Armen Hareyan About 8856 words

WHAT SHOULD YOU ASK IN YOUR PRAYERS AND WHY AREN’T THEY ALWAYS

ANSWERED

16 Questions About Spiritual Life in the 21st Centuryby

Armen Hareyan

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Contents

WHAT SHOULD YOU ASK IN YOUR PRAYERS AND WHY AREN’T THEY ALWAYS ANSWERED 1

by 1Armen Hareyan 1

What Should You Ask in Your Prayers and Why Aren't They Always Answered? 3How Keeping Thoughts Clean Benefits The Soul 11How To See and Experience More Miracles In Our Times 12What Everyone Should Know About Success: Christian Perspective 15Well Know, But Little Practiced Reason Not To Give Up 199 Comforting Promises God Has Given To People in The Bible 20How To Dispel Fear and Anxiety 24What does God Believe In 27What Should Christians Do When People Don't Reciprocate Help

28Why Did Jesus Cry When Entering Jerusalem 28Why Did God Choose To Save Us the Way He Did 30Please Don't Abuse Your Free Will, It's Given For a Different Purpose 31How To Make People Feel Good in Your Presence and Stop Warring 33How To Live a Life Without Double Standards 34How The First Person to Enter the Kingdom of God Was a Criminal 40If You Have Lost Your Peace You Are Not Walking By The Spirit 43

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What Should You Ask in Your Prayers and Why

Aren't They Always Answered?

Millions of Christians pray daily and nothing seems to change in

their lives. Yet, Jesus said in John 14:13 "I will do whatever you

ask in my name." Are we asking the wrong things in our prayers

and not praying in the right way?

Moreover, our Lord said those who believe in Him will do things

even greater than what he himself did during his earthly life.

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I

have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these,

because I am going to the Father," He said in John 14:12.

Tens of millions of Christians (if not more) go to church every

Sunday, they pray and take communion. Many of these people

even pray daily. But nothing seems to change. The life remains

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the same, and we seem hopeless against all types of diseases,

illnesses, and the fear of the unknown.

Here are two points for consideration. First, what are you asking

for in your prayers? Second, how are you praying? Answering

these two questions may help to shed light on the above-

mentioned dilemma.

What are we asking for in our prayers?

Imagine a recovering alcoholic. My friend Susanna relayed this

story. When she was a young mom out walking her daughter in a

stroller she walked in to an upscale restaurant to inquire when it

would open and apply for a job. When the owners said they were

opening that night she was shocked because the place looked

like war zone. Obviously they needed help. She rolled up her

sleeves and started unpacking glassware, washing, cleaning,

sweeping, and putting the place in order. She worked all day

alongside the owners, while her child to slept in her stroller.

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Offering an extra set of hands allowed them to be ready for their

Grand Opening.

As she started to leave, the owners, Linda and Bud, offered to

pay her, but instead she said, "I tell you what. I don't want you to

pay me anything for today. I was actually out looking for a job

and I would like to come back tonight for your Grand Opening. If

you like my work, I would like a job, and if you don't, then you

don't owe me anything. Fair enough?"

That nigh she returned, dressed in an elegant skirt and silk shirt,

hair and make-up done. Susanna walked up to Linda and

cheerfully said, “What can I do to help?”

Linda didn’t even recognize her and asked, “Who are you?”

“I was here today with my daughter,” said Susanna, “helping you

clean and get ready for tonight.” As recognition spread across

Linda’s face, she said, "Wow, you clean up really good."

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It was a busy opening and having had experience in college

hostessing, waiting tables, and bartending, it came naturally to

Susanna. At the end of the night she had the job.

That night she met the bar manager Eddie and the general

manager Susan. In the coming weeks she learned that Susan was

working on her degree in landscape design and had no previous

experience. She was like a fish out of water. Eddie, on the other

hand, had been in the industry his entire life, but, was a

recovering alcoholic.

Susanna began taking multiple roles in helping run the business

and seemed more suited for a general manager position because

of her past experience in the industry. Unfortunately, Eddie

began to drink again which affected his work. Susan wasn’t

happy or a very effective manager, so, within a month, the

owners offered Susanna the job of general manager. Eddie

continued to bartend but didn’t have the stress of managing and

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Susan didn’t have to focus on running someone else’s business

and could concentrate on school.

I give you this example and would like to ask a question about

answering one’s prayers. Eddie had needed a job, but was

getting a stressful job as a bar manager the answer he needed,

given his desire to stop drinking? After all, he did fall off the

wagon. If you were God, would you answer that prayer

positively?

