#Scriptures about humble yourself

[happyhealthyandprosperous]

Scriptures About Surrendering to God

Scriptures About Surrendering to God As a Christian, I think one of the most challenging but most important things we can do is learn the act of surrendering to God, to His will, and to His ways. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, many people like to conveniently leave out the “Lord” part. We want the saving—we just don’t want to be told what to do or how to live by a master. We want to…

[4dkellysworld]

Let go of everything

Every position that you find yourself in, every situation that you find yourself in, with whomever you find yourself, the positions that you have or don’t have, whatever you may be in this world, is your right place at this moment. Bless this, love it. I know it sounds hard when you think of a horrible condition and you say, “I must love it?” Let me explain again. The reason you love it, is because God is all there is. Try to remember this. There is nothing but God. Therefore if you hate something, you’re hating God which is your Self. It’s all coming out of you. You are That. You must learn to trust and love your Self, your precious Self. When you become despondent, depressed, hateful, feeling sorry for yourself, this is what blasphemy really means, for you’re feeling this way about your Self. Can’t you see? There’s only your Self. If you think something is horrible, you’re speaking about your Self. You look at a situation, you watch it, you observe it, you never react, you leave it alone. And then you’ll be given the power that you need to handle it, to go through it, without thinking, without thoughts, without any commotion, without any noise. These are the things you must work on. Be that Self. Never be frightened again by anything. If I can make this perfectly clear to you, never allow anything in this world to ever frighten you. Allow things to unfold as they may. Remember, you just watch and observe. Hold on to the truth. Happiness will come of its own accord. When you hold on to the truth, when you do not react to life’s conditions, person, place or thing, when you leave things alone and you stop fighting life, you’re not giving up. I’m telling you there is nothing to fight. And the only thing you’re giving up is your ego. You’re giving up your body, your ego, your mind. You rise to a higher dimension where there is happiness, peace, compassion, love and joy, that is naturally yours. You begin to feel these things instead of the things you felt before, prior to this, when you were fighting life, when you were sticking up for your rights, when you were trying to get even, when you were working as an ego. Let go of everything. Do not hold on. Stand naked before God, without any crutches, without anything to hold on to. When you can do this, from this moment on you will begin to rise. And you will become aware that you are not the body or the mind or the world or the universe, but you are effortless, choiceless, Pure Awareness. You are boundless space, infinite like the sky. You have become everything, and everything has become you. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they have to stand naked before God. By standing naked I mean no scripture, no fancy words, no preconceived ideas, no spiritual intellectual knowledge. But to be totally naked, in humility and humbleness. Therefore when you can forget about your scripture, forget about everything you’ve learned, and become totally empty, you will then become full.

from Silence of the Heart - Robert Adams

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Sunday Afternoon Session

Conducting: Quentin L Cook

Come Rejoice

D Todd Christofferson

A limiting trait is not being valiant in your testimony

Wholehearted devotion is what we should strive for

To make it to and stay in the Celestial Kingdom we must have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and act on that testimony

Being Valiant in your testimony of Christ

Includes nurturing and strengthening that testimony

Heading His messengers

Encouraging others by word and example

We will not let anything keep us from being together forever

Do the things Jesus shall teach and command you

Taylor G Godoy

God hears our prayers and answers them in a personalized way

Mosiah 5:12

This life by its nature brings about experiences

Call Him, don’t fall

Just because you aren’t answered immediately doesn’t mean your call wasn’t answered at all

Confidence in the Lord’s answers requires accepting that they are not always what would expect in our minds for them to be.

The Lord is the first option for help

Call Don’t Fall (pray)

After prayer do all you can to obtain the answers you pray for

Humbly accept His answers

Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling

Gary E Stevenson

Where is the foundation of your bridge?

The two towers are love the Lord thy God and love your neighbor as thyself – these are the towers that the bridge of the gospel is supported by

Loving the Lord leads to eternal Happiness

Bridges our heavenly upward gaze to our heavenly outward gaze

Love of the Lord is not complete if we do not love our neighbors

Loving your neighbors includes Christlike deeps of love and service

How are you building your tower of love?

“did God call on you specifically, or were you simply the one who listened?”

These towers need to function together in balance, equal devotion, and harmony

God loves everyone and so should we; we seek out those in need and serve them regardless of race, wealth, gender identity, sexual orientation, or anything else

God commanded us to love one another. Leave judgement up to Him

How do we build our own bridge of faith and devotion?

Early drafts become polished blueprints

Mathias Held

Consequences are a part of agency

Repentance is where growth happens

Seek to learn and accept support from the Lord

In the darkness of night we can turn on our lights

We can still choose how to respond to things out of our control

We are agents not objects.

Opposites don’t exist apart from each other, they can complement each other.

Where there is sunshine, shadows must be there too. Floods brings destruction but they bring life as well

Our difficulties do not define us – it is our attitudes and choices that define us much better than our situations

How Firm a Foundation

Niel L Anderson

It is breathtaking to see the works of God

Discipline your faith, what does that mean to you?

Eleazer Cearcy – sealing story – this is why listen to promptings

Angels have charge over us

Through the power of the Holy Ghost we are filled with strength and peace and joy and unspeakable hope.

Many different ways to see the face of Christ and no better place than in His holy house

Mark L Pace

Transform our homes into sanctuaries of faith

The scriptures are here to help us draw closer to Him

How can you avoid personal apostasy?

We are responsible for our own personal spiritual growth

The most important copy of the book of Mormon is the one you read

Heavenly Father wants you to know yourself – but you must put in the effort

Russell M Nelson

Called to apostles 40 years ago!

Six temples when he was born

Ponder what the Lord’s promise means for you personally

The priesthood was restored prior to the church – to ensure that the church could be organized with the correct authority

The priesthood keys are the only way we get the essential ordinances and covenants, the only way we can have blessings the way we do – we can extend all the blessings promised to/by Abraham to all God’s children

D&C 110

The gathering of Israel is evidence God loves all of His children everywhere

The gospel of Abraham is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere

The sealing power is supreme evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere and wants them to return to Him

Study Kirtland temple dedicatory prayer in D&C 109

Regular temple worship will enhance how you see yourself

The temple empowers us to take on the challenges of life

You do not have to face life alone

What courage does it give you to know that angels really will help you?

No combination of wickedness will prevail over those who worship in the house of the Lord

Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than attending the temple as regularly as you can, nothing will protect you more, nothing will bolster your testimony of Christ and His atonement, or recognize the significance of His plan, nothing will soothe your spirit more, nothing will open the blessings of Heavens more

15 temples:

Uturoa, French Polynesia

Chihuahua, Mexico

Florianopolis, Brazil

Rosario, Argentina

Edinburgh, Scotland

Brisbane, Australia South Area

Victoria, British Colombia

Yuma, Arizona

Houston, Texas South Area

Des Moines, Iowa

Cincinnati, Ohio

Honolulu Hawaii

West Jordan Utah

Lehi Utah

Maracaibo, Venezuela

Now Let Us Rejoice

[anastpaul]

One Minute Reflection – 3 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – Within the Octave of All Saints – Pentecost XXIV – Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 8:23-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ “And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish.” – Matthew 8:25 

 REFLECTION – “God is not at all displeased when, on occasion, you quietly complain to Him. Do not be afraid to say to Him: “Lord, why dost Thou stand afar off?” (cf Ps 9:22 LXX) Thou knowest well I love Thee and only long for Thy Love. Graciously come to my aid and do not abandon me.” If your desolation continues and your anguish is unbearable, unite your voice to that of Jesus, Jesus dying in affliction on the Cross; say, as you beg the Divine pity: “My God, my God, why hast Thou abandoned me?” (Mt 27:46) But profit from this trial, firstly so as to humble yourself even more, while reminding yourself that we are not worthy of any consolations when we have offended God and then, so as to revive your confidence even more by reminding yourself that, whatever He may do or permit, God only has your wellbeing in mind and that, in this way, “all things work together for the good” (cf Rm 8:28) of your soul. The more trouble and discouragement besiege you, the more you should arm yourself with courage and cry out: “The Lord is my Light and my help, who should I fear?” (Ps 26:1). Yes, Lord, it is Thou Who enlightens me, Thou Who will save me; in Thee I entrust myself, “in Thee I place my hope: I shall never be confounded” (Ps 30:2 LXX). In this way, stand firm in peace, certain that “no-one has hoped in the Lord and been confounded ”(Sir 2:11 Vg.), none have been lost after having placed their trust in God.” – St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop and Most Zealous Doctor of the Church (What Should We Speak About With God? – from: ‘How to Converse Continually and Familiarly with God’).

