Aim High: Look to Jesus!

Psalms 121:1-2"I Will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord,which made heaven and earth"

Saints we must look to Jesus in all circumstances of our life.It is in him we should look,in him we should trust,and to him we should we sacrifice in in times of uncertainties.The psalmist here says "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills".

Saints to many are lifting our eyes to the hills and not to Jesus, looking to the elevated high places and the things we have elevated to the high places in our lives,when it is Jesus who saves.(Looking to our Jobs,bank accounts positions and other things we have placed in high esteem in our lives.)Why do we look to the hills, why do we say we are going to look to the hills,it is looking to the hills which has gotten most of us in the situations we find ourselves in today.Looking to the hills have taken our eyes off of God, and his purpose in our life.This causes us to stray to the left and to the right,as we begin chasing the lust and desires of our own hearts,no longer being led by the spirit of God.Sometimes God wants us to go through the valley of the shadow of death, but looking to the high places we sometime feel we are to good or to important to go through the gutters of life,even if it means to save a lost soul.Our vain thinking and need for variety sometimes returns us to the very world the gospel has called us out of,the world of darkness God has delievered us from.Looking to the hill can cause us to become selfish,seeking power, prestige,and popularity,instead of leading a lost soul to the salvation of the Lord.

The psalmist says he "will lift up his eyes unto the hills", then he ask a question"from whence cometh my help",He say where does my help come from, is it comming from the idols I have placed in the hills and the high places of life.( The hills and high places was where they placed the false god whom they made sacrifices too.)Saints is our help comming from our Jobs, bank accounts, or friends,the things in our life we often make sacrifices for.Where does our help truly come from? Saints are we worshiping the blessing and not the blessor? He goes on to say my "Help cometh from the Lord".

Truly the Lord is the salvation of the world.Our help comes from the Lord, it always comes from the Lord.I can't speak for everybody ,but when I was nothing and had nothing my help came from the Lord. It wasn't from my job because I had no Job. It wasn't from my bank account, cause I had no money, It didn't come from my family cause I had no contact with them,I was homeless and lost in darkness,and my help came from the Lord, Jesus the light of the world, my help from the Lord.So remember to look to Jesus the Christ our help from the lord.

Denied; When a Witness Is Needed!

John 18:17 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter,art not thou also one of this man's disciples?He saith, I am not.

Here we have a cowardly denial,of both the world and Peter.Peter was innocently questioned by the door keeper.Peter denied any association with Jesus.Peter made an attempt to be known as one of the crowd.He joined the crowd,standing around with the mand joining in their activites and conversation.

Too many today deny being associated with Christ.People see us in church or associating with other believers,and when we are asked,we deny any association to Christ.We deny him in the way we live our lives,our love for one another, in our ability and willingness to forgive one another,and give to one another.We deny him on our jobs,at school and in social functions.At the time when a witness is needed many deny Christ in an effort to fit in or be accepted by the crowd.We deny Him by not learning His doctrine,and by not proclaiming His teachings,we may not verbally deny Him as Peter did, but we deny Him in our actions. The worlds religion allows man to be as he is, do what he wishes and still feel acceptable to God. Just think for a moment! How few religions,how few churches,how few preachers and teachers proclaim the true dotrine of Jesus Christ.So few are willing to sacrifice their lives for the world and all they are and have in order to reach a lost,starving and diseased world,and thus we deny Him.

When we deny Christ we deny the lost the chance afforded us, to know Christ and have a chance at salvation.How can we truly say we love one another yet deny each other Christ.How can we say that we love the Lord with all our heart ,soul and life,and yet let His blood be trampled under foot,for when a witness is needed,when we need to stand up and speak for Christ,we hide in the crowd and deny Him. 

Love Me; Feed Them

John21:15"So when they had dined,Jesus saith to Simon Peter,Simon,son of Jonas,Lovest thou me more than these?He saith unto him,yea Lord;thou knowest that I love thee,He saith unto him,Feed my lambs".

Feed my lambs! these are the instructions given to us by our savior.Those of us who have been blessed to have received the bread of heaven,are now instructed by the Savior to feed his lambs.Jesus has revealed himself to us, that he is the Christ,the son of the living God, and we are now to feed this truth to a lost and dying world.This is the design of his precious Gospel, it wasn't written for a pastime,nor was it published for a profit, but it was written and published so that man could be brought to Christ.Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim this gospel message, that all might enjoy the salvation of the lord.We don't need to dress it up or add anything to it ,the gospel will do what it was desgned to do. It was not designed to feed the flesh of man, but to feed the spirit of man.

Jesus ask Peter if he loved him more than he loved these, and he is asking us the same question?Do you love me more than you love these things,and these people who occupy your life.Do you love me more than your friends, family, and even yourself.Jesus wanted to know the extent of Peters love for him,he wants to know the extent of our love for him.(he knows but he wants to know if we know, are we willing to lose our life to save it.)So he says "If you love me feed my lambs."

Saints , if we truly love God we should be willing to lay aside our will and petty differences and feed those he died for.Someone shared the good news to us, and we should be willing to share it with someone else.The same gospel which lead us to Christ, will lead someone else to Christ.It is the duty of all who are called of Christ to feed his sheep, to feed them with knowledge,and the truth of the gospel.Feed the with the word of God that they might be wise unto salvation.Feed them, don't just put something before them and hope they eat,but feed them,those who are to hateful and stubborn to eat on their own. Feed those who are too weak or cannot feed themselves.Don't feed them the cake and candy messages of today,which will only make them fat and useless,but feed them the meat of the word that they may be thourghly furnished unto every good work.

We might not be able to feed everyone we want, but let each of us just feed everyone we can,and together we will feed the whole world, one lamb at a time.So if you love the Lord,feed his lambs.

