Moment by Moment I Pray: Volume III

By Warren S. Banks

This is part 3 of Moment by Moment I Pray, which deals with my praying life from September 1, 2016–April 30, 2017. The story behind part 3 is the same as that of part 1 and 2, which dealt with my prayer life from February 10, 2016, and ends on August 31, 2016. I found myself alone after the funeral of my beloved wife, Annie Jewel (Chief) Banks. We had been together almost fifty years. The funeral was held on Monday, January 5, 2015, at Ben Hill UMC, located in the heart of the Ben Hill community. After a forty-plus-mile drive to our birth home of Griffin, Georgia, she was laid to rest. Three days after her funeral, I took my original manuscript from a storage area in the house that we had made our home and had raised our family and went out into the backyard and destroyed all twenty-six thousand handwritten pages. I did not see the need to continue writing or to live. But that was January 8, 2015. I looked up into the heavens and asked the Lord what he wanted me to do. I said, Lord, I have pulled myself up from a small town in the state of Georgia named Griffin, Georgia. I had completed Fairmont High School, entered Clark College (now known as Clark Atlanta University), completion date was May 1970, completed Woodrow Wilson College of Law, Georgia State University Schools of Education for my first teacher's certification to teach school and the School of Management.

From 1966 to 1970, I completed my degree in sociology and psychology. During my senior year at Clark, I married the love of my life, Ms. Annie Jewel Hosely, my high school sweetheart, also from Griffin, Georgia. We set up housekeeping in Atlanta, Georgia. But in January 1971, I was drafted into the army and I was shipped to the Republic of South Vietnam to serve a tour of duty as a squad leader in a military police unit. I worked very hard, and I was promoted to the rank of sergeant E5. I survived Vietnam and many other situations, but Chief's death took a toll upon the very essence of my soul. But on February 12, 2016, I started back writing, and after a talk with the Lord on September 17, 2018, I had handwritten about three thousand pages. At this point, I asked the Lord, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

A soft but firm voice came to me, "Warren, my son, I want you to publish your story, which you have written in the form of a continued prayer."

Well, looking back upon my life, the Lord has always been there for me, even when I thought my life was over.

About seven days later, I was listening to my favorite gospel radio station. I heard his message, "If you are considering publishing your manuscript, call this number or go to this website."

I was not quick enough to get the information down; therefore, I missed out on getting the information that I needed to make my contact. But a few days later, while I was again listening to the same radio station, that same message came again. This time, I was able to get the information that I needed and I made the contact. Within the next few minutes, I received a phone call. The person on the other end of the line said that she had been assigned from the Christian Faith Publishing Company to serve as my literary agent. I was told that she would be my guide throughout the production process. I was given information where I needed to mail my manuscript to. I mailed my manuscript off to the address that was given to me. Within a few days, I got a call from my agent indicating that my manuscript had been accepted for publication. I was really beside myself. I have been in constant prayer with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He saw so much more in me than I saw in myself. He said that he would never leave me nor forsake me, and he never has.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638442455

