By virtue of the fact that your son-in-law is of YOUR HOUSE you have every right to ask God to do whatever must be done not only to get his attention but to bring him to the place of repentance. When we can think of three or four ways this might happen the Lord already knows of thousands of ways that his heart will be touched. We can trust the Lord to do just that, by the words we read in the Bible, HIS WORDS and HIS PROMISES.
God is no respecter of persons, the Bible tells us, and what God did for the Philippian jailer, for Lydia's household, for Cornelius' household, etc., He will do for you, a believer in His word and a child of God. You are more precious in the eyes and heart of God than you can ever imagine, and He has just been waiting for this moment when your faith would be raised to the point where you can believe for the salvation of your son-in-law, whom God loves as much as He loves me or you or any other individual in the world.
You should also include in this petition, and we are agreeing with you, that now that the salvation of your son-in-law is assured, so will be the salvation of his own extended family. With his salvation he also has rights in the kingdom of God which will result in his own family’s salvation as he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are believing with you as you search for other members of your extended family through blood or marriage for whose salvation you may believe. Additionally, all of those extended families also have family connection who have a place reserved in the kingdom of God because of your own extended faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall believe with you for their salvation and physical, mental, financial and spiritual blessings, according to the Lord's promises through Jesus Christ.
Our prayers are much more important to God than we can imagine, and much more powerful than we can understand this side of Heaven, as long as the petitions are made in the powerful Name of Jesus and through His blood sacrifice for us.
In the book of Revelation we are told that our prayers waft before the throne of God like incense. They are described in the book of Revelation as being stored in vials, as are also our tears shed in prayer for ourselves and others. James 5:16 states that "the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man/woman avails much." Jesus told us that whatever two or three of us agree with on earth shall be done in Heaven, that He is in our midst as we pray in faith. He also stated that whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and what we loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.
Therefore, in the Name of Jesus Christ we bind the spiritual chains that have bound this young man and other extended members of your family. By faith we loose them all in the Spirit of the Lord to perceive the incredible beauty and trustworthiness of our Lord and Savior so that their hearts and spirits are melted in His presence and they come to Him for salvation now and forever. Further, we pray and believe that not only will they be saved, but they all shall turn into effective workers for the Lord's Kingdom.
May your own effectiveness for the Lord be increased as your faith takes off and you see incredible answers to your prayers. We speak this in the Name of Jesus and know that it shall be done even as we ask. We are promised in the book of Revelation that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Therefore, it is through the blood of Jesus Christ that we testify of the trustworthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ to answer our prayers. Like Abraham, through faith, we call it done.
God bless you greatly, continue to use you and grant you incredible peace as He provides for your every need, as a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
We are passing your request on to another prayer group who have absolute faith in the promises of Jesus Christ, knowing that they will agree with us for the answer to this prayer and for the rapid escalation of your faith and knowledge of the Lord.
> I just wanted to thank you so very much for your availability and your willingness to pray with me for >my son-in-law's salvation. Your letter was a great encouragement to me. I will most assuredly let you >know when and how the Lord answered our prayers. > Thank you again. To god be all the glory!!
Thank you for responding. It is our duty as Christians to pray for one another. None of us make it through this life without times when we need spiritual help for the problems and concerns we face.
Through praying for other people we gain spiritual strength for the times when we need to press through to God for an answer for our own needs and for the needs of our loved ones. Paul encouraged us to pray without ceasing . Throughout the New Testament we see that the apostles spent significant amounts of time praying for others.
God is particularly concerned about family members since the family is central to our relationship with God. He is our Father. We are His children. Jesus is not only our Savior and Lord but also our elder brother and our example. The heart of God was torn in anguish over the treatment received by His only begotten Son, and He is fully cognizant of the anguish we feel as we earnestly pray for our own family members.
God is ready to send warring angels to fight spiritual battles when there is a breakdown in the interrelationships of family members. God is moved by our prayers and by our faith and confidence that He will respond when we petition His throne of mercy in the Name of His beloved Son.
