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Examples of Iconic Biblical Prayers

Examples of Prayer

  Hannah

  • 1 Samuel 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
  • Sometimes when you pray so intently, no sound comes from your mouth

Solomon

  • 1 Kings 8:22-54 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive. If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name. If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the Lord toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name: Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

Jesus

  • Luke 5:15-16 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
    • He went to a place of solitary.
      • Many times you need to be alone with God without some many distractions.
    • Luke 6:12-13  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
      • Jesus prayed before selecting the disciples.
  • Luke 22:39-46  And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation
    •  Jesus prayed in the garden before being arrested and lead to the cross.

4.      Elijah

  • James 5:16-18 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
    • Effectual:
      •  Active
      • Efficient
        • Producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect.
    • Fervent
      •  Very hot, glowing, marked by great warmth of feeling, exhibiting deep sincere emotion.
  • 1 Kings 18:41-46  And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
    • The birthing of rain through prayer

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Understanding the Curses in Genesis 3: A Deep Dive

After the sin of Adam and Eve, God pronounced judgement. This came in the form of four curses and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

  1. The Curse on the Devil
    • The first curse was on the serpent, the devil.
    • Genesis 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
    • The serpent had allowed the devil to use his body. See this article on snakes. https://answersingenesis.org/reptiles/legless-snakes/
  2. Curse on the Woman
    • The second curse was on the woman.
    • Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
    • This means that at one time childbearing would not have been so difficult. This is also where God placed the man over women. This does not mean that men are to be mean, hateful, or cruel.
    • Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
    • Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
    • Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
    • It is noted that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church. Recall the depth of Jesus’ love for the church, to the extent that He endured a brutal death on the cross for it. Likewise, wives are called to submit to their husbands’ leadership.
  3. Curse on the Land
    • The third curse was upon the land.
    • Genesis 3:17-18 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
    • The curse rendered the cultivation of food more challenging. However, work itself was not a curse; from the outset, the man and woman were tasked with tending to the garden and the animals.
  4. Curse on the Man
    • The fourth curse was on the man, Adam.
    • Genesis 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
    • The curse foretold a fate of mortality, proclaiming that all would one day turn to dust. It further stated that humans must toil diligently simply to sustain life.

Amidst the curses, not everything was lost. God provided a glimmer of hope, promising a savior who would ultimately defeat the devil. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. One thing that is interesting to note about this scripture is that women don’t have seed they have eggs. To say that from the seed of woman would come anything is to say that she would be the vessel from which God would send forth the deliver. We now know that is how God did it.  Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Later Jesus was crucified on the cross.  Matthew 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

Mark 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
John 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
It is recounted that God proclaimed Jesus would crush the serpent’s head, while the serpent would bruise Jesus’ heel. Symbolically, placing a cross into a skull represents the crushing of the serpent’s head. Similarly, driving nails through Jesus’ heels would be akin to the prophesied bruising.
God showed mercy to Adam and Eve by instructing them on how to cover their sin. They hid themselves due to the shame of nakedness, which was a result of sin. To address this, God fashioned garments for them from animal skins, marking the first death. Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. The animal’s death involved the shedding of blood, symbolizing the initial act of sacrifice.
Lastly, Adam and Eve is driven from the only home that they had ever knew. Genesis 3:22-24 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. They were now separated from God. Cherubims prevented them from accessing the Tree of Life. Man has been trying in various was to get back to that tree ever since. Jesus in the only way. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. We must except Jesus in order to get back to the tree of life. That tree is now in Heaven.
Revelation 22:13-15 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
The “I” in the above verse is Jesus. 
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The Fall of Man: Lessons from Adam and Eve

The Fall of Man
Adam and Eve lived happily in the garden for a period of time. No one knows exactly how long they lived in the garden. However, most of us have heard about the fateful day when Eve was deceived. Let’s look at the fateful events of that day. 

Eve apparently had gone near the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil. The devil saw his opportunity to pervert the people that God had so lovingly created. 

  Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The first thing that I notice is that Eve did not really know or comprehend the words of God. She added to what he had said by saying “neither shall ye touch it”. She also weakened what he said by saying, “lest ye die.” Lest means that it is possible, but not a certainty. When you turn to the New Testament, we see Paul’s writing.  1 Timothy 2:13-14 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 

Now let’s compare what Satan said to what God said. 

Satan’s words: Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

God’s Words:  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Satan started with the negative. God started with a positive. Satan likes to point out that you are missing out on something. God shows what you the things that you do have. 

