Prayers of David: Introduction to types of prayers
Psalms in general written to SONGS. We seem to have lost the meaning of singing Psalms as was done up until the time of Christ.
I just learned recently of the Psalms sang around Passover that no doubt were linked to the King of Glory and His sacrificial atonement at Calvary. In these writings; of course we have praise; what are called "royal" psalms as well as Messianic ones where Christ was exalted to fulfill certain promises such as seen describing his death in Psalm 22. We also have what are called "impreccatory" Psalms which ask for God to take vengeance on enemies. As a general prayer against our enemies it is certainly fitting today. For specific individuals; we can cry out for the Lord to deal with people any way He deems fit. With the focus today on seeing people saved; this could make prayers for destruction of an individual something we should avoid at least directly. We should seek to see someone saved as long as they live; even if we ask for them to be imprisoned or punishment by the law exacted on them. The exception will be in the Tribulation with the lawless one; the man of sin who is destined for perdition as we get some inkling of the prayer of the martyred saints in; I believe chapter 7.
The idea of praising God whenever we initiate communication with Him certainly is made evident through Psalms in particular and we shouldn't miss that concept. Showing true adoration for the Lord certainly could incline Him to act; and of course if we aren't wholehearted perhaps the Lord holds back as well; that is particularly true when we withhold forgiveness from people. We see this especially from Matthew 6:14-16. Psalm 51 also discusses the humble and contrite spirit which I mention often. Since David was a man after God's own heart (first seen in 1 Samuel 13:14).
I may discover some more concepts. Since I'm doing a Psalms nursing home study I may begin there or in 1 Samuel.
Hello EPAB. In this chapter of giving wise counsel in view of life's uncertainties, we see in Ecclesiastes 10:2, that the "right hand" is equated to 'wisdom', as the "left (hand)" to foolishness. When we look at the Scriptures, we often see the emphasis of the 'right hand' as it applies to action taken as a result of one's decision ( Matthew 5:30, Matthew 6:3); of being in the place of God's Approval ( Matthew 25:33,34); and of Power & Authority ( Matthew 26:64, Acts 2:33; Revelation 1:16).
So here in Ecclesiastes, to say that "a wise man's heart is at his right hand", implies that a wise, prudent person will always have his heart direct his thoughts, & then his actions towards his 'right hand' (and this is seen as the place of wise & correct action based on sound knowledge & judgement). Are there any then wise in their actions (i.e. always towards the right), or having hearts that are foolish, going to the opposite place (the left) of risk, speculation, with error & regret following?
Yet, as Christians, we are blessed above all, not relying (or, leaning) only on our own understanding as we fully trust in the LORD, only acknowledging Him in all that we do, and we will know how perfectly He directs our paths ( Proverbs 3:5,6).
We should "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" ( 1 Peter 3:15). We prepare by studying God's Word for ourselves, listening to sound Bible teachers, and staying in close fellowship with Jesus. Those practices keep our own lives pure so that we are not hypocrites who preach one thing but do another Galatians 6:1.
Evangelism provides eternal benefits. Jesus encouraged His followers to "store up treasure in heaven" ( Matthew 6:19). That treasure consists of rewards for what we did on earth in His name and for His glory. It is not self-centered to make choices that will ensure eternal treasure for ourselves. Jesus told us to! Our service to Him can be as simple as offering a cup of cold water to one of His own ( Matthew 10:42). The parable of the unjust steward underscores the importance of doing whatever we can to bring people to faith in Christ ( Luke 16:1-13).
4. Evangelism is an overflow of the "hope that is within us" ( Hebrews 6:19; 1 Peter 3:15). When two people fall in love, they cannot help but let everyone around them know it. Joy shows on their faces; stars glitter in their eyes. They are eager to tell anyone who will listen about the wonderful person they love. So it is when we've fallen in love with Jesus. We cannot help but tell people about Him every chance we get. We think about Him all the time. We're drawn to His Word, to worship services, and to others who love Him. We look for opportunities to share His truth with someone who is far from Him. If Jesus is not at the forefront of our minds, we have a spiritual problem and need to address that first before we can share the "hope that is within us."
Luke 18:1 says And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
This begins the well known parable about the "persistent widow" and is as all Christ's sayings deep and profound with meanings.
Nonetheless; our Father in heaven isn't bored with any prayers that are truly seeking His will; and the petitioner shouldn't pray in vain repetitions as Matthew 6:7 warns us. The question; of course comes what IS a viable request and what isn't?
What should be clear in regard to this issue is not praying for something CLEARLY outside of scriptural bounds; to put it more simply NOT to ask for something the Word makes CLEAR is for sinful purposes ( James 4:3 to "consume on your own lusts.")
That could be explained with several points
1) Asking God for something we intend to use for sinful purposes. This could be for a woman we can sleep with before marriage; drugs; alcohol; a gun to kill someone etc. This sort of prayer would; it seem be made by someone who is a cult leader; who would have to be under enough delusion to believe what is clearly demonic doctrine that they are some sort of Messianic figure. I would assume Jim Jones would be a good representative of such insanity; between the insane relationships he had with minors; and the final mass suicidal genocide inflicted on hundreds including himself.
2) Asking God for something with an insincere intention to please our own desires thinly veiled in a feigned humility or piety.
This is much more common; no doubt. This could also involve asking for a partner and or grooming someone with an intention to later take advantage of the situation; or fooling ourselves thinking we can compromise and continue to refrain from sin in any area of our lives which we in particular have demonstrated a pattern of weakness before in such matters. Such is alcohol to an alcoholic which of course would elicit money for actual needs but funnel it later for what we really desire.
