"Reasons to Study Bible Prophecy" - Inspirational Weekend

Why should you be concerned about Bible prophecy?  Most people don't give it a thought, and many pastors will not teach on it from the pulpit.   One of the reasons pastors don't preach on Bible prophecy is because they were not taught about it in seminary.   Others do not want to disturb their congregations with it and perhaps lose membership over it.   And many pastors today preach a watered-down, people-pleasing sermon to "tickle the ears" of their congregations in order to keep everybody happy and to make them come back for more feel-good and comfy experiences.   What ever happened to Spirit-filled sermons, a sticking to the true message of the Gospel and spelling out the consequences of sin?  And an emphasis on being a follower of Jesus Christ?   And that Hell awaits unrepentant sinners?

There are still some good churches out there with true men of God as pastors.  Thank the good Lord !

When Bible prophecy is not preached in churches, it is like eliminating one fourth of the Bible as not important or useful or relevant.   "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."  -  2 Timothy 3:16-17  (KJV)

Following are a few facts from the Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne:

"There are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 in the New Testament for a total of 1,817 prophecies   These prophecies are included within 8,352 verses of the Bible.   

Since there are 31,124 verses in the Bible, the 8,352 verses that contain prophecy constitute 26.8 percent of the Bible's volume."   That is actually a little more than 25% of the Bible !  

It is obvious that God wanted to tell us about the future.   I find that Bible prophecy builds my faith when I realize how much prophecy has come true already.   My previous post  on Daniel's 70 weeks shows how he prophesied hundreds of years in advance about Jesus, the Messiah.   And of course, it came true....things like that build a person's faith and trust in God's Word and keeps you coming back for more.   I personally cannot get enough information on Bible prophecy; the more I read the more I want to learn.    

Besides building your faith, Bible prophecy exposes just how awesome God is to know the future and to help orchestrate events to bring prophecy to come to pass.   When you read the promises of God that give you such hope, you grow to love and experience Him even more.   And isn't that what it is all about?  Love.  

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."   - 1 John 4:10-11

Christianity is the only religion that says "Done!"  Christ died for us so that His shed blood could wash our sins away when we believe in Him and in His resurrection.      All other religions are about "Doing" this or that to obtain heaven or some form of higher being.   

Remember, before the fall and sin, God created Adam and Eve in order to have fellowship with them.  Today, God wants to have fellowship with you as well.   Christianity in a sense is not a religion,  it is a relationship.   A strong, personal, intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   That is what the Lord wants most of all.  And of course obedience.   If you have a close relationship with the Lord and love him with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30), you will be less likely to sin.  At least, not deliberate and willful sin.  

In addition to building your faith and showing how awesome God is, Bible Prophecy is a great tool to evangelize with when it comes to leading the lost to a saving belief in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Many people have come to Christ after hearing Bible Prophecy about the end times and the horrors of the soon to come Tribulation period.   And I am sure that preaching about the Rapture of the Church has also helped lost souls as well.  No one wants to be left behind when the Rapture occurs to face the Tribulation later.   Granted, there are some scoffers (2 Peter 3:3-4) whose hearts are so hardened that they may never see the truth of the gospel.

We live in perilous times !   Look at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 :  "(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."   Notice that verse 5 says to have nothing to do with sinful people described here.   (Except, of course, to witness to them about Jesus).

Though we are in the last days and times are chaotic, believers in Christ have a blessed hope (Titus 2:13) and faith to endure, and help from God to persevere and be strong while waiting for the Lord to return to take us home.

Keep praying, study God's Word, and keep looking up !

"The Prophet Daniel's 70 Weeks And The Abomination of Desolation" - Inspirational Weekend

This information might end up being rather lengthy, but I will endeavor to simplify as much as possible.   To begin with, Israel and the Jews are God's chosen people; He made a covenant with Abraham and the nation of Israel....an everlasting covenant.  The modern day "replacement theology", where supposedly the Christian Church replaces the Jews and God is "through with the Jews", is not biblical at all; the Bible simply does not support replacement theology which you can readily discern if you study God's Word diligently.   

