Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you. Isaiah 30:18God often delays in answering prayer. We have several instances of this in the Bible. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day—he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor woman of Syrophoenicia received no answer for a long while. Paul asked the Lord three times for “a thorn . . . in the flesh”1 to be taken from him, and he received no assurance that it would be removed, but instead a promise that God’s grace would be sufficient for him. If you have been knocking at the gate of mercy and have received no answer, shall I tell you why the mighty Maker has not opened the door and let you in? Our Father has personal reasons for keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty, so that we may learn that God has a right to give or to withhold. More often the delay is for our benefit. You are perhaps kept waiting in order that your desires may be more fervent. God knows that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if He keeps you waiting, you will see your need more clearly and will seek more diligently, and that you will treasure the mercy all the more on account of the wait. There may also be something wrong in you that needs to be removed before the joy of the Lord is given. Perhaps your views of the gospel plan are confused, or you may be relying upon yourself instead of trusting simply and entirely in the Lord Jesus. Or God makes you wait for a while so that He may display the riches of His grace more abundantly in the end. Your prayers are all filed in heaven, and if not immediately answered they are certainly not forgotten, but in a little while they will be fulfilled to your delight and satisfaction. Do not allow despair to make you silent, but continue to present your requests to God. 1) 2 Corinthians 12:7 Someone recently shared this with me. I got some good out of it, so I'm sharing it here. The Bible says a lot about patience. There is always a reason for our waiting. Thank you for reading, and God bless.
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Armie Hammer has been a bad, bad boy. That is what we are supposed to think, and it is true, of course. But few know the true depth of what he is involved in, nor do they know how many there are like him. This is a mainstream story from Yahoo! News, which I derisively refer to as new world order news. I know those don't sound the same, but that's what it is. I read recently that Yahoo! News was created by a branch of the CIA, as were many other notorious companies such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook. And they do the bidding of their masters, the Jesuits. But I digress! Let's talk about Armie. Did I mention he's been a bad boy? Here is an even more revealing article from Vigilant Citizen. Armie Hammer comes from a long line of evil men, as the Hammers are an Illuminati family. I first heard the family name in the 1980s, and it wasn't good stuff then. It's not good now, either. Not much has changed. Armand Hammer, Armie's grandfather, was a despicable man. I see he passed that legacy on to his children and grandchildren (even the name Armand). Armie is an actor, and as such enjoys a somewhat lax attitude toward misbehavior. We'll see if he retains that status after his cannibalism/rape/sexual abuse came to light. I bet he'll find a way to remain active. Somewhat revealing about Armie is his infatuation with Marquis de Sade, who was known for, well, doing the same thing Armie is accused of. He actually ate human flesh, as well as other disgusting things (feces, which he called mards). Clearly, the man was highly demon possessed. And so is Armie. The Illuminati families are all trauma-based mind controlled (TBMC). Trauma is an open door for demonic possession. They perpetrate heinous acts on their own loved ones (perhaps I should just used the word "family" because love is not the word I'm looking for when describing TBMC), so it makes sense they do the same and worse to others. Illuminati families are always satanists, but satanists are not always Illuminati. That's a helpful equation. For instance, many in Hollywood are satanists, but not all in Hollywood are Illuminati. They follow the same patterns, but not everyone is elite. Many simply imitate the elite. We see the same thing in society as a whole. The elite's mind-control programs are also aimed at society in general. What I found most alarming in my reading about TBMC survivors is there is nary a mention of demonic possession. (In fact, one of them (I forget if it was Cisco Wheeler or Kathy O'Brien) stated we should not try to deliver these people, which tells me she was kept alive in order to steer TBMC survivors from getting help. So, she is still working for her masters.) The walls and alters