Jesus Wept!

luke 19:41"And when he was come near, he beheld the city,and wept over it"

Compassion, one of the most beautiful virtues of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.A genuine heart felt concern, and deep rooted unconditional love for others.Here in our story today we have the great ambassordor from heaven,overcome with emotion,as he was making his public entry into Jerusalem.Jesus, on an ass colt,desending down Mount Olive,as he approached the city,when he was come near,he could look down into the city.He could look into the heart of the city,he wasn't elevated with the applause and acclamation of the people or impressed by the size of the crowd, but when he came near he beheld the city,and seen its impending doom.(Christ looks into the heart of man, not impressed with the hand praise and lip service,not over taken by the size of the congragations,for he sees the impending doom of all who haven't accepted him as their Lord and savior).The gospel has been preached, salvation has been offered,Yet in the mist of our praise ,many still have not made peace with God.We cry out his name,but many have yet to accept him as Lord and Savior.Many are still blinded by the gods of this world, to the accepted day of salvation.The day you hear his voice, is your accepted day of salvation.

When he was come near he beheld the city with a weeping eye.He wept for the lost souls who continue to live unrepented lives.He approached the city, and his eyes effected his heart, and his heart effected his eyes,and he wept.He didn't weep because he was betaryed,and sold out by his own.He didn't shed a tear when they whipped him all night long and hung him on a cross to die, for this reason he came.No he wept because Jerusalem had not made the most of the day.(Saints Jesus weeps now for those who still don't realize now is the accepted day for salvation).There is still time to repent,yet Christ knows few will make use of it.

He wept at the condition of the temple,once a house of prayer set apart for communion with God,but now has become a den of thieves,greedy of filthy lucre.He wept because if only they had known the things that would bring them peace.He wept because in the day of salvation they harden their hearts.Yes, Jesus loves us so much ,he weeps for those who has yet to receive his salvation. It is his will that none shall parish, he died that we all might have a right to the tree of life,let not his death be in vain, in your life.Yes Jesus wept and he still weeps over all who have yet to accept Him as their savior. 

Let The Son Shine !

Matthew 17:1-2"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter,James,and John his brother,and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,And was transfigured before them:and his face did shine as the sun,and his rainment was white as light".

Saints,is the Son shinning in your life.With all of the outward signs we put on now a day(The Jesus wear that is so popular today),is the Son shinning in your life.While we dress up and look like christian, go to church and be around christians,taking part in religious activities to act like christians, I ask, can the Son be seen in your life.Does the world look at you and see the Son of God shinning in your life, or is he blocked out with overcast and weather conditions,depending on your condition determines whether he is seen or not.

See we can block out the Son with the overcast of un Christ like behavior, and the cares of this world.We can over shadow him with self, not sharing him with those that are in great need of him.He can feel left out as we sometimes choose not to wait upon him.He is sometimes invisible in our life due to a lack of knowledge as to who he truly is.See we sometimes forget that he is a way out of no way, that he has all power in heaven and in earth, so when we find ourselves in certain situation we forget to lean and depend upon him. He said "Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven".So how can we make sure the Son is shinning in our live?

Walk with him in faith, hold to him in hope and share him with others in Love.Jesus separated himself from the world,and with his inner circle,went upon a moutain top where he begin to shine,and who he truly was,was revealed to them. Let us allow Jesus to take us and our inner circle,Faith ,Hope,and Love,above the cares of this world,that he might reveal himself in our lives, and we might let him shine in our life. 

God is in Control

Proverbs 29:25 "The fear of man bringeth a snare:but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe".

God is in charge, but you might ask ,has God let everything in the world"go to the dogs"?Sin is rampant!However,this kind of chaos existed in previous times.Remember Noah? Sodom and Gomorrah?No matter how it appears,God is still in charge.God's perfect plan is moving right along on schedule. One day Jesus will return,take all believers to heaven,mete out judgment for unbelievers,and a new heaven will be established.What we are experiencing now is only tempory.In the meantime,God offers us life instructions about how to stay close to Him,while the rest of the world pulls away from Him,and thinks Christians are foolish.

In the unjust world we live in ,it is sometimes tempting to think"what I do doesn't make a difference". But wisdom is sometimes about letting things go,but often it is about doing the hard thing in the world that is not following God.One of the hard things is confronting a difficut situation with love,kindness, and compassion with the intent to build someone up and not to tear them down.We must learn to trust that God can help us with this matter.We must trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to our own understanding.If we say that God is always in control we must believe he is in control when things are bad and when things are good.Just trust and believe.

Let us not fear what man might think say or do, but let us be mindful in all things ,that it is God who truly takes care of you.As Peter said" we ought to obey God and not man".

An Unprepared Heart!

2Chonicles 12:14 "And he did evil,because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord".

Here we have the sum of Rehoboam's life:he was not so bad as some,but he did evil in various ways, not so much from design as neglect.His heart was not thorough with the Lord,and he, himself,was not willingly consecrated to the worship and service of the true God.But there are many like Rehoboam the unready,many whose hearts are not prepared to seek the Lord.

Rehoboam did evil because his heart was not prepared to seek God,so it in turn was seeking the things of the world.When we don't seek after the things of God, by default we chase after the things of this world.When you don't worship the true God, your heart is by default worshiping Idols that we have elevated to the high places of our lives. Jesus said  if you are not for him you are against him, there is no in between.Let us prepare our hearts to seek the guidance and direction of the Lord through prayer and sacrifice, let us with self denial give our hearts solely to the Lord.Let us confess our need for God in our whole life.Cry out to Him for help and wisdom.yeild to His guidance,seeking to be right in all occasions by searching the scripture diligently and prayer as to what we should do.Serving Him carefully and earnestly, leaving nothing to chance,being lead by His spirit obedient to His word. 

Many fall by the way side because they are unprepared.They start off fine,but when the trials of life come upon them ,their hearts are not prepared to seek the Lord,so they seek godly advise from ungodly people,thus leading them to do evil.Let us surround ourselves with the wisdom of the Lord by joining ourselves with the people of God.Have some prayer worriors in your life,not those that beg God for stuff,but those that worry God for change.Learn to cry out to God and he will learn the sound of your voice.

He prayed for Me

John 17:20 " Neither pray I for these alone,but for them also which shall believe on me through their words;"

Here we have Jesus praying for future believers, those who will believe the message of the early disciples.This is very precious,as Jesus prays for you,and me, He prays for us for all who believe the truth of His message this day and the days to come.Just think for a moment,who is the weakest believer on earth today? Who is the strongest?Only God knows, but think of the fact that Jesus prayed for each and everyone of us.There is no thought  more precious than the one that Jesus prayed for us all.We must believe the word ,we are God disciples today because we believed the message preached by the early disciples,and Jesus prayed for us.