What about the owners? Linda and Bud had known Susan for a

long time. She was Linda’s best friend. But was she the answer

to their prayer? Probably not. Hiring her best friend, who had no

idea how to run a bar, not only put a strain on their friendship,

but not having someone with experience almost guaranteed

failure for both. Linda and Bud had started a new business

without any experience either. They spent a large part of their

inheritance remodeling a building they didn’t own and jumped

head first into an endeavor they probably weren’t well suited for

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because they thought it would be fun. When the “new” rubbed off

and it was clean running a restaurant and night club was not

only risky it was hard work, their solution was to take a cruise.

Had it not been for Susanna telling them shutting down and also

leaving their employees without and income for a week or two

was a bad idea, they would have been exactly what they would

have done.

Now, consider Susanna. Was getting an opportunity to work,

even as a manager the right answer? As it turned out, no. Not

that she was shy of hard work, but the job required long hours,

late nights and it began to put a strain on her marriage. While

she did get the ball rolling and helped Bud and Linda find a

replacement for her, she chose family over opportunity.

By the way, the restaurant failed within a year.

Do we really know what is good for us and what is not good for

us? If you consider the question from our earthly life's point of

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view, you probably think we do, but if you consider the question

from the point of view of the Eternal Life most people don't.

God looks at what is good for us from the point of view of

eternity not from the point of view of the temporary earthly life.

However, he did give us free will. We can make choices and

sometimes they are not what is best. Therefore, it is important

for those who wish to be closer to God and make the right

choices to pray for wisdom and guidance.

What happened to our cast of characters? Eddie left the bar

business and went back to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Susan

finished her degree and started her own landscaping business

and remains friends with Linda and Bud. Susanna chose to go

back to school for a nursing degree. Bud and Linda closed the

bar. Bud returned to driving a truck and his sister began a

business hand painting furniture that was featured in design

magazines and creating books on tole painting which are still

sold to this day.

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How can we know what is good and what is really not good for

us? We may start to really understand these things if we seek the

Eternal life first and His rigorousness. Then the rest of the things

that we need in this world will be given to us in excess, Jesus

says in Matt. 6:33 and makes one thing clear if you read Matt.

6:31-33 in reverse order: we will eventually lose food, drink,

clothing and all things that you call earthly prosperity if we don't

see His Kingdom and righteousness first.

The point is: we don't really know what is good and what is bad

for us. Putting things in the right perspective, "we know that in

all things God works for the good of those who love him, who

have been called according to his purpose." Rom. 8:28.

Therefore, how do you know from the eternal life's point of view

if health or sickness is good for you? Maybe illness prevents you

from doing something really, really bad, which could destroy

your entire life. Maybe sickness prevents you from taking pride

in your earthly possessions and thus aims you to humble yourself

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and put your life in the correct perspective? The point is no one

knows what is good and what is not really good for them from

the point of view of accessing Eternal Life.

Simple Solution

Only God knows the answer to this question of what is best for

us. We learn from Romans 8:28 that all things work for good for

us if we follow His purpose and remain in His love. Therefore,

what do we ask in prayer? Of course, The Lord's Prayer, which

our Lord Jesus Christ taught us includes everything we need and

we should pray it daily. Yet, there is another beautiful word we

hear a lot during our worship services, which early Christian

fathers have successfully incorporated in a short prayer called

Jesus Prayer. The word is "mercy."

The only thing we can really ask God humbly in our prayer and

show that we fully trust Him is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

have mercy on me, the sinner." (The Jesus Prayer) When you

repeatedly say this prayer from your heart with attention, you

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basically say the following. Lord Jesus Christ, I really don't know

what is really good and what is bad for me. You know, and I fully

trust You and love You. Therefore, the only thing I ask is Your

mercy and Your will.

How are we praying?

You may have noticed that during prayers your mind wonders

around. Sometimes we can go around the world twice -

figuratively speaking - in a 2-minute long prayer. Our mind is not

fully focused on a prayer.

Imagine this. You stand in front of your boss and present a

report, but your mind is wandering elsewhere. You just say

words that you are used to and are not really present in the

moment. Your boss is trying to tell you something for your own

good and you are not listening because your mind is not focused.

Is this acceptable? If it is not, then how is this type of behavior

acceptable toward God?

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Many times we merely recite prayers, but our mind is not fully

focused. Church fathers say that prayers are not supposed to be

repetitive activity. For example, try to pray the Jesus Prayer, 10-

20 times and reflect afterward how many times your mind loses

its focus.

Rather, prayer is the place where we focus all our attention on

God. It is like a conversation and if we listen closely God will, in

his time, give us an answer, but, we can only do this if you ask

for his help.

Conclusion

Is God pleased when we pray to Him without focus and ask

things that may not be good for us? Would you give your children

things that you know are not good for them, just because they

ask for them constantly? Would you really be happy giving your

children things they ask for, just for the sake of asking, but their

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mind is not with you, their attention is not with you when they

are talking to you?

