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A Lot of Praying

  • Posted on July 28, 2011 at 12:33 pm

A Whole Lot of Praying Going On… But
from the July 26, 2011 eNews issue
http://www.khouse.org/enews_article/2011/1809

Ramadan begins on August 1st this year and will run to the end of the month according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims will take the month to remember when Mohammed “received” the Koran in AD 610, and they will mark it by fasting from sunup to sundown along with extra devotion to prayer and self-cleansing. At the same time, Jews, Muslims, and Christians are gathering to pray together over the National Debt, and Pastor Joe Nelms thanked God for his “smokin’ hot wife” before a NASCAR race this weekend.

There’s a whole lot of different kinds of praying going on, but not all prayers are equal

Ecumenism:
In order to teach Congress a lesson in compromise, Christians, Jews, and Muslims gathered on Tuesday to pray for the United States budget. They want to stand against any deal that would cut too much from social programs for the poor and needy, and they began a prayer vigil to see that Congress doesn’t cap America’s spending ability. The fact that they may not all be praying to the same deities did not seem to concern those involved in the prayer rally.

Embellishment:
Pastor Joe Nelms raised both complaints and laughter when he offered a more colorful-than-normal prayer before Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Speedway. After thanking God for His blessings, including the “mighty machines…GM racing technology…Sunoco racing fuel” Pastor Nelms finished with, “… Lord, I want to thank you for my smokin’ hot wife, Lisa… Lord I pray you bless the drivers and use them tonight. May they put on a performance worthy of this great track, in Jesus name boogity-boogity-boogity, Amen.”

Some thought the prayer was great, a fun, light-hearted change from the norm. Others thought Nelms was irreverent – trying to entertain rather than pray. One fellow even criticized Nelms because he didn’t mention Chevy in the list of things for which he thanked God.

Nelms explained his reason for the rather unorthodox unscripted prayer. He said, “I think that we need to let folks know that accepting Christ as your savior and letting God into your life is not an end to living but it’s a beginning. I’ve had more fun since I got saved as a 13-year-old boy. The Bible talks about He desires for our joy to be full. Our heart’s desire was to show people that side…”

Grandparents’ 911:
The 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks falls on Sunday this year, a day which happens to be Grandparent’s Day, and the Christian Grand-parenting Network is calling for grandparents across the country to focus on prayer that day.

“These are desperate and uncertain times for all, but especially for our grandchildren,” says Cavin Harper, Executive Director of CGN. “With Grandparent’s Day falling on Sunday, September 11th this year, the tenth anniversary of 9/11, we felt prompted to turn this day of tragedy into a compelling opportunity for grandparents to stand in the gap on behalf of the next generations. It is our grandchildren who must navigate a world that is increasingly hostile toward Christianity and God’s truth. It is time for our generation–today’s grandparents–to step to the plate and determine that we will do all we can to not let a whole generation perish on our watch!”

The Response:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is being sued by the Freedom from Religion Foundation for advocating for a day of prayer and fasting August 6th. The Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas has been reserved for the prayer event, and thousands of people have registered to attend. The Freedom from Religion Foundation has argued that the rally is illegal because it’s “intended for evangelical Christians” and others are not permitted to attend. American Family Association founder Don Wildmon refutes those claims: “Anyone who wants to pray to Jesus for a nation in crisis is welcome to attend.” He also rejected the view that the event was politically motivated: “The Response is a prayer event. No political candidates will be speaking.”

There are many ways humans pray, and many gods to which they pray. Praying itself may or may not be a useful activity, depending on Whom we talk to. The Bible describes some basic principles to keep in mind when going before the Lord:

Matthew 6:7-8: But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Psalms 62:8: Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

John 4:23-24: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Proverbs 15:8: The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

1 Peter 3:7: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

James 5:16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

A lot of people are praying, but not all worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Not all truly pour their hearts out before Him. Some kneel faithfully, but use vain repetitions that fail to touch their own hearts or the heart of the Living God. Others hold onto sin or unforgiveness as they go to pray, and still others treat their wives or their husbands selfishly, and yet expect their prayers to be heard.

