Praying Jesus' Way!

    Matthew 6:5-13 And when you pray, you shall 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. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, and pray to your Father, which is in secret; your Father which sees in secret, shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathens do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Therefore, be not like unto them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him. After this manner therefore, you pray: "Our Father which is in Heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come: your will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."

    The first thing we note here, is the fact that Jesus said that even heathens pray; so do hypocrites; they likely pray to God, only when they want something! The Pharisees pray to show others that they pray. Jesus exposed this for us to see. Is God so pedantic that He ignores the insincere; the hypocrites? Doubtful! But it is also doubtful that He is pleased with it/them, knowing their true motives! Indeed, the Godless-religious see prayer as a thing to do, now that they're religious (Christian); indeed, prayer is an act of/in many religions, as proof that they are truly religious; devout. But most people do not actually pray; they do what's called self-talk, with eyes closed and hands clasped: it's a show! Prayer is private and personal; it is not something we really want to do in front of others very often. To the Godless-religious, it is a way to show off ones devotion to their respective religion/s. To the Godless-religious business person, it's a part of the "service" they offer (and are paid for). They offer prayer to those whom they feel, need it; the Catholics offered similar "services" (similarly) to those who entered their grand cathedrals; it was this show of piety (among other things) that angered Martin Luther to begin with, igniting the First Reformation! One need not be a Jewish Pharisee, to be pharisaical: this is a modern term to define those who have the same mentality, the same pious attitude that Jesus faced with the Pharisees of His time/culture. It was not Jesus attacking the Jewish Pharisees as a religion, per say, but rather, His exposition of the (fraudulent) mindset that many of them demonstrated; to show their true motives for being religious-professionals to begin with: I.E: They do not pray for you, they prey on you! The Indwelled pray, so that we remain tuned-in to God; in doing so, God guides us down the path He has for us. The Godless-religious pray that God creates the path that they desire! The Indwelled seek Gods will no matter the outcome; the Godless-religious pray that God performs their will: This is how you can tell the Godless-religious from the Saved! The Indwelled wants Gods will to be done; the Godless-religious wants God to fulfill their will, and prayer becomes great fruit-evidence of this Spiritual condition.

    The other fact is how the Pharisees prayed to begin with: regimented and ritualistic, multiple times a day, even unto this day {The Pharisees were, depending on the time, a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 BC–70 AD). After the destruction of the Second Temple, the Pharisaic sect was re-established (or conformed) as Rabbinic Judaism, which ultimately produced normative, traditional Judaism, the basis for all contemporary forms of Judaism}. There's no performance anxiety in living Christ, only in acting Christian! For the Godless-religious, prayer becomes an outward measuring device, to display of piety; to make a show of faith unto human eyes. I am always nervous around those too willing to pray in front of others, because for those of the Indwelling (myself included), prayer is as intimate and personal, as making love to ones spouse. There are rare times when God will place it on our hearts to pray, and at that moment, others will be present, but this will be rare, not common.

    When there is no genuine prayer life, humans find themselves alone in the universe. In that aloneness, they seek out other humans to talk with; to engage, as they should with God alone, in their prayer closets. But you see, they really do not have prayer closets, per say; that is, they have no real Spirit-centric relationship with God, and they will not, until they stop sinning and surrender to Him. By sinning I mean that they are fully immersed in the world, and they want to stay there, and then just add religion to their regiment, but God is not an addendum, and will not be accepted as such. This is where religion-businesses come into play. They tell people that they are Saved, by just using their mouth and their emotions to appeal to God for a ticket. They provide a place of social connection, and this is why so many humans support them financially (making it possible for them to exist to begin with). But church-businesses are not filled with Christian workers, they are filled with those who put on the show of religion for the sake of the givers: They put on the show for the ticket sales. Religion, as a business, has failed because they are, in the Spiritual sense, dead; they are a drain upon all who participate therein, except (of course) for those who are there for the money, and/or for their (sagging) egos. But God is not found by those seeking Him for ulterior motives, God is most often found at the end our ourselves. The business of religion is like a grocery store; it is a place to go and it is assumed that God is in there. Hunger compels us to the grocers and the church, but God does not occupy one place over another; God is as much in the grocer as the church! The Church is made of flesh and bones, not building materials, and few fully grasp what that means, save the Saved! The Laodicean Age is indeed, here, and all of us are smack dab in the middle of it. The only one’s not aware of this, are those spoken of in Revelations; the church and the churched! The Godless-religious are more concerned about their religious rights, than they are about their Spiritual condition, exactly because they have no Spiritual condition; they are dead within. That deadness must happen, it's prophetic! If the one fulfilling the prophecy was aware of their sin, they would stop and the prophecy could not happen., Therefore, in order for it to be true, those guilty of it, must be oblivious to it. The church cannot see it in themselves, and indeed will not; God will see to that!

