- Nov 17, 2018
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Hello Family of God,
Brackets and ALL CAPS are used for [EMPHASIS]. Please excuse my grammatical inaccuracies and errors in punctuation; as I am a fallen creature who is capable of making mistakes here on Earth. Though some of my words may seem harsh, it is never my intention to verbally harm others in a negative manner; but rather it is to stir wayward Christians to be faithful slaves of the LORD, and to urge the unrepentant who may think that they are saved but are not; that they may surrender their hearts over to the Lord God so that they may be saved -- because tomorrow is never promised to anyone (cf. Ps. 90:12; Prov. 27:1; Rom. 13:11; 2 Cor. 6:1-2; Eph. 5:15-17; Jas. 4:13-15).
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But [SEEK] (Grk. "zeteite" ζητεῖτε [present imperative] -- i.e., "your utmost desire must be to honor God and His Kingdom") YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:31-33)
I will be focusing on how we can be guaranteed to have our prayers answered 100% of the time. I will also be focusing primarily on the Perfect Will of God, and its relation to answered prayers. It is always my labor of love to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need of spiritual blessings, and to those who passionately seek to draw nearer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One of my greatest desire is to share my experience with God to others through my fellowship with Him; and to help others obtain a greater understanding of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing in this world pleases me more than to please my Lord and God. Nothing brings me more joy than to KNOW and UNDERSTAND my LORD in ways that I CANNOT possibly express in words; this is why I cannot contain the joy unspeakable that dwells within me, and every day of my life (Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:31).
It has reached the point in my life where I literally plead with the Lord to take me home through death. Interestingly, this is the ONLY prayer that has yet to be answered; but this does not mean that my petitions have gone unheard, or that it will fail to come to pass in the Lord's Perfect timing. And I pray that I will GLORIFY God and Jesus Christ at the time of my departure. Fellowship with GOD has also given me the ability to conquer any sin in my life. I find it absolutely devastating to sin against the One whom I cherish more than anything this world has to offer, and this is the result of Him having first loved me that I have such an abiding, undying and overwhelming love for Him. He has NEVER failed me, not even ONCE; and He will NEVER fail me forevermore.
I want to begin by examining with our spiritual sight the "model" prayer taught by the Son of God Himself:
"[AFTER THIS MANNER] therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, [THY WILL BE DONE] in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from [EVIL] (Grk. "tou ponerou" τοῦ πονηροῦ; Lk. 11:4 is in the genitive masculine singular; i.e., "the evil one; or the Devil and Satan"): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13)
Please understand that the LORD does not answer our prayers based on OUR timing, but according to His PERFECT Will. We may expect our prayers to be answered in a timely fashion according to our finite understanding of God's Will; however, the Lord works at every angle in our lives which may need adjustment, mending or maturation. Most of this ties into the process of Sanctification in the life of every True Believer; and as our Potter, the Lord does not slap lumps of clay without careful consideration of its conformity to His design in which He already had in mind from Eternity past (Rom. 8:28; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:6; 2:13; 4:13; Heb. 13:20-21; Jas. 1:2-4). We may pray for patience or self-control, and we may assume that our prayers are going unheard when it does not come to pass in our timing. We need to understand that there are areas in our lives which need pruning and are of utmost importance (e.g., "humility, being perfect in Love, TRUST, et al"), and we must FIRST have these priorities set right before moving on to maturity (cf. Matt. 23:23).
"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that [THE SPIRITS ARE SUBJECT UNTO YOU]; but rather rejoice, because [YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN]." (Luke 10:17-20)
We are saved by His Grace through our faith in Him, and nothing on our part can merit this free gift of Eternal Life. This is FAR GREATER than being JOYFUL in knowing that wicked, non-human entities are under our authority by the power GIVEN by God. We are not to be prideful over our God-given authority over beings who intrinsically have more power than us (Jn. 14:12; Eph. 3:20; 2 Cor. 4:7; 12:9; Col. 1:11, 29; 1 Jn. 4:4). We are to REJOICE or BOAST that we have been saved SOLELY by God's Grace, and we can never merit this; and to deny this precious truth by attempting to obtain Eternal Life through meritorious efforts is not only PRIDEFUL, but will lead such a man or woman to eternal destruction (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9).
