THE INNER ROOM - "Learn and Grow - to Maturity". Please read the 1st Post.

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SPECIFIC PRAYER OR GENERALISED, THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Fluffy said:
My question was: is there scripture verses about praying specifically?
I had a 'discussion' with my husband and he argued that God knows your needs before you do and He takes care of you better than you know. All these are true. However, scripture implies that God desires interaction with you. There are numerous verses on 'ask,seek,knock', 'be persistent', 'pray continually'. Also, He invites us to participate with Him in His works and we do that by prayer. What an honor and a privilege!
I was hoping to find verses to back up my argument in favor of being specific. Did not find any, BUT, I don't think it hurts if you do. Ha!
Click to expand...

Of course, I remember now. Thanks, hon!

Hubby is right of course, that God knows our needs (far better than we do cos He knows everything!) But it's cop out if, for this reason, we then don't pray. FACT: we've been COMMANDED to pray. Like you said how else will we get into personal interaction with our Lord and Master!! Spiritually, prayer is our very lifeblood. And it's the ONLY way I know to REALLY get to know the God of all creation!!

It IS an honour and privilege like you said!! This is connecting with the great and mighty God who created a massive universe containing at least a billion galaxies of stars with at least a billion stars in each of them - a universe so wondrous that we currently only know about 5% of it, the rest so far being quite outside our knowledge OR understanding (dark matter, etc.)

When He says (in the Greek) ask and keep on asking, that sounds rather specific to me - certainly very heartfelt! I know we could be keeping on asking for all the people in the world to get saved (a non-specific prayer), but mostly we're going to be FOCUSED I reckon, on A person, or A situation. SPECIFIC!!

In any case when God commands us to pray, you're right, it's great to be specific about it! And he (Jesus) spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Luke Ch 18:1 Thing is we DO "faint", get slack, even give up!! - especially if the answer doesn't come by 'tomorrow' (at the very latest!) *bad Christian!!*

16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians Ch 5

I must confess that I don't yet know how to pray without ceasing that God's commanded here. Those few who've learnt to do this seem to have life of prayer, the whole of their life focused on the Lord God. A life continually connected to God. I've tried a couple of times, patterning on people who've succeeded in this, but maybe they were just more spiritual than I've yet managed to be.

I do see that when our desire and determination is nothing less than total obedience to the Lord, that we're maybe half way there. And that's good. Meantime I will continue to pray and keep praying specific prayers rather than generalised ones - including giving thanks for ALL things to the best of my ability!!

Blessings folks!

- BM
 
SPECIAL UPDATE

BELOVED

Well, life does go on doesn't it. I've had such an ill wife here for 3 long days now, appalling pain in head, neck, and headache along with lower back pain and more that it got to me more than I remember in recent time (because the spouse of an ill person feels so helpless watching his love suffer).

PRAYER

So whoever gets to read this if you believe that God does help those in need of help please pray for her to improve enough that I get my Beloved back...

MOI

Meantime the x-ray showed that I was blocked up in a part of my guts, this finally explaining all the symptoms I've had, and so we're working to get that clear, and I've been slowly improving and able to eat more and am even back onto a little meat at last. We've both lost weight in recent time from our ill-health - quite unusual.

C.F.S NOW M.E.!!

Rotten Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) they can finally identify (but do nothing about) and seem to be deciding to go back to the original name coined in about 1930 of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). I'm sure you wanted to know that, hehe!!!

Doc says they also think it's to do with our body chemistry. Good grief, I'm not a scientist, but do have a brain, and from simply observing my body have said that for the past 20 yrs at least - and would have told them for NOTHING!!!

OUR NEW PROJECT CALLED E.......

No guessing now! - just a little tantaliser, okay! *lol* (Maybe I'll give you another letter next time) WE'RE DOING IT ALL, JUST FOR YOU!!! Not for us, okay!! It's progressing SLOWLY and it will continue to do that unless I stop writing. So I'm stopping as of today. (unless I can't help myself and break out and put something up! *haha!* PLEASE DON'T GO AWAY and miss what's coming. Meantime, lots to read in 365 Messages that you've NOT yet got all into your life and are living out to the max. every day!!

STAY UP TO DATE...

... the easy way - by checking out this page, and putting it into Favourites!!

You are all loved very very greatly. And appreciated for faithfully supporting The Inner Room for so long.

See you next Update!! Praying for you!

- BM, with his Lady
 
Hey Bondman
Just giving a quick check in here
I am praying for the Mrs and you both .