    Praying to the Ceiling? Start Praying in your Closet!
    The purpose, the power, and the place of/for prayer!

    Prayer is Spirit-centric and God-focused; no need for prayer to be "legal to do in public"! For those of the Indwelling, we pray anyway, in private. One does not need any posturing (social or political) to pray; one can pray standing, sitting, kneeling or in bed; eyes open or closed; hands in your pocket or in the air! You see, God does not care at all about how we pray, but that we pray to Him sincerely and that the relationship remains personal and life-changing. Prayer is the vehicle to metamorphosis; to the radical turn-around that defines being born again. But for the Godless-religious, it is a show; an act, just as Jesus called it (hypocrisy)! You see, most (but not all) of the Pharisees, used religion and God for personal benefit, whereas, Jesus was used by God (the Father), to communicate His Love unto His creation. Therefore, Jesus called the Pharisees actors, and they did not like Him, consequently. Prayer is not to be a way for us to say things out loud to others who hear us praying, that which we will not say to their face otherwise; in fact this is wholly blasphemous! Prayer is not a way to publicly display that we are Christians; it is not to flash the Christian card; it is not to show others of our faithfulness! Prayer is for us personally; so that we can grow and maturate in the Lord. We can (and should) pray in intercession, but the central purpose for prayer is for the perfection of the self, and, in thanksgiving unto the Father. The Indwelled pray for Gods will to be done here (on Earth), no matter what it will cost us personally; conversely, the Godless-religious pray for (personal) health, control and prosperity in the here & now! They thank God for the things they should not even have to begin with, and beg God for the things of this world that God wants to free them of! The Indwelling Holy Spirit gives us the mind of Christ; once that occurs, the Indwelled no longer think like the world; no longer refers to the world; no longer utilizes the paradigms of the world; no longer craves the world. We are transformed by the renewing of the mind, and that mindset is typically the opposite of the culture-at-large. In short, the ceiling will not give you what Santa Claus denied you. God waits for us to die to this world, before He ever Indwells our Soul.

    Luke 18:9-14 And He spoke this parable unto certain {people} which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank you that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying: God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: For everyone that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

    Matthew 5:44-48 You have heard that it has been said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say unto you: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans do the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the publicans do so? Therefore, you be perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.

    Matthew 17:14-21 And when they came to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying: Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your Disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said: O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the Disciples to Jesus apart, and said: Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them: Because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you; If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain; remove hence to yonder place, it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit, this kind does not go out, but by prayer and fasting.

    Mark 1:32-35 And at evening, when the sunset, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And the entire city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
    6:44-46 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people. And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray.
    11:15-25 And they came to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them: Is it not written: My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But you have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief Priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him: for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His doctrine. And when evening was come, He went out of the city. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance said unto Him: Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. And Jesus answering said unto them: Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain: be removed, and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he said. Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. And when you stand praying, forgive: if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father, which is in Heaven, forgive your trespasses.
    12:38-40 And He said unto them in His doctrine: Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