Concluding thoughts for now on misuse of scripture.
Remembering the Pharisees shows us a prime example of how not to use scripture. Mark 7:11 is exhibit one in this subject matter; where for financial gain the needs of a parent were said to be avoided and was used in their logic to exonerate themselves for what was "dedicated to God". Psalm 105:15 stating to do no harm to God's anointed ones or prophets has also been mishandled by the "prosperity" preachers in particular and could of course be used by any cult leaders who are false prophets.
Again we know how much Satan knows scripture. Anything that can be used to tickle men's ears and misused such as God's promises for blessings being boiled down to presumption of financial gain for all of God's people is made even more insane when attempting to justify such logic with other scriptures. Jesus was clearly a man of sorrows as Isaiah prophesied; and was essentially homeless; or at least a full time missionary along with the disciples; fully dependent on God for provisions. If He could state that we shouldn't concern ourselves with food and clothing ( Matthew 6:25) it is more than a stretch to entrust him for a Lamborghinis or jet plane. Note that Jesus didn't even mention SHELTER; and also indicated that the Son of Man has no place to lay His head ( Matt. 8:20). No point going further on that subject!
A further consideration ties in with what I mentioned about the Pharisees in regard to making scriptures legalistic to maintain pride. This used to be more popular when parents were strict with children two and three generations ago. It still occurs in some denominations today under a guise of "holiness" but seen for what it is when Christ's love isn't on display. We can list all day long what we don't do or don't permit; but we also need to realize that it is the love of Christ that constrains us and draws people in ( 2 Cor. 5:14; John 12:32).
in short; scripture is truth unless used for another agenda
Thank you, Momsage, for your good advice. You are right.
Our daughter passed away December 6, 2023. Monique was diagnosed on September 26, 2023, with colon cancer that spread to her liver, lungs, plus 11 lesions in her brain. Monique never smoked, drank, drugs. My heart is broken.
All that to tell you that we stopped praying for a miracle for me and prayed for a miracle for her, but God took her home.
I am at the point of what George Muller cried out for, heaven or restoration. The Lord healed him.
I will read and reread Matthew 6:9-13.
From my love to you, Momsage, I pray the Lord heal you of arthritis. God bless you. :)
When I was young I received many compliments on my long, shinny hair. Even when I started turning gray a man told me my long gray hair sparkled in the sunshine and was very pretty. I was flattered. But now that I have arthritis in my shoulders I must keep my hair very short and I am kind of going bald on my forehead but I learned a long time ago to ask God that no matter what I pray for, or long for, that in my heart I want it to always be in His complete will. I am grateful that my short hair is so easy to take care of. Our petition must be to simply ask God to work in a situation and help us to know and yield to His will. I can tell, by what you told me, that this may not be the way you and your husband are asking God to move in your life. You mistakenly believe that God should answer your prayer as YOU choose for HIM to do, instead of trusting Him that His Way is far better even if you can't understand that right now. Dear sister, I truly hope that you understand why I am giving you this advise; please let God's will be what He wants for you so that you can have peace in your heart about this situation. Perhaps the scripture you might want to focus on is Matthew 6: 9-13, especially where it says "Thy Will be done." I pray you and your husband will take this advise to heart
When I was young I received many compliments on my long, shinny hair. Even when I started turning gray a man told me my long gray hair sparkled in the sunshine and was very pretty. I was flattered. But now that I have arthritis in my shoulders I must keep my hair very short and I am kind of going bald on my forehead but I learned a long time ago to ask God that no matter what I pray for, or long for, that in my heart I want it to always be in His complete will. I am grateful that my short hair is so easy to take care of. Our petition must be to simply ask God to work in a situation and help us to know and yield to His will. I can tell, by what you told me, that this may not be the way you and your husband are asking God to move in your life. You mistakenly believe that God should answer your prayer as YOU choose for HIM to do, instead of trusting Him that His Way is far better even if you can't understand that right now. Dear sister, I truly hope that you understand why I am giving you this advise; please let God's will be what He wants for you so that you can have peace in your heart about this situation. Perhaps the scripture you might want to focus on is Matthew 6: 9-13, especially where it says "Thy Will be done." I pray you and your husband will take this advise to heart and put it under the blood of Jesus and let Him bless you. I hope I hear back from you soon.
Love your enemies enough to imagine spending eternity with them! How, you ask? By praying for them now! Pray God saves them. That He makes them a new creation just as He has made YOU a new creation!
Forgive them, love them, pray for them!
If you don't forgiveyour Father in Heaven won't be able to forgive you. It's a Kingdom principle, a Kingdom law, if you will.
Matthew 6:15
This morning I pray for my enemies. Forgiveness for me and for them.
I pray for all the broken, hurting, and lost people to come to know the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Name of Jesus, God, you know all things and God, you know all things about this situation. God, you know the matter in its fullness. I am asking you, God, what EVER that what EVER is, that you make a way. Also, that this beloved of God stand on the following scriptures:
"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Mark 11:23 KJV
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24 KJV
I say to you beloved of God...do you want this? only believe.
"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Mark 11:25 KJV
"But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:26 KJV
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matthew 6:12 KJV
Beloved, when in life we find ourselves in situations, the believer always does a forgiveness check, ask God and believe. Beloved, when you request forgiveness its just that simple to ask and believe and God is faithful to accept and grant forgiveness because He is good and instructs us to forgive.
