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Sammy

320

291

New Br...

Shameless Praying

6/23/2009 2:14:41 PM

Shameless Praying...

    Our too general neglect of looking for answers to what we ask, shows how little we are in earnest in our petitions. A husbandman is not content without the harvest; a marksman will observe whether the ball hits the target; a physician watches the effect of the medicine which he gives; and shall the Christian be careless about the effect of his labor?
Edward Bickersteth (1786-1850)

"If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:14
"Whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give it to you." John 15:16
"If you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you." John 16:23
"Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." John 16:24

   In the hearts that would first possess the treasure trove of redemption, Jesus declares over and over that He and the Father agree to answer and give, simply so our "joy will be made full." This grand declaration of commitment and servanthood is like the front door of a new mansion. It is the only entrance and yet is a door that is always open, large enough to receive all guests, and is so inviting that even the most timid could not neglect such and offer. Because of the Holy Spirit who "would be with you always" the door of prayer and receiving would be wide open and become the very proving ground that redemption and new life are hard fact.

   Why, then, do we not receive what we pray for? I mean, isn't that the real issue with so many of us that pray? We ask and don't receive. We are left with doubt and confusion over the words we want desperately to believe and the testimonies that give power to many others. And the enemy of our souls twists the lies into plausible deceptions. Pretty soon, I just stop praying.

Sound familiar?

   I don't want to make this complicated or be perceived as faithless. What I write are the words of Jesus and cannot be discounted because we want a simple path that seems too complicated. Here is the truth. The promise of answered prayer is rooted in the principle of abiding. If you don't practice the principle, you cannot expect the promise.

The Principle of Abiding
"If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7

   It is not some cruel trick that God has played. He has given us all the information and instruction needed to access the treasures of Heaven. Beyond what He gives, He has also promised something greater in John 16:27(24), "the Father Himself loves you...ask and you will receive!"

The principle of abiding includes three distinct attributes from scripture:

John 15:12..."This I command you, love one another." Faith cannot operate in the midst of broken relationships. Today's church has little backbone to stand against family feuds and spiritual sibling rivalry. The testimony of that is in the failed marriages, independent pulpits, and rebellious children that roam the halls of the sanctuary. Few are willing to love enough to tell the truth. Is it any wonder that the answer to even the simplest prayer is ignored? After all, we might actually have to challenge people concerning broken and unhealed relationships.
John 16:23... "If you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you." Asking in Jesus' name is like using someone else's credit card. You better be absolutely sure that it is something the owner wants and that you have his blessing to use it, otherwise, the card is considered stolen. I've heard many prayers that use the "stolen" name of Jesus. Prayers that are the desire of the person, but not in the heart of God or congruent with His word. "Your asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting you own way," James says.
Luke 11:5-13... "because of his persistence... he will give him as much as he needs... Ask! Seek! Knock!" Our instant society does not like to wait or "persist" for anything. The word means "shameless", by the way, as in "don't be ashamed but ask and you'll get what you need." Too often, we are able to meet our own need instead of waiting on God. Ask! Seek! Knock!

But beyond all of these things is the most simple and direct instruction that the scriptures give concerning prayer. Philippians 4:6 states, By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

"Let your requests.." says the Holy Spirit. No longer struggle to know God's perfect will. No longer question whether or not the love of God is big enough to fit the bill. Allow the requests to flow. Let God know what you desire in prayer. Persist in your request. Love the brethren. And doubt no more... the Father, Son and Holy Spirit love you.

Maranatha!

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Sammy 320 291 New Br...	BIG NEWS 7/3/2009 4:14:44 PM
	A new element has been discovered: Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science.. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from four days to four years to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2- 6 years; It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium' s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass. When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
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Sammy 320 291 New Br...	HMMMM 7/6/2009 8:13:20 PM
	It is the month of August; a resort town sits next to the shores of a lake. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit. Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 dollar bill on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one. The hotel proprietor takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the 100 dollar bill, and runs to pay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the 100 dollar bill, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel. The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave her "services" on credit. The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 dollar bill to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there. The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 dollar bill back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything. At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 dollar bill, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is doing business today.
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Sammy 320 291 New Br...	Free health news 7/7/2009 7:15:07 PM
	Some really good reciepes as well as nutrition news http://www.lifesciencestoday.com/ Nothing to buy, just some good information for your good health.
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Sammy

320

291

New Br...