He prayed that we be one,there must be unity among all believers, for we are one body having one head, lead in one mission, to proclaim only one message;Christ and Him crucified.The standard for unity is the oneness between Jesus and His Father.We are to be one as the Father and the Son are one.We are to have the very same unity one to another.Having one mind ,one heart and of one spirit "One Lord, one Faith and one Baptism".God has one request of man,to believe on the only begotten of the Father,and he prays that we be unified in this message and the request.Jesus dosn't just pray that we be unified, but that we be perfected in unity, perfected as one body.Many have been lost ,because the believers have not been unified enough to penetrate the world with the gospel.God is willing that all be saved, Jesus died that all have a right to the tree of life,but we the believer have been to divided to carry a unified message into a non-believing world,so Jesus prays that we be perfected as one body.

The purpose of a perfected unity is so that the world may know that God sent Jesus into the world to save it.But we have divided the message, we have distorded the purpose and we have divided the body with denominations, personal agenda's and non biblical messages, that many of the believers are lost, so how can we reach the world .This thing is not about worldly riches,it is about the saving of souls.Let all who believe got back on point unify as one like Jesus prayed, and proclaim God's only message to the world,"Jesus Christ and Him crucified".

Betrayed!

John 13:18 "I speak not of you all:I know whom I have chosen:but that the scripture may be fulfilled,he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me."

Here we have a picture of betrayal and apostasy,of a man who turns away from Christ to the world,and this should be a strong warning to every man who professes to follow Christ.When any man betrays the Lord, the Lord's heart is cut to the cord because a soul is being lost.Jesus desire is that none be lost and it truly hurts when one turns from Him to the things of this world.

Now understand, Christ did not choose Judas,but Christ did draw Judas; he did move upon Judas' heart to quicken his mind.He did stir Judas to understand that Jesus was the Messiah,the son of the living God. But Judas rebelled against the drawing power of Christ and rejected the quickening power of Christ. When a person betrays Christ and begins to live in sin,he shows that he did not truly respond to the movement of God's spirit within his heart.He exposes his true unregenerated nature.The betrayer eats with Christ,yet his heel is against him.Judas ate with Christ,he was a friend of Christ, he didn't hate Him;he cared for Christ.He on many occasions walked into the house of God with Jesus and had close fellowship with Jesus.Judas was His follower, a choice disciple, yet Judas lifted up his heel against Jesus.Judas true nature exposed itself, one of disloyalty;as he forsook Jesus;of contempt, as he rejected Jesus,and one of betrayal as he turned his back on Jesus.When a witness was needed,he sold Jesus out, choosing the things of the world(money,recognition and power),over the salvation of the Lord.

Have you betrayed the Lord? Have you walked with Him, supped with him,went into the house of God to fellowship with him, only to sell him out for the things of this world.Have you discounted his word in search of power, prestige or a position in the church.Have you replaced soul saving with money making as the purpose for your walk with him.Have you raised your heels against the Savior of the world for personal gain?

It is not up to You

Job 34:33 "Should it be according to thy mind?He will reompense it,whether thou refuse,or whether thou choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest".

God commands that all repent and be baptised,but the choice is up to each person.We are accountable for the choices we make.But how we are saved is not up to us.There is only one way to be save,and we have no say so it that matter.It is never wise to dispute with God,especially upon the matter of salvation.No sinner seeking pardon should be foolish as to dispute how it is to be done with our Savior.

The question is asked of Job by God, "should it be according to thy mind?" Should salvation be planned to suite you? Should beggars be choosers?Should these who profess penitence become dictators?What is your objection? Is there something wrong with God's perfect plan of salvation?Since He paid for it should it not be his way.When we pay for something we want it our way.Isn't his way the best way,after all our way got us to the point of needing to be saved.Should salvation be according to my mind which is ignorant to the things of heaven,which is sometimes feeble,fickled, selfish and often short sighted. Rather we accept or refuse salvation,God has paid the price.God will punish sin, and the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.God will be glorified and will glorify Christ by the conversion of willing souls who do it His way.God is not one to dispute with,He dosn't need saving we do, and how  we are saved is not up to us.So here God says "Not I", He will not be responsible for the choices we make, He did all he needed for us to be saved, now it is up to us to accept his way or deny salvation.

We have an invitation,"therefore speak what thou knowest". Let us excercise our freedom,choose or reject the plan of salvation set before us.Be sure of that you know by personal observation and experience,and let you decision be based on unquestionable knowledge.Decide for you self,but let it be done with much prayer and spiritual thought,for you decision is for an eternity.

The Fruitful and The Unfruitful

John 15:4"Abide in me,and I in you.As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,except ye abide in me".

There are four stages of fruit bearing given in verses 2-8: no fruit, fruit, more fruit, and much fruit.What does it mean to say a Christian is to bear fruit? it means to bring lost souls to Christ.To live a life before man that man seeks the salvation of the Lord.It means to bear righteousness(Romans 6:21-23), to bear Christian character or fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).There are conditions for bearing fruit in life; there is cleansing, abiding in Christ,and obedience.A true Christian is one that abides in Christ,and Christ abides in them.

The fruit bearers are those who abide in Christ and Christ abides in them.Those who truly abide in Christ are those who,walks in open confession before God,walks through life opening up his life to God, one who confesses all known sins,and doesn't allow any sin to go unconfessed.One who walks in fellowship with Christ,who lives and communes in a consciousness of God's presence.One who lead in the spirit, continues in church, possesses a unashamedness in life that prepares them for eternity,and does not walk in continous sin as expecting constant victory over sin.Those who actively surrenders themselves to obey God's commandments,  truly experiences the indwelling presence and witness of the spirit, and continues to dwells in love, unity and fellowship with all other believers.This is a bearer of much fruit.He walk in a manner that allows his light to so shine as other can see and then seeks the salvation of the Lord.

The unfruitful branches were at one time attached to Christ as they became branches;They did have some organic relationship to Christ, there was a time, a point,when they began to bud and sprout,they even grew into branches.See they listened to the gospel,made a profession,were baptized,seemed capable of bearing fruit,but they were not genuine enough to bear fruit.They had more profession than possession, more pretending then being,more deception than truth,and more counterfit than real True Christianity is a heart thing.Are you  fruitful or unfruitful?

