MannyVelarde

Q1. (1:17-18). What do you learn from Paul's manner of prayer for the Ephesian believers? Would God work in them at all? How important is this kind of prayer? He was sincere and he prayed continuously praying for a deeper understanding of the Word of God in their hears. The solid foundation that we should pray for every believer. If Christians stopped praying for people to receive a revelation of God, would people come to know God on their own? - i think sometimes - God would draw the people to faith because it is always by the Holy SPirit that we come to faith. Samuel considered it a sin NOT to pray for people, we too, should pray for the lost - Would God work in them at all? How important is this kind of prayer? - God has a special plan for all of us - and he uses other believers to be a part of that plan for the unsaved. The prayer is important becaue it makes our relationship deeper and closer to God - - it reminds us of our duty to spread the word - and to be a witness for his kingdom.

Q4. (9:15-19) What was Daniel's essential prayer? What are the various grounds of Daniel's appeal? How did God answer the prayer (see Daniel 9:20-23)? The first thing Daniel did was confess - he concentrated on the greatness of God, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands,Lord, you are righteous...and then he went on to confess the sins of the people, he himself identifying with them. but in closing he realized that none of the request was for the people or for Daniel, if the request was granted then it was 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." IT WAS ALL ABOUT GOD'S NAME - Daniel's prayer was answered as soon as Daniel began to pray. His answer was a prophetic prayer for Israel - ultimitaly detailing their history through the end of this era.

Q3. (9:5) Since Daniel is such a righteous man in his generation, why does he identify himself with the sins of his people? He didn't commitment them. How does this compare to how Jesus sought forgiveness for his people? I believe that Daniel is righteous - but his love for Israel made him willingi to take on the sins of the nation - he was willing to sacrifice in order to intercede on their behalf. God does not require the sacrifice to atone, but the sacrifice of taking on their sins/illness/request - - shows God where our heart truly is in the request - are we serious about it or doing it for show. Will God require it of us - no - but if we are willing then it means we are truly interceding for someone. As for comparing to Jesus - he took the sins for all to the cross - He bore them and nailed the condemnation for those sins as He sacrificed for all. He died knowing our needs - and offered us complete deliverence from condemnation and on His resurrection - an everlasting life. Hallelujah!

Q2. (9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? HUMBLE - he fasted and clothed himself in the garments of humility sackcloth of goat hair and ashes - Daniel knew that Israel not deserving so he counted on God's = Chesed - once again knowing God would grant grace - - total humility showed God Daniel's true heart. When we prepare for intercession then we should die to any fleshly desires we might have and be willing to go before God in complete abandonment of any agenda we may have. Going before God - we must first be broken - poor in spirit - to make sure that we are praying with the right heart

Q1. (9:1-3) What encourages Daniel to seek God for the forgiveness and restoration of Israel to its homeland? Daniel was a man after God's heart. He studied the Torah and the Prophets, he was obedient and understood that Israel was in trouble. Israel's history of going away from God and their actions shows their disobedience of God's law. Daniel knows God and knows God's lovingkindness - Hebrew - Chesed Daniel had stood firm to God's law even in captivity - - he didn't eat the king's choice food - he ate as God had instructed. he was contantly believing God and living as God instructed. He knew God answered obedience and He knew God blessed obedience. To seek God is to know God will answer - Daniel Did.

How is an awareness of God's involvement in your prenatal development meant to encourage you? What might this mean to a young woman carrying a child? A young father-to-be? Why is such knowledge overwhelming to us? God had plans for me before i was born - so my only act is to live out those plans. It helps us to accept all the things that come our way, knowing because God knows and sees. To young people expecting a child - - it must help them to see that it is a life in the womb that God has a plan for - overwhelming - - not in the least - - to me it is comforting. If people understood that God's developed our lives when we are in the womb, then there would be no way to abort that precious gift.

Why is this prayer of surrender to God so difficult to pray? When was the first time you prayed this kind of prayer to God? What was the result? Can a person be a genuine disciple without praying this kind of prayer? Baically because we don't want to surrender - we want to be in control. The first time i prayed this is in recovery - - surrendering my will to God, 10 years ago. The result is that His will and His ways are mine. I am stronger - rowing in His wisdom and not that of the world. It helps me to daily surrender all of my things to Him - - It is hard to judge another's heart - but I believer that a genuine disciple is living fo God in all things. If he is not surrendering - then the person is living based on his wordly knowledge and plan - contrary to God

Q2. (139:5, 10). In verses 5 and 10, how does God's hand touch the psalmist? Have you ever felt God's hand on you in a special way? Was it for your good? What was it like? David in the beginning of his kingly career was constantly pursued by Saul and even had to live among the Philistines to avoid him. David's Psalms are filled with the words that God is His strong Tower - a place of refuge. I would think that when David felt hemmed in by the persuit of Saul - - beinging hemmed in by God's protection had to be so comforting. God's hand is always upon me - - it is comforting and gives me tremendous peace and understanding.