The Valley of Trouble

7/7/2009 7:23:08 PM

The Valley of Trouble...

Jesus... stayed outside in lonely places. Matthew 1:45 NIV
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 NIV

Instead of "lonely" the preferred word is "wilderness" in most translations. What a difference a descriptive word can make. One word in our language describes a location, another word describes an emotion.

Both of those words describe a place that most Christians do not want to be. In fact, the wilderness is often talked about as a place that people wind up as the result of sin, disobedience or supposed abandonment by God. In Jesus' life, it was just the opposite. The wilderness, those lonely places where no one was allowed to follow, was the place to meet His Father.

The Jewish nation knew more than they cared to about the wilderness. In the history of the Jews, the wilderness was where God tried to forge out of them the dross of idolatry. An entire generation died there because of their irrational inability to submit, but little changed. Several prophets later they were again taken to "a lonely place" called Babylon to consider their ways but one wilderness stands out in their history among all of the others.

Achan was his name. A warrior of the tribe of Judah, he was one of the "next generation" that crossed the Jordan and fought the battle of Jericho. After the battle, he stole a piece of clothing along with some gold and silver from the spoils that were dedicated to God. In other words, he wanted to look like the world and have what the world possessed. He then hid his spoils in a hole under his tent. (see Joshua 7)

People died as the result of his dishonoring God and he was soon exposed. The people then took Achan to a valley outside of the camp and buried him and all that he possessed under an enormous pile of stones. From that day on, the valley was named Achor, the Hebrew word for "Trouble."

But God does not waste anything.

In the book of Hosea, a gem of wisdom is tucked away in the tragedy of a man's lonely wilderness. His wife had "played the harlot" and he was instructed to buy her back from the pimp who owned her and restore her to her position of wife and mother.

Prophetically, God was speaking of His "buying back" from sin of His own people, the Jews, along with the redemption to come in Jesus. Hosea 2:14-15 records these remarkable words.

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak
kindly to her. Then I will give her vineyards from there,
And the valley of Achor as a door of hope."

One of the major transformations of our thinking occurs when we see trouble as God's door of hope. Everyone has hopes, dreams, wishes... the desires for a life that others envy and desire for themselves. The world is in a panic over obtaining these things with as little pain and suffering as possible. In fact, when you consider the propensity to sue for any pain and suffering that comes into life, painless living is seen as a right instead of a blessing.

But God says that the Valley of Trouble is the door to your lifelong dreams. Often under those piles of stones are buried our own attempts to produce happiness. No doubt that all have those places of shameful reminders. Yet, it is in those "lonely places", the wildernesses of our lives, where we meet with the Father. It is at those times, alone with only a pile of rocks and no hope, that the miracle of the Valley of Achor is wrought.

A mentor once said to me that he was either in a trial, just through a trial or entering into a trial at any moment of his life. Romans 5 says,

We know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us,
and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue,
keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. (The Message)

In other words, the valleys produce perseverance, which in turn produces proven character, which then produces hope. The Valley of Achor is our Door of Hope.

An unknown saint in the late 1800's wrote:
Oh, that we might always catch the vision of an abundant harvest, when the great Master Plowman comes, as He often does, and furrows through our very souls, uprooting and turning under that which we thought most fair, and leaving for our tortured gaze only the bare and the unbeautiful.

Don't lose sight, friend. The field might be a pile of rocks and the wilderness lonely. But your Father is speaking through the wilderness wind of a new day when a door will open. Keep your eye on the promise... your Valley of Trouble will be the Door of Hope.

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