We really are living in such a prophetic time! This is a time like never before or ever again. It’s such a worldly time and there’s hardly anything on television worth watching. Jim and I have become news junkies because of this fact!
It breaks my heart to see some of the things the kids are now subjected to on television, and they’re watching it because that’s all there is! What troubles me is that we are losing all of our values, not just in this nation but in the world! This isn’t just a cliché – it’s a fact – a fact that anyone who loves God should be alarmed about.
For my generation, even in the crazy times we didn’t lose our values. We still knew right from wrong but now, there isn’t any such thing! It’s considered hateful now to even voice your opinion of what is right and wrong. Everybody is doing what they think is right in their own eyes! The Bible talks about that! (Judges 17:6, 21:25, Proverbs 14:12) Continue reading →
A former Israeli Prime Minister who is one of the nation’s most revered generals is reported to be near death.
A spokesman for Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer said Ariel Sharon has shown a significant decline in health during recent days. The family has been called to his bedside with doctors estimating less than a week to live for the Israeli hero.
Sharon has been in a coma since a major stroke in 2006.
Sharon, called “the Bulldozer” by his political opponents, was known as a man who found a way to get things done during his time in Israeli leadership. He was Defense Minister during the nation’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. He was elected Prime Minister in 2001 and was on the way to massive landslide re-election when he was felled by a stroke in January 2006.
His deputy, Ehud Olmert, was elected Prime Minister a few months after Sharon’s illness.
Israeli leaders have called for prayers for Sharon and his family.
A new study says that prayer helps people stay in control of emotions and behavior.
The researchers say prayer as a method to cope with “high demads in life” provided people with increased strength and the ability to resist temptation. The results come along a previous study that shows when people just “tried hard to control emotions and thoughts” they risked aggressive outbursts and binge drinking or eating.
A similar study a year earlier showed people who believed in God showed more improvement in treatment for depression than those without faith.
The German researchers behind the study said that “a brief period of personal prayer buffered the self-control depletion effect according to the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology online.
The study said those who prayed and tried to suppress their emotions showed more overall energy without losing stamina than those who did not pray and attempted the same emotional suppression.
Billy Graham returned home from a two-day stay at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.
Doctors say the 95-year-old Graham had been hospitalized for pulmonary-related issues and underwent tests. The two-day stay for observation was mostly precautionary.
“Mr. Graham was alert and in good spirits during his stay,” said William R. Hathaway, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Mission Hospital. “We are pleased with the results of Mr. Graham’s evaluation.”
Graham’s family thanked supporters for their prayers.
The social media site Twitter was deluged with statements from Graham’s supporters and admirers using the #PrayingForBillyGraham hashtag.
Billy Graham has been admitted to a hospital suffering from respiratory congestion.
A spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelical Association said that Graham has been hospitalized for similar issues over the past few years and they expect him to return home in a few days.
Graham has curtailed his public appearances after suffering from macular degeneration and hearing loss related to his advanced age. The 95-year-old Graham made an appearance as a star-studded celebration of his birthday that also celebrated the release of his new book “The Reason for Hope: Salvation.”
The BGEA asked everyone to join them in prayer for Dr. Graham.
A rare Jewish prayer book has been discovered by researchers connected to The Green Collection and has been shown to pre-date the earliest known copy of the Torah.
The researchers say scholars dated the prayer book and Carbon-14 tests also showed the book to have been created around 840 A.D. The 50-page book was 4.3 inches tall and 4 inches wide. The researchers said the printing is in an “archaic” form of Hebrew.
“This Hebrew prayer book helps fill the gap between the Dead Sea Scrolls and other discoveries of Jewish texts from the ninth and 10th centuries,” Dr. Jerry Pattengale, Green Scholars Initiative executive director, said in a press release.
The book includes Jewish blessings and covers the Passover Seder, poems on Song of Songs and the end times and a section called “Salvation in Zion.”
Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby who funds The Green Collection, said the book will be available to the public when their group opens a Bible museum in Washington, D.C. in spring 2017.
Jim tells a story about one of his darkest days in prison when he turned his face to the wall and cried out to God. Suddenly, he felt as though he was being lifted up out of his troubles and he asked God, “what is this?” God replied, “these are the prayers of the saints.”
There is nothing in this world any more powerful than the prayers of the saints. Prayer can and does affect every single aspect of our existence in this world. It will comfort, cover, correct, caution, and encourage us and others for whom we pray. Continue reading →
The anti-Christianist group Freedom From Religion Foundation is threatening the Cullman (Alabama) County Board of Education with a lawsuit if a group of citizens is allowed to pray for the schools the weekend before schools open for the year. Continue reading →
The U.S. Supreme Court has taken up a case regarding prayers before a town meeting and whether or not it violates the First Amendment.
The town of Greece, New York allowed prayers before town meetings and two residents complained about the process. They filed suit in federal court when he city refused to give in to their demands to stop. Continue reading →
Sometimes it’s hard to get our priorities straight but it doesn’t have to be. One of the greatest leaders of our times, Paul Youngi Cho of South Korea who has a church of over one million members, simplified the way he conducts his days by doing two things FIRST.
Every morning, Cho prays for five hours before starting any other work. Many have asked him how he can find time to pray that much. He answers, “You don’t understand. If I don’t pray for five hours, I don’t have enough time to do everything. But when I do, then God does everything I need.”
What a simple, yet profound TRUTH in this statement! Jesus’ life was one of constant PRAYER! We can read in the Bible where many times that Jesus went up into the mountain to PRAY – Matthew 14:23 & Mark 6:46 & Mark 1:35 & Luke 6:12. Jesus removed all distractions and focused on communion with God. Even though He was God, Jesus prayed and so should we!
Since Jesus, who is the Son of God, understood the need to be in constant prayer, we should do the same. Jesus heard the Voice of the Father, and then He obeyed exactly what He heard the Father say!
This is a time like never before in the history of the world. This is a time that we should be in constant communication with the throne room of God so that we can hear His voice and DO what He tells us to do!
Lord, remind me to PRAY and OBEY every day so that I can be sure that what I am about to do is what You have said to do with my day!
Amen!