Prayers

Lord,

I want to pray for all those poster on the CBS bds that do not know you or have rejected you.  I want to lift them up to you so that in some way some form maybe they can feel your love and that of other christians around them.  Let them know that salvation through you is one small step and please show them the way.  Use this thread and use us as posters to do your will and please know that we love you and thank you for all that you do...Amen

I join you in prayer .........

Lord,

I want to pray for all those poster on the CBS bds that do not know you or have rejected you.  I want to lift them up to you so that in some way some form maybe they can feel your love and that of other christians around them.  Let them know that salvation through you is one small step and please show them the way.  Use this thread and use us as posters to do your will and please know that we love you and thank you for all that you do...Amen

I join you in prayer .........

Amen!!!!! Great prayer! Blessings!

Gary

I, myself will search for my sheep and take care of them.

Ezekiel 34:11

Oh Lord - thank you for being our Good Shepherd - for adopting us as your own.

We thank you Lord for your faithfulness - when we go astray - you are forever there to welcome us back.

Grant us strength today oh Lord - let us be a witness for you - to share the Good News - to share our faith & to share the gospel of Christ to someone - today !

There is so much work to be done.  Guide us & let us do Your will & we will rejoice in you O Lord.


In Jesus' name I pray - Ah men.


It's so good to see everyone here - and I lift up thanksgiving to the Lord for you & your walk - your witness and for the fellowship through this thread.  I am amazed at our Lord everyday.

Rejoice & be glad.

This message has been removed by the administrator.

"I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter sayings of old."
Psalm 78:2

 
Life is a story. It is a parable we live through day by day. Just as a parable has a hidden meaning, so, too, the
events of our daily living have significance and deeper meanings. Our present and our past are important components
of who we are. We like to hold onto the past, and we strive to make the present the best it can be. God is a part
of our past and our present. He can shape our parable for us if we will let Him. When we do so, we can be confident
that our story has a happy ending.
 

I don't have any idea what the outcome of my story will be, Lord, but I thank You for giving my life an interesting
and unique plot. Go with me through the chapters of my life, Lord, for Your glory, Amen

Lvillesooner, I add my Amen to your beautiful prayer!  God is indeed faithful and will provide for us according to His perfect will.


The was another doctor week for Mom.  She saw the cardiologist and got a great review!  Tests were normal and the condition of her legs has improved so that he agreed to put off surgery unless she wants it because she gets increased pain or limitations in her ability to walk.  Thank you all for the prayer.  I will continue the care of her legs each evening to help prevent any further wounds and infections.  It is up to her now to decide when she is ready to have the additional skin cancer surgery on her face and the needed biopsies on other spots on her body.  It is nice to be out of "emergency mode" for a while!  God is good all the time!


Be God's!

Sissy     

Thanks to all who have PM'd me, the feeling is awesome.


So, I said I struggle with the thought of a higher power, BUT, I no longer believe in coincidences.

I found the PERFECT book, let me know if anyone has read it, I am on chapter 3 and it's great.

"When God Winks - How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life."

PADAK,

God works in such great and wonderful ways we just never know how is going to lead us.  In fact in my own life I can testify that if I try to force myself into God's will it never works out well he has a plan you just have to sit back and let him divulge it at his own pace.  When it does become know it is awesome!

I have never read the book you are referring to but if you have questions about it post them here and the gang will try to help you out and it you read something that is just awesome and you want to share it we are here for that too.  Its just awesome being a Christian and having people like the ones on this thread to walk the path with you!

Prayer for you brother as I am praying for all the people on this thread and for all those who read the thread but do not make their presence know ( you know who you are and you are loved)!

