So... my husband, myself and our oldest son are all very anti-covid vax (not vaccines in general, but this is not a vaccine, it is an experimental gene therapy, but I digress)
I’m not around people much, but my husband takes ivermectin prophylacticly, and my older son is around covid all the time (in hospitals) and has not gotten sick.
But my youngest son, is so stressed about covid. He is 19. Apparently, on social media he is getting bombarded with messages constantly about getting the vax. All of his friends were vaxxed with J&J with no issues. So, he has decided he is just going to take it. He won’t hear any reason on it - the fact that his chance of getting sick from the shot maybe more than his chance of getting severe illness from covid at his age. He has health issues that this may exacerbate. I am just sick over this, I told him my thoughts but at 19, it is his decision. I pray he will change his mind. He just wants to be done with it.
I am angry at the messaging that is making him feel he needs to do this. It is so misleading and wrong. He knows it is risky. He knows there is no undoing this. He just wants it “over with” so the ads or whatever stop bothering him and he can be free to do what he wants. He can in our state anyway, there are no mandates or restrictions around here. No mandates at work either. He has never been one to be pressured into anything, drugs, etc. This is social media brainwashing.
Long story short, please pray for him that God will make the right choice clear to him.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6&version=NIV
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
Dear flatissmooth, thank you SO MUCH for posting this. Just earlier TODAY, our beloved Heavenly Father shared with me a clue about this very cherished, special prayer - that probably everyone else knew already - but I haven't gotten for MANY years.
Would God ever lead us INTO temptation? Of course not. The prayer is (I think) asking our Gracious God to specifically lead us AWAY from temptation. DUH! And I'm the very guy that has needed to understand this for all this time. And here you are, posting this beautiful prayer to bless all of us. Again, THANK YOU!
"Father God, I am SO weak. PLEASE help me man-up and yet, PLEASE lead me away from the many, MANY temptations all around me. Lord, I want to be YOURS, not theirs. Amen."
I must also thank you for providing the opportunity to serve! Thank you!
I need it too, brother!
I must add that we are 1. instructed not to pray in front of others (this does not mean that we cannot pray with others, we just aren't to make a show out of it) and 2. we are told specifically not to ask of the Father for he already knows our needs. (1) I feel this is to keep the Devil out of our conversations as he can see and hear us but he does not have access to our minds and our hearts (2) this will strengthen our Faith in him because if we do not have to ask and he provides our needs WOW! I do not feel that we are to ask of the Father that freely gives but to thank him for what we have, for those that have will have abundance added to them and those that have not will lose even what they do have.
Note that these are my understandings and you should definitely talk with the Father about your own journey. He is there to listen.
Sin is of the flesh and therefore also would be temptation. The Father above is not of the flesh and we should seek him above all.
I do not think that you are late to the party as I am just arriving myself. I am not a good follower of the Lord in all cases, I struggle with my flesh a lot.
Last one!
We cannot expect what we want, also born of the flesh, but must put all Faith in the Father enacting His will.
Amen. Expecting/wanting are fine for children. Expecting/wanting take our focus off of our Lord. The old hymn reminds me to "Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus..." He has always provided and He always will. Giving Thanks must be my very joyous occupation; as I mature in the faith, so it shall be. GBY, flatissmooth! And, THANKS again!
I could afford to be much more joyous in my giving of thanks.
Just a continuous circle of awesome going on here!
Many Thanks! And of course thanks to the Father!
What a blessing you have been for me!