5-Prayer

      Prayer  is a form of practice that enables a person to connect with God. Prayer is mostly a religious practice. Each religion has its own way of offering prayers  to their Deity or God or spirit. Prayer may be private or public. When a prayer is done by a group of people it usually involves words or songs.  When a prayer is said in private it may or may not involve words or songs. A prayer may be said for many purposes such as requesting guidance, confessing  sins, thanks giving or for asking something.

                       Picture of Jesus Christ Praying

  What ever may be the purpose of a prayer,  I feel that when a prayer is said in a private place such as a bedroom in your own words or just meditate,  we will be able to connect to God & concentrate more in our prayer. I’ve tried praying in holy & religious places, but every time when some body was around me I’d get distracted. Some people are more comfortable praying in holy places with many people around them. It just depends on the person.

                                        Picture of Christians Praying 

                                        Picture of hindus praying

                                        Picture of Muslims praying     

                      Picture of buddist monks chanting

      

       The position of praying differs from one religion to another. Some may like to stand & pray, some like to sit & pray. You can choose any comfortable position to pray.

Prayer should be a daily activity. We must make prayer an important part of the day. Prayers that we say are very powerful. It can change our lives. When prayers are  answered by God our desires are fulfilled & we become prosperous in life. 

 It’s important to pray everyday. It’s also important to honor God.  God already knows what we want even before we start our prayer. He expects us to honor him. The more we honor him, the more he will bless us.  So before you ask for what you need or confess your sins or thank him you should honor him.

Start your prayers with the following biblical quotes . The words in the quotes are meant to honor the God.

Matthew 6:9-13

9.This, then, is how you should pray: 
    'Our Father in heaven, 
   hallowed be your name, 
10.your kingdom come, 
   your will be done 
      on earth as it is in heaven. 
11.Give us today our daily bread. 
12.Forgive us our debts, 
      as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
13.And lead us not into temptation, 
   but deliver us from the evil one.

4)Sickness

What is sickness or illness?

When some part(s) of a human body is affected it causes the impairment of normal physiological function. This is called sickness.

Why do we become ill?

Some experts believe that we become sick because of some physical, emotional & environmental reasons. Some years back my English teacher said a person becomes ill because of the sins he has committed. Sickness is the punishment given by God as a result of our sins.

I didn’t believe it when my English teacher said that, but sooner I realized that it was so true.  Every time I fell sick I recalled all that I had done in the recent past. Each & every time I realized that I fell sick only because of my sins.

 We all have committed sins in our lives. There is no person in this entire world who hasn’t committed sins. Most of us simply commit sins & regret later.

1 John 1:8-10

8. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and  his word is not in us.

I strongly believe that a person becomes sick not because of the physical, emotional or environmental reasons, but because of the sins he/she has committed in his/her life.

Nobody wants to become sick or live with a sickness. Every body wants to live a healthy life. Most of us simply trust our doctors or medicines prescribed by the doctor. More than the doctor or medicines we need God when we are sick. It’s the God who can heal us from sickness & make us healthy. To seek God’s blessings we need ask for forgiveness for all our sins first.

God is constantly looking for someone who is in need of him. He expects us to ask him for help & when we call him for help he never says no. He will come to us for help & cure all our sickness.

When we sincerely ask for forgiveness for all our sins God will definitely forgive us. A sick person becomes healthy only after God forgives him/her.

Some of the quotes from bible is mentioned below which can guide you on how to ask for forgiveness for our sins.

Prayer for a sick man

Psalm 41

 1. Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
    In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
2.the LORD protects him and keeps him alive;
   he is called blessed in the land;
   you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3.The LORD sustains him on his sickbed;
   in his illness you restore him to full health.

4.As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me;
    heal me, for I have sinned against you!"
5.My enemies say of me in malice,
   "When will he die, and his name perish?"
6.And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
   while his heart gathers iniquity;
   when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7.All who hate me whisper together about me;
   they imagine the worst for me.

8.They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him;
   he will not rise again from where he lies."
9.Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
   who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10.But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
   and raise me up, that I may repay them!

11.By this I know that you delight in me:
   my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12.But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
   and set me in your presence forever.

13. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting!

Prayer for forgiveness

Psalm 51

1. Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.

2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin!

3.For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is ever before me.
 4. Against you, you only, have I sinned
   and done what is evil in your sight,
 so that you may be justified in your words
   and blameless in your judgment.
 5.Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
   and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6.Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
   and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7.Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8.Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
 9.Hide your face from my sins,
   and blot out all my iniquities.
 10.Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and renew a right spirit within me.
11.Cast me not away from your presence,
   and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
  12.Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13.Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
   and sinners will return to you.
14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
   O God of my salvation,
   and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15.  O Lord, open my lips,
   and my mouth will declare your praise.
16.For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
   you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18.Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
   build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19.then will you delight in right sacrifices,
   in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

1 John 1:9-10

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 

Luke 11:4

4. Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

3) Fear

       Fear is an emotion. It’s a feeling that is caused due to some observed threat. Fear can be caused due to some present bad situation. Fear may also occur due to the occurrence of some future event(s) such as worsening of the current situation or occurrence of an event that cannot be accepted.

       We all have experienced fear in our lives. Fear has many ill effects on our body & mind. Fear manifested in our mind is more worse than the effects of fear on our body. As long as there’s fear we cannot have peace of mind. Fear can make our lives a living hell. Pains & feelings of fear are very intense in the soul & last for a long time.

       It‘s very important to overcome fear. We get a peace of mind after getting rid of fear. The obvious question you’ll ask now is ‘How to overcome fear?’

       It’s definitely not a easy to overcome fear without the help of God. With the help of God we can overcome fear very easily.

The following biblical quotes can guide you to overcome fears in our lives.