(via One Minute Reflection – 3 November – ‘ …In this way, stand firm in peace, certain that “no-one has hoped in the Lord and been confounded ” …’ – AnaStpaul)

[weidaoduzun3]

A Musing on Requesting Help from Lord Lao

in Livia Kohns introduction to the The Yellow Court Scripture Volume One: Text and Main Commentaries (Huangting Jing 黃庭經) she mentions how adepts of the Shangqing School of Daoism (predecessors of Maoshan) would prepare to chant the Huangting Jing. They do so by petitioning various Gods for aid and support-- mainly Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun 太上老君 ). This ancient idea of requesting help in chanting, or in my practice, spells and cultivation is something that has survived to this day, and is quite frankly, a beautiful preliminary rite.

I theorize and question why members of the Shangqing school would request help from the Gods to aid them in their chants and other religious activities. My conclusion: Even members of the Shangqing school knew, that we alone are not enough to beget magical transmutations. The Gods must aid us in our magical, religious, and mundane pursuits. We must have sincerity in our hearts, become as passive as possible, utilize the emptiness within us, and request to allow the Gods into our lives and work through us. Doing so, allows us to be a reflection of the Gods in all esoteric and exoteric endeavors. We become the Gods and the Gods become us. Such is what the petitioning the Gods and Divinely mapping them to our bodies is about!

Zhaungzi 23.17.1-2: Master Lao said, “How hard and anxiously you’ve worked at cleansing yourself! But your inner self so overflows with it that you still have what’s bad in you. When one’s outer is fettered, even the utmost dexterity fails to control it, so this blocks the inner; when one’s inner is fettered, even the tightest grip fail to control it, so this blocks the outer. If the inner and the outer are thus fettered, even [one who aspires to] the Dao and its Virtue fails to control them, so how less likely can one who conducts himself apart from the Dao!”

This quote from the Zhuangzi (translated by Lynn) gives way to passivity, sincerity, and emptying oneself to ultimately, as the Sangqing and by extension, Maoshan would have it, becoming vessels for the Gods to allow us to move with Ziran and Wu-Wei. Exercise and display Virtue all you wish, but if you are not empty inside to truly embody Virtue, you still have gunk in you. Try to use control and impose yourself and force the Gods to aid you; this fetters the outer and will bring calamity upon you. Having your inner unfettered, meaning becoming vastly empty and void, allows room for the Gods. Having your outside unfettered, the Gods aid you in your religious pursuits, and thus will position you in Ziran, and thus the self, family, and community will eventually sort itself out and abide with Ziran as well.

Dao De Jing 70 “Those who understand me are rare, and so, those few I treasure. It is for these reasons that the Sage wraps himself in coarse cloth while concealing jade in his heart."

To understand Laozi is to ask for His help, in my opinion. In doing so, your outer is unfettered and thus not displaying Virtue biasedly, but rather Virtue is displayed as Heaven displays its beneficent Virtue, humbly -- unbiasedly. This is a reason for dressing, and appearing humble. Concealing the Jade in your heart means to fast the heart-mind. Emptying the essence of your heart so that you make use of the Gods, specifically for this post, Lord Lao, the ontologically highest God under Dao inexhaustibly.

I cannot help to bring up some passages from the Liezi that I think give philosophical backing to this idea of "requesting help from Lord Lao (and all the Gods by extension).

Liezi 2 (translation AC Graham): 用志不分，乃疑於神. "Set your will on one aim, and be equal to the gods!"

Liezi 4: 在己无居，形物其箸，其動若水，其靜若鏡，其應若響。"If nothing within you stays rigid, Outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo."

How else does one be equal to the Gods? How else can you alone move like water, be still like a mirror, and respond like an echo? Ask the Gods for assistance! Prayer. Ritual. Visualization. Divine Landscaping the Gods into your body parts! Become the Gods and They become you, in so much as one has capacities to do so. Some have more capacity to become like the Gods, and others less. No one though is completely devoid of becoming like the Gods, and I believe we all should try to strive to become like our Gods, whether you are a Daoist, Christian, Hermeticist, or whatever.

What I am not suggesting is that by doing a Request the Master Spell (Lord Lao is the main "Master" here) will numerically equate with Lord Lao in any capacity. But it will allow you to reflect the qualities of Lord Lao in so much as each individual is capable of, and how it accords with their human nature (xing). Requesting the Master will allow you to bring true power to your inner practice: magic, your cultivation, religious chants, etc. This in turn allows you to outwardly move like water and respond like an echo (Ziran). That is your outward practice...which I think naturally begets one to live like a Confucian...but that is another post for another day once I've studied more (Neo) Confucianism. ;)

I cannot help but assume the Shangqing school had passages such as these in their minds when developing such preliminary invocations to petition the Gods for their magical and religious pursuits. So, how does one go about "Requesting Help from Lord Lao" to aid in their cultivation or other magical and religious pursuits? In @Chinesemagick's (on twitter/x) book Practical Chinese Magic https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Chinese-Magic-Jason-Read/dp/191415312X, we see a certain "opened-door-method" for requesting aid and permission from Lord Lao to aid and assist us theurgist and cultivators. Complete with how to properly set up an altar to Lord Lao, the proper offerings and placements, spells, and proper mudras.

The reason for such requesting and aiding in spells, chants, and the like is to build an ancestral connection with Lord Lao. Simply doing Daoist spells or cultivation methods is just not enough. Others may feel differently and have anecdotal experience to suggest otherwise. More power to them; sincerely, Gods bless them! They should trust the essence of their heart and experience. There is a path for everyone. This is just one path. The Dao of Maoshan. One's inner power is not unlocked just by simple cultivation meditations or chants. At our basest self, we have no real magical power. Connecting to a train of transmission, to the Great Master Lord Lao is what allows the adept to unlock their own inner power to truly cultivate different Qi's, place certain Gods to parts of the body, and thus transmute your own gunk into something either fearful and powerful, or something pleasant and helpful -- you get to choose and act accordingly.

To connect to the ancestral powers of the Master -- such is a fundamental step before any cultivation must begin. It took me 20 days to just get the Request/Permission method I was taught with any sort of efficacy -- then I knew I was ready to cultivate Golden Light (Tian Qi). Then, with the help of this most Precious God, I am beginning to, slowly but surely, transmute some baseness of myself. It's a two-way street. The Gods cannot do all the work for you, but you cannot do all the work either. Be One with the Gods, be One with Dao, for it is all One.

***I do not speak for Shangqing, Maoshan nor the author Jason Read whose book I linked. I speak for myself, and myself only!***

天人合一 tiānrén-héyī “Heaven and Man are One.” 福生无量天尊 fú shēng wú liàng tiānzūn “May the immense blessings of Heaven go forth with you.”

[allegraforchrist]

As a Christian blogger, and Christian overall, I find it hard to post on my Instagram or TikTok platforms. Not because I’m embarrassed to share the gospel or talk about it; it’s because doing it online feels performative. Of all the Christian tiktokers and influencers I follow / followed: their videos are always short and provocative. While I do find it great they’re sharing their faith and creating many posts to spread God’s gospel, I feel sometimes it’s not… purposeful towards the spiritual conditions of Christianity. It’s monetized and easily summarized. There’s either very little depth into the scripture and what it examples from following Christ. While not all of us have the same purposes as other parts of the body of Christ, we still have a purpose to fulfill as our specific body - whatever may it be, higher or lower. We can’t all be leaders and prophets and teachers and apostles online, and that’s where I worry we blur the lines between the Holy Spirit’s voice, and our voice. We preach and then act like we’re an Apostle, we read a verse out loud and then act like we’re a Priest, we pray for someone and then act like we’re a Prophet. We do all these things to encourage people to come to Christ: make videos, create content, make memes, do cool edits of Jesus and the Chosen and Bible verses… all the meanwhile we’re losing ourselves to the idols of popularity, monetization, false teachings, and religiousness. We become so absorbed in performing the Word of Christ online, we forget to act on the Word of Christ in the real world. Social media connects us to thousands upon billions of people, but we can still reach a disconnection if we aren’t looking at our Bibles first and following God, and not following which section in the Bible we can make a video about that’ll get the highest amount of attention. Sharing the Gospel for demand, and not Christly desire.

