"Faith And Prayer Move God" - Inspirational Weekend

The title of this post, "Faith And Prayer Move God", is a quote from E.M. Bounds.  In his book on prayer, he stresses that faith and prayer work together.  There is power in prayer!  There is power in faith!  "Prayer is simply faith", says Mr. Bounds.  It is said also that faith is trust in something....a belief, a conviction, and a hope.

"True godliness is just as true, steady, and persevering in the realm of faith as it is in the province of prayer.  Moreover, when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live."   -  E. M. Bounds

In my own life, I have discovered that when God does answer my prayers, it serves to increase my faith whenever I reflect on those answered prayers in hindsight.  I have also learned that to wait on God is a strong demonstration of faith.  

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  -  Hebrews 11:1

The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 defines faith and mentions prophets and others, like Noah and Abraham (and many others), who proved their faith.  

"Faith is trust or commitment to what you think is true."    -  William Lane Craig

"Faith knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made."     - E. M. Bounds

The power of prayer is the power of God.  He hears and answers all prayers, even if the answer is no.  

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."   -   Matthew 21:22

"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for satan."  -  John Bunyan

"Prayer - secret, fervent, believing prayer - lies at the root of all personal godliness."  -  William Carey

"Prayer is the acid test of devotion."  -  Samuel Chadwick

Following is a beautiful hymn from 1740 by Charles Wesley.

So much could be written about faith and prayer; indeed, much has already been written on those topics.  In writing this post and in reading Scriptures on faith and prayer, I was very edified and I hope you are as well.

Following is an excellent sermon by Charles Spurgeon on the life and walk of faith :

In the above sermon, Charles Spurgeon stresses abiding in Christ always.  "Jesus is your all in all" and we should "find substance in Christ.....Ye are complete in Christ!"   Spurgeon is known as "The prince of preachers" and his sermons are deep yet explanatory.  I pray that you will listen to the entire message.

When you pray and have faith in the Lord, your priorities will change.   You will realize that the only important thing in this life is God and Jesus, and you will live your life accordingly, with the goal of being more like the Savior. 

Remember, when we pray, we need to ask according to God's will, or our prayers will not be answered.   Also, we need to repent of any and all sin so that we come to the Lord forgiven and clean, and He will listen to us with love and understanding.

"Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth."  -  John 9:31


Have a blessed and Christ-centered weekend !



"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."      -  Philippians 4:6-7

"Pray without ceasing."  -  1 Thessalonians 5:17

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  -   Romans 10:17

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it."   -   John 14:13-14

Signs Of The End Times With Billy Crone (Video)

The Lemur above looks as if he just heard some thoughtful news !  He is very intent and alert in his gaze.   

We Christians have some exciting news to tell :  Jesus will return soon to rapture His Bride (true believers) to be in heaven with Him.  We are definitely living in the last days; the last hours of the end times the Bible tells us about.  The Bible is almost 1/3 prophecy and we need to take heed and take action relating to what that means for us:  to live a godly life and to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others.  

So many people shy away from prophecy, thinking it is all doom and gloom.  The best news we could possibly hear is the fact that Jesus could come back at any moment!!   We know this because the Bible -  Jesus -  tells us the signs to look for to take heed that we are in the last days; to know the season of His return.  Not the day or the hour, for no one knows that except the heavenly Father.  (Matthew 24:36)

Following is a video from ChristinProphecy channel on YouTube.  It's website is christinprophecy.org

Many end time signs are covered in this video featuring pastor and author Billy Crone.  They even mention and show photographs of some false christs in these last days.  That was one of the things Jesus proclaimed as a sign of the end times.   (Matthew 24:4-5)

The main thing is to be ready for the Lord when He returns !  That entails much prayer and much Bible reading and studying.  That in turn will enable you to have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  That relationship will enable you live a life pleasing to the Lord.   You will know Him and He will know you.   You do not want to hear the Lord say in the Judgment,  

"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."              -  Matthew 7:23

If you love the world; if you talk like, look like, and act like the world, then you probably are not a true Christian.  You are not born again; you are carnal still; you are not truly converted.

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?  whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."  -  James 4:4

Those are strong words !!  Examine yourself, test yourself to see whether you are in the faith or not.

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.  Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"   -  2 Corinthians 13:5

We live in exciting times!  Prophetic times.  We Christians have a blessed hope (Titus 2:13).  

God is good!

Jesus loves you.

He is waiting for you to come to Him in faith and belief in Him as your Savior.

Don't delay!  

Don't wait until it is too late.

"Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  -  John 14:6

"But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."  -  1 Peter 1:15-16

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: "     1 Peter 5:8

"And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."   -  1 John 2:28

   

"Let's Talk About Love" - Inspirational Weekend

This Christmas cactus was a gift from about 5 years ago from my son and daughter-in-law.  It blooms once every year about this time, although one year it bloomed twice, about a month apart.  The above photo was taken this week.

I "love" this plant !  I look forward to its salmon and white blossoms every year and take good care of it all year with fertilizing and pampering it, all the while anticipating what the results will be for all my efforts when it blooms again.   

People today use the word "love" loosely to apply to everything, it seems.   In English we only have one word for love, but in the ancient Greek some say there were 4 types of love, and still others say the Greeks recognized 6 varieties of love.  I will not go into detail about all 6 types, but I will mention them here.  

(1)  Eros,  or sexual passion; or romantic love.

(2) Philia, or deep friendship.  The Greeks valued this type of love far more than Eros.  Then there is  Storge,   which is another kind of Philia. and involves the love between parents and their children.

(3) Pragma,  or long standing love.  This mostly involves the deep understanding that develops between couples that have been married for many years.  

