HOW TO PRAY ?

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 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."[Hebrews 11:6]
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  ”    [John 14:6]

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How to Pray

Without faith it is impossible to please our Father. So if you don't have the faith in the first place, don't waste God's time and yours with your prayer. God will hear your prayer but don't expect Him to answer. Now don't get down on yourself if you feel your faith is not the greatest. We all don't have the faith of Abraham but if you believe what this verse says, you have faith. How do we earnestly seek Him? We do that by studying His word, the Bible. Think of the Bible as our instruction manual for our life. We have questions? His word has the answers.

No amount of good works can compensate for lack of faith. After all said and done, when a man refuses to believe God, he is calling Him a liar. “He who does not believe God has made Him a liar” (1 John. 5:10), and how can God be pleased by people who call Him a liar?

 Faith is the only thing that gives God His proper place, and put man in his place too. “It glorifies God exceedingly, because it proves that we have more confidence in His eyesight than in our own.”

 Faith not only believes that God exists, but it also trusts Him to reward those who diligently seek Him. There is nothing about God that makes it impossible for men to believe. The difficulty is with the human will.

 This is step two in our quest for a better prayer life. You have  to better believe that Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. Also you need to have faith in His works and believe that He is with our Father now in heaven. A good way to show God that you believe in Christ is to ask for things in His name.

We must forgive those that have sinned against us if we want to be forgiven."....leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift" [Matthew 5:24].

 

Pray without ceasing

 “...And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." [Ephesians 6:18]

"..pray without ceasing," [1 Thess. 5:17]

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Once Gay . . . Always Gay? From Victim to Victory!

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 “Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done . . .
were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.”    [Psalm 40:5]

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Once Gay . . . Always Gay?
From Victim to Victory!
[Testimony of Linda]

The first time I was asked to write my testimony, I thought, "Great! Now I can tell everyone what wonderful things God has done in me!" Then, as I prayed about it and asked for just the right words, I realized that there’s just no way I can tell all that He’s done!

I mean, where would I start? Would I start with the little girl whose innocence was stolen from her by 3 different adult men she so freely trusted over a period of 10 years, whose dad turned her into a "good little boozer" by the time she was 5? Would I start with the 12-year-old who gave her bruised and confused heart to Jesus and thrilled at the prospect of serving Him someday in some great and glorious manner?

Where would I start? Would I start with the 16-year-old whose world was turned upside-down and inside-out when she was raped by 4 men in 1965 — whose family's shame and ignorance prevented them from giving her the love and support she so desperately needed? Would I start with the 18-year-old whose overwhelming sense of abandonment, guilt and shame drove her to the streets and prostitution where she finally challenged the God she loved and wrote His death certificate on her heart?
Oh, God! Where do I start?! Should I tell about the 30+ years of alcohol and drug abuse, 25 years of homosexuality, repeated suicide attempts, multiple self-mutilations, and an all-out subconscious attempt to sabotage every good thing You brought my way? Should I tell about that September day in 1975 when you overwhelmed me with Your great love and drew me back to You — and still, I continued in my sin because I wasn't Biblically grounded and just wasn't strong enough to submit to Your love?
Or . . . would I start with that Summer day in 1996 when I knelt in a little friendly church and gave Jesus permission to do in me whatever He wanted to do? That was the day when my "adoption" became final — when God became both my Father and my Mother, and Jesus became my Husband and my Brother.

“Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband
— the Lord Almighty is His name —
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
He is called the God of all the earth." [Isaiah 54:4-5]


Then started the process of healing and deliverance that exceeded my wildest expectations! As the Psalmist wrote, were I to speak of all that He has done, they would be too many to declare! (Psalm 40:5)
As I learned to lean on Him, His love prompted me to ask Him to show me His truth concerning my lifestyle. Patiently and lovingly, He opened the eyes of my heart; and in obedience to His revealed will, I haltingly walked away from the homosexual lifestyle I had embraced. Although I knew I was doing the right thing, I fully expected it to remain a physical struggle because I had been deceived into believing that I was born a lesbian and would remain that way until I got my resurrection body someday.
But, as God gently kissed away every emotional scar of the past and I persisted in seeking His truth, Satan's hooks lost their grip and the chains fell off. Then in November 1997, God breathed new life into me and delivered me completely from every homosexual desire or tendency I'd ever had! And as if that weren't enough, He even removed every physical scar from the years of self-mutilation!

