The Book of James in the Holy Bible, Chapter 5 verse 16.    

The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.     James 5:16

Friend, the prayers that God responds to fervently, are those that are prayed in like manner.

James tells us that the prayer that gets results is the one prayed by a righteous man who is fervent in his asking and need.

What is the prayer we know God loves to hear?  Does He not take care of us and provide for us? 

It is the prayer for our loved ones and friends and neighbours and acquaintances and even those we do not know personally.

The prayer for the unbeliever we know, is the one that gives Him an entrance into that person's life.  He will not take their freedoms from them, but He will be a presence that they are able to feel and see in His Creation.

A righteous man is one who is covered in the Righteousness of Jesus the Son of God who came to pay the price for our sins.

If you believe that God sent His Son as a Sacrifice for those who would repent of their old ways and believe in the One True God and follow the Teachings in the Holy Bible which is known as The Word Of God, you are considered Righteous in the eyes of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Leaving old ways of belief behind you will find many similarities in the writings of your old religion to the Holy Bible but only those in the Bible are the inspired words of God Almighty.  

Others are meant to have a ring of Truth but are designed to enslave you to good works, selfish thinking, and years of being lost within their stories and advice. Satan is a copycat and desires to keep your head turned away from Holy God.

The Bible teaches in the most simplest and concise Way.  God wants everyone to be able to understand that He desires to have a personal relationship with them.

Start praying for your friends and family today and believe that God does hear and will act.

Friend, do you have a hunger to know the One True God?

Are you searching for Truth?

Are you willing to find the Truth and believe?

The Holy Spirit has included the account of a man named Cornelious in the Holy Bible.  Look him up to find out more about him.

Cornelious was a Roman military man who had authority over the Jewish people in the city in which he lived.

He was a good man at heart and so had that light within him.  Living among the Jewish people he found them to be good people.  He was drawn to their ways of living, finding them to be very clean and meticulous and also very healthy. 

Cornelious was also an intelligent man. 

The Jewish temple had an area set aside where Gentile people could come to hear the reading of the Torah and  observe the temple rituals.

Cornelious became an attendant at temple and began to live and conduct himself as the best person he could be according to the Jewish teachings.  His whole household were influenced by him and they too were of the same mindset.

Yet, Cornelious knew he wanted to know God more. He was a good man and yet he knew he was not going to Heaven according to the Jewish faith and he knew all the gods of the Romans and Greeks and all other religions of man would not get him what he desired. He fasted and prayed daily and God answered his prayers.

An angel of the Lord directed him to the Disciple Peter in another town so that he could bring him back to Cornelious's home in order that Cornelious and his house could be taught.

And, Peter taught of the Sacrifice of Jesus and the Plan of God that included Gentiles. 

Here is a lesson for us today.  We the Gentile (unbeliever in Christ) can be reconciled to God Almighty through the Sacrifice of His Son.  All we have to do is believe that God sent His Son to die for our sins and be thankful for the renewing of our soul from sinful unbeliever to sinner saved by Grace.

Are you like Cornelious?  Are you a good person who doesn't have the assurance that you will be with God in Heaven?

There are many good people who have gone to hell.  Don't be one of them.  Do not deny your heart what it wants, because your mind will not accept that it has been wrong all this time.

Follow the Light and satisfy that hunger!  Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and be assured that you will be with Him in Paradise when your time comes for your soul to slip from this body, and leave this world behind.

Friend, in order to be in the Will of God, we must be faithful and follow His Commands.

It is imperative we have knowledge which produces Godly Wisdom. 

The Bible is the place where we hear and see who God is and what He does for us.

Knowing His Commands to us and His Promises for us, will give us a strong will.

Our desire should be to live in His Will.

He knows all about us and those around us.

Allow Him to work in and through you,  and just follow and be faithful to see the beauty of how He works in this world. We can have great confidence that He is working things out for our good in Him.  We can know that we are loved by One so Awesome in Power that He can and will move mountains to get the result He has promised us.

In doing this we may not see immediate miracles but God works in ways that we do not see and He has a Plan and it will be carried out. 

We just need to be faithful followers.

