winevine03

I am so looking forward to that day, except, for my lost family members. I need Jesus to wait until their future is secure too. But I am joyful and feel so loved, and special. I just want them to be too. My hope has changed everything about my living. I have a future beyond what I can imagine. I am very blessed. I think we lose sight of Jesus, and the world captures us back for a minute until we realize that we have lost our hope, and quickly get back on the path. It's like the shadows, if you step out of the light just a step, you are in the shadows; not completely dark, although you can see the dark. I pray that God will bind the darkness that surrounds someone, and opens their eyes to experience true love, and the realization of what they are really in need of. If they understand that they need Jesus, and then are able to feel the real love He has to offer, that will give them hope, especially if they've never been truly loved before.

I learn that Paul is very encouraged by the reports he gets of the Ephesians, and he desires to encourage them all the more through thoughtful and specific prayers to aide them in their pursuit of the Holy. If they were praying that for themselves, I am pretty sure God would give it to them, because I pray for stuff like that, and He gives to me those things, but I must continually ask and so often I just dont. So yes, it is very important. Just like I wouldn't be here right now posting this answer if my two saved family members and their churches hadn't prayed for me, I need to pray for these things for other's knowing God will honor that prayer. Again, so often I don't.

Well, yes I bet He did, but I am also certain He needed it. Praise God for helping Him like that, why wouldn't He also help us when we need it most in pursuing the Father's will? I think He will, and does.

Oh I am sure He is pleaseed, because I bet Jesus meant it when He said it! Because He most certainly knows our real feelings, attitudes, and motives behind every word we say, knowing full well our sincerity about everything we ask for. Sometimes I like that, sometimes I don't. Genuine surrender to the Father's wishes, OBEDIENCE.

Just the anticipation of the immensity of the sin to be poured out on Him, the intense seperation from His Father, the fact that His humanity was showing, I think are among the reasons He prays for the cup to be taken, it is only human to do so, which Jesus was while here. I can only guess that He was starting to lose it. I don't think He was resisting His Father's will, I just think He was showing his humanity in the garden. I think it is awesome and beautiful that this is recorded for our benefit, to know our Saviour was human just like us, and we can study His agony like this. It so reminds me of Abraham and Isaac, only God spared them both.

I think He asked them to pray so they would not "enter in" to temptation. Jesus knew they would be facing the temptation to cut and run, or the strength to stand by Him. I am not sure. I think the content of their prayer would be for strength, and I don't think they did pray. "Lead us not into temptation, and protect us from evil." Jesus was a man after all - here, showing His greatest humanity, and humility, and needed solitude with His Father, as was His custom.

Nehemiah could be banished from the King's sight forever for speaking the words he spoke, especially if the King receives them wrong. That's why he prays quickly because of what he is about to say to the king! His life could very well be on the line, and all the good he intends for Jerusalem, out the window. This quick arrow prayer is the last bit of help he can request of God before speaking, the jumpstart to his speach perhaps; the "here it goes, please help me", end cap to the last four months of prayer and fasting.

Well, bothe Esther and Daniel faced death upon their decisions to face their respective ruler's boldly with honesty. They both stood for their beliefs in the court of another country's king. They both seemed to be the ones acting out their faithfulness to their own people and seeking God and His favor through desperate times. They were both willing to perish for their beliefs. They were both strong and courageous. God places us strategically in our communities so we can be a beacon of light in a dark world, and so that we can pray for the lost around us. We have a responsibility to God to stand our ground and hold to our beliefs just like Daniel, even in the face of persecution. We are live out our faith in God, the only one who can save us, and not have fear of man. I am not a bold one like Daniel, I pray to be bolder, but I do not speak out like I should.; and I do not pray like I should either. I am a fair weather Christian with little battle experience.

Nehemiah is praying scripture and claiming God's very own promises as written in Deuternomy. He is asking also on the basis of the conditions God Himself laid out in those chapters in Deuteronomy regarding the people repenting and then God gathering back into the land that belongs to God. We learn that praying scripture back to God can be a very effective and powerful tool to getting action and answers to prayer that is based upon God's very own words and promises. What a way to know we are in His will!

