"If You Ask For Anything In My Name, I Will Do It."
John 14:14

The secret to effective prayer is faith in Jesus Christ and absolute trust in the Word He has spoken.

Know in your heart that the prayer you are asking for will be answered -- know this even at the moment you ask. Believe with all your heart that God has already answered your petition even before you finish praying.

As Jesus' disciples stood looking and discussing in astonishment the results of one of His miracles, the Lord told them:

"Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Get up and throw yourself into the sea', with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him."

"I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody,so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too." (Mark 11:20-25).

Jesus attached these two directives, prayer and forgiveness, on purpose.

Prayer is related to purity of heart. Our Lord went to the cross for one purpose, to take away our sins so that we could stand chaste before God.

Jesus has shown us in the quotation above that the power we receive from the cross is perpetually renewed by forgiveness. The cross is not historic. It pours out God's sanctification continuously. And we have been given power by God to daily bathe our soul in the divine river of atonement that floods from it.

As we forgive others, God perpetually forgives us. This is a dictate of Christ from the throne of God. In that act of faith the power of our prayer is intensified. We know this because Jesus minced no words when He said it:

"This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.

You did not choose me, no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you is to love one another."
(John 15:12-17).

We cannot truly love one another if we harbor bitterness in our hearts. This is why we must release such bonds, and the way we release them is through the action of forgiveness in prayer.

Forgiveness is one of the deepest parts of love because it is one of the most difficult to give. But anger is devastating to prayer. "Enough of anger, leave rage aside, do not worry, nothing but evil can come of it: for the wicked will be expelled, while those who hope in God shall have the land for their own." (Psalm 37:8-9).

It is love that relates to prayer, not perfection. Paul said that faith makes its power felt through love. (Gal.5:6).

Nowhere in scripture does it state that God answers the prayers only of the perfect. That is because no one is perfect in God's eyes. The only condition imposed on us is that we bear fruit in His name. And the fruit He wants us to bear is that we love one another. (John 15:12-17).

His commandments, the four Gospels of God, show us in great detail how to love one another.

Those who fall to their knees in humility and supplication to God, surrendering their power to Him completely and trusting in the integrity of His promise are rewarded in overwhelming measure for their faith.

"They cry for help and God hears and rescues them from all their troubles; God is near to the broken-hearted, he helps those whose spirit is crushed." (Psalm 34:17-18). When faith is accompanied by humility, it is turbocharged, because a crushed spirit always brings God close.

"I live in a high and holy place, but I am also with the contrite and humbled spirit, to give the humbled spirit new life, to revive contrite hearts." (Is.57:15).
 

A PSALM OF LIFE
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."-- Psa_23:1-6.

THIS IS "the Nightingale" among the Psalmist choristers! The first that we learn in infancy, the last we whisper with dying lips. It implies consecration, for God is this only to the soul which is wholly surrendered to Him. You cannot have all of God, or God in all, until you are willing to surrender your all. Do you want to put "My," the pronoun of possession, before the Name of God? Well, then, you must be willing to answer His voice, and follow where He leads. "My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me, but a stranger will they not follow."
Morning! The Shepherd's leading. When He puts forth His sheep from the fold, in the dewy morning, He goes before them over the grass or up the mountain-track towards the pastures. It would never do for the flock to precede him. Whatever roughness you find on your path, remember that the Shepherd has gone before. "He leadeth me." Remember also that His name and character are involved in bringing you through "for His Name's sake."
Noon: The alleviations of rest. In all lives there are times when He makes us to lie down, or leads us by the waters of rest. Sometimes it is a period of convalescence after an illness. Sometimes a holiday, an interval between the pressure of engagements, a respite when the stress and strain of toil is over--these are our quiet pasture-lands. At other times, in the midst of life's rush and turmoil, our soul is kept at rest in God's peace. The heart rests for part of a second between its beats. "He maketh me to lie down!"
Night: the oil and the cup. The flock has reached the fold where it is to shelter. At the doorway stands the Shepherd, watching each one as it passes. This one has grazed and torn its head in getting through a hedge, and for it there is the anointing oil. Near His hand is the food and water, from which He fills the bowl, to wash the face, or give refreshment; and as it overflows, there is evidently enough and to spare!
Goodness and Mercy follow the flock, as the Shepherd precedes. "The House of the Lord" is the Fold from which we shall go out no more, and the Lamb shall be our Shepherd and abiding joy for ever.

PRAYER
O Lord, support us all the day long of this troublous life until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, the busy work is hushed and the fever of life over and our work is done; then, Lord, in Thy mercy grant us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
 

Nature
Much of the beauty we find in nature
Appears as the result of dramatic changes

Glaciers carved out majestic mountain ranges
Volcanoes produced breathtaking beaches and
Thunderstorms return precious moisture to the earth

Even fruit trees must sometimes be severely pruned
In order to make them stronger and more productive

So too it might be God's plan for us
to experience dramatic changes in our lives
In order to become the people He intends us to be

If your life is being "pruned" now,
although it is painful,
it just may be God's way of making you stronger

I wish you strength to accept the challenge and
God's gentle love to guide you

Thinking of you...

RELIGIONS IN INDIA (Information on India)
India known as the land of spirituality and philosophy, was the birthplace of some religions, which even exist today in the world.
The most dominant religion in India today is Hinduism. About 80% of Indians are Hindus. Hinduism is a colorful religion with a vast gallery of Gods and Goddesses. Hinduism is one of the ancient religions in the world. It is supposed to have developed about 5000 years ago. Later on in ancient period other religions developed in India.
Around 500 BC two other religions developed in India, namely, Buddhism and Jainism. Today only about 0.5% of Indians are Jains and about 0.7% are Buddhist. In ancient times Jainism and specially Buddhism were very popular in India. Indians who accepted Buddhist philosophy spread it not only within the Indian sub-continent but also to kingdoms east and south of India.
These three ancient religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, are seen as the molders of the India philosophy. In 'modern' period new religions were also established in India.
One comparatively new religion in India is Sikhism and it was established in the 15th century. About 2% of Indians are Sikhs. There were other attempts to create new religions in India but they did not always succeed. For example, a Moghul emperor, Akbar, who reigned between 1556 - 1605, tried to establish a new religion, Din- E- Elahi, but it did not survive. There are other religious philosophies whose believers see themselves as a separate religion, but they do not always get this recognition. For example Lingayat of south India see themselves as a different religion, while others see them as a sect of Hinduism. There are also some tribal communities who demand to be recognized as separate religion from Hinduism. In the 19th century some Hindu reformers tried to remodel Hinduism to adjust it to modern period.
Along with the religions that developed in India, there are followers of non- Indian religions. The largest non-Indian religion is Islam. They are about 12% of India's population. Christians are more then 2% of India's population. There are also Zoroastrians who even though make less then 0.01% of India's population, are known around India. There are also a few thousand Jews in India. Judaism and Christianity might have arrived in India before they arrived in Europe.

HINDUISM - about 82%
ISLAM - about 12%
CHRISTIANITY - about 2.5%
SIKHISM - about 2%
BUDDHISM - about 0.7%
JAINISM - about 0.5%
ZOROASTRIANISM - about 0.01%
JUDAISM - about 0.0005%

Pray for India