    This is the most brazenly obvious words Jesus ever spoke about the Pharisees; about or concerning being pharisaic in general: The Godless-religious are there to put on an air (a play on the stage of life) to seem religious; to be the oracles of God, wherein they gain another's trust, and then proceed to take their resources for personal use/gain. To "devour" a widow's home is that "ravenous" idea that Jesus often referred to, concerning the human condition. When the human remains un-transformed by God-within, they are animals; as Peter put it: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour! Satan (and the evil-ettes) are Takers; devourer's, and they do not care what meat they eat, so long as they get their fill! They look at the resources of other humans, and then put on a religious pretense in order to gain those resources (in this particular case; real estate). They build (physical) temples that are, in truth, dens of thieves! The wilderness is Gods creation; it is where all Indwelled Souls are drawn to (following true conversion), for periods of Regeneration and transformation; our time alone in Gods Creation, with God, receiving our prime directives thru bonding, intimate prayer and unfettered devotion. Indeed, that's why it's called a personal relationship: it is private and profound, and bears visible fruit. The Indwelled do not flaunt their faith; they resonate Christ in lifestyle! Jesus said that if you pray in your closets, God will bless you openly; the fruit-evidence of genuine prayer and Spiritual bonding w/God will be manifest in relationships; in peaceful contentment; in lifestyle simplicity; in emotional maturation. For the Godless, blessings and gifts often means that God will give us more toys; the immature still looking at the Lord Jesus Christ, as Santa-god. God is most glorified in you, when you are most satisfied in Him! You look more Christ-like, when you are no longer in the picture. This Spiritual transformation is metamorphic; like the caterpillar to the butterfly: it is to be set apart (much like the American Amish as compared to its materialistic Capitalist's). Spirit-centric humans are not lead by their emotions, they are lead by God; they decide what they feel, they do not blame the outside world, or others, for what they feel; what they experience. We will be judged, by Jesus Christ, on Judgment Day, by our character and the subsequent actions and inactions of that character. We will Not be judged based on our personality; our presentation of the self to the world! God cares nothing at all, about our personality, except when it is a faked presentation of our true character, as with the Pharisees. Humans fake a personality; a persona, in order to trick other humans as to the true self; the mask of hypocrisy.

    The Sinners Prayer!     Prayer as Panacea!

    This concept was born from the Protestants who were finding ways to market their religion-businesses. Basically, they seek out humans who are filled with guilt, either from actually being super-bad people, or, by making them feel bad about themselves (before they understand why). The sinners prayer is a prayer offered to the listener, by some religious leader, to be parroted in order to "install" the Indwelling Holy Spirit, or so they solicit. The prayer includes the words: "forgive me for I am a sinner"... in some form or another. Now, putting aside for the moment, that all humans sin and fall short of Gods righteousness, the person who has not made any former commitment to Christ, thus far, and, who is there just trying to learn about this Christian God, is now faced with the idea that they are utterly depraved and sin-soaked pieces of crap, and thus, need to repent. This is indeed, truth, however, the time to be sharing the deeper ideals of the faith, should be left to the promptings of the Indwelling Holy Spirit, after that installation occurs! To tell someone who knows nothing about the atonement (the propitiation) of Jesus Christ, and how that was the sin-offering; the Lamb of God that replaced the Jewish lambs used as physical sacrifices at their alters, is deeply theological, indeed! To expect someone to understand sin, itself, is confusing. Very few humans understand that they have ever "sinned" at all. If sin is just the breaking of laws, then most humans knew that they would be punished if they murdered someone. They do not murder, not because they do not want to (necessarily), but because they do not want to pay the consequences of that act. Sin is only sin when we're taught that it is bad and wrong! After all, anyone can easily justify anything, if it is to the satisfying of their carnal desires. If, for example, a man catches another man raping his wife, he may feel compelled to kill him, and I assure you, he will not feel guilty or bad for doing so; indeed, he will pound his chest and let all other males know that if they try this, they too, will be dead! However, if this same man gets woken by his crying child and in anger, kills the child, he will soon feel the guilt that comes from the loss of that which he bore and loved, once his temper subsides! Sin therefore, can be very circumstantial. Thus, the law says that, no matter your personal feelings about murder, it is a crime and you will be severely punished if you murder. To tell someone that they are guilty of sin, well before they even understand the law itself, is very pre-mature, and will not work on those who do not yet feel the conviction that comes... not from inducing guilt... but from the Holy Spirit, which does not Indwell us just because we parrot a prayer! This entire concept was taught to us by Paul:

    Romans 3:10-20 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their way, and the way of peace they did not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes." But we know that whatever things the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law; so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be under judgment before God, because by the works of the Law none of all flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law is the knowledge of sin.

