PRAYER

"Call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you" Jeremiah 29:12

Prayer, it is perhaps the strongest word that we know today, or ever will! Through prayer

people are healed, rewarded, saved, convicted, delivered from sin and temptation, and much,

much more.

I have had many prayers answered, and they are beautiful testimonies, we will get into them in

the last part of this chapter, but first we need to know exactly what prayer really is, how and why

to do it, as well as when and where.

Many of us know the Lords prayer, we were taught it as little children, but what does it mean to

us? What does it say? Let's examine it closer; you can find the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-13

The Lords prayer:

Our father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth

as it is in Heaven. Give us today 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, for thine is

the Kingdom, the Power and Glory forever, Amen.

The first thing that the lords prayer does is glorify God, then it asks for his Kingdom to come,

as it truly will some day soon. Next it says "May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

God only recognizes prayers that come from the heart, with true meaning, faith and power. So

if you say in prayer "thy will (or, your will) be done on earth as it is in Heaven", then you'd better

mean that, or your saying it for nothing, you are just mumbling words that have absolutely no

meaning to yourself, and if they mean nothing to you, then they mean nothing to God, you are

simply a Hypocrite saying the same old thing again and again with no heart.

In Matthew 6:7 Jesus told us not to use "vain Repetitions" when we pray, or "Repetitious

prayer", it says "But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they

think that they shall be heard for their many words".

This means that we should not just say the same old boring thing over and over again.

Sometimes we tend to become like robots, doing things out of habit, but not from the heart.

You might say "but I do mean it, I want to see his will done on earth just like it is in Heaven"

but do you? Are you living a Godly life? Are you lifting your brother's and sisters up, rather than

being negative and putting them down? Do you help people in need? Do you give food to the

hungry? Do you pay your tithes? Do you give clothes to people who need them? Are you a

good hard worker or a sluggard? Are you loyal to your friends and family? Are you honest and

sincere, or do you lie and bear false witness? Do you cheat on your wife? Do you snap at

people for no reason at all?

Sometimes we need to be put in check, and if we are in sin, no matter how small, we need to

pray and ask for forgiveness, for it is Gods will that we live Godly lives, or be "God like". It is his

will that we be true Christians (Christ-like) and do unto others as we would have them do unto

us. For this is how it is in heaven.

Heaven is full of love, not anger! Joy and happiness, not rage and jealousy! Brotherly love,

not brothers whom envy one another and talk badly about others. So, to truly mean ''may your

will be done on earth as it is in heaven" you must continually be living a good, solid Christian life.

The next part of the lords prayer asks the lord to see to it that we have food for that day, it says

in Matthew 6:25 "give us this day our daily bread" We should tell God our needs every single

day, even our simplest needs such as food, for he is our father and he wants to provide for us. It

says in the bible not to worry about our needs, what we shall eat, or wear, for God will take care

of us if we ask him to! (Matthew 6:25)

The next part of the lords prayer is a very important one, it says "forgive our debts as we

have forgiven our debtors" This means forgive us for our sins just as we forgive those who

have sinned against us. Whoa! think about that for a minute. Do you still have a grudge against

someone for something that they may have said or done to you? If so, you had better go to

them and tell them that you forgive them, and it better come from the bottom of your heart, for

God knows your heart, and if you really don't mean it when you say it, two people will know

(besides yourself).

The person you apologize to will be able to tell whether or not you are sincere, and God will

too! If you do not forgive that person from the bottom of your heart, so neither will you be

forgiven by God for your sins.

In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus said '' for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly

father will also forgive your trespasses. But if you do not forgive men for their trespasses,

neither will your Father forgive you for your trespasses"

The next part is just as important, it says "And lead us not into temptation but deliver us

from evil" here you are asking God to watch over you and keep you away from temptation as

well as evil. Did you know that Satan has to get permission from God before he can tempt us,

test us, or do any damage to us or our lives? (read the TEST chapter)

In the book of Job you will see that Satan had to ask God for permission to attack Job (Job

1:8-12 and Job 2:3-6) I suggest that you read the book of Job it is an inspiration and teaches us

how to handle Satan's attacks. you probably noticed that in Job 1:8 and 2:3, God asks Satan a

question, he says "have you considered my servant job? there is no man on earth like him ,

he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil" This is because God is

proud of Job and he was bragging about having such a faithful servant.

Just like we brag about our children when they are good, God brags on us when we are

obeying his laws. This is why he did not destroy mankind long go, because there is always one

who finds favor in his eyes.

In the book of Revelation the bible says that Satan is the "Accuser" he accuses us before god

night and day. So of course when one of us is doing good God rejoices in us and brags about

us. But then Satan says Something like ''Yeah, well I bet your servant ain't so good after all, I

can break him." So God, having faith in us, lets Satan test us.

So be glad when you are being persecuted, talked about, when people mock you, or when

some kind of disaster strikes, because this merely confirms that God has faith in you.

(read the TEST and FAITH Chapters.)

So by saying that verse in the Lords prayer, ''lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from

all evil'', you are asking God to protect you from Satan, his demons and all who live in sin.

The last part of the Lords prayer praises God again and tells him that we know the Kingdom,

power and all Glory belongs to him.

So now we know that one simple prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ gave to us ensures that we

will eat, be forgiven our Sins (if we also forgive others), and that we will be delivered from

temptation, and evil. I suggest that you say this prayer the first thing in the morning to help

ensure a good day, and as the day goes on pray for others, and other things as well.

When you pray, don't just ask for things all of the time. Have you ever had a friend who only

comes over when they want something? Gets kind of tiresome doesn't it? You finally get to the

point where you don't even want to see that friend again. You might say "I'm tired of him, all he

ever does is want. Want, want, want! He never comes over unless he wants something from

me, I'm tired of it!" Well, you don't want to use God the same way do you? Of course not!

So pray to God and tell him how much you love him, and why. When something you ask for in

prayer comes about, pray to him and thank him. After all, how do you feel when you rebuild an

engine for a friend for free, and don't even get a "Thank you!", or how does a woman feel when

she cleans house all day, goes grocery shopping, pays the bills and cooks, and she doesn't

even get a "Thankyou"? Pretty discouraging huh?

So thank God when he answers your prayers or when you get a raise, or a job promotion.