You see how it works friends? Let's contemplate on these things.

Our Parent wants a healthy and loving relationship, the same we

want from our children, not a give and take trade.

How Keeping Thoughts Clean Benefits The Soul

We need to watch our mind to keep our thoughts clean.

Do not download useless thoughts in your mind. Do not make

your mind heavy with sorrowful thoughts, nor with thoughts that

sound "interesting."

"I have the right to do anything," you say, but not everything is

beneficial. "I have the right to do anything," but not everything is

constructive. 1 Corinthians 10:23.

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There was a monk, named Heronimos. He once said that if a

river is clean and peaceful even a small needle can be seen at the

bottom. We are just like that. If your minds are filled with the

memory of Jesus and His words, with His help you will achieve

such a peace that in that peacefulness you can see the needles

inside your soul that harm you and cause sorrow. It is only then,

after you see them, will have the desire to take them out of of

your soul and mind.

After that your soul won't be filled with hopeless sorrow and

concerns of this world.

How To See and Experience More Miracles In Our

Times

In the New Testament we see two responses to Jesus: faith or

rejection. People with serious illnesses experience miraculous

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healing from Jesus, but those who do not believe that Jesus is the

Son of God, prevent the power of God working in their lives.

Faith Without Doubt Heals

A number of times we see that those people who respond to

Jesus' power with doubtless faith, are healed from their diseases.

We see this in Mark 5:34, when the Lord says to a woman,

"Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace, and be

whole of your disease." We also see this in Luke 17:19 when He

tells a man, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well."

The Faithless Can't Experience God's Miracles

On the other hand, when people do not believe in Jesus' divine

origin, as surprising as it may sound, Mark writes in 6:5 that "He

could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few

sick people and heal them."

He was amazed at their lack of faith

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People believed that Jesus was the carpenter, the son of Joseph,

but those who were unbelievers, didn't believe that He was the

Son of God. All four Gospels clearly show the attitude of the

people at that time toward Jesus.

Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary,

and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?

Matt. 13:55

Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the

brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his

sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Mark

6:3

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious

words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they

asked. Luke 4:22

They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father

and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down

from heaven'?" John 6:42

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You see. Luke mentions that they spoke well of him. Millions of

people consider themselves Christians, speak well of Jesus and

yet deep in their mind and heart Jesus is just the son of a

carpenter, not the Son of God. Because if in our minds Jesus is

truly the Son of God and King of Kings (1 Tim. 6:15) our own

lives and the life in the world would be totally different.

Now do you see why we don't experience many miracles in our

times? Or I am sure those miracles are there, but since seeing

them requires an unshaken faith, we don't see them because for

many of us Jesus is just a carpenter's son.

"He was amazed at their lack of faith." Luke 6:6

What Everyone Should Know About Success:

Christian Perspective

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Why do you think you are not successful sometimes? The opinion

of this world about success is wrong, because people call

temporary things as success. When God is working day and night

to lead an individual's mind and heart to what is everlasting

success, people think the worldly success has turned its back on

them.

Once, a rich man's fields yielded a plentiful harvest. He was so

rich that he decided to retire soon and said, "Now I have

everything, rest, eat, drink and be happy." Don't we call men and

women like "successful?" As an individual or a Christian, would

you like to have this type of success? Would you like your

children to be this successful? If yes, then listen carefully

because the Son of God calls him a fool. Why.

Before we answer to this question, let's ask ourselves the

following. Why so many people, especially young people

sometimes think that what they call success turns away from

them. What is happening during those moments? Did God stop

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speaking to them? Of course no! Our Lord Jesus Christ says "My

Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am

working" (John 5:17). So if God is always at work to save us, why

do we feel this way and discouraged? Well, Apostle Paul says "all

things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans

8:28). Therefore, we may be seeking success in the wrong places.

Running After Success Where It Doesn't Exist

If you believe in the word of the Son of Man then we may be

looking for success in the wrong places. We may be looking for

success in places where it does not exist. What exists there is

temporary and illusory dream, packed in beautiful colorful box.

This is why it is attractive and we falsely run after it.

If you run after this type of worldly success, then you will lose

the eternal one. Even if you achieve the worldly success, you will

one day lose it for sure and you will be quickly disappointing.

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Now, do not think that material wealth is necessarily a bad thing.

In the Old Testament we have number of wealthy saints whom

Jesus calls righteous. Take for example Abraham, David, Job and

some others. These were people, blessed with material wealth.

Yet, in their lives they strictly kept two conditions.