Q1. (139:7) Why do people sometimes want to flee from God? Why do people imagine that God doesn't know what they do? Have you ever felt this way? A number of reasons could exist - guilt, not wanting to change, avoiding the issue, etc. The truth is people run because of unbelief. They imagine He doesn't see them also because of unbelief. We are deceptive people and we think God doesn't see because we don't want Him to see. Unbelief + disobedience. I have never felt that God didn't see - ibut I have felt shame tha tI have left Him out or avoided HIm.

Q4. (20:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? Hezekiah wanted to be healed to glorify God - - for His kingdom - so the lineage can be carried on. God honors obedience - God responds to the heart - a humble spirit. If we are unrighteous - we are out of God's will - - he is unable to answer the prayer - it would be contrary to His character

Q3. Why is Hezekiah's healing important for his nation? How did it relate to God's promises to David? shows people obedience is what God desires - - gave the nation hope. David Covenant promises the lasting lineage of a king for the throne through David - even to the Messiah.

Q2. (19:15) How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah's prayer (verse 15) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord's Prayer? How are they important to faith? How are they important to God answering the prayer? Our Father who art in Heaven versus God who dwells in the heavens. God is sovereign - God is the ruler - - God is creator - - God is bigger than any problem we can bring before them. God is truthful to His word - - He can be relied on.

One of the names of God is Jehovah Sabaoth - - meaning like commander in chief. In 1 Samuel - David proclaims that th eBattle is the Lord's. It was God's name that was being insulted in this letter and Hezekiah - went directly to God. The thing we must learn is that God will not only fight His battles, but our battles as well. God's kingdom will be glorified if we allow Him to fight the battle, and if we allow ourselvess to know our stance in Him.

Posted: Oct 8 2005, 02:56 AM Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 40 Member No.: 1696 Joined: 14-January 05 In what way does praise exalt God? When we can remove the "I" statements and direct attention to God - - we are exalting Him unconditionally. Why should we exalt God? Because He is God - simply that we are here because of His desire and His provision and all He requires is to exalt Him and walk in His ways. What does this exaltation do in us? Makes us aligned with God - - humbly realizing of just how great God is. What does it say about us? It says that we are here for His purpose - His glory and to be a witness to all the earth

Q3. Verses 11 and 12 both attribute various characteristics to God, such as glory, honor, and might. How might you begin to mention God's greatness in your own prayers? Where is this kind of praise found by example in the Lord's Prayer? What are your favorite songs that point to God's greatness? Praying the Hebrew names of God always helps me to realize who God is. El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah Jireh, Raphe, El Roi, etc. That makes it personal for me and I realize how great and holy and wonderful He is because He is there in every aspect of human and heavenly need. The Lord's Prayer is all about God - Our Father, in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thye will be done, Give us this day our daily. Forgive us, etc. Favorite songs - a hard one - they are all great - Be Thou My Vision Ancient of Days It is Wellwith my Soul Holy Holy Holy Great is thy Faithfulness A Mighty Fortress If i don't stop i will flood the posts

Q4. Why is a person's attitude with regard to giving related to that person's attitude towards praise? Why does an attitude of possessiveness with regards to giving get in the way of worship? In what sense do all your possessions belong to God? What then should be your relationship to your possessions? How will these truths re-energize your giving? Your praise? When we praise we realize that God is the author of all things and what we have been given is all His as well. He gives us things according to His purpose - The earthly possessions are only temporal - we should be cherishing things in the Heavens - loving and serving God by loving and serving others Possessiveness is a blocker because the "I, Mine" statements get in the way. We begin to think we deserve something - - that is the way the world had molded our minds prior to faith. Possessions - should be considered a gift - if our house isn't as nice as someone else's that's ok because that is what God gave us - - we should not hold onto anything too tightly - because when we do - that thing/person becomes an idol. We should be joyful and abundant in giving - realizing that what we have is what God gives us and if we have lots - he wants us to give lots - - When we realize that God has given us everything we have, then we should be ever so thankful - - and for His greatest gift - - His Son on the cross and raised from the dead to life everlasting - - for that we are eternally grateful.