Thank God every morning for letting you wake up to another fresh breath of air and life.

In LUKE 17:11 Jesus heals ten different Leper's but only one of them has enough decency to

even thank him.

When you ask for something in prayer, have patience. After all, Moses waited on God for

seven days on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16) God does answer prayers, but you don't always get

what you want, because what you want isn't always what you need, though at the time you may

think it is.

God is perfect! His timing is perfect, his reasoning is perfect and all that he says and does is

perfect. So we can feel blessed knowing that if we do not get what we ask for, there is a

perfectly good reason. Perhaps we didn't really need what we asked for, or perhaps he is trying

to humble us, or teach us strength, or even test us. In Psalms 18:30 the Bible says "As for God,

his way is perfect" and in Psalm 19:7 it says "The law of the Lord is perfect" one of my

favorites tell us even more about our Lord God Almighty, in Deuteronomy 32:4 the bible says

"He is the rock, his work is perfect: for all of his ways are judgment: A God of truth and

without iniquity (sin),just and right is he."

Thats right, GOD is perfect! and his answers are always just enough and right on time. I

remember once when I began attending a local Church and almost all of the men wore suits

whom attended. I wanted to be a part of that church real bad, and I prayed and told God about

my disability check being late and that I had a hole in both of my shoes. I knew that my disability

check would just barely pay bills, but I would still have enough money to buy a cheap pair of

shoes.

About a week later my check still had not come and I still kept my faith in the lord. I prayed

and told God that my shoes were even worse now than they were a week ago, so again I asked

him to let me get my check.

The very next day my grandmother pulled in the drive way, she had drove over four hundred

miles to visit my mother and she told me to go out to her car and bring all the stuff in out of the

trunk. Believe this or not, she had brought me a new pair of tennis shoes that fit me just fine, as

well as two other pairs of shoes, three full piece suits and all kinds of socks, pants, shirts, and

ties my grandfather couldn't wear any more.

That same day my check came and I was able to pay my bills and pay my tithes and offerings

and I still had plenty of money left over because I had received a huge back pay check that I did

not expect to get.

So God knew that in my heart I had been wanting nice clothes or a suit to wear to Church,

even though I did not ask him for one, and he knew that I needed money. Even though I had only

asked to get my little check so that I could pay bills and buy a cheap pair of shoes, God blessed

me a hundred times more than what I asked for. God is never late, he always answers prayers

right on time. Jesus said in Matthew 6:8 that God knows what we need before we even ask him,

and so he does, however I was fortunate to receive those clothes because I did not ask him. I

suggest you always let him know your needs.

In Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus talks about prayer and how to go about it. It says, "And when you

pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and

on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their

reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your

father, who is unseen. Then your father, who see's what is done in secret, will reward you.

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think, that they will be

heard because of there many words. Do not be like them, for your father knows what you

need, before you ask him." Amen! And so he does!

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 bible says ''If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble

themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear

from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. now my eyes will open and

my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." Now this tells us that he will hear our

prayers if we humble ourselves and pray and seek his face, and turn away from our wicked

ways. Your probably thinking "I have changed, I did quit living the way that I was" but if he is not

answering your prayers you need to take a step back, and look at yourself again! Odds are that

there is still a sin in your life that you have not forsaken.

Forsake means to quit doing, completely give up, or do away with. In 2 Chronicles 7:12 God

says "I Have heard your prayer" , so yes he does always hear you, but no, he does not always

answer you. Again, God will only answer your prayers if you turn from sin and prove to him that

you love him and his ways.

In I John 3:22 the New Testament says "And whatsoever we ask, we recieve of him,

because we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, AND DO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE PLEASING

IN HIS SIGHT" You probably noticed that I capitalized those last words, that is because I must

stress the importance of living without sin.

In 2 Chronicles 7:15 God says "I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my

name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart, will always be there!" So God will be

with you in sight and mind and well as in heart, if you do as he commands. In 2 Chronicles 7:17

God tells Solomon "As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father did, and do all

that I command you to do, and observe my decree's and laws, I will establish your royal

throne as I covenanted with David your father when I said 'you shall never fail to have a

man rule over Israel.' But if you turn away and forsake the decree and commands that I

have given you, and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel

from my land, which I have given them, and I will reject this temple that I have consecrated

for my name. I will make it a byword, and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And

though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say 'Why has

the lord done such a thing to this temple?' People will answer, 'because they have

forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have

embraced other Gods, worshipping and serving them-that is why he brought all of this

disaster on them!"

So by this we can see that if you obey God and live a godly life he will bless you abundantly.

However, if you do not submit to God's laws and commands, he will not only take those

blessings away, he will let people ridicule you and let other disasters take place in your life as

well!

So when everything in your life seems to be going wrong, then perhaps you are doing

something wrong! My brother does not believe in God, and he says if there is a God then why is

everything in his life going wrong! I told him it's because he does not believe in God and he

plays these games like dungeons and dragons, and games with warlocks, demons, and wizards

in them, and if you do not obey him and love him he will give you over to Satan.

So, if your prayers are not being answered perhaps you are still doing something wrong! If not

then you may be going through a test. God does test people to see what they are made of, (see

the TEST chapter).

To find out what you are perhaps doing wrong read the SIN chapter.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17 the bible says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone out and the new has come in''.

So my friend, be rid of sin in your life, "out with the old and in with the new''.

Alot of people believe that no matter what they do they are saved by grace, by the blood of

Jesus Christ our Lord, but they are headed for disaster. In Romans 6:11 the bible says "In the

same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God thru Christ Jesus. Therefore do

not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey it's evil desires. Do not offer the

parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God,

as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him

as instruments of righteousness.

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but you are under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? By no means!

Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to somebody to obey him as slaves that

you are slaves to the one who you obey?

Whether you are slaves to Sin, which leads to death, or slaves to obedience which leads

to righteousness (and everlasting life.)

So you are saved by grace only if you obey the laws and commandments of our Lord. You are

either a slave to Sin (Satan) or righteousness (God). After all, you are merely taking advantage

of our Lords kindness when you sin thinking that you are saved by grace. And the position that

you will hold in heaven will be determined by the way you live here on earth. Do you want to be a

servant, or rule over a city of your own? If you continue on sinning it won't matter, will it?

