Taking Hold Of God’s Willingness

Pray, pray, pray! Why prayer is important / Is God in Control of Everything?

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[This article was taken from our book Don’t Blame God! A Biblical Answer to the Problem of Evil, Sin and Suffering.]

We do not believe that faith is the only variable in the “equation” of life. A study of the Word of God shows that prayer, the intensity of the spiritual battle and the help of other believers are also variables that affect what happens in our lives. The prayers of God’s people play an important part in the will of God coming to pass, because prayer is a catalyst for change — in people and in circumstances. No one knows how much sin and suffering could be avoided if Christians everywhere developed strong prayer lives. It seems that the power of prayer has been vastly underestimated. Prayer is not just reciting what someone else wrote; it is communion with God and the Lord Jesus Christ. [1]

Jesus himself had an extremely powerful prayer life. He spent hours alone in prayer to God. Surely that shows the value and importance of prayer. Commands (not suggestions) to pray are found all over the Bible. “Devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2), “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17), “be…faithful in prayer” (Rom. 12:12), “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 6:18). And these are just a few. Paul knew that our prayers make a difference between success and failure in one another’s lives: “On him [God] we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers” (2 Cor. 1:10 and 11).

Many Christians have made resolutions to pray, but then quit when they did not see immediate results. Christ addressed this tendency: “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). The parable is about persisting in prayer. Jesus gave us “the Lord’s Prayer” to show us the essential components of proper prayer, and he taught us to be bold, persistent and specific when we pray.

Nothing is more vital to a Christian’s cooperation with God than prayer. He needs us to become fellow laborers with Him in writing “His-story.” Through prayer, we can participate in events that otherwise would not have occurred. In his excellent book on prayer, And God Changed His Mind, Brother Andrew talks about how the false premise that God is in control of everything going on in the world, and its corollary fallacy that whatever happens is God’s will, so dilutes a Christian’s prayer life as to render it useless. He writes:

The fatalist’s attitude seems to reflect tremendous faith: “I refuse to question the will of God,” he will say with pious humility. But does he actually mean that whatever happens in the world is all right with him — including war, famine, oppression, the breakdown of the family and society, the exploitation of the innocent and weak, and the degradation of all that is holy and pure? “If God allows it, there must be a reason,” he will say, “and I can’t hope to understand God’s reasons with my small mind, so I accept what He does by faith and praise the Lord anyway!” And ignorant listeners to this kind of talk will respond admiringly, “What faith!” [2]

The truth is, as he also writes, that:

The boundaries of evil are expanding every day, and fatalistic apathy is enabling those boundaries to grow because it offers no resistance. But Christians must oppose evil [which first requires a recognition of it and that God is not the cause of it]; we were born for battle! Every Christian is a soldier, a “member of the resistance” in God’s army, taking part in spiritual warfare. The moment we lose sight of this, we become aimless in our actions and fuzzy in our focus. We forget why we were born, forget what we have been trained and equipped to do on the battlefield, and we die without knowing why we lived. Most importantly, we never complete the mission we were sent to accomplish. Score one more for the Devil. [3]

Faith in the Word of God is the only firm foundation upon which a Christian can build his prayer life. As Jesus stated in Mark 11:24, “…when you pray, believe [have faith].” Prayer and faith in God’s Word go hand-in-hand. Whatever God has promised in His Word to us as Christians, we can, with faith, pray for. This is yet another reason why it is so vital for each Christian to know the written Word of God, because it is our basis to know what is available through prayer, and what is the right attitude to have when we pray.

Someone once said that “prayer is not forcing God’s reluctance, but rather it is taking hold of His willingness.” God’s posture toward man is clear from Him giving His only begotten Son. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, God is always reaching out to give to His children “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17). Prayer, based upon a knowledge of God’s Word (which reveals His will and His will-ingness), is a primary way that a son of God can take hold of His many promises.

In this vein, the importance of each Christian’s free will cannot be overemphasized. The biblical truth about the rewards that each of us will receive from the Lord validates God’s appreciation of our individual response to His Word. He gives us credit for doing our part as fellow laborers with Him. Many Christians refuse to take credit for their efforts, and often reject other people’s heartfelt appreciation, saying things like, “Give God all the glory.” Scripture, however, clearly shows us that the way we truly glorify God is by recognizing the power He has given us, and using it to obey Him (see Romans 16; 1 Corinthians 16:17, 18; 2 Timothy 4:7, 8; 3 John 12).

