God's Holy Children

Our precious Kayla & her dear friend Angela.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11

For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:4-5

God wants us as his holy children. That was his plan for us even before the world began. God paid the huge price, the sacrifice of his Son Jesus, for our adoption into his family. God's motive in doing this? His desire and delight in loving us!

You are called to belong, not just believe. We were created by God and for God.

“You are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19

Even though we are God's holy children, we also need to be aware of what time it is in our world. The evil one still exercises his control over the hearts of many people. God wants us to "redeem the time," making the most of every opportunity we have to touch the lives of others with his grace and to resist the temptation and overcome the opposition of the evil one.

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16


Holy Father,

I am blessed and honored to be one of your adopted children and want to bring you joy in the way I live. Forgive me for the times I have disappointed you or not lived up to what you desire of me. I want my life to be a holy thanksgiving to you for your grace. Give me courage to boldly stand for you and sensitivity to know the best way to bless others according to their needs.

In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen
Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Developing Your Friendship With God

He offers his friendship to the godly. Proverbs 3:32

Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. James 4:8

Question to consider: What practical choices will I make today in order to grow closer to God?

If you want a deeper, more intimate connection with God you must learn to honestly share your feelings with God and trust Him. It takes desire, time, and energy.

I must choose to be honest with God. The first step of building a deeper friendship with God is complete honesty about your faults and your feelings. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect but he insist on complete honesty. Because of God’s grace, Jesus is still friend of sinners. Matthew 11:19

In the Bible, God’s friends were honest with their feelings, often complaining, second-guessing, accusing, and arguing with their Creator. God encouraged it.

Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God. God always acts in your best interest, even when it is painful and you don’t understand it. Tell God exactly how you feel.

I must choose to obey God in faith. Every time you trust God’s wisdom and do whatever he says, even when you don’t understand it, you deepen your friendship with God. Jesus made it clear that obedience is a condition of intimacy with God. He said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:14

We obey God, not out of duty or fear or compulsion, but because we love Him and trust that he knows what is best for us.

Unbelievers often think Christians obey out of obligations or guilt or fear of punishment, but the opposite is true. Because we have been forgiven and set free, we obey out of love and our obedience brings great joy!

Jesus said, I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in His love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:9-11

True friendship is not passive; it acts. When Jesus asks us to love others, help the needy, share our resources, keep our lives clean, offer forgiveness, and bring others to Him, love motivates us to obey immediately.

God is more pleased when we do small things for Him out of loving obedience. They may be unnoticed by others, but God notices them and considers them acts of worship.

God treasures simple acts of obedience more than our prayers, praise, or offerings. The Bible tells us, “What pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obedience to his voice? It is better to obey than to sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22

I must choose to value what God values. The more you become God’s friend, the more you will care about the things He cares about, grieve over the things He grieves over, and rejoice over things that bring pleasure to Him.

What does God care about most? The redemption of His people. He wants all His lost children found. That’s the whole reason Jesus came to earth.

The dearest thing to the heart of God is the death of his Son. The second dearest thing is when his children share that news with others. To be friend of God, you must care about all the people around you whom God cares about.

Friends of God tell their friends about God.

I must desire friendship with God more than anything else. David passionately desired to know God above all else. He used the words like longing, yearning, thirsting, and hungering. He craved God.

Your love means more than life to me. Psalm 63:3

Intimate friendship with God is a choice. You must intentionally seek it. Do you really want it – more than anything?

Pray this throughout your day:

“Dear Jesus, more than anything else, I want to get to know you intimately.”

When you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” Jeremiah 9:24

It’s a relationship what will last forever. Paul told Timothy, “Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life – they don’t know God.” 1 Timothy 6:21

Have you been missing out on the most important thing in life? You can do something about it right now. Remember, it’s your choice. You are as close to God as you choose to be.

How Can You Come Near To God?

Submit yourselves to God. James gives 5 ways:

1) Submit to God. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4: 7 Yield to His authority and will, commit your life to Him and His control, and be willing to follow Him.

2) Resist the devil. Don't allow Satan to entice and tempt you.

3) Wash your hands and purify your hearts, that is, lead a pure life. Be cleansed from sin, replacing your desire to sin with your desire to experience God's purity. Come near to God, and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

4) Grieve and mourn and wail in sincere sorrow for your sins. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. James 4:9 Don't be afraid to express deep heartful sorrow for your sins.

5) Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up! Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up and due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Humbling ourselves means recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. Althought we do not deserve God's favor, He reaches out to us in love and gives us worth and dignity despite our human shortcomings.

We give ourselves to Him, not out of fear or duty, but in love, because He first loved us.