Wouldn't it be better to be God's friend and live a Godly life? After all, this is what pleases

him, not taking advantage of his kindness. Jesus Christ died for us so that we could live new

lives of righteousness, not so we could continue sinning, after all, if sinning is all right that would

mean that he died for nothing.

Please read the SIN chapter in this book, it will teach you alot of what you need to know to

beat Satan at his own game! Satan is that little voice in your head with negative thoughts, the

voice that says when you are fasting or dieting "Oh come on! your hungry, you need to eat,

don't be foolish!" or "Oh come on, one more doughnut isn't going to kill you!" when in fact it will,

eventually. When someone makes you angry the voice of Satan says "You don't have to take

that, yell back at them!" or do this, or that! Get even with them.

This chapter is about prayer and fasting, so again I urge you to read the SIN chapter.

Daniel use to pray to God at least three times a day. He actually prayed even more than that,

in secret, but these three prayers he did in the morning, noon, and again at night in front of his

open window, and people could see him as they walked by. The reason he prayed through the

open window is because he believed it was a sort of "Window to heaven", so to speak.

So people walking by on the streets could see him praying three times a day, without fail,

every day. They could hear him and see him praying to God. Now your probably thinking "I

thought you were suppose to pray in secret, not outloud like the hypocrites!".

By Jesus saying this, what he meant was if you are only praying outloud, or in front of others to

make yourself look good, to draw attention to yourself, then you are a hypocrite. You are only

trying to impress others and make yourself look good. So you have already received your

reward.

However, if it truly comes from the heart, and remember that God knows your heart and your

true intentions, then it is all right to pray in front of others, or outloud. For instance, a while back

I was in a religious home for men, most of these men were convicts and court ordered, I was

not.

When I prayed in private to God, which was several times a day, he did hear me, and he knew

my heart, but I also prayed outloud in front of these men, so that they could hear me. After all,

thats how I learned how to pray, and what to say to God, by listening to other people.

When I was a "Babe" in Christ (or a new convert), I looked around alot because I did not know

how to pray. I did not know how or what to say, or even where to begin. So by listening to others

I heard what they had to say to God.

The church that I was going to was a local church, and let me tell you something, I have been

to alot of different kinds of Church's in my lifetime, but never in my life have I ever seen people

that love God as much as these people do, and so, by watching these people I learned what true

Christians who prayed with all of their heart, soul, and mind, had to say to God.

I only observed people whom I knew were true Christians, who gave God one hundred percent

and prayed with their whole heart. So, since I prayed outloud in front of these other men in the

home you might be asking yourself "do we get credit for that prayer, does God recognize it since

it was done in front of others intentionally?"

You bet! like I said, God knows your heart and what your true intentions are, and he knew that

I was being a good example to these other men.

Sure, at first they thought that I was a Hypocrite who was just praying and singing praises

outloud all day long to gain recognition for myself, but before long they realized that I was

sincere, and that I truly did love God with all of my heart. So, before long one of them came to

me and asked me about prayer and praising God, he said that he wanted to be just like me.

When I first came there I was full of happiness and joy. The bible says that you can know a

happiness that runs so deep nothing can fully squelch it. For almost an entire month these men,

whom, like I said , were x-convicts and had been in prison, treated me badly, they picked on me,

found reasons to put me down, or to get me in trouble with the leaders, or bosses.

They talked about me behind my back, and constantly mocked me. I remember walking out

side one night, and crying to God. I never cursed him once. I just said "I love you God and I hate

being here, please deliver me from this, I can't take this anymore". I had tears in my eyes, I was

crying like a little child, and believe it or not, the next morning everything went so well, that I was

laughing and praising God, with joy.

It says in the bible in Psalm 30:5 "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the

morning" and I seen this verse come true that morning. The bible also says that God will not

give you any more pressure than you can handle, and God knew that I could not take it anymore,

so he stopped Satan dead in his tracks. Why were these guys being so mean to me? Well my

second week there one of them came to me when I was packing and was going to leave and he

asked me to stay, he said "Please don't go, we want you to stay, nobody wants to see you go!"

He began to explain to me the reason everyone was treating me so bad, he said "You know

the first few days when you were here and I kept telling you to shut up all of the time, and I was

rude to you, well it was because I was jealous of you. You had so much joy and happiness all of

the time that I was jealous of you, I was envious!".

He continued to say "Thats why the others treated you bad too. because they are jealous, and

they want what you have also!". That is when I told him that all they have to do is pray to God

wholeheartedly, and tell God that they are sorry for the way that they had lived in the past, and

repent, and they would be forgiven and receive the joy that I had.

from that point on I began to watch them and I noticed that some of them did not know how to

pray, or even how to praise God wholeheartedly. They were holding back, in fear of retaliation

from the others, they were letting pride stand between them and God.

Thats when I began to pray outloud, so that they could get an idea of what to say to God, how

to begin. Did it pay off? Abundantly! After about two more weeks of tears and mental abuse

one of the guys knocked on my door and said that he was thankful that I was there and he said

that he wanted to be a good Christian just like me.

When he left my room I broke out in tears and I thanked God! Those tears turned into a joy

that no man can measure. I finally realized that God had placed me there for a reason and it

was finally paying off.

These men had never known a joy like I had. I sang songs all day long, almost none stop, and

I prayed to God continually throughout the day. I was always full of joy and happiness, but all

these guys had ever been around in their entire life was gangs, fighting, arguing and backbiting,

they never knew that loving God could bring a person so much peace of mind and joy.

So I prayed outloud and also praised God all day long even though I knew they talked bad

about me and mocked me behind my back. At first they talked about me behind my back and

called me a hypocrite. They said that I was just showing off and trying to get attention. Little did

they know that I was doing it for their sake. All the abuse that they I put up with was for their

sake, and they did not even know it.

Before long they were all joining in with me singing praises from the bottom of their hearts,

and I noticed that they began to pray longer, and they had more to say in prayer, because by

listening to me they learned how to pray to our precious Lord God Almighty.

Does another persons soul really mean that much to me? You bet it does! And yes I would

do it again! I would go through all of that ridicule and suffering again if it helped show others

how to live for God, like it did these men, whom now are good Christians.