-> Matthew 5:17 ; 5:19-20, “Gods Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky, and the ground at your feet. Long after the stars burn out and the earth wears out, God’s law will be alive!… Trivialize the smallest item in God’s law and you will have only trivialized yourself. But whoever takes it seriously, shows the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.”

I’m not saying don’t preach the gospel online, or make videos to Glorify Jesus, or creative edits. What I’m warning against is Glorifying the Lord we have in our heads that we represent on the online world. Christianity isn’t always heartache and spiritual warfare; but if we highlight only the moments of positivity after those challenges, and post it online comedically and aesthetically, it will cause others mistake those as methods to resolve spiritual deficits, spiritual warfare, and the lack of intimacy they have with the Holy Spirit. Most of the videos by on-face creators, either have a short Bible verse targeting a very specific struggle; or preach a video to stop scrolling, with a few minutes of your time, to share a message completely devoid of the scriptures insight. Again, I’m not shaming or condemning creators methods of sharing the Gospel, I only want to warn against what I’ve been shown by the Holy Spirit.

We cannot copy and paste scriptures with a video we hope will reach the masses and “speak to them.” The problem is that the scripture is urged to be read and heard, and not declared and prayed about with God. We aren’t encouraging people to look into the scripture, what the scripture indicates in how you relate it to your spiritual vulnerability, and then taking yourself vulnerably and humbly before God and declaring before Him that you need His guidance and help - with that scripture. We’re teaching self-sufficiency by Scripture, and not God-based suffiency with Scripture. It’s easier to just preach scriptures AT people, and give them a comforting clip, rather than teach them to rely on God, as the scripture mentions thousands of times - cross referenced front to back - to use the scripture to declare yourself before the Lord and His Kingdom, against the kingdom of Babylon, the kingdom of Darkness. It’s not enough to read a verse to people on a screen, you need to fulfill your purpose of sharing the Gospel, in the only way you can, through the Son of God. Whom declared God’s word against the devil and said to rely on the Father.

-> Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

-> Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

-> John 14:1-3 “Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.”

-> Psalm 121:1-8 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth…”

You can be a mouthpiece for God, but you need to know how to do it according to the Holy Spirit, and if you don’t encourage this in yourself, you aren’t going to be able to do it online and in real life. You will then be falsely teaching. You can bring thousands of new believers to the Gates of the Kingdom through your platform, but if you don’t share the application of the technologies the scripture works through in praying, and fasting, and the tongue of the Holy Spirit (the Word), you will deny them from the knowing Jesus.

-> Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

In conclusion. I don’t like making videos on Instagram or TikTok about Christ, as it feels performative and short-sighted. I’m not saying all creators give me the spiritual impression I spoke about, and I’m not saying don’t go about and share the Gospel online, as creatively as you can: I’m only speaking about the warning signs I’ve experienced and only to speaking about certain ways the Christian online community can become disillusioned between Glorying the loving Christ, and Glorying themselves for loving Christ. Amen.

[nerdygaymormon]

You act all loving and inclusive, but when someone like me tries to save your soul by pointing out that being LGBT is sinful, suddenly all that tolerance talk goes out the window. Repent and get good with God. Pride goeth before the fall!

Of course LGBTQ people are not going to be tolerant of people saying hateful things about them.

If we were to say a place is loving and inclusive of Jews, but then we let people in who wear swastikas and say anti-Jewish things, it is the opposite of being a welcoming place for Jews. It's like that for any group, we can't be loving & inclusive of them while also being welcoming of those who hate them.

As for you saying that LGBT people need to repent and get good with God, this quote from David Huskins comes to mind:

When LGBTQ people celebrate Pride, it is about human dignity and pushing back against shame.

I think you misconstrued what the scriptures and prophets mean when they warn of pride. It refers to being arrogant, haughty, having an inflated view of yourself. Being self-righteous & self-elevating are the opposite of humble

I suggest you ponder whether you look down on others (especially LGBTQ people) with contempt and derision. If so, you need to repent of pride and get good with God.

This is different from "taking pride" in a job well done such as at a graduation ceremony when a parent says they are proud of their child. LGBTQ people can be proud of the achievements of our community, for our solidarity, and for our resistance to discrimination and violence.

As a gay man, I agree that Pride goeth before the Fall because June (Pride month) is in the summer, which is prior to Autumn.

[5eraphim]

Thinking about Medic fucking up his captive s/o so bad that they develop psychotic delusions of him being a god.. (Medic would probably just enable it because he loves the idea of his darling worshipping him and obeying everything he says <3)

YOUR MINDDDDD!!! This was so fun to write, thank you so much for the request ＼(^o^)／

(I didn't know if you were expecting a oneshot or headcanons, but I really wanted to write something lewd about this, hope that works for you! Reader is kept gender neutral here ✌️)

Summary: Reader suffers visions of lust for the divine, a secret kept hidden for some time now. But the darker the confession the more painful the penance, especially when Medic is the enforcer. And while atonement is necessary for salvation, the guilt always remains.

Character: Medic 🕊️ (Team Fortress 2)

Rating: X (MINORS DNI!)

Content Warnings: Heirophilia, priest kink, guilt tripping, BLASPHEMY, yandere, mind break, blood, needles (Or whatever the hell you want to call the vita saw), abuse of power, handjob

Word Count: 5k

MASTER LIST

TIP JAR

(Song Inspo- Cirice, Ghost)

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall honour me." (Psalm 50:15)

"The Lord favors those who fear him, Those who wait for His faithfulness." (Psalms 147:11)

Breaking the room's silence, you heard a heavy wooden door creak open, sending a shiver down your spine. All day dark storm clouds covered any sunlight which might've peaked through the glass windows of your homemade chapel domicile, but even without sunset, you knew it must've been hours into the night. And for hours, you knelt on the lightly padded kneeler in front of the makeshift stone table you called your alter. The chapel was humble, hardly more expansive than a garage, but constructed with the utmost reverence to your Holiness. The small space allowed for little more than the altar, a pew, a few kneelers, a foldable wall to serve as your confessional booth, a bookshelf that held all your precious scriptures, and some candles to adorn the place, as well as to provide the only source of light in the room. Once, you kept a bed to rest on behind the pew, but now you slept on the bench, using nothing more than a towel for a pillow and a single sheet as a blanket. It was uncomfortable, but you would endure any discomfort to prove to your divine one that you needed nothing but this to get by.

There was a numb ache in your knees from remaining in this position for so long, becoming harder and harder to ignore the longer you forced yourself to stay in this position. Some candles around the altar burnt themselves out long ago, casting angular twisting shadows along the walls surrounding you. But despite how the serpentine darkness unnerved you, causing you to jump every now and then at an odd flickering shape just out of the corner of your eye, you dared not move. The only sound in the room, save for the steady pattering of rain outside, were the verses of scripture you resited again, and again, and again, murmuring under your breath. At the same time, you nervously fiddled with the beads of your rosary. You tried your best to focus all your energy on praying the rosary, but your mind was restless, and no force of will was enough to distract you from the guilt gnawing away at your conscience.

It was agony to endure this guilt, and you prayed desperately to see your Holy Guardian return soon, though upon hearing his arrival, you were far from comforted. Your vespers halted when the heavy wooden door creaked open, causing you to instinctively look over your shoulder behind you. Your beloved Father was finally home. "Are you still up, my Child?"

You swallowed nervously, unable to formulate any words. All day you dreaded the moment your Holy Father would return home, and now here he was, several paces away. Then, for just a moment, he stood at the door as you watched him remove his glasses to try and wipe away the raindrops. You watched him walk forward, withdrawing his damp overcoat, which fluttered like bird's wings behind him as he ran a hand through his wet hair to push away some of the water. Medic wasn't precisely drenched, but you couldn't help but notice how his damp clothing clung to his body, his broad athletic build clearly visible, even in the low lighting. You were so momentarily distracted by this you completely forgot he asked you a question until he stood almost directly behind you.

"You look unwell, little one. How long have you been here praying?" "I am unsure, Father." The concern in his eyes only worsened the suffocating guilt inside you.