    The Protestants followed after the Catholics, in that, they became the sellers of the religious rituals and the other religion-creations of man. They prostitute Scripture to justify the taking of resources from other humans, rather than laboring and supporting their ministries with the excesses of their labors: they do not pay for their ministries, they get paid from their ministries: They pimp God! They are the religionists, and they are either the most confused, or the most depraved, humans on Earth! Many people are sincere about finding God, no matter the cost to them personally. However, most people see religion as a way to feed their egos and avoid manual labor; to avoid having to compete with others in the markets of the world/worldly. Jesus taught us about this multitude in the last half of Matthew Seven (Matthew Seven Christians); those who will not learn that they are doomed, until Judgment Day! They believe that because they pretend to believe, and then fortify that self-belief with their involvement in religion, that this is how humans end up in Heaven. They never surrender their own lives, and pick up their daily cross, and walk away fro, everything, to follow Christ; instead, they do the opposite; they use God and religion to pursue the world and to become more successful in the eyes on men! And so, their religion service is sold to the simpletons trying to find meaning in this life, and as Jesus said would happen, the seeds are thrown out there, and most are picked off or burned up and die (Matthew 13).

    Prayer as a Product!

    Prayer then, for the Religionists, becomes just another "service" to sell to others. When someone is facing great loss, disease or death, they suddenly seek out the prayers of the (professional) Religionists, as if God hears them just a little clearer than the rest of us non-pro's! This is why (especially among the Protestants) that there are prayer groups/chains, prayer call centers, prayer meetings, prayer warriors, praying in tongues, and even praying about praying! Prayer has become the panacea; the veritable catch-all, but, primarily to help avoid a literal transformation of ones mind, body and Spirit! Prayer has attenuated over time and circumstance, to be a "thing to do", rather than a thing to become! It is just like Love: Humans do not offer and/or withdraw Love (it is not an emotion that we assign the word love to), we become Love... or Not! God IS Love; the Holy Spirit IS God; the Holy Spirit Inhabits US... or Not! Jesus did not use prayer to sell anything; to gain anything earthly; to appease emotions or alleviate distress. People usually suffer as a consequence of living in polar opposition to the will of God, and then, when the consequences of that disobedience finally surfaces, they suddenly seek out prayer to fix what is broken (as a consequence of their Godless lifestyle/s). Humans will ignore God until they need Him, and then in fear, seek Him out. God is like an emergency room physician; the Godless (and the Godless-religious) will live and serve the flesh, and then when that backfires, they fall back on their church attendance or some other form of fickle faith, as validation of their belief in God. But God knows who are His and who are not: Read Matthew Seven, many times!

    Those who have not been born again (Saved) find prayer uncomfortable, ritualistic and even hypocritical. Without the Indwelling Holy Spirit, prayer is nothing more than self-talk, and eventually, that becomes monotonous and routine. Even though the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, this statement becomes a slogan, and the ideals of living righteously, gets lost in the excuse that we all have a fallen nature and are sinners saved by grace. In other words, the idea of perfection and righteousness in the here and now is indeed, impossible if a person is not Indwelling by the Holy Spirit: God-in-us! But we of the Indwelling, already know the times and the culture that we live in; we know that we are deep into the Laodicean Age, and that the bulk of humans who claim to be Christian, are in fact, Matthew Seven Christians; they harbor self-beliefs that lead to more pride, secularism and competitivism, Not unconditional surrender, self-sacrifice and self-discipline! The ideals of walking away from the things of this life: the material world, riches, careers, or on any other way, to follow the pathways of the unregenerate world, has been replaced with the businesses of religion, and the services they provide as replacement. The Religionists train its observers how to mimic the Christian walk, but to do so within the operations of the Godless world around them. With church-businesses filled with actors (hypocrites), the only ones they recruit are others who are not really seeking to be like God, but rather, to see what they can gain from the effort; the participation. The productions within the church walls mimic those of the time/culture they inhabit. But the underlying theme for many is emotionalism and sensationalism, as the recruitment tool to hold the minds of the masses. This is why Marks called religion the opiate of the masses: Indeed!

    Prayer Appointments?     Preaching in Prayer?