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, [I WILL] ascend into heaven, [I WILL EXALT] my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [I WILL] ascend above the heights of the clouds; [I WILL] be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be [BROUGHT DOWN] to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15)
The origin of sin began with Satan and his PRIDE. It was the SIN OF PRIDE which led to his rebellion and insubordination to THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Satan is not only the greatest deceiver, but he is also the one who is the most deceived OF ALL. Pride has led him to delusions of grandeur, and deceiving others is to deceive oneself by not having the TRUTH in oneself. Humility is one of the most, if not the most fundamental teaching in Scripture on how to live a godly and holy life pleasing to the Lord. To ignore this command to be humble in the sight of the Lord is in and of itself a clear sign of pride and arrogance, and reveals that such a person professing to be Christian is devoid of humility. If our motive is to "humble" ourselves just so that we may be EXALTED, then this proves that our motive is self-seeking. We're are not going to "fool" God with our false pretense through a feigned desire for humility, and such prayers will never come to pass.
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be [CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY] (Grk. "enkombosasthe tapeinophrosynen" ἐγκομβώσασθε ταπεινοφροσύνην [aorist imperative] -- i.e., "to tie into a knot"; "e.g., "a command to be humble under God through His protection, and not to let this attitude depart; but to secure it so as to let it ABIDE in us"): for [GOD RESISTETH THE PROUD], and [GIVETH GRACE TO THE HUMBLE]. [HUMBLE YOURSELVES] therefore under [THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD] (e.g., "the Lord's chastening, deliverance, discipline, protection, testing through trials to mature in spirit"), that he may exalt you in due time: [CASTING ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM]; for [HE CARETH FOR YOU]." (1 Peter 5:5-7)
We should not assume that our prayers are NOT answered if it does not come to pass in a time when we expect it to. And we should NEVER assume that God does not care for us if our prayers are not answered when and how WE would have it according to our limited comprehension when juxtaposed with the unfathomable mind of the Eternal God. What's most important is that God's Perfect plan and purpose be DONE in our lives regardless of how we feel personally (cf. Mic. 6:8; Jer. 29:11; Matt. 6:10; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18; Heb. 10:36; 13:20-21). There will be times in the lives of those who live godly where suffering is almost unbearable, and their cries seem to go unheard; but we are not to understand this as an indication that God has forsaken us. We must TRUST in God, and wait upon Him until what needed to be accomplished in our lives comes to fruition before we can move forward in spiritual maturity and continual sanctification (cf. Deut. 31:6; Ps. 27:13-14; 33:20-22; 34:17-18; 62:5; Isa. 26:3; 64:4; Matt. 6:34; Rom. 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; Col. 1:11; 1 Pet. 4:12-13).
"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the [dumb], or [deaf], or the [seeing], or the [blind]? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And [THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED AGAINST MOSES], and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart." (Exodus 4:10-14)
"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." (James 5:11)
No one who prays for Humility should expect the Lord to fulfill that request overnight. There could come a time in our life where we are compelled to question the wisdom of God when things don't go our way; but it could simply be that God is using such a situation to give us a lesson on humility, AND not to question His Sovereign Wisdom and Will in our lives through His unsearchable ways (cf. Isa. 28:29; 40:28; 55:9; Job 12:13; Prov. 3:7; 11:2; 15:33; Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 1:25; 2:13; 3:18-19). What's important is what needs precedence in our life rather than what we may feel should be done in an immediate manner.
"For [AS HE THINKETH IN HIS HEART], [SO IS HE]: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee." (Proverbs 23:7)
"Let nothing be done through [STRIFE OR VAINGLORY] (Grk. "eritheian kenodoxian" ἐριθείαν κενοδοξίαν; i.e., "selfishness, or to be self-conceited"); but [IN LOWLINESS OF MIND LET EACH ESTEEM OTHER BETTER] (Grk. "tapeinophrosyn hegoumenoi allelous" ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἡγούμενοι ἀλλήλους; i.e., "in modesty and not to exalt oneself -- cf. Rom. 12:3) than themselves. [LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU], which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a [SERVANT] (Grk. "doulou" δούλου; lit., "a SLAVE"), and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:3-8)
"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:17-18)
Jesus set the perfect example of humility by becoming a human being. He literally took the form of a slave to fulfill all righteousness. There will always be quarrels and disputes regarding the Deity of Jesus Christ, and it is the result of a mind that does not understand what TRUE HUMILITY is all about. These arrogant and proud men and women will say, "If Jesus was indeed God, then why could He have not simply said: "I am God in the Flesh, and you are to WORSHIP me." This is the same NONSENSE in which Satan himself used when he tried to deceive Jesus into putting His Deity on display in a proud way; and of course the devil failed miserably. Jesus could have said: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God; and that God is ME." -- but He didn't. This is also why Jesus referred to His Father as His God (Jn. 20:17).
"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but [GIVETH GRACE UNTO THE HUMBLE]. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:6-8)
Continued in next post . . .
