Texas District Regional Summons, Houston, Texas (September 10-12)
- UPCI World Day of Prayer (September 16)
- UPCI General Conference Prayer Seminars, St. Louis, Missouri (September 24-25)
- YM WNOP Youth Explosion Summons (YES!), St. Charles, Missouri (September 26)
- Ontario District Regional Summons, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (November 5-7)
- Georgia District Regional Summons, College Park, Georgia (November 12-14)
- Detroit Regional Summons, Romulus, Michigan (November 19-21)
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PRAYER!
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You may submit requests by email at pray@wnop.org.
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World Network of Prayer | United Pentecostal Church International
36 Research Park Court, Weldon Spring, Missouri 63304
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