PADAK, glad you are finding help.  I agree that there are no coincidences; God has a plan for our lives.  I haven't read the book you mentioned.  I would strongly recommend that you include reading the Bible along with anything else.  If reading the Bible start to finish is kind of cryptic, you can find online lessons chapter by chapter, verse by verse, explained so we can understand, at www.ccphilly.org and select "Resources" and then "Online Bible Studies"--from that page, you can streat audio without having to buy lessons on CD.  I would recommend that you start with the book of John before you jump into the Old Testament (get used to GRACE before you go back and study the law, which is NOT how we are saved).  Also a great site for recovery is Bryan Duncan's http://www.bryand.com/ and select either "RadioRehab" for audio lessons or "Road to Redemption" for reading.  Bryan is a Biblical Christian who is in recovery and has a great sense of humor and gut-wrenchingly honest expressions of how our feelings and twisted thinking get in our own way on our walk with God.  I'm currently reading his book "Dear God . . . Really?:  Prayers You Won't Hear In Church" and it's pointedly honest and funny--how we whine to God when  someone else is getting away with sin that we know we can't get away with and so on!  I love this one:


"Dear God, Are we on speaker phone?  Because every time I confess my sins to You, suddenly everybody in the neighborhood knows what I'm doing wrong.  Do Your angels talk behind Your back?  Or maybe it's that my sin is so obvious, everybody saw it before I did.  OK, I got it, thanks for listening."


Bryan doesn't spend a second pretending he can lift himself up higher than anyone else in his walk.  I love his honesty!  It's OK to laugh while you are recovering! lol

God bless you!

Sissy         

My greetings to WT, Gary, AB4C, and Gators as well.  Always good to see you guys!  Anita came through her surgery just fine and is home recovering and thanks you for the prayer.  All prayers are lifted up as well.

So, I said I struggle with the thought of a higher power, BUT, I no longer believe in coincidences.

I found the PERFECT book, let me know if anyone has read it, I am on chapter 3 and it's great.

"When God Winks - How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life."

Never read it, brother. The important thing is to test it to scripture, and NEVER read or form an idea on a single verse from the Bible. Any time a verse is used to comunicate a certain Truth, we must test it in context to determine if that's what the verse means. Also have to remember that Biblical promises and judments must be read with a who, what, and why aproach, so as to not apply something individually that does not refer to us. The Word is the Word, and not open to personal application, rather it should be applied in in's context. I am very careful at not looking to "signs" to make decisions. God has already spoke through his word. That being said, God can do what ever he wants, but, if he speaks to you, you will know it. We have to be careful to not use God or his Word as a sort of a personal genie. I did this as a baby Christian. God is always at work, and uses situations and people to his purposes. I can look back and see his workings in my life. What we are commanded to do is follow his Moral will. He is sovereign and will intervene:) ! Praying for ya!!

Proud of you,
Tony 

"Dear God, Are we on speaker phone?  Because every time I confess my sins to You, suddenly everybody in the neighborhood knows what I'm doing wrong.  Do Your angels talk behind Your back?  Or maybe it's that my sin is so obvious, everybody saw it before I did.  OK, I got it, thanks for listening."

lol ... Amen!
PTL for Anita :)

Good to see you all! 

PADAK ... that being said, it is no coincidence that you found this thread :)

What's going on, Christian brothers and sisters? Praise be unto the name of the Lord whether it is a good day or a bad day.

What's going on, Christian brothers and sisters? Praise be unto the name of the Lord whether it is a good day or a bad day.

Indeed! Good to see you, geneh.

Sis, so great to hear about Anita! Praise God! Blessing to all and all why will come here as led by the Holy Spirit. Everyone have an awesome Friday and a blessed weekend. I'm preaching at the prison this weekend so please say a little prayer for me that I will understand exactly what the Lord wants to share.

Gary  

"In the daytime also He led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire."
Psalm 78:14

 
God brings us through the wastelands of our sin the same way. He will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength
and endurance. Trust in God's mercy and love, and He will bring you through any situation.
 
Lord, I am sometimes frightened by the challenges I am called on to face. Be with me, and let me lean upon Your strength
for support. You are my rock of refuge, my shelter from the storm.  With Your help, I will rise up with wings of eagles
and achieve what You have designed me to be for Your glory and honor.  Thank You for Your word to lead us and Your light.
I pray for this guidance and strength for us all in Jesus' name, Amen.

PADAK,

You are wrestling with one of the deepest issues in philosophy or theology.  The connections between the will of man and the will of God could take an entire lifetime to sort out- if then.  The most important thing to realize is that the God of the Universe came looking for you, chose to send His Spirit to make Himself known to you, applied His payment for your sin (Blood of Jesus), receives you by grace, and has sealed your soul with His Spirit for eternity.  If you can sincerely search your heart and know that this is true- if your heart sings out "AMEN!" then you can be assured of your salvation.  It is based on God's Word and His ability to keep it- and you.  All else is secondary and will be revealed to you in His time. 

