Cutekemitola: Bluish please I really want to find out the best way to fast....I do fast before but am thinking it is more than denying our body of food...can u enlighten me on the steps to take when yuh r fasting?

Fasting without praying is HUNGER STRIKE.....so if u want to see results when fasting pls make sure alongside denying urself of food,u pray nd also study the word

Put away everything dat will serve as a distraction to u.make sure u maximize ur time while fasting.Dont be in a hurry to finish ur prayer,express urself to ur Father,HE longs to hear u speak to HIM

Remember the more u draw close to GOD,the more HE draws closer to u

bluish:
Fasting without praying is HUNGER STRIKE.....so if u want to see results when fasting pls make sure alongside denying urself of food,u pray nd also study the word

Put away everything dat will serve as a distraction to u.make sure u maximize ur time while fasting.Dont be in a hurry to finish ur prayer,express urself to ur Father,HE longs to hear u speak to HIM

Remember the more u draw close to GOD,the more HE draws closer to u

thanx a lot...I appreciate

Sorry Bros/Sis i could not longer comment on the religion section with my username Elijah78. This is the second time this is happening to, my forst username was Elisha78. suprisingly i am able to comment in other sections, tried to seek help form mods but nothing yet. If this continues like this, i will no longer be able to make comments in the religious section but note, i will always follow this thread as a guest for edification.

Now to the main issue at hand!

@cutekemitola, @Zeeayinita who asked about stepping out for an altar call,@defendedvictim, @bluish who talked about studing the word of God @segedoo and other brthren who are interested to know:

I just sincerely wish to share with you some facts in scripture concerning When the Holy Spirit starts to play a role in our lives, and that role is to reveal us to Jesus so that Jesus can led us. It is the Father that reveals Jesus to us through the Holy Spirit when we have diligently seek Him. It is not possible and i repeat, it is not possible to say ''Holy Spirit i invite you into my life"" and the Holy Spirit will come just like that. I will gradually take us from a background and led us to the main point in scripture. Please bear with me.

Lets see what scripture says:
I will start with John 9:39. to let you know what will possible happen to you when you want to go on to pursue God the right way. I’ll just quote the verse. It’s self-explanatory.
"I came into this world to act as a separator. So that there could be a clear distinction between those who listen to Me and do what I say, and those who reject Me." Following Jesus will always separate you from those who are merely practicing religion. Never fear the possibility of being excluded from religion, it’s absolutely the best thing that could happen to you.

(Matthew 23:27-39). read through you will see this:
"I am the Door. And anyone who enters in through Me will be saved." When you understand that the Door is a personal revelation of Jesus, and that a personal revelation of Jesus can’t come without perseverance and persistence in personal, private times with the Father; then the idea of a quick and easy salvation based on simple belief just isn't possible.
Jesus says to the Pharisees in John 8:55 (read the whole chapter , here Jesus reveals Himself as the Light of the world). Basically, most translations read something like, "You don’t know Him, but I know Him." But, there are two different words translated "know" in this verse. It should be translated more like this:"You have no idea Who He is, but I know Him very well." The implication is that the Pharisees didn’t have a clue about the Father, but Jesus knew Him perfectly, since He had come from the very presence of the Father. The application is obvious. When we spend time in the presence of the Shepherd, we’ll come to know Him very well. On the other hand, the religious crowd will remain clueless. No amount of public worship, group prayer, sermonizing or any other ritual will ever allow anyone to experience an on-going, personal revelation of Jesus.

This brings[b] Luke 13:24[/b] into an even sharper focus
"Earnest effort is required to force your way through the narrow door that leads to salvation – to God! Many think they will enter this door, but will not be able to, because they were not willing to do what they had to do. They made the fatal mistake. Instead of being diligent and persistent in their pursuit of God, they simply followed the foolish crowd." (Luke 13:24)
The earnest effort Jesus is talking about is the "keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking". you know the scripture i hope. And it is nothing different from our journey here with God, where we go to His presence everyday and hear nothing and next day we still go hoping to hear Him one day.