"Sit with me then. Tell me what is troubling you." Medic watched as you attempted to pull yourself up. Still, the tension and numbness in your body were too great, and you stumbled a little, catching yourself on the high part of the kneeler, almost dropping your rosary in the process, which you quickly stuffed into your pocket. While still clearly concerned, Medic smiled gently, using his own hands to help hold you steady as he gently pulled you to your feet. You couldn't help but flush slightly, feeling his strong hands against your shoulders and back, aiding you to walk to the nearby pew. Time must've really escaped you, as standing upright and walking aggravated the ache in your knees. You held onto his hands for balance as you gingerly sat down, your legs trembling slightly, threatening to slacken at any minute. He sat beside you, causing you to unconsciously scoot away a little closer to the corner of the bench, and you bit your lip nervously, feeling your knees touching as he turned to face you slightly. The guilt you tried so hard to keep at bay all day now felt all-consuming. Still, despite the anxiety written across your face, Medic smiled, his eyes gentle and loving. It took all your strength not to wince when you felt his hands around your own. His gloves did nothing to downplay the intimacy of the moment.

"Tell me your troubles, Child. Open up to me, and I will listen." It was too hard to look him in the eye, to see the compassionate affection exhibited by your Savior, which you knew you didn't deserve. But, if you wanted to do the right thing, you knew it was time, to tell the truth.

"Heavenly Lord, I fear I have- um, I find myself troubled by certain, um… These awful visions in the night. Deep while I am sleeping. I see things I don't want to see and think things I don't want to. I feel this awful burning in the night, but when I awaken again, I can't- well, I can't describe it, but I feel so ashamed."

He squeezed your hands a little, causing you to briefly meet his eye, now colored by curiosity, before looking back down. You wanted so badly not to have to tell him what you saw, hoping naively simply confessing to the visions would be enough, but you could tell he wouldn't be content with that. "Oh? And what do you see?"

"I don't want to say… It's embarrassing, and I feel wrong thinking about it now." He leaned a little closer, his voice still gentle but with a definite edge.

"I can see that, but my Child, how can I absolve you of a sin you can't even confess? Am I not your salvation incarnate?" Your head jolted straight up, eyes wide.

"Yes, you are, my Lord! You are my light, my life- I would never doubt this!" Although he remained unconvinced, he could tell you were hiding something, and you weren't about to get out of this until he knew what it was.

"And do you doubt there is a sin so severe I can not absolve you of?" Chewing your lower lip nervously, you shook your head no slightly. Looking at his hands around yours as you spoke in a frail, unsteady voice.

"I see you, my Lord. But, I also see us together, but not as we should be." He said nothing, waiting for you to continue.

"I see us, or rather, I see you over me… I don't know how to describe it, though-"

Medic interrupted in a firm voice. "Tell me the truth." Your shame brought you nearly to tears.

"I see your body over mine- over my naked body… I see your hands stroking my skin and your mouth against my neck and shoulders. A-and everywhere you touch me, I burn, and it hurts, but I can't stop wanting more! We're on the altar bed, and-" Your breath hitched when you felt his fingers moving against your hands as though trying to urge you on, clearly sensing how bad you wanted out. And you couldn't help but fluster and stammer at this smallest, seemingly innocent, caring act.

"I know this is wrong- I don't want to think like this, I swear! But once these- these awful dreams start, I cannot stop them! And all I am so blinded by the image of my body against yours, as we- As we become one, my Lord."

Getting those final words out took so much effort, but now it is over. You told Medic everything.

Your heart wrenched as you saw his expression form into one of an almost pitiful disappointment. "I always feared it would come to this…." He trailed off. He pulled his hands away from yours as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He removed his glasses with one hand, rubbing his eyes tiredly with the other. Medic looked as though he somehow saw this coming, like he was privy to something you were utterly blind to. You pulled your hands back to your own lap as your fingers fidgeted restlessly. Nothing hurt more than letting down your Lord; sitting with this feeling only amplified your considerable guilt. Finally, you forced yourself to look him in the eye. He was already disappointed. You didn't want him to think you were more pathetic than you already felt.

"My Lord, I'm telling you the truth- These awful dreams, these visions disrupting my sleep at night, I can't understand where they come from. I don't mean to offend you; I just-" Your gaze dropped from Medic's face to your hands wringing anxiously in your lap. You no longer had the strength to look him in the eye, summoning all your resolve to force yourself not to cry. After all, what right did you have acting so pitifully before him? You were the sinner after all, yet here you were, cowering before your Lord. Weak, feeble, in need of his mercy and guidance.

"I suppose this isn't entirely your fault… I always knew this was coming. Perhaps I didn't expect this so soon, is all." You snuck a peek up at his face, and to your surprise, he didn't look disappointed as you feared, but something different you couldn't understand entirely. Still, you felt too unworthy to look upon his face much longer, bowing your head a little, facing your lap, trying not to think about how despite the situation, you felt so warm sitting so close to your Holiness, knees only barely connecting.

"Please, Father, I don't understand what you mean." He shifted his weight away from you slightly, leaning against the back of the pew, sighing through his nose, contemplating his following words carefully.

"I thought I noticed how your eyes seemed to follow my hands as I guided you in prayer. Or how some evenings you wouldn't follow my eyes, somewhat- distracted by my lips. Yes, I've always known how the human mind can be swayed by thoughts of lust and decadence… But maybe I was wrong for thinking you were strong enough to resist such… carnal impulses. You were all too aware of the tears prickling in the corners of your eyes.

"But I told you- I never asked for this! You know I'm not to blame here!" All in an instant, you felt a cold shiver run up your spine as you watched all former warmth and kindness vanish from his face all at once as he stared you down with his icy cold, narrowed blue eyes. "You think this absolves you of anything, sinner?" You were about to speak to try and defend yourself, but he cut you off before you got the chance.

"You are nothing but full of pride and arrogance if you think you're somehow holy for merely wishing your sins away! I never thought you were so foolish, so childish, but it would appear I was all wrong about you-"

"Don't say that, please, my Lord, I didn't- I mean no offense, you must believe me! I need you now more than ever! I'm so confused. Please tell me how I can atone for all of this!"

Your hands were clasped tightly as you begged the Medic to show you mercy. You didn't mean to offend him or cast doubt upon your devotion, but you were terrified. You desperately grabbed onto his hands, tears beginning to fall, your breathing erratic. You couldn't think clearly. You were too desperate to somehow prove to him you were worthy. But he continued to look at you coolly, his blue eyes harsh and stern. It was impossible to hold eye contact. Your mind was so wracked with guilt for what you'd done. Thankfully he spoke next in a more level voice.

"Tell me, my Child, and I want to hear the truth. When you think of these dreams, have you been touching yourself as well?" Instantly on the defensive, your face heated as you try to explain yourself.

"No! No- I haven't! I wouldn't do that to you- I wouldn't dare!" He looked at you skeptically, his lips pressed firmly together in a straight line. You could feel fresh tears sliding down your face. "My Lord, you must believe me! I'm sorry I was so greedy- I'm sorry I dreamt such perverse things while you were gone, but you know I wouldn't go so far!"

Unfortunately, he appeared to remain unconvinced. Medic softly petted the top of your head with a gloved hand, he didn't seem convinced, but at least his anger appeared quelled. Once again, you felt so overcome by the shame of your own actions you buried your face in his chest, momentarily forgetting your sense of restraint, unable to think of anything but doing whatever you needed in the name of forgiveness. Murmuring apologies and pleas for mercy between sobs, no doubt streaking tears into his vestments. Over and over in your head, you screamed at yourself. "Why did I have to lose control like that?" "How could I be so weak!"

"Please, my heavenly Father, I would rather die than betray you! I love you more than anything! But, just please, please, please tell me you believe me!"

He waited for you to quiet down a touch before he responded. "I wish I could have my Child. But you've disobeyed me." The moment these words left his lips, your heart sunk like a rock, as you felt frozen in place, unable to believe what was happening. It was like you'd just felt the air knocked from your lungs. You felt Medic's hand continuing to pet the top of your head.

"My dearest child, I'm afraid if you want me to believe you are faithful and to believe you are pure, you must pay." With your head still pressed against his body, your voice mumbled but still understandable, "Heavenly Father, whatever I must do to prove my faith, I will. Without fear and without any doubt." Medic's hand drifted from the back of your head to the side of your face to guide your head up to meet him at eye level.

"You'll do anything?" Without missing a beat, you answered. "Anything."

Medic nodded. "There is a way. I can absolve you of all your sins, but only for a price. If you truly wish to purify yourself of such… carnal thoughts of yours, all your distractions leading you from Holiness. I can forgive you of your perversions and restore your devotion to your Father. But, this will cost you." You could tell he was testing you, but there was no threat of pain dire enough to sway you now.

"My life is yours, My Lord. Do to me whatever it takes to make me pure again." He studied your face briefly, trying to tell if there was any final hesitation, but you were resolute. "All you need to do is obey. Follow my word, and have faith. Believe that I am your God and your Savior."