Most men focus only on their "free will" because that is all they are aware of.  The know their own actions and very little about God's.  What is unseen and often unknown to mortal man is the Will of God that work behind the scene accomplishing His will.  If you ever read the account of Pharoah and the people of Israel concerning the Exodus in Genesis and Exodus, you will see that Pharoah was operating on his own human level- what we now call The Flesh.  He meant to harm Israel.  But God had a plan that was in place before the creation of the universe (being unrestricted by time and knowing the last from the first) and He worked all those terrible actions into blessings for the people of God.  The Old Testament is a long love story about how God acted to bring His people to glory and Honor to His Name despite their wickedness and disobedience. 

God loved us and came looking for us while we were sinners and not even looking for Him.  His Spirit won us over.  We were cleansed and forgiven based on His actions through His Son by the Cross.  We responded to His drawing by the Spirit.  We are made Holy by His Indwelling Spirit at work in us.  We have a human will, but it reacts to the leading of Holy Spirit, or it acts in bondage to the Flesh.  It isn't truly free until the Lord frees us of the bondage of sin.  Until that point, we are "dead in trespasses and sin".  How free and active is a dead thing?  How dead is dead?  But we are made alive in Christ by the Spirit of Christ.


Ephesians 1

New International Version (NIV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.


Greg

Greeting Gary, Tony, gen, PADAK, WT, Gators, Lvillesooner, and all my bros and sisters in Christ!


Gary, we will be keeping you in prayer as you serve in your prison ministry.  Thank you for being a willing servant and a great example to us all!

Tony, I totally agree with you on not using the Bible verses out of context or treating the Bible like a fortune-telling tool.  I too struggle with that many years ago.  I had been through most world religions and was heavily into New Age stuff.  I was used to using the I Ching for arbitrary guidance.  When I became a Christian, I would seek an answer from God by randomly opening the Bible and assuming the passage it fell to was an "answer" to whatever I was seeking.  That's when I learned the lesson of context:


Randomly open the Bible and find the passage, "Judas went out and hung himself."  Randomly open the Bible again and find the passage, "Jesus said, 'Go and do likewise.' "  So does that mean the Bible teaches suicide?  Obviously not.  But that's what happens when the Bible is read out of context, taking books or verses out of order.  Get a good study Bible and if you can, a good commentary (I like the ones from the Dallas Theological Semenary, imho), find a good church that teaches the Bible (I prefer a Calvary Chapel, imho), and/or find a good online source.  Don't read ABOUT the Bible, READ THE BIBLE!!!!  God will guide you through, but start with grace (I recommend the gospel of John in the New Testament imho).

The Biblegateway is another good online source.  I also like seekgod.org and I know there are many others.  Beware of New Age Bible influences that stray from original teachings; they sound good but lead nowhere good.


Be God's!

Sissy             

I was reflecting on my previous post, and it dawned on me why I was drawn to this passage.  The Apostle Paul himself was the perfect example of walking in the Flesh, being converted by the Spirit of Christ, and then walking by faith.  He knew what he was talking about.

He was a rabbi trained by Gamaliel the foremost teacher in Israel at the time.  He was a wealthy Pharisee and a Roman citizen.  He had it all.  He was a Harvard Law Professor with deep pockets.  He was so zealous for the law that he persecuted Christians, arrested them, and even was an accomplice to their executions.  He was on his way to Damascus to chase down fleeing Christians when the Spirit of God struck him blind and spoke to him. 

Now, Paul wasn't seeking Jesus by his own free will, the Hand of the Lord took a swing at him.  He was sent to a Christian man who had been instructed in a dream to heal him, and Paul responded to the direct intervention of God in obedience.  He thought he was O.K. and right with God by his religiousness and the intensity of his faith.  It isn't about how hard he believed- he was a fanatic.  People think what they need is more faith.  They don't.  It's about the object of their faith.  If it's yourself and your will- an exercise of the Flesh- it's a bust.  If it's the Risen Jesus- the Messiah- you have all the power of the God of the universe available through His indwelling Spirit. 

Wow, that's longer than I intended.  God Bless.

Greg