This tactic works well with those who don’t really know the word of God for themselves. This is why we are commanded in 2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Satan also attacked God’s motives. He made it seem like God was withholding good from Adam and Eve.  “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Adam messed up by not doing a good job of explaining the Word of God to Eve. She was deceived for lack of knowledge. The sad part is Adam knew that eating of that tree was in disobedience to God’s Word. Consider these scriptures:
Romans 5:12-19 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Thankfully, Jesus came to Save us from our sins. 
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How to Pray: Insights from the Lord’s Prayer

Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. The bold parts are the prayer. The other parts are just some explanations.

Our Father (God has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us)

Which Art in Heaven (God watches over us from heaven, but at the same time He is with us wherever we go.)

Hallowed be Thy Name (His name is Holy, and we must keep His Name Holy)

Thy Kingdom Come (Our God is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Just as a king rules over his subjects, God rules over the whole world. He wants to be the Lord of our lives. We must give ourselves to God so that His kingdom can live in our hearts.)

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven (God made the earth and all its many people. He knows what is best for this world. We need to let go of our selfishness and let God do His will in everything.)

Give us this day our daily bread (This is the part where we bring our specific needs to God and believe His promises that He will hear and answer.)

Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors (We must grant forgiveness to others so that we can receive forgiveness from God)

Lead us not into temptation (If we yield to temptation, it will lead us into sin. The Bible tells us the wages of sin is death. We need to pray everyday that God will put his armor of protection around us to fight against temptation.)

But deliver us from Evil (If we have yielded to sin, there is deliverance from Sin through Jesus. Jesus shed His blood when He died on the cross.)

For thine is the Kingdom, and the power (God has never-ending power to do all we ask of Him in prayer, if we trust him and obey him.)

And the glory for ever (God’s glory will last forever and ever)

 

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Returning to Prayer in Our Worship

  Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:7

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bough in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Matthew 21:13-13.

The house of God is supposed to be a place of prayer. However, a quick look at the current state of affairs makes it clear that most churches are anything but a house of prayer. There are so many churches that seem to put on a show. Other churches seem to emphasize programs. Programs are not bad or good. It depends on the program. However, anything that replaces prayer as the main event is a problem.

The apostles prayed about everything.

  • Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
  • Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
  • Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
  • Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
  • Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
  • Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
  • Acts 6:6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
  • Acts 8:15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
  • Philippians 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
  • Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
  • Philippians 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
  • Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Notice that prayer was essential to the development of the early church. Prayer should be essential to our lives as well.

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Living as a Royal Priest: Embracing Holiness in Communication and Behavior

Prayer is communication with God. God wanted a people to have communion with, to walk and to talk with. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” I Peter 2:9. This is echoed from Exodus 19:6, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” At the time of the exodus the children of Israel rejected this idea. So, the Levites were chosen to be the go between for God and the rest of the Israelites. Now God is calling everyone who accepts Jesus to be part of the royal priesthood. Jesus is now the only go between that we need. He is our high priest.

Now we need to go to Jesus often in prayer. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” What does it mean to pray without ceasing? It means to be in constant communication with Jesus. Remember we are a royal priesthood. God is the king. We are his royal priest.

How do we communicate with God? Communication means to share ideas through written means or verbal means. This means that we are to talk to as well as listen to the Lord. We listen to the Lord by reading His Word and we talk to the Lord through prayer.

Also, as part of the royal priesthood, we should act like it. We need to not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. Too many Christians are only Christians while at church on Sunday morning. This is wrong on so many levels. Our daily behavior should be that is holiness. Did you notice the last half of Exodus 19:6? It speaks of holiness. The people that we see at the store, at work, at school, or at play should recognize that we belong to God by our looks and actions. Just looking outwardly like a Christian but being wicked inwardly does not work. Trying to obey God inwardly but looking like a tramp does not work either. Think about this and pray about it. Ask God how you should dress, talk, and behave. Read the Bible daily. I know that God will reveal to you His will for your like if you truly seek Him with all your heart.