Today, I truly am a "new creation in Christ; the old is passed away, behold, all things have become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) He has healed every hurt I so carefully guarded and nurtured all those years; He has penetrated the dark recesses of my heart and mind and flooded them with His marvelous light!

Today, I am alcohol-free, drug-free, nicotine-free, and pain-free. Instead of looking for the light at the end of the tunnel (and doubting if it's really there), I am standing in that light. I have found a joy and peace that truly surpass all understanding!
What I have learned is this: there is true freedom in becoming a captive of the King; there is healing in His outstretched guiltless, nail-pierced hands; there is unspeakable joy and peace in submission and obedience.

To anyone reading this who has tried to bury the pain, the shame, and the fears of the past — who's been told God hates you because of your lifestyle — who thinks there's no way out and the light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train — I say this: You call yourself "victim"; the world calls you "survivor"; but in Christ, you can be the victorious conqueror — once you stop seeking the God you want, and start seeking the God who IS!

 -Linda

  
   
 

To God be the glory

 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." [Ephesians 3:20,21]

 

    

"To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done."





Homosexuality

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 “They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.  So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. They gave up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen."

"God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds. ”    [Romans 1:23-27]

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Homosexuality

Every human being is called to receive a gift of divine sonship, to become a child of God by grace. However, to receive this gift, we must reject sin, including homosexual behavior—that is, acts intended to arouse or stimulate a sexual response regarding a person of the same sex. The Bible teaches that such acts are always violations of divine and natural law.

The rejection of homosexual behavior that is found in the Old Testament is well known. In Genesis 19, two angels in disguise visit the city of Sodom and are offered hospitality and shelter by Lot. During the night, the men of Sodom demand that Lot hand over his guests for homosexual intercourse. Lot refuses, and the angels blind the men of Sodom. Lot and his household escape, and the town is destroyed by fire "because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord" (Gen. 19:13).

Throughout history, Jewish and Christian scholars have recognized that one of the chief sins involved in God’s destruction of Sodom was its people’s homosexual behavior.

Elsewhere Paul again warns that homosexual behavior is one of the sins that will deprive one of heaven: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9–10, NIV).
“In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Jude 7.

Homosexuality is being passed off today by some as a sickness and by others as a legitimate alternative lifestyle. Christians must be careful NOT to accept the world’s moral judgments but to be guided by God’s word. The Bible speaks of homosexuality as a very serious sin, as evidenced by God’s obliteration of Sodom and Gomorrah, where militant “gays” ran riot (Gen. 19:4-25).

The gospel offers pardon and forgiveness to homosexuals, as it does to all sinners who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christians who have fallen into this heinous sin can find forgiveness and restoration through confessing and forsaking the sin. There is complete deliverance from homosexuality to all who are willing to obey God’s word.

It is true that some people seem to have a natural tendency toward homosexuality. This should not be surprising, since fallen human nature is capable of just about any form of iniquity and perversion.  The Holy Spirit gives the power to resist the temptation and to have lasting victory.
  
   
 

Sodom and Gomorrah

    



Sodom and Gomorrah

 “Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.  He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. ." [Gen. 19:27-29]

 



I AM THE GATE

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 “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ”    [Psalm 23:1-2]

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“I AM THE GATE”

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. John 10:7-9

Jesus was presenting Himself as the door of the sheep. Salvation can only be received through Christ. There is no other way to attain Salvation. If there would have been any other way, Christ would have not died on the cruel cross.

Jesus speaks of the very intimate relationship that exists between Himself and His sheep. He knows His own, and His own know Him. This is a very wonderful truth.

Have you entered through the Gate? Are you able to hear His voice? Jesus said " My sheep hear my voice". Are you His sheep? Do you hear His voice?  
   