A true Christian loves everyone, and just like our Lord, it is not our wish that one soul should

perish either. I had a couple of people from that church tell me that they noticed a big difference

in the mens attitude after I came there, they both said that they loved the way I praised God with

all of my heart, and that the men from this home slowly began to follow my lead.

One of the members from this church said, "I remember when you first came to the church

with the mens home, all of the guys use to point at you and make fun of you as you sang and

danced for the Lord, and praised him outloud, and even Tim, (who was a new convert), would

make fun of you, but now he is just like you, he praises God with all his heart, regardless of what

the others may think".

After that one brother came to me the others began to see the light as well. That is why the

bible says to let your light shine, so that others will see that light and want to be like you.

Now for a confession; The night before that man came to me, I packed my bags and

demanded a ride back into town, I said "I quit!" One of the counselors there talked me into

unpacking and staying, he said "When you are ready to give up and quit, your blessing is usually

right around the corner." He said "That is why most people never get blessed, because they give

up right about the time they are about to receive their blessing!"

And he was right! I decided to unpack and stay that night. I went back into my room and

prayed to God with all of my heart, I even broke out into tears as I asked him to deliver me from

that evil place or to show me why I was there. The next day at about noon is when one of the

men came to my room after they all had been in a long meeting and told me that he wanted to

be just like me, he even said "You are doing a good thing here, and I am glad that you are here,

keep it up!"

This was one of the men who was dogging me and causing me problems a couple of weeks

earlier, and now he was my friend.

What finally brought him to talk to me? He said that he was curious about the way I prayed

outloud, and also that he loved the way I sang praises to God all day long, and he said all of the

other men thought I was weird and talked about me because of how I praised God outloud from

the top of my voice, but he said he didn't care, he wanted to have the joy that I had, at any price.

I told him to begin praising God outloud in Church, to raise his hands and make sure that God

heard him. I said "Don't let the other guys intimidate you and steal your joy, give it all to God no

matter what they say, and God will fill you with so much joy it is unbelievable!"

When I first came to that home this man was always causing problems and fighting and

arguing with the other guys, and was in fact one of the biggest trouble makers. But from that

time on he went around with a smile all day long, laughing and praising God, and I was so proud

of him that I thanked God every single day for giving that man so much joy.

Two weeks earlier the same man almost drove me off, now we were doing bible studies

together and teaching others how to praise God, and be full of joy.

So it is all right to praise God outloud, and even to pray outloud, if your heart is in the right

place. Some people pray quietly and are quiet in church while others shout praises to God from

the top of their lungs. Both people are doing it right as long as it comes from their heart.

What if you are doing everything right and God still is not answering your prayers?

Well then, perhaps persistence is the key! In Luke chapter eighteen Jesus tells his disciples a

parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

That parable is in Luke 18:1-8, here is what Jesus said;

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to

show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes.

"There was a city judge," he said, "a very godless man who had great contempt for

everyone. A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal for justice against a man

who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his

nerves. 'I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself, 'but this woman bothers me. I am

going to see that she gets justice, for she is wearing me out with her constant coming!"

Then the Lord said, "If even an evil judge can be worn down like that, don't you think that

God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night?

Yes! He will answer them quickly!

Always remember to call upon our Lord God almighty to give you strength when ever you

need it. In Phil 4:13 the bible says "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me"

Also remember that if you first seek God before you seek a husband or a wife, or anything else

in life, he will see to it that you get the best. Before you seek worldly things, seek God, Jesus

Christ our Lord said this himself. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said ''first seek the Kingdom & all of

it's righteousness & all else will be unto you".

Remember to be strong and wise. In Psalm 119:98 the bible says "God, through his

commandments, has made me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me."

We are told in the New Testament that when we pray he hears us. In I John 5:14-15 the

bible says "This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask

anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever

we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him."

So Apostle John guarantees us that God does truly hear our prayers, but we do not

always get what we ask for, only what God feels we need. Did you notice that in verse

5:14 John said "If we ask anything according to his will"? This means that if we ask for

anything that is not conflicting with his ways, or what is not good for us, he will grant that

prayer for us.

However, if what we ask for conflicts, or is against his will, he will not give it to us.

Remember again that God knows what is best for us, and he is perfect.

God truly is perfect, in II Samuel 22:31 the bible says "As for God, his way is perfect."

In Deuteronomy 32:4 the bible says "He is the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways

are judgment: he is a God of truth and without sin, just and right is he."

Knowing this, we can be sure that any unanswered prayers are due to one of three

things. It is either that what we asked for is against his will, because it isn't something that

we need or it goes against his perfect plan, or it is due to lack of faith, which we will get

into later, or it is due to sin.

In Isaah 59:1-2 the bible says "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor

his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities  have separated you from God; your sins

have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."

These verses tell us that if we are living a life of sin God will turn away from us and not

answer our prayers. Verse three goes on to say "Your hands are stained with blood,

your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked

things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on

empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil."

So if you truly believe that what you ask for in prayer is good, and not against the perfect

will of God, then you need to take a step back and take a good look at yourself. Do you

lie? Steal? Cheat? Are you lying to the city or government just to get a check? Do you

gossip and put others down instead of lifting them up?

Are you helping others in need? the sick, homeless, elderly? Do you pay your tithes?

(see the TITHES chapter)

God will listen to our prayers, it's up to us whether he will answer them or not!

In II Chronicles 7:15 God promises the people that he will listen to their prayers, he said

"Now my eye's will be open and my ears attent to the prayer made in this place."

Back then God was speaking of a place that he had chosen and consecrated as a place of

prayer, worship and sacrifice, however, now that place is in our hearts, and in a local

church. You can pray in the Church, in the streets, or even in the privacy of a prayer

closet in your home, but if it does not truly come from the heart it is worthless!

In II Chronicles 7:14-15 God says "If my people, who are called by my name, will

humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then

will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."

I already mentioned this verse once before, but it is important that I plant this seed in

your mind. That verse says that we must pray and seek his face and turn from our evil

ways. This means that we must always be praying and doing his will. We must let our life

of sin die on the cross with Jesus and begin to live Godly lives.

