When You Pray Focus on God Alone

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

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When we pray we should always focus our attention on God and pray only to Him.  This principle may seem quite obvious and not necessary to mention; however, if you don’t always have a pure heart that seeks after God, it’s not unnecessary at all—for you may find yourself praying as a hypocrite or a pagan.  Jesus addresses this kind of praying in Matthew 6: 5-8.

 

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  6 But you, 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.  7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

 

In this passage Jesus speaks of two kinds of wrong praying: praying as a hypocrite, to be seen by others; and praying as a pagan, using repetitious prayer.  Both of these kinds of prayer are wrong because the focus of prayer is not on God.  If we pray as a hypocrite our intent is to get others to hear our prayers so that thy will be pleased with us and praise us.  If we pray as pagans our intent is to get God to hear us by our many words of prayer.  In both kinds of prayer the focus is not on God as it should be; the focus is on us.

But the correct way to pray is to take the focus off of yourself and to be attentive to God alone. So when you pray, go to a quiet place where no one will hear you except God.  As you arrive at that secret place, you may want to read a passage from the Bible and ask God to speak to you.  More than anything, focus on being in His presence and praise Him for who He is.  When you begin to pray don’t be concerned with your words, because God hears your heart and He knows what you need even before you ask Him.  Just pour out your heart to Him and speak to Him as you would to a trusted friend—because He is your friend and He loves to hear from you.  He wants to meet all your needs and bless you with His everlasting love.

 

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The Herald of the Eternal Kingdom: The Bright and Morning Star

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

morning star

Morning Star

This is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming titles of Christ I have studied.  This marvelous title no doubt comes from one of His own creations; it is the name of a bright star in the east, probably the planet Venus, which shines brightest right before the sun comes up, and seems to announce its coming.  We will look now at three different verses that will enhance the meaning of this title.

In Revelation 22:16we have revealed to us by Jesus that He, in addition to being the root and offspring of David, is the Bright and Morning Star.  In this context, since the next verse bids Him to come to us, His bride, we see that this title reveals that He is what we greatly desire, what we have been waiting for.

In Revelation 2:24-29, Christ reveals to the Church in Thyatira that…

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Republican Party U. S. Presidential Candidates, 2016: What Are Their Views On Abortion and Homosexuality?

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

bush and walker

Some would say these are non-issues for this office; however, I think these issues will make or break a country.  They are very important moral issues and should be considered when choosing a president.

 

bushJeb Bush

On Abortion. Bush advanced an overtly anti-abortion agenda during his years as governor of Florida.[3][4] As governor, Bush signed a parental notification act into law and supported the creation of a “Choose Life” specialty license plate.[4]

In 2003, Bush attracted national media attention after his administration sought the appointment of a guardian for the fetus of a developmentally disabled rape victim, a move which “angered women’s rights groups and reignited the debate over abortion in Florida.”[4][5] In 2005, Bush sought to block a 13-year-old pregnant girl who had lived in a state-licensed group home from obtaining an abortion; a judge ruled against the state, and Bush decided…

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Republican Party U. S. Presidential Candidates, 2016: What is their Faith?

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

 bush and walker

I think it is important for a president to regularly attend a church—a place where he can go to fellowship and gather spiritual strength.  I hope this list will help you choose a good president.

 bushJeb Bush

In 1995, Bush converted from Episcopalianism to Roman Catholicism. In 2004, he became a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus.[159] Bush, a member of Father Hugon Council 3521 in Tallahassee, has joined Father Hugon Assembly.

 

walkerScott Walker

Walker and his wife Tonette have two sons. The family attends Meadowbrook Church, a nondenominational, evangelical church in Wauwatosa, which is a daughter church of Elmbrook Church, in nearby Brookfield.

 220px-Marco_RubioMarco Rubio

Rubio attends Christ Fellowship, a Southern Baptist Church[102] in West Kendall, Florida,[103] as well as Catholic services.[104]

In an interview in 2012, Rubio said: “I’m a Roman Catholic. I’m…

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3 Results of Ongoing Sin

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

result of sin

There are three devastating results of ongoing sin for a Christian: A hindered relationship with God, slavery to sin, and the loss of eternal rewards.

1.  A hindered relationship with God. Actually, when a Christin sins there is an immediate spiritual death, because Romans 6: 23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” This death will not affect your eternity with God if you are a Christian; however, sin always puts a wall between us and God, because the holiness of God cannot have fellowship with one who dwells in sin. Thus, as long as your sin is unconfessed it hinders (blocks off until confession and repentance is made) the relationship you have with God. This is why it is so important to confess our sins as soon as possible after we sin.

result of sin22.  Slavery to sin. Many that have played around with sin too long (even fantasizing…

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On Six Occasions Nehemiah Asked God to Remember

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Neh prayed

Yes, Nehemiah asked God four times to remember his deeds, and twice to remember his enemies.