(4)  Philautia,   or self-love.  The Greeks recognized 2 types, one of which was an unhealthy narcissism, and the other which enhanced your ability to broaden your love to include others because you felt secure in yourself and cared for yourself and therefore had more love to give to others.

(5)  Ludus,  or playful love, as in children or young lovers.  It is seen in the flirting and teasing in the beginning stages of a relationship.

(6)  Agape,  unconditional love.   The love God and Jesus have for mankind, and the love that mankind (believers) have for the Lord.  And, of course, it is the love that Jesus has for His Father.

Most Christians have heard of these types of love, especially Philia and Agape.  Agape is the highest form of love, or charity, and we will focus primarily on Agape in this post.  Agape love never ends, no matter what the circumstances may be.  C.S. Lewis referred to it as "gift love."  Agape was later translated into Latin as "Caritas", from which we get our word "Charity", which, if you read the King James version of the Bible, is used extensively in 1 Corinthians 13:

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself,  is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  "    -  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

When a person is truly born again, He will have intense love for God and Jesus, especially when he recognizes what a sinner he is and that Jesus, in love, died on the cross so that by His shed blood we could be redeemed; washed white as snow in the blood of Jesus.  When we try to comprehend such an immense and sacrificial love, we are overcome with gratitude and love for all that our Savior has done for us.  For we are born again (John 3:3) and we are a new creation :

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are past away, behold, all things are become new."  -  2 Corinthians 5:17

Out of our love and gratitude to the Lord for all He has done on our behalf, we need to cultivate a strong, personal and intimate love relationship with Him by much prayer and Bible reading.  It is rather like I pamper and take care of my Christmas cactus all year long, to reap the benefits and joy when it blossoms in all of its beauty and magnificence.  A relationship with the Lord needs attention and cultivation in order to bring forth fruit and to grow and blossom into a beautiful association of love and trust and obedience, with the final joy and reward of being with the Lord for all of eternity.   Let us also "blossom" with a radiance that befits followers of Christ; a heart full of love and compassion and true agape love for our Creator.  Reflect often on His care and love for you; it will enable you to appreciate Him and to love Him even more.  Pray often; read your Bible daily, for in so doing you begin to know Jesus better and to know Him is to love Him and to thereby live your life accordingly - a life that is pleasing to the Lord. 

"He loved us not because we are lovable, but because He is love."  -  C.S. Lewis

"He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the Lover, but the love of the giver."  -  Thomas A. Kempis

"Faith makes all things possible.  Love makes all things easy."     -  Dwight L. Moody

For more of my posts about love, please go to the Search Box in the upper right hand area of this page and type in "Love" and several articles will appear.  So much could be written about love.  The main thing is to be sure that the love of God and of Jesus is deep within your heart.  If that is true of you, then you will be empowered to live a godly life, a life that bears much fruit, and you can then resist temptations easily.

Following is a wonderful sermon by Charles Spurgeon on "The Secret Of Loving God!"

"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."                                 Jesus at Mark 12:30-31

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."   -  John 14:23

The Judgment Of America - With Video

The year 2017 was traumatic and saw many Bible prophecies either being fulfilled or at least in the beginning stages as current events show Biblical signs of the end times beginning to converge all at once.   What in the world does 2018 hold for this planet, and for America in particular?

I am not a prophet, but I do follow Bible prophecy rather closely.  Could the Rapture of the Church happen in 2018?  Will America be destroyed as a judgment coming from God?  Will there be an electromagnetic pulse to shut down the power grid in America and set us back to how it was in horse and buggy days?  Many people are anxious and unprepared in a spiritual sense to deal with these perilous times  (2 Timothy 3:1-7).   Even members of churches are not prepared as they are, as a rule, not taught from the pulpit about end times events.  Most churches today are asleep as to the signs of the times.   

Following is a video about America's coming judgment and it features author and pastor Tom Hughes on prophecywatchers.com, which is hosted by Gary Stearman.

There are many explanations of the seriousness of our times given in the above 29 minute video and I urge you to view it in full.  

Now is not the time to be lukewarm like the church of Laodicea of which Jesus said He would vomit them out of His mouth because of their lukewarmness.   (Revelation 3:14-22)  Many in America's churches today are lukewarm, partly because they have not been taught the "meat" of the Gospel and Bible prophecy is never mentioned to them from the pulpit.   And, sad to say, many in the churches are not truly converted....are not true Christians, and they go to church for social activities instead of concentrating on a close, personal, and intimate relationship with the Lord.

It is all about Jesus !!

If you are on fire and in love with the Savior, you will be witnessing about Jesus.  Your life will show where your heart is.

Jesus taught that we should be salt and light:

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."                -  Matthew 5:13-16

You cannot be salt and light if you do not have the Holy Spirit within you.  For that to happen you need to be born again (John 3:3).  To be born again, you must turn to Jesus in repentance, have faith in Him and believe He rose from the dead.  (Romans 10:9,10,13).  You must confess your sins and surrender your life to His will.   As time goes by, you will grow to spiritual maturity.

Time is short, folks.   The Rapture could occur at any time, or you could die before this day ends.  If you have not been born again, you will suffer all eternity in hell.   

Open your eyes to what is happening in the world and in America !  These are not normal times.  

Open your heart  and confess that Jesus is Lord.

You must have a close and personal and intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ in order to spend eternity in heaven.  To do this, you need to pray constantly and get to know the Lord that way and by much time spent in the Word of God.  

Tomorrow may be too late !   

"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."   -  Jesus at Matthew 7:21

"Then spake Jesus again unto them,  I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  -  John 8:12

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -  John 14:6