God's Word on That

Tag: faith

  • Why Pray?

    Prayer, crystalized into words, assigns a permanent wavelength on which the dialogue has to be continued, even when our mind is occupied with other matters.

    Prayer envelopes so much for our spirit and soul.

    In a small work by St. Bonaventure, What A Heart Committed To Prayer Can Expect, I have found the following as food for thought.

    By prayer the soul is cleansed from sin, replenished with charity, confirmed in faith, strengthened and refreshed in spirit. Prayer establishes the inner man, brings peace to the heart, knows the truth, conquers temptations, expels sorrow, renews the senses, stirs up languishing virtue, puts to flight tepidity, and scours the rust of vices… Prayer unlocks the gates of heaven, manifests divine secrets, and always finds free access to the ears of God.

    • To patiently endure adversity – pray.
    • To overcome tribulation and temptation – pray.
    • To trample upon perverse inclinations – pray.
    • To know the deceits of the devil and avoid them – pray.
    • To live joyfully in the work God gives you – pray.
    • To peacefully endure the ways of labor, toil, and affliction – pray.
    • To exercise yourself in a spiritual course – pray.
    • To not walk according to the desires of your flesh – pray.
    • To put to flight vain and troubling thoughts – pray.
    • To cultivate in your heart good desires, fervor, and devotion – pray.
    • To strengthen and establish your heart and constant purpose in service of God the Father and to Jesus – pray.
    • To uproot vice and sin, and plant virtue into your soul – pray.

    Why should we pray?  We need prayer to be mindful of God and His vital importance in our lives.  As St. Gregory of Nazianzus says, “We must remember God more often than we breathe.”  Just as we cannot stay alive without breath, so we tempt death without prayer. 

    Prayer safeguards our solid, life-giving relationship with God.  Prayer insures that our most cherished treasure is our friendship with Jesus.  As our Lord reminds us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  We need to remember prayer does not keep God ‘up to date’ regarding our lives.  “Our Father knows what we need before we ask Him,” but He awaits our petition because the dignity of His children lies in their freedom.  We need to pray to exercise our free will in a way that reveals our ultimate desire is to be one with God.  Prayer keeps us realistic about our limitations and powerlessness.  (Fr. Peter John Calmeron, O.P.)

    I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ [Jesus’ return], filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

  • Prayer Is Communication

    Simply put, prayer is communication with God. It is expressing our devotion to our Father, inviting Him to talk to us as we talk to Him. (Bill Bright)

    Prayer is communicating with our Father God.

    In Kay Arthur’s book, Lord, Teach Me To Pray, she states, “This is where each child of God should be the strongest: in the Word of God and in prayer.” Our motto should follow the disciples’.

    We will devote ourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the word (Acts 6:4).

    Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks’.” (Matthew 4:4)

    And that’s what the Word of God is: our daily bread.

    Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship. And a relationship requires communication. Therefore prayer is essential. There are countless decisions to be made, wisdom to be sought, resources that are needed, transgressions to be mended, love and appreciation to be communicated Thus we are told to pray without ceasing.

    The disciples had to be careful, lest they become so occupied with serving God that they neglect the Word – which is Knowing God – and prayer – which is communicating with God. When Jesus was with them, they saw the place of prayer in His life and they heard His teachings on the importance of persistence in prayer. Thus, realizing they had to know how to pray they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). If the apostles needed to know, don’t we?

  • Let Us Come To Be Taught

    Prayer is the holiest work to which man can rise. It is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy Creator who formed you, and with His Son, the Savior of all the world. Powers of the eternal realm have been placed at its disposal! Prayer is the essence of all religion, the channel of all blessings, the secret of spiritual power and spiritual life.

    Let us come to a quiet place, with a heart ready to be taught.

    It is on prayer that the promises wait for their fulfillment, the Kingdom for its coming, the glory of God for its full revelation. We know not how to pray as we ought. It is true we have God’s Word with its clear and sure promises, but sin has so darkened our minds that we know not always how to apply the Word.

    And even when we do know what to ask, how much there is still needed to make prayer acceptable: It must be to the glory of God, in full surrender to His will, in full assurance of faith, in the name of Jesus, and with a perseverance that – if need be – refuses to be denied. All this must be learned.

    Come children, listen to Me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Psalm 34:11).

    Let the deep undertone of all our prayer be the ‘teach’-able-ness that comes from a sense of ignorance and from faith in Him as a perfect teacher, and we may be assured we shall be taught. (Andrew Murray)

    Lord, may each of us grow in Your grace and in the knowledge of Your Son. May we be worshipful and attentive in hearing Your Word preached, eager to learn and change our ways, and ready to use our spiritual gifts and serve as You lead.