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Moment by Moment I Pray

Volume III

Warren S. Banks

Copyright © 2021 by Warren S. Banks

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

May 1, 2017

May 2, 2017

May 3, 2017

May 4, 2017

May 5, 2017

May 6, 2017

May 7, 2017

May 8, 2017

May 9, 2017

May 10, 2017

May 11, 2017

May 12, 2017

May 13, 2017

May 14, 2017

May 15, 2017

May 16, 2017

May 17, 2017

May 18, 2017

May 19, 2017

May 20, 2017

May 21, 2017

May 22, 2017

May 23, 2017

May 24, 2017

May 25, 2017

May 26, 2017

May 27, 2017

May 28, 2017

May 29, 2017

May 30, 2017

May 31, 2017

June 1, 2017

June 2, 2017

June 3, 2017

June 4, 2017

June 5, 2017

June 6, 2017

June 7, 2017

June 8, 2017

June 9, 2017

June 10, 2017

June 11, 2017

June 12, 2017

June 13, 2017

June 14, 2017

June 15, 2017

June 16, 2017

June 17, 2017

June 18, 2017

June 19, 2017

June 20, 2017

June 21, 2017

June 22, 2017

June 23, 2017

June 24, 2017

June 25, 2017

June 26, 2017

June 27, 2017

June 28, 2017

June 29, 2017

June 30, 2017

July 1, 2017

July 2, 2017

July 3, 2017

July 4, 2017

July 5, 2017

July 6, 2017

July 7, 2017

July 8, 2017

July 9, 2017

July 10, 2017

July 11, 2017

July 12, 2017

July 13, 2017

July 14, 2017

July 15, 2017

July 16, 2017

July 17, 2017

July 18, 2017

July 19, 2017

July 20, 2017

July 21, 2017

July 22, 2017

July 23, 2017

July 24, 2017

July 25, 2017

July 26, 2017

July 27, 2017

July 28, 2017

July 29, 2017

July 30, 2017

July 31, 2017

August 1, 2017

August 2, 2017

August 3, 2017

August 4, 2017

August 5, 2017

August 6, 2017

August 7, 2017

August 8, 2017

August 9, 2017

August 10, 2017

August 11, 2017

August 12, 2017

August 13, 2017

August 14, 2017

August 15, 2017

August 16, 2017

August 17, 2017

August 18, 2017

August 19, 2017

August 20, 2017

August 21, 2017

August 22, 2017

August 23, 2017

August 24, 2017

August 25, 2017

August 26, 2017

August 27, 2017

August 28, 2017

August 29, 2017

August 30, 2017

August 31, 2017

September 1, 2017

September 2, 2017

September 3, 2017

September 4, 2017

September 5, 2017

September 6, 2017

September 7, 2017

September 8, 2017

September 9, 2017

September 10, 2017

September 11, 2017

September 12, 2017

September 13, 2017

September 14, 2017

September 15, 2017

September 16, 2017

September 17, 2017

September 18, 2017

September 19, 2017

September 20, 2017

September 21, 2017

September 22, 2017

September 23, 2017

September 24, 2017

September 25, 2017

September 26, 2017

September 27, 2017

September 28, 2017

September 29, 2017

September 30, 2017

October 1, 2017

October 2, 2017

October 3, 2017

October 4, 2017

October 5, 2017

October 6, 2017

October 7, 2017

October 8, 2017

October 9, 2017

October 10, 2017

October 11, 2017

October 12, 2017

October 13, 2017

October 14, 2017

October 15, 2017

October 16, 2017

October 17, 2017

October 18, 2017

October 19, 2017

October 20, 2017

October 21, 2017

October 22, 2017

October 23, 2017

October 24, 2017

October 25, 2017

October 26, 2017

October 27, 2017

October 28, 2017

October 29, 2017

October 30, 2017

October 31, 2017

November 1, 2017

November 2, 2017

November 3, 2017

November 4, 2017

November 5, 2017

November 6, 2017

November 7, 2017

November 8, 2017

November 9, 2017

November 10, 2017

November 11, 2017

November 12, 2017

November 13, 2017

November 14, 2017

November 15:2017

November 16, 2017

November 17, 2017

November 18, 2017

November 19, 2017

November 20, 2017

November 21, 2017

November 22, 2017

November 23, 2017

November 24, 2017

November 25, 2017

November 26, 2017

November 27, 2017

November 28, 2017

November 29, 2017

November 30, 2017

December 1, 2017

December 2, 2017

December 3, 2017

December 4, 2017

December 5, 2017

December 6, 2017

December 7, 2017

December 8, 2017

December 9, 2017

December 10, 2017

December 11, 2017

December 12, 2017

December 13, 2017

December 14, 2017

December 15, 2017

December 16, 2017

December 17, 2017

December 18, 2017

December 19, 2017

December 20, 2017

December 21, 2017

December 22, 2017

December 23, 2017

December 24, 2017

December 25, 2017

December 26, 2017

December 27, 2017

December 28, 2017

December 29, 2017

December 30, 2017

December 31, 2017

Starting Date: January 6, 2020

This third manuscript will cover the time from May 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017. Each date of prayer will include the current date, a scripture identified for the conditions and situations for that prayer.

May 1, 2017

Psalm 139:1–18

I will continue to pray for others. The message is, Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and then all shall be given to Thee. My decision to pray for others came about as the results of finding out, through my brother, that he has always prayed for me. When he noticed that I was at one of my lowest points in my life and he knew that only the Lord could intercede on my behalf, he prayed for me. As he and I was talking last night about our life together as brothers, he said that he had asked the Lord to change my attitude toward others and myself. Before this conversation between the two of us, I had no idea that he was praying for me. I had come to the conclusion that I needed to change because I felt extremely bad after I had given a person a piece of my mind. And as I was looking into that person’s face, I could see and feel their hurt. I did not like what I had become. Therefore, I have asked the Lord to give me a clean heart so that I will worship Thee in Spirit and Truth. I have continued to pray to the Lord with that same request, that of creating in me a clean heart so that may worship Thee and treat people with the same level of respect that I wanted for myself. So when my brother asked me if I thought that his prayer for me had worked, I said with a resounding yes. Your prayers and the prayers of so many other people known as well as unknown to me. So therefore, I continued to pray for others because we all stand in the need of prayer. Today, I have paid most of my monthly bills and the rest will be taken care of later this month.