"I can." And with that, he nodded, rising. "Kneel at the pulpit for me. I'll join you there in just a moment." Eagerly your rose. Whatever ache you felt earlier was forgotten entirely. Kneeling once again before the altar reminded you of your cause. You were to live and serve your Divine Lord; if he wanted you to prove it, then you would. But when you saw the Medic returning, you couldn't help but shudder, all too aware of the fear you tried so hard to silence.

Medic held a kind of insidious instrument in his hand you'd never seen before. Your eye instantly draws to the wicked sharp tip, the awful needle easily the length of your forearm over a shorter yet wicked sharp blade. The hollow bulb at the back of the device made the thing look like some kind of mechanical mosquito, and you were about to be its prey. Your mouth went dry, and you felt dizzy just looking at the thing. Still, you forced yourself to remain as still as a statue, turning your gaze from the device to Medic.

"The price you must pay for your penance will be a blood price." The closer he walked, or rather, the closer the weapon got, the more sinister it appeared. If looking at it was terrifying, the idea of it going inside of you was even worse, but deep down, you knew this was what you deserved, and you brought this on yourself. So no matter how terrifying the punishment, you had no one to blame but yourself. Medic drew close enough to stand right behind you. With his free hand, he held yours, turning it upright, before using his fingers to try and find a vein in your upper arm, right above your elbow.

Goosebumps prickled all across your body when you felt the tip of the needle make contact with your arm. You could feel yourself breathing a bit heavier, your knuckles going while as you gripped the edge of the kneeler with your free arm, your other palm disappearing as you closed your hand into a tight fist.

"Now focus on me, think of only me. Let your God guide you back to the light, it will hurt, but only for a moment, and you'll be restored once it's over. Do you accept your penance?"

It will only hurt more if you watch, you reasoned with yourself, so with your eyes squeezed as tight as possible, you spoke. "I accept." While the initial pick of the needle's tip against your skin terrified you, the feeling of the needle digging into your flesh hurt all the more. The sting was far, far worse than any needle before. It was impossible to keep from wincing or to hold in your yelp of pain as you felt the needle burrow in deeper.

"Steady now. I need you still. If you move too much, we'll have to start all over."

You let go of your grip on the kneeling, biting down on your own knuckle to keep from screaming. If only you had something to hold onto in the hand being drained, but you had nothing but your own fist to tense down on.

"Now I'm going to pull blood. This is going to hurt. Just remember this is for your own good."

It was almost impossible to talk, but through grit teeth, you tried anyway. "Thank you, my Holy Father." And without another word, you felt Medic begin to drain your blood.

He was right. It hurt. The unbearable tension you felt from your teeth and skull all the way down to your curled toes burned like hell. It was hard to hear anything over your heavy breathing and the occasional whine of pain, but that was for the best. The idea of listening to this awful thing as it sucked your life away sounded far worse. How long has it been like this? How much longer would he keep you here? You had no idea, but it was becoming harder and harder to stay still by the second, and you were afraid you wouldn't last much longer.

You wanted to look at the altar, to remind yourself why you were doing all this, to think of anything to distract from the pain, but it was impossible to open your eyes. But instead, you swore you could feel a numbness in your fingertips and in your toes. Your head felt so heavy and tense, and you found yourself wondering, if only for a second, if Medic was done with you all together and if this was your last moment before death.

Then, just as soon as it started, you felt Medic pressing down over where he injected the needle before pulling out in one decisive strike. This was far worse than the insertion, the pain white hot, causing you to arch your back, your head falling back as you screamed in agony. The ache was terrible enough, but the nausea was just as miserable. When you felt Medic's hands leave your body, you slipped forward, panting, your upper body clinging to the top of the kneeler for dear life. It felt like the room was spinning or like the floor was about to give out at any second. The pain you felt before in this spot felt like a joke compared to what you felt now.

"Blessed are you, my Child. You have come to me with your sins, and I send you forth, cleansed and pure again. You have put yourself at the mercy of the divine, and you have been granted forgiveness."

"I don't feel so good…." You were still slumped over the kneeler. It was impossible to think of anything but the pain. You weren't even proud of yourself for withstanding it. All you wanted was to fall asleep. To wake up to a new day and to pretend none of this happened. Medic must've put the device away as you could now feel both his hands rubbing little circles against your back. You didn't want to think about what he wanted to do with your blood, the terrible needle was gone now, and that was all that mattered.

"Without sin, salvation is empty. You hurt now, but take comfort knowing the pain you feel is all your sin and weakness leaving your body."

You tried to nod, but you were too weak to remain upright. Your head began to bob forward as your body went limp. Fortunately, Medic immediately caught you, keeping you from falling directly to the ground. You didn't even know how you were still awake, but you felt like a rag doll, limp and no longer in control of your body. You could feel Medic supporting your total weight, guiding you back to the pew, laying you down, your head resting on his lap. You felt so terribly cold, curling up into a ball on your side. You were about to give in to the drowsiness all together, but only in turning your head to the side did you notice the straining fabric of Medic's trousers. "You did well for your Savior. Would you allow me to reward you for faith?"

For a second, you considered if this was a trick if Medic were baiting you, giving you one last test of the night. After all, actually seeing your Holy Lord in such a state after dreaming about him for so long, it all felt too good to be true. But to your surprise, when you turned your gaze upward to look Medic in the eye, you noticed how wide his pupils were, the flush or arousal on his cheeks, the teasing half-smile. You realized just as likely as this was a test to see if you really could fight back against your lust. Perhaps this was another test of your loyalty? It was impossible to tell, and you felt a familiar confused fear resurfacing.

"My God, I'm honored, but I fear I am unworthy…." Fortunately, he wasn't offended by your hesitation.

"To indulge in the sins of the flesh would be a mortal sin for any other, but you must know- I am no man. I am your Divine. To service me is an act of Holiness. Allow me to guide your hands." Your mind was caught in a whirlwind of exhaustion and desire, it was impossible to think clearly, but you were helpless to feel the need burning inside you. It was weak, and you didn't have the strength to give in together, but you were ready to take the opportunity while you could. The unstoppable desire to serve and to give everything you had to your Master.

He looked at you with eyes glimmering, shining with love and the faintest smile, "Sweet lamb, your desires are only unholy when you indulge in secret, away from me. But now that I am here to bless and guide you- If it is my mortal vessel you are so taken by, show me your devotion." You knew he was right, and you wanted to give in. You wanted to trust and have faith, but you couldn't help but hesitate. It was almost impossible to remember life before Medic, but you were confident you weren't nearly experienced enough to please him as he deserved. The idea of being put on the spot, of your Lord coming to you of all people for something like this? The opportunity filled you equally with anxiety as ecstasy.

"You are my salvation. My sole purpose for living is to worship and serve you. I owe you everything I have. To indulge myself like this- I don't understand how I could be worthy. I adore you, but am I enough?" Your words had no effect on him. If anything only spurred him on.

"Don't be so shy, my little saint. You've done so well to prove to me your devotion, and now I want you to show it. Take my hand." And with that final command, you obeyed.

You dumbly felt your head repositioned on Medic's lap as he undid his pants, pulling his undergarments down with them enough to comfortably free himself from the restrictive fabric. If you weren't feeling half-dead, you might've had the shame to look away, but now, all you could do was take in the sight before you. You felt like an outside observer, out of body and entirely at the whims of another, but still, you couldn't deny it felt good. Better than good. You were somehow flushed and tingly inside, feeling so pure and yet filled with lust, a sensation you'd never known before, as though your entire life had built up to this moment. All in the service of your God.

Medic was already quite hard, and you watched intently as he took your hand. His glove already pulled off, and you couldn't help but shudder at the skin-to-skin contact. With your hand open, he licked along the length of your index finger before he closed his lips around the digit. You never realized how many sensitive nerves were in your hand until you felt his mouth around your fingers. His skilled tongue wrapped around your fingers, coating each one with a bit of saliva. You felt his cheeks sucking in as he sucked a little harder, the lewd noises making the moment feel all the more erotic.

After he had his fun with this, you felt the chilly draft against the now wet flesh. Though for only a moment as your hand was pulled down to make contact with his warm flesh. He sharply breathed in through grit teeth, using his hand to tightly wrap yours against the shaft before applying a little friction. Even in your current state of mind, you could feel the tension in his body, and you felt so honored and privileged to witness your Holy Master consumed with lust. He was more beautiful than any man, angel, or devil you'd ever dreamed of.