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

God Chose YOU!

God chose you. He loves you even when you were unlovable. He adopted you into His kingdom. He desires for all who have been chosen by Him to have the traits of their heavenly Father.

Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
Ephesians 1:4-5

Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. Ephesians 1:11-12

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14

Ask God to give you a heart of compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience.

Ask God to give you His strength to bear others and to forgive others.

Ask God to let all the members of your church work together in unity to reach those who are the least and those who are lost.

Dear Father,

You are the God of compassion and kindness. You have loving gentleness and patience toward to your children. Your love and forgiveness toward us is amazing. You are holy. Let our lips always praise You. Thank you for choosing us before the foundation of the world. Thank you for forgiving us when we confess any sins we have brought against You. I ask You to give us the strength to turn away from our sins. To repent of all wrongdoing. Give us the will to forgive others just as you have forgiven us. Let us strive for unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In Jesus' name we pray..
Amen.

Bible Teaches Us About Prayer

God,
I pray that we will dedicate ourselves to prayer for the 40 Days Of Purpose Campaign. Get us spiritually ready for what You want us to do. We know what without your power, we will labor in vain. Encourage us to saturate these important 40 days in prayer.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Don't forget to pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to preach about his secret plan – that Christ is also for you Gentiles. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:2-5

Paul encourage us to be consistent in prayer. When he says "devote yourself to prayer," the word devote means "to persist at." It means "to remain at something" or "to cling to something" or "to continually be available for something".

What would it be like if you really devoted yourself to prayer on a daily basis?

What does it means to be "watchful" in prayer?

As we read Scripture, we discover a very crucial reason for devoting ourselves to prayer. Christians have an unspeakable privilege of having immediate and welcome access to God and His power to change things!

In Hebrews 4:14-16, the writer says that because we have so great a high priest, which is Jesus, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Regarding prayer, how and why and when should we approach Christ? What do you think it means to approach God with "boldness"?

As we approach God's throne with boldness, we now "tap into" His unlimited power and resources. The results is that God responds. Our prayers matter.

In Colossians 4:3, Paul says, " And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message." Paul beleived that the intercession and prayers of these beleivers would open doors for the message of Christ.

Tired Of Praying?

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Colossians 4:2-3

Have you ever grown tired of praying for someone or something? Paul says we should "devote" ourselves to prayers. and be "watchful" in prayer. Our persistence is an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith
should not die if the answers comes slowly, for the delay may be God's way of working his will in our loves. When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering - maybe not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that He knows are best.

The mystery of Christ is Christ's Good News of salvation, the gospel. The whole focus of Paul's life was to tell others about Christ, explaining and preaching this wonderful mystery.

Paul asked for prayer that he could proclaim the Good News about Christ clearly and we can request prayer to do the same. How many people in your life could be touched if you prayed in this way?

Honor Jesus' Name: Model His Character

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14

When Jesus says we can ask for anything, we must remember that our asking must be in hi name - that is according to God's character and will. God will not grant contrary to his nature or his will. We cannot use his name as a magic formula to fullfill our selfish desire. We are are sincerely following God and seeing to do his will, then our requests will be in line with what he wants and he will grant them.

Surrender To The Cross

The meaning of discipleship...

And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:38-39

Jesus wants us to seriously look into our hearts and surrender those things that hold us back from fully following and serving Him. We know what they are. He comes to us with his nownail-scarred hands and reminds us that He gave up everything to save us. He now wants us to surrender to the Cross the things that hold us back. Let's do it now.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

Prayer:

Please remove the blindness from my eyes and help me see what keeps me from fully seeing Jesus as my Lord and what I need to do to live fully for him. I now confess the sins to you and ask that you cleanse me and liberate me from Satan's power that binds them to me and holds me back from whole-hearted service to your Son. Help me to keep my eyes on Jesus.

In sweet Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2

Prayer and Bible Study

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

Pay Attention To God and His Word

I plan to keep on reminding you of these things – even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth. Yes, I believe I should keep on reminding you of these things as long as I live. But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die. So I will work hard to make these things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone.

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. We have seen his majestic splendor with our own eyes. And he received honor and glory from God the Father when God's glorious, majestic voice called down from heaven, "This is my beloved Son; I am fully pleased with him." We ourselves heard the voice when we were there with him on the holy mountain.

Because of that, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. Pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a light shining in a dark place – until the day Christ appears and his brilliant light shines in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. 2 Peter 1:12-21

While the false teachers claimed prophetic words of a future judgment were made up, the Peter aserts that the prophiets were empowered by the Holy Spirit. ( Jeremiah 20:9) And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!