  • What Is Prayer?

    Prayer is the recognition that if God had not engaged Himself in our problems, we would still be lost in the blackness. Prayer is that whole process that reminds us of who God is and who we are.

    Prayer depends on faith.

    The key element in prayer is not the amount of faith, but whether faith is present at all. Think on this: it is not how much we understand about Jesus that saves us, but the mere fact that we trust in Him to do so. Thus salvation is a product of faith and the seed of faith appears to reside in the individual upon salvation. Also, the amount of faith does not cause a miracle (a gift from God) to occur, but the presence of faith is that quality which leads to prayer being answered.

    Remember: faith itself is a gift of God – even faith is not a work out of ourselves. Our only action is to respond appropriately to the faith in our hearts. Therefore we should not get worried about whether we have ‘enough’ faith or not. What Christians are called to do is to look into the face of the Father and pray what they do have faith for. If they lack faith, they should honestly pray, “Help my unbelief.”

    “If faith is present at all, even if it is no larger than a mustard seed, it can accomplish wonders.” This is how Jesus describes the incalculable effects of prevailing faith.

    Prayer isn’t about expecting something specific from the Lord, but of releasing something to Him that was already out of your control anyway.

  • Let Us Pray

    “It is under a deep impression that the place and power of prayer in the Christian life is too little understood that this ledger has been written. When we learn to regard it as the highest part of the work entrusted to us, the root and strength of all our work, we shall see that there is nothing that we so need to study and practice as the art of praying aright.”

    In Andrew Murray’s book, School of Prayer, I have learned that praying is our highest calling. It is when we most look and act like Jesus. It is one of the chief channels of influence by which blessings are to be defused on the world. It is our badge of duty and honor to pray to the Father to enter and preside over the people and events that confront us every minute of every day.

    “The Father waits to hear every prayer of faith, to give us whatever we will, and whatsoever we ask in Jesus’ name. God means prayer to have an answer, and that it has not entered into the heart of man to conceive what God will do for His child who gives himself to believe that his prayer will be heard. If what I have written stirs my reader to go to the Master’s words, and take His wondrous promises simply and literally as they stand, my objective has been attained.”

    Christ Jesus is our life. Christ Jesus teaches us to pray by example, by instruction, by command, by promise, and by showing us how to pray Himself – our ever-living Intercessor. It is when we believe this, and go and abide in Him for our prayer-life that our fears of not being able to pray aright will vanish. May Jesus Himself give us a large and strong heart to believe what a mighty influence our prayers can exert!

  • Prayer Is The Asking

    Prayer = Son-bathing. It makes you look different. The more Son you get, the less likely you will burn.

    Let us learn to pray about everything. Let us pray without ceasing.

    Devote yourselves to prayer, being [always] watchful and [always] thankful (Colossians 4:2).

    Pray as you can, not as you can’t.

    Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.

    And the Lord said to Moses: Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? (Numbers 11:23)

    Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14)

    The Everlasting God – the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the [universe] – does not become weary or tired! (Isaiah 40:28)

    As, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You! (Jeremiah 32:17)

    All things are possible with God (Mark 10:27).

    For with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).

    But with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

    What is impossible with men is possible with God (Luke 18:27).

    … All things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23).

    I tell you the truth: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on hearth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18).

    Wait on the Lord! Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14).

    In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15).

    When ambition and pride cause us to forget that it was God who has brought us this far, we must pay the price of our sin. Pride causes us to set ourselves up as gods.

    Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1).

    [Instead] Pray continually (2 Thessalonians 5:17).

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6).

    Pride about our good deeds is pointless. God has His own ideas regarding what is good, and He does not always agree with us. If there is anything good about you, believe better things about others. This will keep you humble. [Being humble means being ready for use.]

    And one parting thought for guiding us in the way we should walk:

    Anyone then who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it sins (James 4:17).

  • God’s Power For The Asking

    Now Lord, … grant to Your servants that with all boldness we may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus (Acts 4:29-30).

    What are we waiting for? All we have to do is ask.

    Ride forth on behalf of truth, humility and righteousness. Let Your right hand display awesome deeds (Psalm 45:4).

    Mary said, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).

    Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:19-20).

    Whatever you ask the Father in My name [using My nature and authority] He will give you (John 16:23).

    Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:24).

