Prayer for Boston   “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33    Heavy are our hearts, How they ache you, Wanting to believe This tragedy not to be true.     Please know in our prayers You are, you will be, Each and every victim, And every family.     Cheerful were the cries As runners ran the race, Yet who would know the terror All would soon face?   May the tears we shed And the many prayers we raise Bring comfort to you As gentle sunrays.     May God’s eternal arms Wrap you with His peace As the horror of the day Your soul does release.     In God’s eternal heart Please find peace and rest, Knowing He works all things, Even this, for best.     Those who planned this, For you we also pray That you may repent And follo… [more]

I have just got done investigating one of the most insidious and malicious scams I have seen to date on the internet. The scammers are the owners of www.christianprayercenter.com. It is a website that advertises heavily using Google AdWords. They say that millions of Christian will pray for you worldwide. They also claim to have miracle prayer requests answered. The only reason I stumbled upon this scam is because of a person reporting them to me on Christian Faithbook. They clicked on the ad in order to place a prayer request. After signing up, and filling out all the forms to place their ad, they were asked for a donation. Now I do not have a problem with people donating to a website. That is not the issue. The issue is that they did not give an option for not giving a donation and when they tried to post their prayer request without giving a donation, the prayer request was denied! So what you have is people charging you for prayer! I decided to go to this website and offer m… [more]

Prayer is an important part of the life of any Christian. These Bible verses about prayer will help you understand what prayer is, how to pray, and why it is so important. One of the great men of prayer in history was a man named Edward McKendree. He gives us this definition of prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere. Prayer, in one phase of its operation, is a disinfectant and a preventive. It purifies the air; it destroys the contagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in the silence. It is a voice which goes into God’s ear, and it lives as long as God’s ear is open to holy pleas, as long as God’s heart is alive to holy things. God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed to death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God’s heart is … [more]

Prayers for Strength from the Bible The Bible is filled with all sorts of prayers. Prayers for strength are one of them. I find it helpful to look and see how other great men and women of God prayed for strength. You may think that there is no hope for you and that God will not give you the strength to get through the situation you are dealing with. Nothing is farther from the truth. Many of these short prayers for strength I have picked are from men that had the same failures and struggles that we all have. If God answered their prayers for strength then He will answer yours! Listen to this video while you are reading these prayers for strength. Samson's Prayer of Strength In this Bible verse about strength you will see Samson pray for strength after returning to God after he broke his promise to God while in a relationship with an ungodly woman. Judges 16:28 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me jus… [more]

Prayer is one of the most important ingredients in a successful Christian life. My own saying about prayer is that "a Christian life without prayer is like a chocolate chip cookie without the chips. It is not really a chocolate chip cookie." I have researched many of the great men and women of God over the years and all of them had one thing in common. They were men and women of prayer. I hope that these quotes on prayer will encourage you to increase and strengthen your prayer life. 21 Prayer Quotes 10 great sayings concerning prayer from mighty men of God The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere. Prayer, in one phase of its operation, is a disinfectant and a preventive. It purifies the air; it destroys the contagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in the silence. It is a voice which goes into God's ear, and it lives as long as God's ear is op… [more]

Prayer for Connecticut Tragedy “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4   O Lord, we kneel before You, We come to You in prayer; O Lord, more than ever Please show us You are here.  ~*~ Tears stream from our eyes, Stricken by this loss; Help us, O Heavenly Father, To bear this bitter cross.  ~*~ Protect those precious souls, The souls we lost that day; O Lord God, please embrace them, Hear us as we pray.  ~*~ You are most holy, You are perfect and good; Help us, precious Father, Cling to You as we should.  ~*~ Though evil You never cause, You permit our free will; Yet even when evil strikes, Over all You reign still.  ~*~ All things You work for good, Even this tragedy; All things You work for good In the scheme of eternity.  ~*~ So when our hearts quav… [more]

10,000 Christians gathered in Philidelphia to pray for our nation this weekend. What was called the "America For Jesus" rally drew Christians from across the nation to pray for one thing; Revival! More and more people are starting to understand that the solution to America's problems is not going to come from the political arena, but instead is going to come from the spiritual arena. As Billy Graham once stated "To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees". No truer words have been spoken. America for Jesus was not about Politics This event was not about politics. There were very few references made to Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. One guy interrupted Pat Robertson in his speech trying to put a plug in for Mitt Romney and was told. "shut your mouth" because "this is not political." Robertson also told the man he was disrespecting the prayer. The most notable quote by Robertson in his speech was this line which I totally agree with although many time… [more]