created through TBMC are demonic. The alters themselves are simply very strong demons. Trauma (often accompanied by strong drugs) is what opens the door for demonic possession. Dissociation, which is common with trauma and is like hyper-passivity, is a natural form of self-protection, but it also allows demons to operate. The conscious mind is a natural barrier. With that barrier removed (the Bible calls it a hedge), demons freely operate. Think of it as the devil's version of the Holy Spirit leading a Christian. The devil uses force and coercion and destroys and overrides man's natural faculties. And the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with man's faculties. The devil demands unthinking, robotic action. The Holy Spirit invites us to "come and reason together," so clearly our minds must cooperate with His leading. The comparison of these two forces working in human beings tells us everything we need to know: God wants to free His people in order to follow Him (He came to set the captives free and told us to do the same), and the devil demands his followers be slaves. These Illuminati families reveal just how depraved TBMC makes human beings. When the devil has his way, mankind is always dehumanized. For generations, these Illuminati families operated satanically almost undetected. Some people knew. But now we witness a revealing, and for what purpose, I'm not sure. To normalize their behavior? To make rape and abuse sexy? To make all men look bad? Perhaps Armie was a bit too loose in his ways. Illuminati men benefit from complete media inattention. Only now are we seeing scrutiny put on Woody Allen, a notorious pedophile, for instance. (Did you know Woody was a good friend of Epstein?) He's an old man now. What's the point now? He got away with pedophilia for a lifetime. Who knows how many children he defiled? (Still, some won't believe.) If we see these people exposed in some way, it is normally later in life, and for a specific purpose. It certainly isn't to see justice done for their victims. I recently read in Ezekiel chapter 8 (and my sermon, if you can call it that, was about that chapter last Sunday) about how God sees everything, even the abominable things the elite do in secret. These prominent men had a veneer of godliness (Judaism, in this case), but they were doing abominable things. In Ezekiel 8, God showed Ezekiel in a vision that the Jewish elite were worshipping idols, the sun, Tammuz, etc., in the Temple. Beware of those who say they are Jews and are not. The Hammers are in that group. There is no hiding from God. These people may get away with it for a time, but God sees all. And judgment is coming. Amen? For those seeking deliverance from TBMC, God offers freedom. Let's pray for those who want out. We live in a time when all things are being revealed. I believe we also live on the cusp of what the Bible calls the latter rain, which will be greater than the former rain. The Bible says those who live in great darkness will experience great light. (Isaiah 9:2, Matt. 4:16, etc.) That applies to those ensnared in TBMC. Praise God! *** In other news, my mother recently requested prayer for a physical ailment. The second-to-last time I prayed with her, shortly after, I lost vision in my right eye (still hasn't recovered). The last time I prayed for her, my phone died the next day (I can still get calls, but that's about it). Anytime I pray with someone, I expect a fair amount of backlash, but this is still a bit extreme. I may have some holes in my protection. I would appreciate prayers if anyone cares. Thank you for reading, and God bless. As believers, we know Jesus Christ won the most amazing spiritual victory for the entire world at Calvary. We know it was also at a tremendous cost. The devil surely thought he won by killing the Savior of the world, but little did he know he just unleashed a literal flood of grace upon all of humanity. Before Calvary, only the Jews received God's favor. After Calvary, all of mankind was included. Salvation was available for all. The devil worked so hard to ensure his own defeat. What a beautiful thing. But what an ugly process. The below is a blow-by-blow attempt to describe the death of Jesus Christ by a doctor. The original post was found here. I cannot think of what Jesus did for me without weeping, and this is no exception. I post it here because all Christians must understand the incredible cost and brutality of what Jesus endured. Because that is how much God loves us. Not only that, but He included the lost in that terrible price He paid. Yes, for all those who have ever lived on this planet God paid the price for them to go to heaven and live with Him for all eternity, even if they reject that wonderful gift. It is a sadness beyond any other sadness to reject such a gift.
