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The Far-Reaching Rivers of Life " He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water " —John 7:38 A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, "rivers of living water" will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8 ) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow— "This is the work of God, that you believe. ....

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

Watching With Jesus " Stay here and watch with Me " —Matthew 26:38 Watch with Me." Jesus was saying, in effect, "Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me." In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular "Gethsemane" experience of our own. But we refuse to...

I've watched the prayer threads here on Freeper, I figured you might like to see a praise posting. While driving a short time ago, my brakes failed suddenly as I was approaching a stop sign. I tapped the brakes, there was a weird click, but the truck kept moving. I put all my weight on the brake pedal, even glanced down to make sure I was hitting the right one. The truck kept moving. I tried switching to park or reverse, the truck kept moving. I tried to reach the emergency brake, but its in a weird spot, and my...

His! " They were Yours, You gave them to Me . . . " —John 17:6 A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: "You are not your own" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ). To say, "I am not my own," is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to...

I believe the Lord heard our prayers and opened McCain's heart to give our country the gift of Sarah Palin. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

Folks - sorry if this specifically has been posted already. PRAYING PEOPLE EVERYWHERE - Spread the word, call your friends, your church, everywhere you know there are praying people ... PRAY FOR SARAH's SPEECH TONIGHT!! I know we need to be praying from here on in (always) but just wanted a specific concerted effort. Haven't seen this level of evil show it's face since Bush v. Gore 2000.

Pouring Out the Water of Satisfaction " He would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord " —2 Samuel 23:16 What has been like "water from the well of Bethlehem" to you recently— love, friendship, or maybe some spiritual blessing (  2 Samuel 23:16 )? Have you taken whatever it may be, even at the risk of damaging your own soul, simply to satisfy yourself? If you have, then you cannot pour it out "to the Lord." You can never set apart for God something that you desire for yourself to achieve your own satisfaction. If...

Let's keep Sarah Palin in our prayers.

A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice " He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . " —John 7:38 Jesus did not say, "He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God," but, in essence, "He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him." Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If...

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former Utah Jazz star Thurl Bailey opened the Republican National Convention with a prayer on Monday. In sticking with the sudden shift in focus for the GOP gathering, Bailey prayed for protection and assistance for the victims of Hurricane Gustav. His prayer was delivered to a practically silent hall, as the thousands of delegates and media quieted when he began. "Our thoughts and our prayers are with the thousands of men, women and children along the Gulf Coast that are in harm's way of Hurricane Gustav," he said. It is times of trouble, he said, that...

 The Essentials: Basic Catholic Prayers These are the basic Catholic prayers. We use some of these at Mass (the Catholic liturgy). A lot of other prayers also include one or more of these. The sign of the cross The simplest, most basic Catholic prayer. Catholics begin their day and many activities with the sign of the cross. It is a sacramental, a practice that helps us open ourselves to receiving God's grace more effectively. While saying this prayer, bless yourself by making the sign of the cross with one hand: touch your fingers to your forehead at the word "Father",...

Destined To Be Holy " . . it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy’ " —1 Peter 1:16 We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will...

 Great Catholic Prayers Looking for Catholic prayers? Here's a collection of outstanding ones, plus... ...a user's manual, too! This page collects together some great prayer resources, perfect for the beginning Catholic: The most common Catholic prayers, with ones specifically to help you grow in the interior life. Specific guidance for developing a prayer life. Ordinary people like me often struggle with prayer. It doesn't have to be that way! See "How to pray", below. Why use written Catholic prayers? Written, or formulaic prayers, are an outstanding school of prayer. In following them, we learn how to pray. The Our Father...

An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore Dear God, The other night, James Dobson's ministry asked all believers to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance speech outdoors in Denver would have to be canceled. I see that You have answered Dr. Dobson's prayers -- except the storm You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the Republican National Convention. Now, heavenly Father,...

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name" Matt 18:20 (Non-Denominational Devotional/Prayer) For some time, through FReepmail, several FReepers have provided each other with a way to share prayer requests and praises. Now that the Non-denominational category has been established at Freerepublic, we are offering a weekly thread in which posts of your requests and praises are welcome. Anyone, regardless of denomination, is welcome to bring their concerns here. The one thing that we hope to establish here, is that at a set time on Sunday evening, 11:00 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, 10:00 p.m. Central...

