Answer To Anonymous

This is in response to anonymous who had a question about my last article, “Plant, Then Water The Seed.”

Concerning answers to prayer, Anonymous asked about having more of a desire than a need and wanted to know where to go for “tools” to get that desire met if what they wanted was not exactly worded in the bible.

Jesus answered that question like this… “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mk. 11:24)

In this one simple statement Jesus did two things. First, he taught that it was God’s will to meet our desires as well as our needs, and secondly, he taught how to get those desires met in prayer. Listen again to what he said, “...What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” This kind of believing is past tense and is an act of faith on our part. It means that when we pray, we must believe that we already have what we asked for even before it comes to pass. This is true bible faith, and it is this kind of faith that will bring to pass the thing that we desire.

This is the kind of faith that God has and uses. And it is the kind of faith that Abraham had in the miraculous birth of his son Isaac. In this instance, God used this kind of faith when he changed Abram’s name (which means exalted father), to Abraham, (which means father of many nations). God was claiming that Abraham was already the father of many nations before Abraham had any children and when Abraham and his wife Sarah were past child bearing years. The important thing here was that Abraham believed God and accepted his new name. He believed that he was who God said he was and that he had what God said he had before it came to pass, and in time it came to pass. This act of faith gave Abraham the distinction of being called the "father of faith." (Rom. 4:17-21)

We all have personal desires that God wants to meet even though they are not specifically spelled out in the bible. The thing to remember is that the answers to our prayers are not a matter of knowing an exact scripture even though it may be helpful if there is one and we know what it is. The answers to our prayers are a matter of knowing how prayer works and putting that knowledge into practice. Truth is truth and God's ways are God's ways. They will always work for you no matter how you say it. Use your own words when needed!

What anonymous should do is what Jesus said to do, and that is to ask for what they want and to believe that they have what they asked for before it comes to pass. Then in time, it will come to pass.

I know that this may raise other questions, (like many of the things that Jesus said) but because the Lord did not complicate this statement of faith, neither will I. This will work just like he said if it is put into practice. It is in my articles on this topic that I share in some detail how this process of prayer works and recommend other “tools” that the bible offers to enhance and help bring answers to our prayers. If however, there are other questions, please just ask.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.
Phl 4:8

YouTube Christian Music Video with Alvin Slughter and colleagues

There’s much that can befuddle and have us feeling so out of sorts, I mean terribly bad about life and the matters that effect us, our families, friends, the global community, the struggles at home, the craziness on the job and confusion in many schools and lest we not forget the economy! As some folks say” What in the world!” That simply implies that much of what’s going on makes no sense to them at all! I just wish the 24 hour news stations highlighted more of the flip side-the brighter side instead of the “flops” that keep us reeling from the shock. Consciously we have to filter this information and challenge ourselves not always to focus on the dire reports. There's always a mental and spiritual flipside that we can deliberately choose to embrace. I trust that when a life affirming word is needed you run not to the telephone or the internet first, but search out your Holy Bibles. Scripture reminds us that we can speak life over our circumstances with God’s power to what appears to be bleak and negative. There’s power in His word! Trust that God's powerful word will envelope you with the assurance and love needed to handle all of life's issues.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Eph 3:19

We can resolve to keep living with fullness of joy, we can choose to keep the faith, keep believing in the face of disparity. I know making resolutions are the popular thing to do in preparation for next year. But, what about today friends? Instead of forecasting some resolutions that may be difficult to keep, let’s resolve right this moment not just in the start of January 2009; but today beginning a new! As Marian say's, "We have to change our minds!" Let’s change our hearts and minds to think on the good things of the Lord? Yes, doors will be open, opportunities will be realized and God’s sovereignty will forever remain constant.Join me in seeking more of God’s wisdom to navigate life’s path with zeal and determination-desiring a transformative power for new living. We can keep in mind that:

For I can do everything with the help of Christ whogives me the strength I need.

Phl 4:13

Friends, here are some wonderful website discoveries that may encourage all of us to resolve to: earnestly share our stories to encourage our bretheren, laugh out loud at the absurdities of living, reaching forward as we benefit in sharing with another, endeavoring to remember that our bodies are our temples as we seek to improve healthier living. Let’s also invigorate and stimulate our minds and happily gain new-a brand new perspective on life outside our communities and be sure to breathe again. I am going to take my own medicine! By no means am I an expert on encouragement, but here’s a little e-food for thought. You are invited to simply add to the list of websites and I dare you to go and grow, grow, grow into a better you! Pass the plate please. God bless you!