Psalm 31:1-5

1. In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
   in your righteousness deliver me!
2.Incline your ear to me;
   rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
   a strong fortress to save me!

3.For you are my rock and my fortress;
   and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
4.you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
   for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
   you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

When you are scared of something or someone just remember that God is the only one who can save you from this. Take refuge in him, he will rescue you. He can shield  you & save you from traps set by your enemies.

  Psalm 23:1 

 1.The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

4.Even though I walk 
       through the valley of the shadow of death, [a] 
       I will fear no evil

When we accept God as our savior & protector he will protect us just like how a shepherd protects his sheep. We will not fear the Satan.

 

Psalm 27:1 

1.The LORD is my light and my salvation—
       whom shall I fear?
       The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
       of whom shall I be afraid?

 

Psalm 46:1

1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

When we accept God in our lives he becomes our guiding light, there is no need to fear anything in life. The God becomes a place for survival & we need not fear any body.

 

Psalm 34:9

9 .Fear the LORD, you his saints,
       for those who fear him lack nothing.

We must all fear in life but must not fear someone or something but fear the God. For those who fear God gets everything they need.

2) Anger

       Anger is an emotion. It’s a strong feeling of displeasure, dissatisfaction ,resistance or opposition towards something or someone. Anger always urges a person to harm or resist the person(s) or something  with whom the person is angry.

We all have been angry some times in our lives. We may not always know how to deal with anger. The following biblical quotes can guide us on dealing with anger. It’s also important to have faith in the God.

Psalm 37:8

8. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
     Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Anger is a madness which always tends us do wrong things.  Anger is  a creation of the satan which will always lead us in doing evil things. So cease from anger & abandon it.

Peter 5:6-11

 6. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

 7. casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

8. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil(S) prowls around  like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

9. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 

10.And  after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,  who has called you to his  eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,  confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 

11. To him be the dominion forever and ever.

We must throw our anger on God because he is our creator & cares for us. Watch out for the Satan. Satan is always waiting for us to get angry . Satan is waiting for that moment when we get angry so that he can use us to do evil. We  must be strong & have faith in our God. We must refuse to listen to the Satan because the people who listen to him always end up suffering.

Ephesians 4:26-27

26."In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 

27.and do not give the devil a foothold.

We must never sin while we are angry because this will give the Satan an opportunity to get successful.

Ecclesiastes 7:9

9. “Be not hasty in your spirit to be angry: for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”

We mustn’t hastily become angry. The decisions that we make when we are angry are always not wise. We end making foolish mistakes.

Ephesians 4:26-27 

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

We will give the Satan a chance to help us in committing sins when we are angry.

Proverbs 15:18 

“People with quick tempers cause trouble, but those who control their tempers stop a quarrel.”

People with a short temper mind always end up causing trouble but the ones who control their temper can stop others from fighting.

Proverbs 16:32 

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”

The person who restrains anger is greater than the great people.

1) Salvation- The eternal life after death

1)          Salvation means getting an eternal life after death. This eternal life is believed to be different from the life on earth. This eternal life is a life living with our Heavenly father which is free from all the pain & suffering that we suffer on earth. This is a life with happiness & nothing but happiness. Its free from worries & stress that we normally face .

We all need salvation but only the ones who truly work for it receive it . The following verses from the holy Bible shows us the way to salvation. The meanings of the versus are also explained below each verse.

Timothy 2:3-4

3.This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4.who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth

God wants all of us to accept him as our savior  & protector. The ones who accept this truth that he is our true savior & protector shall receive salvation.

John 3:3

3.“Unless one is born again , He cannot see the kingdom”  .

We  receive salvation & live with the God in heaven forever only when we accept him as our Lord.

Matt 11:28-30

28.Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
 29.“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
30. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

God  invites all his people to eternal rest.

Rev 22:17
17.The Spirit and the bride say, "Come " And let the one who hears say, Come " And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

God invites all his people who are in need to take refuge in heaven for there is eternal rest in heaven.

John 12:48
48. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

God is warning the ones who reject him. They shall not receive salvation.

John 1:12
12.But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

We must receive God as the authority of our life .

Acts 4:10-12
 10.let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by this name this man stands here before you in good health.
11."He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.
12."And there is salvation in (F)no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

The above shown verse clearly says that salvation is in Jesus.

Mark 1:15
15.and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;repent and believe in the gospel."

We must obey the Gospel to be saved & have an eternal life . If you still haven’t realized ,repent for all your sins & obey the Gospel,  Gospel is the God’s power to salvation.

 Hebrew 5:9
9.And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.

John 3:16

16.“For God so loved the world that  He gave his only begotten Son,that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” 

The ones who believes in Jesus shall not die but have an eternal salvation.

Luke 13:3

3."I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

We don’t receive salvation until we repent for all our sins.

Romans 10:9

9.“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.   

Mark 16:16
16.He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

To accept Jesus as our savior & the way to salvation we must get baptized. The non-believer shall never receive salvation.

Acts 22:16
 16.'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'

When we get baptized our sins are washed away.

1 Peter 3:21
 21.Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Baptism doesn’t remove the filth from our flesh but it makes an appeal to the God for a good conscience or good consciousness. Good conscience is a state of mind that doesn’t allow a person to think bad or in  a dirty way.

Matthew 10:22
 22."You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

The non-believers may dislike us for doing this but the ones who tolerate till the end will definitely receive salvation.

Hebrews 4:11

 11.Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of  disobedience.

Let us all take this painstaking effort to receive salvation so that no one is rejected from receiving salvation by being disobedient to our God.

Revelation 2:10

10.'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Let us all endure this pain & suffering. The ones who endure this shall receive an eternal life with our God after death.