First: Rich with God

These people were rich toward God. They loved God and lived by

His commandments. They were rich toward God and not toward

material things. They hearts were rich and filled with the love of

God. And God doesn't want his faithful and loving children to

lack anything. The Lord Jesus said "which of you, if your son asks

for bread, will give him a stone?" (Mat. 7:9) and added that our

heavenly Father knows about our needs. (Matt. 6:8).

Second: They Were Righteous

The wealthy saints of the Old Testament earned what was given

to them with an honest work. Did you notice I wrote "what was

given to them?" Yes, because like the "fool" in the above-

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mentioned story, they did not consider their wealth their own,

but something that was given to them by the Lord. They paid fair

wages to their workers. They did not deceive. They did not take

anyone's right. And if they did anything wrong, they deeply

repented and accepted the consequence of their sin as fair

compensation.

Dear friend. Do not search for success in the wrong places.

Remember that Jesus told that rich person "You fool! This very

night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get

what you have prepared for yourself?" Indeed, who will get all

the "success" you have prepared and run after. Then our Lord

added, "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for

themselves but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:20-21.

The True Success

The real success is striving to become rich toward God, to be

filled with life, which will never end. When you leaving your God,

the source of your life, turn your heart and occupy your mind

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with worldly temporary things, then know, that your heavenly

Father loves you so much, that He will make circumstances such,

so that in those circumstances you turn your heart and mind to

your God with your own free will. He is waiting for your return.

After all, which father will give his son a stone, when the son

needs bread.

As for the worldly and material things: your heavenly Father

knows you need them and if you first seek His face, His kingdom,

to be with Him, then "these things will be given to you as well."

Matt. 6:33.

Therefore, let anyone ask himself this. When God is looking at

you, will he call you a "food" or will he rejoice with you, seeing

that you make yourself rich toward God and fill your life with

good works?

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Well Know, But Little Practiced Reason Not To Give

Up

When you are about to give up on your life, remember, that God

doesn't give up on you.

You are discouraged, but he gives you courage. You are

disappointed, but he gives you hope. You think everything

around you is falling apart, but he works constantly to build

things up. "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and

I too am working." John 5:17.

You don't live on our own, but it is our loving heavenly Father

who gives us life and sustains it. It is he who breaths his breath

into our nostrils and we live.

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Remember the beginning. "Then the LORD God formed a man

from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the

breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7.

9 Comforting Promises God Has Given To People in

The Bible

Although many of us consider ourselves Christians, we don't

thoroughly study our faith and live by the commandments. As a

results our goals and objectives differ that of God's and this is

why His promises aren't realized in your our lives. Here are 9

wonderful promises that the God has given to those who love

him, written in the Bible.

God has promised to take care of all your needs: house, clothes,

food, company, friends, security. Everything you need for a good

life.

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And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of

his glory in Christ Jesus. Philip. 4:19.

2. God has promised that his grace is sufficient for us. This

means he has given us enough aptitude and ability to fill and

satisfy our needs. You just need to appreciate it, so that it starts

working in you. See what the Scripture says.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power

is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more

gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on

me. 2 Corinthians 12:9.

3. God has promised that His children will not be overcome by

temptations and trials. Moreover, he assures us that in every

difficult situation there will be a way out and He will show it.

No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to

mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b]

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beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will

also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians

10:13).

4. God has promised us victory against death. He resurrected

Jesus Christ, giving us confidence that we will be resurrected

and will live forever.

"But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ." (Corinthians 15:56)

5. God promised that everything around us happens for our good

if we love the Lord. Everything, even the difficulties, benefits us

and leads us to salvation if we love the Lord and aim to leave by

His commandments. "And we know that in all things God works

for the good of those who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). When you go through

difficulties and trials it is sometimes difficult to see this. It is

sometimes difficult to understand why these things happen to us

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and how can we possibly spiritually benefit from them. Yet, our

Lord told us to enter through the narrow gate (Mat. 7:13) and

also said that "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words

shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). Thus, we should have the

full confidence in trusting what our Lord teaches us about life

and its tribulations.

6. God has promised that those who believe in Jesus and are

baptized for the forgiveness of sins shall be saved. The

forgiveness of sins, are baptized, shall be saved.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever

does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38).

7. God has promised that he will not leave us orphans. He will

come to us and forever live with us.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18).

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8. God has promised that all whoever believes in the name of the

Lord Jesus Christ, God's Holy Spirit will flow from him or her as

rivers of living water.

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever

believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will

flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38).

9. God promised his people eternal life.

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will

snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:28).

Dear reader. We do need to love God and honor His

commandments in our lives. Live your life in such a way so that

all of these promises are fulfilled in your life. Living without real

faith means living without confidence, trust, and loyalty.