We believe that we have the answers to our prayer requests because He, as the God Who cannot lie, has promised that He will, indeed, respond to those requests and bring the victory as we ask in unwavering faith, believing those promises.
> it occured to me some time ago that when Christian believers die, the > very next thing they are conscious of is the point in time of the > rapture when the dead in Christ will rise, so they are, in a timeless > way, instantly transported from death to heaven, like Christ said to the > thief on the cross" today you shall be with me in Paradise." While, in > reality, many years have passed. Otherwise, how could a believer be in > paradise on the day he died, but at the same time, he (the dead in > Christ) will rise at the Rapture?
> I am a father with teen aged daughters and am trying to find what > ever I can that the Bible says about inter-racial relationships and > marriages. Can you help to point me in the right direction? I appreciate > any input that you can give me on the subject.
The Bible indicates that both Solomon and Ahab received severe punishment because of this. For sure Ahab lost his soul. It was not so much the RACE but the fact that they introduced false religions which caused the Israelites to fall away from the worship of the one true God. It was their forsaking the worship of God that allowed their countries to be overcome, taken captive and ultimately cast from their homeland in the Diaspora.
Interesting, however, is the fact that Moses was married to a Midianite woman, a black African. Moses' sister Mariam was struck with leprosy because she criticized Moses for his inter-racial marriage in addition to other aspects of his leadership.If both husband and wife are devoted followers of Jesus Christ the differences among the cultures may be minimized. Nevertheless problems can occur because of differences in customs and parenting styles.
These difference and their related problems can occur also among those of the same race.2 Corinthians 6:14 admonishes, "Be you not unequally yoked togetherwith unbelievers...." This definitely refers to focuses and practices of worship and it is not particularly addressed to race. Other than the fact that social custom differences may cause difficulty in adaptation there is no special Biblical contraindication to mixed race marriages betweenthose who practice the Christian religion and who worship together aslike-minded partners in Christ.
We know that it was a black man who helped Jesus by carrying the cross for him when it became too heavy for him in his weakened condition. Who would deny him fellowship? The New Testament mentions other black people who lived in complete fellowship with the apostolicbelievers. Philip baptized the black Ethiopian eunuch who carried Christianity back to his people. Philip recognized no difference.
There always will be people who feel superior to other races, but between fellow Christians who are devoted completely to the Lord Jesus Christ there can be no denial of Christian fellowship. By this I am not saying that there MUST be dating between men and women of different races. Dating among Christians is a matter of serious prayer, irrespective of race. Further, marriage must be entered into with great prayer, in complete obedience to God's guidance, even if of the same race. Any differences in customs will necessarily need to be overcome with great diligence, prayer and Bible study, irrespective of race. The more cultural differences there are the more likely there will be difficult spiritual hurdles to overcome. It's a matter of finding God's perfect will for each individual.
Satan may try to tempt you as never before. Remember that our strength is in our faith in Jesus Christ. If you happen to slip do not fail immediately to confess your sin to the Lord. I John 1:9 assures us that “If we say that we have not sinned we lie and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins to the Lord He is faithful and just to forgive us.”
We have a great advocate before the Father in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to keep short accounts with God. Confess sins immediately and believe for growing strength to resist all temptation. Depending on the nature of the sin you may be dealing with demonic influence, in which case you need to take authority over it and command it to leave you completely in the Name of Jesus. We are in agreement with you in believing for your freedom. You may wish to ask a discreet, strongly believing Spirit-filled minister who is committed to the concept of the delivering power in the blood of Jesus to help you pray.
We are in agreement with you for freedom to worship and walk with the Lord in complete victory and with the ability to resist all of the fiery darts of the enemy of our souls. In Jesus' Name that is above all other names in Heaven and on hearth.
