Types of Prayer -- Be a Prayer Warrior for Jesus!

Prayer is basically talking with God. It is simply expressing your heart and spending time with Him. It is not a one way activity, God speaks, we listen, we speak and God listens to our hearts. Prayer can be exciting, powerful and fulfilling.

may this blog column inspire you to pursue your own personal study on this subject.

Types of Prayer

A. Thanksgiving
B. Petition
C. Prevailing
D. Praying For Others

A. Thanksgiving- Giving thanks to God for all things in your life. We are commanded to give thanks in all circumstances. Being thankful is being grateful for his protection , provision, blessing, and most of all for his Son.

B. Petition- We ask God for the specific things we need in our life. Give us our daily bread. Give us the things we need to survive, a roof over our heads, employment etc. Petitions are usually self orientated, presenting our personal needs to our Heavenly Father, in trust that He will provide. Be specific in your petitions, pray in details and not in generalities.

C. Prevailing Prayer- fervent consistent insistent prayer until a breakthrough takes place, whether in your personal life, or for someone else ( intercession). Example Believing for emotional or physical healing.

Biblical Example: Luke 18:1-8.(NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, `Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, `Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

D Praying For Others- Love on its knees in prayer, for others. Pleading on behalf of the needs of someone else. Standing in the gap, that is, praying prayers of repentance, etc., identifying yourself with the sins of those for which you are in prayer.

Biblical Example: Nehemiah, a godly man, identified with the sins of his people, praying prayers of repentance, asking the Lord to forgive and to have mercy and to raise up once again the nation of Israel. Read Nehemiah 1 for this story. Be a prayer warrior for the Lord!

Be Still and Know that He is God! Be Quiet and Listen for His Guidance and Compassion

The Lord has strongly impressed upon me that we need to be qyiet before Him, and listen for His still, gentle voice. "Be still and Know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10

Listening to God - Preparing Your Heart to Hear Him

Listening to God is like listening to anyone-before you can hear Him, you must be ready to listen. Just as in a conversation, you cannot hear the other person if you are talking or if your mind is distracted. So it is with God. If you want to hear Him speak, you must be quiet and you must be focused on what He is saying. Regular conversation with God can transform your life! Consider identifying a place and time to meet with God everyday.

Prayer is how you begin a conversation with God. Think of it as saying "hello."

Listening to God - How Can I Hear Him?

Listening to God requires a deliberate choice to shut out the chaos around you and focus your thoughts. Is God someone you can hear? The Bible says He is, and the Bible is one of the main tools through which He speaks.

We live in a world of noise. Almost everywhere we go, we find sounds competing with our minds, keeping us from letting our thoughts get below the surface level. Hearing God's voice means not listening to the noise of the world around us. It's not easy, but it can be done.

King David, author of most of the book of Psalms, gave us a model for meeting with God, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8).

He sought God's direction in the morning, at the beginning of the day. Like a general in God's army, he wanted to hear from his Commanding Officer before he entered into battle. Beginning each day fresh with God is a great reminder that, as the Scripture says, His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22, 23). You must find the time of day that works for you, but morning is the best time if that is possible.

Listening to God requires a heart committed to understand His message. God often speaks to us in visual images. Consider the example of the prophet Habakkuk, in Habakkuk chapter 2. The prophet longed to hear from God! He was so determined that he was willing to stand and wait as long as it took. "I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me…" (Habakkuk 2:1).

In order to listen to God and receive His instruction, we must want to do His will, much as Habakkuk did. God honors the heart that is fully surrendered to Him. If we are stubbornly clinging to our own desires, we are likely to get a garbled message that will not be God's voice at all. As a result, we are likely to continue pursuing a path that is contrary to the one God has designed for our lives.

Psalm 40:8 says, "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

When you listen to God and obey Him, you will discover a life that is full and rich with purpose, confident you are following the Master's plan.

Pray for the Lost and Those Who Seem Blinded by the Darkness -- May They Find Christ's Love!

"Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved" Romans 10:1

Do you ever get sad about the state of those who do not know God, or who knowingly disobey him. You want to help them, jsut as you would want to stop a child from doing something that might harm him or her. But sometimes people are bent toward their own destruction. Still, we must pray for the lost and the ones who are so confused that they put themseles in peril. It is our Christian duty to pray for them in love. Jesus warns of eternal torment for those who reject Him.

We already see the first reason why we should pray for the lost: People are sinners by nature. Salvation requires an overthrow of what we naturally are. Ephesians 2:3 recalls how that,"We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others"

Satan is at work in the world. This sounds terribly old-fashioned to the modern mind, but Scripture teaches this repeatedly. For example, Ephesians 2:2: "You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." The sinister influence of the evil one is internal and dynamic. It has an influential and powerful effect upon the person. Other passages teach the same basic premise and add other nuances of insight:

The Bible teaches that the devil has ensnared the lost. Paul tells us what kind of attitude we should demonstrate in dealing with opponents of the Christian message: "In humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (1st Timothy 2:25-26). Notice the entrapment: God has to grant repentance because they are so spiritually disabled that they cannot do it on their own. And notice why this is: they are ensnared and taken captive. We know about substance abuse addictions and sexual addictions and gambling addictions; this is an addiction of self enthronement, a God-rejection addiction.

The devil has deceived the lost. "The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1st John 5:19). Yhe unbeliever, in the arms of Satan, islulled to sleep, and unaware of their dangerous plight.

The lost have been blinded. "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded" (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4). One of the problems of being lost is that one cannot see the obvious, they simply do not get it. It is not that it is too deep to fathom; it is not a matter of intelligence. It is a spiritual seeing problem. Ever notice how sometimes you can talk to a person and while otherwise they are very friendly and intelligent, when the conversation turns to Christ suddenly they sound like they don't have any common sense?

So we are burdened for someone. What are some things we can pray for them?

We can pray for God to send conviction, that is that they will sense the urgency of their need. At Pentecost, Peter's sermon was interrupted by his listeners, "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37) Conviction is when God call us to call to account and show us our fault.

We can ask God to send enlightenment. Paul was commissioned by God to go to the gentiles, "To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18). We can pray that God would call and draw, attracting them to Christ. We can pray that mental strongholds against goodness and God might be pulled down. May their eyes be opened and may they be surrounded by His Love! IN JESUS NAME!

Pleading the Blood of Jesus Christ, Part Two

Here are four more powerful verses from Scripture showing that all Christians now have God’s power and anointing at their disposal to use when they need it to engage with the dark side of this life:

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19)

Notice in this verse we have God’s power over all the power of our enemies, not just against part of their powers. This means we have the ability to come out completely victorious in some of life's battles and struggles, but only if we learn how to use what is available to us.

"Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1)

Notice in this verse that Jesus gives the twelve apostles power over all demons, not just some of them. If we have God’s power available to us to defeat all demons, then I believe that we also have God’s power to defeat any and all humans that may try to come against us with any type of unjust action or attack.

"... but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits." (Daniel 11:32)

"Knowing their God" means that we have spent quality time in establishing a good, personal, intimate relationship with the Lord. If we do that, then this verse is telling us that God will strengthen and empower us when we need His power to be able to carry out great exploits and great adventures for Him.

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (2 Chronicles 16:9)

This verse is telling us that God is actually looking for people that He can anoint with His power, but are you willing to pay the price to be able to really walk with His anointing?

As you can see from the way all of the above verses are worded, true Christianity is not a weak, wimpy, or passive religion. As born-again believers, we all have the Holy Spirit literally living and dwelling on the inside of us. As a result, all of our bodies have now become the temple in which He now lives in. His supernatural power is now fully available to all of us in order to help us handle some of the storm clouds that can come against us in ths life.

Protection

And since the shed blood of the Old Testament lambs used for the temporary covering of sins eventually leads to the shedding of Jesus’ blood for permanent and total forgiveness of all of our sins, we also see that the shed blood of the lambs used in the Passover for divine protection also leads to the shed Blood of Jesus having divine protection in it.

Pleading the Blood of Jesus for any deliverance and protection that you may need is just one part of our arsenal. You can also Plead the Blood of Jesus on specific things like your body, your house, your car, your finances, etc. The goal is to Plead the Blood of Jesus on those things in order to protect you before any kind of adversity could come your way.

