Daily and effective prayer is essential to one’s relationship with God. We are instructed in Scripture “…in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). We are given guidelines in various scriptures regarding prayer, including how to pray, in what spirit and attitude we should pray, and specific things we should pray for. How often do you remind yourself of these precepts, and are you applying them in your prayers daily?
Tag Archives: God
Fundamentals of Prayer — Part 1
Prayer is an essential element in spiritual vitality. It’s in prayer that we develop the close personal relationship with God that makes his spirit a power in our lives. We repent in prayer. It’s in prayer that we labor for the salvation not only of ourselves but of others. It’s in prayer that we give praise and thanksgiving to God and seek of him those things of which we have need. It’s vital to pray–and to understand how to pray, when, for what.
God’s Name
In the Bible are found many names and titles for God. The faithful who abide in God’s word are called by his name (Jeremiah 15:16). The true Church bears the name of God. It is said of the Philadelphia era of the Church in part “you…Have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). He who overcomes bears the name of God. Those dwelling in the new Jerusalem shall have the name of God on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4), symbolic of having engraved in their minds the knowledge of the inherent meaning of God’s name and the spiritual and intellectual likeness of God which his name expresses.
Do Faithful Christians Suffer?
Some have been persuaded by false teachings or simply their own misunderstanding that by having “enough faith” and “claiming God’s promises” he or she will be blessed with good health, prosperity, and a life free of serious trials. But does God’s word in fact support the idea that a faithful Christian will experience such a physical lifetime in this age?
Despite the fact that some proponents of what has been called the “prosperity gospel” have garnered huge followings and massive amounts of money encouraging a distorted idea of what the Bible teaches in respect to how God works in our lives, one who takes a view such as described above is bound to be disappointed at some point in his or her life.
While God certainly does promise blessings for faithful obedience to his word, it’s also clear from the teachings and examples found in Scripture that the life of a genuine Christian in this age is challenging, and often calls for courage, sacrifice, and suffering. Why does God allow suffering, even for the faithful, and how may we profit from the trials we encounter as we strive to please and serve God?
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Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM
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Christian Love, Part 2
When asked what is the greatest commandment in the law of God, Jesus said, “`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
How many who claim the be Christians, however, take this statement to heart? How many even have a valid concept of what “love” is, from the standpoint of Scripture? Common ideas of “love” to the world, even to many who claim to be Christians, are deeply flawed, and often they are diametrically opposite to what the Bible itself defines as love. Yet, there is nothing more important to real Christianity than both the understanding of the concept of love from a Biblical perspective, and its application as one lives his life in fulfilling these two greatest of the commandments.
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