> My wife and I have been married for almost --- years.... we separated and >.... decided she wanted a divorce. I guess it's the American excuse, she > says she no longer has any feelings for me and can't take a chance. > She's a Christian woman, but she can't put her faith back in God. She's > built a wall up between her and me, plus she won't talk with > anyone that will tell her anything different from what she wants to > hear.....This has been a long ordeal. We went to court today but she decided to stay separated.... > My faith is in God.... I honestly believe I'm to stay with her > no matter what, even though that's not what she wants. >. If you would please keep us in your prayers and please pray for me to endure.
Total forgiveness is absolutely impossible without spiritual help from the Lord. It can be most helpful to take communion after repeating the Lord's prayer beforehand. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."If you are truly honest and open to the Lord's guidance you will discover that unforgiveness is like a stone in your spirit. At this point, knowing that it is spiritually dangerous to take communion with unrepented sin in your heart, say to the Lord before taking communion. "Lord, I have found it impossible in my human natureto forgive this person, but with faith in your word that promises help for all of our needs, I forgive-----, by faith and I accept your help with this problem. Then take communion.
You may find that the first time forgiveness hasn't happened and the next time you take communion, perhaps the next day, the anger and unforgiveness are back again. You keep repeating the process saying, Lord, by faith I forgive-----, with your grace. Take communion. After atime for some reason you find that forgiveness has dropped by the grace of God into your heart. It may take a while, but it's worth it.
If your church rarely provides a communion service I strongly recommend that you frequently take communion with your wife, other Christian friends or even by yourself, repeating the Lord’s prayer quietly but meaningfully before taking communion. You must understand the seriousness for a Christian to take communion, that it represents Christ’s extreme sacrifice for us. All sins of which you are aware should be confessed and forgiveness received, according to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Keep short accounts with the Lord and confess sins as soon as you become aware of them. Jesus has promised us to forgive us our sins as we repent and confess, no matter how awful those sins are. It is important to intend, with Jesus’ help, never to repeat those sins.
In the meantime please know that the prayer group of the Virtual Church are taking your prayer requests to the Father, believing Him to show you His will and to mend your and your wife’s wounded hearts.
> Please pray for ----- for healing. he has leukemia. Drs. have given up > and said there is no more they can do .. God is not finished yet and we are > asking God for the miracle that is promised pray we will be a witness and > a miracle for the Drs. to see and be blessed .. to know god is not finished > and he has only started to be real in our lives .. our 8 yr. old son .... > needs him. he is a wonderful father and husband we want to be witness for > Christ in this healing and praise God the way He has told us to.. pray the > cancer cells will leave his body and blood stream and he will gain > strength
It sounds as if you are familiar with the many scriptures which promise healing. Let us remind you of some of them: Isaiah 53rd chapter deals with the sacrifice of Jesus and the promise that we are healed by His stripes, whipping, before he was nailed to the cross. I Peter 2:24 promises that “... by His stripes we WERE healed”.Psalm 103 begins, “Bless the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, Oh my soul and forget not all of His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.....”
We recommend that you also read Psalm 34 and Psalm 37 carefully and accept those promises as yours. Also read Mark Chapter 16 that promises healing among other blessings from the Lord. We highly recommend that you carefully read the outstanding document from the Jim Bramlett files on Divine healing. The address is http://www.virtualchurch.org/healing.htm
Your prayer request has been forwarded to other believing Christians, and you can be assured that they will pray diligently for your requests. God bless you and may .....’s condition continue to improve on a daily basis.
> Does my daughter have to be baptized before she can get her communion? > Or can she get baptized after?
The Bible indicates repeatedly that people are baptized after they recognize that they have been sinners, are sorry for their sins, decide not to continue repenting those sins, accept the sacrifice of JesusChrist as payment in full for their sins (not obeying the will of God for our lives) and deciding to make Jesus Lord of their lives. Acts 2:37-41, Acts 8:12, Acts 10:44-48
In almost every Biblical account in which a decision is made to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, they were baptized shortly thereafter, if not within minutes of their decision. This immediate baptism occured in the account of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Philip in Acts 8:26-40.
We believe that shortly after birth it is important for parents to have a dedication of their children to God and to promise to rear them according to the mandates of the Holy Bible. When the children understand the meaning of baptism then they can make the decision to be baptized. Baptism is symbolic of "dying with Christ" and leaving the sinful "old man" in the waters of baptism, resurrected into a new lifeof dedication and close companionship with Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12.