This week I taught my congregation from the passage in Mark's gospel chapter 9:14-29. In this passage we see that the disciples were unable to cast out a demonic force and everyone came rushing back to Jesus to take care of the problem. You will see that there are 2 major forces in play here in the deliverance of this child from this demonic possession. They are belief and intimacy with God. Both of these forces are intertwined with one another. The more intimate you get with God the more you are able to believe because your experience tells you that God is reliable and trustworthy. So let's look at this passage and then I will show you how they tie together. Prayer and fasting in Mark's gospel Mark 9:14-29 A Boy Is Healed  14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you dis… [more]

In another of these bizarre cases where judges misinterpret the 1st amendment to the constitution where it says,  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the "town of Greece NY, a suburb of Rochester," not "congress" violated a ban on favoring one religion over another. They did this even though evidence was shown that it was just a city employee that arranged for the invocations and that these arrangements were made from a directory of religious institutions within the city limits. There was also evidence shown that the town of Greece is predominantly Christian and that there were no known religious institutions within the city limits that were not Christian. The court had the… [more]

Mikel Del Rosario is a friend of mine and part of a group of Christian bloggers that I am part of. I asked him to do a guest blog post on here as part of my effort to introduce you to other great Christian bloggers. Here is a great article he has written for you. I found it quite interesting. Prayer and Oil - Spirituality and Health in the Bible and Today By Mikel Del Rosario "The Apologetics Guy" "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," writes James (5:14), the brother of Jesus, and the leader of 1st century Christianity in Jerusalem. But why would James write this? what's so special about oil? In this post, I'll share how oil was viewed in the ancient world and why early Christians in Jerusalem seemed to link it with praying for the sick. In the ancient world, people used olive oil as both a medicine and skin conditioner. In Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, He says the Samaritan put oi… [more]

What does the Bible say about prayer? It has a lot to say about prayer. It is filled with hundreds of Bible verses about prayer and the people who prayed them. Many people think that prayer is some type of state of mind or exercise that has to be filled with ceremony and ritual however in all honesty, the Bible teaches that prayer is simply communication with God. In this article I hope to show you that prayer is meant to be the way that we build our relationship with God and develop a friendship with God that becomes one of the most treasured experiences we as believers can have in this life. What does the Bible say about prayer? The Bible teaches that prayer is relational. Jesus, when He gave us what is commonly called the Lord's prayer, started the prayer with these words. "Our Father". This statement has huge implications in our prayer life. To be able to start off a prayer with the designation of familial connection and relationship turns prayer from something that is done to … [more]

Recently in my own life I have been dealing with my heart concerning a prayer that was answered with a no. It was something that I had prayed about for years and at different times had high hopes that the prayer would be answered with a yes. It is not easy to finally come to the understanding that what you are praying about is not in your best interest or is supposed to be manifested in your life.  In fact, at least for me it causes that rebellious streak to want to come out and display itself in all of its glory. Yet I know that I am not all-knowing. I know that I have no ability to see the future. It is because of that knowledge that I once again willingly submit to what Jesus sees as the best interest for my life. So what do you do when God says no? The first thing I do when God says no is to evaluate the direction that I have been heading. Is the path I am on really producing the best things in my life. You see, I am convinced that God is not out to get us, or to trick us in… [more]

The Bible verse that says "pray without ceasing" is one of those Bible verses that I struggled with for years. Not because of what it says, but figuring out how to accomplish what it says. How do you pray without ceasing? Are you supposed to keep your head bowed and your eyes closed while driving? What about at work? Or even on vacation? It wasn't until I came to a better understanding of what prayer was, that I was able to live a lifestyle of praying without ceasing. The Pray Without Ceasing Bible Verse. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you The Prayer - Celine Dion and Josh Groban What is prayer? Very simply put, prayer is communication with God. If you take away the religious trappings of folded hands and bowed heads, if you eliminate the closed eyes and reverent posture, prayer is simply talking to God. I think many times we lose sight of the fact that… [more]