Do you Believe Him!

Romans 10:16 " But they have not all obeyed the gospel.For Esaias saith Lord,who hath believed our report"?

Man is the same disobedient creature under all dispensations.We feel sorry at his rejection of the gospel,and so did Isaiah,who asked a question for all the prophets.It is one of the greatest proofs of the depravity of man's heart that he will no more obey the gospel than the law of  his God.Men would sooner be lost than to trust their God.Many say they believe in Jesus,but how many actually believe Jesus? There is a difference.When any receive the gospel,it is a work of grace:"the arm of the Lord is revealed". But when it is refused it is sin,for we have not obeyed the gospel.

The gospel comes to man in the form of a command.it is not optional to men to accept or refuse it at pleasure.Acts 17:30 tells us that "God now commandeth all men every where to repent.In Mark he commands them to repent and believe the gospel(Mark 1:15).To refuse to believe is to incur great sin,to which there is a death penalty attached to this disobedience.The gospel is set forth as a feast,to which men are obligated to come to, under penalty of the King's displeasure(Matt.22:1-7).We must realize that what ever God commands we are bound to do.It is more than just hearing,crediting,liking, professing,or proclaiming,all these are good, but a hearty obedience to its command is what is needed. We must have faith in the Lord Jesus.Renunciation of self-righteousness and confession of guilt.We must have obedience to both the teaching of Jesus and to his example,with a public confession of our faith His way by, repentance,and baptism.If you refuse the gospel you will die in your sins.

A powerful argument to prove the enmity of man's heart against God is the unsuccessfulness of the gospel.The design of the gospel is to bring us into union with the Son of God and to believe on him whom the Father hath sent.Christ came to gather in soul for the Father ,yet there are soul who refuse to be gathered and wonder aimlessly lost in a vast wilderness of sin and death.

Dangers of Greed

Proverbs 15:27 "He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house;but he that hateth gifts shall live".

"Contentment with God is great gain", yet many in this world have abandoned the word of God for the riches of this world.Many in the pulpits around the world are not feeding the flocks of God, but fleecing God's flocks.Many have begun to feed off of those Jesus died to save,and the church Jesus died for have become nothing more than a money making scheme.Money seems to be the new weapon used by the enemy to turn hearts from God.

Selfish pride and greed vs.Integrity and Honesty,pride mixed with greed is an excellent recipe for ruin.God knows when one's heart and thoughts are turned against Him.People who are trying to obtain wealth the world's way and trying their best to keep up with the Joneses will be in constant turmoil. This kind of self-centered behavior will lead to their demise. Taking bribes,cheating the poor,fleecing the people, and using unlawful ways to get money bring trouble on the person and his or her household. A wise man asks God to control his actions.God's ways feel safe and comfortable to him.Integrity, honesty,sincerity are characteristics the wise man craves.God i spleased with this person,and he will stand on his behalf.

God is delighted wth those who bend their knee before Him in reverent fear,employ the holy spirit to lead,and hungrily search the Scripture.God distances Himself from the defiant.Those who are blinded by the gods of this world, chasing after empty riches and false promises of the deciever.The wicked say,"Get away from us,God,"and He replies,"Okay,I will". He refuses to come to their assistance when they are in need.

Get Understanding

Proverbs 15:32 " He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding".

Proverbs teaches us that "reckless words pierce like a sword,but the tongue of the wise brings healing" and "with his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor,but through knowledge the righteous escape".The resounding message of the book is that our words do matter.

Solomon teaches that our tongues have the power to destroy lives and can do great harm to those around us.Conversely words wisley and thoughtfully spoken bring healing to others.Proverbs descibes fools as those who answer before listening,as those you only delight in only giving their opinions,as those who are quick to quarrel,and as those who show their foolishness,by their speaking.The wise and prudent give thought to their ways,guard their tongue and nurish many.The book emphasizes the gaining of understanding,wisdom,and knowledge.Not simply gaining knowledge,but skillfully using it and applying it to life. A person of understanding in proverbs is one who gains discernment from his or her experience and circumstances in life and is then able to apply such understanding in the making of wise decision and in providing of sound advice to others.This person not only possesses this understanding but is able to apply it to the circustances of life.

Let us look to god's words for instructions in living a life pleasing to God.when we say no to God's word, we say no to God's ways, and inturn we say no to God.When we say no to God we are saying no to the salvation for our souls.

Praying with A Purpose

Ephesians 3:14,16 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, That he would grant you according to the riches of His glory,to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man".(read 3:14-21 for full impact of the prayer).

This is the great prayer of Paul for the church and the believer.It is probably the second most important prayer in the Bible.Because of it's importance, it should be prayed by believers daily.

This prayer  was not a prayer of begging for worldly gifts.It wasn't a prayer of tattling, it was a prayer to uplift,strengthen,save,enlighten and to aid in the growth of the church.The prayer first requested strength and power for the inner man, the spirit man,the new man from the new birth,requesting God's presence and power in our lives.The prayer requested for Christ to dwell in the hearts of man by faith.That means to have rule and reign in our hearts.Dwell means a permanent living arrangement.So the prayer is asking that Christ ,takes up permanent residence,settles in,and lives in the hearts of all believers.It is the presence of Christ that motivates us to follow Christ.He then prays that we be rooted and grounded in love the same love God has for us.He prays that we have understanding of all spiritual things.That we might fully grasp God's perfect plan of salvation, and the part we the church must play in that plan.Understanding God's perfect will for our life ,not the will we have chosen,but that which he has chosen for us. He prays that we know the love of Jesus which surpasses all understanding and knowledge.It is utterly impossible for man to grasp and experience the love of Christ, to know it in it's full measure,but we should pray and ask God to help us learn more about it everyday.

Prayer should be to lift up the name of Jesus;to stand in the gap for the lost and unsaved, while strengthening and uplifting the believer,while asking for strength to continue in the work we have been called to do.Jesus said "take no thought" for what we should wear, eat etc. He said our Father knows we have need of these things,so let us pray for the strengthening of the Church and other believers that God might get the glory throughout all ages. 

Step Down to be Lifted Up

Proverbs 25:6-7 "Put not forth thyself in the presence of the King,and stand not in the place of great men:For better it is that it be said unto thee,come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen".