As for communion, Jesus said, Luke 11:19,20 "This is my body, which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me....this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Paul discussed the communion in 1 Corinthians 11:26,27, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord'sdeath until He comes. Wherefore, who ever shall eat of this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."
It would seem from this that communion should be taken in full recognition of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for forgiveness of our sins, after repenting of sins and accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. There is no statement in the Bible that stipulates that the individual has passed through the water of baptism before hecan take communion. However, the general sense in the Bible is that soon after conversion people were baptized. If there were some reasonwhy baptism must be delayed, it likely is permissible to take communion,as long as the individual understands what communion is all about, as representing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins. It is important that children are instructed to "search their hearts" for sins of commission and omission of which they need to confessto the Lord before taking the communion. First Corinthians 11:16-31 states,"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (have died). For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
During a difficult period I had difficulty at the point in the Lord's prayer which states, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...." I recognized the harboring of unforgiveness in my heart and therefore should not take the communion until I had forgiven that individual. Rather than refusing to take communion I would say to myself, "I forgive ..... through the grace of God, in faith." Then take communion, feeling that I had done what I could do.
Unfortunately the next day I would stall at that same sentence of the Lord's prayer, recognizing this same hatred. I would repeat the process of "forgiving by faith" andtake communion. This went on for weeks. One day, thinking of money that individual owed, I spontaneously laughed, thinking. “That money would hardly make a dent in my circumstances." I realized at that point that God had been true to His promise to answer prayer. The Lord had dropped forgiveness into my heart, a real miracle of God’s grace.
Without being forced to face my sin of unforgiveness before communion, my hatred could have created much damage for myself and others. Proverbs 23:7 states about mankind, "As he thinks in his heart, so is he."Incidentally, within weeks my financial situation changed dramatically as I accepted a job that tripled my income, another miracle. God rewards our decisions to obey His word.
Most Protestant churches, on the other hand, believe that Jesus was speaking symbolically when He said, Luke 22:19,20, ":This IS my body which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me ....This IS the cup of the new testament in my blood which is shed for you."
Many Protestants become aghast when they consider the Catholic view that these actually become the body and blood of Jesus. I think that both perspectives can be "correct". For the Catholics, these do become, by faith, the body and blood of Jesus. For many Protestants, they symbolically are "receiving Jesus Christ" by faith when taking the bread and wine (or grape juice) of communion. God honors the faith of both perspectives.
My personal perspective subject is that on this particular subject the Catholics are correct. A Protestant minister, my father accepted the Protestant viewpoint of the symbolism of the bread and juice. One Sunday as he was carrying the tray of communion bread to the congregation he had a rare and perspective-changing experience. In a vivid vision that seemed like reality to him the tray that he was carrying suddenly held the mutilated body of Jesus as he was taken down from the cross, weighing heavily in his arms. A shepherd's staff was brought down upon his arm as it struck him forcibly. He suddenly became aware of the vital significance and the responsibility we hold as Christians who represent the life and message of Jesus Christ.
This is a matter of eternal significance. Other people, in observing us Christians, are making their conclusions about the veracity of the Christian message of salvation. Not only our souls but the souls of others with whom we interact, are held in the balance.
When the vision disappeared Dad continued with communion. From that day on, although he did not adhere to all of the Catholics practices he nevertheless was convinced of the reality of transubstantiation with the communion. I had tremendous respect for my father’s understanding of scripture and since his recounting of that experience I’ve also accepted its veracity. Therefore when I take communion, which is frequently, I am extremely serious about it. I cannot detect the taste of blood or flesh in the bread and wine, but I am convinced by faith that transubstantiation occurs and that God accepts my belief.