God is always standing by to help you in each and every way, don't be afraid, whatever you need God's got it. God is there for you. God wants fellowship with you. God has called you or is calling you, yes you to walk with Him. To try Him and take Him at His word.
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27 KJV
God is able to make a way for you. Believe God in your heart, open your eyes and allow God's holy spirit to lead and guide you in a right way.
Give your worries to the Lord, for he knows exactly what to do with them;
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. - 1 Peter 5:6,7
Our Heavenly Father knows what your needs are and will not forsake you.
Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? - Matthew 6:25
I hope you'll let me be straight with you. I mean no offense but perhaps you overlooked the part in my comment where I said I loathed ALL false doctrines but loved and grieved over the poor souls that are deceived by them. Well I did, and I do. I think that's compassion. You once said you didn't defend the Catholic Church but it seems that you are. Defending a false doctrine so people who are immersed in them can be placated is very harmful. One false teaching is idolatry, among so many other things, and the people have such a heartfelt desire to believe in that. They may get truly saved by someone's witness but if they continue to commit that idolatry, like praying the rosary and lighting candles to false gods, they will be like the seed that fell on the wayside and the fowls (idolatry) devoured them Matthew 13:4. I was raised a Catholic, had to stick with it until I left home because my mother asked me too. That was a while ago but I have kept up with it's influence in the world and it is getting worse and worse as time goes on. I would never say the Pope was the antichrist. I would never say anyone is the antichrist. To me that is not wise. As to the part of the Catholic doctrine being true, Jesus said "you can't serve two masters - Matthew 6:24. One will be hated and the other loved. The scriptures also says in Galatians 5:9 " a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." A little false doctrine ruins the whole doctrine. Catholics believe in the one true God but idolize the Pope. They worship Mary and a whole slew of other dead people, salvation is obtained by good works, etc. I think you understand. All false doctrines probably have a little bit of truth mixed in. That's how the devil in lures souls in. Might I suggest you study the doctrines of Catholicism. See if they don't teach many things contrary to what the KJB teaches. You can find them on a Catholic Church website so you will know they are the true teachings. God Bless :)
Amen! Jesus, in speaking about our service ( Matthew 6:24) said that we cannot serve two masters. The word "cannot" in the Greek text literally means that we do not have the capacity. We have not been created with the capacity to serve more than one master. It's impossible!
Thank you for sharing these quotes, one from William Law, and I am guessing the other quote is from Vance Havner? What he seems to be describing is a person who calls Jesus their Savior without fully surrendering their life to Him.
Now, William Law makes an interesting statement, "If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead." Very true. A life without Christ is pointless!
"7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Matthew 6:24-25,
"24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."
Psalms 34:19,
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."
Maybe Matthew 6:14-15 can be applicable to such a situation, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses"
What about Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.". If in our heart dwells bitterness, hostility, passions, ...?
Some thoughts about the unpardonable sin. Firstly in general all unrepentant sin is unpardonable. But there are cases in a christian life that a sin can become unpardonable. It seems that there is a line that if one crosses, there is no return. I would call it "a line of repentance". When one crosses that line it seems they will never repent any more whatever happens in their life
1. An individual apostasy from God that goes on and on for a long time and christians are moving further and further away from God while their heart gets more and more hardened and their conscious becomes less and less sensitive, seems they eventually cross the line of no return. It is the situation described by Paul in Hebrews 10:26-29 and Hebrews 6:4-8.
2. Blasphemy against the HS. The word Blasphemy in anc grk has the meaning of giving somebody a bad reputation, lke calling demonic the actions of the HS. It is unpardonable. Again people who do that have already crossed the repentance line. Why? Because one who in purpose and with full knowledge of what is doing(not just repeat what he heard from somebody else) fights against God, there is noway he will ever repent.
3. Lying to the Holly Spirit, like Ananias and Sapphira did. They were not given any chance to repent(apart from being questioned by Peter), they immediately fell down dead. So trying to cheat on the Holly Spirit is unpardonable.
4. As a final one that will occur in the future. Receiving the mark of the beast is also unpardonable. This indicates that people who will accept the mark will have knowledge of what they will be doing.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I think what was confusing me was the way the statement is structured. Just looking at light doesn't really make your body full of light in any concrete way, or your heart either. Just looking at evil doesn't make your body full of darkness. But if you take it in the context of the passage that comes before (don't store up treasures on earth), and the passages that comes after (no one can serve both God and finance and don't worry about your earthly needs), it becomes more clear that the eye focused on the hereafter has different priorities than the eye focused on getting ahead in the world.
So, as for 6:22-23, Jesse has answered you well. The eye is often thought of as the window to your soul. In these verses the eye is said to be a light into one's body, so perhaps in this instance, if your eye is evil it reveals the darkness in your being, but if it is single, then it shows the light/goodness in your being. I understand that by saying that the eye is 'single" Jesus means without deceit, malice, or ill will towards one's neighbor or rebellion towards God. Truly, only believers in Christ can have a 'single' eye because non-believers are in darkness of sin and separated from the eternal light and life of God. But in Christ, we are in the light as He is in the light and have our consciouses cleansed by the removal of our sin by Christ's sacrifice. Therefore, a believers has the light of Christ in our beings and His eye was truly "single", without any semblance of actual sin in Himself. He was truly the light of the world and when we are in Him, we too have that eternal light of life in us, too. We, too, can love God and our neighbor as Jesus is explaining in this Sermon on the Mount.