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How To Dispel Fear and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety fill millions of souls these days, especially when

you turn on TV or read the newspapers, but there is a sure way

to dispel fear and regain even higher level of peace.

Anxiety and fear challenge not only our relationships to one

another, but also our relationship with God. But let’s see: what is

anxiety?

When we recall the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew

6:30–34 we see that anxiety is a result of a man's separation from

God. We also clearly see this thought in the Old Testament,

where in Job 15:20 we read, "All the life of an ungodly man is

spent in anxiety."

You need determination and resolve

Early church fathers teach us that healing requires

determination and resolve. St. Gregory of Sinai, who lived in the

13-14th centuries, writes that “We energize [virtues] according

to our resolve ...” That resolve will depend on how "empowered"

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is your soul. For Christians, it is how God-empowered is your

soul, which actually means how much you live according to the

will and commandments of God. The more you live by the

commandments of God, the less anxiety and fear you will feel and

experience in this life. Take, for example, the first three verses of

one of the most popular Psalms. In Psalm 90:1-3 the psalmist

writes, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who

abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My

refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will

deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly

pestilence …” (Ps 90:1–3).

According to St. Maximus the Confessor fear is the evil that we

expect in the future. What we experience in the present time

regarding fear is called distress. However, we can be

dispassionate in the face of such evils (fear and distress) by

becoming contemplative. Being contemplative means striving to

be a holy Christian, striving to be united with God and detached

from all evil thoughts and works of this world.

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Live by Faith

For a growing number of people Faith is becoming a four letter

word in our society. Unfortunately, many associate faith with

anti-intellectualism. Yet, if you look into the dictionary meaning

of the word faith, the dictionary synonyms for faith are

allegiance, confidence, loyalty, and trust. Is it possible to live this

life without confidence, loyalty, and trust?

I guess Apostle Peter was one of the greatest psychologists of all

the times, when he wrote “Humble yourselves therefore under

the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast

all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.” (1 Pt 5:6–7)

Dear reader, this is exactly our homework in the 21st century.

We need to come to the conviction that our lives are so fragile

and acknowledge our dependency on God. He has given us

commandments, His Word, His Spirit and the church mysteries

for healing of our diseases and infirmities.

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The Power Jesus Gave To His Disciples

Do you remember what authority our Lord Jesus gave to his

disciples? In the Gospel of Matthew we read: “And he called to

him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean

spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every

infirmity.” We cannot live this life without confidence, loyalty and

trust in God. All of these together produce the good fruit of

selfless love toward one another. When we do this, when we

increase our faith and produce good fruits out of the love of our

heart, in that kind of relationship with God and people, there is

no fear. There is no anxiety. There is no darkness. With God's

grace you can overcome them. That kind of relationship with God

and people is only filled with light and love.

What does God Believe In

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Sometimes people ask, "What does God believe in?" Here is one

good reason he believes in you.

If you believe in your heart in Jesus Christ, then you are children

of light and not of darkness. We read more about this in 1st

Thess. 5:4-5.

Do not keep a distance from Jesus and don't be shy of him. “God

believes in a human being,” said Mitropolit Antonii Surozhskii of

the Russian Orthodox Church.

God believes in you. He believes that human individuals want to

be better people and live free lives. This is why he came down

and took body. He gave his life because he not only loves you but

also believes that you like to be better and live better.

What Should Christians Do When People Don't

Reciprocate Help

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People get discouraged when other people don't reciprocate

their help or the good things they have done for them. But there

is one attitude you can have to change that. It is the Christian

way and helps to lift up your soul.

It's good that you like helping people. But helping each other

should be something you want to do, not because you feel you

have to do. Sometimes people may be ungrateful. It's OK.

Continue helping them. They are your brothers and sisters.

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these

little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will

certainly not lose their reward." Matt. 10:42

Why Did Jesus Cry When Entering Jerusalem

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On Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem, happy people

greeted him like their king, but Jesus looked at them and wept.

What a contrast

This was not the first time Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, but

something very important had happened two days ago. He had

raised Lazarus, (who had been dead for 4 days) from the dead.

This unbelievable miracle had happened publicly in the present

of some religious authorities because Bethany, where this

happens is very close to Jerusalem.

So people greeted someone whom they believed can feed 5,000

with 2 loaves of bread, who can walk on the water, can health

the sick and give sight to the blind, and has power over death:

who can raise people from the death. But Jesus looked at them

and wept.

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He wept, because He knows the future and because of human

sins that future didn't look good. And in fact in 37 years after

that day Jerusalem was destroyed.