Therefore I am careful fully to examine myself each time, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal sins in my life so that I can confess them to the Lord and ask forgiveness, resolving not to repeat those sins. It is a serious matter to take communion lightly, as Paul said, I Corinthians 11:16-31:
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (have died). For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
From a secular perspective, a law of physics states that nothing in the universe can either be created or destroyed. Matter can only change into different forms through conversion by energy such as heat, electrical, chemical, mechanical, etc. In this perspective, the blood of Jesus that ran from his head, hands, side, feet and that were sweated as great drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemene have not been destroyed. They have only been combined into new forms. For instance, insects and animals ate that blood. When they died their bodies decomposed and those same atoms were taken up by plants or were disseminated in rain water which flowed to the ocean where evaporation occurred. Then the atoms were carried in the clouds around the world to fall as precipitation onto lands around the world. If you consider this carefully the concept is staggering but true. The plants took up those atoms that had been in the blood of Jesus and animals ate the plants, humans ate the animals or plants and those same atoms, almost 2000 years later likely have become part of your human body, in your body tissue and fluids, only to be deposited into the earth at your death to go through the continuing cycles of life.
Therefore, in that sense, the bread and wine that you consume at communion actually may contain some of the very same atoms that were present in the body and blood of Jesus Christ as recycled through the centuries. People all over the world are also eating food and drinking fluids which may contain atoms that once were in Jesus' body.
The question is, since they are unaware of this fact, are they truly "eating and drinking" His body and blood unworthily? Perhaps that is one of the causes of the disease and early deaths so prevalent around the world. It's food for thought. In any case, you are encouraged to take communion as often as you can, whatever your personal belief about transubstantiation. First ask the Holy Spirit to reveal wrongs you might have done or good deeds you neglected to do, confessing to Him, so that you might take communion worthily. Again, I do not believe that everyone has to accept the doctrine of transubstantiation to be “correct” before the Lord, but if it has been made clear to the individual by the Holy Spirit then one should accept the belief. Otherwise I believe that one is free to take the alternate viewpoint of symbolism.
> I am in dire need for prayer, I am in my final semester of ----- school. I am a mother and wife and >have spent every last penny we have to pay for my schooling. I have not passed my last 2 tests. >Something happened and I now have the pressure of only being able to miss a couple on the next 2 tests. > This has turned me into an emotional wreck and now I have lost faith in myself. I know that God has >led me on this path for a reason and I know things will work out. But I would greatly appreciate if I had >others helping me with this prayer. This whole thing has broken down my soul, where I thought I was > strong, I feel weak and broken
In the Name of Jesus we claim Divine inspiration when studying for and while writing these exams. We claim that the Lord will imbue you with His knowledge and understanding as you study and write. In the practice of nursing you frequently will be faced with situations over which you have little control. You are going to need the Lord's intervention every day if you are to do a credible job for Him. In this situation the Lord is teaching you to learn to depend upon His knowledge and ability, to pray constantly for wisdom and for your patients and to learn to be guided in all things by the Holy Spirit.
We must learn to be guided and directed in all things by God as we go about our daily tasks. Paul gave words of encouragement in Philippians 4::13, “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul continued in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God knows how to expand your perception, memory and ability to apply your knowledge to the situation.
He gave further assurance in 1 Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” We are reassured of His love and ability to expand all of our capabilities as we trust in Him and believe His word.
There is nothing that is too small for His attention. You are not a pest but a cherished child whom He wants to direct each step of the way. Please know that we of the Virtual Church prayer group will be continuing to pray for the Lord's direction and help in your life.
For these persons social drinking, if continued, will lead to alcoholism, in which situation the individual is no longer in control of his/her life or of his/her decisions. Alcohol is a toxic chemical, a poison, to the body. Alcohol becomes the master. It is not called an addiction for no reason. Once one becomes addicted to alcohol the statistics reveal that only a very small percentage are able to overcome the problem. Even excellent intervention programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous cannot promise to produce a good result for their members. There is a high rate of recidivism, or return to alcohol consumption. This is a trap that one is well advised to avoid, and it only can be avoided bynot drinking alcohol in the first place since no one knows if he/she will become an alcoholic by drinking "socially". Additionally, drinking a poison that has terrible effects on the body does not seem very "social".