My life of course is a bit crazy, as my passion inside of me for the lost keeps burning harder and harder. This past week-end was amazing.. prayed with 47 families as they got their groceries.. the very last woman gave her life to the Lord.. it was amazing.. after that did a home visit to a family who's daughter age 17 ran away.. spent most of afternoon with them.. 7 kids in the family.. mother and father both gave their lives to the Lord.. father is a drug addict, mom has alot of issues... she had not been out of the home for years.. why.. because she was obese and had no clothes to wear.. family has very little. can you imagine..

well yep. it was a trip to Walmart with her and her daughter to get a few outfits.. long story short she came to church on Sunday morning on the van with 2 of her children and with a sister who lived right across the street but had been feuding wiht for years.. it was all so cool. they are both planning on coming to womans group on Tuesday..

Ok my dileman.. I love the streets! I love evangelising.. I love sharing of Christ.. but, I also have to have a paycheck to pay my bills.. my dileman is my job.. my heart is not there.. it is high powered and very stressful... my daughter will be going to college in the fall. I of course as you know me.. need balance.. still one of my temperaments..

Ok.. got to scoot.. I have major project for work which is due this morning and it is not done.. please pray..
Love and bunches. .God is sooooooooooooo good!
 
Great to see you smiling face and hear from your smiling spirit within. I miss you as we don't seem to have had much contact lately. Great job on the streets!! Yes I certainly know your heart for the lost and feel for you with your heart not in your temporal work. But the bills do need paying, and for a young Christian (which you still are, comparatively) I think it's an important discipline for you to continue to do what you wish you did not have to. Maybe even if it's for learning balance and other things which otherwise we would not.

Later will come discipline and God will be able to trust you with a different way of living. Meantime you are doing all that you can, and that's absolutely on the right track.

Query: do you use your Tuesday Night Meet. for discipling? Have you managed to find any other ways? GFA do not count a person as a member of the church until they are FULLY discipled!! QUITE CORRECT in my view. And of course a lone Christian without followup - where can they get to? More to the point who will they be as a Christian person at the end of their life?

The kids who were converted while I was teaching, for discipling I used booklets that asked questions based on Scripture as a means of teaching/discipling. But their answers need checking and some interaction to keep them on the path. Doing that DID work!!

The main difficulty is finding good discipling material. Most are western-church based and pretty hopeless. I may try and see what I can find, but am in pretty bad shape, exhausted, worn out from Beloved being so ill, so can't promise.

Praying specially for Tuesday meetings. Tons of hugs!

- BM
 
UPDATING - 28th

Wanted to let you know that loving people prayed Beloved out of bed. She is BACK!! Hallelujah! I missed her SO much! With a Monday holiday here we had no care during this time even to get the dishes done... Karen will be here today tho so that will be great.​

She's still far from well, no can expect this until total healing comes to us both.

My tummy is still far from right. Getting the Doc to come see me later today to figure out what to do next next.

Took today off! First day I've had off in I don't know how many months. It was bliss to clear my mind, relax, no pressure, and so on.

Love to you all from me and Jesus!!!

- BM

 
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And Jesus then adds:​

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Which, because I'm His Bondman (bond-slave) I must say:​

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Sure works for ME!​

Don't "take care", but go to prayer!!

Love!

- BM
 
As most here know, I strongly recommend the Amplified Bible for reading for best understanding and for study.



I came across this thin paperback of the Amplified NT for such a low price of $4.49 (no I don't have shares in BibleGateway or Zondervan! - just wanted to give you a heads up on a great NT at a fabbo price, and to say: don't miss it!)

Go HERE for this great offer.

- BM. Amp *lol*
 

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Hey there Bondman
Just a quick hello.. so glad to hear the Mrs. is rebounding back! Praise the Lord. I drove to PA Sat to see my daughter for her prom, she looked beautiful! I have been having trouble figuring out how to add the pics, since it seems different now.

Please pray for me as I go to see a Colorectal surgeon on Wednesday. Been having a bit of some problems. But God is good, thank you Lord for your healing.
The woman's group is continuing to grow! It looks like we might have about 12-15 this coming week! there would be more but they do not have child care. So again please pray that the Lord will open resources for child care. I have contacted a local church that is around the corner from me, to see if they might be able to offer this on Tues nights.

Been starting to go to Open Houses for homes that are for sale for a potential Jeremiah House- a home that would house women that need to find the love of Christ and get their lives stable. This is just a dream of mine and I am not racing ahead of God on this one. God had another awesome woman come along side me and she is coming to my home once a week to minister to me and help me get some things on track.. ie budgeting, time management and such..
I miss being here but I have been focusing on my job and trying to get back to spending more time with the Lord!

Love ya all!
Faithwoman
 
Hi hon,

I've spoken to Jeff about the silly and annoying background, so hopefully it will disappear soon. Also about the difficulties of getting graphics or photos up. Even the way I do it has been messing up.

Well you are a busy lady, and obviously on a mission. I hope the medical thing is okay.

I do pray for you each day, and will continue to do so. Am pleased to hear of the help of you friend with time management and such.

God bless and guide you in His way and His path!!

