 "Yes, how, not necessarily what. That is, Jesus was revealing not so much the content of what to pray, but the disposition of the heart; He was not giving a specific prayer so much as showing us how, as God’s children, to approach Him. For just a couple verses earlier, Jesus said, “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” [1] Rather…
…the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. (John 4:23) To worship the Father in “spirit” means to worship Him with the heart, to speak to Him as a loving father. To worship the Father in “truth” means to come to Him in the reality of who He is—and who I am, and am not. If we meditate on what Jesus is teaching here, we will find that the Our Father reveals to us how to pray in “spirit and truth”. How to pray with the heart."  This entry was originally posted September 20th, 2012. The battle is ongoing today. It may be helpful to read this thoughtfully written and comprehensive guide. It defines the issues for the present day:
The First Amendment and What It Means for Free Speech Online by Sam Cook February 10th, 2017 Persecution of Christians on the Rise - in the United States... "The joint report by Texas-based Liberty Institute and Washington-based Family Research Council says groups like the American Civil Liberties Union aren’t the only culprits. The report says government agencies around the U.S. are trying to push Christian expression out the door... ...“There are children being prohibited from writing Merry Christmas to the soldiers, senior citizens being banned from praying over their meals in the Senior Center, the VA banning the mention of God in military funerals, numerous attempts to have veterans memorials torn down if they have any religious symbols such as a cross, and I could go on and on,” Shackleford said... "A pastor and family members of deceased veterans eventually filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the Houston National VA Cemetery is discriminating against their religious freedoms. The suit alleges that cemetery administrator Arleen Ocasio required pastor Scott Rainey to edit a Memorial Day prayer so that the prayer was “general, and its fundamental purpose [was] nondenominational in nature.” Download Last Ounce of Courage (Full Movie) Here... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Among the violations listed in the joint report: •A federal judge threatened “incarceration” to a high school valedictorian unless she removed references to Jesus from her graduation speech. •City officials prohibited senior citizens from praying over their meals, listening to religious messages or singing gospel songs at a senior activities center. •A public school official physically lifted an elementary school student from his seat and reprimanded him in front of his classmates for praying over his lunch. •Following U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ policies, a federal government official sought to censor a pastor’s prayer eliminating references to Jesus, during a Memorial Day ceremony honoring veterans at a national cemetery. •Public school officials prohibited students from handing out gifts because they contained religious messages. •A public school official prevented a student from handing out flyers inviting her classmates to an event at her church. •A public university’s law school banned a Christian organization because it required its officers to adhere to a statement of faith that the university disagreed with. •The U.S. Department of Justice argued before the Supreme Court that the federal government can tell churches and synagogues which pastors and rabbis it can hire and fire. •The State of Texas sought to approve and regulate what religious seminaries can teach. •Through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, the federal government is forcing religious organizations to provide insurance for birth control and abortion-inducing drugs in direct violation of their religious beliefs. •The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs banned the mention of God from veterans’ funerals, overriding the wishes of the deceased’s families. •A federal judge held that prayers before a state House of Representatives could be to Allah but not to Jesus."" The news is abominable, but not surprising, for this kind of persecution is written in the word. Still, there are those who are fighting back. See article and report for further information. In addition, Representative John Culberson (R-Texas) "is calling for a congressional investigation of the Houston National Cemetery after he went undercover and determined that cemetery officials are still preventing Christian prayers at the funerals of military veterans." Read more at link... Also read about the Establishment Clause, the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. You will find current developments at the bottom of the Wiki article. It seems as if our present administration is taking this clause to the limit of its application. Write your congressmen and women and representatives if you can! We need to raise our Christian voice! Collectively, we are more powerful as a group, than as individuals. We cannot afford to draw any further away from God as a nation. The Harbinger is coming! Please take action now. Pray for the United States of America! Tomorrow may be too late.  Doubt is to your spirit what pain is to your body--it tells us something's wrong that needs to be dealt with. Doubt keeps you from resting in the peace and security God wants to give you. But God made a way for us to deal with our doubts. The Apostle John with clear logic helps us to disspell--or confirm them! Lock into these life-assuring truths in today's message. 
 Comfort in Trial Allistair Begg Truth for Life ...It is a blessed thing that when we are most downcast, then we are most lifted up by the consolations of the Spirit. One reason is, trials make more room for consolation. Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper and makes more room for consolation. God comes into our heart--He finds it full--He begins to break our comforts and to make it empty; then there is more room for grace. The humbler a man is, the more comfort he will always have, because he will be more fitted to receive it...  ...During the week before Thanksgiving, we saw God do a mighty work in the nation of Myanmar when more than 170,000 people overflowed a three-day Crusade in Yangon, that country’s largest city, to hear the Gospel. It was a historic moment for churches there—Myanmar is a country where Christians have long endured persecution and where evangelism has been severely limited for decades by military governments. But when God opens the door, no opposition can shut it... Thank You, Aquarius, For Sharing This Beautiful Suggestion!  ...We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We will cast down the powers of darkness that are in the world by our faith and zeal and holiness; we will win sinners to Jesus; we will overturn false systems; we will convert nations. For God is with us, and none shall stand against us. This evening let the Christian warrior sing the war song and prepare for tomorrow's fight. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.  Preparing to Celebrate Christ's Birth Billy Graham 1. Wonderful. When He did His many miracles, the Scripture says, “The people wondered.” (Luke 11:14, KJV) 2. Counselor. The officers said, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46, ESV) 3. The Mighty God. He is the God-Man. He said that He and the Father are one. (John 10:30) 4. The Everlasting Father. It was by Him, the living Word, that all things were created. He is the designer of the whole universe. (John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3) 5. The Prince of Peace. There will never be lasting peace on earth until He comes again to reign in righteousness. But He is also the Prince of Peace in other ways. None can have peace with God apart from Him and the peace that He made through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:20) |
Annie's Blog
God to enfold me,
God to surround me, God in my speaking, God in my thinking. God in my sleeping, God in my waking, God in my watching, God in my hoping. God in my life, God in my lips, God in my soul, God in my heart. God in my sufficing, God in my slumber, God in mine ever-living soul, God in mine eternity. All Scripture at Annie's Blog
Utilizes: New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Archives
November 2017
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