Jesus:  If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.  (John 7:17)

You will recall that Pastor Paul taught on this verse back in August.* He said that to know God’s will, we must be willing to do it, to obey it. Why should Almighty God reveal His will to satisfy our curiosity or provide one more input to what we consider our decisions?
 
Years ago, I perceived that God was calling me to share the gospel with a friend. A natural opening had come up in conversation, but I was either too oblivious or too timid to take advantage of it. I decided to follow up the conversation with a letter. “When You tell me what to write,” I said to God, “I’ll write the letter.” Here’s what I heard back: “Sit down with paper and pen and then I’ll tell you what to write!” Obedience precedes revelation.
 
If you are facing a decision this week and praying to discover God’s will, first settle within yourself whether you are ready to obey the guidance He gives. If you are, preface your request to know His will with an affirmation of your desire and intent to obey it.
 
(* Did you know you can watch or listen to past sermons on Calvary’s website?)
 
Here are some suggested prayer topics for this week:
 
1.  Pray for the individuals baptized yesterday – Gabriel Greene, Emerald Greene, and Chuck Kingman. Pray they will stand firm in their decision for Christ and grow steadily in Christ-likeness. Satan uses different strategies to try to derail children (Gabriel and Emerald) and adults (Chuck) from the Lord’s path, but he always tries. Ask the Holy Spirit to protect all three from Satan’s attempts.
 
2.  Be faithful in praying for Tomasz and Kamilla Chylka and their work in Pszczyna, Poland. This month, Tomasz is teaching a series of messages from the book of Judges in a sister evangelical church. His sermons will be recorded and distributed free of charge. Pray for Denis, adult son of Tomasz and Kamilla, as he plans a winter youth conference. Tomasz and our own Andrew Mahler will be the speakers. Read Tomasz’s latest letter in full and view photos here.
 
3.  I received a request last week to pray for troubled marriages in our congregation. Pray that commitment to the Lord and His commands will reinforce and rebuild any eroded commitment to spouse. Pray that husband and wife will honestly address their own failures and sins instead of focusing on the other’s. Pray for spiritual and emotional protection for children involved. May the Lord accomplish His healing work in these marriages!
 
4.  Please be praying for the missions teamtraveling to Rosarito, Mexico, next weekend to serve the children of the Hacienda Victoria orphanage. Led by Linda Robins and Richard Ward, the team includes Cindy Garza, Avalon Whalen, Sarah Curlee, Ella Ward, Jane Ward, Zach Pettitt, Chris Hatfield, Kimberly Sams, Liz Vasquez, and Grace Young. 
 
5.  A good friend of mine and a sister in Christ has worked in retail for decades. The Christmas season is a tough time for her. Coworkers and customers alike take out their holiday stress on the people around them, and my friend faces the constant temptation to do the same. Pray for Christians working in retail as the Christmas buying season heats up, asking the Lord to enable them to be shining representatives of Christ in spite of the stress.    
 
6.  Ramon Reyes is hospitalized because of the pain and nausea associated with his inoperable liver cancer. He is scheduled to receive a radioembolization treatment on Thursday. Ask the Lord to relieve Ramon’s pain and nausea and to use the treatment to prolong Ramon’s life, as He wills. Pray for the tangible, loving presence of the Lord to be with Ramon and his wife, Janet.
 
7.  Pray that all of us at Calvary would be servants, not consumers, at church. We reasonably ask questions like, “Are my needs being met?” and “What am I getting out of this?” when we evaluate grocery stores, banks, and gyms. It’s easy to slip into asking those same questions at church when we should instead be asking, “How can I serve the body?” and “What can I give?”
 

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea