Love your neighbor as yourself.  Agape Love is the greatest gift one can give.  It is without demands, questions, expectations, compromise, requirements, cost, control, qualifications, price, equality, selfseeking, race, creed, color, nationality.  LOVE NEVER FAILS!  1 Cor. 13. 
Try It!

Who Are You Praying For?

If you have been following my blog you know that over the last few postings, I have been emphasing the importance of prayer.  That is because I believe that all things are possible with God.
Today lets turn our attention to who you are praying for and why it is important:  Paul urges in 1 Timothy chapter 2 that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men,
for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity,
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Paul realized how easy it is for men (who are in authority over us) to make wrong decisions.  One wrong decission can alter the course of a nation and your life.
Paul also recognized that the heart of the king and all who are in authority is in the hand of the Lord, and like rivers of water he turns them where He will.
Therefore it is important for christians to pray according to the Will of God, so that God can govern the government and all who are in authority over you.  The end results will be a quiet, peacable life for all.
So next time instead of complaining "PRAY" and trust that God will work out the details and bring the perfect solution to the situation.

Why Pray?

The world in which we live is drug infested, there is high crime rates nationwide, the national debt will probably never be repaid, the high school dropout rate is steadily increasing, more and more teens are committing suicide and murder than ever before, gang violence is widespread in our city streets, government corruption is out of control, high unemployment is causing more and more home foreclosures, the divorce rate is ever increasing, projection is that social security will not be able to bare its responsibility in a few years, medical cost are staggering and unaffordable for many, the dollar is loosing its value, and the US is no longer the marketplace of the world:  And you ask, Why Pray?
11 Chronicles 7:14 very clearly answers this question!  If My people who are called by My name will humble (fast and pray) themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways (repent) then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
God makes it very clear what His requirements are, if we are to once again enjoy a land of plenty.  God is requiring christians to get their acts together, we are the salt of the earth.  We either preserve the earth through righteousness or contaminate it through sin.  Prayer without repentance is useless and unanswered.  Jesus became the total sacrifice for our sin.  The one thing that is required is that we repent quickly of all sin.  He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So what are we waiting for?  Repent!  Repent!  Repent!
And God (the only one who change the circumstances of our world) will heal the land.  He promises to do so!  Encourage your christian friends to follow this simple prescription alone with yourself.  Let this Word become "VIRAL" throughout the christian community, and watch God do a mighty work!

Why Pray?

I think the best example we as christians have is that given by Jesus Himself.  Through His life, Jesus always took time to pray.  That is He took time to communicate with His Heavenly Father.  Jesus recognized that all of His help, strength both spiritual and natural came from God.  He recognized that the only way He could receive such strength and supernatural intervention here on earth was to pray and invite God's involvement in His earthly life.
As christians we must follow His pattern.  To fail to communicate with our Heavenly Father is to negate or reject God's involvement in our lives.  He is after all interested in all with which we have to do.
Prior to Jesus beginning His public ministry the Bible says He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  What is the first thing Jesus does?  According to scripture, He fasted and prayed.  Why?  Because through prayer He would obtain a supernatural power from God and enablement, a grace to withstand and resist the lies and temptations of the evil one. 
He was tempted with every temptation that we as humans would ever be tempted with (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life) and was able to overcome each one because He prayed.
Just before He was about to be crucified, He went into the garden of Gethsemane and prayed until He was empowered to totally submit to the Will of God. Although He was the Son of God, He had come into the world as a human being.
The Bible gives many more instances throughout His public ministry when He would pray before performing a miracle,  a healing, or a deliverance.  Prayer was the very Core of His life and ministry.  So much so that the disciples ( after seeing the miracles that He performed) came to Him and asked Him to teach them to pray.
Like Jesus, christians must also pray.  It is through prayer that we recharge our spiritual batteries.  Luke 18:1, informs us that man ought to always pray and not faint.  Without prayer even the assignment that God has given you will become a burden and make one anxious.  But the scripture tell us to be anxious for nothing, but through prayer and supplication let your request be make known unto God!  Why?  Because He is able to intervene supernaturally and fix the problem.
Likewise, if we are to receive God's help we must ask, we must pray.
But remember that God wants us to have a relationship with Him wherein we daily commune with Him and not just at the point that we want something.
Invision how your natural parents would feel, if the only time you talked with them was when you wanted an act of kindness or a need met.  Such behavior would soon become burdensome to your parents, as well as, an embrassment.
Thank God, we could never burden our Heavenly Father, but I imagine He is pretty hurt when we only talk to Him when we want or need something from Him.  Don't be a stranger!  Make it a part of your daily like to talk to your Heavenly Father.  He's waiting to hear from you!
If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life now would certainly be a good time to do so.
The scripture describe Jesus as the only begotton Son of God who God sent into the world to die for your sin.  After three days in the grave, God raised Him from the dead.  He became the first born of many brothern.  John 3:16, God did it because He loved us and did not want to see us condemed to hell.  There was no sacrifice: no bulls or goats or rams pure enough to pay the price for sin once and for all, except Jesus.  God sent Him.  He paid the price, and God rewarded Him by giving Him a name that is above all names, giving Him all power in heaven and earth, and establishing Him as the final blood sacrifice for sin, and the only way that mankind could have access to God is through Jesus Christ.  So it is, if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God (who died for your sin, was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God) you have but to confess your belief with your mouth repent of your sin, ask Jesus to come into your heart, and save you.  And you shall be saved!  Now make it a daily habit to pray and read your Bible.  Ask the Holy Spirit (which is the Spirit of God sent back to earth to lead us into all truth) to lead you to the church where God would have you be.  It does not matter what church your family is or has been associated with for years.  Obey God!  Your blessing lies within your obedience!
AMEN!

The Power Of Agreement!

Can you agree to agree?  Have you ever thought about how important it is for you and your mate to always come to an agreement when dealing with problems?  Have you ever wondered why the devil works so hard to cause division and strife among people, especially of the same household?  Have you ever noticed how hard it is for a divided household to get ahead no matter how hard they try or how much money they make?  Have you notice that in a divided household even the pets are tempermental?  
The Bible clearly states that a divided house can not stand.  Oh, you may stay together but you never seem to get ahead.  In the book of James you find these words: where there is bitter envy and strive, there is confusion and every evil work.
On the contrary, in Matthew the 18th chapter, you read, if any two of you would agree on earth as if touching anything that they ask of my Father in heaven, it will be done for them.  The book of Gensis describes a people who had begun to build a tower up to heaven, because they were all in one accord.  God noticed and said, I will go down and scramble their language (their ability to speak and understand the same thing at the same time) lest they be able to do what they have said or agreed upon.  In other words, they would have succeeded in building the tower up to heaven. 
Agreement is one of the most powerful spiritual laws available to man.  Most people however, spend their time trying to get their point across, or win the argument.  And they miss the benefit of many blessings. 
In Acts chapter 1, Jesus tells the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait there until they are endued with power from on high.  He sent them there to come into agreement (one accord) with the account of  His death, burial, ressurrection and ascension.  Otherwise there would be strife among them which would hinder the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church.
After many days in Jerusalem (praying, fasting, seeking God) the Apostles and those with them finally reached a point of being on one accord.   Then something supernatural happened.  They were all together in one place on one accord, and suddenly there came a sound as of a mighty rushing wind.  There appeared cloven tongues of fire and it sat upon each of them.  And they began to speak with new tongues, telling of the wonderful works of God.  And when they entered the streets of the city, it drew a crowd.  Peter preached, and some 3,000 souls were saved and added to their number.  As they continued on sharing the gospel, more and more souls were added to the church.
Supernatural Power is made available to you when two or more people come into agreement.  Agreement here means speaking the same thing, thinking the same thing at the same time.  So what satan has to do is to get one or more of you out of the place of agreement because then he knows that nobody wins.
One way to settle any form of disagreement is to find what the Word of God has to say about the situation and stake your claim.  Your place of agreement.  That's why the Bible advises a christian not to marry a non christian, because it is impossible to get them to agree even on the Word of God.  It is foolishness to them.
Believers know that it is always good and safe and right to agree with the Word of God, because He watches over His Word to perform it!  Amen!

:You Can Have What You Say"

Mark 11:22-24
So, Jesus answered and said to them, Have faith in God.
For assuredly I say to you whoever says to this mountain, be thou removed and cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 
Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them.

Therefore, be careful what you say because your words have power.  Your tongue operates like the pen of a ready writer, it maps out the course of your life.  Words produce faith, and faith produces the manifestation of your words.

In the beginning, at the time of creation, the world was dark and void and without form.  The Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep.  And then God said let there be light and there was light.  Notice how nothing happened until God spoke.  Nothing happened until He gave a command to the elements.  At that very moment creation began to unfold.  The whole world was framed by the Word of God.

God made us in His likeness and in His image.  He gave us dominion over the earth and every creature.  He empowered us to subdue the earth, not by violence, but by our words.

Joshau 1:8 Meditate in the Word of God day and night, keep it before your eyes.  In this instance meditate means not only to think on, but to reherse or speak.  And then shall you make your way prosperous.  Because what you meditate on will produce faith in you.  And out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak.  And you will have what you say. 

Meditate on the Word of God, because it is a sure Word that can not fail.  Will not fail.  Impossible for it to fail.  It is impossible for God to lie.  You can always depend on what He has said.  However, what the devil does is what he did in the garden of eden, he twist the word in an effort to cause you to question what God has said.  With a question, the enemy will create doubt.  The enemy will create circumstances that are contrary to the Word.  His purpose is to get you to focus on what is happening in your life, your environment, your circumstances, your body.  Once he distracts you, he knows he can defeat you. 

The fight of faith then is to contend for the Word.  Ignor your circumstances, and focus on the Word.  You can maintain your focus by speaking the Word, instead of your circumstances.

Prov. 18:21  Death and life is in the power of the tongue.  And those who love it will eat its fruit.  The tongue is the smallest member in the body, but it is able to direct the course of your life.  Words have the power to emotionally defeat (destroy or kill) an individual.  The tongue is as lethal as a loaded gun, a crashed automobile, or a crashed airplane. 

So the next time think before you speak.  And when you speak, speak the Word of God.  There is a Word in the Bible to answer any situation in your life.

How To Share The Gospel!

In Mark 16th chapter, Jesus concludes His instructions to His disciples ( and thus the church) to continue to spread the gospel.  To be a witness of Jesus Christ.  To tell of the benefits of His death, burial, and rescurrection, so that the Kingdom would continue to grow.

Following is a simple guideline of how you as a christian can share your faith.

Hello, (give your names) we are from (church, ministry, evangelism team of ).  Would you mind giving us your name?  Thanks (person's name). 
We are out in the community today sharing our faith in Jesus Christ.  We believe that He has led us to you and your family.  How great is that?  How long have you lived in this community?  What do you like about it?  Is there anything you would change?  If so what, and why? 

We (say the person's name) even if you can or can not change your environment here on earth, you can certainly may choices that will ensure and decide your eternal destination.  You can make a choice today that will secure you a place in heaven when you come to the end of this life.  There is only one way to have this security, you don't have a lot of options to choose from.  And for many of us that is great news because options can sometimes be confusing.  Jesus is the only way to receive salvation and eternal life with God.

We want you to know that according to the Bible you don't have to feel ashamed or belittled because we have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God.  Every man from the beginning is a sinner, and can never live righteous enough to stand before a Holy, sinless God who hates sin.  Man can not save himself, no matter how hard he tries, or how good he tries to be.

But God sent Jesus, His only begotton son to die for the sin of the world.  Jesus became flesh to experience the same trials and temptations that we experience, but He was without sin, blameless before God.  It was the Will of God for Jesus to die on the cross.  It was the will of God for Jesus to be crucified and to shed His blood for every living creature.  Jesus died to make it possible for us to have eternal life.  Jesus had to die and His blood had to be shed to wash away our sin.  It is His blood that cleans us and makes it possible for us to stand before a Holy God blameless.

But there is a part that each person has to play.  Every person has to of hear, believe in, and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Romans chapter 10 verses 9 and 10 teaches that you have to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Son of God.  That He died for our sin.  That God raised Him from the dead.   And thou shall be saved.  

Jesus is the only way to have your sin forgiven.  Now is the time the acceptable day of the Lord.  Or, you spend eternity in hell.  The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.   Accept Jesus as your redeemer and way back to God.  He offers salvation as a free gift.  Man neither deserves or can earn salvation, but it is only through believing in and confessing Jesus Christ.  Ask the person if he/she wants to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.  If yes, lead them in the prayer of salvation.  If not, leave them with a track which has a prayer for salvation.  Before leaving ask if you can pray with them.  Pray  that God will direct them, and send labours across their path.  Let them know that you will continue to pray for them, and ask if it will be okay to stop by again, or to follow-up with a phone call.

Pray to receive Jesus:

Father God, I confess that I am a sinner and can not save myself.  I believe that Jesus is your son, who died for my sin, and is my only way back to right relationship with you.  I repent of my sin and I ask you  to forgive me, come into my heart and save and deliver me in Jesus name.  Amen.

Now pray for the new convert that God will direct the way that they should go.  Invite them to church, and be willing or have someone to pick them up if possible.  Be sure to stress the importance of them attending church so that they can be taught of Jesus and their new life.   Remember to give them some scriptures to read and the importance of a daily prayer life.  (Prayer does not have to be fancy or long, but talking to God in their own way).  It would be a good idea to have a page with scriptures already typed out in the event they don't have a Bible.

Remember to take down their name, number and address to do future follow-up, if only by mail or email.

The team should always report back to the church, share experiences and have a time of prayer and thanksgiving for the souls saved.  You may want to start a training class to help others learn to share their faith.

Repeat the proccess!