FollowingJesusUS.com

One might ask, “Don’t we just pray? Why do we to need practice?”.

I don’t know about you, but my mind sometimes tends to wander when I pray, which is why I need to practice, lol. Real prayer should be concentrated, intense. You are talking with the Lord of Lords, and that requires respect. And one way we can show our respect is to concentrate on our Father and our Prayers to Him.

One great way I have found of practicing is to say the Rosary. If forces me to contentrate for an extended time period. It has the Our Father, which Jesus taught us, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be To God… It helps me work on my concentration and focus while praying. But more than that, it occupies my mind while I lie in bed. Instead of worrying or thinking negative thoughts, I focus on my prayers :). Trust me, it’s a great help! And I am grateful for it!

When I was young, we referred to many of these types of prayers as “rote” prayers. In some ways these types of prayers were actually discouraged. Talking to God in a “normal” way was encouraged instead. But as I have grown older, I have found I need both! I need to talk with my Lord, but I also need these “rote” prayers as well. Because, believe it or not lol, sometimes I run out of things to say to God, and these prayers help me.

They help me in another way as well. There are times when I just don’t feel like praying. Times where perhaps I feel guilty for something I did, or something I didn’t do. But that is when I need to pray most of all!

So find your special prayer. There are many. The Our Father, the Rosary, the Apostle’s Creed, the Sinner’s Prayer, Psalm 31, Psalm 93…The list is endless 🙂

I know when my mind wanders during my prayers I feel so sorry, because God is so good and deserves better from me. That’s why some type of practice helps 🙂

Be The Light, Pray Today 🙂

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”-Luke 16:13 KJV

First of all, what is “mammon”? Some say it is the pursuit of great wealth. Still others say it is evil. Either way, this Bible verse simply says you can not serve both.

Does that mean you can not pursue material comfort for your family. No. But it does mean that serving God must come first! And we have to be very careful that we actually see the truth of what we are doing:

“He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”-Luke 16:15

Because we are human, it is so easy for us to fool ourselves. To convince ourselves, for example, that our pursuit of wealth is for the sake of another (often our families). Or that we deserve it, lol. But the truth is all good gifts come from God, and that is something we need to recognize and honor.

If you struggle with putting other things first, whether it is your family, money, a bad habit, a particular sin… I do too 🙂

But together, we need to put God first, for He put us first 🙂

And remember what it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Help the “least of these”

This morning while driving to work, I saw a man walking in the rain. He had no protection and clearly a long way to go.

Another day, I saw a homeless person. Hungry, dirty and obviously exhausted.

Still another day I saw an elderly person struggling to get their groceries in the car.

What can we do for God? We can pray for them. We can help the homeless and we can carry groceries. We can love the “least of these”, as Christ does 🙂

It matters not how an individual came to be suffering; it simply matters that they are suffering. We are all God’s Children. And we all make our own fair share of mistakes, but God loves us all-and so should we.

So this week, help someone, anyone. Give someone hope. Offer someone comfort. Love them like Jesus does 🙂

What do Guardian Angels do?  As the name implies, they guard and protect us.  They also “present prayer to God on our behalf”!  A Guardian Angel can be assigned to a person or a nation.  They can be assigned to a church.  They are found in the Jewish faith and the Christian faith.  They are in the New Testament and the Old Testament.  Guardian Angels sometimes carry us.  Jesus spoke of Guardian Angels Himself! Jesus said,

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”-Matthew 18:10 KJV

St. Faustina, a Polish nun, actually saw her Guardian Angel.  She described her Angel in this way:  “a beautiful presence of light.”  She also referred to her Guardian Angel as a “him”. 

Many wonder, “why don’t Guardian Angels protect us from ALL suffering?” The answer to that question is quite simple.  Guardian Angels do not protect us from suffering that leads to spiritual growth.  And as we all know, spiritual growth is necessary. So necessary, that it has been said “you are either growing or dieing”.

So our Guardian Angel protect us, guides us and pray for us…  It’s hard to imagine how we can thank them enough, but we can ask God to send them a Special Blessing and let them know how much we appreciate their help.  And we can thank God for sending them to help us and thank our Guardian Angel as well. ?

So if you feel at all alone or in need, talk to your Guardian Angel, for you are never alone. Your Guardian Angel is always with you!

I am grateful every day for my Guardian Angel’s help.  And I thank God for sending my Guardian Angel, and I thank my Guardian Angel as well.  Truly, I feel Blessed ?

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹ Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.” – Exodus 23:20-21, ESV

Judgement by Fire!

“²⁹ But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”-Luke 17:29

Most of the time, we would prefer to focus on God’s Great Mercy and Love for us. Such is human nature :). But to read the Bible and ignore passages that warn us of God’s Judgement is dangerous. Because God is both Merciful AND Just. We know this from His Word-The Bible.

So why did God pass such a harsh judgement on Sodom & Gomorrah? One reason is that He warned them, repeatedly, that He considered them sinful and they refused to repent. No matter how many years He gave them to change their ways-they would not.

So what was the sin of Sodom & Gomorrah?  There were many.  But the one that was judged most harshly was the act of homosexuality.  Sexual immorality is a serious matter to God and it should be to us. 

If God judged Sodom & Gomorrah so harshly for their sin;  how exactly will God judge America?  After all, gay marriage is now the law of the land.  And whether it is homosexuality or transgenderism-both are against God’s Plan for us.

One of the best descriptions for repentence I’ve read was in the Chicago Tribune. It was written by Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  What do the steps of repentence really look like? “The first is (taking) responsibility: We must recognize that we have done wrong. The second is regret: We must have true remorse for doing wrong and for the pain and problems we’ve caused.  The third is resolve: We must be committed never to repeat the act regardless of the temptations or situation. The fourth and probably the most difficult is to repair the damage we’ve done, or at least do what we can to apologize directly to the injured party.”

We still have time to Repent and Be The Light.  It’s our choice, given to us by God Himself  ?

““Homosexual “marriage” as a legal/social construct was practiced at only one time in the past, “in the days of Noah” before the flood, according to pre-Christian Jewish writings, explained Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) and Faith2Action President Janet Porter during an Oct. 10 interview on Point of View radio. The second time gay marriage was “legal” is now, they added, noting that this is a “little scary” because Jesus Christ said, “As in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.“”-CNS News, Comment by Rep. Louie Gohmert

Jesus clearly says that the last days will be, “As in the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”.-Matthew 24:38

Clearly, we live in a time that is much like the “Days of Noah”.  Many do as they wish, with absolutely no regard for what God may wish.  And it is not just gay marriage that is at issue, sin has found a welcome ground in the United States… There is one common thread though, through all sin-all sin contains some degree of self-obsession.   Because that is what sin is; putting one’s desires before God’s.

Not long ago, Jonathan Cahn and many others held a day for Repentance & Revival.  There is still time to ask Jesus for forgiveness and to be our Savior.  There is still time to Honor God and be filled with His Holy Spirit.

Don’t wait.  Be the Light ?