    Now this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have [those] petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

    And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And by this we know that He abides in us; by the Spirit whom He has given us (1 John 3:22, 24).

    Whoever shall say unto this mountain: be removed and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that these things he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he says (Mark 11:23).

    If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22).

    But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt. Because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (James 1:6-8).

    Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them (Mark 11:24).

    You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it [My gifts] in your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world [and its things] is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be friends of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scriptures say in vain: The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? (James 4:3-5)

    Because of your unbelief! For assuredly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move! Nothing will be impossible for you! (Matthew 17:20).

    A good man will be satisfied from above (Proverbs 14:14).

  • God’s Power In Us

    I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know (1) the hope to which He has called you, (2) the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and (3) His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come (Ephesians 1:18-21).

    By ourselves we can do absolutely nothing. But with God in us — we can shine!

    Even When I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I declare Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come (Psalm 71:18).

    The reality of the presence of God is what children need to know for God to be real to them.

    We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age. Against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

    When Jesus had called the twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons, and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1).

    Jesus came to them and said: “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18).

    He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. Likewise we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve… (2 Corinthians 13:4)

    But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you (Acts 1:8).

    The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).

    I tell you the truth. Anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it! (John 14:12-14)

    I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven [and you get to avoid the judgment coming to the world] (Luke 10:17-18).

    And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up snakes with their hands, and when they drink deadly poison it will not hurt them at all. They will place their hands on sick people and they will get well (Mark 16:17-18).

    If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you will, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory: that you bear much fruit (John 15:7-8).

    Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind (Romans 14:5)

    Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or [can even] imagine – according to His power that is at work within us – to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations (Ephesians 3:20-21).

  • Let Us Examine Our Ways

    If we will get alone with God, He will reveal the reason for our present pain. And as we learn the Word and do the Word, we will experience His healing and the blessings of freedom as He restores our soul. The battle you are in will soon become a meal for you – an experience that will nourish and build you up spiritually.

    Being alone with God through our desert wanderings can be a beautiful experience.

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

    Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through [and for] Him (Colossians 3:17).

    As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask God to protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be in spite of all my fires of sorrow… We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are. And it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them. Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find he has plenty of time for you.. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous… If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for others! (Oswald Chambers)

    [Do] not trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17).

    Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim with new wine (Proverbs 3:9-10).

    So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain, it takes away the life of it’s possessor (Proverbs 1:19).

    Why do you call Me “Lord, Lord” and not do as I say? (Luke 6:40)

    No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and man/money (Matthew 6:24).

    Therefore strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed (Hebrews 12:12-13).

    Let all the godly confess their rebellion to You while there is time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment! (Psalm 32:6)

  • Love Even Your Enemy

    In demanding that I respect the rights of another, God is not merely asking me to conform to some abstract, arbitrary law. He is enabling me to share, as His son/daughter, in His own care for my brothers. (Thomas Merton)

    Care for my brother, even if he considers himself to be an enemy, is my duty.

    The King will answer them, “I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40).

    All that is physical is passing away. As long as I keep holding onto a ‘thing’, I continually set myself up for disappointment. If all I see is how you look and what you have, I’ll miss the point that you – like me – are a hurting spirit just looking for home. (Fr. Everding)

    Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this sums up the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12).

    “He who showed mercy”… Jesus answered, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37)

    Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

    If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, you are doing right (James 2:8).

    So then my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slower[er] to wrath (James 1:19).

    Let go of anger, and leave rage behind. Do not be preoccupied. It only leads to evil (Psalm 37:8).

    Don’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, “I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

    If your enemy is hungry, give him some food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him some water to drink. In this way you will make him feel guilty and ashamed, and the Lord will reward you (Proverbs 25:21-22).

    Do not be happy when your enemy falls, and do not feel glad when he stumbles. The Lord will see it, He won’t like it, and He will turn His anger away from that person (Proverbs 24:17-18).

    Forgiving one’s enemies does not mean to be faint hearted but to have a strong soul.

    Let all things be done for edification (1 Corinthians 14:26).

    It is better to be alone than in bad company. (George Washington)

    Don’t let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people (1 Corinthians 15:33).

    [Yet] A man who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he quarrels against all sound wisdom (Proverbs 18:1).

    So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God’s approval as your breastplate. Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. In addition to all these, take the Christian faith as your shield. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Also take salvation as your helmet and the Word of God as the sword that the Spirit supplies. Pray in the Spirit in every situation; use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert; use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people. (Ephesians 6:14-18).

    Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21).

    Dear children, keep yourselves from idols! (1 John 5:21).