Daniel was a Jew who was taken to Babylon as a young captive, along with many other Jews, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem.  The Babylonian captivity was God's punishment upon the Jews who had previously rebelled against God.   Actually, the first captives, which included Daniel, were taken to Babylon in 605 B.C.; the second group of captives were taken in 597 B.C., which included the prophet Ezekiel; the third deportation was in 586 B.C., when Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by the Babylonians.   

Daniel was a godly man, and when he was over 80 years old (around 538 B.C.) he read the writings of the prophet Jeremiah and perceived that soon the Jews would be released from Babylon as a free people.   In Daniel 9 it explains how Daniel prayed fervently for his people and pled for mercy.  The angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in answer to his prayer and told him of future events, some of which would be immediate and others that would occur in the far distant future (Daniel 9:20-23).

The following is from Daniel 9:24-27 :   " (24) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to anoint the most Holy.  (25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:  the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  (26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  (27)  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. " 

Almost all scholars agree that the seventy "sevens" are  seventy weeks of years which equal a period of 490 years.  The prophecies would start at the time a decree was made to rebuild Jerusalem, and this was given in 445 B.C. by king Artaxerxes of Persia.  From that decree to the time of the Messiah would be 483 years.  Using the Jewish 360-day calendar year, 483 years after the decree brings us to A.D. 30, when Jesus, the Messiah, made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem  (Matthew 21:1-9).  Remember that the prophecy said that after 62 weeks the Messiah would be "cut off", which occurred when Jesus was crucified.   

Of these 70 weeks, 69 have been fulfilled.   This obviously leaves one more "seven" to be fulfilled. There is a very long time period between the 69th week and the 70th week.   The final "seven" is known as the Tribulation period, which will occur sometime after the Rapture of the Church (true believers). 

Daniel 9:27 speaks of the antichrist and how he will make a seven-year covenant with Israel. This is the beginning of the Tribulation period.  But after three and a half years he will break that covenant and the antichrist will stop the sacrifices in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and will cause the abomination that causes desolation, as spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 :  "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"

The holy place refers to the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 21:28;  Psalm 24:3).  Daniel 9:27 makes it clear that it is a person who causes some sort of desolation in the holy place, the temple.   Please read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 where it speaks of the antichrist as sitting in the temple of God, showing himself to be God.   Revelation 13:14-15 speaks of how the beast (another name for the antichrist) makes an image of himself, for all the people to worship.   It may be that this image is set up in the holy place, the temple, for all to worship, which would definitely be an abomination that causes desolation.   This is more likely, maybe, than the antichrist himself being seated there in person.  

It is good to know that at the end of the Tribulation, when Jesus makes His Second Coming (not the Rapture of the Church which happened years previously)  ,  but His Second Coming to earth, Israel will repent and will accept Jesus Christ as its Messiah.   Also, when Jesus destroys all enemies at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation, He will then set up His rule as Lord and King during the 1000 years of peace and paradise on earth.      I could continue all this further, but it may be best to save more for another future post.    Below is a video about Daniel and his prophecies.  

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. "  -  Revelation 21:3

"Brexit, The Merchants of Tarshish, and America in Bible Prophecy" - Inspirational Weekend

My photograph above shows a busy but not violent Hawaiian surf with soft floating clouds that remind me of God's glory,   Remember, the presence of God was represented by a cloud to the ancient Israelites (Exodus 13:21 and Exodus 19:9).    Whenever I see or paint clouds, I feel very spiritual and I am reminded of God.   It is too bad that many people give no thought to God, except maybe when they take His name in vain.   America is no longer the country I grew up in over 50 years ago.  The other day I was watching news videos and also videos about Bible prophecy and their fulfillment in the present time and in the near future,  and for some reason I got really upset and bothered more than usual about just how bad things are right now.  As a Christian, I know all the promises of God for believers and the hope of eternal life in heaven, so I don't usually get so upset about all the chaos going on in the present because of the soul-peace that faith in Christ gives me.    I had to get away from all the bad news and pour over the comforting Scriptures immediately to calm my troubled spirit.   It was more a feeling of despair and sorrow over all of the evil going on that upset me, and not so much a spirit of fear.