It was hard to keep up, but you did your best to use your slick fingers to massage the flesh beneath his tight hold. You felt a holy kind of pride as you watched his brow scrunch, a breathy moan amid his panting, knowing you were doing so well to honor your God like no one else. Then, despite the vertigo, you forced your head to move, to use what little strength you had left to connect your lips to the wet head of his cock, and to kiss your Master, tongue out, ready to merge. It felt like your lips only connected with his anatomy for a moment before you felt him reach his climax. His breathy moaning and thrusting against you put all your initial erotic dreams to shame. You couldn't believe your Lord allowed you to see him like this, more charming than ever before. Even in your haze, you could feel the warmth of his body against yours.

When you rolled onto your back to lay on the bench more comfortably, you felt as though you could still feel his vitality, the essence within you. You were too numb to sense if any of the mess landed on you, but you were vaguely aware of the sensation of him rubbing around his lap and maybe even on you with a cloth to collect what he could of the mess. You wrapped your arms around yourself, sighing with bliss. With a gentle touch, Medic caressed the side of your face with his four fingers before you felt his thumb tap against your slightly parted lips.

"Swallow. This is the salvation you've awaited."

Your eyes were already shut, and you were thankful his touch was so gentle as he pushed the cum stuck to his finger into your mouth, which you happily allowed to pass your lips as you suckled. Then, finally, he pulled his finger out, running his thumb over your lips, trailing your saliva over them as he stroked the side of your face. But moments before you nodded off, you whispered, "My Lord, will you promise to pray for me? Will you pray I will one day be worthy to receive your grace? That we can become one?"

You weren't even sure if he heard your final words, everything was going black, and your mind was lost in the haze. Before slipping away into oblivion, your last memories were the lethargy possessing your body, his fingers in your hair, a salty aftertaste on your tongue, and the pattering of rain, sounding further and further away.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 4/25

What am I feeling today?

A little less overwhelmed, just exhausted and feeling like I’m being pulled in multiple directions. I’m trying to do my best and I really hope it all turns out the way it’s supposed to!

The Humility Of Jesus

There are not too many people who could describe themselves as humble and have a great number of others believe them. But Jesus did just that. Listen to his words:

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””

what specifically does Jesus want us to imitate in his character? In this passage it is his gentleness and his humility

Jesus did not do or say anything apart from what his Father desired; he was totally dependent on him. At the heart of being humble is being dependent on God. Jesus was the most humble man ever to live, because no one was ever more dependent on God than he was. No one was ever less self-sufficient than the man who seemingly had the most reason to be so.

One of the subtle manifestations of pride is having a self-sufficient attitude. While I don't personally walk around feeling prideful, I do often see an attitude of self-sufficiency in me, which is clearly pride. For example, I like to work alone. I insisted on doing my own work exclusively as I was growing up. I rarely asked for help. I seldom felt lonely, and my escapist dreams were all about being off alone as a farmer or rancher, building something all by myselfWhether it was for school or any other project, I liked to figure it out myself.

Pride does not ask for, or like to ask for, help

Pride is in total contrast to Jesus. Jesus is humble in heart and sees his need for God. He did nothing, said nothing apart from his dependence on God. And as a result, Jesus was not weary or burdened with life

We can be self-sufficient (and therefore prideful) in our ef- forts to spiritual. We can be self-reliant in trying overcome sin. Consider this passage from 2 Chronicles 7:13-14:

““When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Sometimes in Scripture the order of things is very impor- tant, and this seems true here. The first step in getting right with God is being humble, not "turning from our wicked ways." Now, if we are humble, we do turn. But we should not start by thinking, "I'll turn from my sins, my wicked ways, and then I (in my self-sufficient way) will have earned my place with God. Then I will be humble." Humble is the last thing we will be!

Remembering that we "were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20) and understanding that we now belong to God helps us to see that we can no longer be self-sufficient. Because God "sends me," my life will change: I will not do what I want, but what God wants, in every area of my life.

Jesus also shows his humility in the way he served. He served others instead of being self-occupied, even in his times of greatest personal trial

Jesus welcomed children, women, "sinners,” tax collectors, the hurting (lepers, sick) and demoniacs-again, not the associates of the prideful. But Jesus did not just associate with these people, he served them.

There are several telltale signs of self-occupation: Are your prayers mainly about yourself? Are your conversations mainly about yourself? Do you do most of the talking in your interaction with others? Do you rarely serve others in the mundane ways? Are there some things that you just do not you should ever be asked to do? Are you more worried about your position in the eyes of others or in God's eyes? If you are a disciple of Jesus, you will not be afraid of humble service. You will see in his life the glory of service, and you will be ready to take the towel and the basin and wash feet.

Pride offends God by self-exaltation, offends others by self-occupation and damages self by self-deception. This delusion increases until one fancies oneself so high as to be invulnerable. The Bible says a lot about that. Jesus is the opposite at every point.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”

Disciples of Jesus must have the greatest commitment to humility

[happyhealthyandprosperous]

Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender Surrendering to God is an excellent way to start the day. Surrender is the opposite of self-effort. To surrender we have to stop resisting and submit to an authority other than ourselves. We can surrender to God’s authority because we can know and trust in God‘s character. The act of surrendering to God shows that we have confidence and hope…

[hieromonkcharbel]

“Beloved, when you wish to pray noetically from your depths, let the prayer of your heart imitate the sound of the cicada. When the cicada chirps, it does so in two ways. At first, it softly chirps five to ten times, but then its ending chirps are more pronounced, drawn out, and melodic. And so, beloved when you pray noetically within your heart, pray in the following manner: First say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” about ten times, forcefully from your heart and clearly with your intellect from your depths, one time with each breath. Restrain your breath a little each time you say the prayer as your heart meditates from its depth on the words. Once you have said the prayer in this fashion ten times or more until that place within you has become warm where you meditate upon the prayer, then say the prayer more forcefully, with greater tension and forcefulness of heart, just as the cicada ends its song with a more pronounced and melodic voice.

This prayer, which is referred to principally as noetic prayer, is also called prayer of the heart and watchful prayer. When you say the prayer with your intellect and repeat it mystically within you in stillness, using your inner voice, it is referred to as noetic prayer. When you say the prayer from the depths of your heart with great tension and inner force, then it is referred to as prayer of the heart. It is referred to as watchful prayer when, because of your prayer or because of the infinite goodness of God, the grace of the Holy Spirit visits your soul and touches your heart, or you are granted a divine vision, upon which your mind’s eye becomes watchful and fixed.

When you practice noetic prayer and reverently repeat it as you should, and the grace of the Holy Spirit visits your soul, then the name of Christ that you are meditating upon with your intellect becomes greatly consoling and sweet to your mind and soul, so much that you could never repeat it enough.

When you practice prayer of the heart and the grace of God touches your heart (that is, when your heart happens upon it), causing it to conceive compunction, as the Lady Theotokos [“God Bearer”, the Virgin Mary] conceived the Word of God by the Holy Spirit, then the name of divine Jesus, and all of Holy Scripture, becomes ineffable sweetness to the heart, and every spiritual notion of the heart (if I may put it this way) becomes a sweet flowing river of divine compunction that sweetens the heart and wondrously makes it fervent in eros and love for it Creator and God.

Sometimes, when you practice prayer of the heart with pain of an enfeebled heart and with sorrow of a humbled soul, then your soul clearly feels the consolation and visitation of the Lord. This is what the prophet says: “The Lord is near those who are brokenhearted.” The Lord invisibly draws near you when you crush your heart with the prayer, as we said, in order to show you some mystical revelation. He shows you some vision in order to make you more fervent in the spiritual work of your heart.

And so, beloved, when, by the grace of Christ, your soul beholds some vision and is filled with compunction because of your prayer, then you understand that watchful prayer is nothing other than divine grace; it is the noetic and divine vision your mind beholds, your intellect firmly fixed upon, and your soul watches. And that the divine grace of the Holy Spirit visited your soul, gently touched your heart, and ineffably sweetened your mind, only you can understand and comprehend within yourself, because compunction ceaselessly from your heart as from an ever-flowing spring, while your mind experiences an inexpressible sweetness and your soul consolation. At that moment your soul possesses some spiritual boldness and mystically supplicates God, its Fashioner and Creator saying, “Remember me, Oh Lord, in your Kingdom,” or some other verse of Holy Scripture.