We need to pray and pray with all our hearts. Our countries and towns and homes are desperate for the power of God. For His own mysterious reasons, God has chosen to release His power when we come before Him – but we must do so in honesty and truth.

Related Links:

US Muslims Prepare For Summertime Ramadan Fasting – The Jarkart Post http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/07/27/us-muslims-prepare-summertime-ramadan-fasting.html

Pastor Defends Nationwide Invocation, Says He Didn’t Want ‘Cookie-Cutter Prayer’ – ThePilot.com http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/pastor-defends-invocation-says-he-didnt-want-give-cookiecutter-prayer

Thousands of Grandparents Gathering to Pray on 9/11/11 – Earned Media http://www.earnedmedia.org/cgn0726.htm

Religious Groups Set Prayer Vigil For U.S. Debt Deal – Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/us-usa-debt-prayer-idUSTRE76P07520110726

Perry Sued Over Web Event – AP http://online.worldmag.com/2011/07/26/perry-sued-over-prayer-event/

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God is Never too Busy

  • Posted on May 26, 2011 at 1:56 pm

God is never to busy – Greg Laurie – HarvestTV

If it concerns you, it concerns him. God is never too busy or preoccupied to take time for you. Taken from the message “How to (and Not to) Pray”, from the Follow Me! Series by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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Prayer for a Friend

  • Posted on May 10, 2011 at 12:11 am

March 23rd, 2011

I had a dream this morning that had my online friend Kimmer in it.  I don’t remember much about it except there could be an earthquake and I felt led to pray for her safety.

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Prayer 4/18/11

  • Posted on May 8, 2011 at 1:51 am

Dear Father in Heaven, today I pray that the barricades of legalism that are hindering the church be bound and broken, in the name of Jesus. I also pray that your gifts for reaching the lost with the message of Christ will blow through the world like a mighty rushing wind and that many lost souls will be saved. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. …

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Prayer – 4/3/11

  • Posted on May 8, 2011 at 1:20 am

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for guiding me through all things despite my foolishness. You know all my sorrowful ways, and yet, You continue to love me in spite of them. Father, continue to touch my heart and bring me to a right understanding of Your gracious love! Direct my steps that I may give all honour and glory to Your name! Amen.

http://promises.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm?doy=93

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Prayer – 3/25/11

  • Posted on May 8, 2011 at 1:15 am

Dear Father in Heaven, today I pray that the fear of you would fall upon all nations and that many people would come to know you, repent of their sins and be baptized unto salvation. For the days of your wrath and judgement are approaching like a dark storm on the horizon with death and destruction in it’s wake. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

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Cleric Prays in Congress

  • Posted on May 5, 2011 at 10:11 pm

A Muslim cleric delivered the opening prayer at the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

Imam Abdullah Antepli is the Muslim chaplain at Duke University in North Carolina and served as guest chaplain in the House at the request of Rep. David Price, D-N.C.

He prayed that members of Congress would be wise peacemakers who glorify God’s, “holy and beautiful names.”

“Be the source of strength and comfort,” Antepli prayed. “Enable them to serve you and glorify your names by serving the citizens of this great nation and to the entire humanity regardless of their gender, ethnicity or religion.”

According to Duke University, the Turkish-born cleric is one of only a few Muslim chaplains at American colleges and universities.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2010/March/Muslim-Cleric-Opens-Congress-with-Prayer/

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God Desires…

  • Posted on May 4, 2011 at 8:31 pm

God desires us to come to Him in prayer with thanksgiving and praise in our hearts. Think about it … God already knows what we need before we ask for it in prayer.

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Fleas, Oh My!

  • Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:22 pm

THANK YOU FOR THE FLEAS – K-House eNews for November 24, 2009

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” -1Thess 5:18

It’s simple to thank God when He does miracles and answers prayers just the way we want them answered. It’s also pretty easy to thank Him when we can look around and see many blessings in our lives. When our situation seems awful, though, and we’re struggling through tragedy or just plain hard times, it can seem hard to believe that God is really there taking care of things; it can be hard to say, “I know You love me. Thank you for what You are doing even now.”

