Tuesday, May 18, 2010

A Prayer for Forgiveness

Dear God,

I am your humble servant. My intentions are good, but I am human. I suffer from all of the flaws and impurities that come from existing in this worldly environment. My soul is dedicated to you and I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. In His name, Dear God I ask that you forgive me my sins and guide me “down the road” towards righteousness. Help me to shed my worldly concerns and to focus on an eternity by your side. Forgive me, for I am just a man. There are many things in this life that I have done that I am not proud of…….I have let down myself and others in the past which has impacted my life in so many ways. All I want Dear God, is to feel like I will be in Heaven after this life.

Jesus has sacrificed so much for me that nothing I can do can repay Him……He took on the sins of an entire WORLD so that we could reunite with our God.

I go to bed each night praying to you and hoping for Forgiveness, I also ask that you help make me a better person tomorrow then I was today. Each morning I wake hoping that I can live up to your expectations. There are no excuses for my shortcomings, just know Dear God that my soul belongs to you. Do with it what you see fit…..Please show me how to serve you each day.

In Jesus name I pray….Amen

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Isolation

Isolation is seen in two lights; one is the environment of choice for those wanting to meditate or find spiritual freedom and the other relates to the separation of an individual from those of his kind and leads to depression and loneliness. There are those who like to live separate from everyone else, hermits, if you wish, that cherish an environment free of hassle, drama, strife and human suffering. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” is true in the sense that we are able to push aside our thoughts of those close to us simply by separating ourselves both physically and mentally from the situations and people who annoy and burden us with their circumstances.

Some isolation is good in that it leads us into a realm where we can control what information we take in and what we chose to ignore. Some of my best mediations and conversations with God have come during time when I have been able to isolate myself from everything else. In fact, it is the best way that I know to build your relationship with God…..it is one of the few times that you can experience a one on one conversation with your Creator. God is always listening; he listens for the sincere cries for help and the jubilant shouts of joy. He is there to share in your life the ups and downs that we all face. When your interactions with others fail, he will always be there. All of us have had times when things are at their worst where we think that we are alone, isolated, to handle the situation on our own, but God is ALWAYS there. So, because we are never truly alone, Isolation doesn’t really exist.

When you feel that there is no one around that you can rely on, know that God has never left you. He was there when you were created and will be there through eternity when you pass from this physical existence. The Bible, the true word of God is filled with stories of people who faced situations seemly alone only to find out that He was there all along. Think of the story of Daniel in the Lion’s den….Daniel was thrown to the lions with the intent on becoming their meal, but God intervened and saved him from that fate.

I know that it’s convenient and popular to copy only brief segments of the Bible, but in this case I copied the story…..It’s a wonderful testament to the power of our God. Enjoy…………

Daniel is Thrown into a Lions’ Den (The Book of Daniel 6:1 – 28)

It seemed like a good idea to Darius 1 to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge of the entire kingdom. Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage. Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom. Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence, because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption. So these men concluded, “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is in connection with the law of his God.”

So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions. Now let the king issue a written interdict so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed. So King Darius issued the written interdict.

When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously. Then those officials who had gone to the king came by collusion and found Daniel praying and asking for help before his God. So they approached the king and said to him, “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.”

When the king heard this, he was very upset and began thinking about how he might rescue Daniel. Until late afternoon he was struggling to find a way to rescue him. Then those men came by collusion to the king and said to him, “Recall, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or decree that the king issues can be changed.” So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den of lions. The king consoled Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!” Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening to the den. The king sealed it with his signet ring and with those of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel. Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating, and no diversions were brought to him. He was unable to sleep.

God Rescues Daniel from the Lions

In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him. Nor have I done any harm to you, O king.”

Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God. The king gave another order, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;

he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed;

his authority is forever.

He rescues and delivers

and performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

God Bless you all…….