"My Joy . . . Your Joy" " These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full " —John 15:11 What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— ". . . who for the joy that was set...

In the next few weeks, my wonderful husband, Ron, will be re-deploying back to Iraq with the USAF for his FIFTH time flying the not-so-friendly skies over there. He is a pilot, and volunteered for this redeployment. (He just returned home about a month and a half ago from his last deployment and I'd rather hoped to have him home longer.) Prayers for his preparation, protection, and safe return would be greatly appreciated, as always. (Please consider adding him to any prayer lists or prayer pings, please.) Molly in California

I thought I'd start a daily thread as a reminder for us all to keep Gov Sarah Palin and her family in their prayers. After all she is looking like the answer to all of ours. The onslaught that has begun against Gov Palin and her family by the democrats and their willing accomplices in the MSM will be ruthless, relentless, and totally undeserving. I believe Mrs Palin is a girl of grit and can hold her own yet I pray that her family can sustain the spotlight, scrutiny, and bruises that are to come. I found it unbelievable today...

Usefulness or Relationship? " Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven " —Luke 10:20 Jesus Christ is saying here, "Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me." The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ....

Philippians 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith " Jesus said to her, ’Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ " —John 11:40 Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture...

40 Days for Life Campaign Coming to 170+ Cities in US and Canada this Fall WASHINGTON, August 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - 40 Days for Life has revealed that more than 170 cities will take part in this novel pro-life effort from September 24 through November 2 this year. "We may be on the verge of a turning point in the battle against abortion," said David Bereit, national campaign director of 40 Days for Life. "Response to our call for communities to participate in this fall's 40 Days for Life campaign has exceeded our wildest expectations." The community-based 40 Days for...

The Purpose of Prayer " . . . one of His disciples said to Him, ’Lord, teach us to pray . . .’ " —Luke 11:1 Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and...

Please pray for my sister in law

Living Your Theology " Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you . . . " —John 12:35 Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. "If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" ( Matthew 6:23 ). The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into...

FATHER WE THANK YOU FOR JESUS, THE HOLY SPIRIT, HEARING US, MERCY, BOLDNESS, GRANTING OUR PETITIONS, VICTORY, PEACE, UNDERSTANDING, REST, WISDOM, QUIETNESS, STRENGTH, JOY, COURAGE, MOTIVATION, YOUR WORD, YOUR HEALING, BLESSINGS, GUIDANCE, SALVATION, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SO MUCH MORE. We ask You to send out our ministering angels today to go before us and to prosper our way. We say that we hear Your voice today and that of a stranger we ignore. Strengthen our hearts and bring us closer to you. Teach us to withstand our trials knowing that our faith will get stronger. Father, show us how to...

Psalms 111:1 Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. Psalms 111:2 The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them. Psalms 111:3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever. Psalms 111:4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. Psalms 111:5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. Psalms 111:6 He has declared to His people...

Are You Ever Troubled? " Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you . . ." —John 14:27 There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always "spirit, and they are life" ( John 6:63 ). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? ". . . My peace I give to you. . ."—...

Sacrifice and Friendship " I have called you friends . . . " —John 15:15 We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, "I’ll surrender if . . . !" Or we approach it by saying, "I suppose I have to devote my life to God." We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit...

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name" Matt 18:20 (Non-Denominational Devotional/Prayer) Posted by svcw For some time, through FReepmail, several FReepers have provided each other with a way to share prayer requests and praises. Now that the Non-denominational category has been established, we are offering a weekly thread in which posts of your requests and praises are welcome. Anyone, regardless of denomination, is welcome to bring their concerns here. The one thing that we hope to establish here, is that at a set time on Sunday evening, 11:00 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, 10:00 p.m....

The Spiritual Search " What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? " —Matthew 7:9 The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (seeMatthew 5:45 ). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search...

Prayer— Battle in "The Secret Place" " When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly " —Matthew 6:6 Jesus did not say, "Dream about your Father who is in the secret place," but He said, ". . . pray to your Father who is in the secret place. . . ." Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult...

"I Indeed . . . But He" " I indeed baptize you with water . . . but He . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire " —Matthew 3:11 Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, "I indeed . . . but He . . ."? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— butHe begins right there— He does the things that no one else can...

