Last Time to Pray

PARENTS

The bible teaches us that "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (proverbs 13:24)", and also "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him (proverbs 22:15)".  Now this word rod in the Hebrew text means shay'-bet, which means (lit.) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.) or (fig.) a clan:-X correction, dart, rod, sceptre, staff, tribe.     Contrary to what might be considered the absolute meaning of the word rod, to physically beat the foolishness out of children, it also is given figuratively to establish the fact and/or truth that physical beating is not always necessary to drive foolishness out of the heart of a child.  Although it is sometimes necessary, it is not the “end-all means”.  Let us examine what a rod is; a stick or pole that is straight and narrow.  It is strict because it does not bend, so also should correction be applied to our children.  If we want to establish discipline within our children we must keep the way of instruction straight, not given them unclear directions.  We must also make our instructions narrow, not giving them much room to deviate from our directions to them.  And finally when we correct them we should not bend in our correction; if it was wrong yesterday, then it is wrong today, we must continue to deal diligently with the problem not allowing our children to do what we disapprove of today, when we corrected them yesterday for doing it.  Consistency is most effective in correcting our children, now whether we choose to chasten our children with a literal rod (stick, paddle, belt, etc.) or with a subtraction method (removing toys, activities, and free time) or with an addition method (adding chores, isolation time, etc.).    Remember we must train up our children in the way that they should go, don’t be inconsistent leaders (trainers) and your children won’t be inconsistent followers (learners).

Bless you

Edited Monday June 1, 2009 by Evangelist C.K. Richardson  

Pray Church!

By Corwin Richardson, Saturday, March 24, 2007 12:10 AM CST  

Everybody's Talking about praying,

and don't get me wrong, prayer is needed; but what are we praying!  Are we praying that God's will be done, or our own will be done?  It's easy to get what we want confused with what God wants for us.  Ex. A single woman might assume that because God's word says that it's not good that man should be alone.  She might assume that as long as she has somebody, it's God's will.  Wrong!  You can be heterosexual and monogamous and be out of God's will.  God said don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  God also said that, a man would find a wife (a good thing), and obtain favor with Him.  So the woman shouldn't be looking.  Neither should she settle for just any man to fill the emptiness of being lonely.  She should pray that God send her the husband that He desires for her life and then wait.  But all to many times we have yielded to the weaknesses of our flesh and emotions, and moved outside the will of God to fulfill our own lusts.  If we pray according to what we desire and don't wait on God to qualify us for it, then we may rush out and get ourselves into trouble that God did not intend for us to have.  It doesn't have to be sin, for it to lead us to sin. 

      Death for man naturally is a slow process, just as the process of spiritual death is also.  We are lead by our own lusts to sin, and then we continually indulge in the act of sin, until we eventually die completely to our relationship with God.  Not that God has left us, but that we have separated ourselves from God, by sin...

Be Mindful

Prayer is communication between man and God.  God, being the creator and man being the created; God being the potter and man being the clay.  Now, how can man communicate to God in a way that God, will move on his behalf.  Simple, it is just as the relationship that the potter and the clay share.  The potter already knows what type of vessel he wants to mold the clay into, but the clay has no idea.  So as the potter begins the process of molding the clay and preparing it for the process of its make, the clay is transformed from one position to the next.  Yet, all along the potter still envisions a finished product.  The potter handles the clay the whole time he works with it, keeping a close relationship with his creation, assuring that it will be just what he envisioned.  As the clay is molded and shaped it  is conformed to the potters' hands, and the pressure causes the distinction of it's abilities from the other vessels he has formed.  Before the pottery can be used in it's purpose, it must be matured with high temperatures to establish it's character and quality and it's ability to hold water.  The clay only responds to the potter in the way that it is made.  If the pottery has imperfections and impurities in it, the potter will eventually recognize it whether in the beginning phase of molding or during the testing time, and he will work to remove them.  After the impurities and imperfections are worked out of the vessel, then the vessel is tried in high temperature and made whole and ready for the potter's use.

So are we as the clay, we were born into sin and shaped in iniquity.  There are impurities and imperfections in us and we must be cleaned and purified.  We cannot hide our faults from God, all we can do is come to him in prayer and confess our faults.  He will see them anyway in the testing and trying of our faith.  So we need only to be upfront with God and seek His divine change in our life to make us what He desires for His glory.  If we try to hide our faults it will result in our shame later, and if we    

Order of Prayer

Preparation:

• Humble our selves - (James 4:9)KJV

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 

Repent - (1 John 1:9)KJV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Thank Him - (Psalms 100) Whether by words or song

1: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2: Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3: Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5: For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Praise Him - (Psalms 71:23)

My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

After you enter into His holy presence, then you can reveal all that is in you unto Him; make it known that you are incapable of fixing yourself and that you are truly dependent on Him to change you and deliver you from all that is destroying your life (which is the truth anyway, but we need to be humble to speak truth to God from our heart in the way He desires to hear from us).

Now that we have confessed unto God our faults and imperfections; have asked His divine deliverance and guidance, let us now listen for His voice in our inner man (spirit, conscience, heart and mind).  We must be still, and wait on Him; God will speak. 

There is no need to ask God for the things of this world, for He already knows what we need.  He said that we should, "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).  That's a promise, not a maybe.  But, if you are a skeptic and would debate this scripture with Matthew 7:7 or Luke 11:9, then walk it out according to your faith.  There is no need to try to contradict the word of God, it is all true and it only requires belief (faith) and works to establish the belief.

When you have done all that you can do and should do, give it to Jesus and He will work it out for you.  God bless you.

 

Minister C. Richardson

ministerckr@bellsouth.net

(318) 423-5690 emergency contact