- BM
 
CHANGES, UPDATE and for PRAYER - 4th

I believe long-term Inner Roomies would agree that I've been pretty faithful with my writing since 1-1-08. Recently it's gotten a lot harder as our health continues up and down as CFS people all experience, but much more of the 'down'.

In fact except for an odd visit back into the yellow sector, we are now firmly in the red - and that's obviously very serious, but has not yet gone CRITICAL!! (that's when our whole lives would get changed as we'd have to be split up to survive).

After countless hours of hard work by Nick and some by me, I'm forced by illhealth to put E....... very, very, very sadly on hold for the time being. Beloved used to look after me so I could be here full-time for such things. Not any more. Her body pains are now so bad she's struggling to look after herself, and I now look after her as much as I'm able. We really are in a state.

Okay, my mind and brain and memory and body energy have managed to teach here only by the fact my spirit is strong - and that directly by the power of the Holy Spirit in me. Little else can I do. So that's what I'll aim to continue - teach, maybe starting tomorrow. If it's all I can do and all that keeps me alive (literally) then I better get to it!

Oh, and my PC is in such a mess that I've no choice but to pull it down, put Windows back on, reinstall all programs and put all data back. Major task, but no choice. I'll use Beloved's comp. while doing that.

We still need God to bring forth from His mighty power the full healing of our bodies and the ministry funds that He's promised me.

God bless you all. I love you!!

- BM
 
Praying here.. thanks I also posted a thread about the background..

Lord, We declare and thank you for the victory of healing for both Bondman and the Mrs.. and that Lord you will deliver the funds to them.. We praise you today and every day!

Amen!
Faithwoman

Just busy trying to get my job in order.. my daughter and that is my priority right now.
 
A New Way - 1

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How Many Blessings Can You Handle?​

A New Way, a New Thread. Different from the 4 threads I've previously done (The Inner Room, Gems, Disciple, Reaching Higher). So let's get to it shall we!

Ephesians has long been a book I love to read. It's a short book, largely gentle and with lots of God's promises along with some admonitions and commands. In fact just in Chapter 1, from verses 3 to 14 are so many promises of what we've got (been given) plus who we really are in Him, that you'll likely lose count trying to count them all up!! They're all spiritual promises, of course, not material one, but wow, how absolutely, astonishingly wonderful!!

v. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. According to this verse, we're already blessed in Jesus (the Messiah) with... HOW MANY spiritual blessings in the heavenly places? With EVERY blessing!! Not just 10, or 50 or even 100, but EVERY possible spiritual blessing. Did I say "WOW!"

Of course we have to take them up, and ensure they are in our life. God doesn't just dump them all on us while saying, "Hey, there ya go!" No, we muct search them out throughout the New Testament (Covenant) and apply them to our lives.

So go HERE to read v.v. 3 to 14, marvel at what He's given us out of His abounding Love He's given, and at least try and grab a handful and get them into your mind and heart, AND then to your daily walk with Him!!

Be blessed!

- BM

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A New Way - 2

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What's Our First EVER Reality in Our Lives?​

I'd been on the bed ("prayer closet!") praying and meditating, with my eyes closed and for some time. I opened them and firstly saw the far wall with pics and knick-knacks Beloved has on them just for me. BUT... as I glanced at the walls to the left and the right and back to that wall a really strong thought simply FLEW into my mind: "None of this is REA;!!" Not reality; not reality at all.

Of course I knew if I banged my head on the wall it would hurt a fair bit, but it's only plaster board, from and of this earth. Okay then, I thought, so what IS reality. Well Jesus, the One I'd just been with and talking to. But... to many He is not real - even to church-goers and all. He lived and died, and rose from the dead, sure. And He may be their Saviour - maybe - but not really real.

Perhaps prayer is real then. Talking to God. Nope, that's the same as above - real to a few but not to most. Of course eternity where God is, that's real. But we're not THERE, are we, we're here - quite SURROUNDED by earthly things. I pondered this for quite some time and here's what I decided. In fact you and I are here for less then 1 miniscule microsecond compared to the forever-ness of eternity. It'll soon be over, folks!!

Over in a split second. So what then IS real for us? The first EVER thing that will be truly REAL is... the very moment we die (as we all will). Inevitable! For the rich and the poor, the well and the ill people, the successes and the failures, the Believer and the unbeliever, the good and the most diabolically evil. DEATH for us all is our first 'tangible' - if that word is not out of place! - our very first tangible REALITY!!

From there reality continues pretty quick indeed by earthly standards! Soon we find ourselves in the large group with most folks you know, OR in the small group with just a few. Bound for hell's punishment forever OR peace and love and joy in God's presence, with HIM, forever. All of that is real too. It's either fabulous, blissful reality OR horror-and-worse reality.