What is God saying to you about His Word ( the Bible )?

Why do you think it was so important for Peter to emphasize the divine inspiration of God's Word in verses 2 Peter 20:21?

20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves
21or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.

Prayer Of Commitment

Lord Jesus,

I need you. I realized I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I need your forgiveness. I beleive that you loved me so much that you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I repent of my sins and put my faith in you as Savior and Lord. Take control of my life and help me to follow you in obedience. I love you Jesus.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

God's Uniform

Which piece of your team uniform or sports equipment do you consider the most important? What piece, if any, could you do without?

Imagine if your opponents where invisible! How would that alter the competition? What special equipment, might you need to win? The Whole Armor of God!

Paul tells us that our real invisible opponents are invisible. What does this means? Read Ephesians 6:10-20

Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God's secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. I am in chains now for preaching this message as God's ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Examine each piece of equipment in this list. How does each item ( helment, shield, etc. ) help the Christian in daily life? What would happen to a Christian if any item were missing?

What is needed for you to put on the full armor of God this week?

Share Your Blessings

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Messages sent by Mark Lowenstein ( deaf minister at Fairfax Church of Christ )
www.fxcc.org/deaf
Thank you, Mark.

Brothers and Sisters,

I want to bring this to your attention that we have a couple of donating opportunities to work on. I am aware of the rising gas price and all other stuff may have put a strain on your wallet but if you're able to make some sacrifices by offering monetary donations for support, that will be just wonderful!! : )

FUNDRAISING FOR CARL MOORE
On Sunday, September 4th and 11th, we will be raising money to help Carl Moore go on his required mission trip to Mexico City in October. Carl needs more than $700 to cover the cost of airfare, lodging and food. So this Sunday and next, we will have two offerings: one offering to the Lord and another offering to help Carl Moore.

FUNDRAISING FOR THE KATRINA VICTIMS
On Sunday, September 18th, we, along with the hearing congregation, children and teens, will be raising money to help with the victims of the Katrina disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi. Murray Sanderson mentioned that we will be working with one of the church in the state (Louisiana/Mississippi) in fundraising to help the victims.

If, for some reason, you're unable to be present for the giving of your support to the two cause, please P.O. mail to me @:

Fairfax Church of Christ
Attn: Mark Lowenstein/Donation
3901 Rugby Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22033

The ladies' will be leaving on their retreat on September 16th through 18th so it would be extremely helpful if you either give the support beforehand or mail it to me. May God bless your giving..

God is drawn to prayers. Prayers releases His blessings into our lives.

"At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need." 2 Corinthians 8:14 (niv)

Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Acts 10:4

Elijah Prayed

Elijah was the most famous and dramatic of Israel's prophets.

Elijah Stepped Forward and Prayed : O'Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be done known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant ant have done these things at your command. Answer me, O'Lord, answer me, so these people will know what you, O'Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 1 Kings 18:36-38

We might wish to do amazing miracles for God, we should instead focus on developing a relationship with him. The real miracle Elijah's life was his very personal relationship with God. And that miracle is available to us.

How is your personal relationship with God?

God will make resources available to us in a creative ways to accomplish His purposes. He will give us the wisdom to raise a family, the courage to take a stand for the truth, or the means to provide help for someone in need. Like Elijah, we can have faith that whatever God commands us to do, He will provide what we need to carry it through.

The Prayer of Faith:
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sign songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned; he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half year. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17:18

The Christian most powerful resources is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. Some people see prayher as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backward. Prayer should come first. Because God's power is infinitely greater than ours, it only make sense to rely on it especially because God encourages us to do so. Amen!

Mustard

Just a Mustard Seed

It is like a tiny mustard seed. Though this is one of the smallest of seeds
Mark 4:31

Jesus replied, "You stubborn, faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?" "You didn't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:19-20

Small mindedness is not the worst of things. Smallness in faith is the worst thing. Small mindedness keeps us from seeing the plan of God.
Small in faith means we see little more than what we can pull off ourselves. Jesus had said that he gave his followers authority to cast out demons and cure diseases. The issue is not whether they were capable or had the power. They simply had very small faith. They lost faith that Jesus would do what he said he would do. So many of us lost that faith. Jesus reminds us that it doesn't take alot -- just a mustard seed amount. If that's there, then incubated with faith it becomes powerful and mighty.

Father,

You are glorious and majestic. Your deeds areawesome. I ask you to grow my faith stronger and bolder. Father, I beleive, but help me believe even more. I will seek to serve you trusting in your supply of power and strength. Lord, use me.