I am really unsure how to answer this question as I do not know, I can only speculate why Nehemiah's prayer lasts four months. My best guess is that he is far away from Jerusalem, maybe feeling helpless to help physically, BUT, he is able to pray. Perhaps he is given strength from the Holy Spirit to pray through until he gets clear direction from God. Again, fasting and weeping because he is so deeply affected by the news. Nehemiah must have had a strong sense, and respect for his heritage and love for his God.

Daniel's essetial prayer was of intercession. He confessed for the whole nation of Israel's past transgressions, present refusal to obey, and asked for forgiveness on the basis of God's great mercy. Daniel uses the grounds of God's known mercy, the precedent of Egypt's deliverance, God's connection with Jerusalem and His own people Israel. To save face in affect. Also in Deutoronomy where Moses lists God's conditions for blessing and the associated curse accompanying it also designates He will forgive Israel, and give them another chance if only they will confess and show shame and repent; which is what Daniel is doing for the nation in his prayer. So I think God is honoring His own promise through Daniel's intercession. Does that not give me the faith to pray for big things, for all my pre-saved family members (and there are a bunch). When I feel so overwhelmed that the task is to big, of course it is for me, but God hears me and my intercession is essential to God acting on their behalf. Who else is gonna pray for them?

Daniel is taking on the responsible to confess and own these sins as a member of the nation of Isarael. He is humble before God, who deserves this; for someone to take on that role of acknowledgement of Israel's sinful past, and Daniel does this for God, and the nation he is a part of. If not Daniel, who else would have done this for Israel? It is similar to Jesus' sacrifice of His sinless life in some ways. Jesus didn't commit any of the sins he bore to save mankind, in the same way Daniel didn't commit the sins of Israel's past population; but they were both willing own them for the sake of advancing God's kingdom.

Daniel is humble, and willing to join in the blame and shame and guilt of Israel's past disobedience, and be sincerely repentant for the whole people. He prepares by inviting God into the very room where he is praying-showing him the very papers which distress him so, knowing the only advice and counsel worth anything is that of his God. How pleased God must be when we actually invite Him into the equation prior to acting.

The 70 year prophecy was just about up, and Daniel believed God and His word through His prophets, so Daniel figured he'd better get busy! Daniel's faith in God, and His promises and his willingness to humble himself and take on the sin's of the whole nation in intercession.

It seems so obvious that God is involved in everything including my prenatal development. I was not a Christian each and every time I was pregnant, but I cannot linger on that. I do pray however for my presaved family members and friends who are having babies that God will use this special time for His glory and the parents deep awareness of the miracle that it is and become a tool to lead the whole family into the Kingdom. The knowledge of the Kingdom is so overwhelming. I cannot fathom it, though I do wish I could.

God's hand was on David to lead him in everything he would do, as long as David was open to that leading. I have felt God's hand on me in support, and it feels like nothing else. To know that no matter what I have done, or am doing, or will do, God will still be there to help me back up and set me back on the narrow road. I love the NLT version of exodus 34:14 "You must worship only the Lord, for He is a God who is passionate about His relationship with you. I so need to look at that scripture every day, it is posted to my computer screen!

We want to flee because we are doing the things contrary to His will, and we know it, and so we think we can escape the consequences by not approaching the King. Out of sight - out of mind? It is convenient to think that He really isn't paying attention to us and what we are doing, it is the flesh having its way. I have totally felt this way a great number of times. I have made up just enough excuses to condone my own slothfullness and inevitable sin, creating a bigger gap between my and my Lord, which is a far worse place to be than in that thing I was trying so hard to keep.

If we feel we have earned all we have, our generousity may be hampered. Not that it's an "easy come, easy go" mentality; but sort of. I mean, God has given us everything, we should in reality, have no problems giving it back, right? Easier said than done, I know, I am so guilty of forgetting God come payday; and then on Sunday I am like, Oh man, how could I do that again? I think the whole money and possessiveness thing keeps us from being as close to our Father as He would like us to be, and really, truth be known, we need to be. Who is going to come first, money or God? Everything belongs to God, I should certainly not be getting so attached to material stuff, and be stingy towards God. These truths need to be part of my daily prayer to God, not to become conformed to the world and its ways., but to be daily renewed by the transforming of my mind; to live from a biblical world view, to keep Him as the first thing first, asking Him always to help me to do so.