In order to do that we must pray and confess our sins (in full repentance) to God and ask

him to forgive us and to wash us clean in the blood of the lamb (Jesus Christ his son), and

then we must begin to live Godly lives.

In Ephesians 6:18 Apostle Paul says "Pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds

of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for

all the Saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given

to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am

an ambassador in chains. pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

Amen! I thank Apostle Paul for the letters that he wrote to the Church's and I pray that

someday I become such a good disciple as was he. Even in prison Apostle Paul kept his

faith and he sang songs and praises to the Lord our God. Even from prison, though he

was bound in chains for spreading the gospel, he encouraged and uplifted others.

This was a man in a cold, damp dungeon, if anyone had a reason to murmur and

complain it was him, but he did not. If anyone needed a word of encouragement it was

him, but rather than feel sorry for himself he stood firm and thanked God for allowing him

to be a part of the body of Christ.

If a man in chains could uplift and encourage others, how much easier is it for us? We

all need to be more like Apostle Paul!

You may have noticed that in verse 6:18 he told them to pray all of the time with all

kinds of prayers and requests as well as praying for others. We must continually pray,

every chance we get. We must remember to thank God for all that he does for us, even

when a tragedy strikes, like a death in the family.

Now your thinking, "What? Is this guy crazy or something?" Even when a tragedy

strikes us, such as a death in the family we should thank God, because everything that

happens is according to his perfect works.

So learn to pray even when things go wrong. In I Thessalonians 5:18 the bible says "In

everything, give thanks: for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you."

Some things happen to us because we are being tested (see the TESTS chapter),

sometimes we do things to ourselves through ignorance, which is no fault of God, so God

lets us suffer the consequences in order to try and teach us the right way to live, to wake us

up "so to speak".

So pray on all occasions like Apostle Paul said and with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Pray for conviction so that God will reveal your faults to you, and when he does be sure to

recognize them and confront them.

What is conviction? Conviction is when your heart tells you that you are doing or saying

something wrong. When someone asks you to do something for them and you snap at

them, a little voice in your head tells you that what you did was wrong.

Conviction is that little voice that tells an alcoholic or a drug addict that what they are

doing is wrong, yet most ignore that voice of conviction or try to excuse it. They make

excuses for themselves rather than face the problem, thus continuing Satan's foothold on

their lives (read FROM GUTTER TO GLORY! by: James Hoskison).

Conviction is that little voice that tells you what you took from work is wrong!, though

most employee's ignore that voice of conviction and make up excuses like "Well, I deserve

it, I work hard around here!" or "Thats what they get for making me mad!" or "For not

giving me my raise!"

Conviction is that little voice telling you that you were a little hard on that employee, or

friend, or perhaps even on your spouse or children.

Conviction is that little voice telling you that it was wrong to talk back at your boss, or

your parents.

Conviction is basically guilt, and when you feel convicted you should immediately

confess and apologize for that sin, because conviction comes from our Lord.

Through God we can be a lot more prosperous and fruitful, but without him we are

nothing! The only way to be with him is to be a part of him and his righteousness, and to

acknowledge our conviction, confess our sins.

We are constantly under attack by the enemy, Satan, who never gives up. He will attack

our joy, our family, our finances, mates, friends. Whatever it takes to bring us down, that

he will do! Unfortunately, this even includes condemnation.

You see, conviction is good and it comes from the Lord, it was designed to show us our

faults so that we could confront them and change them, thus making us more and more

perfect, according to his good will, and without sin. We use conviction to our advantage,

recognizing that sin in which we feel convicted of, and avoiding it in the future.

However, there is a such thing as condemnation, which is of Satan, it was designed by

him to use your own sins against you to destroy you, both physically and spiritually.

Satan can get into your mind and turn conviction into condemnation, thus destroying

your self asteem, making you crazy with guilt, and convicing you that there is no forgivness

for that sin, thus leading many to a physical death, either by suicide or a nervous

breakdown, or leading to a spiritual death because you become convinced that it is too late

for you, so you give up and quit trying to live for God, thus ending in a spiritual death, and

literally leading you into the very pits of hell.

God loves you no matter who you are or what you have done, he does not condemn you

he just convicts you. Get rid of condemnation, acknowledge your sin, ask for forgivness,

and then let that conviction go before Satan turns it into condemnation.

Remember that Satan is pothetic, he backslid when there was no devil! Satan is a quick

change artist, he will tempt you to do something wrong, he will lie to you to get you to sin,

to do something that you know is wrong, then he will change roles and become your

accuser, saying "Your no good! I can't believe that you did that!"

He will try and condemn you by saying that your going to hell for that sin, because he

wants to rip you apart, and he knows that he is already condemned and headed for hell, he

wants as much company down there as he can possibly get.

When you pray and ask for forgiveness from the bottom of your heart, then it is truly

forgiven. In I John 1:9 The New Testament says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful

and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"

So again I say "Get rid of condemnation" He did not come to condemn us, but to deliver

us from evil. In John 3:17 the New Testament says "for God did not send his son to

this world to condemn it, but that the world through him might be saved".

God hates sin, but he loves the sinner, he hates theft, but loves the thief, he hates

homosexuality, but loves the homosexual, however, if you die in that sin, then he hates

what you were and all is lost.

We must never give up, we must never relax, because that is when Satan gets us, when

our guard is down, that is when we truly become a casualty of war!

I know that I personally study the bible, not read it, but study it, every single day, usually

for hours. But it seems like every time that I say to myself, "Well, I have done enough

studying for a few days, I am going to relax and go do this, or that!" that is when I become

a casualty of this spiritual war that we are all fighting.

When I say, "Today I am going to relax and watch a little television, I deserve it!" that is

when I lose my foothold and Satan attacks me. Something either goes wrong that day, or

the next, because I let my guard down and weakened my defense. So we need to pray and

study our bible every single day.

The bible says in Psalm 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel

of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his

delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."

"Meditates day and night", this means that we are continually thinking about God and

what he wants from us, and concentrating on ways that prepare us for our spiritual conflict

against Satan. So stay focused and when God or a fellow brother tells you that you are in

sin, pray to the Lord and ask him for forgiveness, respond to that conviction honestly,

admitting your guilt and taking full responsibility.