    "How come God only hears our prayers when our eyes are closed"? (The child asks)! I answered her and said: because God appears before us, but God cannot let Himself be seen, and so He appears while our eyes are closed, and hides when they are open! The child wisely replied: So God is there while I sleep? Well, I knew I could no longer fool this child, because I knew this is where the human mind picks up on the Santa Claus-is-God phenomenon that Hollywood exploits; indeed, the petri dish where the socio-pathology of God is cultured. And so, I told her that God is not seen by any of us humans, until after we die. First; Train up a child in the way you want that child to go, for they will! Honesty is the best policy, even if they do not fully comprehend it at the time. Secondly; Most adults fully under-estimate the intellect of children, and actually dumb-down children by not allowing them to think for themselves; to meditate on what we tell them! We expect them to get it right away, but they often need to ponder (heard or read) words first (most adults should do this too, but they don't; too hurried)! Jesus both taught with words, and demonstrated to us, what true prayer is. Prayer is first and foremost, private; not as the Godless-religious who clang their cymbals publicly to allow prayer in schools or public offices; to what? Be seen of men! We are to pray without ceasing; does this mean that we should be allowed to not work while at work, so that we may pray all the time? You see how silly this all can get? The difference is between those who live Christ, as opposed to those who see religion as a way to make money; to get attention; to take sides against other humans. Prayer is an intimate time communing with God; we do not schedule prayer, we live prayerfully, moment to moment, day by day. The Indwelled pray for the tools and the empowerment to keep the flock of God unified and together; the Godless-religious use religion to brand-name the service they sell; to separate people like customers! The one church tries to offer more of what that cultures customers want in the act of religion (the service and its message), thus bringing in more people, and thus more moneys and more ears to tickle. The Godless-religious are just that; Godless humans who participate in (the business of) religion for personal gain; to avoid labor, and/or to have an audience to listen to them; to be seen of men! In some religious-business services, they even expect you to write down all that exits their mouth; is that not just anti-humble? It's called the God-complex, and the Pharisee is sickened with it (Pharisees past, present & future)! The Pharisees, to this day, have prayer hour; that is, they pray at an appointed time (collectively), no matter if God has placed something or someone on their hearts to pray for, or not. It is mindless, or more accurately, Soulless, to pray by the clock, rather than to be open to the Indwelling at all times; praying when the Spirit leads.

    Praying For God to Alter Another's Volition!

    God is everything; God created all things, and is in all things! God is in the past, the present and the future; all at once if He volitions: God is not subject to time or space or matter; God can be corporeal and/or non-corporeal. The limited human brain cannot fathom God; cannot understand this right now! But the Indwelling Holy Spirit brings into us, something extraordinary; God! We (can) have God IN us; the Creator of all, residing with us! Now, does this mean that we are God? No, of course not, but the simpleton mind probably thinks that, because for one, the simpleton is not Indwelled, and two, because of that state of Godlessness, they seek power and self-importance in any way it presents itself (in the course of this life). In religion (a widespread socio-cultural influence), superiority is gained by being more spiritual than another, or more successful, more blessed or more gifted. In the business of religion, it is how powerful you are in the church hierarchy! But these are all traits of the Godless-religious; these are the fruits of Godlessness! If God is in everything, is God not in us already? Indeed, in some respects, God is in everything; the air & water, your body, the trees, animals; everything. This is why early humans intrinsically worshipped (and feared) nature, because they had a sense that it was Holy; Sacred, and, it was/is the supplier of all their Earthly needs. But God wanted us hominids to understand a bigger picture of corporeality, and thus, God gave us words; the Bible! It was designed and inspired to Enlighten us homo-sapiens; to help us to understand the nature of God, and to transcend the simpleton mind and come to know (to gnosis), God! Remember, the same Indwelling Holy Spirit that inspired the human writers of the Bible, is in me and you (if it be so, that the Spirit of God dwells in you)! And so, why would we need to pray to God, if God is in us? Well, God is still God; we are still mortals. The Indwelling brings the power of God into us, but the yoke can be severed, by us, at any time we volition. What God wills, and what we will, can go in two different directs, anytime we volition it to be so. I have power over Paul, and it requires me to volitionally surrender that power over to the Holy Spirit, day to day; moment to moment! This is why we do not need to pray to God, to alter or defy another persons will, because cannot (or will not) do that! I can pray to God (and I have) that this other person Love me as I Love them, but God cannot participate in that process, even though it is Gods will, and my will, that this other person Love! That other person has the power of free-will; volition, and God will not interfere with it. Each individual person must make the decision to follow Christ, and to lay down their life; their will, unto the foot of the Cross; once they do that sincerely and unconditionally, the Indwelling will occur, and they will have the Love of God in them, and then they will Love me automatically; unconditionally; eternally (as God Loves me, and I Love them)! But without that Indwelling, they will live and die in a state of utter Lovelessness: In this state, it is impossible for them to Love at all! Love therefore, becomes a mere word that's assigned to one emotion or another, which all fade over time (as do the commitments made within them).

