Greetings Family,

“Prayer is the difference between seeing with our physical eyes and seeing with our spiritual eyes. Prayer gives us a God’s-eye view. “Draw the Circle”, (Page 67); Mark Batterson

For this week (November 19 through November 25), we beseech you to ‘pray’ and meditate on these scriptures. If possible, let's pray together during the 7am morning hour, 7pm evening hour or 12:00 noon time-frame.

Prayer Themes and Scriptures

  • Believe, God has the answers
    • Psalm 127:1a (NASB): 1a Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
  • Believe, God has the answers
    • 1 Chronicles 16:11 (KJV): 11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
  • Believe, God has the answers
    • 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV): 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight :)
  • Believe, God has the answers
    • Ephesians 6:18 (NLT): 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
  • Believe, God has the answers
    • Proverbs 3:5 (KJV): 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
  • Sunday School Lesson (11/25) – God Blesses Jacob and His Family
    • Genesis 30:22-43 (KJV) 22 Then God remembered Rachel; he answered her prayer and made it possible for her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “God has taken away my disgrace by giving me a son. 24 May the Lord give me another son”; so she named him Joseph. 25 After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go, so that I can return home. 26 Give me my wives and children that I have earned by working for you, and I will leave. You know how well I have served you.” 27 Laban said to him, “Let me say this: I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will pay them.” 29 Jacob answered, “You know how I have worked for you and how your flocks have prospered under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has grown enormously, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I went. Now it is time for me to look out for my own interests.” 31 “What shall I pay you?” Laban asked. Jacob answered, “I don't want any wages. I will continue to take care of your flocks if you agree to this suggestion: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and take every black lamb and every spotted or speckled young goat. That is all the wages I want. 33 In the future you can easily find out if I have been honest. When you come to check up on my wages, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn't black, you will know that it has been stolen.” 34 Laban answered, “Agreed. We will do as you suggest.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that had stripes or spots and all the females that were speckled and spotted or which had white on them; he also removed all the black sheep. He put his sons in charge of them, 36 and then went away from Jacob with this flock as far as he could travel in three days. Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flocks. 37 Jacob got green branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and stripped off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them. 38 He placed these branches in front of the flocks at their drinking troughs. He put them there, because the animals mated when they came to drink. 39 So when the goats bred in front of the branches, they produced young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob kept the sheep separate from the goats and made them face in the direction of the streaked and black animals of Laban's flock. In this way he built up his own flock and kept it apart from Laban's. 41 When the healthy animals were mating, Jacob put the branches in front of them at the drinking troughs, so that they would breed among the branches. 42 But he did not put the branches in front of the weak animals. Soon Laban had all the weak animals, and Jacob all the healthy ones. 43 In this way Jacob became very wealthy. He had many flocks, slaves, camels, and donkeys.

Please come join us, as we wrestle with and discuss this week’s Sunday school lesson

As we continue seeking the will of God and His discernment through the processes of prayer and meditation, we invite you to not only incorporate our Scripture & Meditation Focus into your daily life via the weekly newsletter insert, but also the entire archive on the Church website (Allen-Temple.org; click Pastoral Transition on the top blue bar of the home page), but to also join us at our Thursday Pastoral Transition Prayer Hours in the Sanctuary. The Prayer Hour will be followed by Thursday Evening Bible Study taught by Pastor Smith and Reverend Olu Bereola. Dates and times are:

Pastoral Transition Prayer Hour Schedule
Thursday, November 29 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Thursday, December 13 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm

God Bless!!!