I urge you to incorporate pleading the blood of Jesus in your prayer life. Christians can either choose to continue to remain passive with their heads stuck in the sand, hoping that neither they nor any of their loved ones will ever come under any kind of direct human or demonic attack - or they can choose to learn how to rise up in the power of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and learn how to spiritually defend themselves using spiritual warfare techniques as given to us out of the Bible!

When the enemy does come, rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit and spiritually defend yourself and engage with the enemy head on, like David did with Goliath. You will be victorious because of the Name and Blood of Jesus Christ!

Pleading the Powerful Blood of Jesus in Your Life

Pleading the Blood of Jesus is not begging, it is a legal term. Our plea, in any situation that merits it, is the Blood of Jesus. When we make this our plea, the Blood is applied for us by the Holy Spirit. When you pray " I plead the Blood of Jesus over... it is then applied in your behalf. And it is more powerful than anything else!

Thare three things contained in the Blood of Jesus – forgiveness, deliverance and protection. Most Christians only know about the first one – forgiveness. They have no idea that there are two other things available to them that will enable them to live a victorious and overcoming life in Jesus while still living down here on this earth. Let us look at forgiveness and deliverance.

Forgiveness

As Christians, we all know that there is definitely forgiveness in the Blood of Jesus. This is the basic central message of true Christianity, that God the Father sent His one and only begotten Son Jesus Christ down to our earth in the flesh to physically die on a cross in order to give us total and permanent forgiveness for all of our sins.

Without Jesus dying and shedding His blood on the cross, there would be no forgiveness and no remission of any of our sins. Here are some extremely powerful verses from Scripture specifically telling us this:

"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28)

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7)

"But now in Christ Jesus you who were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13)

The blood that Jesus personally shed for us on the cross, which caused His physical death, is what leads to our eternal salvation, the forgiveness of all of our sins and entrance into heaven when we die and cross over.

Deliverance

Now what are the Scriptural grounds that will give us the legal right to be able to use Jesus' Blood when taking on any attacks that may come our way? As my grandmother used to do, you can Plead the Blood of Jesus against specific types of attacks such as attacks from demons or other evil people, any kind of physical disease or illness, or any kind of addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Many Christians are not aware of this second component that is in the Blood of Jesus which entitles us to be able to use His Blood to go on the offensive against any adversity that may come our way.

Something else happened that day when Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins. The Bible tells us that Jesus also defeated Satan and all of the powers of darkness that day! Here are some specific Scripture verses proving this point for you:

"… that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14)

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13)

"Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15)

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelations 12:11)

What defeated Satan and all his dark powers? The physical death of Jesus on the cross. And what did Jesus do when He died that day on the cross for all of us? He shed His Blood!

This is why Pleading the Blood of Jesus works so well in real life combat situations when it really is needed to defeat attacks that come against us from the dark side.

Many Christians are not aware of this second fact about the Blood of Jesus - that the Blood can also be used to engage with our enemies when they do try to launch an attack against us. I believe that all of the above Scripture verses definitely tell us that the blood that Jesus shed that day on the cross has totally defeated Satan and all of his dark powers.

The only thing remaining is for Christians to realize and grab a hold of this powerful truth and not to be afraid to use when they need it - especially when demons or other bad and evil people attempt to come against them with any type of unjust actions or attacks. Learn to plead the Blood of Jesus in your prayers.

Power in the Blood, Part Two

God provided a system of atonment with blood, first with purified animals, then with Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God! In Jesus, God would give the ultimate blood for us. His precious Son would go to Calvary and shed His blood for you and me. That was the purpose behind the earlier purified animal sacrifices in the Old Testament! It was all pointing to the cross!

In sacrifices there is the altar. A place associated with death and suffering. The altar was a bloody, grim place also marked by the blood the dead and dying. From the altar arose the smoke of the sacrifices that burned there continually. It was a place of suffering.

Again, this all pointed ahead to a time when the Son of God would go to an altar called the cross and would shed His blood the redemption of mankind. Please never lose sight of the terrible price Jesus paid for us. He suffered terribly so that we might be saved. Just as the sacrifices of old were tied to the altar and burned with fire, Jesus was nailed to His altar and burned in the fire of divine wrath! The price He paid was a terrible price!

God reminds them that the reason He gave them the blood sacrifices was to make an atonement for their sins. The word “atonement” means “a covering”. God gave them the blood as a means of covering their sins and of bringing them into fellowship with Himself. Lest we forget, sin separates us from the presence of God, But the blood of Jesus has the power to bring us together!

One of the most remarkable truths in the Bible is the fact that God genuinely wants to have fellowship with you and me. He has proven this be the lengths He has gone to, to bring us together. The fact that God would place our value above that of another life is an amazing thing! To me, it is absolute proof of the power of the love of God for humanity. That He would value us more than the life of His own Son is a truth that is wonderful beyond words.

The Blood of Jesus Covers Sin - The blood of Christ was given to cover sin. That is, when the blood was shed and applied to the altar, God saw the blood and not the sin. It was removed from His sight and He accepted the blood of the innocent sacrifice in place of the guilt of the sinner.

The Blood of Jesus Cleanses Sin - When we come to the New Testament and to the death of Jesus on the cross, we find a sacrifice that was filled with a power that the Old Testament sacrificial system could never know. What we find about the blood of Jesus is that it has the power to take away sin!

Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross will never have to be repeated! It was a one-time for all-time offering that forever removes the sins of every person who places their faith in Him and His shed blood!

The Blood of Jesus Converts The Sinner - When a person comes to Jesus by faith and is saved by grace, that person is forever changed. The blood of the Lamb has the power to convert the soul. Not only will God cleanse away your sins, but He will forever change your life. The blood of Jesus has the power to make us into new creatures in Christ.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews says in 13:12: “Jesus suffered ... in order to sanctify the people by his own blood.” This means that we are all saints, holy people, people protected and empowered by God’s holiness. Because Jesus shares his own holiness with us by giving us his blood as a covering, we can approach our heavenly Father with great boldness and confidence as if we were Jesus himself and had his status as God’s Son. We enjoy the privilege of access to heaven here on earth as we receive the holy Sacrament. When we take the Lord’s Supper we can “enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus” and “approach with a true heart in the full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:19-22).

We can bring our own needs and the needs of others to God in prayer. Together with the word of God and body of Jesus, his blood is the most holy thing that you have from God. It presents you holy before God. You are as holy in God’s eyes as Jesus is, because you are covered spirituatlly with his Blood. Since you share in Christ’s holiness, your body is the temple of the living God. Wherever you go God goes with you. God uses you to reach out and touch other people. Whether they know it or not, they meet Him through you. Since you are Christ’s ambassador, you may live your life as in God’s presence; you belong to his holy priests that bring people and their needs to God in prayer, just as they bring God and his blessings to the people around them. All this is yours because of the blood of Jesus! Blood that consecrates you before God.

Blood is indeed a remarkable, powerful substance. We depend on it to remain alive and healthy. But the holy blood of Jesus is an even more remarkable substance, something far more powerful than human blood.

There is power in His blood. His blood brings life and cleansing and holiness to those who take him at his word when he says in Matthew 26:27-28: “Drink from this cup, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Believe it and you will receive its blessings. Believe that you receive eternal life in his blood and he will give you eternal life. Believe that you receive cleansing from sin in his blood and he will cleanse you through and through. Believe that. Believe and receive. Then you will have good reason to rejoice and sing: THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD!

The Importance of Human Blood - and the Wonder Working Power of Christ's Blood!

The blood is the source of life for all creatures on earth. Even plants have sap that is akin to blood in purpose, but among animals we see again and again the importance of the blood, and especially in humans.

In the pages of Scripture, I have come to understand that God gave His people scientific truth that was centuries ahead of that possessed by men at the time. Leviticus 17:11 states that blood that is the life of the physical flesh and it is still the blood of Jesus that is the life of the soul.

BLOOD IS A PRECIOUS SUBSTANCE

The Purpose Of The Blood - The very life of the body is contained in the blood. As I stated earlier, medical science didn’t understand this until the advent of powerful microscopes that now allow doctors to look at the blood and better understand its function in the body. Among the substances of the body, the blood is unique. Consider these facts:

The blood is the only tissue of the body that is mobile. The body produces many fluids, but the blood is literally liquid tissue. Other fluids are limited to certain areas of the body, but the blood touches every single cell in the human body.

