God bless you as you start your fast this week! Sharing with you what God spoke to me today, hope you get as much from it as I did. God is so good to keep us straight. Still praying for that promotion! Me first,okay?
Love you, Mom

Look at Job chapter 42
 After Job's friend (Eliphaz) wrongly advises him, God tells him v.8 take for yourself seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.( Eliphaz, Bildad,and Zophar who had filled Job's ear with correction and advice, now had to humbly ask for his prayer for restoration of their own sin) v.10 and the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.

Have you been asked to forgive and maybe even restore someone who has wronged you or kicked you when you were down? Notice that God restores his standing in front of his friends, confirms his righteousness, giving him back his self-respect. Psalms 3:3 says " But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, My glory, and the one who lifts my head." God is the lifter of our heads and the restorer of our countenance. I use this scripture often when feeling overwhelmed with guilt or shame. He is always faithful to restore us. Job's restoration wasn't fulfilled until he prayed for his friends. Maybe God knew he had to take this step to rid himself of any bitterness that could have rested on him through this trial.........

Look at Titus3:1-5
v.1 remind them to be subject to rules, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed
v.2 to malign (speak ill of someone) no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.
v.3 we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another
v.4 but when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
v.5 he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
v.6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

For my son, Joe, God gave you a special gift of patience and love for people. Never give in to the temptation to be bitter. Those seeds WILL grow in God's time. Never give up!