One of the most difficult things for us to do is to acknowledge our pride and choose to step into the path of humility.This can even be painful at first, with the first step being the hardest(admitting your pride.) But what comes after is a sense of peace and feeling the "high road"of a humble heart.

Humility lifts us out of the pit of our selfishness and places us on a higher plane of love,empathy, patience,and trust in God.In these ways,once we step down from our competitive,foolish self-exaltation, we actually step up to a place of wonderful contentment,knowing that God has our path mapped out,and if we are to be exalted,it will be at the right time in the right way,with none being trampled in the process.God will not elevate you on the back of another brother or sister in Christ. In order to take that first step down, we need to be able to see and acknowledge where we have been exalting ourselves.That may be something we are already aware of because God has been speaking to our conscience about it already,or it may be we are blind to and need God to show us.Either way, once we see the problem, we can begin to take action.We might have to wrestle with our pride,we might have to swollow some thing we don't like.we might even resent letting others get ahead of us,or hate losing the perks and special privillages that certain statue affords us.But once we put our feet to the path of humility we are on our way to the peace that only can come from God doing the exalting.

Contrary to what many think it is easy to fall into a prideful state.So we must always esteem other higher than ourselves.Seeking to walk in a life of humility is a daily battle,but remember God dosn't like the proud.  

A Divided Church!

1Corinthians 1:10 "Now I beseech you, brethen,by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,that ye all speak the same thing,and that there be no divisions among you;but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment".

The church at corinth was in a sad state.The fellowship among believers had deteriorated to such a degree that it was about to crumble and collapse.There was severe division and dissension in the ranks:differing opinions,power struggles,envy,grumbling, griping, murmuring,attacking and gossiping. Believers stood against believers, and the church was divided.

Does any of this sound familiar? The bible says Jesus is the head of THE church,which leads me to believe there is only one,yet we have divided the body of Christ with man made denominations, self serving messages,and personal ambitions.We evenproclaim that one denomination is better than another,is Christ divided? Is one part of Him better than another?When the church is divided the ministry, mission and message of the church can not effectively go forward.Until we come together with a singleness of mind, with one purpose and proclaim a single message the world will continue to wonder aimlessly in darkness, lost to the message of the Lord.Worship, exhortation, missions,reaching and ministering to people, the very cause of Christ,the very reason He came to the earth and died,are effected and will continue to be, until we who profess to be part of his glorious body come together as one.Division within the body of Christ is one of the most serious problems the church faces today.With all of the man made differences we have allowed to collect with in the congregations, we as a Church most focus on the one thing we all have in common.It alone must be the single message which comes out of every part of the body,no matter the denomination.

The cross; the cross alone is the answer to a divided church,not words or human wisdom.Human wisdom can never solve the division in the church, nor the division with in the world.Why? Because of Love,love among all persons,is the only remedy for division.And the greatest demonstration of love ever witnessed upon earth is the cross of Christ.It is the cross that reveals the love of God to a unbelieving world,and this cross challenges man to love his fellow man.The cross is the answer to the division among mankind,for Christ died to save all mankind; and the cross is the answer to a divided church , for it was Christ dying on the cross that purchased the salvation for his church, regardless of the denomination.

Teaching True Christian Living!

Matthew 5:2 "And he opened his mouth,and taught them ,saying,"( read 5:2-12)

Jesus climbed a mountain in Galilee and delivered a powerful sermon.With this sermon he presented a standard of living for all believers.This sermon showed that christianitry is not simply a religion but it is in fact a way of life.Here Jesus teaches us who we are to live this Christian life.

We are to live a life so contrast from the ways of this world.We are not of this world and we have been called out and separated to a life of obedience and self sacrifice.Our life dosn't belong to us,it belongs to God ,he purchased it and he owns it.Jesus began His instructions with the words,"blessed are".We are blessed, all who truly accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Blessed are the poor in spirit;those of us who recognize our own inner poverty of spirit,which hinders us from living a life pleasing to God. we are blessed to have Jesus to live in us.Blessed are the meek, those who are genuinely humble.Blessed are those who do truly hunger and thirst after righteousness, those seeking to know the Lord and obey his commands.Jesus tells us we are to be merciful,we are to extend kindness to all mankind,for all souls belong to God.We are the pure at heart,having a devine cleansing from sin,that we might be inwardly clean,an ongoing process requiring continual confession of sins with the promise of God's forgivness.This is not a license to sin ,but when we are overcome with sin, going to the Father for forgiveness. We are the peace makers,striving not only for peace among people today,but also to lead others to the peace that passes all understanding.this is why we are called the sons(children) of God.

Sometimes we choose where we want God's hand in our lives.We don't give Him the freedom to be God in every intricate part of our everyday affairs.God should be the center from which all else flows.

Things I use to Do!

Ephesians 5:8 "For ye were sometimes darkness,but now are ye light in the Lord:walk as children of Light."

There are two walks through life available to all men.There is the life and walk of darkness, or the life and walk of light.There is a world of difference between the two,in fact your eternity is determined by which life or walk you pursue.We all at one time or another journeyed on the walk of darkness.We were all lost, a child of disobedience,a rebeller against God.In fact the bible tells us "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God".We are not whose we use to be.

We now profess to be children of the light, no longer children of the dark,so we are not to walk as others walk.We are new creatures in Christ Jesus,and the walk of darkness is not pleasing unto God.So the things we use to do ,we shouldn't do them anymore.We shouldn't walk in the vanity of our own minds.Thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought,having a dark understanding blinded by the god's of this world to the to the truth and power of the one true and living God.Through Jesus we have been reconciled to God,no longer the children of disobedience, rebelling against God.We are now through Christ children of the light.Jesus is the light of the world and whosoever follows him shall not walk in darkness , but shall have the light of life.Christ not only shows us the light but he made us the light.We are the light of the eternal God in the mist of a world of darkness,therefore we are to walk as children of the light.

We in the dark, one will follow who ever has the light,so when we truly walk as children of the light, those lost in darkness will follow you as you follow Jesus,for no one likes the dark. Let us stop trying to walk in a world of darkness,but instead lead the dark world into the light of the Lord.Jesus said "and I ,If I be lifted up from the earth ,will draw all men unto me."If we raise up the light of the world, the  dark world will be saved.  