This leads to one last point. When we’re persistent in our pursuit of God, develop that sense of dependence on Him, show the Father our determination to know Him, and commit ourselves to submit to Him, then we begin to experience the revelation of Christ in our lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Always keep in mind it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to the true believers who are determined to obey Jesus’ commands (John 14:21-26, 15:26). Regardless of what religion says, the revelation of Jesus comes only as a result of individual, personal obedience. It has nothing to do with what others do or tell you.

And that obedience is very specific. we not talking about obedience to man-made religious rules and rituals. we are talking about obedience to what the Father says to you personally when you go in to a private place, shut the door, submit to Him and await His command (real prayer and worship).

The first verse is John 6:37. It goes something like this:
"All those My Father gives to Me will come to Me. And I will never reject anyone who comes to Me."
What this verse tells us is that there are those who are given to Jesus by the Father. All of them come to Jesus. And He accepts all those that have been given to Him. It doesn’t matter what translation you read. They all pretty much express the same idea. The next verse is John 6:44.
"No one is able to come to Me unless the Father draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me. Then I will raise him up from the dead on the last day."
John 6:45, This is what it says.
"As it is written in the book of the Prophets, And they shall all be taught of God and have Him for their own, personal Teacher. Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from Him will come to Me."

John 6:63-66, and should be looked at together. Let me quote them first.
"It is the Holy Spirit who gives you life. You can’t get real, everlasting life through the religious efforts of your flesh. The things that I have been teaching you are of the Spirit and show you how to get this kind of life. But some of you still will not listen to me and do what I say. Now, Jesus said this because He knew from the beginning who would not follow Him and who would betray Him. Then He said, This is why I told you that no one could come to Me unless the Father allows him to come. And after this, many of them no longer followed Him."
When you look at what Jesus says in these verses this is what you should conclude. We must be willing to pursue God by getting alone with Him and allowing Him the opportunity to teach us so we can learn from Him. When we do this, He sees the desire and sincerity of our hearts and sends the Holy Spirit to show us Jesus. He then gives us to Jesus and Jesus receives us.

N/B
The whole purpose of God is summed up in this: God wants to change us from who we are into who He is. And He does this through the revelation of Jesus in our lives.

Okay now, about reading the scriptures, Here a the scripture In John 5:39 where Jesus confronts the religious notion that knowing about God is tantamount to salvation: “You’re continually studying the scriptures, taking great pains to learn all you can about God; because you think mere words are the way to eternal life. But with all the knowledge you’ve gained, you still don’t understand that these same scriptures point to Me as the only way of salvation.”
Jesus’ point must be taken seriously - salvation cannot be found in words on a page. There is no such thing as a “simple plan of salvation”. It is not 3, 4, or 5, easy steps, then back to living your life the way it was, business as usual (except, maybe you go to church sometimes, so you can learn more about God). People like Abraham knew God meanwhile they never had access to the bible. i am sure even some of our elderly parents know God better than us who read scripture and go to church.

Real life, eternal life is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. He is life (John 1:4; 5:26; 6:35; 8:12; 11:25; and 14:6). Without Him, there is no life!

Lastly this is what Jesus says to those who will want to start this journey, what we are actually sharing here in this thread. It is important to note this.

“Following Me is like building a new barn. You have to count the cost. If you don’t have enough money, you’ll put in the foundation, maybe get part of the walls up, and have to quit before you get the roof on. People will make fun of you behind your back, because you started something you couldn’t finish. If a king decides to go to war against another king, if he’s smart, the first thing he’ll do is try to find out if his army is strong enough to defeat the other king. If it’s not, he’ll send someone to work out a truce. So, let me put it this way, if you’re going to follow Me, you’d better know what you’re getting yourself into. Because this is the bottom line: if you’re not willing to give up everything that’s dear to you, you can’t be My disciple. You must be able to focus totally on Me, able to set aside every distraction. Otherwise, it’s useless. It won’t work! Do you understand what I’m saying?” (Luke 14:28-35)

I remember another scripture which says ""how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who diligently seek Him''. Sorry i can't remember this scripture very well but the issue is that we cannot just invite the holy spirit in our lives and He just jump in.