There are about 5 quarts of blood in the average human body. This blood travels through your body every 23 seconds. As it does, the blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells of your body, bringing life as it travels. At the same time, the same blood also removes the waste products from the cells. This waste never contaminates the good things the blood carries which the body needs. Imagine, if you will, the local garbage truck picking up your trash and also delivering your meals uncovered.

While the red cells in the body are carrying oxygen rich hemoglobin, and nutrients to the cells, another part of the blood known as “leucocytes” or white blood cells are present to defend the body against outside invaders. When the body is injured, you may notice a swelling in the area of the injury. This is caused by blood being rushed to the injured area, blood that is rich in white blood cells. These cells have the power to kill and engulf germs and infections. As they do their job, they die in the process and are expelled from the body, along with the infection, in a material we call pus. All of this is going on in the blood!

There is more that the blood does, such as carrying antibodies and antitoxins, but just these simple insights are enough to let us know that the blood is extremely vital to the existence of the human body.

The Power Of The Blood - The power of the blood in the human body is so great that an infection in the bloodstream has the power to infect the entire body, and the loss of too much blood has the power to interrupt human life.

While the blood and its importance cannot be overstated in the human body, everything we have said about the blood thus far also has a spiritual application. Just as the blood is necessary to physical life, the blood of Jesus is also necessary for spiritual life! However, the major difference is that in the physical realm, one must have his own blood, in the spiritual realm, we must have the blood of another – the blood of Jesus! There is power in His blood!

Knowing God and God's Ways -- Getting to that Place of Knowledge Where We Act on His Word as Ultimate Fact

As we grow as Christians we move from believing, which is the first, primary step, to knowing, which is accepting what we believe as fact and acting on it appropriately. Many people believe that there is a God. They believe that God has a plan for their life. They believe that all things work together for the good of those who love him, but these very same people have not yet grown to the place where they accept these beliefs as a fact and act on them.

There is a major difference between knowing and believing. The Bible tells us that we must believe that God is and that He is the rewarded of those who perform his will. On many other occasions, the Bible talks about believing in order to be saved. Belief is so important. "Lord, help my unbelief," is an important prayer, But we must take our faith beyond belief to knowing. Knowledge of God and God's promises will bring you a new freedom in faith, a new adventure in living, as you receive the blessings God has stored up for you since Jesus purchased them on the cross 2000 years ago.

Friendship is an example that helps us understand. We all have friends and people we trust. For most of us, we believe they are our friends in the good times. But if and when something happens, that is when we find out who our friends truly are. Another example is credit score. We can believe that we have a good score or a bad score, but until we run the report we will not truly know. There is a difference between knowing something with certainty and simply believing. When you get that certainty, tour actions become automatic. That is how God wants us to be with the things of God.

When we get to that knowing area, our prayers are more effective. Knowing makes the difference when you lose your job and you ask God why did He let this happen, instead of where are you taking me. Knowing is what makes the difference when you are faced with a difficult situation and you ask God "why did you let this happen to me," instead you ask, "Okay Lord, what am I supposed to learn from this?"

Knowing God is essential to Christian growth. Too much of Christianity is based on belief in God rather than knowing God. Some of you may say this is just semantics. It is not. Consider people who have lost their faith. Is that even possible? Can anyone truly lose their faith? I don’t believe so. How can anyone lose faith in something they know to be true? You can’t. People lose faith in things they simply believe in. The reason many people lose faith and leave the church is because they simply believed in God and somewhere down the road, they were persuaded otherwise.

Some will say all you have to do is believe; no one can know. That is not true. God never intended for us to know him by testing him in a lab. We know God because he will reveal himself to us. Scripture clearly tells us that we are supposed to know. After Jesus reappeared to prove to Thomas that He has risen, he said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The night before Jesus was arrested He explicitly told the disciples how we who will not see Him will know that God is who he says he is. He said, “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:17-19).

In order for us to preserve the church, we must teach people to know God and go beyond simply believing. We must know that he loves us and of his plans for our lives. This knowing should not be based on an intellectual knowing but on the indwelling Holy Spirit, which Jesus left as our comforter. God did not call us to have an abstract belief concerning him, he called us to know him.

We are Called to Be People of Faith

Faith is not an optional ingredient in your relationship with God. Faith, simply put, means believing that God is telling the truth about what He says, and that what He says about anything establishes what is true. You don't get very far with God by calling Him a liar.

Hebrews 11:6.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Many times we shy away from asking too much of God, because we don't want to put Him on the spot, or because we're afraid that He "doesn't do things like that." However, we serve a God to whom nothing is impossible, a God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we are able to ask or think. Our God has encouraged us to come boldly before His throne to seek grace in our time of need.

As we grow in our knowledge of Him, and as we grow in our obedience to His will, we can grow also in our confidence toward Him, knowing that we will receive those things that we ask of Him in accordance with His will, because we do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

Hebrews 11 is a superb chapter on faith, often called the "Hall of Faith," with a listing of heroes of the faith from the Old Testament. Read them and meditate on these lives of victory for God. May they inspire us to grow closer to the Lord and to do His will in our lives and out churches.

I love the Fourth of July. I love watermelon and picnics and fireworks. And I am so grateful to God to have been born an American. Our country has its problems, but God has also blessed us with wonderful freedoms and abundance. Praise God for the United States of America.

If you have a moment, take a listen to one of my all time favorite songs, one that both George W. Bush and Barack Obama used to affirm their campaigns and their own love of America. Click BROOKS AND DUNN sing ONLY IN AMERICA

As we approach the Fourth of July, Remember to Pray for President Barack Obama

I am glad that President Barack Obama decided to wear a flag lapel pin as President. He started wearing the pin again after a veteran gave him a pin in Pittsburgh on April 15, 2008, while Obama was campaingning there, so Obama wore it all day, and then more regularly thereafter.

As Obama originally said, a flag pin is not a substitute for true patriotism, nor is it proof of such patriotism. But it is a nice thing to honor the symbol of one's country, and it also honors all the men and women who have died to keep us free. So this is a very good decision, Mr. President. And I appreciate it when you say the little prayer at the end of each of your speeches, "God bless the United States of America."

Happy Fourth of July to Mr. Obama and family. And let us all remember to pray for the President each day. Whether you voted for him or whether you agree with him on specific policies, he is our president and we need to pray for our leaders. In fact, if you do not agree with his policies, it might be all the more reason for you to pray that God might bless him with wisdom and discernment.

Farah and Michael Remind Us of Our Own Mortality

The deaths of famous people, especially ones that have been on the popular culture scene for a long time, can be shaking to us. I remember how friends of mine were devastated at the death of Elvis, and a few years later, of John Lennon. Certainly, such deaths remind us that death does come for all of us (unless the rapture occurs, as many Christians believe). But one way or the other we are all going to leave this earth sometime. Such passings remind us of our own mortality. And for those of us who are Christians, it makes us rejoice in the miracle of our salvation in Jesus Christ.

The deaths of Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson on the same day brought back memories of earlier years for me. Fawcett, the Charlie's Angel with the golden hair and brilliant teeth, was the iconic girl next door of my college years. Yes, I had her famous poster on my dorm wall, smiling down on me as I did my homework. I will always remember Farah Fawcett's million dollar smile.

And Jackson, as sad a figure as he became in his later years, had a number of songs on the soundtrack of my life. As confused as he seemed to be in the last decade, he was just as brilliant in the seventies and eighties as a musician, singer, and dancer. He was electric onstage, and he ruled the world of pop music in his heyday. Sadly, the scandals involving the young boys ruined his legacy for many. his life went from triumph to tragedy. The promise of the five year old who became a pop star with his brothers was smothered in sadness, even when he won an acquittal in his infamous trial a few years ago.

But I will still remember some of his songs fondly. Even though we humans are broken, God's beauty can still shine through us. In Michael Jackson's case, one of his most beautiful songs was "We Are the World," which raised millions for hungry people in Africa. To hear "We are the World." featuring Jackson and other popular artists of the 1980's, go to YOU TUBE at WE ARE THE WORLD

Sometimes Leaving is Not The Only Way to Go

Sometimes in our lives the old fight or flight reflex rises up and we feel the need to leave, to run away, to cut and run. Sometimes this happens in marriages. One spouse sees supposed "freedom" as better than staying and working to make things better at home. At certain times such a strategy may be warrantied, but most of the time such an action is hasty. Usually, with God's help and hard work from both partners, things can be worked out.