Q1. In what way do our prayers of praise "bless" God? What do we mere humans have that God desires in a blessing? What are prayers like, that don't include blessing God? When we praise we direct our complete selves to Him - to commune with Him and to love HIm. Without praise - we are on our own, pushing Him to the side - not in the correct alignment. Our total self - our hearts directed to Him - is what we have that God desires. Sometimes i think the checklist prayers that we come to Him with - our agenda versus His agenda - as if we deserve the things - it is almost irreverent in my opinion.

In his prayer does David seek to minimize his sins? No, he honestly sees his sin and how his choices were ungodly and evil. He is stating the facts - in detail - - which answeres the second part that we must confess all of the sin and all sins. and REPENT- confession is key - but willing to change is necessary. If we don't acknowledge sin and confess, then we have blockers between us and God.

Is it possible to have a pure heart? Creat in me a clean heart, Oh God and renew a right Spirit. Why because the heart is evil but when we acknowledge Jesus as our LORD, we become a new creation and our heart of stone is turned into a heart of flesh. We put on the new creation and the old goes away. What is our part in this? To ask Jesus to be LORD of our lives - - not just in words but with a willingness to turn around. Weacknowledge our need, our sin and the fact that only the power of God can turn us around. The we continue to follow our Rabbi - Yeshua on this walk each day of our earthly lives.

What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? To realize the deplorable condition of our souls - - our need of God and our dependence on Him. To realize that we are nothing without Him - then He can fill us with His presence. Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Because we must realize our brokenness and go to God to ask for Him to pardon us - which He did through His Son's sacrifice on the cross. It could be considered a sacrifice - as we die to our flesh - (the sinful part as to oposition to God and disposition to sin). Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves? Because we don't like change and we like being in control. The warfar is that the devil wishes us to think that we can retain a portion of our lives and only give Christ part of it. The world also tells us that we don't have to be all that "religious" we can mold our god into any image we want - God is love - - God give us everything, the trend today is to ignore the repent and change.

Q1. In what way does a prayer for pardon require faith? What is that faith based on? How does a person gain the faith to pray this prayer in confidence? A prayer of pardon requires faith - knowing that we approach God in reverence and knowing that He will forgive when our hearts are truly repentive. The faith is based on the knowledge of God and who He is and that He is just and righteous. And that He is a God of Mercy! Gain faith - we grow in faith - we must spend time with HIm, reading, studying, praying, seeing Him in every essence of our lives - our faith increases as we rely on Him more and spend more time with Him.

Q4. In what way does Abraham show persistence? Why is persistence necessary in prayer? Have you ever experienced "praying through"? What was it like? He kept coming back to God with a lessor number of righteous. So God can show us our hearts - He knows our hearts - but prayer is so we can know our sincerity sometimes. Yes - i am currently unemployed only able to secure temporary jobs and i am being persistent in prayer before God - on my face - for His will in my life.

Q3. Do you think Abraham's boldness pleased God? Why or why not? What might cause God to take delight in your prayers to him? Yes it pleased God because it was evidence of Abraham's faith in Him. God delights in His children, especially when their faith is so boldly shown, because we were created to glorify Him. It is proof that Abraham spent time to get to know Him - he walked with God. To pray in humility with boldness - like our Savior showed us - always praying according to His will by His Word.

Q2. How did Abraham demonstrate his humility before God? Why must boldness be tempered with humility? Abraham states he is dust and ashes before God - again his faith is obvious an he knows that God is merciful and loving, that is why he boldly goes before him - not in a fit of anger or rage - but in the manner a bondservant goes to his Master. Humility is an act of worship - a sacrifice of praise to God - aligning us correctly before Him. I believe that Abraham looked forward to Messiah and approached with this knowledge in his heart.

Q1. What is the basis of Abraham's argument that God should spare Sodom? How does it relate to God's character? I love Abraham's boldness and confidence going face to face with God in intercession for the righteous. He knows God is just and fair in judgment and will push the limit. Abraham prayed based on his knowledge that God is mighty and just and could not perform an act that was not in line with those principles - he didn't pray on man's behalf - i think he prayed on God's character. Abraham knows God.