N/B we don't seek the Holy spirit or Jesus, Our role is to seek God, and God will reveal Jesus to us through the Holy spirit.

Thanks and may the grace of God be with your spirits. Amen

I think the issue has been sorted out with Elijah78, i was almost giving up as davidjonathan was blocked after about an hour. it has really been frustrating.

Now i just want to share this with those who are serious about starting a journey with God. Hope i will not be blocked again.


How to start your journey of seeking God

Get alone with Him. Learn to talk to Him. Begin to share every part of your life with Him. Then support others by sharing your experiences with them. Note: talking to God is a private affair and should not involve a third party according to the instruction form Jesus. If you pray(talk to God) in public God will not honor your prayers


"And since you have now entered into this intimate relationship with Christ Jesus the Lord, begin to regulate all the activities of your life as if He was right there with you. Be firmly established, taking every advantage of His instruction, gaining confidence in this relationship through your experiences with Him as you have been taught to do, and always be thankful to Him for His kindnesses."

N/B Paul is encouraging the believers in Colosse to persevere in their pursuit of intimacy with Christ, warning them not to be influenced by human reason and the ways of the world,

Hebrews 12:2a [/b]is one of the more obvious. This is what it says, [b]"Giving careful consideration to Jesus, the main source and example of our experiences with God…" The point is that when you need to find confirmation for your experiences with God, when you need something to add to their validity, look to Jesus. He’s the One Who has already experienced it.

Mark 8:34. This is what He says.
"And when He had called the people to come to Him, and to His disciples as well, He said, If you intend to go the way I’m going, the way to the Father, then you’ll have to forget about your plans and give up your schemes, embrace the suffering that the Father will use to perfect you and follow my example, because I’m the One Who can show you the way." When you read the Gospels and carefully and attentively consider what Jesus did, you see Him spending a lot of time talking to the Father. And, again, if you’re being careful and paying attention you should come to the conclusion that talking to God must have been important to Jesus. And if you have the thought that Jesus is the example for others to follow if they want to know God, you have to consider the possibility that talking to God would be an important thing for you to do, too.

In Luke 5:16, "He withdrew Himself into the desert to pray."And in Luke 6:12, "Now in those days it happened that He went up into the mountains to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God." Then in Luke 9:28, "Now about eight days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him up on the mountain to pray." etc

And since God wants to transform us to the image of His son, we should note that He cannot do that without our own cooperation. read the sermon on the mountain here: http://www.voiceofonecrying.com/sermon_on_the_mount.htm and also read the red letters, they are import for an effective journey with God.

Shalom

@elijah78
thanks a lot for ur insightful post, GOD bless u

Feyifahm: smiles

thanx for saying yes......so wen is d e-marriage

Cutekemitola: thanx for saying yes......so wen is d e-marriage

not so soon

Elijah tanx for the encouragement..God bless you...and bluish,good evening...I did try fasting today,but I had a busy day...I ll read my bible tonite.....i appreciate wat yuh doing...God bless you

Cutekemitola: Elijah tanx for the encouragement..God bless you...and bluish,good evening...I did try fasting today,but I had a busy day...I ll read my bible tonite.....i appreciate wat yuh doing...God bless you

u welcome dear,just like Elijah said,u need to seek GOD diligently i.e with patience and perseverance

GOD bless u

bluish: @elijah78
thanks a lot for ur insightful post, GOD bless u

You are welcome brethren! We should note that seeking God is like building a house, we have to count the cost else we will abandon in and people will laugh at us.

Cutekemitola: Elijah tanx for the encouragement..God bless you...and bluish,good evening...I did try fasting today,but I had a busy day...I ll read my bible tonite.....i appreciate wat yuh doing...God bless you

You are welcome brethren, remember we are here to share our experiences in our journey of seeking God so as to encourage one another. We are here in fellowship.

Cutekemitola: Elijah tanx for the encouragement..God bless you...and bluish,good evening...I did try fasting today,but I had a busy day...I ll read my bible tonite.....i appreciate wat yuh doing...God bless you

Concerning the issue of fasting if you read carefully across, you will see i have asked a question about fasting and torchwave''s response inspired me.

