COMPASSION DEVOTIONALS
The devotionals that appear here were first written for a series called 'Compassion.' I will update with new devotionals from the series from time to time. Please scroll down to find the latest addition.
If you would like me to write a devotional for your church magazine or website I will do so but the charge is £50 per time.
1. PETER THE SPIRITUAL KLUTZ
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A while ago, it occurred to me that we hear very little about the personal lives of any of the disciples except Peter.
Peter who seemed for a lot of Jesus' ministry to be in trouble - even with Jesus.
I don't think it is an accident that Peter gets so much space devoted to him. He was a complete spiritual klutz at times, but Jesus saw his potential, and He never gave up on him.
Peter's story is a success story; but maybe the other disciples thought at times he would never ever make it. Who else got into so much trouble with Jesus?
“Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible."
MONDAY
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Matthew 10:2 (Amplified Bible)
2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles (special messengers): first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Peter was one of the very first. He dropped everything to follow Jesus. It was so much in Peter's nature to put all he could into whatever he did, and what he most wanted to do was to follow Jesus.
There is no hesitation, Peter just drops his fishing net and follows.
Today, so many people seem to think they have to get something right in their lives to follow Jesus. They think they cannot do so because they are not good enough.
Peter, as we shall see this week, was not exactly a spiritual success in his early walk with Jesus, but he fixed his eyes on the Lord, and not on his own ability to fail.
Jesus wants people like Peter who will jump into His kingdom feet first, having fallen in love with Him. That love and desire to follow is far more important than any 'getting it right.' Jesus can take care of that and train us to be His disciples. It is our wholehearted life he wants and not a striving for perfection.
TUESDAY
Matthew 14:27-31 (Amplified Bible)
7 But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid!
28 And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.
29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus.
30 But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]!
31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
What a story! Peter the enthusiast wants to show Jesus how well he is doing. He is so sure he believes and has plenty of faith and that he will get it right if he gets out of that boat.
He is doing well. Maybe for a moment he thought: "Hey guys look at me. I am walking on water!"
SPLASH!
The moment he makes a decision to move in faith, the moment all the disciples in the boat are thinking "isn't that amazing. Peter is doing so well," Peter sinks. His eyes wander away from Jesus and onto the wind and the waves.
Peter doesn't look like a very stable character. Jesus is right there and has told him to walk on water and yet there is , back in the boat, dripping wet and feeling a fool.
Often, at the start of some test God puts before us, or some new venture, we are enthusiatic. This time we are sure we will 'make it'and in a way, we are saying we will 'walk on water."
Then things don't go how we planned and we take our eyes off of the vision. Like Peter, we sink. We end up floundering around as if we too were in the sea of Galilee and we need our brethren to get us back into the boat.
It takes time to learn to trust that we will not sink, and to take our eyes off the wind and the waves.
Sometimes, like Peter we start to look at them, and sink. I think most of us sink more than once in our Christian walk. If we are honest we probably do so many times.
The thing to remember is that Jesus was right there and He would never let Peter, or you and me drown.
Peter had to learn to keep his eyes on Jesus and so do we. It took him quite a while, and maybe he just looked at times like an impetuous fool, but Jesus saw his potential, and He was determined to use him.
WEDNESDAY
Matthew 15:13-20 (Amplified Bible)
3 He answered, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be torn up by the roots.
14 Let them alone and disregard them; they are blind guides and teachers. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch.
15 But Peter said to Him, Explain this proverb (this maxim) to us.
16 And He said, Are you also even yet dull and ignorant [without understanding and unable to put things together]?
17 Do you not see and understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the abdomen and so passes on into the place where discharges are deposited?
18 But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him].
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech.
20These are what make a man unclean and defile [him]; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean or defile [him].
Poor old Peter, all he did was to ask a question and Jesus really tells him off. Jesus saying he is "dull" and "ignorant?" Doesn't that seem a bit mean?
Peter, the enthusiast was sure he had it right. He loved Jesus, and he would follow him everywhere. There was a problem though, with Peter's heart. He couldn't look inside and see what was in there that needed to change.
Peter did things, he could be relied on to be there
but couldn't hear the message!
Jesus loved Peter enough to cause him pain. Peter was a root that wasn't going to get torn up. Jesus saw that whatever he got wrong, Peter was someone who would never give up. His failings might rock him to the core; but Jesus could trust that even after failure, Peter would get back on track.