Thank You, Lord, for all that You have blessed me with. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 2, 2017

Isaiah 42:1–9

I will continue to pray for the Lord’s will. I believe that our God will provide for all our needs and some of our wants. But first, we must commit ourselves totally to Him and seek His goodness, love, and grace. One thing that I truly know about the life of the Lord is that He loves us unconditionally that He gave His only begotten Son as ransom for our sins. He loves us even when we do wrong, and we do not love ourselves or show love toward others. He does not approve of our behavior, but He understands because He made us and not we, ourselves. Whenever something is bothering us, He knows before we even mention it to Him in prayer. But He still wants us to come to Him directly. Then He will intercede on our behalf and deliver us from our transgressions. The Lord is good all the time; He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will never let us down, even when we turn our backs on Him for not answering our requests when we want an answer immediately. He might not answer us when we want Him to, but He is always on time. We must have patience and faith in the Lord because without these two, we do ourselves a disservice. We become the loser. But when He places our faith in the Lord, these things that were depressing us, causing sleepless nights and being short and ill-willed toward others, comes to an end and we are made whole. Is not this the kind of relationship that we want? So why do we do the things that we do that contradict the will of God? My take on this is, because we think that we know it all, can do it all, without Him and other people that the Lord sends to rescue us from ourselves and Satan’s employment, because of God’s grace, we do not need anything else. We have been covered with the blood of Jesus before we were born, so now, all we have to do is to live according to His will and purpose for our lives.

Today, I went for my seventh month doctor’s appointment at Dr. Bennett office. Dr. Bennett is my urologist, dating back to September 10, 2005. On that date, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He has treated me since that date. They took my blood pressure, temperature, got my weight, urine sample, and asked me general questions about my health. I told the PA that I had been experiencing a burning sensation coming from my penis when I had to urinate. After examining my urine, she concluded that there was no infection nor was there a presence of blood. She stated that the burning is possibly coming from the results of the radiation treatment that I received sometimes ago. But she gave me some medication to take by mouth for the next few days. Those pills will cause my urine to turn blue in color, but everything will be all right. My overall health appears to be very good. My next appointment to Dr. Bennett’s office is scheduled for November 9, 2017. I have to continue to take all medication that has been prescribed to me. I am very thankful for all that has been done for me. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 3, 2017

John 14:1–7

I will continue to pray and prepare for my home in heaven. There are many things in life that can become a hindrance to a person’s journey with the Lord that would prevent him from entering into heaven. I feel that the most important step is to consciously commit self by love and faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not do this first step, then everything that we do afterward becomes null and void. Jesus Christ has laid everything on the line, in terms of what is expected of us on a daily basis if we are going to take up our cross and follow Him. We must constantly study the Lord’s will and make it a part of our very being. We cannot afford to pretend to be faithful, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ to walk by faith and not by sight. We must become intercessors for others, serve as viable images for others, serve as peacemakers, be in fellowship with others, possess a spiritual consciousness acceptable to God, believe in, and demonstrate what godly love is to others, believe in doctrine, perseverance, discipleship, destiny, deliverance, dedication, loyalty, become a counselor, believe in confession, spiritual leadership, friendship, reconciliation, a vision, trust, testimony, talents, sacrifice, salvation, righteousness, revelation, redemption, miracles, justice, and consideration. With the above, we start and continue our godly journey with the Lord. We will have our Bible study session this evening. This session will include how music is related to the Psalms in the Bible. Rev. Willie Vincent will provide and present all the materials for this session. I am looking forward to our meeting and sharing session. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 4, 2017