Adopting Healthier Lifestyles50 Million Pound Challenge

http://blog.50millionpounds.com/http://www.50millionpounds.com/

Keeping The FaithPrayKids! Online Magazinehttp://www.navpress.com/account/login.aspx?email=linda.meadows@hamptonu.edu&uid=linda%20Meadows&dest=/landing/praykids.aspx&sc=NL27.http://www.beliefnet.com/http://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/http://www.breatheagainmagazine.com/events.htmHumor

-Laughing Out Loud-Real Good Medicine:Man and bear - Salmon fight

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWeNyT66IqI

Insight-New InsightInterview with Charlayne Hunter-Gaulthttp://www.worldpress.org/Africa/981.cfmhttp://www.forbetterlife.org/http://www.dailypress.com/sports/columnists/dp-columnist-dsquires,0,4982467.columnist?track=rss

Charity- “Give and it will be given unto you”One laptop Per Child

http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

Persevering While Waiting on The Promises of God

Redefining perseverance

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19227137/?story=king1

Spreading Joy-7 yr old keyboard master MSN video.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&from=MSNHP

Joyfully Submitted by:
Linda Mose Meadows,author: The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lesson’s and God’s Promises
Enjoy other writings: Click on Blessed Chronicles http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

Plant, Then Water The Seed

In order to get our prayers answered, a seed (or seeds) must be planted. That is because everything in the kingdom of God starts from a seed. (Mk. 4:26-32)

Well, you might ask, what is the seed we need to plant in order to get our prayers answered? The answer comes from the parable of the sower and the seed when Jesus said that the seed is the word of God. (Mk. 4:14, Lk. 8:11)

I used to think that our prayers were our seed. But they are not. Our prayers are the results that we want and that would be our harvest, not our seed. The seed that we need to plant in order for our prayers to come to pass is God’s word. And what it means to plant God’s word is that we believe in our heart what God has said.

So, let's go a little further...

The word of God that we choose to believe can be any truth from the bible, and it can be very general such as the time when Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mt. 21:22) That is simple enough and covers all types of prayer requests. OR, the word we choose can be specific and relate specifically to what we are praying for. For example, if we are praying for healing, we can choose to believe the word of God when Isaiah said, “… with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5) That is specific and personal and will bring forth healing if believed. The point is, that there must be a seed from God’s word that we believe in order to get an answer to our prayer.

It is the seed of God’s word that has the potential to bring forth whatever it says, and it is our faith in God's word that will bring forth the answer to our prayer. Isaiah said this... “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isa. 55:10-11 NIV) So, like I said, the word of God has the potential to bring forth whatever it says. It is the spiritual seed we need in order to do so.

Simply put, when we pray, we need to believe a promise from God’s word in order for God to answer our prayer. The word of God is our seed! And our seed will bring forth what it says.

Now, a seed that is planted needs watering in order to grow! And guess what we need to water our seed with? Again, we need the word of God. Why? It is because the word of God is also called water. (Eph. 5:26) The word of God is called water too? Yes, it is very versatile. You might say it is multi-purpose; it can do a lot of things. In fact, the bible teaches us that the whole universe was created by the word of God. Remember, God said, “Let there be light: and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3) Throughout the bible, we see that the all things that are created started from the seed of God’s word. (Heb. 11:3) It is how God does everything. Like Isaiah said, God’s word is a seed and has the power to create. So if we apply it properly (as God did) it will bring forth answers to our prayers.

Now the primary way that we water our prayer seed, (that is, the seed of God’s word that we choose to believe and want to come to pass), is to read, study, listen to, and meditate on the word of God as it relates to our prayer. For example, if we are praying for physical healing, we should do personal bible study on the subject of healing, AND we should get books, tapes and teachings on biblical healing. We need to read, study, listen to, and meditate on as much of this material as we can. What we are doing when we do this is watering our seed and developing our faith in God’s word, (in this case healing) and it will be our faith that will bring to pass what we asked for. (Mt. 21:22) So, since the bible says that “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God,” it follows that the more word, the more faith; and the more faith, the faster our prayer will be answered. (Rom. 10:17) Remember, Jesus said over and over that it would be done unto us according to our faith. (Mt. 8:13, 9:29, 17:20; Mk. 9:23, 11:22-24 etc. etc.) The thing to remember is that we must be very careful where we get our teaching materials. We need to make sure that the ministry they are coming from has RESULTS, (and in this case results in healing prayer) because if they don’t have results, their teachings will not bring us results either...

Spiritual things are not automatic any more than anything else in this world. That is because spiritual things work the same way that natural things work. (Rom. 1:20)

In order to make things work in the natural world, we must know how they work and then put to work what we know to make them work. Take for example the power of electricity. Just knowing that there is a power called electricity and knowing that it can light and heat and cool our homes is not enough. We must know how electricity works and then we must put to work what we know in order to make it work. The same it is with prayer. Just because we know that there is power to answer prayer does not mean it will automatically work for us. We must know how it works and we must put to work what we know in order to make it work.