So many lost souls out there are going to perish in the Tribulation period unless they come to their senses and accept Jesus as their Savior.   Let me just share three Scriptures in the book of Revelation that describes just one of many judgments of destruction to take place in the Tribulation.  You might want to read all of Revelation chapter eight, but here are verses 7 to 9 of that chapter:  (7) "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth:  and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.  (8) And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea:  and the third part of the sea became blood; (9) And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."   God's wrath against wicked mankind is being poured out here;  you do not want to go through the Tribulation !   I digressed a little here because I wanted to emphasize actual Scriptures instead of just providing where to find them because, quite frankly, a lot of readers would not look them up in their Bibles; if they have a Bible, that is.    You Christians need to be witnessing to these lost souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ before the Rapture occurs, which will be soon.  If you are like myself, you may have family members who are not yet saved.  Pray for them.  Share the Gospel with them.  Live a godly life and be a good example to them so they may want the peace and joy that you experience as a believer.

When you are troubled by world events, just remember that God is still in control and always will be.  Things that are occurring now were long ago prophesied in God's Word, and must take place to fulfill those prophecies.   "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."   - Jesus speaking at Matthew 24:13.     But take note, you must have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and as the Lord of your life in order to be saved.  

In my previous post, I had indicated that I would talk more about Revelation and Daniel's 70 weeks, but I ran across two bits of information about Brexit, and how Britain is now able to fulfill prophecy found in Ezekiel 38; so I decided to write about that first instead.  More on Revelation and Daniel later in another post.   Many scholars believe that Britain is what is referred to as "the merchants of Tarshish" at Ezekiel 38:13.  Also, in that same verse, it mentions about  "Tarshish , with all the young lions thereof."   It is believed that the young lions are past colonies from Britain, like North America and Australia and Canada.   If true, that would mean that America is in Bible prophecy after all.   Here is a link for an excellent article by prophecy expert Bill Salus on this very subject.  

By the way, I highly recommend that you purchase a book by Bill Salus titled, "The Now Prophecies" found at Amazon and other places.  The author attempts to put various prophecies in a rough order in terms of when they occur.   Some things could happen right now (like the Rapture of the Church) and others need more time to occur, to reach fulfillment when the time is right.

Below is a short 9 minute video about Bible prophecies which also mentions Brexit and how it is timely in terms of these last days we find ourselves living in.   

"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."  -  James 5:8

"The Seven Year Tribulation and End Times (With Sermon on The Tribulation by Charles Stanley)" - Inspirational Weekend

The seven-year Tribulation period is right around the corner; it is a time when God's wrath is poured out upon wicked mankind that live in opposition and defiance of the LORD, those persons that did not accept Jesus as their Savior when there was still time.   Some time before the Tribulation, all those believers that looked to Jesus in faith and repentance were taken to heaven in the Rapture of the Church.   Followers of Christ will therefore not experience God's great wrath  ( 1 Thessalonians 5:9). God's wrath for believers has been satisfied because of their faith in Jesus who took the wrath for them when He died on the cross.  See my previous post on July 7, 2016, directly below for more information on the Rapture.

Many of you may be aware of the verses at Matthew 24:37-39 where it says of the end times that it will be just as in the days of Noah when Christ returns soon.   Did you know that scientists are now producing animals with human organs, that they are planning to experiment with human babies having 3 parents, and that they are attempting to reach a godlike state and live forever with transhumanism?  The fallen angels in Noah's day were doing animal/human creations before God wiped them out with the flood.  It all points to the fact that we are now living in the end times.  I wrote more about this earlier at this link, where you will also find two videos about the days of Noah: one featuring comments by Jeff Kinley, and the other video with commentary by Billy Crone.  Check out what Jeff Kinley has to say; you will find it interesting and eye-opening.   I decided to show the Billy Crone video here again right now:

In the video above, Billy Crone talks about how it was in the days of Noah, as well as the experiments being done in our time with animal/human hybrids (chimeras) and the attempt to create super-soldiers with micro-chips and vaccines to give soldiers where they feel no pain when injured so they can continue to fight.  Much, much more fascinating information is on this video -- things that were being done in Noah's day before God put a stop to it with the global flood.  The heavenly Father will soon put an end to all the evil atrocities being done today, things not only done in the name of science but in every other area as well.  These are the last days !