Brackets and ALL CAPS are used for [EMPHASIS]. Please excuse my grammatical inaccuracies and errors in punctuation; as I am a fallen creature who is capable of making mistakes here on Earth. Though some of my words may seem harsh, it is never my intention to verbally harm others in a negative manner; but rather it is to stir wayward Christians to be faithful slaves of the LORD, and to urge the unrepentant who may think that they are saved but are not; that they may surrender their hearts over to the Lord God so that they may be saved -- because tomorrow is never promised to anyone (cf. Ps. 90:12; Prov. 27:1; Rom. 13:11; 2 Cor. 6:1-2; Eph. 5:15-17; Jas. 4:13-15).
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But [SEEK] (Grk. "zeteite" ζητεῖτε [present imperative] -- i.e., "your utmost desire must be to honor God and His Kingdom") YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:31-33)
I will be focusing on how we can be guaranteed to have our prayers answered 100% of the time. I will also be focusing primarily on the Perfect Will of God, and its relation to answered prayers. It is always my labor of love to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need of spiritual blessings, and to those who passionately seek to draw nearer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One of my greatest desire is to share my experience with God to others through my fellowship with Him; and to help others obtain a greater understanding of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing in this world pleases me more than to please my Lord and God. Nothing brings me more joy than to KNOW and UNDERSTAND my LORD in ways that I CANNOT possibly express in words; this is why I cannot contain the joy unspeakable that dwells within me, and every day of my life (Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:31).
It has reached the point in my life where I literally plead with the Lord to take me home through death. Interestingly, this is the ONLY prayer that has yet to be answered; but this does not mean that my petitions have gone unheard, or that it will fail to come to pass in the Lord's Perfect timing. And I pray that I will GLORIFY God and Jesus Christ at the time of my departure. Fellowship with GOD has also given me the ability to conquer any sin in my life. I find it absolutely devastating to sin against the One whom I cherish more than anything this world has to offer, and this is the result of Him having first loved me that I have such an abiding, undying and overwhelming love for Him. He has NEVER failed me, not even ONCE; and He will NEVER fail me forevermore.
I want to begin by examining with our spiritual sight the "model" prayer taught by the Son of God Himself:
"[AFTER THIS MANNER] therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, [THY WILL BE DONE] in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from [EVIL] (Grk. "tou ponerou" τοῦ πονηροῦ; Lk. 11:4 is in the genitive masculine singular; i.e., "the evil one; or the Devil and Satan"): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13)
Please understand that the LORD does not answer our prayers based on OUR timing, but according to His PERFECT Will. We may expect our prayers to be answered in a timely fashion according to our finite understanding of God's Will; however, the Lord works at every angle in our lives which may need adjustment, mending or maturation. Most of this ties into the process of Sanctification in the life of every True Believer; and as our Potter, the Lord does not slap lumps of clay without careful consideration of its conformity to His design in which He already had in mind from Eternity past (Rom. 8:28; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:6; 2:13; 4:13; Heb. 13:20-21; Jas. 1:2-4). We may pray for patience or self-control, and we may assume that our prayers are going unheard when it does not come to pass in our timing. We need to understand that there are areas in our lives which need pruning and are of utmost importance (e.g., "humility, being perfect in Love, TRUST, et al"), and we must FIRST have these priorities set right before moving on to maturity (cf. Matt. 23:23).
"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that [THE SPIRITS ARE SUBJECT UNTO YOU]; but rather rejoice, because [YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN]." (Luke 10:17-20)
We are saved by His Grace through our faith in Him, and nothing on our part can merit this free gift of Eternal Life. This is FAR GREATER than being JOYFUL in knowing that wicked, non-human entities are under our authority by the power GIVEN by God. We are not to be prideful over our God-given authority over beings who intrinsically have more power than us (Jn. 14:12; Eph. 3:20; 2 Cor. 4:7; 12:9; Col. 1:11, 29; 1 Jn. 4:4). We are to REJOICE or BOAST that we have been saved SOLELY by God's Grace, and we can never merit this; and to deny this precious truth by attempting to obtain Eternal Life through meritorious efforts is not only PRIDEFUL, but will lead such a man or woman to eternal destruction (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9).
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, [I WILL] ascend into heaven, [I WILL EXALT] my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [I WILL] ascend above the heights of the clouds; [I WILL] be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be [BROUGHT DOWN] to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15)
The origin of sin began with Satan and his PRIDE. It was the SIN OF PRIDE which led to his rebellion and insubordination to THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Satan is not only the greatest deceiver, but he is also the one who is the most deceived OF ALL. Pride has led him to delusions of grandeur, and deceiving others is to deceive oneself by not having the TRUTH in oneself. Humility is one of the most, if not the most fundamental teaching in Scripture on how to live a godly and holy life pleasing to the Lord. To ignore this command to be humble in the sight of the Lord is in and of itself a clear sign of pride and arrogance, and reveals that such a person professing to be Christian is devoid of humility. If our motive is to "humble" ourselves just so that we may be EXALTED, then this proves that our motive is self-seeking. We're are not going to "fool" God with our false pretense through a feigned desire for humility, and such prayers will never come to pass.