Elijah78: At what point do i need to fast brethren?

Torchwave: I am no authority on fasting but I will suggest you fast when you are led to do it.

In my case, since I began searching for God, I make sure I never eat much during the day and nothing, or very little at most, at night so as not to be weighed down whenever I wake to pray. I always go to bed hungry or partly satisfied because then my flesh is subdued and my spirit becomes alive to receive from God. That is how I go about taming my flesh which is akin to fasting.

It is real difficult, more difficult than fasting because it is now my way of life and it works wonderfully.

However, if the fasting you have in mind is for another purpose, then embark on it if your heart tells you to do so.

Note: Fasting does not change God; it makes your spirit rise above your flesh so that you can pray effectively and be able to receive fresh revelation from God for your life since your spirit is in the driver's seat and God communicates with the spirit.

Note if you seek God and finally inter into His rest, He Himself will tell you what to do. However congratulations on your fasting.

[quote author=Elijah78]

Concerning the issue of fasting if you read carefully across, you will see i have asked a question about fasting and torchwave''s response inspired me.





Note if you seek God and finally inter into His rest, He Himself will tell you what to do. However congratulations on your fasting.
[/quotethanx so much...now I understand it better...Good morning

Mr Elijah,is dere a particular music we shouldn't be listening to? I wanna find out,cos I had missed music on ma fone(gospel and secular) which I always enjoyed listening to,but since my phone formatted,I ve been more drawn to want to knw God more..and am thinking maybe d kind of music I listened to drawed me away frm God..

Ecclesiastes 9:11King James Version (KJV)
11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

May we continue to find strength & favor with God in the course of this journey...in the glorious name of Jesus *Amen*

Cutekemitola: Mr Elijah,is dere a particular music we shouldn't be listening to? I wanna find out,cos I had missed music on ma fone(gospel and secular) which I always enjoyed listening to,but since my phone formatted,I ve been more drawn to want to knw God more..and am thinking maybe d kind of music I listened to drawed me away frm God..

Sorry for comming back to you late @Cutekemitola.


If i understand you very well brethren, it means you are actually talking about worship or praise songs. If that is the case tarry with me a little longer here in this post.

Okay let us start:

1: Background
The worship experience in the traditional church today is man-made and specifically designed to appeal to the flesh. It’s a deception that allows its participants to feel good about themselves and about their standing with God. It allows them to feel like they’ve been close to God, have His approval, and are free to leave His presence unchanged because no change is required. A worshiper can stand in a service, sing a song about God’s love or His wonderful promises, close his eyes, raise his hands, get an ecstatic look on his face, and "feel" like he’s in the presence of God. It’s a deception perpetrated by so-called pastors and worship leaders who claim to have the ability to lead people into the presence of God.

2: Introduction
Of course The presence of God is characterized by just the opposite feelings and actions portrayed by those who actually found themselves in the presence of God in Scripture(you can read for yourself instances where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David etc worshiped God). There, they were confronted by their weak, sinful condition and were constrained to prostrate themselves in reverence and repentance before an Omnipotent, Holy God.

The presence of God is determined by the condition of your heart, not by the location of your body (in church, Sunday morning, and 10:00 AM sharp) or the songs we sing to make us feel good. Remember God looks on the heart and He knows when we’re serious and really want to be with Him and when we’re just playing a religious game.

3: What happens when we get alone with God in His presence to have a conversation with Him and what happens when we engage in religious ritual.
When we get alone with God, realize that we are, in fact, in His presence, and submit ourselves to Him, the game playing ends. The religious pretense goes away. We either get real or we get out! You cannot remain in the true presence of God without submitting to Him. You cannot remain in the true presence of God without realizing your rebellious, sinful condition. You cannot remain in the true presence of God unless you repent and determine to make changes. This alone is enough to expose the worship experience and public prayer rituals for what they really are – religious deception that falls into the category of the doctrines of demons. How do we believers know it’s false? There’s no evidence of any real response to God. Where are the confession, the repentance, and the forgiveness? What is changing? Remember what worship is