This post will deal mostly with generalities about the Tribulation; I will get into more detail about the judgments of Revelation in future posts.  Unsaved people need to be aware of how terrible and devastating and all encompassing the Tribulation destruction and punishments will be so that they will turn to Jesus as their Savior and avoid the plagues that will occur during that seven-year period of God's wrath on wicked people.   

The Olivet Prophecy at Matthew 24 and 25 also speaks of this time.   Please read those two chapters.  Jesus says at Matthew 24:22, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."   He also says at Matthew 24:29,  "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken."   

There will, however, be many that will be saved during the Tribulation.  Revelation 7:14 tells us, "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.  And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."   These Tribulation survivors and believers will have to pay with their lives under the One World Government and the Antichrist.   Revelation 20:4 says, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."     Notice in Revelation 20:4 these believers during the Tribulation were beheaded.   Look at what is now happening with Christians being beheaded and you can figure out that this will continue during the Tribulation -- and by whom, no doubt.  It is easy to see how near we are to first the Rapture, then the Tribulation period.   It is time to get right with the Lord !

"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:  behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)   -  2 Corinthians 6:2  KJV

Just a reminder, when we say "Tribulation" we are speaking in general of the entire seven-year period.   But the Bible speaks of the "Great Tribulation", which is the last half of the Tribulation or 3-1/2 years .   Jesus says at Matthew 24:21,  "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

Jesus is here referring to the the event at Matthew 24:15 which is about the revealing of the "abomination of desolation."   This is referring to the Antichrist and his desecrating the future rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.   Daniel 12:1b refers to this as "a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time......"   In fact, the last 3-1/2 years of the Tribulation is also known as "Jacob's trouble"  (Jeremiah 30:7). Jacob was the ancient patriarch whose name was changed to Israel from whence came the nation of Israel,     So called "Jacob's trouble" because this time period of persecution and natural disasters is God's way of dealing with the nation of Israel and its sin, in order to bring Israel, the Jews, to acknowledge God and also Jesus as the Messiah.   

I will go into more detail about this topic in my next post and also more about the 70 weeks of Daniel.    Below is a 3 part short sermon (about 25 minutes total) by Dr. Charles Stanley on the Tribulation period.  After the first 10 minutes of the sermon, it automatically rolls over to part 2 and then part 3.

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."   -  Jesus speaking at Revelation 3:11

"The Rapture of the Church, End Times, Brexit Commentary" - Inspirational Weekend

Concerning the turbulent times in which we live and the fact that the Rapture of the Church is imminent, we need to carefully consider what path we take in life; a path leading to eternal life, either in heaven or in hell.   How we live - either carnally or spiritually - mirrors our true heart condition and determines our future.   You cannot follow Jesus and live like hell at the same time.   We are now in the last of the last days, the end times.  Wake up and live for God before you wake up one day in hell instead.   But before you die, if you are not a true believer in Jesus, you will be "left behind" after the Rapture to face the most horrendous of times ever during the Tribulation period of 7 years.  There is hope, however, if you turn to God and follow Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, 

First, the commentary on Brexit below by Gary Stearman, emphasizes how we are living in the last days.   Mr. Stearman touches on the New World Order (one global government, one global economy, and one world religion that is soon to take over and change life as we know it, that is, if believers are not raptured before then); he also speaks of the European Union and the Revived Roman Empire, the latter of which is prophesied in the Bible.  Actually, the New World Order is also prophesied in God's Holy Word.  You will find this commentary very interesting.