Make sure death, your first reality, sees YOU going towards the right group. Don't guess at it, mess with it, or simply 'hope' about it. ENSURE that you have done and are doing ALL of the things I've written about in other threads (check the Indexes after clicking a thread in my Sig below), so you know, for absolute CERTAIN, your final destiny.

Much love (agape of course!)

- BM, with his lady

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OH DEAR - COMPUTERS!!

Thought we had enough to cope with. Was wrong apparently I said I had to sort out my sick PC soon. Didn't give me a chance - suddenly the blue screen of death and and so it's gotta be packed up to go to 'hospital' for a week or so to get fixed. WAH!! We're kinda killed ourselves changing over to Beloved's PC, i.e., copying the latest things and files and data across so I can use it as I am right now.

Didn't think I was gonna manage a message, but as I'm still about half alive *pinches self to check - ouch!!* I managed to do a sorta basic one, but DEFINITELY one to think real, real, real, real hard about!!!

Bless ya all heaps n heaps!

- BM
 
A New Way - 3

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We're to be CONTENT With Our Lot!​

Many will say that it's good, even essential, to improve your lot in life, even to the point of this becoming a kind of mantra in the country where you live - that this is what you can do, and even must do. You may have been taught this all of your life but does the Bible agree with this? NO, it says exactly the opposite, as our message from 1 Corinthians Ch 7:20-24 makes abundantly clear:

20 Let each one remain in the same calling (station or condition of life) in which he was called. And just in case we didn't get that, a few verses along Paul REPEATS it: 24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state (station or condition of life) in which he was called (to come to Jesus).

It wouldn't be hard to see that God is stressing that being WITH HIM, as v. 24 says, is of far greater importance than trying to climb the ladder of success in life, seeking more income and better conditions. That may well cut right across a few of our long-held ideas I think. Matthew Henry says that, "Our comfort and happiness depend on what we are to Christ, NOT what we are in the world." Oh, that is GOOD, that's so VERY GOOD!!

The 'condition' referred to above is meaning that which you were in, your position in life, WHEN CONVERTED. Paul makes but one concession to this. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. That is, don't seek to be free - changing your situation - even if you're a slave, BUT if this option becomes available, feel free to take it.

Meantime: 22 He who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. Some very powerful opposites there for us to get our head around - and into our lives!

There's one final injunction or command in this passage: 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. But rather as 22b has just said: Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. (Is this why I chose to make (consider) myself Christ's slave (bondman, bond-slave) in 1999? No I more sought to pattern on the NT writers who all call themselve bond-slaves or bondmen or slaves or servants.)

And so to return to our Message Title: "Contentment" - that we may get to enjoy HIS Joy and Peacefulness in our lives. But another title could well have been, 'Why don't we actually READ what's the NT says so we truly KNOW how to live the way He tells us to!!.. instead of believing, following, and living the world's way.'

Love, grace, peace to all!

- BM

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A New Way - 4

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Are You Stuck on First Principles (a Baby)?​

Very sadly most Christians in the West are stuck where they started. Stuck in immaturity. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. How many teachers, real teachers of the Word do we have? Few indeed. Most who name the name of Christian are still on milk, never having got onto solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

There's a very pertinent and dreadful reason for this and it's not entirely the fault of all the immature babies out there: they've been fed only baby food, milk alone, by their pastors - who are also not truly mature in Christ. And that's one major reason that Christianity in the West is at such a low ebb, with results that that go right through our societies, in business, in government and more.

Let me give you a tangible example. The lyrics of Christian music of today are largely froth and bubble. God says clearly in the NT we are to up-build each other, feed each other from His Word, help equip each other, EDIFY each other. Christian music mostly fails to do ALL of this. It's just entertainment. If you say, "But it makes me feel good," is that in your emotions or deep in your heart and mind and spirit with God Himself?

Feeling good is not what living as a true and serious Christian is about at all. It's about growing towards maturity as a Believer in Christ. It's about getting OFF milk, and onto MEAT. It's about learning how to OBEY God to become more holy in your life and to grow in righteousness. Those Believers in the world being persecuted may not be feeling all that good humanly-speaking, but each day that they ENDURE they feel - and are becoming - more Godly!! - i.e., GOD always trumps (feeling) good!!

The Christian life was never intended to be a stroll in the park, but to make you more like Jesus and to ready you for eternity. Live as a baby if you will, and lose most of your REWARD in heaven, maybe for all of eternity. Or daily walk the narrow road - which is not easy, but the REWARD is great indeed!! Messages I've written here WILL edify you and enable you to daily walk that road. Click below, and PLEASE USE THEM!!

May He mightily edify you as you do!!

- BM, with his Lady

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Bondman
Just to let you know I have been hopping on in mornings and contiuing to read.. Great messages!

Hugs to you and the Mrs..
Faithwoman
 
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