Jesus illustrates the difference in Luke 18:9-14. This is the parable about the tax collector and the Pharisee who went into the temple to pray. It’s important to see what Jesus says about the Pharisee in verse 11, "the Pharisee stood proudly and prayed this way to himself…" God wasn’t interested in anything he had to say. The Pharisee was talking to himself. This is exactly what goes on in the churches around us today.
On the other hand, the tax collector went over to a corner of the Temple enclosure by himself to pray. He was so ashamed he wouldn’t so much as raise his eyes towards God. He was truly repentant and God knew it. Jesus says the tax collector left that place in right standing before God. What was the difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector? It was the condition of their hearts. And this is what determines the presence of God. And this is what all of this journey should be doing to all of us who have embarked on it.

Now public prayers and worship are terrible things. See what Jesus had to say Matthew 6:Verse 6. If you’re going to talk to God, go to a quiet, private place and just talk to Him. And even though you can’t see Him, He sees you. And He’ll honor your personal, heart-felt conversation by responding to you in ways that confirm that He heard you. Here If you follow the example of religious leaders today, you could draw that conclusion. They talk to God in public. Tell Him what to do or what they want. Okay we know for ourselves what happens when you are asked to pray in public, we craft words, say sweet things etc just to please our listeners!!!!!!!!. Jesus said if you are praying in public, wh are you really praying too? The Father cannot honor such prayer. Matt 5:Verse 5. When you pray, don’t be religious about it. Don’t recite long, flowery prayers in public, where everyone can hear. When you do that, who are you really talking to? Sorry i am just jumping up and down.

Now, if you want to talk about praise, that’s a different subject. Praise can definitely be a public, group activity, as well as a private, personal one. But can people really praise a God they don’t know and understand?

He wants to change us and that is our salvation! And if we’re not changing, then all we’re really doing is going through the motions of being religious. Scripture has revealed to us the general, over-all will and purpose of God for Mankind which is that God wants to deliver us from who we are to who He is (Romans 8:28-29).We can only get our own individual Will and purpose for our lives when we seek him in a personal relationship which is what we are doing here(just me and God, in His presence).

Now when we know that God wants to change us to the image of His Son, we are more apt to recognize the opportunities He is giving us to change. If you submit yourself to God and to His purpose (which is why we have all engage in this journey) He will confront you with your faults and give you the opportunities you need to correct them. e.g, if you are someone who easily gets angry, God can just send people to annoyed and anger you, you need to prove that you really want to submit to God and to His will and be CHANGED, by not getting angry. When you are in His presence you can talk it out with Him, how you felt about it, discuss just everything with Him, He wants to hear that, He loves it when you are sincere, that also shows that you are determined in your journey of seeking Him.

The Father not only responds to our sincere, heart-felt conversations with Him, He knows so much about us and our situation and our lives that He already knows what we need before we even ask. What He desires is a relationship of such intimacy that we’re able to tap into this knowledge that He has concerning us.

4: Conclusion
Salvation is a long, slow, painful, glorious, exciting, fearful, joyful process that requires courage, determination and perseverance. Why? Jesus says so, that’s why.

We are also asked to make melody in our hearts unto God.

If you listen to any music and your conscience doesn't judge you then okay, if it does, then you can stop it. Note, if only you have not seared your conscience.

Romans 2:14-15. This is what he says: "When the Gentiles, who have not the Law, instinctively do the things required by the Law, they show that they have a law for themselves, even though they don’t have the Law. In this, they prove the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts (fixed and operating there), their consciences witnessing with them, so that their thoughts between them (and their conscience) either continually accuse or excuse them."

You can read about the Good Conscience here: http://www.voiceofonecrying.com/good_conscience.htm

Sorry for the lengthy posts.

N/B The ability to recognise God's silent, indistinguishable voice is not gained quickly or easily, neither is it acquired (through the laying of hands by powerful anointed prophets and pastors etc). apart for a general understanding of the will and purpose og God for manking which is to change us from who we are to who He is.