Luke 18:15–17

I will continue to pray for a childlike faith in God. A child is noted for their ability to look to their father for help, protection, and support. In Jesus Christ, I have found more than a Father; I have found a friend. As my Heavenly Father, I look to You for understanding—food, shelter, clothing, love, strength, peace, fellowship, destiny, deliverance, loyalty, a person to whom I can confess to, growth, vision, trustworthiness, righteousness, revelation, kindness, and consideration. During the past few days, I have been depressed over the possibility that I might be evicted from the home that we have lived in for over forty years. You see, I got myself in a financial hole eight months ago when I received a call and then a letter indicating that I owed a company $3,200. I did not have the cash to pay that total amount, so therefore, I asked for a payment plan of $400 dollars per month with a mail in amount of $400. The company accepted that plan, and I started making payments. But in order to make those payments, most of my other monthly bills fell by the wayside. My house payments were compromised. I fell behind to the tune of $1,176.28. This amount was due on the twenty-eighth of April 2017. I paid by check, hoping and praying that the Lord would provide a way for me to make that payment and save my house. Well, you already know the outcome, especially if you are a child of God. The Lord has made a way for me to keep my home and to set up a payment plan for my other bills. I had a shouting and happy time as I praised the Lord, for His goodness and mercy. Last night, I went to Bible study, and I had a great time. I am looking forward to future Bible studies sessions. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in Heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 5, 2017

Philippians 3:12–14

I will continue to pray for and give the Lord all my praises. The Lord is everything to me. When I need a boost, I do not have to consume stimulant such as alcohol, illegal drugs, or any other mind-altering substance. I can just call on the name of the Lord, and He will direct my path. Many times, and especially the past few days, I have been troubled over my finances, but now I can rest assured that the Lord will not allow me to go through these situations alone. He has already provided me with a plan of action that will allow me to regain my sense of directions and refocus upon Him and not on things that are spiritually fed. I am looking forward to the time during the day when I spend, thinking about the goodness of the Lord and how He has ordered my steps. During my early morning reading, I always come across these words, Today is a new day. I surrender to my vision. I move forward with a renewed attitude that my success is guaranteed. Knowing this, I reevaluated what I want out of life, and I go for it. I am a willing participant in my growth. I have chosen to live fully. I am anchored by my vision. Read the above mentioned every morning. It gives me that assurance that Jesus is only a prayer away. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 6, 2017

Matthew 27:45–54

I will continue to pray for the ability to give. The ability to give is very important for the continuation of life. Our lives as Christians is based upon the art of giving. First, the Lord gave us Jesus Christ, who was sent to earth to redeem us from our sinful nature. He withstood all the pressures of life on earth and was crucified on Calvary Hill, but on the third day as He had told to His followers, He got up from a grave that was not His and ascended into heaven, thus defeating death and declaring all powers over sins and death. You see, the Lord has always given to us, but we have not always returned the gift. Our task now is to trust and obey the Commandments and serve our fellow brothers and sisters. No one can beat God giving no matter how much you try. But we can extend the hand of fellowship to our people such a way that the God in us will be revealed to those to whom we make contact each day. My prayer to the Lord is that He create a clean heart within me so that I may carry out His will on earth. There are some habits that prevent me from becoming the best person that God want me to become. One of these habits is that of expecting more from other people than I am willing to give back.

My relationship with my cousin has been stained because I allowed my feelings to be hurt over a simple mistake that she makes from time to time. Maybe she might not be aware of it when she displays it; she might not have the ability to control this behavior that she is displaying. But whenever it comes out, I become so angry that I refuse to speak to her. She and I are very close, but the personality conflict has truly taken its toll. I have not called her in months and whenever she comes around, I make it my business to avoid her. Last Sunday evening at my sister’s house, she came into the house and instead of meeting and greeting her as she entered the house, I pretended to go to the restroom. On the way back into the kitchen, I passed by her and spoke to her, but in a tone that was barely audible. That was not giving her respect, nor was it the right thing to do. I always want people to understand my situation, but I do not allow myself the opportunity to understand other people situations. Therefore, I need to make this right. Now I need to give back and respect other persons as well. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 7, 2017

Hebrews 2:9–18

I will continue to pray for deliverance. Deliverance is a very powerful act that is exercised by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Only He can deliver us from all forms of evil and restore us back to our original state of mind. In today’s world, we have so many people and organizations who will tell you at the drop of a dime that if you are in a certain situation that they can restore you to your original state of mind and make you whole again, but they’re sadly mistaken and the things that they do for you will leave you in the worst shape ever. We have to be very careful when we hear or if we are told that a certain person might possess this extraordinary power. The Lord, who is our Father and creator, has all powers in His hands. Powers over life and death. The power of discernment and the power of perseverance, salvation, spiritual growth, restoration, intercession, fellowship, dedication, discipleship, transgression, righteousness, mercy and grace, redemption, and divine intervention. You see, when the Lord does His thing, all things are made new, you have a new walk, talk, and a new appetite. The Lord is good all the time and all the time, God is good. Our sermon this morning in church came 1 Corinthians 13:1–9. The topic was Sharing God’s Love. We discovered that God’s love is not like any other love that may be expressed to or for us. But God’s love is pure and unconditional. God’s love never fails. Today after church, I paid to have Chief’s name placed on the Women’s Wall of Honor, which will be placed on the UMW Bulletin Board near the church office. Each donor will receive a letter that can be personalized to inform the honoree of this tribute. Since Chief has transitioned, the letter will come to me and our children and grandchildren. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 8, 2017