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Living a Life of Prayer: The Importance of Consistent and Persistent Prayer

Prayer

According to Jesus, His House is to be a house of Prayer. You can read this for yourself in Matthew 21:13 Jesus said to them, “It is written [in Scripture], ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.” He was quoting from Isaiah 56:7 All these I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]?
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour your body becomes the house “temple” of the Lord. He says that his house shall be called a house of prayer. 
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it says “be unceasing and persistent in prayer;” in the Amplified Bible. In the King James is says “Pray without ceasing.”  and the NIV says “pray continually,”
Continually is G90 in the Greek. G90 means: ἀδιαλείπτως adialeiptōs, adv. [4] [√ 1.1 + 1328 + 3309]. constantly, unceasingly:– continually (3), constantly (1)
according to the NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary. Copyright © 2015 by Zondervan.
So, what does this mean for you? It means that you should live a life where you pray consistently, daily, and frequently. When problems come your way, your first thought should be to pray. 
Every time that the Apostles had a difficult time, they turned to prayer. 
When Paul and Silas got thrown in prison, they prayed. See Acts 16: 25-26, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”
When Peter was thrown in prison, there was prayer. See Acts 12:5-17, ”  So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent and persistent prayer for him was being made to God by the church. The very night before Herod was to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries were in front of the door guarding the prison. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared [beside him] and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter’s side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off his hands. The angel said to him, “Prepare yourself and strap on your sandals [to get ready for whatever may happen].” And he did so. Then the angel told him, “Put on your robe and follow me.”  And Peter went out following the angel. He did not realize that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.  When they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. Of its own accord it swung open for them; and they went out and went along one street, and at once the angel left him.  When Peter came to his senses, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting [to do to me].”  When he realized what had happened, he went to the house of [a]Mary the mother of John, who was also called [b]Mark, where many [believers] were gathered together and were praying continually [and had been praying all night]. When he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she failed to open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gateway. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel!”  But [meanwhile] Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were completely amazed.  But motioning to them with his hand to be quiet and listen, he described how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brothers and sisters.” Then he left and went to another place.
According to Paul in Philippians 4:6 said, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
We are to live a life of Prayer. When problems come, Pray! In Good times Pray!  

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The Seven Days of Creation Explained

Creation Week

(From Genesis chapter 1)

Day 1

God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. He then divided the light from the darkness. Even from the beginning, God made a distinction between light and darkness. 

Day 2

God divided the waters from the waters. In other words, he put in the firmament (sky). This means that at one time there was water above the sky. 

Day 3

On this day God caused the water on earth to be gathered together so that dry land could appear. At this time God gave boundaries to the water. “And marked for it My [appointed] boundary And set bars and doors [defining the shorelines], And said, ‘This far you shall come, but no farther. And here your proud waves shall stop’?” Job 38:10-11

Day 4

This rest of the solar system was created on this day. God created the sun, moon, stars, and what we now call planets. However, he even had a purpose for creating all of this. In Genesis 1:14-18 it says, “Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;  and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded]. God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].  God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.” 

Day 5

This day saw the fish and birds being created. Then God said, “Let the waters swarm and abundantly produce living creatures, and let birds soar above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”  God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.  And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Day 6

This day was very busy. On this day all the other animals on earth were created. After God had created the various animals that live on land, he made man in his own image. Humans did not come from animals. To teach such is to degrade humans. When you teach that humans are just highly evolved animals, the results are going to be that humans start behaving worse than most animals. We are to be an image bearer of God Almighty.  

At this time the animals and the humans ate plants. There was no death. All was good. 

 

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Understanding the Old Testament’s Four Time Periods

 Introduction to the Old Testament

Time Periods

In the Old Testament there are 4 major time periods. These 4 time periods span a time period of around 3600 years. 

  • Innocence
  • Conscience
  • The Patriarchs
  • Law and Prophets
        1.  
1. The time of Innocence was the time that Adam and Eve lived in the garden of Eden. 
2. The time of the Conscience spans the time from the fall of man to Abraham.
3. The time of the Patriarchs goes from Abraham to Moses.
4. The time of the Law and Prophets goes from Moses to Jesus. 
 
Every event in the Old Testament can be placed into one of these 4 big time periods.  Knowing these time periods can help us to organize everything that we are learning into a logical order. 
 
Books of the Old Testament
There are 36 books in the Old Testament. They are organized into the books of the law, history, poetry, and prophecy. 
 
Inspired by God
  • But understand this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of or comes from one’s own [personal or special] interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.  2 Peter 1:20-21 
  • All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 2 Timothy 3:16
  • You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you. Deuteronomy 4:2
  • Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver]; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar. Proverbs 30:6
  • I testify and warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [its predictions, consolations, and admonitions]: if anyone adds [anything] to them, God will add to him the plagues (afflictions, calamities) which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away [from that one] his share from the tree of life and from the holy city (new Jerusalem), which are written in this book. Revelation 22:19
All of God’s word is from God Almighty. All of it is useful for us to learn. None of it should be altered, changed, or taken out of context. All of it should be studied as the true word of God. 
 
 
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