Elijah78:

Sorry for comming back to you late @Cutekemitola.


If i understand you very well brethren, it means you are actually talking about worship or praise songs. If that is the case tarry with me a little longer here in this post.

Okay let us start:

1: Background
The worship experience in the traditional church today is man-made and specifically designed to appeal to the flesh. It’s a deception that allows its participants to feel good about themselves and about their standing with God. It allows them to feel like they’ve been close to God, have His approval, and are free to leave His presence unchanged because no change is required. A worshiper can stand in a service, sing a song about God’s love or His wonderful promises, close his eyes, raise his hands, get an ecstatic look on his face, and "feel" like he’s in the presence of God. It’s a deception perpetrated by so-called pastors and worship leaders who claim to have the ability to lead people into the presence of God.

2: Introduction
Of course The presence of God is characterized by just the opposite feelings and actions portrayed by those who actually found themselves in the presence of God in Scripture(you can read for yourself instances where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David etc worshiped God). There, they were confronted by their weak, sinful condition and were constrained to prostrate themselves in reverence and repentance before an Omnipotent, Holy God.

The presence of God is determined by the condition of your heart, not by the location of your body (in church, Sunday morning, and 10:00 AM sharp) or the songs we sing to make us feel good. Remember God looks on the heart and He knows when we’re serious and really want to be with Him and when we’re just playing a religious game.

3: What happens when we get alone with God in His presence to have a conversation with Him and what happens when we engage in religious ritual.
When we get alone with God, realize that we are, in fact, in His presence, and submit ourselves to Him, the game playing ends. The religious pretense goes away. We either get real or we get out! You cannot remain in the true presence of God without submitting to Him. You cannot remain in the true presence of God without realizing your rebellious, sinful condition. You cannot remain in the true presence of God unless you repent and determine to make changes. This alone is enough to expose the worship experience and public prayer rituals for what they really are – religious deception that falls into the category of the doctrines of demons. How do we believers know it’s false? There’s no evidence of any real response to God. Where are the confession, the repentance, and the forgiveness? What is changing? Remember what worship is

Jesus illustrates the difference in Luke 18:9-14. This is the parable about the tax collector and the Pharisee who went into the temple to pray. It’s important to see what Jesus says about the Pharisee in verse 11, "the Pharisee stood proudly and prayed this way to himself…" God wasn’t interested in anything he had to say. The Pharisee was talking to himself. This is exactly what goes on in the churches around us today.
On the other hand, the tax collector went over to a corner of the Temple enclosure by himself to pray. He was so ashamed he wouldn’t so much as raise his eyes towards God. He was truly repentant and God knew it. Jesus says the tax collector left that place in right standing before God. What was the difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector? It was the condition of their hearts. And this is what determines the presence of God. And this is what all of this journey should be doing to all of us who have embarked on it.

Now public prayers and worship are terrible things. See what Jesus had to say Matthew 6:Verse 6. If you’re going to talk to God, go to a quiet, private place and just talk to Him. And even though you can’t see Him, He sees you. And He’ll honor your personal, heart-felt conversation by responding to you in ways that confirm that He heard you. Here If you follow the example of religious leaders today, you could draw that conclusion. They talk to God in public. Tell Him what to do or what they want. Okay we know for ourselves what happens when you are asked to pray in public, we craft words, say sweet things etc just to please our listeners!!!!!!!!. Jesus said if you are praying in public, wh are you really praying too? The Father cannot honor such prayer. Matt 5:Verse 5. When you pray, don’t be religious about it. Don’t recite long, flowery prayers in public, where everyone can hear. When you do that, who are you really talking to? Sorry i am just jumping up and down.

Now, if you want to talk about praise, that’s a different subject. Praise can definitely be a public, group activity, as well as a private, personal one. But can people really praise a God they don’t know and understand?

He wants to change us and that is our salvation! And if we’re not changing, then all we’re really doing is going through the motions of being religious. Scripture has revealed to us the general, over-all will and purpose of God for Mankind which is that God wants to deliver us from who we are to who He is (Romans 8:28-29).We can only get our own individual Will and purpose for our lives when we seek him in a personal relationship which is what we are doing here(just me and God, in His presence).

