bower

An active faith is the expression of the love for God and man. It is easier to steer a moving horse than one not in motion. If we are moving with the intention of love God can steer us in the direction that best serves Him. It is so vital to watch those who have known the love and Grace of God if they start to 'leave the flock' - to know and leave is so much worse than to hav never known. To have experienced that relationship and then rejected it. We need to be close to the Father in times like this. Pray for your fellow Christians and encourage them if you see them move away from their relationship.

To annoint with oil and express their faith. Spiritual qualifications - must be in a relationship with God, have faith, be men of honour.

The 'patient' needs to request the elders to pray for healing as it i better for others to pray for him, so the combined faith is effective.

Hope and faith can be life changing if we keep our eyes on Jesus. Hey this is God's timeline not ours. Our patience is vital so that we keep our focus on Jesus.

Needs and Greeds surfaces for me in this question. Comfort and luxury assume top billing in our daily lives and a disposable income, obsolete goods and competative buying removes any thought or loyalty to companies and workers.

They say the people perish without a plan. Planning stages need to include communication with God - asking receiving and being really llert for the signposts that the Lord gives us . When we go on our own journey there are so many details that it is very likely through our boasting and determination we won't get to the destination in the centre of God's Will. If we realise that every aspect of our journey needs to berecognised as God Given by acknowledging that it keeps us closer to the Lord

Bad mouthing has a cause and effect aspect - the fact that you are infecting someone with negative reports on a person - puts you into a very precarious position. Like the man with a beam in his eye - you find fault but worse you slander that person that you have judged. Badmouthing someone is I think about putting someone down to build yourself up. To make yourself look superior. No humility here.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubleminded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. [/size][/col These actions - submit, resist really instruct us on putting ourselves in a good, safe, teachable space. Then we can move closer to the Father- knowing that He knows us helps us to face the truth and respond to how we feel about what we have done. To recognize our sins and seek purification and a clean heart. True realisation brings repentance and in this we become humble and the Lord lifts us up. This process is repeated over and over as we go through the purificaiton of life. It keeps us in constant need and desire of the Lord. all seems foreign to our nature because we really don't like to feel dependant. I think, for me the hardest is to believe that I can be forgiven and loved over and over and over again.

As the bride of Christ we have turned away and sought other interests. Our focus has gone from a relationship with Christ to seek pleasure and fun from the world. Anything that is more important that our relationship with Christ is the problem. Friendship with the world is based on self and is bound to end up a lonely empty place.

God gave us the senses to enjoy the pleasures of life. It is the distortian that brings the problem - ......If we see something that gives us pleasure - it is an opportunity to 'dialogue' with God. It becomes God centred, focused. When it is distorted into being about us...it comes a totally different thing.

Love is the tool that is needed to sow peace. Loving the Lord and each other prepares 'the land' to receive the crop. It is the removal of so many obstructions in the soil. If the soil is prepared in love the seed can be nourished and grow. The crop grows in the person that loves and the person loved.

Bitter envy and selfish ambition mean that 'love' is out of the picture. Someone has to 'pick up the tab' at its not the selfish person. Humility is putting yourself out of the equation . Both denial and boasting prevent healing as they are side stepping the truth. It is the truth in prayer that brings us to the humility.

Our hearts hold all and it seems that the words we say are untamable. The heart needs to be tamed. Only God can do this. Turning to God and renewing a right spirit - protecting the heart tames the tongue.

Teachers have an additionL burden and need to be aware of this. This would effect their prayer life and quiet time with the Lord as they have been given others to be resposible for. I do set higher standards for my pastor as he has been called and equipped and has additional wisdom to see a flock not just one sheep.