This was helpful, as I noticed that one of the translations for what the eye should be is related to the word for generous, or also candid. Could it possibly translate as trusting, as opposed to cynical? Don't know the Hebrew word for either of these.
Matthew 6 is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus expounded on the Law of Moses, bringing out nuances and deeper meaning and therefore both external and internal responsibilities to obedience.
In verses 22-23 Jesus is speaking of contentions between siblings or fellow believers (brother). He is saying that we are to settle disagreements and offenses with each other right away with sincerity and love. We are not to hold grudges or continue to "grind" about an offense, nor are we to resort to name-calling (fool) as this is not loving your neighbor as oneself.
He is also telling us that we are to restore this relationship before bringing and offering before and unto God, speaking of the OT offerings of fellowship and/or sin.
So, we cannot expect to have right fellowship with God if our fellowship with a brother in Christ is broken. This does not mean we have to have restored fellowship with those who live wickedly or who refuse right fellowship in Christ. But it does mean that we are to work at keeping our Christian relationships clean of offenses and grudges, bickering, gossiping, etc.
This is very difficult to do, so, like the other admonitions Jesus gave in this Sermon, He explained how one is to keep a law from the heart, which only He could truly do. His emphasis was that when we examine our lives and hold them up to the standards He laid out in this Sermon, we see our utter hopelessness in being perfectly aligned with the demands of the law. Therefore, we see our need for a Savior, as we realize that our heart is still sinful even if we keep the law outwardly. We deserve to not enter the kingdom of God on our own merits. But, in Jesus, we have the forgiveness of sins and the power of the Holy Spirit to become more and more like Jesus..
I think that these verses remind me that we can always improve on how we treat others, either in privated or publically, in what we do or say, and in what we think or desire in our hearts.
In Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 22 and 23, Jesus talks about the eye.
He said the light of the body is the eye: and therefore if your eye is single, the whole body is full of light. But if the eye is evil, the whole body shall be full of darkness. Therefore if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.
Here's what that means from a Hebrew standpoint:
First of all the word "single" has to do with focus, for the good eye is a generous person. The bad eye is a stingy person in the eyes of the Jews.
So if you have a good eye, and you are generous, then your focus is right. If you have a bad or corrupt eye, you are stingy and your focus is in the wrong place.
In other words, when it is focused on the single object of the light, then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness.
That is a Hebraism by the way. The Jews used to say that a person who had a single eye, a good eye, is a generous person. They are focused on one thing and that's the need of other people. But a person who has an evil eye is a selfish person and is only looking to get for themselves.
Jesus is using this concept again for the body. Your mind, your intake that ministers to your mind and feeds information to your mind, is the eye. If your body is full of light, if it is light then your whole body is full of light. And when it is evil your body is dark.
Hi , I used to struggle with this also . Finally I've come to this conclusion , though I may have it wrong and I'll be interested to hear any other explanations , it's about what we are focused on , the previous verses are talking about the difference between worldly things and heavenly things , if we are focused on heavenly things then we will be full of light and others might even see our light which comes from Christ in our hearts , if we are focused on worldly things , money , gain , greed etc then we will show that to the world and we will not be full of light but full of darkness . I only have to spend a short time with atheists , listening to their worldly conversation about cars and houses and holidays and money and I know I'm in the wrong company . I'm sure atheists find me a very boring person to be around as I'm not interested in the same things as they are so I don't have much to talk to them about . Hope that helps , I'm looking forward to reading some better replies than mine :) .
Am having trouble with Matthew 6:22-23. Can see it's a metaphor, but not really sure what the metaphor is. Read the commentaries, but don't feel solid with them. Feedback, anybody? Thoughts and guesses welcome.
Always enjoy your input, and glad to hear that you are on board with loving Jesus and not the world.I think today Christians (including me) have major difficulty divorcing ourselves from all of the fleshy worldly things. I believe this is a major roadblock that we place in front of true and real relationship with God.
Jesus tells us Matthew 6:25-34 If we are preoccupied with providing for ourselves, including and specifically more than we need, are we depending on ourselves more than we are on Him?
Wanting newer bigger homes, and more luxury, cars, clothes, jewelry, vacations, fancy meals/restaurants, opera, hollywood entertainment, sports, I could go on..All of the time spent pursuing these things take away from the time we can be spending with God..
I don't believe Gods Holy Spirit guides us, or approves us, to be pursuing all of the fleshy worldly things.serious problem here.who is keeping us involved with this world?
I really am starting to see the validity of this verse. Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
I don't think we as Christians really take this verse to heart! If we think we can continue to live worldly lives and make it to heaven.I think we are fooling ourselves, and it's not just us fooling ourselves, it is the devil, and Matthew 7:15
Hello everyone, Had an interesting question asked at our men's Bible group. " Our we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because where're sinners". Would like to hear your comments based from the Bible . Thank you
MountHoreb Response to Leoj:
When reading the bible, A Sinner is someone who has a leaning or urge to go against the will of Jehovah God ( Psalm 83:18)
God Saids one thing; a Sinner is inclined to go the other way. we have an example at Genesis 3
Point: Romans 5:12-15
There is Hope: John 3:16,17; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 17:3
Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) is not looking for perfection. he is like a father and we are like his Children prone to mistakes.
our father is looking for us to tell him the truth, to be humble, to cry to him and repent especially if it's something that
is to difficult to handle on our own. as sinners we need the spirit of God in order to have self-control in all things. This is why Jesus said what he said at Matthew 6:9-12; 1 Peter 5:6-11
Luke 12:3 and Matthew 12:36 are eye opening; as we are to give account for everything said and nothing is secret to God.
