SUCCESSFUL PRAYER

Photo courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com

Kathryn Kuhlman's book

Never Too Late

Marion Burgio

Multiple sclerosis

+++++++

After reading Kathryn Kuhlman's book
Never Too Late something finally got my
attention.

The book largely was about the struggles of
Marion Burgio who had Multiple seclerosis for
seventeen years.  The pain and the agony that
these folks endure is almost beyond my imagination.

But when Marion was at one of the healing services,
in a wheel chair, just barely alive if I may say it that
way.  Marion, who did not really want to go to the
service, began to feel concern and compassion for
those around her who were suffering.  And she
began to forget herself and in her own way to pray
for those around her.

It was then, when she was not even thinking about it,
that her own instantaneous miraculous total healing took
place.

Is there not a clue here?
First, she prayed for someone else.
Then the Lord reminded me about Jobs recovery.

"Then after Job had prayed for his three
friends, the Lord made him prosperous
again and gave him twice as much as
he had had before."
(Job 42:10  GNT)

The Lord turned things around for Job,
after he prayed for his wayward friends.

In the closing section of the book Kathryn
broaches the subject again when she said,

"Often there are those who come praying

for physical healing and they get so 

caught up in the spiritual impact of the

miracle service that they forget about 

their own need.  They soon direct their 

prayers toward others and begin rejoicing

over the miracles that take place.

Oddly enough, it is often at this precise 

moment that God chooses to heal - when

self is forgotten and God and others come

first."

pp. 69, 70

TRUE GIVING

"Jesus looked around and saw rich people

dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury,

and he also saw a very poor widow dropping

in two little copper coins.  He said, 'I tell you

that this poor widow put in more than all the 

others.  For the others offered their gifts from

what they had to spare of their riches; but she,

poor as she is, gave all she had to live on.'"

(Luke 21:1-4 TEV)

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Updated King James Version.

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INTERFERENCE

I know.

This is not a pretty picture.

You have seen prettier pictures.

You have seen better looking snow.

In fact, the snow gets much deeper where you live.

I live back in the hills.  Now the hills here are not very

high.  But the valleys are real deep.  So when a snow

storm hits, it can be a very serious thing.

The day I took this picture I had gone to a morning church

service almost 30 miles from my house.  I knew the storm was

coming.  But it was not supposed to be here until later in the day.

So I threw some weight (wood) in the back of my old work truck

and when to church.  But the storm hit hard while I was in church.

This first point about the storm is not the point of the post.

I just want to give God the thanks.  Then the point of the post.

This storm was one of those dry powdery type of snows.  It 

was slicker than grease.  And on the way back home, many a 

prayer was offered up when one wreck after another was passed.

While squirming up one hill after another.  And taking one detour

after another with the old truck.   But God answered 

every one of them.

When I was about seven miles from the house I finally decided

to give up, park the truck and call for help, knowing I could not get up

 our hill.  So while turning around to go back to an empty parking lot 

I had just passed, one of my grand kids spotted me.  He was in a 

vehicle that would take me anywhere.  I did not even have to get 

the cell phone out.  Isn't God good.

O.K.

The point of today's post.

I attempted to take a picture of the snow falling through the 

kitchen window.  But the storm was abating and the snow 

flakes very small.  However, my problem was I could not 

get on the internet, even to check the weather.

My internet service comes from a cell tower about two 

miles from the house.  Often when storms come I loose

 contact with the cell tower.  Electrical interference from 

thunder storms will do it.  Or as in this case, snow and

other times ice.  I do not know if the signal is lost because

 of all the snow in the air, or if something gets coated with

 snow, ice or a pollutant.  [Incidentally the correct spelling of 

"pollutant" is "politician".]  But ether way, the message does 

not get through because of the interference.  You could 

think of this as the material world interfering with the spiritual

world.

[I know.  You do not believe in "radio waves" because you

cannot see them, touch them, smell them or taste them.  So

they do not exist and never have existed.]

Our lives are the same way.  When they get all cluttered up

with visible things (stuff), cares about food, clothing, riches,

fame or just being "cool" and having fun - then the unseen 

signals sent by God (The cell tower) can not get to us, 

the receiver.

Jesus pointed this out when he said,

"Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn

bushes.  These are the ones who hear the message, but

the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all

other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message,

and they don't bear fruit."

(Mark 4:18,19 TEV)

Are "things" or "stuff" causing interference in

your life so God cannot communicate with you?

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Jesus looked straight at him with love and said,

'You need only one thing.  Go and sell all you have

and give the money to the poor, and you will have

riches in heaven; then come and follow me.'  When

the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and 

he went away sad, because he was very rich.

   Jesus looked around at his disciples and said to them,

'How hard it will be for rich people to enter the kingdom

of God!'

   The disciples were shocked at these words, but

Jesus went on to say, 'My children, how hard it is

to enter the Kingdom of God!  It is much harder

for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than

for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.'

At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked

one another, 'Who, then, can be saved?'