But this raises a very important question for us today, for you

and me, dear reader. If Jesus looks at you and me today, looks at

our lives, the way we live, the way we manage our time, the way

we manage our possessions and the way we manage our

thoughts, will He weep or will He say “Bravo my child, You have

done it well?” Want it or not, every one of us seeks that "Bravo"

from the one who made us. One day, we will all need that

confirmation of a life well lived from God.

Why Did God Choose To Save Us the Way He Did

What if Jesus chose to save us differently than becoming man and

giving up his life? Would that work?

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In his book "Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives," Father

Thaddeus of Vitovnica explains this question in a very direct way.

"No one can save us except the One Who created us. The Lord

could have chosen to save us in a different manner, for He is

Almighty and All-powerful. Instead, He took upon Himself our

human nature and showed us by His own example the way of

righteousness. Had He chosen to save us in any other way, we

could say to Him, 'You are the Almighty God. You were never a

man as I am; You were never hungry or thirsty, sad or sorrowful.'

Apostles write in the Holy Scriptures that the Lord's earthly life

had many more sorrowful moments than joyous ones. No one

ever saw Him laugh as we do when we are joyful; He was always

Himself. Even today, He bears the burden of our sins. And we

have not accepted Him, although He was a man just like us in all

things except, of course, in sin."

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Indeed, Jesus humbled Himself to the lowest places of human

existence, equally suffering with us and suffering even more than

what an average person apparently does. He was poor, hungry,

thirsty, homeless, jailed, beaten, crucified, and killed. Accept

Him and His salvation or not, but no one can every say “You

were never a man as I am and you never really felt our

suffering.”

Please Don't Abuse Your Free Will, It's Given For a

Different Purpose

Dear brothers and sisters, it seems to me that all people are

given a fair chance to come to know God in their lifetimes due to

all having a free will, but we see that many abuse it. Yet, the free

will is given for a different purpose.

Your free will is given to you so you can use it and come to know

your Creator, your true parent, whom we call Our Father.

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Our Father doesn't want robots or slaves, but has created us with

free will and has called the entire creation "good." He loves us

and wants a relationship with us filled with love. There is no

coercion in that relationship. There is no force.

In fact, if He wanted, he could have just made all of us to worship

him unceasingly. He could have done it with force. Yet, He

doesn't want any coercion in this relationship.

If we didn't have the free will, we would not know if we are truly

free or just made as slaves to worship and pray when He pleases

so. Instead, He created us free and showed His enormous love to

us.

He gave us the free will and put us in a garden especially planted

for our well-being. Instead, we chose another paradise without

God and with us being in the center. Then He said, OK, here I set

life and death in front of you, but choose life and you will live.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

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Brothers and sisters, don't abuse your free will, but use it wisely

and choose life.

How To Make People Feel Good in Your Presence

and Stop Warring

When you change your thoughts, the thoughts of people around

you change too. This is amazing and nothing short of a miracle.

Here is how this happens naturally.

I am reading an interesting book called Our Thoughts Determine

Our lives. It's about the life and teachings of Elder Thaddeus of

Vitovnica (1914-2003, Serbiain monk). It's an easy and good

read. I highly recommend this book for anyone, especially those

who seek spiritual life.

In the chapter On Prayer father Thaddeus gives a very

interesting recipe on how to stop warring among people and how

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to radiate peace and tranquility in people around you. As a result

they feel better in your presence.

Here is what father Thadddeus writes on pages 116-117.

When we think about a certain person often, we begin to love

that person. Do you understand? It is impossible to love a person

if we do not pay any attention to him for a long time and do not

think about him.

Then one paragraph later he writes the following.

When we seek the Lord, our heart begins to burn. The heart is

warmed, and if our thoughts are concentrated in one point and

the concentration is powerful, then the flame of the heart grows

stronger and stronger, and we do everything from the heart.

After that, we see things around us changing - people's thoughts

also start to change - all because of the peace that radiates from

us. We see the thoughts of people around us actually changing!

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They feel good in our presence. Perhaps they had been at war

with us before, but now they feel us radiating peace. As for us,

we now no longer return "an eye for an eye," but rather good and

kind thoughts. We are no longer at war with them; we have

stopped the warfare. What we want is peace. When there are two

warring sides, one side has to back down for the sake of peace.

We are that side. The Lord has, after all, commanded us to love

our enemies.

This is how positive and loving thoughts can change us and

people around us.

How To Live a Life Without Double Standards

We know acting with double standards is a bad thing, but let's

agree that it's difficult not to sometimes give in to this behavior.

It requires strong will, courage, and selfless standing not to act

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with double standard when things are against our interest. How

to conquer this disease? There is one proven way.

Employing double standards is so common in our daily lives. This

human weakness is not only present in our homes, in our

personal relationships even with our spouses and children, but

also common in politics, social life, and present wherever you

look.

