Asking prayer

Blessings to you.

May I ask prayer from any of you that may be inclined to do so. I've been struggling with a few things lately. Trying to bring personal things into order in a bit more of a kingdom way and it can get discouraging at times. There has been a bit of a financial struggle lately but it seems to be on its way to a remedy. But still, I have been suffering from discouragement and it can rob you of mental and spiritual vitality. I find myself at these times not wanting to do anything but languish and save effort and energy but I have to get up and start swinging. We can't just lay there. I had a tremendous victory not long ago and it felt good and was a life changer. The Lord really came through big time. In keeping with this and what should be normal spiritual aspiration for us all, I want more than ever to put on the Lord Jesus Christ each day and walk in the new creation. Some things from my past I realize I am still leaving behind and so be it. But God only honors the new creation. Building and personal restoration outside of the new creation is something God won't honor and is basically fruitless. But it can get hard at times. Sometimes old things seem to just not want to die even though you are praying for them to die. Just pray for me if you would. I'm not down and out but have had a mindset of discouragement recently. Would you pray for me? If you have any prayer requests I will gladly lift you up in prayer.

I sought my soul and it I could not find.
I sought my God and He seemed to flee from me.
I sought my brother and found all three!

That's where I am coming from. Pray for me and let's try and pray more for each other during the coming year. I know forthrightly that if we will let other things go and seek our God that He will hear us and meet with us. That is where I want to be and I pray that for you also.

Thank you.

Dear brother, thank you for sharing this open and honest prayer request. It resonates much with things I too have been struggling with of late. I will be praying for you, and please do also pray for me as well. Please pray that I will continue to trust the Lord in all things and that I would not allow any "earthly" trials or circumstances (such as financial struggles) to hinder my walk and vitality in the Spirit. Thanks in advance and thanks to any who are led to pray for us.

P.S. right now I am heading out to evangelize with a few brethren at the Santa Monica Pier, so please do pray for us in that regard as well if led. I wasn't actually planning on going there today but a brother called me a few hours ago to invite me, and I took that as the Lord encouraging me and exhorting me to continue to stir up the gift He has given me regardless of what I'm going through.

Praying.

Hi Oracio,

I think that it is wonderful to do the work of an evangelist at Santa Monica Pier. I used to do something similar at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it is a tourist destination where few people are interested in considering the eternal condition of their souls. It is a bit like evangelizing at Bunyan's town of "Vanity Fair."

So, over the last few years, I've spent some time (particularly on holidays) at the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a "suicide destination" for many people. In fact, an average of nearly one person per week jumps to their death from the bridge. While there are plenty of tourists (from all over the world), I find that there are plenty of people suffering from sorrow and depression too.

I think that broken people contemplating death are more receptive to the power and love of God. They might have tried everything to find happiness or joy in life -- except for God. In addition, I enjoy introducing Christ to people who might travel from overseas.

I wrote up a simple half page message with Scripture and point out that I am not representing any particular church. On holidays, tape a candy cane to it. I mention that Jesus is the Good Shepherd -- a shepherd of our souls who loves his sheep (including those who are lost or strayed).

Of course, I usually speak to officers for permission. They see it as a "suicide prevention" option and often actually thank me for it. I've had some deep spiritual conversations there and have even prayed with people.

I'll be praying for your efforts today!

Hi Chris, thank you for the prayers and encouragement! It's great to hear about your outreaches at the Golden Gate Bridge! Keep up the good work! Yeah, I used to do a lot of homeless ministry and found that they were a lot more open to hearing the gospel than those who are better off. At the Santa Monica Pier there are a lot of tourists from all over the world as well. Down the street from there there's also the Santa Monica Promenade which also is a big tourist attraction. But I've found that at the Promenade they are more closed to the gospel than at the Pier, maybe because at the Promenade they are more focused on shopping as opposed to just hanging out and having a good time. At the Pier there are a lot of rich people coming through there but you also get a lot of locals who don't have that much comparatively, and there are a few homeless people there as well. So we pretty much get it all at the Pier and get plenty of opportunities to share Christ. Today went great by God's grace, though I guess you could say not as "eventful" as at other times. But many seeds of the gospel were sown. May God give the increase. Thanks again brother!