Jesus looked straight at them and answered, 'This

is impossible for humans beings but not for God;

everything is possible for God."

(Mark 10:21 - 27 GNT)

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"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver refined

seven times in the furnace."

(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.

2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.

3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.

(William Gurnall) ]

WARNING

"As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples,
'Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like
to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with
respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in
the synagogues and the best places at feasts; who take advantage
of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show
of saying long prayers!  Their punishment will be all the worse!'"
(Luke 20:45-47 TEV)

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Would you like a free download of

THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free

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Updated King James Version.

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WHAT HAPPENED?

All photos courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY???????

What ever these are [We will call them sculptures.]

They have been there a long time.  Even before the 

photographer happened by.  Perhaps forever.

These "sculptures" obviously were not designed or created.

They just happened.  Let's face it.  There could not have been

any thought put into these "sculptures".

They could only be the product of, well, forces that

came from who knows where.  Then they evolved 

into what ever they are.

But do not worry about it.  They are being investigated 

by scientist.  There will some scientist theorizing about

there existence even now about how they just "happened".

The rest of the world don't not know it.  But you and 

I know that somebody put a lot of thought and effort

into whatever these things are.

Now, if something as simple as these "sculptures" did 

not just happen, but had a designer or creator.  What

on earth makes you think that something as complex

as you and me, just happened?

"Fools say to themselves,

'There is no God!'"

(Psalms 14:1 GNT)

TODAY'S PROMISE

"There will be strange things happing to the sun,

the moon, and the stars  On earth whole countries

will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and

the raging tides.  People will faint from fear as they

wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for 

the powers in space will be driven from their courses.

Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud

with great power and glory.  When these things

begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads,

because your salvation is near." 

(Luke 21:25 - 28 GNT)

******************

"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver refined

seven times in the furnace."

(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.

2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.

3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.

(William Gurnall) 

TRUE LIFE

"But you do not live as your human 

nature tells you to; instead,you live 

as the Spirit tells you to - if, in fact,

 God's Spirit lives in you. Whoever 

does not have the Spirit of Christ,

 does not belong to him. But if Christ 

lives in you, the Spirit is life for you,

 because you have been put right with

 God, even though your bodies are 

going to die because of sin.  If the Spirit 

of God, who raised Jesus from death, 

lives in you, then he who raised Christ 

from death will also give life to your

 mortal bodies by the presence of his 

Spirit in you."

(Romans 8:9-11TEV)

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Would you like a free download of

THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free

download of the

Updated King James Version.

www.oocities.org/updatedkjv

THEY ARE ALL WRONG

Confusion reigns.

Which is the correct method of Bible interpretation?

Grammatical

Dispensational

Covenantal

Literally

Historically

Midrash

Folklore

But us simple folks are not the only ones being confused.

G. Campbell Morgan, one of the greatest preachers of all time,
was all most ruined by too many books and too many of man's
ideas.  He was neglecting his Bible and learning the philosophies
of his day.  He was loosing his faith.

He said,

"In my despair I took all the books that I had, placed them in a cupboard, 

turned the key, and there they remained for seven years. I bought a new 

Bible, and began to read it with an open mind and a determined will. 

That Bible found me."

From there God begin to use him in a mighty way in England

and the United States.

The flyleaf of one of my old text books.

Just in case it makes any difference to you,

I am not a total stranger to this thing of Hermeneutics.

How about Bible study methods?

Devotionally

Summary

Character

Thematic

Biographically

Topical

Word study

Book background

Survey

Synthesis

Verse by verse

Allegorically

Analytically

I had a book one time entitled,

"Synthetic Bible Studies"

I never did find time to read it.

And, I have never regretted it.

I have quoted this before, 

but it bears repeating.

"We read the New Testament and we are so

intent on finding the hidden meanings behind

the facts that we forget to look at the facts

themselves!"

K.P. Yohannan

in his book

LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY

p.125

Is there a proper way to interpret the Bible.

You bet there is. 

The same way you would interpret a letter from 

your mother - or, any one else.  You take her at her word.  

If she includes a joke, you take it as a joke.  

If she includes a story, you read it as a story. 

 But you believe what she tells you.

NOW WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT THAT?

Just pick up your Bible and read it like a letter.

Let it talk to you.  You will be better off for it.

TODAY'S PROMISE

"And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive;

seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will

be opened to you.  For those who ask will receive,

and those who seek will find, and the door will

be opened to anyone who knocks.  Would any of

you who are fathers give your son a snake when 

he asks for fish?  Or would you give him a scorpion

when he asks for an egg?  As bad as you are,  you

know how to give good things to your children.

How much more, then, will the Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

(Luke 11:9-13 TEV)

******************

"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver refined

seven times in the furnace."

(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.

2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.

3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.

(William Gurnall) 

JESUS IS MY;

Jesus,

"You are my shield,

my strength,

my portion,

my shelter,

my strong tower

and

my deliverer."

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Would you like a free download of

THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free

download of the

Updated King James Version.

www.oocities.org/updatedkjv