Conversion:The power of Grace and Mercy!

Ephesians 2:4-5 " But God, who is rich in mercy,for his great love wherewith he loved us,Even when we were dead in sin,hath quickened us together with Christ,(by grace ye are saved;)

The most astouding interruption in human history is the word "but" in this passage.Man is dead in trespasses and sins, but God is rich in mercy.He has intervened in the destiny of man;He has interrupted the doom of death and judgement.God has had mercy on us,and allowed his grace to save us.

The work of God's mercy is to raise us up  with Christ.Scripture plainly declares that God has raised  up believers together with Christ.How is this possible when Christ was crucified and raised up thousands of years ago?God raised Jesus for three reasons;Jesus lived a sinless perfect life.God loved man and wanted to save man,but he had a problem,man had already sinned.Righteousness and perfection had already been lost,and only perfection can live in the presence of God.However,there was hope,if a man could live a perfect and ideal life,that man could secure perfection,and the Ideal righteousness. And that man could stand for and cover all who trusted in him.This is what Jesus did.He was the ideal and perfect man.He was the sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish who could die for the sins of mankind.Jesus died for man,he accepted for us the wage paid by sin.He bore man's penality and punishment for the sins we were guilty.He who knew no sin was made sin that we who knew no righteousness could be made righteous.God then raised Jesus from the dead,His resurrection stands for all who believes,all who by faith, believes and is baptised, can be saved by the grace of God and the goodness of his mercy.

The work of God's grace and mercy is for us to sit in heavenly places with our heavenly Father.When we by faith accept Christ death,we are dead to sin, and when we accept that God has raise Him from the dead, we to by faith and God's grace, are raised in a newness of life in Christ Jesus. For his word says"But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you"(Roman 8:11)

My Brothers Keeper!

Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,ye which are spiritual,restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;considering thyself,lest thou also be tempted."

This starts off with the word "man", a person just like us,he has desires,passions,and urges just like us.He walks and lives in the flesh just like we do.Therefore he faces the same temptations as we all do.But what is to be done when a Christian brother has succumbed to temptation,stumbled or fallen?What is to be the spirit and attitude of the church? How are we to approach the problem?

We must realize a true Christian can be overtaken by sin.The word overtaken, means to be taken before hand,by suprise,or unexpectedly.A true christian is suprised when he is overtaken by sin;he never supects it to happen,for he belongs to Christ, he is walking with the Savior.But when one does slip and fall,what should we do?The scripture says we are to restore him.However there is a right and a wrong way to help the fallen brother.The chances are the fallen person will be sensitive,perhaps embarrassed, and easily shamed.He could be so ashamed he is to embarrassed to return to the church.He might feel unwelcome to the church for what he has done.So we must approch him in the right spirit,one of love letting the fallen person know that they are loved.A spirit of,meekness, so we are not overtaken with pride and selfrighteousness.We should have the same spirit for the for the fallen as Christ had for us.After all, we all have fallen at one time or another,how were you restored?

Christ gave and sacrificed himself to reach out to man. He bore the sins of man for man,and when we fall, he is right there to forgive us and stand in the gap as our advocate for the Father.Now we can't bear the sins of one another,but we can bear each others burdens,and we can stand in the gap with prayer and supplication for those who have fallen and through a spirit of meekness restore such a one to the fold.

Humbled Obedience!

Philippians 2:8 "And being found in fashion as a man,he humbled himself,and became obedient unto death,even the death of the cross".

This is one of the greatest passages ever written about Jesus Christ.It paints the perfect picture of humility and obedience.No one has ever come close to the humility and obedience of Christ, and chances are none ever will.The church is too often divided,too rumbling with criticism,murmuring, differences, jealousy, envy,ambition,outside talk,negative feelings,and desires for position and recognition.The only way to over come and defeat these challanges is through humility and obedience. Letting the humility of Christ flow in and out of our minds,thus becoming obedient to His word and those whom He gives us to rule over us.The unity of the church depends on the congregation being humbled with the mind of Christ, and obedient to His word,will and way.

Jesus Christ is the supreme example of humility.As stated,this is one of the greatest passages ever written about Jesus Christ.Very simply,the passage says that Jesus Christ is God,yet he humbled himself and became man.Jesus Chirst is the person who dwelt in all the glory of perfection,but he humbled Himself and came down to this corruptible world that knows little else other than selfishness,greed and death.Just imagine the enormous step down that Jesus Christ had to take to become a Man.It is utterly impossible to grasp the humility it took.Yet this is exactly what he did and what we are to do. The very same mind that existed in Christ,that led Christ to give up everything He was and had,that very mind is to be in us. The only way the problems of this world can be solved is for every person to let the mind of Christ flood their minds.Unless we step down and humble ourselves,step down to where the hurting people are,these problems will never be solved.Realistically most people are not going to do this,most are not going to give up all they have and all they are for those in need.But the christian is to do this,to be Christ like,humble and obedient. 

Christ humbled Himself to the point of utter humiliation,to the very point of death,even the death of the cross.Jesus humbled Himself to the Father,it was the Father's will for Him to come down to earth and die for the sinful nature of all mankind,and he obeyed unto death.He humbled Himself to men,as He allowed man to kill Him.He humbled Himself  in obedience to be the Savior of the world."greater love has no man than this,to lay down his life for a friend".Yes Jesus Loves Me. 

Know the Truth:Obey the Truth

Galatians 5:9 "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump"

The Galatian churches had backslidden.They were turning away from the truth,from Jesus Christ Himself.Many congregations today are also being turned away from the salvation of the Lord,to the riches,and false hopes of this world.But the truth is, the only hope for the backslider is to turn back to Christ and obey His truths.We are called to obey the truth,for God does not call us to error.Any teaching, persuasion or position that leads you away from the truth of Jesus Christ is not of God.And remember Jesus never changing and neither does God's word."Jesus Christ the same yesterday,today and forever".