Have you ever wondered why God, if He is all-powerful and all-knowing and truly the God of the universe, wants or needs us to pray? Have you ever thought about why Jesus, right before His crucifixion asked the disciples to pray for him. Why did He say "Watch and Pray"? Recently I have been meditating and thinking about my prayer life and the prayer life of Christians in general and I am coming to the conclusion that the reason that Christian pray and the reason that God wants us to pray are not always the same thing. Take a look at the words of Jesus to watch and pray. Matt. 26:41 NLT Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Now at first glance, we always look at the failings of the disciples. They were the ones that fell asleep when Jesus asked them to watch and pray. However I looked at that passage and asked myself this question. Why did Jesus want them to pray so badly? Why was it so imperative that they… [more]

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. So far in this series we have looked at Knowing and Honoring God, Praying for His Kingdom and His Will, Praying for Provision, The Importance of Forgiveness and The Need for Guidance. In this last teaching on the Lord's prayer we will be looking at having faith in your heavenly Father. Jesus ends this teaching on how to pray with the acknowledgement of 3 things. These three things encompass the entirety of all the things that we have no control over. It is the releasing of control in our lives that He ends this prayer with. How appropriate that He would, as the example of how we are to live, would end this prayer with the ultimate exercis… [more]

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors .And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil." We all have the need for guidance from God. So far in this series we have looked at Knowing and Honoring God, Praying for His Kingdom and His Will, Praying for Provision and The Importance of Forgiveness. Today we will be looking at our need for guidance from God. The need for guidance from God. There is more in this verse than the casual observation leads us to believe. It is not a prayer just asking the Lord to keep us from sinning. In fact that is only a secondary point to the real emphasis of the verse. The real points to this verse are Lead us. Jesus when He prayed this prayer, and when He taught His disciples to pray in this fashion, was asking for and acknowledging the need for divine guidance. Many tim… [more]

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The importance of Forgiveness in prayer. The Importance of Forgiveness cannot be over emphasized.As we have seen in this series in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, this prayer is not just something to be memorized or prayed verbatim, but actually it is a teaching on how to pray. It is the same method of prayer that Jesus used. This brings up a very interesting thought. If Jesus prayed this way, then He too had to practice the art of forgiveness. He was fully aware of the importance of forgiveness. It is not only just us mere mortals that have to go to God for help in forgiving others, Jesus had to go to our heavenly Father and release those that did him wrong. Forgiveness is not easy! Forgiveness is not easy. … [more]

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." In this part of my teaching on the Lord's prayer we are going to deal with the issue of praying that God will provide. Just in my other series I did on The Lord's Prayer Series | More than Just Words we talked about addressing God as our father and how His name means more than is just on the surface and in Praying for the Kingdom of God to Come we learned what it means to pray for His kingdom to come and his will to be done. We are going to learn that truly God will provide. Praying God will provide. Praying for God to Provide is more than just a Prayer for Finances. Today we are going to address how God wants us to pray for our financial provision. As most of you can figure out by reading some of my othe… [more]

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." What does it mean to Pray for the Kingdom of God to Come? In the second sentence of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus starts of by praying for two things. He prays for the kingdom of God to come and for the will of God to be done. In order for us to understand clearly what He is praying about, we must first understand what these terms mean. I will give you a basic understanding of these terms but if you want to start doing in depth bible studies I suggest you either learn how to use Bible Gateway which I have provided a link at the bottom of the page, or that you click on my Christian Resources page and buy a computer Bible program at Amazon. The Meaning of the Kingdom of God. Some believe that it is synonymous with the… [more]

Andrea Bocelli - The Lord's Prayer Song The Lord's Prayer also commonly called the Our Father prayer by Catholics was never meant to be something that was just memorized and prayed as some kind of mantra or magical prayer. It was meant to be a teaching on how to pray. In this series I am going to teach the Lord's prayer and we are going to learn the meaning of the model prayer that Jesus gave and together maybe we will all learn better how to pray. Let me give you just a little background. The disciples came to Jesus while He was praying and asked Him to teach them how to pray, so they wanted Jesus to teach them. Luke 11:1 I find this important because obviously it is implied that they wanted to learn to pray like Jesus prayed. So the Lord's Prayer is not just the way we are to pray, but it is also the way Jesus prayed! Remember that Jesus is our model on how we are to live our Christian life. Today I am going to look at the First sentence of the prayer of the Lord and we are… [more]