    Acts 4:24-35 And when they heard that {about a miracle of physical healing that occured there/then}, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and prayed: "Lord, you are God, which made Heaven and Earth, and the sea, and all that is in them; who by the mouth of your servant David have said: Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against your holy child Jesus whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, was gathered together, for to do whatsoever your hand and your counsel determined before, to be done. And now, Lord behold their threats: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness, they may speak your word, by stretching forth your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of your holy child Jesus." And when they finished praying, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed was of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things, which he possessed, was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. {Thus, the emotional healing that leads to unity, which in turn, heals people of materialism and economic superiority as a way to feel worthy on Earth}

    Romans 8: 9-11 / 22-28 You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. / For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then we do with patience, wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us, with a groaning which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that Love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

    1st Corinthians 2:7-16 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory; which none of the rulers of this world knew (for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory). But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard," nor has it entered into the heart of man, "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of man within him? So also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

    Ephesians 6:17-20 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

    Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. {the fruits of a genuine prayer life}

    Colossians 1:3-9 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the Love that you have to all the saints. For the hope, which is laid up for you in Heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel, which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and brings forth fruit, as it also did in you since the day you heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: As you also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; who also declared unto us your Love in the Spirit! For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. 4:1-4 Masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in Heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
    e-Sword
    1st Thessalonians 3:6-13 But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith? Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in Love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
    5:14-25 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that called you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us.

    1st Timothy 2:1-9 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. 4:1-6 Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If you put the brethren in remembrance of these things, you shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto you have attained.

    James 5:13-18 Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
    1st Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. {praying or not!}

        Understanding the heart of Jesus, via His prayer:

    John 17: These words Jesus spoke, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said: Father, the hour is come; glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you: As you have given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have glorified you on the earth: I have finished the work that you gave me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory that I had with you before the world was. I have manifested your name unto the men that you gave me out of the world: yours they were, and you gave them me; and they have kept your word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever you have given me are of you. For I have given unto them the words which you gave me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from you, and they have believed that you did send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them that you have given me, for they are yours. And all mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name: those that you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, except the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now I come to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world, and for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Now I pray not for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word {future followers: Us!}; that they all may be one, as you Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have Loved them, as you have Loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am that they may behold my glory, which you have given me: for you Loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you: but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. And I have declared unto them your name, and will declare it: that the Love wherewith you have Loved me may be in them, and I in them.   {The longest prayer recorded in Scripture; centered on unity and oneness within the Body of Christ; Jesus looking upward and with eyes wide open! How do you pray? What's the content of your prayers?}

    Prayer does not make God change things for us;
    Prayer empowers us to change for God!

    Most Protestants and Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit is outside of the self, and thus, pray to God to get the Holy Spirit to intervene; this is witnessed in the source and content of many of their prayers; indeed their ideals and theologies. However, once a person understands God, and then surrenders this life totally to the will and the service of God (a bondservant), the Holy Spirit of God Indwells us, and then, the light goes on within (Enlightenment), and everything changes. The Bible itself takes on new meaning, and indeed, that's the idea! Jesus knew that the greatest challenge to living in His will would be the attack of the enemy upon the Body of Christ; upon the Fellowship of Yahshua Messiah, and as such, He knew that division and relational abandonment would result, and be the greatest pain that the Saved/Transformed would have to endure in this life. I have lost the Fellowship of my Wife, and with many others whom I thought were my brothers and sisters in Christ, but as it turned out, they do not belong to the Family of God. The evidence is in their refusal to be one with me; in their indifference (or Lovelessness), and though this occurred as a consequence of the absence of Love on their part, the loss to me is still severe (even debilitating for periods of time), and this is because of the Love I hold for them (then, now and forever). I cannot un-Love them, and conversely, they never Loved me at all, because they do not have the Indwelling Holy Spirit within, which brings the Love of God into us to begin with! In other words, without the Indwelling Holy Spirit utterly conquering the human Soul, Love is a veritable impossibility. Indeed, my Love for them is only/exactly, the Love of God that comes with the download of the Holy Spirit; it is not of my own capacity! No humans without "God-in-them" have the capacity to Love; that is, beyond the attachment emotions that most all animals possess, which is also a creation of God. Attachment emotions aid in pairing, procreating and parenting, but are not to be compared with the Love of God, witnessed in the life, the death and the resurrection of our Lord and Master. But without the Indwelling Holy Spirit bringing that Love within, the hominids are left to their brain alone, to understand and experience love. This is why relational abandonment and division is certain among them, and why Jesus made this the topic of His longest and most passionate prayer.

