Good evening, Family!🎆
💟 Damaris expressed gratitude for traveling mercies to and from Puerto Rico, and asked that God to keep Breanna and Bethany safe as they travel back on Monday.
💟 Damaris also thanked God for granting Brennan another year of life as he turned 21 on the 27th!
💟Carole praised God for her husband, Joel’s recovery thus far. She also asked that we CONTINUE PRAYING as he needs to see a cardiologist to make sure there is no damage to his heart. 🩺 Carole is also praising God that she is going to pick up her grandson, Elijah, down in Florida this week! We all praise God for these ANSWERED PRAYERS! 🙌🏽
💟 Kristina is grateful that God saw Seth AND her and And through Covid, and that they were all able to recover at home. She also expressed sincere gratitude to the church family for the uplifting Week of Love Seth experienced! Their family is grateful that The Lighthouse Family always comes through for their family!
We are also praying for:
🛐 All dealing with and recovering from Covid and its many longterm effects. May they be restored completely.
🛐 Adrianna (vasthi’s friend)
🛐 John Vega, through his extended radiation treatment
🛐 Micharen's uncle, Ismael. His health has deteriorated and he is in need of God’s Grace and Mercy. Pray also for his wife and family.
🛐 Vasthi asked that we keep our church leadership in our prayers.
🛐 Seth’s upcoming eye surgery, scheduled for August. May the same Jesus who gave sight to the blind touch Seth's eyes with healing and improved sight.
🛐 Vasthi asks the church to pray for her nephew, Mikey, for Cedric and for all of our young people.
🛐 Nelly's grandson, Jordan, as he faces a very difficult time in his life. May anything God allows in his life bring Jordan closer to Him!
🛐 Pat asks her church family to pray that God will help her on her journey towards good health.
🛐 Nelly, and for answers to her health questions. May God grant her team of doctors the wisdom they need to figure out this mystery.
🛐 Bianca, Vishal and Sebastian Suri. May the Lord shower their beautiful family with blessings from above.
🛐 Rosa and her daughters, their husbands and their children.
🛐 Angelica, as she continues to walk through the doors God is opening for her.
🛐 Doris, and her daughters, Jackie, Amanda and their children, Skylar, Heaven Lee, Dorian, Zaire and Amir. May God keep working miracles in their lives.
knowing that God has always come through.
🛐 Anna Ortiz as she continues to battle cancer, and for her family as they support her.
Tonight's Devotional is shared by Lori. 🎆 It's as if she knew the skies would be putting on this "fireworks" show tonight!⚡️🌩
Thank you, Lori, for the encouragement to put on A LIGHT SHOW of the divine variety for our dark world! 😇
If you're a "fireworks enthusiast" like I am, then you know how mesmerizing they can be. Each tiny light makes its way into the darkness, and two perfectly-timed fuses within a shell perform their duty to create an illuminous masterpiece. If the shell sits in a covered box, protected from anything that might ignite it, then the beauty it contains is never seen. The incredible vision of light it provides is, sadly, never displayed.
We should, as His followers, have faith like fireworks, but sometimes expressing faith in Christ is challenging. I’ve had times when I’ve struggled with how to be a witness for Christ, and I’m guessing you have too. Putting our faith first can rub someone the wrong way or explaining a differing opinion can be taken from the opposite view we intended. Yet, God’s Word reveals that we are called to be a light in the world. Matthew 5:14-16 CSB reminds us:
“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
While it’s tempting to keep our “shells in the box” and avoid revealing the light of Christ inside our hearts, living our faith out loud isn’t an option if we truly love the Lord. As Christians, we must not be afraid to shine God’s light into the night sky, revealing the beauty of the Gospel to a dark world.
So how can we do this? Just like the perfectly-timed fuses contained with the shells of fireworks, the Holy Spirit within us can show us the way to spread the Light of the world.
Watch for opportunities to share your own faith story in open situations. Always be ready to talk about the hope God has entrusted in you. Be in tune to the Spirit's nudge to say the right word at the appropriate time. Take action by serving others and meeting their needs, both physical and spiritual. What a wondrous display of God’s light to live each day intentionally, doing our part to love others!
Still feeling the excitement and electricity of this past July 4th, and all of the fireworks displays that were postponed and stretched into this week, I invite you to be brave and share your faith like FIREWORKS! 🧨🎇