The author leaves out what Jesus endured before even getting to the cross when He was literally sweating blood, which no one in recorded history has ever managed to live but a few hours after enduring. There is also mention of the shroud, which I don't think is an actual funeral garment. God knows the tendency of mankind to elevate such objects to importance they don't deserve, so I don't think any such thing was left behind. Nonetheless, there is much to contemplate in the words below. I pray this blesses everyone who reads it. *** The Anatomical And Physiological Details Of Death By Crucifixion: By Dr. C. Truman Davis A Physician Analyzes the Crucifixion. From New Wine Magazine, April 1982. Originally published in Arizona Medicine, March 1965, Arizona Medical Association. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300 BC, and perfected by the Romans in 100 BC. 1,It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term “excruciating.” 2,It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals. Jesus refused the anaesthetic wine which was offered to Him by the Roman soldiers because of His promise in Matthew 26: 29, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” 3,Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing divided by the Roman guards. This was in fulfilment of Psalm 22:18, “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” 4,The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death. Having been nailed the Cross, Jesus now had an impossible anatomical position to maintain. 5,Jesus’ knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position which is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf. 6,Jesus’ weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them. As the strength of the muscles of Jesus’ lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders. 7,Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus’ shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later Jesus’ elbows and wrists became dislocated. 8,The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud. 9,In addition prophecy was fulfilled in Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint.” 10,After Jesus’ wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall. 11,These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state. His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration. In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body. 12,In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs. 13,His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration. Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe. 14,The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position. 15,Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active. The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe. 16,The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation. 17,As the six hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted. There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficult Within minutes of crucifixion Jesus became severely dyspnoeic (short of breath). 18,His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders. 19,The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe. 20,Jesus’ lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramp from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position. 21,The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement. 22,Jesus was covered in blood and sweat. 23,The blood was a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat as a result of His violent involuntary attempts to effort to expire air from His lungs. Throughout all this He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were jeering, swearing and laughing at Him. In addition, Jesus’ own mother was watching. 24,Physiologically, Jesus’ body was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events. 25,Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypoventilation (inadequate ventilation). 26,His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen). In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercapnia. 27,This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen, and the removal of CO2 28,The Respiratory Centre in Jesus’ brain sent urgent messages to his lungs to breathe faster, and Jesus began to pant. 29,Jesus’ physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain. The agonising movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin. 30,However, due to the nailing of Jesus to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He was unable to provide more oxygen to His oxygen starved body. 31,The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia. 32,Jesus’ heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/ minute, the maximum normally sustainable. 33,Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening. Jesus had endured a scourging which nearly killed Him. 34,He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls. 35,Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly. 36,His blood pressure was probably about 80/50. 37,He was in First Degree Shock, with Hypovolaemia (low blood volume), Tachycardia (excessively fast Heart Rate), Tachypnoea (excessively fast Respiratory Rate), and Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). 38,By about noon Jesus’ heart probably began to fail. 39,Jesus’ lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema. 40,This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised. 41,Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure. 42,Jesus said, “I thirst” because His body was crying out for fluids. 43,Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life 44,Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death. 45,At this stage Jesus probably developed a Haemopericardium. 46,Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart, called the Pericardium. 47,This fluid around His heart caused Cardiac Tamponade (fluid around His heart, which prevented Jesus’ heart from beating properly). 48,Because of the increasing physiological demands on Jesus’ heart, and the advanced state of Haemopericardium, Jesus probably eventually sustained Cardiac Rupture. His heart literally burst. This was probably the cause of His death. 49,To slow the process of death the soldiers put a small wooden seat on the Cross, which would allow Jesus the “privilege” of bearing His weight on his sacrum. 