    We (who are Indwelled) are One with the Father, just as Jesus was One with the Father. Jesus was God-Corporeal; He was God-in-the-flesh. God the Father could not leave the throne of Heaven and be disconnected from the universe, so that He could occupy Jesus Christ. Since God is God, He can do whatever He wants to do. If that means taking on a trillion different manifestations at once, so be it! It will have to be you, to tell God that He can't do that! Jesus had to be Indwelled by the Holy Spirit, to be empowered to be and do, what and who, He was! Humans are created in the flesh, with the potential of Salvation. Humans have dormant Souls; it requires the Indwelling Holy Spirit to turn it on; to respire Life into it; to Enlighten the human Soul. But my Soul is my own; your Soul is your own. Jesus Christ did not have a Soul of His own; His Soul was that of the Father! His Father was actually our Heavenly Father. Jesus is not an individual, as you (and I) are individuals; as the Angels are individuals. Jesus is God. But God (through Jesus) came to Earth for three reasons: 1: To be the propitiation for human sin; to make us righteous while we yet live on Earth (already existing in corrupted vessels)! 2: To demonstrate to human-kind the nature and character of God; to show us... in the flesh... GOD! Jesus was God-Corporeal, no longer do we have to speculate, based on words alone, what/who God IS! Jesus became a physical, tangible sample of God, so that humans could see with their own eyes! Jesus became the final model of God. 3: To make the way for the Holy Spirit to Indwell humans who surrender their earthly lives unto the Lordship of Yahshua; to those who place their lives at the foot of the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit Indwelling humans also made the word of God possible! The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us: The Spirit Indwells flesh, and works within us! Prior to the Day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts), the human being was/is not able to harbor the Holy Spirit, because He is indeed, Holy; we are not (in and of ourselves). But Jesus Christ paid the sin-debt for everyone, and so, anyone who believes that with their very being; their very lives, and surrenders this life over to the Lordship of God, he/she will receive that Indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not an automatic install once we confess to be Christian; once we attend a church or read a Bible or join a club. It is not free; it requires surrender on our part. It is freely given, but it is not freely received: for many are called, but few are chosen!

    The Holy Spirit is the gift, and Jesus Christ died on the Cross to make that gift possible. And so, it is now possible for anyone, to be One with God the Father, as we accept the propitiation of our Lord, and give up our carnal sin-filled ways here on Earth. We must first demonstrate to God, that we are through with the world, and God knows our hearts! The evidence of the (subsequent) Indwelling Holy Spirit is phenomenal; it is metamorphic; it is transformational; it is epochal; it is irreversible. We no longer look to God to make our lives better in the here & now, we look to God for our instructions; our prime directives; for our marching orders (as a soldier), and what it costs us in the here & now, is inconsequential. Prayer therefore, takes on a whole new meaning, for as Jesus demonstrates to us, we pray to the Father for the power to fulfill those orders, no matter the personal cost to us. We pray daily, for God to empower us daily, to pick up our own Cross daily; to follow Him; to imitate Him; to live for Him; to die for Him! As for the Godless-religious, prayer is all about the image being presented to the humans watching; that they may be seen of men. But prayer is not a production that we perform for outside observers; it is not a thing that exists outside of the self. Prayer itself, becomes a reflection of the non-transformed life, for the non-transformed, because without the Indwelling Holy Spirit, the human is not the sum of God, but is instead, on the outside; they are not One with God, via that Indwelling. If we have God-in-us, why then, would we pray outside of our self? This is why Jesus instructed His own, to go into their closets in private, before praying! We already know what the Pharisees taught us!

    The Pharisee!

    Copyrighted Excerpts from Author Paul Andrew Anderson!
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