This holy and pure supplication that takes place within the soul has such power that it penetrates the heavens and reaches the throne of the Holy Trinity, before whom it stands like sweet-smelling and fragrant incense. The prophet said about this prayer, “Let my prayer arise as incense before you.” The God in Trinity receives this holy supplication in an inexpressible and wondrous manner, and the supplication in turn receives the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This fruit, received reverently and modestly, is offered and sent to the soul as a priceless and heavenly gift from the God of all as a pledge of the future kingdom and adoption. The soul that receives the heavenly and divine fruit of the Holy Spirit because of its supplication, that is, from pure prayer, acquires divine love, spiritual joy, peace of heart, and great patience during the hardships and temptations of this age, excellence and goodness in everything, unwavering faith, Christ’s meekness, and passion-killing self-control. All of these are called “fruit of the Holy Spirit.” To our God be glory and power unto ages of ages. Amen.”

~ The Watchful Mind, pp 123-125.

[theprayerfulword]

August 03

John 15:4 Jesus said, “Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

John 7:37-38 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Jeremiah 25:6 Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Luke 12:32 It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom

Ephesians 1:5-6 Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

May you remove the foreign influences and get rid of images in your heart that exalt themselves against the Lord, and cast out anything that distracts from true worship of the one and only God. 2 Chronicles 33

May you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and walk in the ways of God, not turning aside to the right or to the left. 2 Chronicles 34

May you seek God when the day is young, and walk with Him in all you do. 2 Chronicles 34

May your heart be responsive and humble before God when you hear what He speaks in your life, for He will hear you when you come in repentance, sorrowing because of sin, seeking to walk in His righteousness. 2 Chronicles 34

May you watch out for those who would cause divisions and put obstacles in your way which are contrary to the teaching you have learned; keep away from them for such people are not serving our Lord Christ but their own appetites, deceiving the minds of naive people with smooth talk and flattery. Romans 16

May you be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil, for the God of peace will soon crush Satan under you feet. Romans 16

My child, you have been entrusted with much. That is why much is being asked of you. My mercy is upon you and yours because you fear Me, giving reverential awe and respectful honor to My Name. As you walk in that mercy, should you not also show mercy to others, so that they, too, may learn to reverence Me? My goodness is great towards you, My dear one. As you take refuge in Me, I bring you to the secret place I have prepared for you, and give you access to the Father, sheltering you from the strife of men's tongues. Rest here and gain strength from Me before I send you forth again to rescue the perishing and care for the dying. As I have comforted you, even so comfort others with My compassion and My goodness. My relationship gives you access as a child, a close family member, to the One who impartially judges all people of the earth. I, Whom the Father loves and accepts fully, plead your case before Him and advocate for you that you may be forgiven and receive another chance. So, also, shall you consider My blood sufficient to repay the injury caused and the debt incurred by those who reject, revile, and abuse your name and character in the world. Do not usurp the role of the One who is the true and righteous Judge, and bring the same decision on yourself. My Presence abides with you, My close one, and My Spirit dwells within you. As you reverentially honor Me and offer respectful awe toward Me, I fulfill your desires, saving you as you cry out to Me. When I do, you are to testify of My goodness to those who have not learned of My majesty and saving grace. By bearing witness of My hand in your life, My strength in your weakness, My mercy in your failures, you will bring hope to others; when in the faith which comes by hearing they turn to Me, they will be healed from the inside out. My compassion and tender care is near when you are broken-hearted; I save you from total desolation when you feel crushed in your spirit. I look upon your distress with love and pour out My balm to salve your bruises and bind up your wounds. As you have been ministered to, My lovely one, so minister to the broken-hearted, the hopeless, the outcast, the rejected, bearing My comforting Spirit as you speak My words of love. Just as you have spoken words of anguish, loss, hurt, and anger to Me in your pain and despondency, do not be surprised if those to whom I send you lash out in their loss. Let them feel your uncritical, non-judging acceptance in the fellowship of your suffering that they may realize they are not alone. These, and so many more blessings have you been the recipient of from My heavenly throne, My child. They have healed you, strengthened you, and stabilized you in My kingdom, and now they are yours to give, gifts for those I am drawing, the fingerprints of My hand in your clay to show as evidence of My existence to those whose eyes have been blinded to other evidences. Be generous, My sweet one, giving even as you have been given to.

May you give glory forever through Jesus Christ to the only wise God, the One Who is able to establish you by the gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God so that all nations might believe and obey Him. Romans 16

May you trust in the Lord without wavering, for then the Lord will vindicate you. Psalm 26

May you walk continually in the truth of the Lord and keep His love ever before you, for then the Lord can test and try you, examining your heart and mind, and settle you in the truth of His Word. Psalm 26

May you not sit in agreement with deceitful men or consort in approval with hypocrites but abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit in acceptance with the wicked, but rather wash your hands in innocence and go about the altar of the Lord proclaiming aloud God's praise and telling of all His wonderful deeds. Psalm 26

May you love the house where the Lord lives and the place where His glory dwells. Psalm 26

May your feet stand on level ground and in the great assembly may you give praise to the Lord, for as you walk in the righteousness of Christ, clinging to Him and showing His compassion to others, He will redeem you and be merciful to you. Psalm 26

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Saturday Afternoon Session

O Thou Rock of Our Salvation

Conducting Dallin H. Oaks

Henry B Eyring

Sustaining votes

Jesus Once of Humble Birth

Niel L. Andersen

Venezuela story about a bakery being saved in natural disasters

Tithing can sometimes bring miracles.

Put others first and

trust in the Lord – the blessings of Heaven will follow

My time is not mine – it is the Lord’s to whom I have consecrated it

Tithing is not measured by the amount you contribute – the power comes from placing trust in the Lord

Jan E. Newman 2nd counselor Sunday school

Jesus commanding the little children to come up to Him one by one

Help children find the Savior in the scriptures and build their foundation on Him

When we dig we have to dig deep – remember to dig as if for placing cement in the ground, because if you just dig normally and the ground is smooth at the bottom the cement will not adhere properly and the foundation will become unstable. You have to hit the jagged bedrock to have a fully set foundation

Folow the example of Nephi

Talk of Christ, Rejoice in Christ etc

What does this look like? Whatever looks best for you

You may feel inaudequate, but you should never feel alone

Joaquin E. Costa 70

The source of that strength is Jesus Christ

How do you show and exercise faith every day?

Keeping covenants and following commandments are not transactional, they are transformational

Come to Jesus to fix your life, don’t wait until your life is fixed to seek Him

We don’t come to Jesus because we are perfect, we come to Him because we are flawed

There is Sunshine in My Soul today

Gary E Stevenson

God given gifts – spiritual and otherwise

Holy ghost, heal and be healed, miracles, wisdom, knowledge

Sports/athleticism, art, photography, music etc

Seek spiritual gifts to share with others

There is a learning curve to spiritual gifts; keeping commandments, taking the sacrament, scripture study, prayer

Stand in Holy Places

Stand with holy people

Testify of Holy Truths

Listen to the Holy Spirit

If you hope to feel the spirit, be with people whom the spirit may freely dwell

Spiritual matters cannot be forced and you cannot dictate that for other people or yourself – they are not given for you to counsel others (unless you are a patriarch set apart by proper authority).

Reminder that once you move out of your parents house they no longer have full impressions for you. They can still feel some for you as your parents, however after you move out YOU are the head of your household so they

Yoon Hwan Choi 70

1 Do you want to be happy?

Sacred covenants that connect us fully to Heavenly Father help us be happy

2 are you on the covenant path?

3 how can keeping covenants with God keep you happy?

Alan T. Phillips 70

Don’t leave your kids at service stations

Lost sheep, lost coin, lost son

Do not misunderstand or devalue how much meaning your life has to your Father in Heaven.

True religion is the tie that binds us to God and to each other

Our journey to God is often found together

1 (no idea, had a hard time focusing this afternoon!)

2 the redemptive power of Jesus Christ

Make no mistake Christ is our rescuer and the healer of our souls

The Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and call upon Him

Heavenly Father’s love - perfect, glorified love for each one of us

You do not have to do this alone. He can provide the strength and healing needed to face the road ahead. He will provide the shelter from the storm

God’s plan of happiness is all about you, you are His child of great worth and He loves you

Ronald A. Rasband

Nothing else compares in majesty or magnitude – the gathering of israel

Always ask the Lord if the time is right to serve a mission – going on a mission, weather single or as a couple, if you are being forced into the decision, is never a good idea.