Jesus cared enough to make sure that Peter would learn what would eventually make him usable. Peter had a great spiritual destiny in store; a big ministry, and Jesus was determined he was going to walk into it.
There are times in all our lives when we just cannot hear Jesus. He will do anything to help us hear too. He will take the heart that longs to follow and get things right and even sometimes cause some pain to help us get there. It is easy in those times, to feel a fool and not realize that this is a thing of great love. It is a love so great that even when we get it wrong, will not let us go.
THURSDAY
Matthew 16:22-23 (Amplified Bible)
22 Peter took Him aside to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You!
23 But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.
There is no doubt about it. Jesus is very hard on Peter. Another insult given from the son of God himself? I think many of us, having been talked to like that would have swung round on our heels and walked away.
Peter didn't. Probably he still didn't understand why Jesus kept on at him, maybe, he felt hurt because after all, all he did was to tell Jesus he loved and wanted to protect Him, but Peter still stayed by Jesus.
Sometimes we don't understand the way things are. What is happening to us can look very unfair from the human point of view; but Peter's great quality is that he was still willing to stick by Jesus even without understanding. Sometimes there is nothing to do but wait till the circumstances we are in reveal what God is trying to show us.
What Peter had to go through was not easy. He finally learnt through Jesus betrayal that he, Peter was not the person he thought he was. Peter's final great failing was the making of him.
God couldn't get the message through any other way, and Jesus warned Peter, Peter who was so sure he wouldn't get it wrong, that he would deny him three times. As the cock crowed, Peter was finally able to see himself, and Jesus could use him.
We fail, and we feel discouraged, but God means to use these times for His glory. That is, I think, why we hear so much about Peter. Who else got it so wrong with such a good heart?
FRIDAY
Matthew 16:18 (Amplified Bible)
18 And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra--a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].
One moment Jesus is telling Peter he will be a church builder, and the next he calls him Satan?
(Jesus was speaking of Peter's words and not Peter himself).
Jesus didn't see Peter as a spiritual failure. He saw beyond the present and saw Peter the Apostle, Peter the rock. Peter would become so unmovable that he would go to the cross himself. He would become so sure and fixed on Jesus that he was willing to be crucified. The coward who denied Jesus became a man of strong, unshakeable faith.
All those hard words were because Jesus saw Peter's potential.
When God shows us what we don't want to see about ourselves, it is easy to feel discouraged. Like Peter, the reality is that this happens because we have POTENTIAL that Jesus is determined to bring out in us.
Peter knew healing. He saw Jesus heal his mother-in-law.
Peter was on the mount at the transfiguration. He knew what the power of the Holy Spirit looked like.
Peter knew that if Jesus said it; even if he fell in in the end, it was possible to walk on water.
He STILL got it wrong.
Peter, the rock, was, in spiritual terms, a failure.
Of all the disciples, he was the only one who got his failings publicly displayed for generations in the Bible.
Imagine if God said He was going to record all YOUR failings, not the ones before you were saved, but the ones made on your spiritual journey in a book read for centuries. I think most of us would have an issue with God!
But wait! The story is not over. It has only just begun. Peter, finally broken, can be used by God.
Jesus said to Peter:
"Feed my sheep."
Peter moved from trust in Peter to trust in Jesus and realized he Had no strength of his own. He stopped trusting himself and all the good that Jesus saw in Peter came out in a ministry that meant not just one, but two books more in the Bible.
Peter the spiritual klutz finally had something to say. Jesus had already used him during his lifetime; but now he was fit to be an Apostle and he could help others find Jesus because what he had gained was what we all need to gain, was Jesus, not shown in outside works ( though these are good), or words spoken in the heat of a moment, not good spiritual intentions, but a heart that knows its own weakness and puts itself right into Jesus' hands.
2. The Alabaster Box.
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This was frst published in 'Cross Times' -Nebraska and Wyoming. Cross Times has an international readership.
a. Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. a. Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
A copy of this devotional for offlline use can be obtained from ALABASTER BOX
BREAK THE ALABASTER BOX
Luke 7 :: Amplified Bible: 37 And behold, a woman of the town who was an especially wicked sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment (perfume). 38 And standing behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with [her] tears;
They are all gathered at Simon’s house and everyone wants to know; Is this Jesus who He claims to be? People crowd round but through them all a woman pushes her way to Jesus. Weeping, she kneels down at His feet. Have you noticed she is so unsure of herself that she was actually behind Him? She didn't even have the confidence to stand in front.