There is a song that captures the essence of that thought in music. I have been reviewing some old songs by the recording artist Roger Miller, and he had quite a few meaningful ones with potent lyrics. In his big Broadway musical, "Big River", based on the tales of Huck Finn, Miller wrote "Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go":

Do the mornin’s still come early
Are the nights not long enough
Does a tear of hesitation
Fall on everything you touch
Well, it might just be a lesson
For the hasty heart to know
Maybe leavin’s not the only way to go

Maybe lay and let your feelings grow accustomed to the dark
And by morning’s light, you might solve the problems of the heart
And it all might be a lesson for the hasty heart to know
Maybe leavin’s not the only way to go

People reach new understandings all the time
They take a second look, maybe change their minds
People reach new understandings everyday
Tell me not to reach and I’ll go away

Do the mornin’s still come early
Are the nights not long enough
Does a tear of hesitation
Fall on everything you touch
Well, it might just be a lesson
For the hasty heart to know
Maybe leavin’s not the only way to go

Hear Miller sing the song on YOU TUBE at ROGER MILLER SINGS "LEAVIN'S NOT THE ONLY WAY TO GO". It is worth a listen, because it is so very true -- sometimes leaving is not the only way to go

Broken Homes and Broken Lives -- The Tragedy of Divorce and the Need to Pray for Our Married Couples

Over forty years ago the supremely talented country musician Roger Miller had a powerfully sad but true song about divorce. Regretfully, it is just as starkly truthful now as it was when Lyndon Baines Johnson was President of the United States.

The lyrics of "Husbands and Wives" are:

Two broken hearts lonely looking like
houses where nobody lives.
Two people each having so much pride
inside
Neither side forgives.

The angry words spoken in haste,
Such a waste of two lives,
It's my belief,
Pride is the chief cause in the decline
in the number of husbands and wives.

A woman and a man, a man and a woman;
Some can and some can't
And some can't.

You can hear the late great Miller sing his universal and timeless lament on YOU TUBE at ROGER MILLER SINGS "Husbands and Wives"

Sadly, in certain situations, sometimes divorce is necessary. But everything should be done to save a marriage when there is the slightest possibility it can be saved, especially where there are children involved.

With preventive medicine, like prayer, scripture reading, church going, communicating and counseling, most marriages can stay healthy. But it takes work. You must inoculate yourselves and help guard each other tenderly from the stresses and evils of this world, many of which seek to destroy God's great gift of marriage.

Even when a marriage has gone off the road into the ditch, it can still be saved. But both partners must come back to their marriage vows and seek God's help together. Pastors can help a couple find God's help, but the couple must agree to seek God and to seek to find their first love for each other again.

Woe to the man or woman who who tempts or seduces a married woman or man, who comes between a husband and wife, who helps break a marriage covenant ordained by God Almighty. A special place in hell is reserved for the man or woman who breaks up one of God's marriages and injures one of God's families.

Pray for all the couples you know. There is a great attack on marriage in the United States of America. We must defend our married couples with our love, our support and our prayers.

Be a Church Stayer, a Church Builder, Be a Faithful Member

Backsliding and church hopping are the difficult realities of our American culture. Unfortunately, some people move from church to church and back to another church with regular irregularity. Others start hot and grow cold quickly, then repeat the process again and again. The call of God is for commitment and faithfulness. The call is to bloom where you are planted, to help build up the church where you have been called, not tear it down by leaving for no good reason. And leaving to be "enterntained" is not a good reason.

The question should be "how can God use me and where can God best use me to carry out His mission in the world," not "where can I be best entertained" or where can I get that seemingly spiritual "buzz." We are called to worship God, not chase "signs" or feelings. Jesus calls us to be faithful, not to be entertained.

Instead of helping to build up a church body to serve God and do God's work, some folks are often shopping for what will serve themselves, and make them feel a certain way for at least a certain time. Worshipping God takes a back seat to satisfying oneself. That is not the proper order!

Church hopping is an example of the overall instability of our culture. It reflects a deeply troubling trend of how easily people slide in and out of commitments. “Commitment” is a revisable term at best and an increasingly negative concept to many. Reflecting the prevailing discontentment in our culture, people are endlessly looking for something "better."

But better, often means more exciting, entertaining; more satisfying to self. In an article entitled “Confessions of a (Recovering) Church-hopper”, John Fischer acknowledged that, “In our free-market, commodity-rich society, it’s understandable that we would approach church as we would a shopping mall of spiritual products and services. This is the way our culture operates. In our hymnals we can still find those great hymns of the church like ‘A Mighty Fortress’ and ‘The Church’s One Foundation,’ but in our worship and practice we are probably more consistent with the Motown hit ‘You Better Shop Around.’”

Fischer describes the following scene from a church-hopping family: “‘Where shall we go this morning, dear?’ he says. ‘The music is great at Calvary but I like the teaching at Grace.’ ‘Don’t forget the kids,’ she says. ‘The youth program at Bethany is the best of all.’ ‘I've got it. We’ll drop the kids off at Bethany and go to Grace for teaching, and then we can start going to the Saturday night worship and praise services at Calvary.’”

What’s wrong with this picture? Fischer suggests some important points:

First,we become critical consumers instead of faithful worshippers. “As consumers we reserve the right to pass judgment on the products and services we use, and the companies that service us begin to cater to our demands. ‘The customer is always right’ may work well at McDonald’s, but in a church it undermines the authority of the Word of God and the leaders God has called to represent Him. We should not go to a particular church to decide whether that church is doing everything right, but to hear from God and humbly find out where we went wrong that week in our own lives and what we need to do to make it right.”

Fischer says we become detached from what we are and who we should be when we are "consumers" instead of worshippers, when we are not doing our part to build up a church body. “When you were a child, did you ever make a church with your hands folded together, forefingers pointed up like a steeple and all your fingers interlocked inside? Remember opening your hands to see all the people? Well, that’s exactly it. We are the church. You and I are the fingers and toes and eyes and ears of the body of Christ. To be only a spectator and a consumer in church is to detach yourself from who you are — like cutting off your fingers.”

Church-hoppers also hurt the churches they hop to and then leave, because usually the new church is willing to invest time and responsibility in the church hopper, only to be left at the proverbial altar when the church "frog" hops away. Church hoppers need to remember the old advice, “If you find a perfect church, don’t join it, because once you are there it will not be perfect anymore.”

People, God is not looking for church hoppers. He is looking for church stayers, who will be faithful where God plants them, and help Him bring forth fruit in the area where He has raised up the church they have been called to be a part of in that particular body. Be a faithful member of your church.

If you feel the urge to hop, pray intently. Unless God gives you a very clear signal to hop, please stop.

Keep a Positive Attitude -- Think on the Good Things

"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it (the heart) are found the issues of life. For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he." Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 23:7

If we are to be a faithful Christian, we must develop a positive attitude. That attitude of positive expectancy in God, and that attitude of grateful gratitude for the blessings of live will help you to succeed, to heal, and to grow stronger. A positive attitude can be a great gift. But the devil wants you to be negative. he will bombard you with negative thoughts. DO NOT ACCEPT THEM!

What is a positive attitude? A positive attitude is more than optimism, and more than looking past the bad to see the good in life. A positive attitude acknowledges and accepts the pain of the "bad", then moves on to embrace the "good" hope of tomorrow. A positive attitude in life sows the seeds of spiritual balance and inner peace, even in the midst of life's struggles.

Keeping a positive attitude in life entails much more than simply being an optimist. Don't get me wrong, being optimistic is a valuable tool in building, and maintaining, a positive attitude about life. After all, an optimist seeks the good in life, seeing "the cup as half-full" rather than seeing "the cup as half-empty". It's good to see the world through a positive perspective, rather than a negative one. And you sure can't find a positive perspective about life if all that you focus on are the things that are wrong in this world. Yes, being an optimist is definitely a valuable tool in keeping a positive attitude in life.

But having a positive attitude, and overcoming negativity, takes more than the ability to seek and focus on the good in life. A positive attitude seeks the good, but has also learned how to be okay with the bad. A pessimist might say "Life stinks!". An optimist might say "this, too, shall pass, and things will get better". A person living a positive attitude will say "Life stinks right now, it hurts, but I'm okay until things get better". There is a subtle, but important, difference between the pessimist, the optimist and the person living a positive attitude.

