“And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.” 1 Kings 8:54, KJV
“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:” Isaiah 59:1, KJV
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4, KJV
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:5-6, KJV
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened . . . If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matthew 7:7-8, 11, KJV
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22, KJV
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32, KJV
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21, KJV
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19, KJV
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:6-8, KJV
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14-15, KJV
In the New Testament Scriptures, the words “sanctify”, “sanctification” and “holy” are derived from the Koine Greek words “hagiazo”, “hagios” and “hagiasmos”, which mean to dedicate, consecrate and set apart for service to God. This is what Saints are. We are separated from the world, in order to serve the Lord.
There has been so much talk of systemic racism, Black Lives Matter, Antifa and related topics in recent months. Some people are screaming very loudly, and very angrily, and are constantIy striving to keep these issues in front of our faces. So let me say the following. I believe that to some degree, racism and class division exist in many — perhaps most — parts of the world. However, insofar as the USA is concerned, being an idealist, I would like to believe that they occur to a lot less degree than that which is portrayed in the mainstream media, and by certain politicians. I would like to believe that the goodness and kindness in people’s hearts is stronger than any root of racism and prejudice. The truth is that the discussion of race and ethnicity is constantly used by governments, radicals, extremists and others to stir up trouble, to divide and weaken people, and to promote and advance some particular agenda. I strongly believe that as Bible-believing Christians, we need to learn to see beyond the flesh. We need to see people as God sees them, based on our knowledge of His Word. My Christian perspective is based on verses such as the following:
“And hath made of ONE BLOOD all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” Acts 17:26, KJV
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; THE FLESH PROFITETH NOTHING: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63, KJV
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7, KJV