Why is this woman weeping? The Bible tells us she is a sinner. Her reputation goes before her and everyone knows. She is bad through and through. Yet, Jesus lets her tears fall and fall until his feet are washed clean.
Why would Jesus do that? Why would he want that woman’s tears? Why did he let her near?
What an act of love from the Saviour. In allowing her to touch Him, He is going to lose the respect of everyone else in the room. They will think he is not even a prophet, let alone the Son of God; because surely no prophet would allow this unholy woman so close.
Jesus loves us whatever condition we are in. He cares about us so passionately that he will allow us to touch Him in our ugliest, most unattractive state. We can come to Him and tell Him all about it; the terrible things we have done, the things others have done to us.
Don’t we also at times creep into the room in prayer like that woman, hardly daring to tell Jesus what has happened and what it was like? Jesus wants those tears to fall and He is there waiting till we are ready to let Him minister to us.
Others may reject us or criticize us but Jesus is interested in our hearts and ready to accept us as soon as we reach out to Him.
Prayer
Lord,
Sometimes I seem to get it so wrong and fail you so much. At times I seem to get so hurt from the things others have done. Please take my tears over these things as a washing of your feet today. I reach out to you knowing you are there, ready to save and heal me. I ask you now to forgive all my sin. Please heal all the hurt, bitterness and pain in my life.
Amen
Day 2
Luke 7 :: Amplified Bible
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, If this Man were a prophet, He would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him--for she is a notorious sinner (a social outcast, devoted to sin).
Jesus loved that woman more than His own reputation. He knew how aware she was of her need of all He had to give. He knew that she knew she was a sinner in need of forgiveness and mercy.In those tears were sorrow for all the years of hurt, pain and wickedness. They were also tears of hope. This was the one man, the one person, that woman could trust and love and know would not hurt her. She had come to Jesus saying: “I am bad through and through and I need you.” Maybe she also said " They were bad to me." Her tears were born of repentance for her sin nature and fell on the feet that one day soon would be pierced with nails for her sake. She knew that Jesus accepted her and was the only one who could save her.
This is where to find Jesus in reality and truth. It is where we all have to begin. We need to see how we truly are in the light of a Holy God and find for ourselves that place of washing Jesus feet with our tears. We too need to find a place of weeping for our sin. Then we need to rise up and go out and tell others why we are now singing with joy.
He wants us to wash Him with our tears. To see and understand that we are like that wicked woman. Our only hope of being clothed in garments of salvation, is to accept that however hurt or abused we have been, the starting point of any healing of the spirit is sorrow for our own part; our own sin. To really come to His notice, we need to say "Be merciful to me O Lord, for I am a sinner.”
We may think that we need healing before we can sort out what is wrong in us. We may think we have great justification in blaming those who have done us wrong, but Jesus first wants us to see how we are wrong. He begins the healing when we are able to acknowledge the waywardness of our own hearts and our need of Him.
Prayer:
Dearest Lord,
I need you to forgive me of my sin more than I can ever really express in words. I thank you that you care for me so very very much. Help me to wash your feet with my tears.
Amen
Day 3
Prayer
Dearest Jesus,
Thank you for accepting every part of me and loving me so much. Today I want to tell you that I would like to be like that woman and wipe away the tears I have wept at your feet with my hair. This morning because of who you are I want to kiss your feet. I love you Jesus.
Amen
Day 4
Luke 7 :: Amplified Bible
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, If this Man were a prophet, He would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him--for she is a notorious sinner (a social outcast, devoted to sin).
Everyone is talking. How Can Jesus let that woman touch her? He can't be a prophet after all!
Others will always talk. They will always judge you more harshly than Jesus. Jesus never excused sin but He knows how it has been for you. He knows every twist and turn that got you into the mess you are in. He knows the secrets of your heart and how you cried out to him while maybe others were telling you how bad you are.
If others point out areas where we are already truly asking God to change us it can lead us close to despair. Gentle correction in love is good. Harsh criticism just makes it all feel worse.
The great thing about Jesus is he is not even listening to those who judge you. He is listening to YOUR heart. He couldn't care less if others want to tell him how wrong you are. He is looking straight at you and He knows the longing and desperation you have to change.
Maybe we should also flip this round. Jesus doesn't want to hear your report of what your brother or sister did against you. By all means if you love, care and want to help then pray for them. How many times do we go to Jesus like some small child telling tales? "Look what they did now God. Can you sort them out because what they are doing is really getting to me.?" It is a sure recipe to getting the deaf ear of the Lord.