To underline the disastrous effects on the body, consider the devastation caused to the fetus when the pregnant woman drinks even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (F.A.S.) causes greatly diminished intelligence, attention deficit syndrome, a much greater chance of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight and physical abnormalities.
Nevertheless “social” drinking can be difficult to resist because of intense peer pressure from one’s associates. No one, especially a teenager, wants to appear “different”. The best course is to avoid situations in which alcohol consumption may arise, and this depends on our choice of friends.
The craving for alcohol in the alcoholic is almost irresistible and leads to total destruction ofones quality of life, as well as to a shortened lifespan filled withillness, sorrow and regretThe Bible contains many warnings against alcohol consumption.
Proverbs 20:1 states, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whoever is deceived thereby is not wise," Proverbs 21:17, " He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil shall not be rich." Proverbs 23:29-34, "Who has woe? who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has babbling? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? They who tarry long at the wine; they who go to seek mixed wine.Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup, when it moves itself. At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes shall behold strange women, and your heart shall utter perverse things. Yes, you shall be as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he who lies upon the top of a mast."
Lying on top of a mast indicates that one will fall into the sea and drown. I Titus 1:7 states, "A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to money."
The New Testament addresses our cupidity in choosing to consume harmful substances. First Corinthians 3:16,17 states, "Do you not know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for thetemple of God is holy, which temple you are."
There are many other scriptures that warn of the dangers in alcohol consumption. Recent reports indicate that drinking 1/4 cup of red wine each day is good for the heart. What is not reported is that the same helpful benefit is obtained by drinking wine that has had the alcohol removed and which does not cause the physiological damage as alcoholic wine. A vineyard that sells non-alcoholic wine throughout the country is Ariel in California. The same benefit can be obtained by drinking a cup or two of green tea daily, as well as by drinking regular black or orange pekoe tea. In every case in which alcohol is held to be of some medical benefit, another, harmless, substance can be used instead to obtain the same or greater benefits.
> I just read your account of Jonah on the Virtual Church pages. I concur > completely with your break down of the central themes of the Book, but I > am interested in excavating particular archetypes.
This may have been the stomach. Others have postulated that this "fish" may have had an anatomical anomaly that may, as indicated, have been "prepared by God". Some have postulated that Jonah was inside a lung and therefore had access to oxygen. Some have questioned if it were possible for Jonah actually to have survived for 3 days and nights had he been in astomach with normal acidity of about pH 3 or 4, which is strongly acid.On the other hand, the Bible indicates that Jonah was vomited fromthe fish's "belly" after 3 days. If the fish had an illness that caused vomiting it is possible that, because of the illness, the pH of the stomach was higher than 3 or 4. Had it been as high as pH 7 then Jonah well could have survived the 3-day duration, assuming that oxygen were available.
There have been accounts of sailors who were "swallowed" by whales in the past (1800s) and then found still living when the whales were killed shortly thereafter by seamen on whalers who were rendering the whale blubber for oil. When these seamen cut open the whale's stomach they found the man still living in the gastrointestinal tract. I believethat this was reported in Ripley's "Believe it or Not" some years ago.
There could be many ecological comparisons concerningthe Jonah experience, but we tend to focus on the spiritual aspects and their association with Jesus’ being in the grave for three days and three nights, a comparison to which Jesus alluded before His crucifixion.
Most of the Old Testament stories have a modern day correlation with Christianity, hence their inclusion in the Old Testament records. Jesus said, while being tempted by the devil in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Since both the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God, or “God-breathed”, then we must assume that we are meant carefully to consider ever piece of data recorded in the Bible as having direct relationship with us who live in this end of the church age.
