Prayed About It ?

Have you prayed about it?

“You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:2 NIV

From the beginning of the Bible to its conclusion, we see absolute evidence that God answers prayer. Things that we think are impossible, God does when people pray! When we pray, we align ourselves with the purposes of God and tap into the power of the Almighty. Because we pray, God works through us in ways He wouldn’t otherwise.

God has made certain things dependent upon prayer, things that will never be done unless we pray. Could God do whatever He chooses without our prayer? Of course. 

But God has determined that He will use the prayers of His people to accomplish His purposes. When we do not pray, we limit what God will do in our lives. 

Some may not like the sound of this, but if it were not true, what could James mean when he writes: “You do not have because you do not ask?” Why would Paul ask some friends to, “Pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured…that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 NIV), if he did not believe their prayers had the power to change his circumstances? Both James and Paul believed that God might well withhold His hand of blessing from them if they neglected to pray.

 Since they wanted all the blessing available to them, they not only prayed themselves, they recruited others to pray for them. They never wanted to limit what God might be pleased to do in and through them by failing to pray. And if you want all the blessing God has available, you too must pray.

SoulFood: 2 Sam 3:22–7:17 Matt 24:36–51 Ps 110 Pro 17:15–17

My Thanka to  the  Website: Vision.org.au for this daily reading.

( from Digital Anvil )

The Decline of Attention Spans Dr. Gloria Mark has been studying the declining attention span of adults for 20 years.  In the study, they measured how long an adult would stay on a particular task, in 2004 the average time was about 150 seconds. By 2012, the focused attention time was cut in half to 75 seconds. By 2020, the time was down to an average of 47 seconds. James Emery White, a pastor, author, and cultural commentator who studies trends affecting faith and the church, writes, “Whatever it is we are attempting to convey, much less explain, will need to be communicated more frequently in shorter bursts of ‘snackable content’ because members of Generation Z are the ‘ultimate consumers of snack media.’” We may enjoy the bite-sized information that social media gives us. However, the most important parts of our lives and especially our personal faith will take concentrated times of focus.  Don’t snack-feed your faith.   Share this daily - reading. Thanks Karl Faase. ( from Digital Faith )

Spirituality Aids Recovery:

Spirituality Aids Recovery

Numerous studies, released in 2022 have shown that spirituality can help improve the quality of life for people with chronic diseases such as cancer.

Rachel S. Tobin, then a resident in Internal Medicine at Duke University Hospital, wrote that “...spirituality can also have a positive impact on quality of life for heart failure patients.”

This may surprise some people who think that our health is determined by science and medicine. Faith or spirituality is believed to be irrelevant to recovery, but that is not what research is showing us.

The articles discussing the research suggested that “...not only can spirituality improve quality of life for the patient, it can help support caregivers.”

Your faith is not just about a personal experience or emotional health. It impacts every part of your life.

Share this daily- reading.

Thank you, Karl Faase.

( from Digital Anvil )

Peace to be Gained:

Today, reflecting on peace: To the weary or overwhelmed, peace can be elusive. Saying " don't worry." can be a trigger to more anxiety or worry.

But there remains a solution. If you are a person who understands spiritual things then what i suggest you do shall restore some peace>>>

Prayer is everything..

Prayer reminds us we are not alone. It is relational and formational, renewing our minds and realigning our perspective as we cry out to God.

Prayer & Petition: invites specificity: naming our fears, needs, and hopes.

Thanksgiving reshapes our posture, anchoring us in remembrance and trust.

This practice – repeated not occasionally but in every situation – prepares the soil of our hearts for God’s peace to take root. This peace is unlike anything the world can fabricate. It “transcends all understanding” (NIV) because it doesn’t come from our circumstances but from Christ Himself. Paul, the great Apostle, even describes it as a guard: actively protecting our hearts and minds from being overwhelmed, disoriented, or consumed.

Let this deep truth land: putting Jesus first in your life is the only path to true peace, because true peace only comes from Him. The more we prioritise noticing God’s nearness, turning to Him with openness, and thanking Him for His grace, the more our lives become anchored – even when storms rage.

So don’t delay. Practice peace today. Go to Jesus first – again and again – with your prayers, petitions and gratitude. He is near. And He loves you.

Practice: Take 1-2 minutes today, and each day this week, to pause and do three things:

1. Acknowledge God’s nearness — say aloud or write: “The Lord is near.”

2. Name your worries — in prayer, present one specific anxiety or burden to God. Be honest and clear.

3. Give thanks — name three things you’re grateful for, however small.

Let this become a daily ‘peace practice’ of letting go and leaning in.

A Simple attitude of thanks:

 I receive the gift of your peace – the peace that transcends my understanding. 

Amen.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

( Adapted. Final form by Digital Anvil)

Algorithms are Discipling Us:

Everyone is being discipled by something. The only question is what - or who.

Some suggest our daily habits are shaping us. Others suggest it’s our 5 closest friends. But what about the algorithms controlling the content we see in our social media feeds?

Unlike in the past, these powerful and persuasive technologies are influencing what we see and shaping our thoughts and behaviour more than we realise. The trouble is, this is not just happening to us but it’s also happening to our kids.

Little by little, the algorithm is learning what hooks them and exposing them to more extreme content, steering them in a direction.

So take stock. Not just for you but also for the young people around you. What would it take for you to be more influenced by the words found in scripture and the people in your Christian community, rather than an algorithm designed to capture your attention?

I discussed this idea with Simon Smart( of CPX ) in my recent interview. He has written a book called The End of Men? and has a lot of great thoughts on boys, men and how we shape the next generation.

Share this daily-reading

Grateful to you,Karl Faase.

( from Digital Anvil )

Pure Thought vs the Senses:

Thê evolution of philosophic thought through the Centuries the following question has played a major role. What knowledge  is pure thought able to supply independently of sense perception ?

Is there any such knowledge? If not, what precisely is the relation between our knowledge and the raw-material furnished by sense-impressions? 

An almost boundless chaos of philosophical opinions corresponds to these questions and to a few others intimately connected with them. Nevertheless. there is visible in this process of relatively fruitless but heroic a systematic trend of development, namely an increasing endeavours skepticism concerning every attempt by means of pure thought to learn something about the "objective world," about the world of "things" in contrast to the world of mere "concepts and ideas." 

Be it said parenthetcally that, just as on the part of a real philosopher, quotation-marks ae used here to introduce an "illegitimate" concept, which the reader is asked to permit for the moment, although the concept is suspect in the eyes of the philosophical police.

The above quote is introduced but paused here because i ask that those who agree or disagree are given a chance to connect yet relied upon to comment if willing ?

By way of  a question,what do you think pure thought is or means ? Is pure thought real? Without the 5 main senses,is pure thought even possible? If a being thinks purely, how does he or she communicate the outcome ? Is a being that applies pure thought to reasoning, even exist ?

Please  drop your ideas below in the comments.

By Digital Anvil.

Most Influential Sermon:

The Most Influential Sermon

The most influential sermon you'll hear is the one you preach internally to yourself.

Unknown.

 

Replace the word "sermon" with the word "monologue ", then re-read. Or replace the word, " self -talk " instead of  the term "sermon." Or "thought -life " instead of the word, " sermon."

 

(from Digital Anvil)