Now when we know that God wants to change us to the image of His Son, we are more apt to recognize the opportunities He is giving us to change. If you submit yourself to God and to His purpose (which is why we have all engage in this journey) He will confront you with your faults and give you the opportunities you need to correct them. e.g, if you are someone who easily gets angry, God can just send people to annoyed and anger you, you need to prove that you really want to submit to God and to His will and be CHANGED, by not getting angry. When you are in His presence you can talk it out with Him, how you felt about it, discuss just everything with Him, He wants to hear that, He loves it when you are sincere, that also shows that you are determined in your journey of seeking Him.

The Father not only responds to our sincere, heart-felt conversations with Him, He knows so much about us and our situation and our lives that He already knows what we need before we even ask. What He desires is a relationship of such intimacy that we’re able to tap into this knowledge that He has concerning us.

4: Conclusion
Salvation is a long, slow, painful, glorious, exciting, fearful, joyful process that requires courage, determination and perseverance. Why? Jesus says so, that’s why.

We are also asked to make melody in our hearts unto God.

If you listen to any music and your conscience doesn't judge you then okay, if it does, then you can stop it. Note, if only you have not seared your conscience.

Romans 2:14-15. This is what he says: "When the Gentiles, who have not the Law, instinctively do the things required by the Law, they show that they have a law for themselves, even though they don’t have the Law. In this, they prove the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts (fixed and operating there), their consciences witnessing with them, so that their thoughts between them (and their conscience) either continually accuse or excuse them."

You can read about the Good Conscience here: http://www.voiceofonecrying.com/good_conscience.htm

Sorry for the lengthy posts.

N/B The ability to recognise God's silent, indistinguishable voice is not gained quickly or easily, neither is it acquired (through the laying of hands by powerful anointed prophets and pastors etc). apart for a general understanding of the will and purpose og God for manking which is to change us from who we are to who He is.

ok thanks a lot,u ve made me understand it more...personally,I ll devout myself to listening to gospel music,cos it brings me steps closer to God...thanks once again

Cutekemitola: ok thanks a lot,u ve made me understand it more...personally,I ll devout myself to listening to gospel music,cos it brings me steps closer to God...thanks once again

You are welcome.

@Elijah78

I don't quite get your posting about public praying and some other points you raised in your last post. You mentioned that public prayer and praise are terrible things and you quoted Matt 6:6.

See the verses below:
===
John 11:41-44
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
=====

Did Jesus pray in public here or what ? Were Jesus words contradictory when he mentioned not to pray in public in Matt 6:6 or was he not just practicing what he preached ?

Thought please?

Someone should please educate me on what holy ghost baptism entails?

Is it true that u are not yet a christian when you have not have that encounter with it?

I feel it is being mystified and it scares me.

Can one be a child of God without going through any ritual such as baptism, confirmation, holy communion, fasting etc...

benjibabs: @Elijah78

I don't quite get your posting about public praying and some other points you raised in your last post. You mentioned that public prayer and praise are terrible things and you quoted Matt 6:6.

See the verses below:
===
John 11:41-44
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
=====

Did Jesus pray in public here or what ? Were Jesus words contradictory when he mentioned not to pray in public in Matt 6:6 or was he not just practicing what he preached ?

Thought please?

I think what Elijah was trying to say is that you don't do like the hypocrites when yuh pray,as in yuh go outside so everyone can see dat you are praying...and yeah sometimes we do pray in public,like in our churches and when we want to pray for the sick,those r understandable cos you r praying for a cause..but when u pray so dat people can see dat u r praying,dats not right...and most times we do need a special time of solitude alone with our God...

urheme: Someone should please educate me on what holy ghost baptism entails?

Is it true that u are not yet a christian when you have not have that encounter with it?

I feel it is being mystified and it scares me.

