Daily Devotional for Saturday August 10, 2002

Having Friends

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

One of the great gifts God gives us in this life is friends, those who we share this journey with. God never intended for us to walk alone. He will always bring people into our life to stand with us, be there for us in our time of need, and give us the opportunity to serve Him by being there for them as well. I never consider it an accident that for this season of our lives, God has brought us together, and as my friend, let me do something a little different today and share with you some thoughts I have jotted down. As my friend, you can stand with me in prayer over these issues. There is no real order to these thoughts, they are just random, and something I wanted to share with you since you are my friend.

. . . in 20 days, Liveprayer.com will be three years old. I have to admit it has been the most challenging 3 years of my life. As you may know from my testimony (you can read my testimony on my website at www.liveprayer.com under Founder?s Testimony), I have been through much in my life, but this has, by far, been the most challenging period of my life in every way possible . . .

. . . I fight daily to stay focused on the Lord and the personal relationship that I have with Him. I never forget that whatever else I do in my life, it ALL flows from that personal relationship I have with HIM . . .

. . . I have been tempted many times in the past years to give up on Liveprayer.com. The Holy Spirit constantly reminds me that it is NOT my choice. This is what God has called me to do and my life belongs to Him . . .

. . . My heart breaks each day as I read the tens of thousands of prayer requests coming into this ministry each day. The pain, the heartache, the incredible challenges that so many face. It makes me more determined than ever to expand the outreach of Liveprayer.com to bring this beacon of light into the darkness of our world, to help those who are hurting and without hope . . .

. . . While the challenges have been incredible, the rewards have been equally incredible. The praise reports each day are so encouraging and a testimony to the awesome power and love of God for His children . . .

. . . My wife is the greatest joy in my life and the rock that enables me to do what I do each day . . .

. . . I never forget, ?Without Him I can do nothing.?? (John 15:5) . . .

. . . I look forward to waking up each morning. While the challenges and pressures are great, my daily interaction with you, my friends, make my life so complete. I never take for granted the wonderful opportunity that God has given me to minister to you and try to stand with you during those difficult times in your life . . .

Even though it is hard to express at times, never forget that I really do love you, care for you very much, pray for you daily, and I am always here any time you need me. You are a friend, and a friend is a special gift from God.