CHECK INA DI COMMENTS OOOOOOOOOOOO RITE NOW VERY QUICK WHAT A PIECE A NASTINESS AND SOFTNESS A GWAAN A JA

From: Royal Rasta
Title: 500,000 signatures NEEDED United States Supreme Court: Review the injustice on Mark Anthony Myrie & overturn it

Message Body:
500,000 signatures NEEDED United States Supreme Court: Review the injustice on Mark Anthony Myrie & overturn it

http://www.change.org/petitions/united-states-supreme-court-review-the-injustice-on-mark-anthony-myrie-buju-banton-and-overturn-it

CLICK THE LINK ABOVE OR GO TO CHANGE.ORG TYPE IN MARK MYRIE AND SIGN THE PETITION THANKS #TEAMBUJU

“Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people are convinced that Mark Anthony Myrie was unjustly targeted and convicted in the United States court in Florida,” explains Banton’s new attorney, Chokwe Lumumba “We request that the highest court of the land review this injustice and overturn it.” He adds, “We are determined to fight for Myrie’s freedom until he is vindicated.”

The talented Grammy Award winning reggae super star and philanthropist Mark Myrie, aka Buju Banton, currently languishes in Miami Correctional federal prison in Florida serving the second of a ten year sentence while awaiting ruling on his pending appeal for a re-trial–for allegedly conspiring to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine. In June 2009 while on a trans-Atlantic flight returning from a European concert tour, Buju was befriended by a Colombian man seated next to him, “Alexander Johnson”–a career criminal turned paid US government informant– who spent the next 6 months calling and trying to convince Buju to purchase cocaine. Johnson eventually wore him down and persuaded Buju to come see his boat in Sarasota, where, instead Buju and his driver, Ian Thomas were flashed cocaine in a DEA undercover warehouse. Two days later, Ian Thomas facilitated a drug deal with James Mack, a third party from Atlanta, with Alexander Johns on and on Dec. 10, 2009, Buju was arrested across the State at his home in Tamarac. He thought he was being arrested for “parking tickets” when police entered his home. Alexander Johnson received $50,000 cash payment for setting up this drug deal. Alexander Johnson was convicted in 1993 for bringing thousands of kilograms of cocaine and marijuana into the United States, Johnson was able to negotiate his life sentence down to 21 years in exchange for turning in his drug affiliates, then down to 10 years, and after only 2 years in jail, Johnson worked out a deal in which the Government asked a judge to further reduce his sentence and he was released with 5 years of probation. After two months, at the Governments request, Johnson’s probation was terminated. Despite being a convicted felon who was not a US citizen, Johnson was not deported to his native Colombia. Rather he successfully parlayed his life of crime into a lucrative 16 year career as a confidential informant f or which he has been paid over $3.3 million by the US government. Mark Myrie is beloved to millions across the globe as the Grammy award winning reggae artist called “the voice of Jamaica.” He has no previous criminal record and neither uses nor distributes cocaine. Raised by a single mother of 15 children in substantial poverty, he worked diligently to achieve a successful music career and fulfill his role as the primary provider for a large family.

Mark Myrie was convicted last year for “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute” and “using the wires to facilitate a drug trafficking offense,” federal offenses that together carry a 10-year penalty. A third conviction, “knowing and intentionally carrying a firearm to further a drug offense” (5 year minimum), was thrown out at his sentencing hearing, however upon appeal by the Prosecution, the charge was reinstated.

On October 30th, Banton was scheduled to face a re-sentencing hearing at the US Sam Gibbons Court in Tampa, Florida following an Atlanta-based Appeals Court ruling that he should be convicted for a gun possession offense. The ruling was made after the artiste lost an appeal bid against his 10-year conviction on a drug-smuggling charge.
He faced an additional five years on that conviction.