Try to find yourself a prayer partner, after all, the bible says that where two or more are

gathered in his name, there will he be also. When you pray to God with a prayer partner

he will be there in the midst of you and you can tell him your needs, and also remember

that he also said that if two or more agree on something it will be answered according to

God's good will.

In the New Testament (Matthew 18:19-20) Jesus said "Again I say to you that if two

of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done

for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or more are gathered in my

name, there am I in the midst of them."

Again I say that we must pray for conviction so that when Satan blinds us from our sins,

God will open our eyes and reveals those sins to us. Then we must acknowledge those sins

and completely quit doing them, do away with them (see the SIN chapter).

Next we must ask for deliverance so that God will give us strength and help to deliver us

from those sins. In Psalm 31:24 the bible tells us that God will give us strength, it says

"Be of good courage and he will strengthen your heart; all you that hope in the

Lord."

In Psalm 46:1 the bible says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble." So when we are in trouble we can rely on the fact that God will be there for us.

Pray wholeheartedly, with everything you have and let him know that you are serious.

In Isaah 40:29-31 the bible says "He gives strength to the weary and increases the

power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and

fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings

like eagles; they will not run or grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint."

In II Samuel 22:33 the bible says "It is God who arms me with strength and makes

my way perfect" Imagine that! Not only does God give us strength, but he makes us

perfect in our ways as well.

God created us with a purpose in mind, each and every one of us. In Ephesians 2:10 the

bible says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do." See the PURPOSE chapter.

So come to God in prayer and ask him why he created you and what his good purpose is

for you. However, do not expect an audible voice to answer you, the answer will only

come through prayer and reading your bible. You can read alot more about this subject in

the PURPOSE chapter, which I highly recommend that you read, especially if you feel a

void inside, as if your missing something in life, that emptiness is a void that only God and

our purpose in life can fulfill.

When you pray, don't just pray in church because everyone else around you is praying,

but pray in the privacy of your home, either in your room or in a prayer closet, or wherever

else you may feel comfortable and alone with the Lord.

Our Lord wants you to pray to him because you want to, not because you feel as if you

have to. In fact, thats where most of our prayers will be answered, when you pray to him

in secrecy, all by yourself.

The third thing that may be wrong if your prayers are not being answered is that you may

lack faith.

In Mark 11:23 Jesus said "Have faith in God. For verily I say to you, that whosoever

shall say to 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 says shall come to

pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever

you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have

them."

In James 1:5-6 the bible says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that

giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him. But let

him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea,

driven with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive

anything of the Lord."

You will need to be persistent in prayer, never giving up, and be exact in your prayers.

tell him exactly what it is that you are asking of him. For instance, if you are sick, tell him

exactly what the sickness is, be specific.

When you take your car to a mechanic you tell him what is wrong with it, you tell him

the symptoms, or what the exact problem is and then he proceeds to fix it.

Always pray from the bottom of your heart and never let anyone else tell you how to

pray, for if it is truly coming from the bottom of your heart, then you are doing it right.

For instance, when I pray I look upward toward the sky, or ceiling if I am in a building,

or even when I sing praises to the Lord, because my God is up in heaven. However, alot

of people look down when they pray, which is fine, it still comes from your heart, and God

knows whats in our heart, even more so than us.

Every morning after I wake up I pray to God. I usually begin with the Lords Prayer that

we discussed in the beginning of this chapter, and after that I tell him how much I love him

(with all of my heart, soul, mind, strength, and power), and I thank him for all that he has

done for me.

In Psalm 5:3 it is written "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O'Lord; in the

morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."

So be sure to pray every morning, and if nothing else say "Good morning my Lord!",

because if we want him to acknowledge us, we should acknowledge him! Be sure to pray

for others as well as yourself. Pray for your entire family (Brothers, Sisters, Mothers,

Fathers, ect..), also pray for your preacher and his wife because it takes alot to run a

Church and Satan is continually after a preacher and his wife. After all, if Satan can bring

down the preacher, the whole church collapses.

Pray for the congregation, for they make up the church and without them it would be

nothing. Pray for the church as a whole and that people continue paying their tithes and

offerings, for without money the church would collapse for sure! (see the TITHES

chapter). And besides, paying tithes is commanded of God.

Pray that the church continues to grow and that new people join every day. If you know

people who do not go to church, or if you do not go yourself then consider this:

We must go to Church! You show me a person that does not go to church and I will

show you a person that is most likely unsaved! There are perhaps a few exceptions to this

such as a person who reads their bible every single day and prays, yet, I still question even

their salvation.

In Hebrews 2:3-4 the bible says "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great

salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us

by them who heard him; God also bearing them witness"

We not only learn from ministers what it is that God wants from us, but from the Holy

Spirit as well, whom dwells in our preachers and gives us messages directly from out Lord.

in Hebrews 10:21-25 the bible clearly tells us to go to church, it says "And having a high

priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of

faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed

with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; and

let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works: NOT

FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER, as the manner

of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day

approaching."

We must go to church in order to grow spiritually. The bible says that where two or

more are gathered in his name, there he will be also. so when we are in church, our Lord is

right there in the midst (Matthew 18:19-20).

If you do not go to church then you do not know what you are missing. There are plenty

of good, cheerful people to talk to and share your problems or ideas with, as well as to help

you in your spiritual walk with Jesus.

You are missing out on such joy that it is a crime, in fact, a sin! You can meet real

friends with real desires, not people bent on using you all of the time! churches today play

all kinds of musical instruments such as electric guitars, synthesizers, drums, piano's,

organ's, and so forth. In fact, it says all through the bible to "Make a joyful noise unto

the Lord "(Psalm 66:1, 95:1).

You are also missing out on great sermons, and let me tell you that if it were not for

listening to preachers at church I would not know what I do today, and in fact I found new

interpretations to bible verses that I thought I understood, and in fact had been wrong

about.

Also, in many parts of the New Testament Jesus tells his disciples to feed his sheep, or

his lambs (John 21:15, 21:17) So they are told to feed his flock, and by that he means to

feed them the word, but if you do not go to church, how then can you be fed? You will be

starved to death!

So go to church and listen to the Holy Spirit as he ministers to you through the preacher.