Know the truth and obey the truth,"for a little leaven(untruth) corrupts the whole lump.Leaven stands for for evil corruption,fermentation and infection.It takes only a little leaven to permeate and influence the whole lump of dough.So it is with false teachers.One false teacher, can inject his false teaching into the church and it will soon permeate and influence the whole church.If we don't root out the false teachers and clean out the false doctrine, the truth would soon be destroyed.(Anything being taught that is not in the bible is not God's revelation, but man's imagination).Jesus Christ would no longer be the focus of attention.The congregation would begin to focus on rituals,ceremonies, and good works instead of Christ.They would begin to try and approach God through their own selfrighteousness and merit,with Jesus Christ being placed on the back burner,and out of sight for many.His prominence and the absolute necessity of His righteousness and death would be downplayed.This is always the case when false teaching is allowed in the Church,or when the church leadership is lifted higher than the great head of the Church.This is sometimes done unaware,how many times do you refer to the church you attend by the name of your pastor or bishop.

We must first know the truth ,to obey the truth.This christian life is a race, and Paul told the Galatians that they had been running the race well,having believed in Christ,they had been living for Christ sharing the good news of Christ,and worshiping and serving him with a great zeal.There had been nothing fake about them ,they were not Sunday morning Christians,but someone had stepped in with a false doctrine that begin to hinder there run.But knowing the truth Paul was confident they could overcome and get back on track by turning back to Jesus Christ, the truth of God's word.

The Path of the Wise

Proverbs 4:13 "Take fast hold of instruction;let her not go:Keep her;for she is thy life".

The bible says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord",but how are they ordered?We must seek His instructions in His word and be lead by His spirit.It is when we are obedient to God's word that we are the good man whose steps are ordered by God,for he ordered all steps, but not all obey His orders.Daily wisdom is available in God's word through meditating and memorizing.But most of all, we have to take it seriously,placing it deep inside our hearts and believing this is the only way to conduct our lives.Those who study and practice God's word experience contentment and his peace.

If God's word is deep within the heart,the lips will pour out truth.No speaking against God,no use of profane expressions, foolishness,slandering,arguing,nor bragging.Your eyes will be fixed on Jesus,with no time for looking to the left or the right.Those who name God as Father should have their feet firmly on God's path,not making rash decision or falling off the path into various temptations.But how do we keep to the path when there are so many stumbling block?Well the perfect path is always the one that follows God's instruction.If we stray onto another path,His instructions can lead us to where we need to be.As the psalmist said,"your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path".When we get out of His light, we stumble hopelessly in darkness.In light of His instructions,we can pay attention to and examine our steps.

Solomon was led astray by keeping close company with those who worshiped idols.This moved his heart away from God, so he advised,keep your distance from those who do cause evil and from evil doers,stay away from those who oppose God's agenda.When people you are around don't want to walk on God's path, pray for them and continue on alone if need be,don't be led astray.Do you find yourself stumbling in some area of life?Do you need to regain your footing? Take hold to God's instruction,and don't let her Go, for she is your life.

Jesus: Our Strength in the Lord

Zechariah 10:12 "And I will strengthen them in the Lord;and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord".

Every man needs strength.We ask for daily bread:and we ask for it as a means for renewing our strength.We need strength to deliever us from evil,and for the forgiveness of our trespasses.On this Christian journey there are certain things to be done,certain things to be endured,things to be resisted, which can only be performed,borne,and stood against,by the power of God.Lack of strength is more serious than lack of any outward possession.A weak rich man is far worse position than a strong poor man.Every man needs strength;but no man has within him strength equal to the demands that are made upon him.

The Christian is no exception to this rule.He needs strength.His conversion was not translated to inactivity,he has to now be a doer.Our work is not the ceaseless singing of psalms, while we kick back in green pastures,and lounge by the still waters.When we lie in green pasture it is because we are wearied and we lie down that we may rise again a stronger man,to enter upon a more fierce fight,and to do harder work.We rest not for the sake of resting ,but that we might do more work.But our strength can only come from our being strengthen.Jesus is our strength,and when we are weak he is strong.He makes us to lie down in green pastures.God through Jesus gives us that which we need at the time when we need it, a never ending supply of strength,to overcome, to endure, to perserver,to conquor,to withstand, to stand, to walk upright, to love, to give and forgive.The born again true blood washed believer is never left without the strenght he needs to accomplish the work set before him.Our strength lies within our faith in Jesus.

Our text tells us that God will strengthen us through Jesus Christ,that we will walk worthy of His name. We will walk in the obedience of His word, the righteousness of His commands,and in accordance to His will,for Jesus has power over all flesh,so by His spirit our flesh will behave...

Endless Love

Matthew 5:44 "But I say unto you,Love your enemies,bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,and persecute you;"

The people of Jesus' day understood loving their neighbors,but they did not understand loving their enemies.To them it was alright to hate the enemies,but Jesus taught just the opposite.If someone is being mistreated,how can the hurting party show love?First of all,the love spoken of here is not ordinary fleshly love,but agape love,the unconditional love that defines who God is.Once a person receives and understands that kind of Love,it over flows into a endless love for others.

Jesus gave practical ways  to love the enemy,He said to bless them,pray for them and do them good.The Gospel in a word is Love.Unbelievers may turn their backs on what we say about Christ,but it's hard to resist the love of Christ.This Love is why Christ was willing to die to save us.His motive had nothing to do with the character of the people he died for.Isreal's worthless shepherds,her religious leaders,had successfully bargined with the Roman authorities for Christ death.A mob rejected Him,asking that they release to them a murder in Barabas.He was betrayed by His own for money,abandoned by others and even denied by one close to Him.Jesus was sworn at, spit upon,and made fun of.He was so badly beaten before He was finally nailed to the cross that he was almost unrecognizable.Yet he said "forgive them Father for they know not what they do".Paul explained the endless love of God this way;"When we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly."But God demonstarted his love for us in this:That While we were yet sinners,Christ died for Us."

Let us who profess to be like Christ display the same endless love to other that Christ shared with us. Let us now show the world what Christ looks like ,by allowing the world to see Christ through our lives.Got Jesus? Prove it , let me see him in your life...