I keep up with the news mostly from alternative media that is Christian, and if it were not for the promises and hope found in the Bible, I would be very fearful of the future.   God's Word says the Rapture is the "Blessed Hope" at Titus 2:13 :  "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; " (KJV) .   By the way, the Greek construction of this verse favors the translation:  "The great God, even our Saviour , Jesus Christ." This is a clear testimony to the deity of Christ (see Romans 9:5).

The Rapture is spoken of at 1 Thessalonians 4:17,18 where it says:  "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."   The expression "caught up" is from the Greek word "harpazo" and the Latin word "rapturo" or "rapio",  the latter being from which our English word "Rapture" is derived.   Both words mean a carrying away, a snatching away, or being caught up.                             In 1 Thessalonians 4:18 it tells us to "comfort one another with these words."   It is a great comfort to believers to look forward to the Rapture and the fact that we will always be with the Lord thereafter. The Rapture is not a fearful event to true followers of Jesus.   If you are not a believer, then you should be fearful of being left behind when the Rapture occurs.    In another future post, I will talk more about the Tribulation that follows the Rapture.   

There is another passage we need to be aware of found at 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 which follows:  "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.   For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."  This proves the immortality of the human soul, contrary to what some cults teach.  

What about the children and babies when the Rapture occurs?  Many point to an "age of accountability" as the determining factor.  In other words, if they are old enough to understand and to make a clear choice for or against Christ.   The Bible does not specify such an age of accountability; but God is merciful and loving and just, and extremely young children will no doubt be taken to heaven during the Rapture.   To me, it depends on the individual child, what level of understanding they have, not a certain age.  Charles Spurgeon believed that "a child of 5 can as truly be saved and regenerated as an adult."  Some believe that the mentally handicapped will also be taken to heaven when the Rapture occurs.   God is full of grace and mercy; he is loving and holy.  He always does the right and just thing.

Since I firmly believe the Rapture is at the very door, I will be posting more here about the end times and Bible prophecy as time goes on, Lord willing.   And He is willing that I do just that, if I live so long.   Times are urgent folks!   So many people are caught up in the everyday affairs of life and of pleasure as well as working more and more to pay the bills and to make ends meet, that they seldom think about God or the Bible, much less about Bible prophecy.   There are all kinds of information on the Internet to warn us about how evil and corrupt society is now, and we need to think of the state of our soul and where we will spend eternity.  The solution is a close, intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   Then you have a secure hope and the promises of God to sustain you.  

Our hope in Christ guarantees our safety.  

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the vail;"    -  Hebrews 6:19 (KJV)

"How To Please God" (With Sermon by Chuck Smith) - Inspirational Weekend

Gorgeous male peacocks always make me think of pride.   I believe some of them think they are "it." Pride is spoken of as an abomination, one of the 7 things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19).  Chuck Smith mentions all 7 of them in his sermon found below, so I will not list them here.  Besides, I wanted to concentrate now on the things that please God.  

First, we need to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, and have a heartfelt, sincere repentance and the willingness to surrender our lives to Jesus and to live for Him and to do His will, not our will.   Having faith in God and Jesus pleases God.   Hebrews 11:6 tells us ,  "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone that comes to Him must believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Next, we need to make sure that we are walking in the Holy Spirit.  Once you repent and surrender to Jesus, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit if you were sincere.  So we need to be spiritually minded and not carnal,  not with desires of the flesh and worldly tendencies.  Romans 8:6-8 tells us, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. "  To mature in the faith takes time and much prayer and much time spent in God's Word.  One needs to develop a close, intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Also, we need to obey God.   Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  - John 14:15.  As your relationship with the Lord grows, so will your love for Him.   God"s commands  are beneficial, and if we obey them, we will grow spiritually and be more Christ-like.   Your character will become more holy, more righteous.   Jesus said He always did what pleased God the Father (John 8:29).  As followers of Christ, we need to endeavor to always please God as well.

