The Right Way to Pray

5 And when thou prayest, 

thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: 

for they love to pray standing in the synagogues 

and in the corners of the streets, 

that they may be seen of men. 

Verily I say unto you, 

They have their reward.

6 But thou, 

when thou prayest, 

enter into thy closet, 

and when thou hast shut thy door, 

pray to thy Father which is in secret; 

and thy Father which seeth in secret 

shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, 

use not vain repetitions, 

as the heathen do: 

for they think that they shall be heard 

for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: 

for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, 

before ye ask him.

Matthew 6:5-8 

King James Version

Is there such a thing?

A right way to pray?

Oh, definitely, yes!

Jesus taught us how.

And He gave us the perfect prayer to the FATHER.

Sure, we were taught by our own religions to pray.

And, if we didn't have any religion as a child, probably, we instinctively knew how to pray, like striking a conversation with "someone" we felt was "out" there.

Often, it is at our loneliest, saddest, most disturbing and grievous moments, that we really seek God through prayer.

The simplest prayers are probably:

"Please help me, God!" 

or 

"Thank you, God!"

That's usually how I approach God, to ask for help, or to thank Him.

I was never keen on repetitive prayers, for I've always felt prayer must not be "robotic".

It must come from the heart.

I also felt that God already knew what I needed.

How can the CREATOR not know the needs of His creation?

Such was my simplistic, child-like way of thinking when it came to God, and prayers.

I may not be the prayer expert, but perhaps, for myself, I'm a listening expert.

Where others would bewail God not answering their prayers, I preferred to wait, watch, observe, learn, and listen.

My father taught me patience in many ways, instilling discipline in me.

He would always say there's a time, and place, for everything.

Perhaps, my father referred to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

I figured, if God was my REAL Father, and the ONE who created me, He'd know everything I'd need, or want.

He'd also give it to me in divine, perfect timing.

When I became a born-again Christian last year -- nearly 10 months ago -- I began to see God's wisdom, more and more.

He knows I've prayed constantly, for clarity, for His TRUTH, and for relief from troubles.

He answered through my dreams, visions, people, books, work, and music that came upon my path, or even through nature.

And I would listen each time.

Maybe He finally saw I was ready for the WORD of God -- Jesus -- last year, so the Holy Spirit finally inspired me to become born again, for that is the way to see the kingdom of God.

After that, my spiritual life and writing truly blossomed, and I have been under constant guidance from Jesus each day, who, after all, is the WAY.

The WORD, and the WAY.

How cool is that, right?

Now, I know better how to follow Jesus, so my soul will be saved.

Nothing has changed in my approach to life, God, or prayer.

I remain a trusting child.

Updated 18 January 2022

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, 

saying, 

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, 

and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, 

Verily I say unto you, 

Except ye be converted, 

and become as little children, 

ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself 

as this little child, 

the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoso shall receive 

one such little child in my name receiveth me.

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones 

which believe in me, 

it were better for him 

that a millstone were hanged about his neck, 

and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:1-6 

King James Version

You can see how far we've veered from Jesus' teachings.

How we have neglected many children of the world, allowing hunger, poverty, violence, abandonment, abuse, to come into their lives.

Where other children are spoiled and pampered, there are many more children suffering elsewhere.

All this is happening because we don't have child-like hearts anymore.

We have become adult-erated.

We need to get "aerated" by the Holy Spirit of God, once more.

We need to remember the LORD's teachings about being pure, humble, and undefiled, having the heart of children, who are closest to His heart.

A humble heart won't put himself above everyone.

Sure, kids get into fight, too, bickering over their toys, or getting jealous of parent's or friend's attention, but they don't carry grudges.

There is no such consciousness in the child.

There is only a love for play, for learning, for food, for sleep, forever curious, and seeking love from his family.

Can you imagine how many children in the world don't have enough to eat, have clean clothes on their back, have a home to keep them warm, have the love, peace, and security that others kids may have?

And what of orphans, or child workers?

Who looks after them?

I had a wonderful opportunity once, many years ago, when a dear lady, a wife of a former Austrian ambassador to the Philippines, invited me to visit her "village".

So, we took the plane, and went south.

It was my first experience with orphans in a lovely tropical village.

How the foreign organization took care of them so!

The kids were clean, looked happy and content, and eager for visitors.

I had photographs with them, and when we left, they gave me souvenirs of their own form of art, like drawings, and bookmarkers.