> Hello! I am requesting prayer for my friend ---. In January of 1998, > her husband chose to end his life after a long struggle against > diabetes. She now experiences guilt feelings over this and feels > emotionally dead. She now describes herself as "messed up" and admits > to being in a backslidden state. Plus the enemy has given her so very > many of his lies, the truth is hard to discern for her. Please pray > that: 1) She opens her heart and allows God to come back in, > restoring her relationship with God. 2) For a complete healing of her > emotions (and whatever else has been stolen or damaged). 3) That she > find an excellent church to attend that would pray and nurture her back > to complete health. and 4) That receive and walk in the baptism of > the Holy Spirit according to the Scriptures. Also, please pray for > her as the Holy Spirit would guide you as well.
You have itemized the critical elements in her spiritual recovery. Matthew 18::18-20 states, “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 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 three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Since we are together in faith and agree concerning this matter we have assurance that God is beginning even now to act to the psychological, spiritual and physical benefit of your friend. Even now we can expect to see the results of these interventions by the Lord Jesus Christ in her life.
We further are encouraged by Jesus’ words in Luke 11:9-13, “I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you who is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
In the Name of Jesus we agree with you in binding Satan’s negative influence from her and from her family, and we loose her and her family in the Name of Jesus into fullfreedom in His Holy Spirit to worship the Lord Jesus Christ in liberty and joy.
We'll continue to uphold all of you before the Lord in our prayers.
Your email sounds as if you have a good grasp on the truth of our promises in the Bible concerning our heritage as children of God. We agree with you that it is God's desire to provide abundant life to usall, while it is Satan, the thief, who comes to kill, to steal and to destroy. We clearly know what Satan hopes to do in his hatred not only of those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, but also what terrible things he does to his own. In the Christian’s case, we have the promise that Jesus will never leave us not forsake us.
John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him; but you know him; for he dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.”
Because we have the presence of the Holy Spirit within us we can ask in prayer for God to dispatch His angels to fight spiritual battles for us, that we may overcome all the weapons of Satan and to get beck what has been taken from us. In the Old Testament, if an individual stole what belonged to another he was required to repay the value four times over in one reference and seven times over in another reference. We agree with you and demand that you be repaid for what he has stolen from you. We agree that youtake back what is owed you several times over, according to the promises of God.
II Timothy 1:7 states; "God has not given us aspirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind." We are in agreement with you concerning these prayer requests and believe that the Lord will restore all of you mental and spiritual multiplied many times over and that He will .fulfill His complete will in your life.
Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good like medicine.”
Folks, we couldn’t resist passing this on for a laugh. For a fact, at least one Texas bread company locked horns with the EPA over pollution and lost with several million dollars penalty. This is how it came to us, and we trust that the author is credited below:
> Subject: I feel very strongly about this subject and will appreciate your input and support > Date: Sun, 7 Feb. 1999 19:49:45 -0500 > From: "PETER SHORTHOUSE" <petershorthouse@worldnet.att.net> > To: <Undisclosed.Recipients> > > A recent headline read, "Smell of baked bread may be > health hazard." The article went on to describe the dangers of the > smell of > baking bread. The main danger, apparently, is that the organic > components of > this aroma may break down ozone (I'm not making this stuff up). > I was horrified. When are we going to do something about bread-induced > global warming? Sure, we attack tobacco companies, but when is the > government going to go after Big Bread? > > Well, I've done a little research, and what I've discovered should > make > anyone think twice.... > 1: More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users. > 2: Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming > households > score below average on standardized tests. > 3: In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the > home, > the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality > rates > were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases > such as > typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations. > 4: More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 > hours of > eating bread. > 5: Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven > that as > little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The > average > American eats more bread than that in one month! > 6: Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low > incidence > of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis. > 7: Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread > and > given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days. > 8: Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" > items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts. > 9: Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more > than > 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body’s > being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a > soggy, gooey > bread-pudding person. > 10: Newborn babies can choke on bread. > 11: Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! > That > kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute. > 12: Most bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between > significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling. > > In light of these frightening statistics, we propose the following > bread restrictions: > > > 1: No sale of bread to minors. > 2: A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV > spots > and bumper stickers. > 3: A 300 percent tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills > we might associate with bread. > 4: No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal > to > children) may be used to promote bread usage. > 5: The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.
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