I might honor Him for His creation(s), the Heavens, the earth, the skies, the stars, us, etc; acknowledging His great power alone to accomplish all that is. I think I must try to do this when considering other things to say, besides Him always being Holy. Not to minimize Him being Holy, I just feel rote in that prayer too much, and seek other ways to describe His Holiness. Our God is an awesome God!

Our acknowledgment of God as being worthy of praise, so worthy of all our praise. We feel good when someone compliments or praises us, it lifts us up; I imagine the same holds true for God. He should be getting some recognition and thanks for all the blessings He bestows on us., but mostly for just being Himself. It gives us a chance to give back something to Him; and it increases our faith in the Holy One we serve. It says that we are not to proud to to give credit to the only One who deserves it. We are not here because of any special thing we possess, or because of some massive star explotion in the sky billions of years ago, we are here because of the love of One, loving Heavenly Father, who wishes us to love Him in return. Our praise shows we are willing to thank Him, and love Him in return.

God, our Father is everything. Like Jesus says about Himself, "you can do nothing apart from Me." We can do nothing, nothing of eternal value at least, without Him. He gives us everything! He should be praised therefore, for who He is, not just what He has done, doing, will do; but definitely should be praised for everything. I find myself just thanking Him for being. I can imagine a world without Him, and so I just find comfort in knowing He is. So many songs I listen to tell about how we have nothing to bring a Holy God, because we are so bankrupt; but we have hearts that can produce praise, recognition to Him and only Him as our everything. It costs nothing to lift ours hearts to Him in praise and worship. Empty!

To realize how spiritually bankrupt we are, and how unable we are to do anything that would please Him, without a true committment and obedience to His commands and ways. Because God is not concerned with outward showings of sadness, or religious tradition, or animal sacrifices; He desires, He will accept nothing but true inward acknowledgement, and repentance. Because we often are unwilling to admit our transgressions, especially against Him. We do not want to feel bad, or guilty. We would rather sink further into denial than to accept we have sinned against our Father, and we would rather not turn in another direction because we feel comfortable right where we are.

I think my heart cannot be pure without the constant petitioning to God for Him to change the heart I currently have, which is not pure. I may be wrong, but to me, even after accepting the blood of Christ to cover my past, present, and future sins, I still need to actively confess daily my transgressions committed by my unpure heart. My heart is not so clean that I do not still commit daily acts of sin against it and God. But, with daily acknowledgement of the unpureness of my heart, and the willingness, and desire for Him to purify my unclean heart I think He is faithful, and it is His will to do so. I think God brings about a pure heart through His Holy Spirit revealing, or uncovering sinful attutudes and actions that don't align with His will for our lives, so that we may acknowledge and confess these and ask for forgiveness, and like David, petition God for Him to cleanse and purify our hearts. Our part in this is to be open, available, listening, evaluating our own behavior, listening to the Spirit, being humble, and wanting to be right with God.

No, David does not seek to minimize his sins, in fact he verbally supplies different synonums to express them to God, the God his sin is foremost against. I think yes to maximize them. By his choice of wording, I think David is relating to God he is finally willing to take the heat, and yes, that he is fully aware of his sin, tansgression, iniquity, and evil, and is making that realization known to God, who needs to hear it, as much as David needs to confess it. You can't fool God. He knows when your not genuine, even if you don't know yourself that your not being genuine. David has known and experienced the love of God for much too long to try to get away with something, it is just not in his nature, and he knows God is not deserving of a fake; nor will he accept a fake confession. God wants to forgive us, after we have fully admitted and acknowledged the sin and the wretched motives behind the sin.

A prayer for pardon requires faith in the sinner's own knowledge of God and His charachter. Also, faith that will overcome tremendous guilt. That is sometimes the most difficult arena to have faith, is when you feel you have messed up so much, you can't even come before a Holy God; in forgiveness, or otherwise. That faith is based on the knowledge of God's charachter, goodness, compassion, mercy, and desire to accept our humble petition for forgiveness, and extend His mercy. By knowing God.