Dear FReepers, I received the following e-mail from my Uncle Frank, regarding his grandaughter (my cousin) Fiamma. * * * This e-mail is very serious! I am hoping for a Prayer Ladder. We need a Miracle. My granddaughter had a cancer removed from the colon 2 years ago. She is now 22 years old and has been informed that the cancer has spread and she must have another operation and more chemotherapy. Fiamma is scheduled for surgery Tuesday August 26th at 12:00 noon, Omaha time. I’m asking all of you who can to pray for Fiamma, especially at that time,...

ZE08082004 - 2008-08-20 US Bishops Urge Prayer for Elections Release Novena for Faithful Citizenship WASHINGTON, D.C., AUG. 20, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. bishops are inviting Catholics to pray a novena for life, justice and peace ahead of the November elections. The prayer, titled Novena for Faithful Citizenship, is available on the Web site of the U.S. bishops' conference until the Nov. 4 elections. Joan Rosenhauer, associate director for the U.S. episcopal conference's Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, said that the special novena is part of “the bishops’ campaign to help Catholics develop well-formed consciences for addressing political and...

The Ministry of the Unnoticed " Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . " —Matthew 5:3 The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. "Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . ." This literally means, "Blessed are the paupers." Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, "Make a decision for Jesus Christ," places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted....

Christ-Awareness " . . . and I will give you rest " —Matthew 11:28 Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once, asking Him to re-establish your rest. Never allow anything to remain in your life that is causing the unrest. Think of every detail of your life that is causing the disintegration as something to fight against, not as something you should allow to remain. Ask the Lord to put awareness of Himself in you, and your self-awareness will disappear. Then He will be your all in all. Beware of allowing...

When it comes to saving lives, God trumps doctors for many Americans. An eye-opening survey reveals widespread belief that divine intervention can revive dying patients. And, researchers said, doctors "need to be prepared to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle." More than half of randomly surveyed adults — 57 percent — said God's intervention could save a family member even if physicians declared treatment would be futile. And nearly three-quarters said patients have a right to demand such treatment. When asked to imagine their own relatives being gravely ill or injured, nearly 20 percent of doctors and...

Psalms 31:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Psalms 31:2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. Psalms 31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me. Psalms 31:4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Psalms 31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;...

CHICAGO - When it comes to saving lives, God trumps doctors for many Americans. An eye-opening survey reveals widespread belief that divine intervention can revive dying patients. And, researchers said, doctors "need to be prepared to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle."

Self-Awareness " Come to Me . . . " —Matthew 11:28 God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,...

Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sorrow? " When he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich " —Luke 18:23 The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He...

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name" Matt 18:20 (Non-Denominational Devotional/Prayer) 8/17/08 Posted by svcw For some time, through FReepmail, several FReepers have provided each other with a way to share prayer requests and praises. Now that the Non-denominational category has been established, we are offering a weekly thread in which posts of your requests and praises are welcome. Anyone, regardless of denomination, is welcome to bring their concerns here. The one thing that we hope to establish here, is that at a set time on Sunday evening, 11:00 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, 10:00...

Are You Discouraged or Devoted? " . . . Jesus . . . said to him, ’You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have . . . and come, follow Me.’ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich " —Luke 18:22-23 Have you ever heard the Master say something very difficult to you? If you haven’t, I question whether you have ever heard Him say anything at all. Jesus says a tremendous amount to us that we listen to, but do not actually hear. And once we do hear Him,...

America has been greatly blessed by God and has stood as the greatest country in the history of the world for over 200 years. America has many foreign and domestic enemies that are seeking her destruction. This thread is a daily call and reminder for people of faith who believe in God and in the power of prayer to make a commitment to intercede for America at this critical time in her history. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,...

Does He Know Me . . . ? " He calls his own . . . by name . . . " —John 10:3 When I have sadly misunderstood Him? (see John 20:11-18 ). It is possible to know all about doctrine and still not know Jesus. A person’s soul is in grave danger when the knowledge of doctrine surpasses Jesus, avoiding intimate touch with Him. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine meant no more to her than the grass under her feet. In fact, any Pharisee could have made a fool of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could...

ANDALUSIA, Alabama (AP) -- An Alabama judge who once wore the Ten Commandments embroidered on his robe has been accused of violating judicial ethics for ordering a group in his courtroom to hold hands and pray.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