Jobless rates in 29 US states rose last month, with Michigan suffering the worst rate at 15.1 percent and Nevada and Rhode Island close behind at 13 and 12.9 percent respectively. In California alone, payrolls have dropped by 687,700 workers in just the past year. It’s a very difficult time for a lot of people across America and around the world, and giving thanks to God may be the last thing in the minds of those who don’t know how they’re going to pay their electric bill or put gas in the car.

Yet, it’s good to know that the economy does not have God worried. His arms are not tied. The One who looks after the sparrows is fully capable of looking after each one of us as well, and even the rotten things that happen in our lives are in His hands. Jesus says, in Luke 12:7, “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

Jesus never promised us gardens of roses or even daisies in this life. He did promise he would never leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5).

Thank You For The Fleas:

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of a time she discovered that God was working even in the most horrific circumstances.

Corrie and her sister Betsie had been imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews behind the wall of their Holland home, and Nazi prison conditions pretty well unbearable.

Corrie writes:

“Barracks 8 was in the quarantine compound. Next to us–perhaps as a deliberate warning to newcomers–were located the punishment barracks. From there, all day long and often into the night, came the sounds of hell itself. They were not the sounds of anger, or of any human emotion, but of a cruelty altogether detached: blows landing in regular rhythm, screams keeping pace. We would stand in our ten-deep ranks with our hands trembling at our sides, longing to jam them against our ears, to make the sounds stop.

“It grew harder and harder. Even within these four walls there was too much misery, too much seemingly pointless suffering. Every day something else failed to make sense, something else grew too heavy.”

Yet, in the midst of the suffering, the women prisoners around Corrie and Betsie found comfort in the little Bible studies they held in the barracks. Corrie writes they gathered around the Bible “like waifs clustered around a blazing fire…The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God.”

When they were moved to Barracks 28, Corrie was horrified by the fact that their reeking, straw-bed platforms swarmed with fleas. How could they live in such a place?

It was Betsie who discovered God’s answer:

“‘”Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” That’s it, Corrie! That’s His answer. “Give thanks in all circumstances!” That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!’

“I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room…”

They thanked God for the fact they were together. They thanked God they had a Bible. They even thanked God for the horrible crowds of prisoners, that more people would be able to hear God’s Word. And then, Betsie thanked God for the fleas.

“The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

“‘”Give thanks in all circumstances,”‘ she quoted. ‘It doesn’t say, “in pleasant circumstances.” Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.’

“And so we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.”

It turned out that Betsie was not wrong; the fleas were a nuisance, but a blessing after all. The women were able to have Bible studies in the barracks with a great deal of freedom, never bothered by supervisors coming in and harassing them. They finally discovered that it was the fleas that kept those supervisors out.

Through those fleas, God protected the women from abuse and harassment. Dozens of desperate women were free to hear the comforting, hope-giving Word of God. Through those fleas, God protected the women from much worse things and made sure they had their deepest, truest needs met.

We all have “fleas” in our lives. We all have those things that we can see no use for, things that are obviously horrible, unpleasant, painful things that we want gone. No life is free of “fleas”, but if Corrie and Betsie can be our examples, God can use even these nasty insects for our protection and blessing. As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, lets thank God for His constant care and provision, and for His hidden blessings that come in ways we can easily overlook.

http://www.khouse.org/enews_article/2009/1544/

 

Related Links:

The Key to Joy: Consumed In His Presence – Koinonia House
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2005/574/

Never Give Up! The Fruit of Longsuffering – Especially During The Holidays – Koinonia House
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2005/621/

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Please help me Lord to give thanks in good times and bad!

O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psalms 30:3-4 KJV

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Intercession

  • Posted on April 30, 2011 at 2:21 pm

http://www.youtube.com/user/setapartlife
http://braveheartedgospel.com./Home.html

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