We need to have a healthy, reverent fear of God.  He is the all-powerful Creator of the universe; He created us as well, of course, and we should be in awe of His majesty and sovereignty.   Proper fear and honor of God will help us to avoid sin (Exodus 20:20).

The Bible was given to us to help us know what God's will is.  If we read it daily, God will reveal to us His will in all areas.   Jesus set the grand example of doing God's will when He went to the cross and shed His blood for us, so we that believe in Him may have eternal life.  Jesus did His Father's will; He was totally committed to God and showed His love by His obedience.   We need to seek God's help to always do His will and thereby be true followers of Jesus.   If we obey the two great commandments at Mark 12:29-31, we definitely please God :  "And Jesus answered him,  The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."

Love is the key to pleasing God, for God is love (1 John 4:16).  If we love the Lord, we will want to please Him.   As Chuck Smith says in his sermon below, "Pleasing God is the purpose of our existence."

"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."  -  1 John 3:22

"Thoughts and Scriptures on Prayer" - Inspirational Weekend

Have you ever thought about the fact that people - just regular, everyday people - have the privilege to speak to the Creator of the universe when we come to Him in prayer?!  Even more incredible is that God hears us and acts on our behalf and answers our prayers.   Please understand this, that our Savior Jesus Christ had to die on the cross to make it possible for us to even approach God in worship and in prayer !

John Bunyan says it best when he describes prayer:  "Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and the assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised."

You need to be born again and living a godly, righteous life for the Lord to hear and answer your prayers.    Except for when a sinner for the first time repents and comes to God and Jesus the Savior in sincere belief and asks for forgiveness; God will answer that sinner's prayer and forgive him and welcome him as a child of God.   Aside from that,  consider the following Scriptures:

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."  -  James 3:12

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  -  James 5:16

"But the prayer of the upright is His (God's) delight."  -  Proverbs 15:8b

We must pray according to God's will and also in Jesus' name.   One of our main jobs as believers is to pray for others.  "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"  -  Ephesians 6:18.   We should also pray for those in authority over us and for the unsaved.  (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

I would like you to listen to the following song by Celine Dion and Josh Groban titled, "The Prayer." I have posted it here before some time ago, but this time with different video images. It is the most beautiful duet that I have ever heard.

"Nowhere can we get to know the holiness of God, and come under His influence and power, except in the inner chamber.  It has well been said, 'No man can expect to make progress in holiness who is not often and long alone with God.'"  -  Andrew Murray

"Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it;  confession and penitence are its threshhold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine."  -  C. S. Lewis

"If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart.  Not what we want to pray is important, but what God wants us to pray.  The richness of the word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart."  -  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I confess that many years ago I went a long time without praying at all.   I had been burned badly and was bitter and resentful.   That in itself was enough reason to pray to God and ask for His forgiveness and help.   But I didn't.   That is, not until my world came crashing down, and God got my attention in a big way.   I lost pretty much everything and had suffered a divorce.   I spent a lot of time crying, but all the afflictions drove me to God in prayer.   And one day I told God that I loved Him for the first time in my life, and I immediately knew what that meant in all this enormous understanding that came over me.   Later I realized that I had never been truly born again until that turning point.   I began to read the Bible and to pray.... as time went on those two things became my lifeline.    I have since learned that prayerlessness is a sin.   " A prayerless life is a Christless life."  Someone famous said that; I may not have quoted it exactly right but that is the gist of it.

David Wilkerson said, "Prayer mixed with faith is the answer to absolutely everything."  

In these perilous times in which we live right now, prayer is the best thing we can do to survive all the craziness in the world.   Pray for the Lord's soon return to take us out of this wicked world and into heaven with Jesus.   The way Bible prophecy is being fulfilled on a daily basis, Jesus' return will be soon.   May He find you living a holy life, busy doing the Lord's will.   Pray without ceasing and be in your Bible daily.

Charles Stanley has said, "For prayer to be effective it needs to  be anchored in the Word of God."

Following is a sermon by Charles Stanley titled "Putting Prayer First".   Excellent sermon !

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."  -  1 Peter 4:7