John 16:19–24

I will continue to pray for this joy that I have. This joy that I have has been made by persons who were singing to various groups of people over many years of my life. My grandparents, parents, sisters, brothers, and relatives and friends have stated these words over again, especially when they found themselves in tender situations. They would sometimes sing these words, until they felt better. So I have been privileged to witness the singing and saying of these words for years. But the whole process did not come home to me until December 29, 2014. That was the time that my lovely wife, Chief made her transition to heaven. I had to dig deeper into the very essence of my sole to come to terms with her death. So since that date, I find myself singing these words over again, but this time, with deep personal meanings. This joy that I have, the world did not give it to me, and the world will not take it away, speak volumes to me about the relationship that I have with the Lord. He has been my rock in a weary land, my shelter from the various storms in my life. He has been my bridge over troubled waters, my food and water when I needed them. I am totally sold out to the Lord. I will always rust and have faith in His Word. Last night, I made the call to my cousin to express my regrets for my behavior and thoughtfulness toward our relationship. My desire, from this point forward, is to follow the Lord’s lead and live that life that He has planned for me. I also talked with my daughter and son to get a sense of where they were in their thinking and to let them know that I love them very much. We will honor Chief, my wife, and their mother, on Sunday, May 14, 2017, which is Mother’s Day. Hopefully, we all will meet at her gravesite, in Griffin, Georgia, on that day and have dinner at my sister’s house, here in Atlanta, Georgia. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 9, 2017

Psalm 139:1–12

I will continue to pray for a civil tongue. A civil tongue is wise and practical when it does not move nor does it utter a word before it communicates and receive proper instructions from the brain. Oftentimes, we hear people say these words, I spoke before I thought about what I was going to say. When I hear these words now, I automatically conclude that we are still responsible for our own words. It makes little difference if it came from an adult or from a person who has not reached adulthood. I believe that there is an inherited responsibility that come with the ability to speak. That is why as adults, we are responsible for the education of those who we birth and to those who have been entrusted to our care. The concept of it take a village to raise a child should not be taken for granted. The reason is that we are all responsible to each other to do our best to treat each other as we would like to be treated without any regards to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, religion, and sexual preference. Our world was created by God, for God’s people. This means that the Lord is in charge of everything. We are taught from childhood the importance of God’s Word and His will; therefore, everything should be in line with His Word and His will and not ours. Our tongue is a part of our body and we should exercise complete control over our tongue, thus allowing us the ability to prevent the many miscues that happen when we speak without thinking. It is our responsibility to speak clearly God’s Word. Last night was a spiritually fed rehearsals that brought back many fun memories of my past and he love that I have for Jesus Christ, my wife, Chief, my children, and my grandchildren. I really love the Lord and the love that I have for Him floors don to so many other people. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of us. Amen.

May 10, 2017

Hebrews 13:1–2

I will continue to pray for and to reach out to others. That old saying, We all need somebody and something, is a fact of life. First, where would we be if we did not love each other? Initially there was a need and out of that need came us. In the beginning, God created the world and the world was without void and the Lord said, I am going to create man so that he would have dominion over all creation. Therefore, man was created. Then the Lord noticed that man was lonely; therefore, from the rib of man, the Lord created woman. Now as a couple, man and woman needed each other to survive. So they did things together and the birth cycle started. Now we have people all over the world who expressed their needs and services to others. I have learned that by showing my appreciation for others, I get a reassuring feeling that produce a smile on my face. I have given and in the process of giving, I have also received from others. Sometimes these gifts come from persons that I have not met in my life. Blessings come in so many ways and through our considerations and dedications to others, our life experiences become more spiritually related to the purpose of which the Lord created us for. Tonight, in Bible studies, we will continue to discuss the Psalms and their applications to our lives in today’s world. I will continue to pray for health and healings. I will continue to pray for my lovely wife, Chief, who is resting peacefully in heaven. I will continue to pray for my children and grandchildren, whom I love very much. May the Lord continue to bless and keep all of