Tag: faith

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Understanding How to Pray: A Bible Perspective

Prayer is a powerful part of a Christian life. There is no closer way for God to hear us and know what is in our hearts. Prayer is a large part of our relationship with God and brings us even closer to him. Whether you are in desperate need, suffering, or having a normal day, just know that God hears us. He listens to our prayers.

Our view of God is crucial in how we pray. When we start our prayer, saying Lord, Father, etc, we must remember who God is to us. This helps us understand how to pray better. He is a faithful and all-powerful God, ruler over all the universe. What we ask and how we live shapes not only our faith, but our prayers too.

In the Bible, Matthew makes it clear that we should not be like hypocrites. Hypocrites love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners to be seen by others, he adds. He advises us to avoid babbling while praying. He continues to say, Pagans think they will be heard because of their many words. Our father knows what we need before we ask him.

 How should we pray then?

Matthew 6:6 says “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” God desires us to find a quiet, special place. We should be alone in our thoughts with him when we pray.

Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew makes it clear that our heavenly Father will forgive our sins when we ask for forgiveness in prayer. But we must forgive others when they sin against us, too. Our sins will not be forgiven, though, if we do not forgive others. We should not love our neighbor and hate our enemy. We are to pray for those who do us wrong as well.

James 5: 13-20 tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. A prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.

Each week, I write a new list of what I need to be reminded of when I pray. It includes not only my needs but also others’. My list is long, and I don’t want to forget a single thing or person. If you don’t already do so, try making a list to help aid you in your daily prayers.

God uses prayer to help the sinner repent. He heals us according to his will. He also encourages us in times of trouble. God needs to hear our confession.

In Romans 8, it is said that even when we can’t find the words, God understands us. We may not know what to pray for, but God knows the mind of the Spirit within us. Through our wordless groans, the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the Will of God. Even during silent times, God knows our heart. He works for the good of those who love him. They are called according to his purpose.

The word pray/prayer is used on average of 550 times throughout the bible. The words thank and forgive are used a lot in the passages with prayer. That tells me that through prayer, we should make sure we are thankful and forgive ourselves and others.

Ladies and gentlemen, it only takes five minutes to pray a day. Think about the time we waste on other things. Five minutes to talk to God is clearly crucial and it is so important that we say our prayers daily.

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Good afternoon!

PART 3 of 3

I am now on the last part of my 1 John study that I’ve been sharing with you. John will start to speak of God’s children and sin.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (3:2-3)

For the one who believes, we do not keep on sinning if we live like Jesus did. Sure, we are all going to sin, but we are not supposed to keep on intentionally sinning.  We should not be led astray by others, taking us from our path of righteous. If we have been born of God, we can’t go on sinning.

 Personally, changing my friendships was the biggest thing I’ve ever done. That led me closer to God, and stay with God, because those friends walk righteous, too. Staying connected with Christ-like friends holds you accountable as well.

We are told in 1 John, that God’s child does what is right and loves their brother and sister. Whatever means it takes, you can do right, too, and love even the ones that do us wrong.  Examine your lifestyle. I bet you know of some changes that can be made in a positive direction. As a Christian, I still make choices every day that will keep me a Child of God. Key is, you must want it. A lot of us don’t like change. Change makes you uncomfortable, but it’s exactly what you need.

We explore love and hatred deeper. John tells us not to be surprised if the world hates us. It’s true. Walking like Christ is a different lifestyle than what the world is. We all can tell that for sure. He tells us we will have ones that hate us and those that love us.  

John states if we remain in death, we do not love one another. We do not need to be conformed to the world. Jesus Christ laid his life down for us and we know what love is because of this. We should do the same and lay our lives down for Him and our brothers and sisters. Love with actions and truths, not with words or speech. God’s command is to believe in his son Jesus Christ and to love one another.

We live in him when we keep God’s commands. By the spirit he gave us we know he lives in us. I’ll personally say if any of you know my journey you know what I have been through. It was a lot different than I thought it would be and there will be struggles. You must keep going onward in the decision you’ve made to follow Christ. It is the only way to get there.

In closing my third series on 1 John, John speaks on God’s love and ours. He sent his only son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. THAT IS LOVE. “This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.” (4:9)

God’s love is made complete in us, if we love one another. Love has no fear; love drives out fear. When we listen to God, we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. The devil is indeed out there waiting for you to mess up and he wants to defeat you.

You must know God is greater than all the highs and lows. You must also hang on to that truth; “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (5-5)

I am so glad I have been able to share this 1 John study with you. I pray you gained more insight from this small section of the bible, than you even know. If you haven’t, please subscribe so you don’t miss out on my upcoming posts. Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!

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Good Day, Friends!