However, the re-sentencing was postponed after his attorney Chokwe Lumumba filed two motions before Judge Moody. ”We filed two motions. The first motion was for the judge to reconsider his prior sentence and reduce it. The second motion was for a new trial based on jury misconduct. The judge decided that notice for the new trial took precedence over re-sentencing and decided to research whether he is allowed to grant a new trial under the law,” stated Banton’s co-counsel, Ihmotep Alkebu-lan.
”We are hoping that he is granted a new trial to hear from jurors and elicit testimony about their misconduct, and therefore he be granted a new trail,” he said.
The juror, Terri Wright, revealed to a Florida media house that she had secretly researched the Pinkerton Law which was used by the prosecution to connect Banton to an illegal firearm that was found in the possession of a co-conspirator, James Mack, during a cocaine transaction in a police-controlled warehouse in Tampa.
Mack and another man, Ian Thomas, were both arrested during that sting operation and copped guilty pleas. They both received 51-month sentences.
Banton is likely to face stern opposition from the prosecutors to the motion for a new trial or a reduced sentence.

Buju has consistently maintained his innocence and claimed he was entrapped by Drug Enforcement Agent informant Alexander Johnson, who he said enticed him with promises of huge record deals.

We encourage you to sign this on line petition to the Supreme Court requesting the charges against Mark Myrie aka Buju Banton be overturned.

United States Supreme Court
C/O Attorney Chokwe Lumumba
440 N. Mill St.
Jackson, Mississippi 39202

Hon. Supreme Court Justices:

I am writing this letter in support of Mark Anthony Myrie (Buju Banton).

Mr. Myrie has filed a petition in this court seeking review and reversal of drug, conspiracy, weapons possession and phone facilitation convictions occurring in the U.S.District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.

The convictions of Mr. Myrie are outrageous and unjust. Mr. Myrie was the victim of a concerted U.S. government effort to entrap, conducted by a corrupt informant who was paid 3.5 million dollars by the government for his services in various cases over the years.

Mark Myrie is a Grammy Award winning reggae artiste from Jamaica. He has never been convicted of a crime prior to the present case. He has helped feed numerous hungry children in his country and otherwise contributed to worthy causes in Jamaica and elsewhere. He is supported by hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions worldwide.

I ask this honorable court to review his case and grant Mark Myrie the relief he deserves.

Sincerely,

Babymama Drama
Published: Tuesday | November 20, 2012 2 Comments
Q. I have a dilemma. I have two women pregnant for me at the same time. They do not know about each other as yet. I am not sure which one to marry. The older woman has a child for me already. She also has an adult child, but we do not get along. The younger one is expecting her first child. I am thinking that it might be better to marry the young one because she is more educated. In addition, when I get old, she will be able to take care of me. The older woman would expect me to care for her in her old age. The problem is that I have been in a relationship with the older woman for a while, and my parents know her and like her. She has done many good things for me and took good care of me. She is, however, very jealous and miserable and I do not love her that much anymore. Should I go with my gut and ignore my parents and marry the younger girl?

A. You appear to be a selfish man. You want someone to care for you in your old age but you are not willing to do the same for a woman. Apparently, you do not realise that ill-health can come at any age and based on the marriage vows you would be expected to be loyal, true and faithful in sickness as in health.

In addition, you have not placed much weight on the older woman who cared for you. It appears that you are not only selfish but you are also ungrateful.

Furthermore, you do not appear very responsible in that you have two women pregnant at the same time. Why did you not use contraceptives? You are not engaging in safe sex and you are putting yourself and your multiple partners at risk. You need to control your sexual urges and not run after every skirt.

Jealousy issue

You are complaining that the older woman is jealous, but she has every right to be jealous because you have been unfaithful. Additionally, you are not showing any remorse for impregnating two women. You do not appreciate the enormous responsibility to care for two children with different women at the same time. It might not be long before the younger woman starts to be jealous when she hears about both pregnancies.

Why do you believe that any of these two women would want to marry you? I hope both would send you packing after they have discovered what you have done!

The opinion of your parents should be given respect concerning whom you should marry. However, the final decision is yours. The problem is not so much your parents’ desire but whether you are ready to give unconditional love to either woman.

You need to examine your lifestyle and ascertain whether you are responsible to take on the lifelong, exclusive commitment of marriage. You are not ready as yet, and you need to become mature and start to give love and care.

Email: [email protected]

Message Body:
Simone the ppl then ago come back fi then man