I would like to say that I don't do any grumbling or complaining; but alas then I would be lying. Thankfully anything but blasphemy against the Spirit can be forgiven. As Jesus pointed out to the self-righteous Pharisees; these bad fruits come from within. And 2 Peter 2:21 makes it clear that it is better not to have known the truth than to become reprobate. The blood of Christ is our only hope as Jeremiah 17:9 shows how sick the heart is.
There are Post Millennialists who dispute this; but I don't believe anyone from the church age who is a believer will be at the Great White Throne Judgment. I DO have the opinion that since the verse indicates that those who aren't in the Book of Life are going to the lake of fire; there is room for those who physically survive the Millennial period to go through that as saved people and hence be translated into heaven without dying.
In any event; 1 Corinthians 3:15 indicates that one can make it into heaven and suffer loss. That would be analogous to losing rewards as Revelation 3:11 warns. Paul indicates how we run for the prize. Only a few gain great rewards; as would be indicated by those making 100 fold as opposed to 30 fold returns or others ( Mark 4:20). We should not be confined to just the saved and lost divisions when scripture gives us admonitions for certain crowns that those who persevere; are martyred or are pastors as well as other situations are given for faithfulness.
Matthew 6:19-21 shows us that our treasure is to be in heaven. And that means that He must trust us with earthly riches as well ( Luke 16:10-12) as a test; a prerequisite for heavenly riches. Our brothers in Christ that we support in the ministry will be able to enjoy the harvest with us (see John 4:37). That and personal witnessing are components of fulfilling the Great Commission to finish well.
Psalms in general written to SONGS. We seem to have lost the meaning of singing Psalms as was done up until the time of Christ.
I just learned recently of the Psalms sang around Passover that no doubt were linked to the King of Glory and His sacrificial atonement at Calvary. In these writings; of course we have praise; what are called "royal" psalms as well as Messianic ones where Christ was exalted to fulfill certain promises such as seen describing his death in Psalm 22. We also have what are called "impreccatory" Psalms which ask for God to take vengeance on enemies. As a general prayer against our enemies it is certainly fitting today. For specific individuals; we can cry out for the Lord to deal with people any way He deems fit. With the focus today on seeing people saved; this could make prayers for destruction of an individual something we should avoid at least directly. We should seek to see someone saved as long as they live; even if we ask for them to be imprisoned or punishment by the law exacted on them. The exception will be in the Tribulation with the lawless one; the man of sin who is destined for perdition as we get some inkling of the prayer of the martyred saints in; I believe chapter 7.
The idea of praising God whenever we initiate communication with Him certainly is made evident through Psalms in particular and we shouldn't miss that concept. Showing true adoration for the Lord certainly could incline Him to act; and of course if we aren't wholehearted perhaps the Lord holds back as well; that is particularly true when we withhold forgiveness from people. We see this especially from Matthew 6:14-16. Psalm 51 also discusses the humble and contrite spirit which I mention often. Since David was a man after God's own heart (first seen in 1 Samuel 13:14).
I may discover some more concepts. Since I'm doing a Psalms nursing home study I may begin there or in 1 Samuel.
Agape; RP
So here in Ecclesiastes, to say that "a wise man's heart is at his right hand", implies that a wise, prudent person will always have his heart direct his thoughts, & then his actions towards his 'right hand' (and this is seen as the place of wise & correct action based on sound knowledge & judgement). Are there any then wise in their actions (i.e. always towards the right), or having hearts that are foolish, going to the opposite place (the left) of risk, speculation, with error & regret following?
Yet, as Christians, we are blessed above all, not relying (or, leaning) only on our own understanding as we fully trust in the LORD, only acknowledging Him in all that we do, and we will know how perfectly He directs our paths ( Proverbs 3:5,6).
Part 2.
We should "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" ( 1 Peter 3:15). We prepare by studying God's Word for ourselves, listening to sound Bible teachers, and staying in close fellowship with Jesus. Those practices keep our own lives pure so that we are not hypocrites who preach one thing but do another Galatians 6:1.
Evangelism provides eternal benefits. Jesus encouraged His followers to "store up treasure in heaven" ( Matthew 6:19). That treasure consists of rewards for what we did on earth in His name and for His glory. It is not self-centered to make choices that will ensure eternal treasure for ourselves. Jesus told us to! Our service to Him can be as simple as offering a cup of cold water to one of His own ( Matthew 10:42). The parable of the unjust steward underscores the importance of doing whatever we can to bring people to faith in Christ ( Luke 16:1-13).
4. Evangelism is an overflow of the "hope that is within us" ( Hebrews 6:19; 1 Peter 3:15). When two people fall in love, they cannot help but let everyone around them know it. Joy shows on their faces; stars glitter in their eyes. They are eager to tell anyone who will listen about the wonderful person they love. So it is when we've fallen in love with Jesus. We cannot help but tell people about Him every chance we get. We think about Him all the time. We're drawn to His Word, to worship services, and to others who love Him. We look for opportunities to share His truth with someone who is far from Him. If Jesus is not at the forefront of our minds, we have a spiritual problem and need to address that first before we can share the "hope that is within us."
See part 3.
