Above All Pray

Above All Pray

I was quite a good student of the bible that could stand on my own against Jehovah's Witnesses and a Seventh Day Adventist roommate. But by the time I went to college I had relapsed in bible studies with the conclusion that only the great commandment mattered or was essential for my wellbeing. Matt 22:36aEUR"40. "Teacher which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: aEUR~You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." If the Lord says that the law and prophets are based on these two commandments why do I have to bother with the finer points of the law and prophets instead of striving to love the Lord and my neighbor. When my life unraveled after college I conflated two bible passages into one. Matt 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Luke 17:21 "Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." I was skeptical but had no recourse with my back against the wall than seek for the kingdom of God within me according to the Holy Bible. I concluded or realized in the end that one does not have to be a person of faith or believer in the existence of God to find God within according to the bible. But once you find the kingdom of God within, you will never be the same again. This is the result of my search for the kingdom of God within me, it changed me, and I have never been the same again since I touched the kingdom of God within me in midaEUR"seventies.

Meditative Prayer

Our prayers should go as deep as our souls. Spiritual disciplines are simply ways to open ourselves to God. They help us become aware of the many ways God speaks to us and provide us with ways to respond to God. This book explores and explains how the historical disciplines and perspectives of the Christian faith can deepen both our walk with God and our community with others In today's society we ore often handicapped in our spiritual growth by too narrow a horizon when it comes to spiritual practices. Each generation suffers a kind of collective amnesia, forgetting the practices and perspectives that nourished countless followers of Christ in centuries past. Rediscovering these skills is one way to respond to our culture's--and our own--deep spiritual hunger. While it is seemingly preposterous for us to suppose we can interact with the God of this universe, Scripture repeatedly invites us to do that very thing. Prayer is not a minor idea tucked into the cracks of the text; it is central, normative, and expected. Why is it, then, that our prayers are so often dry and difficult? In Meditative Prayer, you'll discover those ways of prayer that make use of your mind and imagination, that address your needs as well as strengthen your spirit. By drawing from a number of different sources--from Scripture, from wise men and women who have gone before, and from one another--this study guide will enable your soul to drink deeply from the inexhaustible well of prayer. Though you can use this guide for a personal journey of prayer, it is ideally suited for exploration with a small group of like-minded friends.

POWER OVER ALL DEVILS AND EVIL