ajtmaestro71

Q3. Is it possible to have a pure heart? How does God bring about a pure heart? What is our part in this? I believe it is possible to have a pure heart as long as a person earnestly seeks God and confesses his sins daily. God creates a pure heart in us by instilling His very character in us (placing a seed into our hears, so to speak). We must cultivate that seed by guarding our thoughts, our minds, our ears, and our eyes, focusing only on godly things.

Q2. In his prayer does David seek to minimize his sins? To maximize them? Why does an authentic prayer for pardon require clear, unvarnished acknowledgement of sin to be effective? David lays his sins completely bare. This was a wise choice on his part because God knows everything. He exposed his own sins as they were, no more, no less. In order for our prayer for pardon to be answered, we must be honest with God so He can take the steps to restore us to fellowship with Him. Making excuses or minimizing our sins or justifying them I think displeases God tremendously and thus delays our receiving forgiveness.

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? Why would one pray if he or she doesn't expect a particular outcome? If one doesn't have faith that he or she will be pardoned, then his or her prayer is in vain. This faith is based on the fact that God is merciful to those who will confess their sins to Him. I believe one way a person can gain the faith to pray this type of prayer is to have a relationship with God and get to know Him personally.

Q4. How can prayer change God's mind without conflicting with the doctrine of the Immutability of God? Can God answer a prayer for something outside of the scope of his will? We can pray confidently knowing that although God's character does not change, the circumstance does change. I think God's permissive will allows for prayers that may not be within the scope of His will to be answered.

If I've already answered this question, please forgive me. Q2. What aspects of Moses' prayer of intercession should we emulate in our own prayers? Upon what logical grounds does Moses offer this bold appeal to God? What do you think it means to "pray the promises of God"? How does knowing the Bible help you get your prayers answered? How does this help our prayers be within God's will? Though I'm sure Moses knew that the Israelites deserved to be destroyed, he interceded for them. I think one aspect of Moses' prayer of intercession deals with the fact that he didn't focus on his own personal feelings and wants. God is very protective of His Name and Moses appealed to this ("Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain"). Knowing the Bible makes us knowledgeable of God's promises, so that when we pray, we can "remind" God of those promises and be confident that whatever we're asking for will come to pass. Knowledge of the Bible can help us to know God' will in certain circumstances.

Q3. How can a wrong understanding of determinism and predestination keep us from the kind of gutsy prayer that Moses prayed? What do you call a belief that our prayers make no difference to God's response? Not understanding determinism and predestination can cause one to pray defeatist, ineffective prayers. I believe that we get exactly what we expect when we pray. If we expect nothing, we get nothing. If we expect great things, we get great things. I call a belief that a prayer makes no difference to God's response WEAK!

Q4. In what way does Abraham show persistence? Why is persistence necessary in prayer? Have you ever experienced "praying through"? What was it like? Abraham shows persistance by repeatedly coming before God to see if a certain number of righteous people could be found in Sodom. Persistence is necessary to prove to God how determined one is to get the answer. I have experienced "praying through" and it was frustrating. Waiting is not one of my strong suits!

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? I think it's possible that God would not have been pleased with Abraham's prayer if he didn't humble himself. Each time Abraham bothered God about sparing Sodom, he would interject some phrase of humility. I think God wants us to have a balance of boldness and humility. Humility to know that God is awesome and all-powerful and that we are but wisps of air to Him, tempered with the boldness to come before Him to ask for what we need because of our relationship with Him.

Q2. How did Abraham demonstrate his humility before God? Why must boldness be tempered with humility? Abraham recognized his inconsequential position before God. I think whenever we approach God, we should be humble. Further, humility sends a message to God that we don't think ourselves more significant than we are. I also think God is more apt to grant prayers that prayed with humility.

Q1. What is the basis of Abraham's argument that God should spare Sodom? How does it relate to God's character? Abraham appeals to God's sense of justice when he serves as Lot's advocate to ensure that he is not destroyed with the Sodomites. Though He is merciful, God is Holy and Righteous, and will carry out all judgement against sin.

Q1. Read Exodus 32:1-14. What had the people done that was so bad? How can a loving God be angry? Is God's sentence to destroy Israel and raise up a new nation through Moses justified? The Isrealites had quickly forgotten that it was God, not a golden calf, who had brought them out of Egypt. I feel God had every right to be angry with the Isrealites because they had acted so foolishly. In spite of all that they had endured under the hands of Pharoah and the Egyptians for so long, in spite of all they had witnessed God do before their exodus from Egypt, they still would not give God praise for what He was doing for them. Though He would've been completely justified in doing so, I'm glad He did not destroy them right away. How many times have I displeased God or forgotten how much He has done for me and given me? But, in spite of my selfishness, God still shows me how merciful and loving He is. He would have been completely justified in destroying Israel because He could have indeed raised up a new nation through Moses and therefore would have kept His covenant with Abraham.

Q4. Why should we continually ask forgiveness? How can unforgiveness on our part block God's blessing? How can unforgiveness block God's forgiveness? We should continually ask forgiveness because we are constantly sinning, whether willfully or unintentionally. Not only is Christ's return incentive for us seek forgiveness, but our relationship with our Father makes it necessary. Since God cannot abide sin, it makes maintaining a relationship with Him rather difficult if we don't deal with it on a regular basis. I personally cannot enjoy praise and worship knowing that there is some type of sin in my life that hasn't been confessed. Jesus taught that when we don't forgive others who may wrong us, we can't get forgiveness from our Father. One of the greatest blessings we could ever have is peace. We cannot have peace if there is sin in our lives that hasn't been dealt with. To obtain that peace, we must forgive our fellow man when we are wronged so that when we need forgiveness, we can confess our sins freely, receive forgiveness and rest knowing that we have put in right standing with God.

Q3. Why do we seek to be independent of asking anyone for help? Why do we seek to be independent of God? Why should we ask God to "give" us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? I believe it is human nature for people to want to accomplish things on their own. There's a sense of pride that comes over people when they don't need to depend on others to get things done. Unfortunately, this attitude permeates our daily life. I think we seek to be independent of God because sometimes we don't want to be reminded just how helpless we are. When faced with adversity, we begin to see that we are indeed helpless and that God is the only One Who can help us. But asking God to "give us our daily bread" though we can earn a living for ourselves allows to remember that jobs come and go. Good health comes and goes. But it is God Who remains constant and is willing to guide us if we'll trust Him.

As was stated in the lesson, when we ask that the Father's kingdom should come, we are "asking God to manifest the power and glory of his kingdom in us and throughout our world." When we ask for God's will to be done here on earth, we acknowledging that He will not grant prayers that will contradict His will. In praying this way, the focus should move away from ourselves and toward others.

The Bible says to be holy even as God is holy. To me, this means that as we go about our daily lives, our words and deeds should reflect the holy character of our Father in all situations. When we line up our words and deeds with God's high expectations of holiness, we begin to hallow His Name. I feel we desecrate or besmirch His Name when we fail to live in accordance with His laws and teachings, profess to be Christians and live totally opposite to what Christ Himself has taught, and when we use the Name of our Father in vain. When we begin to pray, we should recognize that His "Name is excellent in all the earth," and we are praying to an uncompromisingly holy God Who is fiercely protective of the reputation and holiness of His name and demands that we reverence it.