A pessimist will say "My glass is half-empty". An optimist will say "My glass is half-full". A person with a positive attitude will say "My glass is half-empty right now, but I'm okay with that". The pessimist is stuck in the negativity of the glass half-empty, unable to see past what he doesn't have.

The optimist seeks the good in the situation, but fails to embrace the "now" moment by acknowledging the absence of what is gone. The person with the balanced, positive attitude remembers the pleasure of emptying that half-glass, enjoys the "now" moment of the glass still being half-full, and looks forward to the moment when the glass is full again. Past (emptying the glass), present (the glass is half-full) and future (the glass will fill again), blend in perfect balance to create the positive attitude that enable you to endure any struggle you have to face in life.The Bible encourages us to think positive thoughts: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there by any virtue, and if there be an praise, think on these things" Philippians 4:8

Keep Praying -- And Develop Patience in Waiting for God's Perfect Timing

I believe all healing comes from God. Jesus is the healer who heals in many ways -- through straight out miracles, through the miracles of doctors and medicines. but all ways of healing can be aided and fostered by prayer. I urge you to keep praying and seeking God, and to also pray for the Holy Spirit's help in developing patience in waiting for God's perfect timing.

God is a compassionate and merciful God who does heal. But sometimes healing does not come right away. Sometimes God uses our disability for His glory, allowing our infirmities to teach us and to teach others. The great singer and artist Joni Erickson Tada is a glowing example of God using a person in the midst and through their disability. Though a quadriplegic, she has a wonderful ministry that has inspired millions of people around the world.

Sometimes God allows us to have infirmities that will cause us to look to Him for His strength and power. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

Infirmities can teach us valuable lessons about our faith. Psalm 119:71 says, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." And in Romans 5:3, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure" (NLT).

When Jesus healed people in the gospels, He often told them not to tell anyone about being healed. He did not want others to focus on His miracles, but instead to focus on the glory of God. When Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days, saying, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4).

When Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead, so instead of healing him, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead! We may miss the whole message of Jesus if we are focused only on being healed from our disease and not on the Savior who heals.

Another thing to remember is that the when and where and how of healing is our sovereign God's ultimate choice. We know that God is compassionate and merciful. We also know that He has full authority over all sickness and can choose to heal whomever He chooses, whenever He chooses. We don't always know all of the answers as to why - just that His ways are higher than ours.

Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in Heaven. We will all be fully healed, forever, with glorified bodies replacing our decayed and damaged ones. Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

You Are More Than A Conqueror!

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through him that loved us." Romans 8:35-37

Romans Chapter 8 is quite a chapter. Read it anew today and you will see that it is a magnificent chapter. Let its eloquence strengthen your soul.

Leonard Ravenhill wrote that the 8th chapter is a one about the liberated soul, of our emancipation, of our triumph in Christ. The 8th chapter is a chapter about the Christ-centered person. He notes that "In the 7th chapter (of Romans) you read that first person over and over and over until you get weary of reading 'I, I, I, I,...' 'I want to do this but I can't...,' and 'I find I'm in bondage...,' and so forth and so on. If you count you'll discover 41 times you find that 'I,' and no mention of the Holy Spirit. In the 8th chapter there is no mention of the "I" except in two verses where he says "I reckon" and "I am persuaded" (where there is no alternative). But the difference in the 8th chapter is that there is all the mention in the world about the Holy Spirit. Nineteen times the Holy Spirit is mentioned."

And the 8th chapter proclaims us as "more than conquerors!" Never forget this: we are more than conquerors. Most believers misread this to say, “We defeat any opposition we face.” Doing this severely diminishes Paul’s statement, however. We may not win every battle, but we do win in the end -- and God can bend all things for our good, even our temporary losses and defeats. So we are more than conquerors through His power!

NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH, TELL YOURSELF THE TRUTH -- YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR! JESUS HAS MADE YOU MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!

Christ’s love defeats our enemies, restores peace, and extends our reach. While we make it our duty to prosper in faith, Christ engages our adversaries and triumphs on our behalf.

“Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 15.57 says in the spirit of one who is more than a conqueror. In Exodus 14.14, while the ground trembles with the roar of Pharaoh’s cavalry and chariots, Moses assures Israel, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” As more than conquerors, neither fighting nor winning is ours to worry about. Through Christ, God’s love carries the day. He gives us victory.

Jesus' love guarantees He and we will remain inseparable always. “For I am convinced,” he writes in Romans 8.38-39, “that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the "great crescendo" of the Christian faith!

Jesus told His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 14.13) Calvary is the believer’s Gettysburg—the blood-soaked battleground where God’s unconquerable love turned history’s tide to reunite Him with us for all time.

In Christ, love ultimately triumphs. To paraphrase Paul, no wall can be raised so high, no trench dug so deep to separate us from God’s love. He chose us. He called us. He justified us. He qualified us. He wins us the victory for us. We are more than conquerors.

Christ conquers all with love and we are more than conquerors, who express our gratitude and praise for the victory He gives.

It is True -- The Family that Prays Together, Stays Together

In the last three weeks I have learned of five couples with problems in their marriages, not just in our churches, but in our communities..

This is a situation in need of much prayer. We must bathe the couples we know in love and prayer.

After much meditation and study, I believe many problems in marriage can be avoided with preventive medicine -- prayer, Bible reading, church going, Sunday school going, Bible study, and a return to the first love affair of the couple. Let Jesus be your other marriage partner (let no one else in your marriage but Him!) and protect your covenant relationship like a mama bear defends her cub. Your marriage is worth fighting for -- do not let it die.

There is an old saying that is as true now as it ever was -- THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER. To that I add THE COUPLE THAT INTENTIONALLY TALKS TO EACH OTHER LEARNS TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. Spiritual commitment and communication are keys to healthy marriages. Couples need to keep their vows and work to preserve and protect the holy thing God gives us in marriage.

Marriages are under attack today. The devil is on the move in these last days, running amok wherever he can. He often attacks through the thought life. As Rev. Kenneth Hagin used to say, "Birds may fly over your head, but do not let them make a nest in your hair!" So it is with bad thoughts. And remember another saying, "The grass is not always greener on the other side." Instead of looking for a new patch of ground that might very well be quicksand or desert, spouses need to work hard to keep their God given gardens watered (with the Word) and nurtured (with prayer and care), and free from weeds.

Where children are involved, their good health: emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically, should be of the utmost concern of both parents. Do not be selfish -- think of your children first. God gave them to you to take care of -- at all costs.

A general societal disregard for the gift of marriage in our culture makes it harder for couples to see that marriage is a covenant with God, a holy partnership with the Divine One. Let God have a say in your marriage, too, and you will see results.

Recently I did a five week series on Couplehood, using materials from the movie "FIREPROOF," one of the great healing tools the Lord has given us in this time. EVERY COUPLE SHOULD SEE FIREPROOF, at least once a year.. THE COMPANION BOOK "LOVE DARE" is a miracle in itself and should be used by every couple, if you are having problems or not, for it is a great preventative medicine.

I encourage you to please spread the word -- rent FIREPROOF at Movie Gallery or Red Box or Net Flix or wherever and watch it together. if you have already seen it, watch it again. Protect your marriage. Be proactive about love and compassion and caring for your priceless gift of family

All Dogs Go to Heaven -- Or At Least Some of Them, I Hope!

A fellow asked me the other day whether I thought dogs went to heaven. His wife thought they did. He was sure they did not. "They ain't got no souls," he stated emphatically. The Bible says they just die."

Actually, the Bible is silent on dogs in heaven. The Bible is a story about human relationship to God, and that is what it is about. But could God grant dogs entrance into heaven? If you believe God is all-powerful, which I do, then surely He can.

However, the Bible is seems to indicate that there will be some animals in the new heaven and new earth. It may be just symbolic of God's great peace, but what a great way for God to show us that peace -- by having former natural enemies in the animal kingdom acting in peace towards each other!

Isaiah 65:25 states that "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD."

I have no doubt that it is entirely possible that our loving heavenly Father can resurrect our pets and make them part of our happiness in heaven. However, the Bible does not give any references to this, as the Bible was written for the salvation of mankind. (After all, something written for animals wouldn't do a lot of good when the animals can't read!!)

Sin came on this earth through man, not through animals. The animals are but innocent by-standers. Rom 5:12: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

So I hope to see my old dog in heaven. (And i hope that there may be cats, too, for those feline lovers out there!) I hope God in His infinite goodness might grant that great comfort to those of us who have adopted animals as members of our earthly families.