All Jesus wants is the heart to change. He can do the rest. If you have found that place of weeping for your sin. If you are wiping His feet with your hair, Know that He will bring you hope and healing. Never mind what others think. Let's kiss His feet.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus
Today I am going to just enjoy you and love you for who you are and what you have done for me. I want to kiss your feet and tell you I love you. Thank you so very much for loving me first.
Amen
Day 5
You do have perfume for Jesus feet. It is in your breaking heart. Pour it all out to Him. He wants to know. Jesus is going to heal you of ALL your life's distresses whether they are a result of your own or another's sin.
We need to fast forward to the end of the story for that woman in Simon's house. What did Jesus say to her? He said “your sins which are many, are forgiven.” Her sins so bad that she had a reputation for evil were forgiven.
Perhaps there is something in your life where you feel you too cannot be forgiven. Many fall and stumble on this point even as we move on in the Lord. We mean to be good and holy and we get caught out. We can’t quite believe that what we have done is forgivable. We are sure we are the worst of sinners. Our human logic cannot translate into the idea that the forgiveness Jesus gave to a woman with a reputation, to Peter who denied him, or a murderer on a cross, is there for us. In each case Jesus forgave. You and I my dear sister are no different. We too, undeservedly, can have that forgiveness. He loves us so much that even the worst of repentant sinners can be sure of a welcome at His feet.
Reach out and touch Jesus today with your praises. Yes maybe life got bad but Jesus is still there forgiving you and looking on you with compassion. He cares and don't you usually feel immensely grateful and say thank you to those who really care for you? Perhaps there is a lot in your life you don't feel thankful for; but surely you can thank Him for forgiving you? You believe in Him don't you? He says to you the same thing He said to that woman long ago:
Luke 7 :: Amplified Bible
50 But Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go (enter) into peace in [freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin].
Prayer:
Precious Lord Jesus
I want to thank and praise you this morning for loving and forgiving me. I want to break an alabaster box of the finest perfume of my praises over your feet. I bless your name dearLord this morning and ask you to keep me this day in a heart of thankfulness and worship.
Amen
SCRIPTURES BELOW ARE TAKEN FROM "THE MESSAGE" BIBLE
Copyright � 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of the NavPress Publishing Group.
POWER FOR PURITY
The devil has it all worked out. Bombard any country with sexual images, and he will get just about every person in the country to fall into some kind of lust at some time or other. I heard recently, of a school where the counsellors were giving out six condoms a week to the children!
It has taken the church a long time to get to the stage where teaching on how to cope is made practical. Bible school does not seem to equip pastors for helping people in the fight. I was amazed not long ago to have a conversation with a trainee pastor who had no idea at all that women might use pornograpy; yet one of my memories as a teen is the day 'Cosmopolitan' Magazine published a naked man.
Somehow, as Christians, we have been taught to keep quiet about these things. Yet, in the last year a good friend admitted to me that she had had an affair with someone, several came for help with masturbation issues, and conversation among those I am close to showed that at times temptation to fall in the area of lust is a real battle.
It is not surprising the battle is fierce. Western society is full of images that entice the eyes. Sex is used to sell, and thrown at us from every angle. Our kids are drawn in, and think that they can make out with anyone they like. Satan knows that he can transfer all sorts of things through the sexual act; and that soul ties can be made with ungodly people because whenever these things take place 'two become one.'
It all begins with the eyes or a feeling. I suspect any Christian who says they are perfect in this area, male or female, is lying. One of the best ways to fight temptation is to be real about what the temptation is. Living pure is a fight, and it is a tough battle. The pain and distress Christians feel if they fall is hard to bear. Too many times, had there been an atmostphere of openess within the church and church relationships, temptation would not have given birth to sin.
MONDAY
Mathew 5 27-29
28 But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices--they also corrupt.
29 "Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile.
A simple walk down the high street can cause a Christian to fall! It is hard to live 'one eyed.' Being honest, and supporting one another gives us two eyes to walk with that are focused on the right things.
Jesus was hard on people in this area because He knew how hard it was to keep pure. He knew it was possible to access all the power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome, but He never said it would be an easy fight. This is a battle. If the Christians won't get into the front line, then there is no hope. Nations can be won over to depravity if we will not fight. David slew Goliath, but he had the backing of the whole Israelite army behind him. If Goliath had made just one move to harm David, then they would have been shooting arrows. We all need at least one person in our lives we are close enough to to share the worst battles of our Christian walk.