God said in his word that, ""My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." (Hos. 3:6)

The results we get from electricity, prayer, and everything else we find in life are based on knowledge. God makes everything we need available for us. But it is up to us to find out how it all works and to make it work.

In my next article I will share with you several other vital tools we can use to further nurture our prayer seed, but what is important for us to realize is that we too have a responsibility in prayer. It is not just God who will do it for us, (even if it is his will to answer our prayer). It is when we fulfill our part that God can fulfill his.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

GAME CHANGING PERFORMANCE

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.[fn1]
He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven.

Hebrews 12:1, 2 (NIV)

Grateful is what I am and yes indeed still in awe of November 4th ! My spirit is celebrating! I am encouraged to continue tapping the divine within! New posibilities, new thinking, new expectations are on the horizon for all. We voted as though our lives depended on it! And as a result of this public outpouring, we witnessed an evolution of change for the better. Yes, it was a relay race, and the voters passed the baton to then Senator Barack Obama.

Now we continually here in media conversations that focus on the need for clearance and smooth transition for President Elect Barack Obama. He’s being urged to speedily move to rectify a flat- lining economy, miserable job loss, a costly and unpopular war with military families in need, a heath insurance debacle and crumbling urban infrastructures and the beat goes on and on about what must be tackled now.

It’s aptly called the “handoff”-truly president elect must feel as though he’s running a marathon. Clearly the baton is in his hand and the world awaits the outcome of this final leg of the race. He’s in the anchor position. But thank God for our divine anchor Jesus Christ! The irony is President Elect is not yet sworn into his office of presidency. The people’s commitment to embracing Barack’s vision of change and hope, their resounding appearances and attendances at community rallies –and ultimately their votes were the baton. And we await the start of this race, anxiously anticipating a favorable race!Take a look at these instructions friends for running a successful relay race. Thanks Holy Ghost, this was an eye opener for passing a relay baton and determining whether you win the race:

How to Pass a Relay Baton By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor http://www.ehow.com/how_2106595_pass-relay-baton.html

Speed, coordination and working as a team determine whether you will win a relay race. Knowing how to effectively pass that baton is fundamental to achieving victory. There are two basic passes, and your team should be proficient at both

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Up Sweep and Palm Down Pass

Step 1

Time it so that when the approaching runner hits the mark, the outgoing runner starts to sprint.

Step 2

Reach back with the outgoing runner's receiving hand, arranging an inverted "V" with the hand.

Step 3

Move the approaching runner's arm in an upward motion and place the baton in his hand. He takes the baton from the outgoing runner.

Step 4

Always run through the pass, never slowing down in the timing of the exchange.

Down Sweep and Palm Up Pass

Step 1

Coordinate the team members so when the approaching runner hits her mark, the outgoing runner starts to sprint.

Step 2

Plan for the outgoing runner to reach back with his baton in hand parallel to the track.

Step 3

Turn the outgoing runners thumb in the direction of the torso with his palm facing up shaping a "V".Step 4Move the approaching runner's arm in a downward sweeping motion as the outgoing runner places the baton in the receiver's hand. The approaching runner takes the baton and sprints.

It’s been the exception to the rule. It’s time for a game changing performance. That President Elect Barack must hit the ground running, not resting and not wavering. From all appearances he hasn’t has a moment to breathe and revel in the fact that come January 20th he’ll no longer be Senator of Illinois but President of the great United States.

My prayer is that for just a moment he’ll rally around his family, friends, this nation and celebrate his great calling. In all of that let’s continue to bathe him prayer and cover him with God’s word and blessings as he begins to run this stretch of the lap. Friends reference step 3- his palms are facing upward, he sprints with his heart is pumping and victory is in sight! Surely we’ll win!

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lord we thank you for this wonderful man you’ve placed among us-President Elect Barack Obama. You’ve planted a great vision and responsibility in him. He’s the human anchorman evoking needed change for this nation and this universe. We praise and bless you for that! We are grateful that you’ve planted his feet on the foundation of your word. He has a genuine heart to seek change for the betterment of human kind, we appreciate that Lord. When his heart is overflowing with the cares of this world show him your grace and comfort.

Let us not forget that when we are weary we can rely on you Lord for divine support, stability, and a supernatural anointing. This anointing reminds us as your children that security and mainstay belong to us in you Heavenly Father.

God, we realize that you alone are the voice that beckons us to hear your instructions and strengthens us to fear not! Lord we confidently know that our hope in you is our anchor. For all the days ahead we will remember to give you all the honor, glory and praise. Amen!

Enjoy this blog and the videos that capture a history breaking era. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog

Joyfully Submitted by:
Linda Mose Meadows, Author of:
The Blessedness of Believing
A Devotional Journey of Life's Lessons and God's Promises

Enjoy other writings:
Click on Blessed Chronicles http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/