I just did a quick search in Google News for "double standard"

and it displayed 99,000 results. Google News keeps each story in

its index (not archive) for 30 days. Thus, it tells me that just in

the English language media, on the average there are 3,300

stories every day where the phrase double standard is somehow

mentioned.

Are you surprised? It was not a surprise to me because I see how

much human life is filled with deception and lies.

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Most people around us call themselves Christians, but living

according to the commandments of Christ and remaining in His

love shows to be only a Sunday one-hour business if one attends

a service at all. Many people lie and deceive themselves and

people around them during the week to sell something or to get

their way.

Yet, we know that employing double standards and deception is a

bad thing.

But, first, let's see how is the term “double standard” defined?

Maybe we will have a clearer understanding if we go deeper into

its meaning.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines double standard as "a

situation in which two people, groups, etc., are treated very

differently from each other in a way that is unfair to one of

them." In its second meaning of definition it adds: "a set of

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principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to

one group of people or circumstances than to another."

Urban Dictionary has a similar definition: "When a situation is

desirable for one group but deplorable for another."

Why do we act in this manner? Why are we unfair to others?

Don't we know that treating another person unfairly will hit back

one day causing suffering to us after we caused someone else to

suffer because of our words or action.

Even the Apostle Paul talks about this very issue in his letter to

the Romans. Listen to what he says in Romans 7:21 "Although I

want to do good, evil is right there with me." Then in verse 24 in

the same chapter he adds "What a wretched man I am! Who will

rescue me from this...?"

Yes. How are we to conquer this disease when even Apostle Paul

complains about it in his teachings? Truly, who will rescue us?

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Who will rescue you when you know what is right but you do

what is wrong. Who will rescue you when you know what

shouldn't be done, but your boss tells you it must be done

regardless or you will lose your job? How do you righteously

conquer a situation when there is something you know you

shouldn't do, but the temptation is great and your give in to your

desire because you were given free will? How do you conquer a

situation when you have a low quality product to sell, but you

know you wouldn't buy it for yourself or your children, but you

sell it anyway? You know it's wrong, even unethical, but you still

do. Can you rescue yourself and heal yourself from these or

similar situations? You think you can, but according to Apostle

Paul you cannot save yourself from these behaviors, and there is

only one solution, about which he writes in the same chapter.

In the 7th chapter, Romans, verse 25, Paul writes. "Thanks be to

God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I

myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful

nature a slave to the law of sin."

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Yes dear friends. It is Jesus who delivers us from being subject to

a sinful nature, if, and only if, he is constantly present in our

mind and heart. It is living the life through the Holy Spirit that

helps us with HIS help to conquer these tempting situations

righteously and live a holy life. The entire chapter 8 in the Letter

to the Romans talks about this. I highly recommend reading this

chapter.

Alone we can't conquer sin, we learn from these two chapters.

With His help we can. This is exactly what Apostle John says in

his 1st letter. He makes a very interesting point in 3:9. Listen to

what he says. "No one who is born of God will continue to sin,

because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning,

because they have been born of God." He is not only talking

about Baptism, but about God's seed remaining in us.

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How does God's seed remain in us? It is through love and prayer.

Keep in mind the 1st commandment. "Love your God with all you

mind, heart, and soul…” - the keyword here being “all”.

If one loves God with all his or her mind, heart and soul he also

keeps His commandments. "If you love me, keep my commands.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate

to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth..." Jesus

says in John 14:15-17.

Constantly remaining in the love of God and keeping His

commandments, living a humble life, looking up to Him and not

down to others, helps us to become true temples of God where

his "seed remains". But in order to love Him, one needs to know

Him well. We can't love someone if we don't know that person. In

this case, we come to know God the Father by reading the Holy

Bible, and by studying the teachings of Jesus Christ and his

Apostles. By this simple act of love, we are constantly sowing

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that seed in our minds and hearts, watering that seed and

fertilizing the soil through daily heartfelt prayers.

As a result good decision-making becomes easy. With the help of

the God's Holy Spirit and His seed in us we can conquer sin and

courageously make decisions void of double standards. Then we

will be able to seek and live a lifestyle according to our faith,

where mind and actions don't conflict with one another, where

double standards have no place, and where consciousness is

clean and lives are being healed with light and true

transparency.

This is the only sure way, proven through the lives of saints, holy

people who live a life with no double standards.

How The First Person to Enter the Kingdom of God

Was a Criminal

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Contrary to all expectations, the first person who entered the

Kingdom of God didn't meet the two most important conditions

set by Jesus. How did this happen?

To enter the kingdom of God Lord Jesus put forward two very

important conditions.