Throughout the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah continued to be a good servant-leader and did many good deeds for the people.  For as it happened in those days most leaders would lay burdens on the people, collect taxes from them, and then would force them to sell their land, which they could no longer afford (Neh. 5:15-16).  But Nehemiah refused to lay unfair burdens on the people.  Instead he served the people and helped them build the temple walls.  Likewise, when other nobles and rulers took advantage of them he would put a stop to it (Neh. 5:3-12).  And when the people needed to be corrected and rebuked, Nehemiah took on that responsibility as well (Neh. 13:4-30).

And for all his efforts in service and leadership he did not ask for any rewards from the people; but he prayed four times, “Remember me,” for he knew that only God could give him a true and lasting reward.

1.  Nehemiah 5:19

Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

2.  Nehemiah 13:14

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!

3.  Nehemiah 13:22b

Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!

4.  Nehemiah 13:31

Remember me, O my God, for good!

 

Also (in Neh. 6:14 and 13:29) he asks God to remember those who were against him and against Israel, for he knew that only God would deal justly with His enemies.

5.  Nehemiah 6:14

My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess who would have made me afraid.

6.  Nehemiah 13:29

Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

 

 

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Mourning Dove in a Willow Tree

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

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I was delighted to see this beautiful mourning dove while I was out for a walk.

  And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. (John 1:32)

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3 Ways to Be a Better Intercessor

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

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Every believer has a responsibility to intercede in prayer for others—for both believers and unbelievers.  This responsibility has been placed on us by reason of our priesthood.  1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…”  Yes, since we are in Christ we are all priests, royal priests.  Christ was the first Priest and King.  And now, because we believe in Him, He has made us kings and priests—not only individually, but corporately; we are all, together, a kingdom of priests.

When you were born again you were born into the priesthood.  And we were not only given the name and position of priest; God has purified us by Christ’s blood so that we are qualified in every way to be a priest and to carry out the duties of a priest.  One of those duties is the work of intercession.  God has gifted us and made us responsible for this important work.  By intercession we advance His kingdom; hence, we do His will on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10).

Now how do we do the work of intercession?  And how are we empowered in the work?  Here are three things you can do to be a better, more powerful intercessor:

1.  Abide in Christ. All the good qualities of a priest are in Christ; therefore, when we abide in Christ we find that we are gentler, more compassionate, more holy, and more willing to serve and pray for others.

2.  Follow the teachings of Christ on intercession. There are several places in the gospels where Jesus teaches us how to intercede. His parable in Luke 11:5-8 I think is one of His best illustrations and teachings on intercession. In this story, a traveler comes to a man’s house at midnight and was in need of food.  The man didn’t have enough bread to give him, so he went out to his friend’s house and knocked on his door repeatedly until he convinced him to get up and give him the bread he asked for.  From this story we understand that intercession is one person going to another to get bread for a third.

And of course the person we go to and pray to for help is God.  Here we see illustrated for us how very important intercession is, how urgent it is, and how we must not fail in this responsibility.  Just as the man felt burdened to provide bread for the traveler, and made it his duty to go and get bread for him at such a late hour, we must also realize that intercession is our duty; and we have a grave responsibility to help and pray for those God sends us.

3.  Follow the leading of Christ and the burden of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was the first perfect priest. He is still a perfect priest who rules in heaven and wants to rule in every heart. He is the head of the priesthood (that’s us).  When we abide in Him He will show us how to intercede.   And He will lead us by example; for He Himself is interceding for all of us.

If we have a heart to intercede for others the Holy Spirit will bring to us a person who is needy; and He will put a burden on our heart for that person.  Don’t fail to pray for that person.  It is your God given responsibility.

 

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Mysterious Trumpet Sounds: Are They the Beginning of the Rapture Trumpet of God?

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

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In the last few years people from around the world have been hearing eerie sounds in the sky.  Just in the last couple of years some have recorded these sounds on You Tube, and now you can hear them for yourself.  Here are two different web sites: click HERE and HERE.

What are these sounds?  To me it kind of sounds like a whistling sound of the wind, or maybe like an elephant, or a whale, or a loud scraping sound.  Here is what others have said it sounds like:

  • “It sounds supernatural”
  • “It sounds very eerie”
  • “A hum”
  • “It sounds like a trumpet or a horn, almost musical in quality”

I heard a person on one of those videos blow on a shofar, which is an ancient trumpet made of a ram’s horn.  Yes, this mysterious sound sounds a lot like that, only much deeper and louder.

One…

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Five Different Uses of “Lord” in the Bible

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Stephen Nielsen

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

007   In the Hebrew scriptures the predominant word translated as Lord is Yahweh, used 6828 times; and the word Adon or Adonay is also used, found 439 times. Adon or Adonay is the word used when referring to God (or a leader) as a sovereign ruler, and Yahweh is the more common word used for God, meaning the self-existent or eternal one. In this study of the millennium we will examine five different usages of Lord (both Yahweh and Adonay), that will be used of Christ in His millennial kingdom, hence I was careful to study only those scriptures that I think are millennial passages.

Lord of hosts

This title depicts our Lord’s great might and power over all things.  In the NIV and in the NLT it is translated LORD Almighty.  But I prefer the older King James translation, Lord of hosts, because it seems to ring true…

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