Laying on Hands in Prayer

The Directory for Worship of the Presbyterian Church USA reminds us that “Healing was an integral part of the ministry of Jesus which the church has been called to continue as one dimension of its concern for the wholeness of people." Through services for wholeness, the church enacts in worship its ministry as a healing community.

Services for healing and wholeness, which we do in our churches, are profound events of faith and prayer. They vital element of worship in the service for wholeness is prayer since this is essentially a time of waiting in faith upon God. Thanksgiving for God’s promise of wholeness, intercessions and supplications should be offered. Adequate time for silent prayer should be provided, as well as occasions for prayers spoken and sung.

Enacted prayer in the form of the laying on of hands and anointing with oil is appropriate. (James. 5:14.) The enactment of prayers involves the presiding minister of Word and Sacrament together with representatives of the believing community.

These prayers are a response to the Word read and proclaimed. Particular focus should be on announcing the gospel’s promise of wholeness through Christ. The sealing of this promise in the Lord’s Supper may be celebrated, and should follow the prayers and the laying on of hands. Occasion for offering one’s life and gifts for ministry may be provided, as well as opportunities for reconciliation and renewed commitment to the service of Jesus Christ in the world.

Healing is to be understood not as the result of the holiness, earnestness, or skill of those enacting the prayers, or of the faith of the ones seeking healing, but as the gift of God through the power of the Holy Spirit”

Laying on of hands can be a powerful tool of prayer. Thank our Lord for it.

Let Your Greater Hope See You Through -- Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times

Studs Terkel was a fine writer who wrote often inspiring books about the strengths of common people. Recently I picked up one of Studs Terkel’s last books at a thrift store for a dollar. It was published in 2003, and I love its title, Hope Dies Last. It has the subtitle, Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times.

The title comes from a comment by a farm worker (Studs seldom quoted “big names” but usually “the little guy”); in this case, it is a farm worker laboring stooped over in the fields before the time that Cesar Chavez organized the United Farm Workers. She said, “We have a saying, ‘La esperanza muere ultima.’ Hope dies last. You can’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you lose everything.”

The Bible is book of hope. Reading it can give you renewed hope. In the book of Isaiah we find a passage about hope in chapter 40, verses 28-31. The Word proclaims – “He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” – that last section breaks through as words of hope to those who have seemingly lost hope.

I suggest that these are words of hope to any of us who experience loss of any significant kind – the death of someone dear to us, to be sure, but also our own health, a job, a significant relationship, a marriage, self-confidence, a sense that life, essentially, is good. Sometimes we lose all that we depend on, and we are ready to lose hope. And the words of the prophet ring out, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” There is a history beyond human history upon which you can lean. Ah, the old hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms of God.”

These words of hope that are found in the 40th Chapter of Isaiah can be a refeshing drink for us in times of need. This is the chapter which begins, “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.”. Originally, these are words directed to the faithful Israelites living in exile in Babylon. But they have a resonance and power for all of us who are grandfathered into Abraham;s blessing by Jesus Christ, and they still have power for us today.

Isaiah preaches to us, "Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Jesus Christ brings that power which renews us, gives us new life, “born again,” we say. But Christ brings rebirth in other ways than conversion, or the knowledge of who we are in Christ, as important a first step that certainly is for us.

Sometimes being “born again” is not an ecstatic spiritual experience but the slow thawing of a frozen soul, chilled to the bone by death, by loss, by regret, by difficult bosses and even harder jobs, by layoffs and firings and the perils of unemployment.

Wait on the Lord. He will renew your strenth. He will take us to a new "normal." In him we see the hope which sees us through and returns us to a solid place. In Him, we can find the strength to never give up, to keep on going, to be reborn in the midst of difficulty. In Him, we find the fortitude to let our greater hope defeat the tough times of life.

The Dash of Your Life -- What is Your Dash?

This arrived in my email this morning, and I felt like sharing. It’s a beautiful reminder about what’s really important in life. Be blessed while you read it.

I read of a man who stood to speak, at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on this tombstone from beginning ….to the end.

He noted that first came his date of birth and spoke the following with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all, was the dash in between those years.

For the dash represents, all the time he spent alive on earth.
And how only those who loved him know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own; the cars, the house, the cash,
What matters most is how we live and love and how we spend our dash…

So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left, that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough, to consider what is true and real.
And always try to understand, the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more,
And love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say and how your spent your dash?

(By Linda Ellis)

God Will Not Ask -- A GREAT THOUGHT PIECE FOR GRADUATES, THE GRADUATED, AND ALL THOSE HOPING TO GRADUATE TO HEAVEN

God Will Not Ask

REMEMBER THIS: YOU WERE BORN TO BE A BLESSING, THEREFORE --

God will not ask what kind of car you drove, but He will ask how many people you drove who did not have transportation.

God will not ask the square footage of your house, but He will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God will not ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He will ask how many people you helped to clothe.

God will not ask what your highest salary was, but He will ask if you compromised your character to obtain it, and how much of your earnings you gave to the church.

God will not ask what your job title was, but He will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability, as unto Jesus himself.

God will not ask how many friends you had, but He will ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God will not ask in what neighborhood you lived, but He will ask how you treated your neighbors.

God will not ask about the color of your skin, but He will ask about the content of your character.

God will not ask about your social status, but He will ask what kind of class you displayed to others, especially to those less fortunate than you.

God will not ask how many material possessions you had, but He will ask if they dictated your life.

God will not ask about the quality of the food you ate, but about how much food you helped hungry people to have.

God will not ask how much overtime you worked, but He will ask if your overtime work was for yourself or for your family.

God will not ask how rich you were, but how you enriched other people’s lives, especially when you blessed the poor.

God will not ask how many promotions you received, but He will ask how you promoted others.

God will not ask what you did to help yourself, but He will ask what you did to help others.

God will not ask what you did to protect your rights, but He will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God will not ask you about your body type, but He will ask how many times you used your body as a vehicle to do service for others.

God will not ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but He will ask how many times they did not.

God will not ask why it took you so long to seek salvation, but He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

~ Author Unknown ~

An Eight Second Prayer that Lasts for Eternity!

Bishop T. D. Jakes has an eight second prayer that brings eternal life:

'Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen.'

Pray that someone who has never embraced the love of Jesus will whisper this prayer today.

And if you have already proclaimed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we encourage you to pray this similar prayer of thanksgiving right now:

'Lord, I love you and I need you, thank you for being in my heart, and for blessing me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen.'

What is Your 168? Take Time for the Important Things in LIfe!

One hundred and sixty-eight—168! This is an important number, but most people are unaware of what it means.

We are talking about time. Time is priceless. If you could sell it, you would instantly be very rich. Many people want more time. Yet, far too often, we waste much of the time that we do have.

There are certain things in life where we have great equality. One is that, In a given day or week, we all have the same amount of time: in a week that is 168 hours. The question is this: how many of those 168 hours do you use well?

How many of your precious hours do you use for sleep, work,
cleaning of self, cleaning house/car/laundry, time with children and/or grandchildren, pets, quality time with your marriage partner, hobbies, eating, playing Sports/ exercise, watching TV or movies, listening to music, on the internet, reading books/magazines/ or newspapers, in prayer/Scripture reading, at church, or in other pursuits?

An honest time inventory can be very revealing and can challenge us to making new priorities of our precious commodity time. I would extend a friendly challenge to everyone to add up how they use their 168 hours.

Then, prayerfully consider if it isn’t possible for you to spend more time with God, with prayer, with the Bible, with church, and with family. At the end of the day, these are the things that matter most of all. Never forget it.

Make time for the important things in life! God gives us time. How we spend that time is our gift back to God!

May You Catch Your Dreams and Make Them True

Today we salute two fine young men graduating from high school -- Mitchell Habeger and Nathan Weiland. Both are exemplary young adults who, we pray, will be successful in the things they feel called to do in life.

Here is some semi-useful information for them and for other high school graduates this May, 2009.

If you are graduating,You have been in school now for approximately 2160 days.

You have spent 12,960 hours in classes. That translates into 777,600 minutes.

So far you’ve lived approximately 18 years. You’ve been around 216 months.

You have been breathing 936 weeks. You’ve been in this earthly realm for 6,552 days. You’ve been here 157,248 hours. You’ve been here in this life for 9,434,880 minutes.