PART 2 OF 3

Continuing from Part 1, John now begins to speak of love and hatred for fellow believers. If we truly know God is within us, we keep His commands. If we do not keep His commands, the truth is not in us.

Our love for God is complete if we will just obey His Word. That can be a hard thing to do at times. The times I’ve disobeyed His Word have been a disgrace, truly, but haven’t we all disobeyed His commands at some point?

I know that each of us can learn and obey even though it may not be easy. We must live as Jesus did, full of love for one another. It is only then that we know we live in Him, carrying out His Word. Obeying His Word comes as living like Jesus did.

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” (2:9)

We live in the light when we love one another and live according to God’s will. When we hate, we do not know where we are going because the darkness blinds us spiritually. It can be hard to love others who have hurt us or when they don’t love us back. Just know that you are still doing the right thing by loving and not hating.

That’s a good start for us to learn how to forgive as well. Forgive just as Jesus has forgiven you. There will be nothing to make us stumble if we follow His command on love. Love is a huge thing with God. He wants us to love EVERYONE.

“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the Will of God lives forever.” (2:17)

I want to be fulfilled with the Word of God so I can do the Will of God and live forever. John will continue with the warnings against denying Christ. Haven’t we heard before; no truth comes from a lie? As all people have fallen short of the Glory of God, some deny Christ altogether.

We are instructed to do the Will of God. This means to do as it is written and be righteous and uphold God’s covenant. Simply, anything that God asks from us, we do. It really is an important instruction. Just as simple as the decision is for some to obey Christ, it can be a more difficult decision for others.

I am simply providing direction and guidance to anyone that reads according to what the Bible says. I pray for your direction too! For you, my friend, this is an eternal decision and only one that you can make. God never promised us an easy life, but He promises us salvation if we come to Him and live according to His Word.

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Happy New Year Friends!

Amanda Selph's avatar

Amanda Selph

PART 1 OF 3

What better way to start the new year than a study I have done over Christmas break (and maybe a bit longer, haha). I have been working on a long piece from 1 John.  Taken from my favorite Bible, “Starting Place Study Bible, NIV.” These blogs will be in 3 parts since they are lengthy. I really hope you stick it out and come back for all 3 pieces. Please share your feelings from this, I would love your feedback.  It may not be your exact type of reading, but that’s okay!  I hope this series gives your soul a boost to know deep down what a lot of us may or may not even know.

Let me say before I begin, I do not steer from what is in the Bible. I will simply help you understand what it means and give you an encouraging thought and boost of hope. There is a lot in the Bible that we may not understand clearly (I’m still learning the bible too!)

BACKGROUND ON JOHN

John is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, the disciple whom Jesus loved. He never identifies himself, but the traditional view is believed to be the author of 1 John. He heard Him, saw Him, and even touched Him. He knew Jesus as intimately as know our own families, if not better. John’s message was very clear: Jesus came to bring eternal life. He wrote 1 John to impart wisdom and encouragement, helping us align with the Christian faith.

Near the end of the first century, the churches were being threatened by false teachings. He wanted the faithful to be reminded of how true Christians should believe and behave. John was a highly influential witness who emphasized three key points to strengthen our faith. These three points are the correct view of Jesus, obedience to God’s commands, and the importance of loving one another.

LIGHT AND DARKNESS, SIN AND FORGIVENESS

In the beginning of 1 John, he wants us to know what Jesus said about light and darkness, sin and forgiveness. He starts by saying “God is light; In him there is no darkness at all.” (1:5)

Let’s break this down a minute. Light symbolizes God’s moral character. Since God is holy, He remains untainted by any evil or sin. Consequently, those who seek Him must also strive for purity. If we walk in the light and choose fellowship with one another, His Son, Jesus, purifies us from all our sins.

Choosing fellowship means to establish a positive relationship with others and where individuals share a common goal or interest.

We are not living out the truth if we walk in the darkness and claim to have fellowship with him when we do not. I think we have all experienced this at some point. We walk in the dark, alone.  Sometimes we feel as if we have no one; so alone, that God feels a universe away.

The truth is, we are never alone.

Chapter 1 states that the truth is not in us if we claim to be without sin. Is it easier to claim to be without sin or confess our sin? Or do we not confess if we don’t believe we sin at all?  It is a very personal question we ask ourselves. So important, that it relies on our eternal fate. And that’s okay, I’m here to help you understand.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and He will purify us from all unrighteousness and he will forgive us. If we make God out to be a liar and claim to have not sinned, His Word is not in us. These truths are taken directly from the Bible; I am still in Chapter 1, where the author warns us of our sins.

Jesus is our atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Let us not forget that through Jesus’ mercy and grace, He paid the price at Calvary when He was crucified on the cross. It was a selfless love that provided a way for salvation and forgiveness.