It's always a good experience for anyone to visit orphans.

We can feel their hunger for love.

Being child-like myself, I've always had close affinity with children.

We all seem to understand each other.

We adults must care for them, making sure they are not corrupted by the world.

We're not here to spoil them; we're here to love them, not one more than the other.

Love must be given as God would -- equally.

Perhaps, our duties as adults, is to make sure they are given an opportunity to develop their own talents, to have a loving home to live in, and education they desire.

We're here to feed them nutritious food, not junk food.

We're here to give them real toys, not addicting gadgets.

We're here to give them the education they desire, not what we desire.

We're here as temporary parents for them, looking after their welfare, safety, and security.

But all these can only come from an adult heart, with the heart of a child -- humble, loving, and totally obedient to the LORD.

That will surely give our kids a chance to be safe, nourished, and loved, without drama or excess.

It's really an ideal to love, as GOD would.

What could be a nobler way to live, think, and work?

Remember this story about Jesus?

15 And they brought unto him also infants, 

that he would touch them: 

but when his disciples saw it, 

they rebuked them.

16 But Jesus called them unto him, 

and said, 

Suffer little children to come unto me, 

and forbid them not: 

for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, 

Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God 

as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Luke 18:15-17 (KJV)

Updated 18 January 2022

The Simplicity That is Being Asked of Us Now

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, 

and commanded them, 

saying, 

Go not into the way of the Gentiles, 

and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, 

preach, 

saying, 

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, 

cleanse the lepers, 

raise the dead, 

cast out devils: 

freely ye have received, 

freely give.

9 Provide neither gold, 

nor silver, 

nor brass in your purses,

10 Nor scrip for your journey, 

neither two coats, 

neither shoes, 

nor yet staves: 

for the workman is worthy of his meat.

11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, 

enquire who in it is worthy; 

and there abide till ye go thence.

12 And when ye come into an house, 

salute it.

13 And if the house be worthy, 

let your peace come upon it: 

but if it be not worthy, 

let your peace return to you.

14 And whosoever shall not receive you, 

nor hear your words, 

when ye depart out of that house or city, 

shake off the dust of your feet.

Matthew 10:5-14 

King James Version

Why do I love Jesus so?

Because He was the simplest, and most powerful Teacher.

Because He was the KING of Kings, the LORD of Lords, and yet all He asked was that we worship the FATHER.

If we are to be worthy of God, we have to walk the path of Jesus.

We are to be simple, kind, humble, and trusting of God.

We must allow ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit, who will show us how Jesus really is, and how we are to live.

We are to become born again Christians -- born of water and spirit.

Current world circumstances are testing the Spirit of Jesus in us.

Have we embraced the LORD?

Or, are we still beholden to the world?

Look closely upon the world today.

All that is of greed and vanity, are being humbled.

Only the very basic industries and professions that aim to genuinely feed, clothe, heal, transport, and shelter people are being "allowed" by God now.

And vaccines are not one of them.

The body has great intelligence, for God created every cell of our being.

It knows how to "fight" invaders.

If there's anything we all need right now is food and kindness.

To be fed clean, nutritious food and water each day, and to be allowed to work the best way we know how, without ruthless taskmasters asking us to perform beyond our limits, giving us no time, money, and energy for ourselves, and our families.

Right now, we are being fed all forms of lies, and artifice.

Anything that has been created in a lab, is not of God -- it is of man.

We are no better than robots, at the hands of uncaring masters.

I only have ONE Master -- Jesus.

Those who do not love others are being exposed.

If your heart is awake, and you are a follower of Jesus, you will see that you are not truly loved by the industries of the world.

You are merely a consumer, and they feed upon you.

If you are really loved by the world, then they would love CHRIST, too.

Actually, Christ MUST be LOVED first.

But the world has shown they have no love for Christ.

If the world doesn't love Christ, how can they claim to love you?

They only love self -- their lofty position, their power, their popularity, their wealth, their education, and their beauty -- all that is not of God.

In His ministry, Christ boasted of no such thing, even as He was the SON of God, and upon whom demons quake in fear.

How much more are we to be brought down upon our knees, so we may finally acknowledge that POWER belongs to GOD alone?

Only with God can we have a tomorrow.

That is the reality of it.

Anyone who says otherwise, has merely revealed the master they serve.

(Verses sourced from biblegateway.com)

Updated 18 January 2022