In that time you’ve slept approzimately 52,500 hours. The average person your age has watched T.V. 12,173 hours,and spent 7,488 hours eating (usually with a lot of pizza and burgers in the mix).

WHEN YOU ARRIVED,YOU WERE MORE THAN LIKELY WRINKLED, RED, BALD, TOOTHLESS, CRYING, COMPLAINING, AND YOU HAD NO CLOTHES ON.

YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN 18 YEARS. HOW MUCH FARTHER WILL YOU GO? WE HOPE AND PRAY YOU WILL GO FAR ENOUGH TO CATCH YOUR DREAMS AND MAKE THEM TRUE.

Proceed Gently, With Awe and Reverence

Psalm 118:24 -- "This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" These are words to live by.

There are many wonderful things in the world, and although it is broken by sin and disobedience, we still see ample evidence of God's glory, of his fingerprints on His creation. Today we had a bright blue sky day with cotton candy white clouds, with a gentle breeze and warmer weather, ending with a bright orange sunset that Da Vinci himself would have trouble matching for beauty and grandeur.

The pattern for our lives is to be found not only in everyday miracles of natural wonder, but in the human wonders, inspired by God, that we find in grace, love,acceptance, kindness, forgiveness,compassion, concern and all the "ordinary" delights we find in being family to each other, and in being good neighbors.

Life is full of meaning. Every act of grace adds meaning. We must slow down and see them, and sometimes we must come to a full stop to carefully observe them, letting God's goodness soak into our souls, reflecting His light for others.

There was a poster I had on my wall in college years ago, which had a profound message for me. It said "Along the way, remember to stop and smell the flowers." Amen. Do not rush through life. Relish it. Live in gratitude to Your Creator. Do not waste time by complaining and moaning. Never stop looking for a reason to smile. Seize the joy that is sometimes hiding.

Proceed gently, with awe and reverence.

Live As Children of Light

"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:6-10

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. He shines His light on our hearts – on our lives – and calls on us to reflect his light – to live as children of light.

Light is important. Where would we be without lights? Just consider a typical day. You get up and turn on the light in the bathroom so you can shower and shave and get ready for work. You turn on the light in the kitchen so you can see to pour milk on your cereal. The factory, warehouse, barn or office where you work has lights so that you can see what you are doing and be productive in your work. After work you get into the car and turn on the headlights so you can drive home safely.

You stop at a store and walk down well-lighted aisles to find something for supper. You use lights to cook the meal and do the dishes and read the newspaper. When you tuck the kids in bed, you turn on a nightlight for that added sense of security. After tucking yourself in bed, you breeze through a few pages of that novel and finally switch off the light so you can go to sleep.

And that’s just electrical light! Where would we be without sunlight? We wouldn’t even exist. Without the sun’s warming, life-giving rays this world would be nothing more than a cold, dark, dead sphere floating in space. Yes, light is important. Without light life could not exist.

But without Jesus, we would have no spiritual life in us. Without the Light of the World we would be cold and dark and dead. But, my friends, the Son has shined on us. The Spirit has called us to faith and made us God’s children, children of light.

In Ephesians 5 Paul encourages us to be what God has made us to be, to LIVE AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT. We are Enlightened by Christ. We are empowered to shine. We are human candles of hope, Exposing the darkness! Let your light shine for Jesus!

The Virtuous Woman -- Much Like Many Contemporary Women She Juggles Family and Career, But She Fears the Lord!

Proverbs 31 has the famous passage about the virtuous woman. I see images of my mother and my wife in her. It is a passage worth reading, beginning at verse 10.

It is interesting to note that this last part of Proverbs 31, beginning with verse 10, consists of 22 verses. Each verse begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet (in proper order). The same alphabetical pattern is found in some of the Psalms and may have been used as an aid in memorizing Scripture. The most well-known alphabetical Psalm is Psalm 119 where there are 22 alphabetical sections of eight verses each. In the Hebrew text of Proverbs 31, each verse is also clearly divided into two parts (for example, in verse 10---Part 1: Who can find a virtuous woman? Part 2: For her price is far above rubies). This same two-part format is found in all of these verses. The only exception might be verse 15 which seems to be divided into three parts.

The first part of verse 10 literally reads, "Who can find a woman of strength?" The term "virtuous" is from a noun meaning strength, efficiency, ability. Here it refers to strength of character, that is, moral strength and firmness. The Old Testament uses this expression of a virtuous woman in two other places. In Ruth 3:11 it is used of Ruth. Everyone in the city knew that she was a virtuous woman! When a woman has strength of character (fears God, loves truth, hates sin), then others will take note and recognize this. It will be very obvious because it is so unusual. People are usually so morally weak and so anemic in character, that when a man or woman of strength shows up it is quite evident to all. The other place the term is used is in Proverbs 12:4 where we learn that a virtuous woman (lit--a woman of strength) makes her husband blessed and she is to be praised.

And note that although Proverbs 31 talks of women in the context of wifehood and mothernood, there is ample Biblical evidence of God’s love, respect and call upon single women and widows who serve the Lord. They too may be deemed to be “virtuous women” in the light of the verses that apply to them in their unmarried state, both in Proverbs 31 and elsewhere in the Scriptures. We must give our deepest respect to all virtuous ladies among the godly single women and widows!

There is a lot to be said about women in the Book of Proverbs. As you know, the Book of Proverbs is a list of proverbs or statements of wisdom, and throughout the Book of Proverbs there is a continual interest in women.

There is a woman who appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, and she is the opposite of the "excellent woman;" she is the "adulteress." She flatters with her lips; she forsakes the covenant with her own husband, to seduce someone else. The "adulteress" has lips that drip honey, she has a smooth tongue and she hunts for the precious life of some victim.

There is not only the "adulteress" but there is the "noisy woman," the loud, boisterous woman, with whom no one wants to live, and the normal man would prefer, the proverbs says, "to live in the corner of the roof, in a tiny little place, than in a big house with a boisterous woman. There is the "foolish woman," there is the "rebellious woman," there is the "quarrelsome woman," and they are all really set in contrast to this "excellent virtuous woman" here in chapter 31. There is in chapter 12:4 of Proverbs, this statement, "A virtuous woman is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones."

There is no other Scripture portion that even remotely gives such a detailed description of the “virtuous woman” as does Proverbs 31:10-31. Repeating some of the highlights, the woman that God’s Word describes as praiseworthy:

• is of noble character
• is fully trustworthy
• is an asset to her husband
• is domestically skilled
• is concerned that her household be well and nutritiously fed
• is diligent, arising before dawn and busy until after dark
• is endowed with a good business sense, even to the point of buying a field and planting a vineyard
• may have her own profitable home-based business
• is a hard worker
• is generous to and aware of the poor and needy
• is wise in preparing her household for the needs of the days to come
• is wise in ensuring that she and her family are well and appropriately clothed
• is in proper relationship to her husband, who is out conducting his business affairs at the city gates
• is a woman of wisdom
• shows dignity and strength
• is a faithful instructor to her children
• is diligent to watch over her household
• is the recipient of blessing and praise from her children and her husband
• is above all a God-fearing, godly woman!

Such a woman has been enshrined in the Scriptures for several thousand years as God’s role model for the godly, virtuous woman. To the older women I say, teach these things to the younger women. To the younger women, I exhort you to resist the enticements of the antifamily feminist teachings of our day. Reach out, rather, to embrace God’s vision for you, His “virtuous women”. To such a woman God says (vs. 31), “Let her works praise her at the city gates.”

There is much wisdom in Proverbs, and especially in Proverbs 31—we see a woman described here who is like many contemporary women – balancing home and business, motherhood and a career, domesticity and an example that women can be just as active as men in contributing to society, all aided by divine guidance and wisdom.

All of life, Proverbs proclaims that the wise life is to be lived in the fear and respect of the Lord. A proper respect God is the beginning of wisdom, the end of wisdom, and the whole of wisdom. Or as Jesus, the Wisdom of God incarnate, once put it, "Do not worry about what you will eat or what you will wear. But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you as well." We do not need to know much more than that the Lord Jesus abides with us every day and in every situation. The wise live like they really believe that what the Bible says is true. Amen.

Great Women of the Bible

Happy Mother's Day and happy day to all the women of our lives and our churches. You all add beauty and grace to the lives of the rest of us! Praise God for women! Praise God for mothers.