What good does it do to sit at home and watch television when we could be jumping for

joy with others in his church of praise. Besides, the church is the "Body of Christ" and "he

is coming back for a church without a spot or a blemish"

It says in another place in the bible "Do not forsake the assembling of the Church."

We are in a spiritual war and if we do not start fighting back we will get beat up, so we

need to go to church to grow spiritually and to be equipped with the armor of God. We

also need to go to church to water those seeds already imbedded in us, for without the

church those seeds would surly dry up and be snatched away by Satan.

I have met many people who drank and partied and said "I don't have to go to church to

be saved, I can be saved right here in my home!" Forgive them Lord, for they know not

what they say! They are blinded by the ways of the world. It is obvious that they can't be

saved at home or they would not be drinking and partying!

By going to church we are refreshed by the word of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 20:28 Paul

said "Keep watch over yourselves and over the flock of which the Holy Spirit has

made you overseer's. Be shepherds of the church of God which he bought with his

own blood".

You also need to know who to pray to and that Jesus was God in the flesh. In Matthew

16:20 the bible says "Jesus the Christ" Isaah foretold about the coming of God in the

form of the flesh in Isaah 9:6, he wrote "For unto us a child is born, unto us son is

given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called

wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace"

Amen, and so he is! One of his favorite disciples Simon Peter knew that he was indeed

God in the flesh, in Matthew 16:15-17 the Lord Jesus Christ said "But who do you say

that I am?" and Simon Peter answered "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living

God" and Jesus answered and said to him 'Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, for

this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that

you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not

overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on

earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in

heaven.'

Then Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ."

Also in John 1:1-10 the bible says that the word (which is God) became flesh. It says

"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him

nothing was made that has been made"

In John 1:10 the bible says "He was in the world, and the world was made by him,

and the world knew him not. He came unto his own and his own received him not."

Then in John 1:14 the bible again says "And the word was made flesh and dwelt

among us."

Hebrews 2:14 says "For asmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he

also himself likewise took part of the same." So just as we are flesh and blood, so also

did God become the flesh and dwelt among us.

Someone once told me to picture an egg. Now it is simply an egg, one egg. Yet inside

the egg is two more parts which we can only see if we get inside of the egg. Those two

other parts are the yolk and the egg white.

In that same way, the truth will only be revealed to us if we get inside God, spiritually,

and ask him to reveal the truth to us.

In John 14:8-10 Philip asks Jesus "Lord, show us the Father" and Jesus said unto him

"As long as I have been with you Philip and yet you still do not know me? He who

has seen me has seen the Father; so why do you say show us the Father? Believest

thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?"

In Colossians 2:9 the bible says "For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead

bodily." Meaning that he is all three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now that

we understand this, perhaps we have even more to ask him in prayer.

If you are reluctant to believe this do not feel bad! I too was reluctant to believe, and in

fact put up a good fight and refused to believe that Jesus was God. All of my life I thought

that Jesus was the Son of God, not God manifest in the flesh.

I told everyone that they were wrong, and I searched out the answers in the bible, where

I found all of these verses that I now share with you, so as to save you alot of headache,

and heartaches as well.

I even said "If Jesus was God, then who was he praying to when he was on earth?"

I came to the conclusion that he was merely showing us an example of how to pray

properly.

You might have noticed that in Acts 20:28 the bible says "Be shepherds of the church

of god". We know that Jesus taught the twelve disciples all that they knew, and it was he

that told them to be shepherds of the church of God. So God told them to watch over the

church and be shepherds of it.

What does God mean by be shepherds of the church of God? What he means is to

watch over his flock, for he is the good shepherd, and we, his children, are his flock. What

about those of us that are lost, are we his too?

This is where the parable of the lost sheep comes into light! In Matthew 18:11 Jesus tells

us the parable of the lost sheep, whom by the way, we should continually pray for. Jesus

said; "For the son of man is come to save that which is lost. How think ye? if a man

has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety nine

and go after that which is lost? And if he finds it, verily I say unto you, he rejoices

more over that sheep, than of the other ninety nine which did not go astray. even so,

it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should

perish."

So we Christians are the shepherds that are to watch over the flock, and likewise, we are

to go after that which is lost. We are the shepherds and the lost sheep are the sinners of

the world. It is God's will that we go after the lost sheep and bring them home to the Lord.

If you are a sinner or a backslider and you do not feel worthy enough to go to church I

would like to remind you that he came to heal the sick, to save the lost. In the parable of

the two sons, a rich man has a son who asks for all of his inheritance and then he leaves

and blows it all on wild parties, riotous living. When the son is broke and hungry he returns

to his father asking for forgiveness and is quickly received back into his house (Luke

5:11-32).

Again, the bible says that "It is not his will that one soul shall perish" (II Peter 3:9)

So we should pray for those that are lost continually and never give up. Here is a poem

that I wrote concerning this;

LOST SHEEP by: James Hoskison

If a friend or a loved one has gone astray

go after them and show them the way

do whatever it takes to save that lost sheep

for he is more important to God than those in his keep

Remember the parable of the prodigal son

who partied away his inheritance until there was none

broke and ashamed he returned to his Fathers place

saying "I am unworthy Father, and a disgrace!"

He said, "I am hungry and homeless, please accept me back

I will be as one of your servants, my work wont lack"

his father rejoiced and fit him with all the best

for now his son was home and he could rest

No longer by Satan was his son bound

alive, well, and repenting he returned to Holy ground

once he was dead, and for things of the flesh he did strive

his Father exclaimed "Rejoice, for he was dead, but now is alive!"

Remember also the parable of the lost sheep

once returned to the shepherd such joy did he reap

he said "rejoice with me, for I found that which was lost"

so go after that sheep, at any cost

Jesus said "such will be the joy in heaven over one who repents

even more than over ninety nine just and righteous whom need not relent

So go after that sheep that went astray

earn a blessing from the Lord today

rather than throw that sheep to the wolves

send him home, safe on his holves.

Also be sure to pray for the sick and afflicted. In James 5:13-16 the bible says "Is any

among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing Psalms. Is any sick

among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him,

anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the

sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be

forgiven him. Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you

may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Notice again that in verse 16 the bible says "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous

man availeth much". So if you are living a Godly life, living without sin, and praying and

fasting, your prayers are much more powerful.