Can one be a child of God without going through any ritual such as baptism, confirmation, holy communion, fasting etc...

elijah78 will answer ur question,but from what I ve been taught,holy ghost baptism is a personal encounter with God,as a christian you ae entitled to the gift,but it doesn't just come,yuh have to be persistence in prayer and fasting and develop a personal relationship with christ,let ur spirit work more than ur flesh,with time u ll receive d baptism of the holyghost..*i havnt received d baptism yet,am still trusting God for it* as a christian,yuh have to be baptised by water,our Lord Jesus Christ was baptised,it is a requirement..

££Benjibabs to to add to what ££Cutekemitola has said, That is exactly what Jesus said.

And you can remember that at the end of that particular sermon people were very confuse, more so as Jesus message contradicted what they have been used to.:
Matt7: 28; Now, when Jesus was finished, the people were confused, not only because of what He said, but how He said it.

&&Urheme, Like what Cutekemitola said, it is when you have a personal encounter with God and that only comes as a result of your personal private relationship with Him. If you take time and read some posts here, you will understand it better.

torchwave: Busybody2 should address your question ...

Error, you were meant to say busybody2 needs handholding from Chrisviral

Brb. Off to check email...

Elijah78: ££Benjibabs to to add to what ££Cutekemitola has said, That is exactly what Jesus said.

And you can remember that at the end of that particular sermon people were very confuse, more so as Jesus message contradicted what they have been used to.:
Matt7: 28; Now, when Jesus was finished, the people were confused, not only because of what He said, but how He said it.

@Elijah, what version of the bible are you using? Did you just paraphrase Matt 7:28?
I checkered two different versions and below is what I have:
==
Matthew 7:28-29
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
==
The people were actually ASTONISHED not confused. And the reason for their astonishment was given in verse 29 - For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Now, talking about praying in public vs. praying in your closet, whatever prayer you pray in your closet and is acceptable to God if prayed in public will be acceptable as well. Likewise, whatever prayer you pray in public and is not acceptable if prayed in your closet will not be acceptable as well. This tells us that Jesus' teaching @Matt 6:6 was about something other than public or private prayer. My take is that the teaching was about sincerity of our heart when we pray. Private praying is simply a means to an end. As you have rightly mentioned, lots of people (not all people) change their way of praying when in public for selfish reasons, and God can see far beyond their outward presentation to their hearts. So, anyone who finds his prayer in public conforming to people around will do well to pray in private.

Let's lay down public/private praying down for a moment and talk about the step 1 of our Christian journey - salvation.

Please help me to understand your statement below.
**
Salvation is a long, slow, painful, glorious, exciting, fearful, joyful process that requires courage, determination and perseverance. Why? Jesus says so, that’s why.
**
What exactly does one need to do in order to be saved?

££benjibabs, Thank you, please read some of my post here, most of them also address the issue of salvation. also note this scripture that says:

“Following Me is like building a new barn. You have to count the cost. If you don’t have enough money, you’ll put in the foundation, maybe get part of the walls up, and have to quit before you get the roof on. People will make fun of you behind your back, because you started something you couldn’t finish. If a king decides to go to war against another king, if he’s smart, the first thing he’ll do is try to find out if his army is strong enough to defeat the other king. If it’s not, he’ll send someone to work out a truce. So, let me put it this way, if you’re going to follow Me, you’d better know what you’re getting yourself into. Because this is the bottom line: if you’re not willing to give up everything that’s dear to you, you can’t be My disciple. You must be able to focus totally on Me, able to set aside every distraction. Otherwise, it’s useless. It won’t work! Do you understand what I’m saying?” (Luke 14:28-35)

Please if you need more infos, i can inbox you.

torchwave,
Have you seen this video yet? I think you would be engrossed and sobered by it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2YUaeyditU

torchwave: WEEKLY UPDATE


.

Pls get in touch as soon as you can, at the busy...........@yahoo.co.uk email addy. Thanks God bless you Sirree.

Busybody2:


Pls get in touch as soon as you can, at the busy...........@yahoo.co.uk email addy. Thanks God bless you Sirree.

Lol. I don't think I can recall it. How about you send a message to softandcrystal@gmail.com and I shall get in touch with you ASAP?