The Bible shows us many women who served God in grace and power - women who contributed to making the world a better place as they served the Lord. Women served God in many ways!

1. Eve, the mother of humanity – a sinner like us, but one created in His image (Gen. 1:27).
2. Sarah, wife of Abraham, mother of the Hebrew people (Genesis
3. Miriam who led the people in praising God after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 15:21).
4. Rahab, the prostitute, who helped the Hebrews, and became Jesus ancestor (Joshua 2).
5. Ruth who put God first and became the ancestress of King David (Ruth 1:16; 4:17).
6. Deborah, a judge in Israel, who teamed with Barak to save the nation (Judges 5).
7. Hannah who 'lent to the Lord' the child of her prayers (1Sam 1:28).
8. Esther who took her life in her hands to plead for her doomed people. (Esther 4).
9. The widow whose obedience sustained the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:9-16).
10. A little captive maid who told Naaman's wife of the man of God (Elisha) who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:2-4).
11. The virtuous woman spoken of in Proverbs 31 – a model for noble womanhood.
12. The woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive ointment in love (Mk14:3).
13. The poor widow, whose gift of two mites won Jesus' praise (Mk 12:43).
14. Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, who gave birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Luke 1:28), who carried God in her womb.
15. Martha who served and Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-42).
16. Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles, who brought spices to anoint Jesus, who first greeted the risen Lord and who received the first commission -'Go tell' (Jn 20:1-18).
17. Lydia, the merchant woman, who was a first convert in Macedonia (Acts 16:14), who opened her home and set a gospel fire in Philippi!
18. Dorcas - full of good works (Acts 9:36), who touched many with her good Christian life, and who God had Peter raise from the dead.
19. Pheobe & Priscilla – good and gracious servants of the church (Ro 16:1-4).
20. Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s grandmother and mother, raised him in the faith (2 Tim 1:5).
21. The Samaritan woman at the well who Jesus transformed into an evangelist, who told many about Jesus the Messiah.(John 4).
22. Persis 'the beloved', and Tryphena and Tryphosa who labored for the Lord (Ro. 16:12).
23. The four daughters of Philip the evangelist, who were prophetesses for God (Acts 21:9)
24.Jael, who God used to kill the evil General Sisera with a tent peg, and therefore give the Hebrews the victory in Judges 5:24-27.
25. Peter’s (Cephas) wife, who traveled with him on gospel missions (1 Cor. 9:5). Jesus often stayed at Peter’s house and healed her mother.

THE POWER OF GRACE!

Here is a great statement about the power of grace:

“The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome… religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.” ~Timothy Keller

Grace help a believer to trust in God for His constant provision and care on a daily basis. God has promised that He will provide all our needs in Christ Jesus. The daily cares, frustration, and worries of this world must be given to Him. In John 16:33 Jesus said "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Jesus promises that in Him we will have peace and through Him we can overcome our circumstances.

What is the power of grace? Grace means that we can rely on the beautiful simplicity of God's eternal plan because it was obediently fulfilled by Jesus Christ. When we trust Jesus Christ as Savior we know that we are His forever. In addition, we can have peace concerning His daily provision, and we can have that right here and right now. Grace is indeed powerful and practical. May you be overwhelmed by His grace.

If You Do Not Do Things in Love, You Have Missed the Point!

Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Romans 12: 10

My Bible tells me that love is the key to Christianity. But so many judgmental Christians are ready to cast stones, spiritual versions of the ones that killed Stephen and battered Paul. So many pastors have preached judgmentalism -- the Pharisees' life milk - -and yet ignore the revolutionary social calls of Christ -- to be known by our love, not by our judgementalism.

Read the Bible. In the New Testament, which is OUR COVENANT (we learn from the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, but the New Testament contains the Christian's covenant!), time after time the rule of love is taught. Why is it not obeyed by so many so called Christians?

Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity). 1 John 3: 18

Living an authentic Christian life requires only two simple virtues: faith and love. Using these two qualities, a person is able to learn and exhibit the wide assortment of values required for good Christians as well as any good people in general. Faith and love together are the two keys to living a happy life as a Christian. The Bible tells us so!

Love of others and of self can be summarized in the golden rule of, "do onto others as you would want done to yourself", so through learning to love, we can come to understand compassion, respect, and hope for change in Christ. Close, loving relationships, above all, are the key to happiness in life and love is the key to securing those relationships.

He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. 1 John 4: 8

Christians are called to love in all different ways. First and foremost, a person must learn to love themselves, and only then can they learn how to love others. An authentic Christian life of love should be filled with selflessness, sharing, and compassion for others. Through helping others who are less fortunate, we fulfill something in ourselves. To live an authentic Christian life means putting love of others above petty selfishness, judgmentalism, rivalries, and worship of idols like money.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11: 6(NKJV)

The second aspect of an authentic Christian life, faith, allows us to have a basis for our lives, as well as a more intimate relationship with God. If someone questioned everything instead of having faith in others as well as God, that person could never live a happy life because he would never be fulfilled. There are too many questions in life to know the answer to them all, and anyone who searches for them all are misguided. Faith, therefore, is one of the two keys to real happiness in life. Love without faith isn't necessarily an inauthentic way to live for non-Christians, but for Christians, faith is fundamental.

Why are So Many Like Pharisees, When Jesus Rebuked Them?

Jesus said: “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter, without leaving the former undone.” (Luke 11:42)

When we read Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees, it is easy to just think, “Boy, the Pharisees sure were bad!” – and then to go no further. Who were the Pharisees in Jesus' time?

They were the experts in the law – which is to say Bible scholars. Or, at least, they thought they knew it all. But according to Jesus, they did not. They lacked love,and without love, all that knowledge is hollow. In our passage in Luke, He is rebuking anyone who acts like a Pharisee. Since Jesus has a low opinion of Pharisees, why do so many people in our churches act like Pharisees, instead of people who truly love as Jesus calls on us to do?

Today, the majority of Pharisitical people are found right here, among us, in the church. Jesus hates hypocrisy, and the greatest hang out for hypocrites is often found in Christ’s church. So let us open and inspect our own hearts and think about the Pharisee inside of us.

In Luke 11:39 it says: “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.’” Jesus points out that a hypocrite will clean the outside of a cup, because he wants people to see how clean he is. But he will not take the time to clean the inside, because he doesn’t really care if he is clean – just so long as people think that he is. He is doing everything for a show, so that people may praise him. How foolish! It is like worrying about dirt on your hands, but ignoring greed and wickedness on your heart. Which is the more important to wash clean?

And then the Pharisee is always pointing out the sins of others, just as they complained and criticized Jesus. He was not respected by the Pharisees because He reached out to the hurting people, the down and out, with love. The Pharisees wanted him to turn such people away, because they did not measure up in outward appearances. But Jesus reached out to the poor, the outcasts -- to the tax collectors and the prostitutes.

What is it about Jesus message that so many in the church simply do not get? Jesus won with love, not force. He won people over with his grace, mercy and love. He changed them from the inside out, not the outside in. He met them in their sin and then He showed them a better way, and they changed for the better. But He did not turn anyone away because they were not "good enough." He said it Himself -- only God is truly good. The fact is, we are all sinners,and, if we are saved, we are saved by grace, not by our works or our own "goodness."

So, I say to you, if you are a Pharisee, who do you think you are fooling? God knows your heart. Jesus said woe to Pharisees then, and He says woe to Pharisees now!If you are a modern day Pharisee, it is time to get right with God. Its time to wash the inside of the cup. It is harder than washing the outside, but it is not difficult. Only our pride keeps us from repenting and confessing our sins. For instance, the Pharisees looked like better people than the tax collectors and prostitutes, but Jesus said that these public sinners would enter heaven ahead of the religious leaders.

The effect of the Pharisee's way is to drive people away from God, and to lower God’s royal law of love to the same standard as their own rules. But this is not the way of Christ, who came to set men free. Jesus proclaimed, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)

Remember that when you point out some one's weaknesses, four fingers are pointing back at you. Try to give out grace the way the Lord is gracious to you.

And know that Jesus will not turn you away. You will not have to pass some kind of test for Him to love you. Do you feel burdened? Come to Jesus who will give you rest. If someone needs help and encouragement, lend a hand. Love them. Jesus said, they will know us as Christians, by our love. (Mark 12:28-31). Be a lover like Jesus, not a loveless, finger pointing Pharisee!