The field is the world

Senior missionaries change the very landscape with their testimonies of the Savior

Take your knowhow plus your time honored testimonies

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for October 18, 2024  

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 26:17 (KJV): 17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. Proverbs 26:17 (AMP): 17 He who, passing by, stops to meddle with strife that is none of his business is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

Thought for the Day

When individuals argue, it is wise to not take sides when you know nothing about the issues. You will only stir up trouble for yourself as you would if you tried to grab a dog by the ears. I spent a lot of time attempting to be a peacemaker. Many times, I have found that those who were most hurt by a dispute were those who had nothing to do with it, but took up offenses that were not their own. They would side with their friends without really knowing all the issues, or why their friend was quarreling with the other party.

Romans 12:17-18 tells us to avoid strife and to seek peace with all men insofar as it depends upon us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke these words: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9). The way to achieve this is by maintaining a humble attitude, for contention only comes by pride (Proverbs 13:10). Being dogmatic about one's position engenders strife. This does not mean we become a "door mat" and allow others to walk upon us, but rather it means that we should learn to listen to other's complaints, and work toward finding a beneficial solution for all. We are not to approach situations from a self-centered perspective, but ask God to give us love and wisdom when dealing with a difference of opinion. Those of us that are married should allow the Holy Spirit to be the referee in differences that arise with our spouses, and be willing to change when we are in the wrong.

"What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it" (Psalm 34:12-14). Pursuing peace on a personal basis means forgiving those who hurt or offended us. It is vital to our relationship with God. We fail to appropriate God's grace when we don't forgive. Refusing to forgive those who have hurt us will cause roots of bitterness to spring up in our hearts, which defile us and others. Unforgiveness and bitterness are sins that separate us from God. We must seek God with our whole hearts to walk in love toward those who come against us. Remember, we hear Him only when we maintain a close relationship with Him. Hearing and seeing God has to do with proximity. When at a great distance from someone, we cannot see or hear him. How close are we to the Lord? One minister commented, "We are as close to God as we want to be."

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:14-15).

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear Heavenly Father, I do want to be close to You, so help me to spend the time in prayer, and reading Your Word to make that a reality. And Lord, when You do speak something to my heart, help me to obey You and not resist the things You are asking me to do. Lord, I also want to be a peacemaker, so fill my mouth with Your Words of wisdom when I encounter an opportunity to minister to those who are opposed to each other. Also, help me to remain at peace with those in my circle of acquaintances. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Loving God With All Our Mind

Have you ever been told something like this? --> "Your head is getting too full of doctrine. Jesus looks at the heart."

This is a frequently used false dichotomy that is made between the head and the heart. It is a standard thought stopping device of the NAR Movement as a whole.

“If it feels right, and it’s done in Jesus name, then it glorifies Him and must be of God.”

Brian Simmons, author of the Passion “Translation” says that all our old stuffy Bible translations only speak to the mind but his new, edgy Passion bible bypasses the defenses of the mind and gets straight to the heart! Wow so anointed right!?

Wrong…

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” - Matthew 22:36-37

There is no loving God with your heart and not with your mind, yet a major feature of NAR/charismatic teaching is the idea that we must disengage our brains in order to truly connect with God. They teach that we must humble ourselves and become like children in our reasoning to receive whatever God is trying to give us. This isn’t the same thing as childlike faith.

The ministries of the new apostles and prophets would not survive if people would get their brains out of neutral and begin interacting honestly with God’s Word in context. False teachers depend upon their followers never being critical of their teachings.

Being a good Berean is the greatest threat to a false teacher and when you begin to test the teachings, they bring in the big guns of manipulation, namely, “you have a critical spirit that’s keeping God’s work from happening in your heart”….”you need to be teachable and put down your pride”…..”you need to submit to the authority God has put over you for your own good!”

But thankfully God’s Word is crystal clear!

“As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” - Galatians 1:9

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain.” - 1 Timothy 6:3-6

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." - Acts 17:10-11

Every tenet of NAR is easily refuted with God’s Word in context. Don’t let the standard manipulation tactics get you down. God commends the Bereans, but He does not commend mindless devotion to charismatic personalities on a stage.

Praise God for giving us His Word! We have everything we need! May we daily grow in our love for him with BOTH heart and mind (and soul & strength) fully engaged…repenting and receiving forgiveness daily as we fall short of this greatest commandment that Christ fulfilled on our behalf. Amen.

source: These Aren’t the Apostles You’re Looking For

[psalmonesermons]

Soften my heart Lord Part 1

God does not want us to be hard-hearted

The heart is mentioned 779 times in the bible.

When scripture talks about the heart it is nearly always talking about the seat of our very being, rather than the pump which moves the blood in our circulatory system.

The bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23 Above all things guard your heart.

The heart is the heart of the problem

Mark 7:20-23 it is from out of the human heart that evil proceeds.

‘I am bound to the doctrine of the depravity of the human heart because I find myself depraved in heart and have daily proofs that in my flesh there dwells no good thing’.

Charles Spurgeon

God himself is Chasidic- his heart is soft and full of loving-kindness and mercy.

What kind of heart does God want you to have, a hard heart or a soft heart?

Can God change the human heart?

It is interesting that scripture talks about the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart. What do you think this means? The best explanation I have heard so far is that God simply took what was in Pharaoh’s heart and brought it to fullness.

Psalm 25:6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Many scriptures reflect God’s tender heart and mercy.

Good King Josiah had a tender heart and was humble before God and openly showed it, then God heard his prayer. God will hear your soft and tender hearted prayer.

2 Kings 22:19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.

Medical atherosclerosis versus spiritual atherosclerosis

We are going to compare what can cause us medically speaking to have hardening of the arteries to see if there is spiritual equivalent that can affect our heart, the seat of our very being.

Medical atherosclerosis

Medically speaking, hardening of the arteries is known as atherosclerosis. Fatty plaques usually made of the ‘bad ‘cholesterol stick to the arterial walls. This causes the arteries (particularly the coronary artery) to lose their elasticity and become hardened and stiff. The flow of blood is restricted through the arteries and in the case of the coronary arteries can lead to a blockage which we call a heart attack.

Symptoms of atherosclerosis can vary with sometimes nothing obvious, or chest pain angina, breathlessness, high blood pressure etc.

Statins are drugs that not only stop cholesterol binding to the arterial walls but also can to some extent remove the fatty plaques where they already exist. This to put it crudely, is like having your drainpipes cleared out!

Spiritual atherosclerosis

There is something about day to day living that toughens us and can make us hardened. Especially in our relationships, we can become desensitized, cynical and make us hard hearted. We often hurt the people whom we love most who as the song goes- the one, we should not hurt all.

It is not just in our human relationships that can become hard hearted but also in our relationship with God.

Here are the possible symptoms are hardening of heart spiritually speaking.

1) Numbness: You stop feeling the things you should feel.

a) Love for God b) Conviction over sin c) Anger over injustice. d) Compassion for those who are hurting.

2) Dizziness:

You lose spiritual equilibrium and balance in life.

You become proud of yourself.

You become extremely tolerant or intolerant.

You become overconfident or less confident.

3) Shortness of Breath

When your heart is attacked, you lose your stamina

You lose your strength to fight

You start things well, but you finish poorly.

It is accepted practice for most health care professionals, that they keep a certain distance from their patients. However, as children of God we ought to be committed to true koinonia fellowship [1] with our fellow believers, by which we ought to lead caring and sharing lives. Thus, keeping our distance from each other is not the norm or acceptable practice.

Hard heartedness will produce unforgiveness, bitterness and lack of compassion, mercy, and reasonable tolerance of people.

Sometimes the hardening process is so gradual we do not notice it. Ask a biologist how to boil a frog? The answer of course is one degree at a time and that is usually how Satan hardens our hearts i.e. one step a time. If we progressively allow things that we know are not right and compromise our beliefs, then eventually our conscience will become seared, and we may cease to care for and share with our fellow human beings.

Romans 5:5

The Holy Spirit pours the love of God/Christ into our heart’s day by day.

But that flow can be restricted by various things we allow such as sin, bad attitudes, unforgiveness, and lack of reverence for God etc.

We need to keep our hearts wide open (2 Cor 6:11-13) so that the flow of God’s love will keep your heart soft and tender before God.

Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."

Three times in the book of Hebrews the writer tells God’s people ‘do not harden your hearts for it leads to rebellion, which in turn causes us to miss out on his blessings.

Amen

Personal Prayer

[1] See Acts 2:42 the Greek word koinonia is translated to the English as fellowship

In Part 2 we investigate why King Solomon asked God for a hearing heart.