 

 

Good Shepherd

    



The Good Shepherd

 “Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." [John 14:6]

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."[John 10:11]
You can be saved by asking the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life.


“...in the last days ... people will be lovers of self...money...pleasure...”

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 “You can be certain that in the last days there will be some very hard times. People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless, heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything that is good. They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people. ”    [2 Timothy 3:1-5]

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“...in the last days ... people will be lovers of self...money...pleasure...”

The apostle now gives Timothy a description of conditions that will exist in the world prior to the Lord’s coming. The remarkable thing is that the very conditions that exist among the heathen in their savagery and uncivilized state will characterize profession believers in the last days. How solemn this is!

The last days referred to here are the days between the apostolic period and the appearing of Christ to set up His kingdom.

Here we see the word lovers repeated several times.  “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…”

Outwardly these people seem religious. They make a profession of Christianity, but their actions speak louder than their words. By their ungodly behavior, they show that they are living a lie. There is no evidence of the power of God in their lives. While there might have been reformation, there never was regeneration.

Jesus answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  [Luke 10:27]

“You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” [James 4:4]

The question is, “do you love God with all your heart?” 
   
 

 

Holy Scriptures

    

"All Scripture is breathed out by God..."

 “Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds. ”  [2 Timothy 3:15-17]

“My Lord and my God!”

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 “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”    [John 20:24-25]

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“My Lord and my God!”

Thomas said to the other disciples, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

We should not jump to the conclusion that Thomas should be blamed for not being present with the other disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them.  Nothing is said to indicate the reason for his absence.

Thomas is to be blamed for his unbelieving attitude. He must have visible, tangible proof of the Lord’s resurrection, otherwise he will not believe. This is the attitude of many today, but it is not reasonable. Even scientists believe many things that they can neither see nor touch.

A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Again the Lord Jesus entered the room in a miraculous way and again greeted them with “Peace to you!” The Lord dealt gently and patiently with His faithless follower. He invited him to prove the reality of His resurrection by putting his hand into the spear wound in His side.

Thomas was convinced. Whether he ever did put his hand into the Lord’s side, we do not know. But he knew at last that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He was both Lord and God.  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

The important thing to notice is that Jesus accepted worship as God.  If He were only a man, He should have refused it. But Thomas’ faith was not the kind that was most pleasing to the Lord. It was belief based on sight.  Jesus said, "Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!"
   
 

 

Put your finger here, and see my hands

    

"Put your finger here, and see my hands..."

 “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  [John 20:26-28]





"For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

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 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  So he got up and went to his father.   “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ”   [Luke 15:17-20]

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"For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

The God the Father is here depicted as a certain man who had two sons. The younger son typifies the repentant sinner, whereas the older son illustrates the scribes and the Pharisees. The younger son is also known as the prodigal son. 

A prodigal is one who is recklessly extravagant, who spends money wastefully. This son became weary of his father’s house and decided he wanted to leave. He could not wait for his father to die, and so asked for his portion of the inheritance ahead of time. The father distributed to his sons their proper share. 

Shortly afterward, the younger son set out to a far country and spends his money freely in sinful pleasures. As soon as his funds were gone a severe depression gripped the land, and he found himself destitute. The only employment he could get was as a feeder of swine—a job that would have been most distasteful to the average Jew. As he watched the pigs eating their bean pods, he envied them. They had more to eat than he had, and no one seemed disposed to help him. The friends he had when he was spending money freely had all disappeared.

The famine proved to be a blessing in disguise. It made him think.  He remembered that his father’s hired servants were living far more comfortably than he. They had plenty of food to eat, while he was wasting away with hunger.  He determined to go to his father in repentance, acknowledging his sin, and seeking pardon.
Long before he reached his home, his father saw him and had compassion. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
The son made his confession, but the father interrupted by ordering the servants to put the best robe on his son, put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  He also ordered a great feast to celebrate the return on his son who had been lost and was now found. As far as the father was concerned, he had been dead but now was alive again.
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” [Luke 15:7].
   
 

 

Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you

   

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you"

 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. ” [Luke 15:21-24]