Meditation                         

Scripture.  The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:  the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:7-9  KJV

David has discovered that the Law of God is perfect.  The perfection of who God is and what He stands for will convert a seeking heart.  It cannot deny the Truth it sees.  God is Good and at the same time, greatly to be feared.  He holds the soul of man in His hands and His Judgement is Just.

When we have a healthy fear of the Lord which is a recognition of Who He is, we have gained knowledge that is pure and will be an anchor that holds us to God as we live our daily life.

Let us live with the knowledge of a fearsome and all powerful God who loves us and has made a Way for us to be reconciled to Him so that any fear is converted to love and respect for Him.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your Perfection and Power.  Help me to acknowledge these Godly qualities and place in me a desire to dive deeper into Your Word so that I may grow in Truth.  Amen.

Luke Chapter 11 verses 2-4  King James Bible

And He (Jesus) said unto them, When ye pray, say,

Our Father which art in Heaven

Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy Will be done, as it is in Heaven

so in earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins;

for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

Friend, notice that Jesus shows us how to address God - our Father which art in Heaven.

Then He says we should praise God - Hallowed be Thy Name (Your Name is Holy and I know it.)

We can then agree with God that His Kingdom and Will will be done just as in Heaven it is surely and most perfectly done.

Next we can ask for our needs - Give us daily our food and shelter and take care of all our human needs.

Then we admit we are a sinner and need forgiveness and we speak of how we will forgive others.

We then ask that the Lord be with us and help us to overcome temptation and not allow evil to be a driving force in our lives.

This attitude of prayer is one given to us by our Lord Jesus the Christ and therefore the Father will always hear this form of prayer said with a reverent heart.

Begin to use this simple prayer form to address the Father and believe that He will hear and respond to it.

Friend, we must "stay the course" if we are to gain the prize of eternal Life with our King.

This life is hard and evil throws bad things at us all the time in order to keep us unbalanced mentally, spiritally and physically.

Satan attacks us mind, body and spirit and the Lord will sustain us if we stay the course with Him.  It is called faith and He will bolster our faith if we focus on Him and communicate with Him - listening for His voice and reading the Word to know His Way, Promises for us, and Plan for us.

His Way and Plan for us is always for our good. Yet evil does have power in this world and will tempt us and undermine us at every opportunity just as Satan tempted Jesus.  But our Lord, always answered the devil by quoting scripture. 

"It is written...." Jesus said, and He would quote the appropriate scripture.

This is a great lesson for us.  We too can quote scripture back at the devil when he tempts us. This is why it is of great benefit to study the Bible.  Once we know and place in our heart and mind certain scriptures, we will never fail to overcome the devil's wiles.

He will flee and leave us alone until the next time he sees we could be tempted.

So friend, stay the course and be strengthened by the renewing of your mind with Holy Scripture.

Friend, have you had something happen since you have been walking with Jesus that is so wonderful and unbelievable that you would have to call it a miracle - because to bring something to the fore that would never have been possible because of the many unbelieving people involved, was unimaginable?

Yes, me too!

These unimaginable outcomes, and marvellous happenings are nothing to God.  That is just a tiny part of what He can and will do for you.  Just stay believing and you will see more of the unimaginable happen.  You will look back in a year or two and see what He has accomplished because of your belief in Him.

He is the Miracle Worker.  Allow Him full rein to do what He sees fit; and you, be the follower!

Do not despise the humiliations from those you love or others, do not fret or fear about your circumstances!  Just believe that He is working out His good pleasure in you, and all things will come together in His Perfect Timing for your good.

Much has to be done behind the scenes.  Many souls have to be stirred to move and choose.  But always believe that He is working out His Plan for you.  Get up and go about your daily life with joy in your soul that Holy God is for  you.  See others as the Lord sees them.  He loves them - not their sin, but their soul.  He sees what they could achieve and He sees how they will come to believe. 

Will it be by the plough or will they take on the yoke of the Kind and Gentle King?

Be available to Him and in constant contact with Him so that you will have the opportunity to hear His Voice and obey.

Obey for what?  For spiritual growth and power in His Name, for eternal Life, for a place in the Kingdom to be a helper and not a lost soul that wanders into troubled waters at every turn.