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be [CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY] (Grk. "enkombosasthe tapeinophrosynen" ἐγκομβώσασθε ταπεινοφροσύνην [aorist imperative] -- i.e., "to tie into a knot"; "e.g., "a command to be humble under God through His protection, and not to let this attitude depart; but to secure it so as to let it ABIDE in us"): for [GOD RESISTETH THE PROUD], and [GIVETH GRACE TO THE HUMBLE]. [HUMBLE YOURSELVES] therefore under [THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD] (e.g., "the Lord's chastening, deliverance, discipline, protection, testing through trials to mature in spirit"), that he may exalt you in due time: [CASTING ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM]; for [HE CARETH FOR YOU]." (1 Peter 5:5-7)
We should not assume that our prayers are NOT answered if it does not come to pass in a time when we expect it to. And we should NEVER assume that God does not care for us if our prayers are not answered when and how WE would have it according to our limited comprehension when juxtaposed with the unfathomable mind of the Eternal God. What's most important is that God's Perfect plan and purpose be DONE in our lives regardless of how we feel personally (cf. Mic. 6:8; Jer. 29:11; Matt. 6:10; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18; Heb. 10:36; 13:20-21). There will be times in the lives of those who live godly where suffering is almost unbearable, and their cries seem to go unheard; but we are not to understand this as an indication that God has forsaken us. We must TRUST in God, and wait upon Him until what needed to be accomplished in our lives comes to fruition before we can move forward in spiritual maturity and continual sanctification (cf. Deut. 31:6; Ps. 27:13-14; 33:20-22; 34:17-18; 62:5; Isa. 26:3; 64:4; Matt. 6:34; Rom. 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; Col. 1:11; 1 Pet. 4:12-13).
"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the [dumb], or [deaf], or the [seeing], or the [blind]? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And [THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED AGAINST MOSES], and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart." (Exodus 4:10-14)
- Moses' staff being transformed into a snake and reverting back to a staff (Ex. 4:2-4). He also ran from the snake in fear (v. 3).
- Moses' hand becoming leprous and then restored (v. 6-8).
- The water taken from the river being turned into blood on dry land (v. 9).
"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." (James 5:11)
No one who prays for Humility should expect the Lord to fulfill that request overnight. There could come a time in our life where we are compelled to question the wisdom of God when things don't go our way; but it could simply be that God is using such a situation to give us a lesson on humility, AND not to question His Sovereign Wisdom and Will in our lives through His unsearchable ways (cf. Isa. 28:29; 40:28; 55:9; Job 12:13; Prov. 3:7; 11:2; 15:33; Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 1:25; 2:13; 3:18-19). What's important is what needs precedence in our life rather than what we may feel should be done in an immediate manner.
"For [AS HE THINKETH IN HIS HEART], [SO IS HE]: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee." (Proverbs 23:7)
"Let nothing be done through [STRIFE OR VAINGLORY] (Grk. "eritheian kenodoxian" ἐριθείαν κενοδοξίαν; i.e., "selfishness, or to be self-conceited"); but [IN LOWLINESS OF MIND LET EACH ESTEEM OTHER BETTER] (Grk. "tapeinophrosyn hegoumenoi allelous" ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἡγούμενοι ἀλλήλους; i.e., "in modesty and not to exalt oneself -- cf. Rom. 12:3) than themselves. [LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU], which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a [SERVANT] (Grk. "doulou" δούλου; lit., "a SLAVE"), and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:3-8)
"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:17-18)
Jesus set the perfect example of humility by becoming a human being. He literally took the form of a slave to fulfill all righteousness. There will always be quarrels and disputes regarding the Deity of Jesus Christ, and it is the result of a mind that does not understand what TRUE HUMILITY is all about. These arrogant and proud men and women will say, "If Jesus was indeed God, then why could He have not simply said: "I am God in the Flesh, and you are to WORSHIP me." This is the same NONSENSE in which Satan himself used when he tried to deceive Jesus into putting His Deity on display in a proud way; and of course the devil failed miserably. Jesus could have said: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God; and that God is ME." -- but He didn't. This is also why Jesus referred to His Father as His God (Jn. 20:17).
"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but [GIVETH GRACE UNTO THE HUMBLE]. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:6-8)
Continued in next post . . .