This begins the well known parable about the "persistent widow" and is as all Christ's sayings deep and profound with meanings.
Nonetheless; our Father in heaven isn't bored with any prayers that are truly seeking His will; and the petitioner shouldn't pray in vain repetitions as Matthew 6:7 warns us. The question; of course comes what IS a viable request and what isn't?
What should be clear in regard to this issue is not praying for something CLEARLY outside of scriptural bounds; to put it more simply NOT to ask for something the Word makes CLEAR is for sinful purposes ( James 4:3 to "consume on your own lusts.")
That could be explained with several points
1) Asking God for something we intend to use for sinful purposes. This could be for a woman we can sleep with before marriage; drugs; alcohol; a gun to kill someone etc. This sort of prayer would; it seem be made by someone who is a cult leader; who would have to be under enough delusion to believe what is clearly demonic doctrine that they are some sort of Messianic figure. I would assume Jim Jones would be a good representative of such insanity; between the insane relationships he had with minors; and the final mass suicidal genocide inflicted on hundreds including himself.
2) Asking God for something with an insincere intention to please our own desires thinly veiled in a feigned humility or piety.
This is much more common; no doubt. This could also involve asking for a partner and or grooming someone with an intention to later take advantage of the situation; or fooling ourselves thinking we can compromise and continue to refrain from sin in any area of our lives which we in particular have demonstrated a pattern of weakness before in such matters. Such is alcohol to an alcoholic which of course would elicit money for actual needs but funnel it later for what we really desire.
Remembering the Pharisees shows us a prime example of how not to use scripture. Mark 7:11 is exhibit one in this subject matter; where for financial gain the needs of a parent were said to be avoided and was used in their logic to exonerate themselves for what was "dedicated to God". Psalm 105:15 stating to do no harm to God's anointed ones or prophets has also been mishandled by the "prosperity" preachers in particular and could of course be used by any cult leaders who are false prophets.
Again we know how much Satan knows scripture. Anything that can be used to tickle men's ears and misused such as God's promises for blessings being boiled down to presumption of financial gain for all of God's people is made even more insane when attempting to justify such logic with other scriptures. Jesus was clearly a man of sorrows as Isaiah prophesied; and was essentially homeless; or at least a full time missionary along with the disciples; fully dependent on God for provisions. If He could state that we shouldn't concern ourselves with food and clothing ( Matthew 6:25) it is more than a stretch to entrust him for a Lamborghinis or jet plane. Note that Jesus didn't even mention SHELTER; and also indicated that the Son of Man has no place to lay His head ( Matt. 8:20). No point going further on that subject!
A further consideration ties in with what I mentioned about the Pharisees in regard to making scriptures legalistic to maintain pride. This used to be more popular when parents were strict with children two and three generations ago. It still occurs in some denominations today under a guise of "holiness" but seen for what it is when Christ's love isn't on display. We can list all day long what we don't do or don't permit; but we also need to realize that it is the love of Christ that constrains us and draws people in ( 2 Cor. 5:14; John 12:32).
in short; scripture is truth unless used for another agenda
Our daughter passed away December 6, 2023. Monique was diagnosed on September 26, 2023, with colon cancer that spread to her liver, lungs, plus 11 lesions in her brain. Monique never smoked, drank, drugs. My heart is broken.
All that to tell you that we stopped praying for a miracle for me and prayed for a miracle for her, but God took her home.
I am at the point of what George Muller cried out for, heaven or restoration. The Lord healed him.
I will read and reread Matthew 6:9-13.
From my love to you, Momsage, I pray the Lord heal you of arthritis. God bless you. :)
When I was young I received many compliments on my long, shinny hair. Even when I started turning gray a man told me my long gray hair sparkled in the sunshine and was very pretty. I was flattered. But now that I have arthritis in my shoulders I must keep my hair very short and I am kind of going bald on my forehead but I learned a long time ago to ask God that no matter what I pray for, or long for, that in my heart I want it to always be in His complete will. I am grateful that my short hair is so easy to take care of. Our petition must be to simply ask God to work in a situation and help us to know and yield to His will. I can tell, by what you told me, that this may not be the way you and your husband are asking God to move in your life. You mistakenly believe that God should answer your prayer as YOU choose for HIM to do, instead of trusting Him that His Way is far better even if you can't understand that right now. Dear sister, I truly hope that you understand why I am giving you this advise; please let God's will be what He wants for you so that you can have peace in your heart about this situation. Perhaps the scripture you might want to focus on is Matthew 6: 9-13, especially where it says "Thy Will be done." I pray you and your husband will take this advise to heart
When I was young I received many compliments on my long, shinny hair. Even when I started turning gray a man told me my long gray hair sparkled in the sunshine and was very pretty. I was flattered. But now that I have arthritis in my shoulders I must keep my hair very short and I am kind of going bald on my forehead but I learned a long time ago to ask God that no matter what I pray for, or long for, that in my heart I want it to always be in His complete will. I am grateful that my short hair is so easy to take care of. Our petition must be to simply ask God to work in a situation and help us to know and yield to His will. I can tell, by what you told me, that this may not be the way you and your husband are asking God to move in your life. You mistakenly believe that God should answer your prayer as YOU choose for HIM to do, instead of trusting Him that His Way is far better even if you can't understand that right now. Dear sister, I truly hope that you understand why I am giving you this advise; please let God's will be what He wants for you so that you can have peace in your heart about this situation. Perhaps the scripture you might want to focus on is Matthew 6: 9-13, especially where it says "Thy Will be done." I pray you and your husband will take this advise to heart and put it under the blood of Jesus and let Him bless you. I hope I hear back from you soon.