The Heart of The new Man

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,to the which also ye are called in one body;and be ye thankful".(read 15-17)

When a new life enters the world,a new heart enters the world.There is no life apart from a heart,a new life necessitates a new heart.When we become a new,born another, along with that new birth come a new heart.See the new man, must have a new heart ruled by the peace of God.He is to let Christ,the peace of God rule in all things and differences.The word "peace", means to be bound,joined,and weaved together.It means to be assured,confident and secure in th elove and care of God.It is to know that God will take care of us no matter what the problem or circumstance,to know that God will not allow anything to swamp or defeat us.But we must realize this peace lies in Christ and Christ alone,and we cannot know this peace unless and until we know and accept Christ in our new heart.It says "let the peace of God rule",this is a command and we must be obedient to experience this peace.

The believer heart must also be rich with the word of Christ,he is to let the word of Christ dwell in his heart.The choice is up to the believer,the word of Christ does not naturally dwell in our hearts.Here the word  "dwell", means to make a home,to abide or live within.We must make room within our heart for the word of Christ.We must let the word enter our hearts and be at home and make a home there.His word must dwell and abide in our heart.We must clean out all the old furnishings of our heart and let the word of Christ settle down as a permanent resident within the heart.The word must abide richly in our hearts,we cannot be satisfied with a quick visit of the word, but it must richly dwell in our hearts. Christ word must furnish our hearts with all the wealth of its commandments, and promises, instructions and warnings.

Thsi will give us a heart of service unto the Lord.As the new man is a servant,he now will have the heart of a servant, he will become a cheerful giver,a willing worker,and a faithful servant unto the Lord.All that is done is done for the glory of the Lord,the spreading of the gospel and the building of His kingdom.This is the new heart that goes with our new life in Christ..

Dressed to be like Christ

Colossians 3:12 "Put on therefore,as the elect of God,holy and beloved,bowels of mercies,kndness, humbleness of mind,meekness,longsuffering";

Once we accept Christ we have  a new life.As seen in the previous passage(read 1-14), the believer is to strip off the clothing of his old life,for they are unbecoming to his new life.Now, there are some clothes that the believer is to put on,clothes that will dress him to be like Christ.

The clothing of the elect; As believers we are the "elect of God".We are those God has chosen  to be His holy and beloved people.We were elected to be holy,to be separated, set apart for God's will.God called us out of the world and away from the old life it offered, the life of sin and death,in to a life of righteousness and eternity,so we must change clothes.We are elected to be the beloved of God,to turn away from a life of hatred of God,the old life that rejected, rebelled,ignored, denied,and was constantly cursing in the face of God.We have been called to recieve the love of God,Jesus Christ.The point is this the elect and beloved of God are those who really trust and believe Jesus Christ is their savior.It is these who live in a newness of life and have taken off the ways of the old man and have put on the clothes of the new life.

They have dressed in the clothes of Jesus Christ,taking of the ways of the old man.Putting on mercy, humility, meekness, kindness, forbearance, longsuffering and love.We must remember it is not enough just to take off the ways of the old man,we must now put on the clothes of the new man and thus walk in a newness of life, dressed to be like Christ.

Man's Concepts vs.God's Work

Colossians 2:13 "And you,being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh,hath he quickened together with him,having forgiven you all trespasses".

This scriptures discusses the concept or ideas about man and his world.It shows man's concepts against God's work in Christ.It shows how weak man's ideas are in comparison to what God has done for man in Christ.Man's concept of sin and death is far different from what the bible teaches.When man thinks of sin, he does not see it as a violation of God's law or rebellion against God.To him he thinks it is just human error,or a personal or moral flaw or a character defect.What a person calls sin depends on where he is standing,his environment,training,or beliefs.Few are willing to submit to God and confess that sin is the disobediance of God's law,a rebillion against Him, and how he intends for man to live.

Christ stands opposed to man's idea of sin and death.Jesus Christ would have never come into the world if sin and eternal death were not realities.If sin and death were not keeping men out of life here after,Jesus would have never come to earth.God would have never let His Son hang on a cross if men were not sinners and doomed to eternal damnation.The verse says "you, being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh."Man is said to be already dead, a living dead, because of sin and because he is uncircumcised; that is ,sin has not been cut out of his flesh by God. Man thinks he is living but he is fact already dead in sin,from his conception he is dying, aging, every moment.He is living in a world of death.

God quickens the believer with Christ,the word "quicken" means to make alive,to bring to life.The believer is brought to life from the dead.How? By being together with Christ.When we trust Christ ,I mean really trust him,God takes our trust and identifies us with Him.God places us together with Christ This means a most wonderful thing; it means that we were with Christ in His death and resurrection. Therefore when Christ died for our sins,we died with Him.God identifies us with Him therefore we never have to die for our sins.The penealty for sins has already been paid,Christ paid for them,thus we are forgiven our trespasses.Look at the work God did for man through Jesus Christ.

Pray For Not Against One Another

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

Ultimately,the goal of prayer is to cleanse us and bring us closer to our Father as we seek to do His will in earth as a mirror of His being done in heaven.When Jesus instructed us to go into our closet to pray,He wasn't telling us to go and sic God on our enemies like we would sic our dog on an intruder,or to beg for the material things of this world,for we are not of this world. Our prayers are a holy and sacred communication between us and our Father, and it should be for the betterment of ourselves,and the world inwhich we live.

Stories have circulated on this social media and other media of people asking that Christians pray against someone or something.Some on this sight have asked that we pray against the President of the United States. Prayer is not to be used to covet what belongs to another nor to invoke vengence on others.We are commanded to bless and not to curse, to do good and not evil.Prayer is a gift, it is our opportunity to commune with our heavenly Father.Through prayer,we've been empowered to speak life and blessings,to change the course of an individual's life, to invite God's wisdom and presence into any situation, and to worship the creator.Paul instructs us to submit to and pray for those who have authority over us.We should pray for their wisdom to lead "that we might live a peaceful and quiet lives in godlessness and holiness". Paul's prayers included prayers for Nero, the cruel Roman emperor who later ordered Pauls execution.That was the same kind of prayer Jesus prayed for His enemies when he was on the cross.

Sadly, some people are misguided in their understanding of prayer.They act as though they are going into the closet to ask God to bring a curse on all whom they don't like or agree with.Those kind of prayers show we don't have a close relationship with the Lord.We must remember that prayer for our enemies dissolves our anger and builds compassion and helps our own prayers be un hindered.We must pray according to the scripture and in a spirit of love when we enter our closet.