1. Baptism - "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom

of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit." John 3:5

2. Sacrament of Communion - "Very truly I tell you, unless you

eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no

life in you." John 6:53

Who had baptized the criminal on the cross? Who had given him

communion? Who had baptized the Holy Apostols? Did anyone

baptize Mary the Mother of God? A new question comes up after

those questions: what does it mean to be a true Christian?

Please, don't misunderstand me. The meaning of this writing is

not to refuse Baptism and/or Holy Communion. To the contrary,

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the goal of this writing is to look at these two amazing

sacraments from a new angle.

There is one priceless human value, without which Love,

Baptism, and Communion turn into mere external phenomena,

devoid of true meaning. That value is humility.

True love cannot exist without humility, complete submission,

and commitment. Without humility the sacrament of Holy

Communion will become worthlessly received and there will be

judgment for those who partake without knowing Christ, rather

than grace. As we learn from the apostle Paul in his 1st Letter to

the Corinthians 11:29, without a humble life the baptized person

can't become worthy of our heavenly Father's good will because

“God is against the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (Jacob

4:6). In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to

your elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one

another, because, “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to

the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

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And now let's look at ourselves. How do we treat each other?

With pride, fanaticism, constantly judging one another, calling

names to those who don't share our faith, mocking, criticism, or

making fun of those who are weak. What are we doing? How we

are looking down at others and behaving like hypocrites! Yet, we

are baptized and take communion probably every Sunday.

Here, it's very useful to pause for a moment and remember that

Judas also took Communion. In fact, he was one of the first in

this world to do that. But you know what happened next, he

immediately left the room and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of

silver.

Therefore, there is something else here too. There is something

that we may not be doing necessarily right and we should stop

doing. Namely, we should stop looking down at other people.

Instead of looking down at others, we should look up so that we

stop suffering and causing suffering to others.

Looking down at others causes suffering around us and we

should stop that today.

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The criminal on the cross didn't look down, he looked up. He

looked up to Jesus.

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke

23:42), he said to Jesus. I can never enter there because of my

criminal life. I am worthy of this judgment because of my

criminal works and people like me can never enter into your Holy

Kingdom. I have no chance to go there. I lived my life wrong and

lost it. But please you remember me. I am not saying take me

there when you come because I am not worthy, but at least

remember me please when you come.

"Today you will be with me in paradise," answers him Jesus in

the following verse, and adds "truly, truly I say to you," giving

confirming important to His words.

Who, or how many Christians among us have this type of

approach to life? In our eyes, we are all righteous. Probably we

think that we are so righteous or good that at least we have

secured a little corner for ourselves in the Kingdom of God. We

don't kill anyone, we don't rob anyone's house, every Sunday we

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go to church and take Communion. We are baptized. What else is

needed?

In the time of Jesus many Pharisees and the servants of the

Temple were probably thinking exactly the same way. But let's

keep remembering that against all expectations it was the

repentant and righteous criminal that was first welcomed into

the Kingdom of God by Jesus himself.

If You Have Lost Your Peace You Are Not Walking

By The Spirit

If you suffer from various kinds of bad thoughts and you lost your

peace, this is a sign that "you live according to the flesh". Do you

know that when you think of the Spirit of God there is neither

sadness nor disappointments? Have you ever heard of a

disappointing saint?

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That's why the Apostle Paul taught to walk "by the spirit."

(Romans 8: 5; Gal. 5:16). This is the only real way to overcome

worldly difficulties because when your mind is governed by the

Spirit the result is peace and real life. If you want peace, walk by

the Spirit.

How to walk by the Spirit

Look. We have God-given freedom to make choices. We must use

that freedom not only to meet the needs of our bodies, but

primarily the needs of our souls because whether you rejoice or

mourn it’s all in your soul. Paul in Galatians 5 presents both the

fruits of the body and fruits of the spirit. The question is with

what things you occupy your mind. This is a spiritual warfare to

govern your mind.

Your real enemy is inside you, which wants to govern your mind.

Don’t you know how difficult it is to govern your thoughts? Don’t

you know how difficult it is to pray with attention and intent? So

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walking by the spirit means to occupy your mind and thus actions

not with the acts of the body, but with the acts of the Spirit.

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity

and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord,

jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and

envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did

before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom

of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:19-23

You can only win this war (flesh against the spirit) with the help

of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way or technique

because that’s what the 2000 years of the History of the Church

has shown in the lives of true saints. This is why Jesus is called

the Savior of The World. If you call on His name, open your

hearts for Him, and remain FAITHFUL to His Word, then you will

receive His help to conquer the temptations of this world, win

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this warfare, and have eternal life with Him. Lord Jesus Christ,

may I never be separated from your infinite love and mercy.