50,The effect of this was that it could take up to nine days to die on a Cross. 51,When the Romans wanted to expedite death they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes. This was called Crucifragrum. 52,At three o’clock in the afternoon Jesus said, “Tetelastai,” meaning, “It is finished.” At that moment, He gave up His Spirit, and He died. 53,When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a bone of His body was broken, in fulfilment of prophecy (above). 54,Jesus died after six hours of the most excruciating and terrifying torture ever invented. 55,Jesus died so that ordinary people like you and me could go to Heaven. All He Asks You is to Love Him, Your Lord, Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’!! *** If you aren't sure if you've ever asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and save you from all your sins, wouldn't you like to do that today? All you need to do is say a simple prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, if I've never asked you into my heart, please come into my heart today and save me from all my sins." God made the process as simple as possible. That's all you need to say. As long as you say that and mean it, God will come into you and take you to live with Him for all eternity. Amen. Thank you for reading, and God bless. I know. The above photo is silly. Sin is a serious thing (I'm not making light of sin), of course, but it is okay to laugh at human nature, which often makes no sense. We cover up our fetid sins and think God doesn't see. But the putrid smell is a giveaway. This post is personal. I'm not trying to point out anyone's sin. Only my own. (Matt. 7:2)
Sometimes, as a Christian, we get to where we think we're doing pretty good. And we go along like that for a while ... until it becomes glaringly obvious we aren't doing so good. Maybe God gave us rest for a bit before the next thing to deal with. I don't know. But when He puts His finger on something we must deal with, that's it. We have to make a decision. God is a gentleman. He won't constrain us to follow Him. Our lives are a free-will offering of love. We love Him because He first loved us, and the proof is we obey Him and follow along. What God has been dealing with me about lately is pretty hard for me to control. First of all, I have "anger issues." They likely come from childhood abuse. Anger is a protective mechanism. It says you will not hurt me or do me wrong, no way, nuh-uh. It is also a barometer for when we are in a bad situation and we know it. We may not know it in our heads, but somewhere inside, something knows. The anger is the proof. Maybe it's a crappy situation at work. Maybe it's a relationship thing. Maybe it's society at large that sucks. Maybe this is the sixth time you tried to complete your degree and were interrupted yet again (thumbs to chest). Maybe you're feeling all of that today! But anger is the outworking of that injustice we feel. Suffice to say I experienced (and still do) a lot of injustice. At times, it seems incomprehensible I can even function in a day-to-day way. And some days I don't. I have to muster the strength to even get off the couch and feed myself or take a shower. What is the point, anyway? If I keep myself alive, I have to keep doing this crap again tomorrow and the next day. That's one thing God brought to my attention. The solution He offered is this: I don't have to fight my own battles. He will fight them. Many times with these questions in mind as I read scripture, this is what He told me. Wait on Him patiently. He will deal with those who hurt or disappoint me. It is not up to me to fight anyone because I belong to Him. He is in charge. I can relax and get off the couch and feed myself or do whatever it is I feel I can't because of all these other things in my head. Eat. Sleep. Let God take care of the rest. You have enough on your plate, Joshua. Another thing God convicted me about is related to my anger issues, and that is what I sometimes watch on TV. So, I got rid of Netflix, which was good because it was a bunch of satanic garbage. The release of the film Cuties (which is clear fodder for pedophiles) put me over the edge. Much of Netflix original programming is occult in nature. I could not rationalize supporting it any longer. But the same offerings exist on other platforms. Often, I find myself watching programming that is violent. You know, man stuff. The kinds of movies where someone is always running away from something or to something (or both). And there is lots of retribution and blood. It is a subtle outlet for my anger. But perhaps it is also feeding my anger and sense of revenge. These days, when I watch something like that, God lays His hand on my shoulder and whispers, "I will not put any wicked thing before my eyes." (Psalm 101:3) And so I have to make a decision. I'm getting better at walking away from those programs. But I'm not where I should be. God will let me know when I've passed this test. I thank God for His deliverance and kindness toward me. It is truly unending. This road I'm on with Him by my side has no end. Even when I get to heaven, I will walk with Him and talk with Him. This is an eternal relationship that has no end and no negative side. For someone like me, that is the first time I've been able to say that. Many people turn away from God because "He did nothing" while they went through hell. But, my friend, you don't know what the devil planned for you. And the very fact you are alive speaks volumes. Don't turn away from the only One who can make you whole. Pray with me? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your endless mercy and grace toward us. We thank you that with every assault from the enemy, you provide a way out. We thank you that anger and rage doesn't have to rule (and ruin) our lives. I submit my life to you completely today: all my thoughts, feelings, desires, plans, and expectations. They are wholly in Your hands. I ask that you lead me and guide me each moment of every day. Speak to me to turn to the left or to the right and help me walk in it. We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. |
A nameless warrior“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:32 Archives
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