God Bless :)
Jesus provided an answer to that question in Matthew 6:5-15.
Forgive them, love them, pray for them!
If you don't forgiveyour Father in Heaven won't be able to forgive you. It's a Kingdom principle, a Kingdom law, if you will.
Matthew 6:15
This morning I pray for my enemies. Forgiveness for me and for them.
I pray for all the broken, hurting, and lost people to come to know the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 3:16
"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Mark 11:23 KJV
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24 KJV
I say to you beloved of God...do you want this? only believe.
"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Mark 11:25 KJV
"But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:26 KJV
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matthew 6:12 KJV
Beloved, when in life we find ourselves in situations, the believer always does a forgiveness check, ask God and believe. Beloved, when you request forgiveness its just that simple to ask and believe and God is faithful to accept and grant forgiveness because He is good and instructs us to forgive.
God is always standing by to help you in each and every way, don't be afraid, whatever you need God's got it. God is there for you. God wants fellowship with you. God has called you or is calling you, yes you to walk with Him. To try Him and take Him at His word.
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27 KJV
God is able to make a way for you. Believe God in your heart, open your eyes and allow God's holy spirit to lead and guide you in a right way.
In Jesus Name, I pray peace. Amen.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Answer:
I will be delivered and who it concerns through our Lord Jesus Christ in oral tradition
Psalm 91:3 KJV
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the noisome pestilence.
Give your worries to the Lord, for he knows exactly what to do with them;
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. - 1 Peter 5:6,7
Our Heavenly Father knows what your needs are and will not forsake you.
Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? - Matthew 6:25
based on this verse is it bad to watch romance chinese bad despite being a christian who is baptised and reads the bible daily.
Amen! Jesus, in speaking about our service ( Matthew 6:24) said that we cannot serve two masters. The word "cannot" in the Greek text literally means that we do not have the capacity. We have not been created with the capacity to serve more than one master. It's impossible!
Thank you for sharing these quotes, one from William Law, and I am guessing the other quote is from Vance Havner? What he seems to be describing is a person who calls Jesus their Savior without fully surrendering their life to Him.
Now, William Law makes an interesting statement, "If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead." Very true. A life without Christ is pointless!
Blessings to you also!
"7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Matthew 6:24-25,
"24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."
Psalms 34:19,
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."
Maybe Matthew 6:14-15 can be applicable to such a situation, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses"
What about Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.". If in our heart dwells bitterness, hostility, passions, ...?
Some thoughts about the unpardonable sin. Firstly in general all unrepentant sin is unpardonable. But there are cases in a christian life that a sin can become unpardonable. It seems that there is a line that if one crosses, there is no return. I would call it "a line of repentance". When one crosses that line it seems they will never repent any more whatever happens in their life
1. An individual apostasy from God that goes on and on for a long time and christians are moving further and further away from God while their heart gets more and more hardened and their conscious becomes less and less sensitive, seems they eventually cross the line of no return. It is the situation described by Paul in Hebrews 10:26-29 and Hebrews 6:4-8.
2. Blasphemy against the HS. The word Blasphemy in anc grk has the meaning of giving somebody a bad reputation, lke calling demonic the actions of the HS. It is unpardonable. Again people who do that have already crossed the repentance line. Why? Because one who in purpose and with full knowledge of what is doing(not just repeat what he heard from somebody else) fights against God, there is noway he will ever repent.
3. Lying to the Holly Spirit, like Ananias and Sapphira did. They were not given any chance to repent(apart from being questioned by Peter), they immediately fell down dead. So trying to cheat on the Holly Spirit is unpardonable.
4. As a final one that will occur in the future. Receiving the mark of the beast is also unpardonable. This indicates that people who will accept the mark will have knowledge of what they will be doing.
Blessings.
I commented on 5:22-23
So, as for 6:22-23, Jesse has answered you well. The eye is often thought of as the window to your soul. In these verses the eye is said to be a light into one's body, so perhaps in this instance, if your eye is evil it reveals the darkness in your being, but if it is single, then it shows the light/goodness in your being. I understand that by saying that the eye is 'single" Jesus means without deceit, malice, or ill will towards one's neighbor or rebellion towards God. Truly, only believers in Christ can have a 'single' eye because non-believers are in darkness of sin and separated from the eternal light and life of God. But in Christ, we are in the light as He is in the light and have our consciouses cleansed by the removal of our sin by Christ's sacrifice. Therefore, a believers has the light of Christ in our beings and His eye was truly "single", without any semblance of actual sin in Himself. He was truly the light of the world and when we are in Him, we too have that eternal light of life in us, too. We, too, can love God and our neighbor as Jesus is explaining in this Sermon on the Mount.
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Matthew 6 is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus expounded on the Law of Moses, bringing out nuances and deeper meaning and therefore both external and internal responsibilities to obedience.
In verses 22-23 Jesus is speaking of contentions between siblings or fellow believers (brother). He is saying that we are to settle disagreements and offenses with each other right away with sincerity and love. We are not to hold grudges or continue to "grind" about an offense, nor are we to resort to name-calling (fool) as this is not loving your neighbor as oneself.
He is also telling us that we are to restore this relationship before bringing and offering before and unto God, speaking of the OT offerings of fellowship and/or sin.