In James 5:17-18 the bible tells the story of a man names Elias, it says "Elias was a man

subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and

it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed

again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."

How wonderful it must be to be able to pray to God with such a request and have it

honored. So now we see that prayer is very, very, powerful, and through it we can

accomplish miracles, if only we believe and live according to God's word in the bible.

I know that God has answered many of my prayers, as many as three in one day!

In I Samuel 12:23 Samuel says "As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the

Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the right way."

So by this, we know that it is a sin if we fail to pray, even if we fail to pray for others.

we also need the power of the Holy Spirit to avail much in prayer, and the Holy Spirit will

not dwell in a dirty vessel, so we need to repent and confess our sins, all of our sins to the

lord and ask him to forgive us, then we must begin to live Godly lives and do away with sin

completely and keep all of his commandments.

I know alot of people who believe that they can sin all that they want to because they

believe that the old laws perished when Christ died for them, and that they are saved by

grace. They are wrong! Dead wrong! In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said "Think not that I

have come to destroy the law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to

fulfill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth pass, not one letter shall in no

wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of

these least commandments, and shall teach others to do so, he shall be called the least

in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be

called great in the kingdom of heaven."

So this tells us that we are still to obey the laws, and besides, if we truly love God we

would not want to live in sin and grieve the Holy Spirit (see the SIN chapter) but we would

want to live godly lives and please him.

In John 14:21 Jesus said "He that has my commandments and keeps them loves me,

and he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest

myself in him."

This not only says that we must keep his commandments, but that if we do he will

manifest himself in us. Do you really want God to answer your prayers? Do you really

believe that he will? If not then I say "Believe it!", for he has truly answered mine.

This book would have never been possible without him, I prayed to him daily and asked

for wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and you can do the same. I also asked him to

reveal his purpose to me, and as you can see, I believe he has. (Please read the PURPOSE

chapter).

In the New testament, Philipians 4:6-9 the bible says "be careful for nothing; but in

every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known

to God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your

hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any

praise, think on these things.

Those things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me,

do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

So make your requests known to God and ask him for his help, "Do not be anxious

about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present

your requests to God."

we all need to improve our prayer lives, including me. We need to pray longer, not just a

quick "Thankyou for this food, Amen!"

If we can spend hours watching television, or talk to our friends for an hour or two, then

we should be able to spend just as much time with our precious Lord.

In Acts 6:4 the bible says "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to

the ministry of the word"

Through prayer we become closer to God. this is where spending time with a prayer

partner can come in handy. A prayer partner insures that God is with us as we pray,

because, as we learned earlier, where two or more are gathered in his name, there he will

be also.

However, a prayer partner can also help in time of trials, they can uplift us with spiritual

support, rather than be negative like most people in the world. Prayer delivered Jonah

from the mouth of a whale (Jonah 2:10), it also held rain back for three and a half years,

and saved the Israelites from a massacre(Exodus 17:8-16).

In Psalm 139:23, which will ask God to convict us of our sins and lead us into the path

of righteousness.

"search me O'God and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if

there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting."

Keep in mind as you continue to read this book that your body needs nourishment

(food), and your Spirit does too! (the word of God!).

I close this with a word about fasting and this one last verse, In I Thessalonians 5:17 the

bible says "Pray without ceasing".

Now, as for fasting, it is also important. fasting teaches us how to deny the flesh, for if

we let our flesh take control of us then the fight is alraedy lost. We must be in control of

our lives, not giving into our fleshy demands.

Jesus told the disciples when they failed to heal a demon possessed man that something

like that demands alot of prayer and fasting. So we should work on fasting, it gives us

much more strength spiritually.

Satan uses any foothold on you that he possibly can, and one of my weaknesses is food,

I have a hard time fasting, and this weakens my spiritual defense. One day I promised God

that I would fast for forty-eight hours, I caught myself eating three hours later.

I finally made it to thirty-nine hours the second time, which was still short of my goal, so

again Satan used food to defeat me, to break me down and burden me with guilt.

Then on another day I said I was going to fast and a friend came over with brownies and

cokes, I said to myself "I am not going to give in. God means more to me than a stupid

brownie!" a few hours later I was eating those brownies, Lord forgive me!

By eating that brownie after saying that God meant more to me than it, was like saying

that a brownie meant more to me than God! Lord forgive me! Satan was no doubt setting

back and laughing, not only at me but at God, saying "Hah, this is your strong disciple!

The one that thinks a brownie is more important than you?"

So be careful, because I guarantee you that when you fast you will see how fast Satan

works. I challenge you to fast and then to listen to that voice of Satan that says "Go ahead

and eat man, don't be silly....it's been several hours....eat, your hungry!"

That voice is Satan, its obviously not you, because you want to fast. This is good practice for

alcoholics, drug addicts, or anyone trying to break a habit such as smoking or biting their nails,

because once you learn to deny the flesh, you become stonger, and Satan hates that.

When you fast be careful not to promise God you will, just simply try it. because any promises

made to God must be honored!

As I leave you to the rest of this book I once again to encourage you to pray and fast and read

your bible daily, for I love you, just as our Lord does, and I want all of the best for you, as does

he.

The next chapter is the SIN chapter in which I like to refer to as the good, the

bad, and the wicked chapter. In this next chapter you will learn more about Satan,

who he is, what he is trying to accomplish and how best to destroy him.

Here is a poem that I wrote which explains Satan, please read this before

continuing to the next chapter.

THE BEAST

Life can be confusing to say the least,

every hour of the day we fight an invisible beast,

he puts evil suggestions in our mind,

he tells us to be mean, when we should be kind.

He does all that he can to make our lives a mess

he tells us to lie when we should confess.

he puts knives in our words, sometimes in our palm,

he tells us to be angry when we should be calm.

He has come to kill, steal and destroy,

he plays with us like A wooden soldier toy.

he is trying to steal our reservations above,

and put anger in the place of love.

Satan is truly the devious beast from hell,

throwing away souls in a bottomless well.

so go to Jesus, avoid Satans strife,

then you may drink from the water of life.

Rebuke Satan, hells masterly beast,

whom dwells in our minds, our life is his feast

Ignore Satans little voice and judge with your heart

trust in the Lord and someday in heaven you may take part

by: James Hoskison

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