TUESDAY
2 Peter 1 3-4
3 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received!
4 We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you--your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
Get to know Jesus, and it all gets easier. The more we know of Him the less we are likely to be tempted.
Knowing Jesus intimately, and knowing the word of God thoroughly are the way to keep your back turned. You have the ticket to purity and freedom in your hand. Keep your back turned and walk through the gate.
WEDNESDAY
JOHN 8:10-11
10 Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?"
11 "No one, Master."
��� "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin."
One by one, they all walked away. Nobody wanted to condemn when faced with a challenge about their own heart. Actually, the men condemning this woman were cowards. They knew that if they said they had no sin, then they would be saying they were God. They weren't going to take the risk of being brought before the high priest and condemned. It was easier to agree they sinned, than to take beating, trial and possible execution. They weren't going to go through that for any woman! I don't think it was shame that made those men creep away. I think it was cowardice.
The woman and Jesus are left alone. There is no escape. She has been caught in the act. She can't pretend; there are witnesses.
How did her sin start? Maybe a lifetime of hurt and pain caused her to go down the wrong road. Maybe all those lovers she had were a way of seeking refuge from pain. Jesus still did not excuse the sin. He did not say to her, 'I understand,' - though we can be sure he did. He said "Go and sin no more."
Who got back on track? Not the men with their accusations and stones. They went back to whatever they were doing without the hope that they could overcome their faults. The woman caught in adultery heard that there was hope for her. Jesus said it: "Go and sin no more." He did not condemn her.
Hurt and past pain do not excuse sin, they can predispose us to certain actions, but the sin itself will hurt us more than the pain. There is hope however: if Jesus said: "go and sin no more," to a woman who was caught out in sin that was full blown, then surely even those who fight at a stage along the way, those who battle with lust, for example, can believe that it is possible to live in victory. So often, sexual sin arises out of needs from a hurt and damaged past. It is important to see that the sin will actually keep us tied into the past. NOW is always the moment to walk into the freedom you were meant to have.
THURSDAY
1 John 2:1
1 I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus.
2 When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good--not only ours, but the whole world's.
Wednesday's devotional probably seemed like a tall order to anyone fighting sexual sin! Jesus made it clear that victory is possible, but the reality is that along the way to freedom, many stumble and fall. What happens is that we know sometimes, that we should run away from the sin, but a lifetime of habit kicks in, and we feel like we are back where we started. At this point, so many feel there is no point in fighting the battle, and they give up on Jesus.
Notice the words: "Priest and Friend." What does a good friend do when you go to them and tell them you feel bad about something you have done? They don't tell you to get lost; they say they will help you. They stand with you so you can feel you are not fighting alone. Jesus is the best friend of all. He wants to help you in the fight. He knows how bad you feel when you find out the problem is not conquered,he has the right solution to the problem for you, and He wants to help.
FRIDAY
1 John 2:1
15 Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven--healed inside and out.
16 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
Outward sin is to do with a condition of the heart. There is no point in looking at a sin and confessing it, without also looking at the reason why you fell in the first place. Sin doesn't come from outside, it comes from a decision made within you. Identifying where the battle really began is not something we are meant to do alone.
It is often easier to confess anything else than to confess sexual sin. The devil loves to make us so embarrassed we will never tell because he knows that if we do, then Jesus is going to set us free. That is why it is so hard to be honest about these things and the whole area of sexual sin can grow so big.
Make sure that anyone you trust enough to confess to is really worthy of that trust. Choose someone who also wants to live right with Jesus. It isn't wrong to fight the same battle together if you are both convinced you are not right before God. Confession and repentance makes you both right with God, and as soon as that has taken place then the pair of you can work on staying free. Make sure the person you tell is someone who will act like Jesus, and neither condone the sin, or condemn you. The worst kind of Christian is one who, on hearing anothers confession, then justifies the sin. If you feel God has told you an action is wrong, then that action is wrong, no matter what others think. people do have varying views on some sexual practices, and the issue is not what others think but how God has spoken to you. Good friends will never go against what God has said to you in this area, they will tell you that they are not the right person for this particular confession if they feel differently.
If someone gives you a lecture rather than praying with you, then walk away. God will provide someone with more compassion who really wants to help you be free.
The greatest friend of all will be meeting with you and He has the power to set you free.
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