In Jesus name I asked.
Amen.

It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds come and find shelter among its branches. Luke 13:19

"Even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed," the Lord answered, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May God uproot you and throw you into the sea,' and it would obey you! Luke 17:6

Back-To-School Prayer

Parents and children are probably experiencing those Back-to-School jitters today.

Pray.

Pray with your child before bed. In the morning, pray a blessing over your child before she leaves for school —for example:

Numbers 6:24-26: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

A family prayer or devotional reading each morning before everyone goes separate ways will draw you together as a family and help you focus on what matters most. Nothing fancy required: some verses, a song, a prayer, a blessing.

Jabez: Remembered for A Prayer Request

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Jabez is remembered for a prayer request than a heroic act. In his prayer, he asked God:

1) Bless him
2) Help him in his work ( "enlarge my terrority")
3) Be with him all he did
4) Keep him from evil and harm.

Jabez acknowledged God as the true center of his work. When we pray for God's blessing, we should also pray that he will take his rightful position as Lord over our work, family time, and our recreation. Obeying him in daily responsibilites is heroic living.

Jabez prayed specifically to be protected from harm and pain. We live in a fallen world filled with sin and it is important to ask God to keep us safe from the unavoidable evil that comes our way. But we must also avoid evil motives, desires, and actions that begin with us. Therefore, not only must we seek God's protection from evil, but we must also ask God to guard our thoughts and action. We must begin to utilize his protection by filling our minds with positive thoughts and attitudes.

Effective Prayer - Ask Him

Effective Prayer

God is our awesome provider. He has given us countless blessings to those who love and seek Him. We often do not come to Him with our needs. We miss His blessings by not seeking His hands, by not asking, or by asking the wrong motives.

Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. You parents – if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:7-11

The Golden Rule
Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12

If you need wisdom, if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. James 1:5

You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:2-3

Dear Father,

I praise Your holy name. You are worthy to be praised. Your wisdoms abounds. Let everything that has breath on earth praise Your holy name. I thank You for those times when I have cried out to You and You have provided. I thank You that I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me. Forgive me for the times when I have been in real need and forgotten to call out Your name. Forgive me for those times when I did call Your name and asked for the wrong things because of my own personal desires. Teach me to rely on You for all things. Let me first look to the needs of my family and neighbors before I seek my own needs. Use me to help those in need. Let me always be dependent on you.

In Jesus name I asked.
Amen

Give God thanks for all that He has provided. Pray that you will bring every request, every need to our Father.

Blood

The Blood of Christ

This is part of the Lord's Supper I talked about two weeks ago.

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrew 9:22

Why does forgiveness require the shedding of blood? There is no greater symbol of life than blood. Blood keeps us alive. Jesus shed his blood - gave his life - for our sins so that we would not have to experience spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Jesus is the source of life, not death. He gave his own life to pay our sin for us so that we might live. After shedding his blood for us, Christ rose from the grave and proclaimed victory over sin and death.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrew 9:14

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new convenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me".
1 Corinthians 11:25

How do we remember Christ in the Lord's Supper? By thinking about what he did and why he did it.

Paul's Letter - Examine Yourself

Examine yourself during the Lord's Supper.

http://denniscesone.blogspot.com/2005/04/examine-yourself.html

Try Prayer Power

Try Prayer Power

The Kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21

Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20

Pray without ceasing. I believe that prayer is sending out of vibrations from one person to another and to God.

Follow ten rules for getting effective results from prayer:

Set aside a few minutes every day. Do not say anything. Simply practice thinking about God. This will make your mind spiritually receptive.

Then pray orally, using simple natural words. Tell God anything that is on your mind. Talk to God in your own language. He understands it.

Pray as you go about the business of the day, on the subway or washing dishes or at your desk. Utilize minute prayers by closing your eyes to shut out the world and concentrating briefly on God’s presence. The more you do this every day, the nearer you will feel God’s presence.

Do not always ask when you pray but instead affirm that God’s blessings are being given. Spend most of your prayers giving thanks and praising Him.

Pray with brief that prayers can reach out and surround your love ones with God’s love and protection.

Never use a negative though in prayer. Only positive thoughts get results.

Always express willingness to accept God’s will. Ask for what you want, but be willing to take what God gives you. It may be better than what you ask for.

Practice the attitude of putting everything in God’s hands. Ask for the ability to do your best and to leave the results confidently to God.

Pray for people you do not like or who have mistreated you. Resentment is blockage number one of spiritual power.

Make a list of people for whom to pray. The more you pray for other people especially those not connected with you, the more prayer results will come back to you.