whomshallifear:(via iamblessed)
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King!!
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Praying Effectively
When someone asks for your opinion on prayer, what would you say? The usual answers I’d get when I ask someone that is that prayer is a method of communication with God. Or prayer is a way in which you lift up your problems and wants upon the Lord for Him to grant them one by one. Well, it’s important to know that the heart of prayer is not just these, but of course, it is important to include some of these in our daily prayers- following the ‘S’ of ACTS which is supplication, we know that the Lord is our provider and our giver of daily bread. However, I would say that that is not the most important aspect of prayer.
The way in which we pray is unique and our special way of voicing our thoughts, needs and gratitude to God, a very vital part of our relationship with God, in which through prayer we worship Him, praise His goodness and simply thank Him for his blessings and safeguard over our families, friends and ourselves. And I would like to take prayer a step further for all of you. If you’re praying simple prayers, or rather unspecific prayers, yet what you’re praying for for God to work is something really huge, then from my opinion that it might not be answered to the completion. What I mean is, okay let’s take an example, let’s say you have a friend who is dealing with a certain sickness or disease (God forbid), and you want to pray for him, following the words of “Lord, I pray that my friend will be healed quickly, that he’ll be able to come back to school …….” Yes, this prayer can be answered if prayed, but what I’ve learnt from the past months of praying fervently is to pray effective prayers.
Firstly, if you want to pray effective prayers, pray for truth. When we have a problem or need, whether it is a habit that has us beaten, a conflict, or physical illness, we tend to focus our prayers on the symptom rather than on the cause. For in the earlier example I introduced, the prayer was more focused on the friend getting well than what God actually wants to teach us through sickness and trials. From this, we can learn that most of us tend to look on the surface instead of the deeper cause or problem. We may deceive ourselves, for example, into thinking that our spouse needs to change instead of looking at our contribution to the problem. Or we may pray for a better job instead of getting training to prepare us for one when the opportunity arises. Or we ask God to change our children without looking at the way we parent them.
Praying for the truth is one of the most effective ways of praying I know. Sometimes I don’t want to see the truth since it might be frightening or embarrassing so I tell God that I am willing to be made willing to see it—whatever it might be.
Secondly, I would say this is the most important aspect of prayer (especially when praying for healing for a person), which is to pray in harmony with God’s will. The Bible says, “If we ask anything according to God’s will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we have asked from him.” Our growth and maturity is one of God’s high priorities. So prayers offered in harmony with this principle, and with all of God’s will, will always be effective. Prayers outside His will are not. The key to all effective prayer is learning to pray the right prayer. So instead of just praying for someone to be healed by the Spirit, do remember to pray the reason why you want him or her to be healed, which is to get well and maybe in this case, be a testimony for God’s healing power and His mercy. I tried praying that way last night and just this afternoon I saw my prayer answered :) It’s amazing how a powerful and effective prayer can work.
Pray specifically. Don’t just pray for that person’s health in general, pray deeper and more specific things! Using the example, we can not only pray for that person to get well, but also pray specifically, if he’s having a cold, pray for that extra portion of warmth, if he or she is feeling weak, then pray for the Lord to provide strength to that person’s muscles and body!
When you pray for someone, or when you pray for healing, pray as if you know that God is healing that person even at that very moment you mouth the words in your prayer. Pray with this immense faith and power in you and pray in His name, ”And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to [God] the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.”
Effective prayer is dependent on our having a right relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. When we are living in a right relationship with God and learn to pray according to His will [which is what will truly be best for us] we can be certain that God will answer. As Jesus put it, “If you stay in [right relationship with] me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted.” Prayer is a wonderful gift from God to His children. It is an incredible privilege to talk with our Creator and Heavenly Father. But we should always pray with a certain degree of mystery and amazement because we never know just how and when we will receive His answer.
So break out of your comfort zone and take that leap of faith to pray more powerful prayers, tapping on God’s character and in line with His wills. It’ll definitely build your faith to see your prayers answered, but also to strive on in prayer if you don’t see them answered immediately. It is all part and parcel of our journey to be more like Christ
The Emerging Female God
Okay following my last question about the existence of a female God. I’ve come up with a few pointers on why this belief is flawed.
Firstly, quoting from peacenotwar’s thoughts, “God is genderless Jesus says in John’s gospel ‘God is Spirit’. The reason God is referred to as He is the fact he carries out fatherly duties” And I totally agree with that. God is spirit. Spirit has no gender. The only use gender has is to procreate, and since the Spirit isn’t going around having babies, there is no gender. Use whatever pronoun you want. Even the bible says God created us in his image - and for ladies their image is female, therefore God’s image to them is female. Speaking at a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a pastor once said: “God is both male and female. God is both father and mother. … There is more than one thing under the name of God, and it is both male and female.” Come to think about it, that is quite true solely because God created us in His image. But His gender is neither male nor female, and of course, there shouldn’t be a female God since God created us, and Adam and Eve were created but definitely not through reproduction. God creates by speaking -never by any other means.
Secondly, you cannot go around telling people that there is God the Mother just because God is called the ‘Father’! And when a father exists a mother should too. Once again like what peacenotwar answered, the reason why God is called Father is due to the fact that He is our saviour, provider, and the head of the household etc, some of the duties our literal father takes on. God is Lord, the alpha and omega, has always been and will be everlasting. Since God is our creator, creator of man, woman and all earthly creatures great and small, therefore void of being descriptive into being either man or woman. It doesn’t make sense to me that a spiritual being would need any gender as the sole purpose of genders is only used on Earth for humans to procreate.
Jesus’ Legacy Of Peace
Jesus said, “I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)
In the Jewish culture, the Hebrew word ‘shalom’ us a customary greeting for both “hello” and “good-bye”. Shalom means peace and so much more. It implies a wish for health, prosperity, and wholeness, as well as a wish for an absence of both internal and external strife.
As Jesus prepared to say good-bye to his closest friends on the night of the Last Supper, he bid them shalom. Jesus’ words of farewell were far more than a traditional blessing. They were a gift only the Prince of Peace himself could offer. Jesus offered his followers peace of mind and heart, a peace unlike that of the world they knew, which depended on favourable circumstances. Jesus’ offer of peace depended on his followers’ relationship with him.
Jesus’ gift of peace offers you and me an alternative to fear and worry, a foretaste of heaven available here and now. As with any inheritance, accept it gratefully and use it to enjoy its true benefits. God bless
