PRAYERS R US

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Unfailing Strength

Do not look forward to what may happen
tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares
for you today will take care of you tomorrow and
every day. Either He will shield you from suffering,
or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, then. Put aside all anxious thoughts and
imaginations, and say continually: "The Lord is my
strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in Him
and I am helped. He is not only with me but in me,
and I in Him."

Hold Back Nothing

Lord God, may we be grateful for our lot, and compassionate
toward all those who are suffering every kind of distress at
this difficult time. May we hold back nothing,
and hasten to be the ministers of prayer and mercy, like the
disciples of Him who went about doing good in times of need

Thursday, December 30, 2010

New Year Prayer #4

As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends.

Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race, color or creed.

Let us keep God of our own understanding in our hearts and to chant God's name each day. Let us lead the world from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth and from wrong to right.

Let us remember that we are all one, embracing all, discriminating against none.

May your year be filled with peace, prosperity and love. May God's blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful new year.

New Year Prayer #3

Father Bless us, O Lord, and bless the time and seasons
yet to come.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
And fill this new year with your kindness,
that we may be glad and rejoice
all the days of our life. In Jesus name,,,Amen

New Year Prayer #2

Dear Lord, please give me
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come.
Amen.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

New Year

O God of new beginnings and wonderful surprises, thank you for the gift of a new year. May it be a time of grace for me, a time to grow in faith and love, a time to renew my commitment to following Your Son, Jesus. May it be a year of blessing for me, a time to cherish my family and friends, a time to renew my efforts at work, a time to embrace my faith more fully. Walk with me, please, in every day and every hour of this new year, that the light of Christ might shine through me, in spite of my weaknesses and failings. Above all, may I remember this year that I am a pilgrim on the sacred path to You.

Amen

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

THE RENEWAL OF OUR BAPTISMAL PROMISES

We entered into God's kingdom by being born again of water and the Spirit (Jn 3:5). We must be aware that we were baptized into Christ Jesus and therefore into His death and resurrection (Rm 6:3). This is the most important event that has ever happened to us and the basis for membership in God's family and our relationship with Him. Therefore, the Spirit will often call us to renew our baptismal promises.
Some Churches do this every Easter, but it is advisable to do it more frequently. When we renew our baptismal promises, we must consider the implications of renouncing all Satan's works, especially since Satan is well aware that we are rejecting him. We should also think about the reality that the God of the universe has chosen to adopt us and is our personal Father. We should consider the life-style changes resulting from believing Jesus is God, Lord, and Man born of the Virgin Mary. We no longer live for ourselves but for Him. We do His will and not ours. By faith, we enter into the realm of the invisible. We believe in the virgin-birth, our salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, and the realities of heaven and hell. We believe in the Holy Spirit . Now we have the privilege of renewing our baptismal promises.
Do you reject Satan? I do.
And all his works? I do.
And all his empty promises? I do.
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth? I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, , the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting? I do.

Can I receive healing from God ?

Perhaps you are faced with a disease or terminal illness and you are looking for healing prayers. You desire to cry out to God for healing! It is usually our hopelessness that compels us to seek a supernatural source to alleviate our serious illness or disease. For most, it is a pattern of self-sufficiency, medical technology, and ultimately a cry for God to heal us miraculously.

God heals because that is His pattern for revealing His nature through His Son. With compassion, Jesus chose to touch the festering sores of the leper (Matthew 8:3). He showed mercy as He touched the crusted lids of blinded eyes (Matthew 9:29). In receiving healing from God, we must earnestly desire to touch Him as well. “People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed” (Matthew 14:35–36).

Healing Prayers – Can I receive healing from God if my faith is great enough?
Every individual has the ability, through healing prayers, to express faith -- the belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. You express faith in the car manufacturer who installs your brakes, faith in the architect who designs your office building, and faith in intangibles like gravity, solar heat, or a promise. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Biblical faith is determined by 1) reliance upon God rather than man and 2) confidence in the unseen power of God.

Exercising our faith in the area of healing may involve unconventional behavior. The Bible tells of a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years (Mark 5:25–34). She knew that her condition would cause Jesus to be unclean under Jewish law if she touched Him. Yet she reached out in faith and was healed immediately as “Jesus realized that power had gone out from him” (Mark 5:30). Genuine faith requires action. However, faith is not something we must “conjure up” enough of in hopes that God will heal us. Ultimately, it is God who chooses whether or not we will be healed.

For most people facing pain and possible death dramatically changes their lives. For some, dreams are shattered, relationships broken, and despair consumes their hearts. For others, new dreams are found, relationships strengthened, and hope takes over their hearts. A grieving and pleading father fell at the feet of Jesus. Jarius’ 12-year-old daughter had just died. Why bother Jesus now? Jesus tells the father not to be afraid . . . to just believe. With compassion, Jesus takes the dead girl by the hand and restores her to life (Mark 5:35–43). We must place our faith in the person of Jesus, the source of all hope and His promise of everlasting life. God knows best.

Healing Prayers – Can I receive healing from God every time?
The answer is definitely “Yes!” God can heal every sickness that leads to our ultimate death. But does God choose to heal us every time? No. He may heal us as a result of prayer. He may heal through simple procedures, through a surgeon’s trained hand, or He may heal us in a way that we can’t explain medically. God’s healing for each of our lives transcends our temporal perspective of pain and death. His will, or divine plan, for our lives is for this earthly tent to be exchanged for an eternal heavenly dwelling that never suffers the effects of sin’s decay (2 Corinthians 5:1–2). For children of God, there is ultimate healing for each of us.

As children of God, our healing prayer can be:

“Heavenly Father, You are intimately aware of the struggle I am experiencing -- the pain and the despair. You know the desire of my heart to be healed of this illness. I ask now for Your healing touch. I know that You are able and that just like in Bible times, You can heal me.

“I also understand that You will chose what is best for me. I pray that through this trial, I will draw close to You -- that You will be my comfort and strength. I pray that ultimately, whatever happens, You will be glorified through me. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”