So, we cannot expect to have right fellowship with God if our fellowship with a brother in Christ is broken. This does not mean we have to have restored fellowship with those who live wickedly or who refuse right fellowship in Christ. But it does mean that we are to work at keeping our Christian relationships clean of offenses and grudges, bickering, gossiping, etc.
This is very difficult to do, so, like the other admonitions Jesus gave in this Sermon, He explained how one is to keep a law from the heart, which only He could truly do. His emphasis was that when we examine our lives and hold them up to the standards He laid out in this Sermon, we see our utter hopelessness in being perfectly aligned with the demands of the law. Therefore, we see our need for a Savior, as we realize that our heart is still sinful even if we keep the law outwardly. We deserve to not enter the kingdom of God on our own merits. But, in Jesus, we have the forgiveness of sins and the power of the Holy Spirit to become more and more like Jesus..
I think that these verses remind me that we can always improve on how we treat others, either in privated or publically, in what we do or say, and in what we think or desire in our hearts.
In Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 22 and 23, Jesus talks about the eye.
He said the light of the body is the eye: and therefore if your eye is single, the whole body is full of light. But if the eye is evil, the whole body shall be full of darkness. Therefore if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.
Here's what that means from a Hebrew standpoint:
First of all the word "single" has to do with focus, for the good eye is a generous person. The bad eye is a stingy person in the eyes of the Jews.
So if you have a good eye, and you are generous, then your focus is right. If you have a bad or corrupt eye, you are stingy and your focus is in the wrong place.
In other words, when it is focused on the single object of the light, then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness.
That is a Hebraism by the way. The Jews used to say that a person who had a single eye, a good eye, is a generous person. They are focused on one thing and that's the need of other people. But a person who has an evil eye is a selfish person and is only looking to get for themselves.
Jesus is using this concept again for the body. Your mind, your intake that ministers to your mind and feeds information to your mind, is the eye. If your body is full of light, if it is light then your whole body is full of light. And when it is evil your body is dark.
Always enjoy your input, and glad to hear that you are on board with loving Jesus and not the world.I think today Christians (including me) have major difficulty divorcing ourselves from all of the fleshy worldly things. I believe this is a major roadblock that we place in front of true and real relationship with God.
Jesus tells us Matthew 6:25-34 If we are preoccupied with providing for ourselves, including and specifically more than we need, are we depending on ourselves more than we are on Him?
Wanting newer bigger homes, and more luxury, cars, clothes, jewelry, vacations, fancy meals/restaurants, opera, hollywood entertainment, sports, I could go on..All of the time spent pursuing these things take away from the time we can be spending with God..
I don't believe Gods Holy Spirit guides us, or approves us, to be pursuing all of the fleshy worldly things.serious problem here.who is keeping us involved with this world?
I really am starting to see the validity of this verse. Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
I don't think we as Christians really take this verse to heart! If we think we can continue to live worldly lives and make it to heaven.I think we are fooling ourselves, and it's not just us fooling ourselves, it is the devil, and Matthew 7:15
God Bless
Hello everyone, Had an interesting question asked at our men's Bible group. " Our we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because where're sinners". Would like to hear your comments based from the Bible . Thank you
MountHoreb Response to Leoj:
When reading the bible, A Sinner is someone who has a leaning or urge to go against the will of Jehovah God ( Psalm 83:18)
God Saids one thing; a Sinner is inclined to go the other way. we have an example at Genesis 3
Point: Romans 5:12-15
There is Hope: John 3:16,17; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 17:3
Jehovah ( psalm 83:18) is not looking for perfection. he is like a father and we are like his Children prone to mistakes.
our father is looking for us to tell him the truth, to be humble, to cry to him and repent especially if it's something that
is to difficult to handle on our own. as sinners we need the spirit of God in order to have self-control in all things. This is why Jesus said what he said at Matthew 6:9-12; 1 Peter 5:6-11
Point: Luke 24:45-48; Romans 7:7-25
Hope these scriptures help. Thanks
I would like to say that I don't do any grumbling or complaining; but alas then I would be lying. Thankfully anything but blasphemy against the Spirit can be forgiven. As Jesus pointed out to the self-righteous Pharisees; these bad fruits come from within. And 2 Peter 2:21 makes it clear that it is better not to have known the truth than to become reprobate. The blood of Christ is our only hope as Jeremiah 17:9 shows how sick the heart is.
There are Post Millennialists who dispute this; but I don't believe anyone from the church age who is a believer will be at the Great White Throne Judgment. I DO have the opinion that since the verse indicates that those who aren't in the Book of Life are going to the lake of fire; there is room for those who physically survive the Millennial period to go through that as saved people and hence be translated into heaven without dying.
In any event; 1 Corinthians 3:15 indicates that one can make it into heaven and suffer loss. That would be analogous to losing rewards as Revelation 3:11 warns. Paul indicates how we run for the prize. Only a few gain great rewards; as would be indicated by those making 100 fold as opposed to 30 fold returns or others ( Mark 4:20). We should not be confined to just the saved and lost divisions when scripture gives us admonitions for certain crowns that those who persevere; are martyred or are pastors as well as other situations are given for faithfulness.
Matthew 6:19-21 shows us that our treasure is to be in heaven. And that means that He must trust us with earthly riches as well ( Luke 16:10-12) as a test; a prerequisite for heavenly riches. Our brothers in Christ that we support in the ministry will be able to enjoy the harvest with us (see John 4:37). That and personal witnessing are components of fulfilling the Great Commission to finish well.