Greetings!
Here are the top 5 posts favored by the community at "Jesus Christ The Messiah" (JCMessiah.org) during the week ending February 4th, 2012, starting with #5. Let's flashback together, all the way to #1, and feel free to forward these highlights to your family, friends, and others who might like to receive them.
Note that the week of posts ending February 4th, 2012, were about prayer. Sometime in the future, all of the posts from that week might be made available as a free booklet, if there is interest:
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>>> #5 <<<
See my last post for part 1 of this prayer, where I spent time in adoration of our Lord, God.
ILLUSTRATIVE PRAYER PART 2 of 4: Father, I have been SO prideful. I have allowed myself to put more value on my own thoughts, over your will. Again, Lord, you have been SO merciful on me. I want to do much better. I want to no longer carry around these chains of anxiety that I foolishly created, link by link. I was not at your feet for so long, Lord, because of this bondage to pride that I imposed upon myself. God, please receive my confession to you, and may it unshackle these chains once and for all. Let my spirit fly high and free above all temption.
Source: Matthew 6:12-13
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>>> #4 <<<
My daughter, Hannah, wasn't even a year old when I pulled out an old Bible that had some really nice drawings for illustrations. One sketch portrayed a scene with Christ sitting, as modern looking children (very young) flocked around Him. In the back, there was this little girl who was apparently the youngest and smallest. She seemed to work harder than any of them to reach Jesus, as it looked like Jesus' eyes were looking over the other heads toward her.
Hannah learned to read on my lap, and she often had me pull that Bible out just to find that one page. She would repeatedly tap the image of the little girl, her face would light up, and she would say, "There's Hannah! That's me!"
I know. I started it, but it really wasn't difficult. Notice how natural it can be for kids to be drawn to Jesus, if you just point the way. Now, as a 9 year old, she still does it when she comes across that old Bible. I'm proud to say that she gave her life to the Lord officially last summer. She showed grace beyond her years much earlier.
Matthew 19:14 ... Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me. Don't keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them." (NIRV)
Certainly, we should NOT underestimate the potential of children and the power of their prayers. I'm going to get more into this later, but I'm also going to look at that one part of the scripture where it says, "people like them." Those words seem to imply something, beyond the scope of the kingdom only belonging to the children.
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>>> #3 <<<
Seek Forgiveness ... Receive It ... Share it!
Feel Love ... Embrace it ... Show it!
Know Truth ... Believe It ... Live it!
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>>> #2 <<<
Bad Prayer Countdown #3: ... Who do you think you are kidding? You ask the Lord to help you give up something like a sinful addiction, but in your heart you have no will OR desire to do what it takes to make it happen. You tell the Lord that you know it is wrong, AND you say that you are sorry. However, your "sorry" has a string attached. If God doesn't make it physically easy for you; then you plan in the back of your mind to keep doing what you are doing. Your "sorry" effectively means nothing. You just said a dishonest prayer to God.
Be honest with God, and be prepared to do what is necessary in order to back up your words.
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>>> #1 <<<
"Daddy, I think I have Jesus in my heart!"
My daughter was only 5 years old when she said those words one night. I had just tucked her into bed and was almost out of her room, when I was stopped in my tracks as she said those words to me. Only moments earlier, my first three attempts to leave her room were interrupted just the same. At first, she stopped me to tell me that she loved me. Of course, that made me smile. She stopped me the second time, just to tell me that she loves her "WHOLE family." I smiled even more, as I praised her for expressing her love. Yet, it didn't stop there. She made sure to stop me again, as she rolled on her back with her eyes gleaming toward the ceiling. She said, "Daddy, I love everyone ... EVERYONE in the WHOLE world." I'm telling you, I just stood there at that point in awe. I sensed there would be more, but I wasn't sure what to expect. She then rolled over and looked at me with a sparkle in her eye. She had an expression of wonder on her face, as if she had just discovered gold and was determined to tell me about it. I was so proud when those words came out of her mouth ... "I mean, Daddy, I think I have Jesus in my heart!" Years later, as I look back at how she has grown, I come to believe more and more that something indeed very special happend that night. A seed seemed to open and take root, and there was no turning back.
All that I had done up to that point in her life was in the spirit of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:10-11 (NIRV) ...
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones. Here is what I tell you. Their angels in Heaven can go at any time to see my Father who is in heaven."
Something about these verses tells me that God wants us to consider that children have special importance to Him. Jesus also said in Matthew 18:4 (NIRV) ...
"Anyone who becomes as free of pride as this child is the most important in the kingdom of Heaven."
Folks, it says "free of pride." A child starts out in a condition that God wants for any grown man or woman, because without pride He can get through to us. Jesus said in verse 3 ...
"What I'm about to tell you is true. You need to change and become like little children."
Perhaps if you struggle when you pray, consider what Jesus said. Perhaps that ONE thing standing between you and God is "pride." Be careful not to dismiss what I am saying. "Pride" is a beast that can hide itself within the darkest regions of your heart. However, it cannot hide from the light of a humble torch. If you ignite that torch, the beast will flee, and it will no longer be able to devour the right words that God wants to hear ... "Oh, Lord, I believe in you. I love you. I will be your child from this point forward, and I will obey and serve you."
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His Everlasting Hope
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