Saturday After Epiphany

[Prayer-Soldier]

And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. (1 John 5:14-15)

The time we spend in prayer is time we dedicate to God. It is a time for which we may thank Him for His love, mercy and the forgiveness of our sins. He always knows what is in our hearts and that which we truly need, but in prayer, we reveal our commitment to Him.

While He will grant that for which we ask, we may not always see what is granted as that which we expected. He will grant what we truly need in the time we need it for the benefit of our soul. Some would say, “You pray for peace in your day, but what do we see, nothing but conflict, violence and wars. What good are your prayers to you?�

Such is the faith of those who do not believe, but the true believer understands, God has already given us the capability for peace in our day. He sent His only begotten Son to teach us to love one another. If we follow what we are taught, then, peace is there for us. How is it that we are to receive that which we refuse? And so, what we practice is what shall be extended to others, what others practice is what shall be extended to us. Our choice then, is whether we choose to be the example to help spread the Word which will lead to peace for each and all of us.

So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.� John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the voice of the bridegroom. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.� (John 3:26-30)

Blessed are we that He has sent others to help us hear and understand the Word. There are so many who wish to teach us of the ways of the world, but we must seek those who truly understand the Word, for through those who herald the way, we are brought closer to Him. But what should we do when there are so many who profess to teach the Word, but who only use it to cover lies and deceit. Who are we to know who will bring us the truth? John revealed the qualities of such a teacher, for he told those who followed him, it is not I, but Him.

If He commands us to love, yet the teacher says, “Love this one, but not that one,� then we know the teacher is false. If He teaches parables of serving one another, yet the teacher says, “Serve this one, but not that one,� then we know the teacher is false. If He teaches that we should not judge, even if the teacher uses the same words, but his actions are to judge, then we know the teacher is false.

We will know these things if we spend time with scripture and prayer, for He will reveal in our hearts what we must discern. We will know these things if we listen carefully to those sent to teach, for through what they do, they will reveal what is in their hearts; and should one who teaches fail in their responsibility, we must first remember, they too are human and subject to the temptations of the evil one. We should not condemn them, rather we should pray for them that they may be healed and respond faithfully to the gift of teaching which God has granted them, that they should not yield to the temptation to misuse their gift to the objectives of the evil one.

Wary we should listen and watch, for one who teaches love without God is not true and one who teaches God without love is not true; for the completeness of the commandments is to love God and to love one another; for if we fail either, we fail in that to which God has to us called. One who teaches both to love God and one another, teaches the truth, for these are the greatest commandments upon which He told us that all the law and all the prophecy depends. But if such a teacher only says the words without deeds, then, we should pray for the teacher, for we know they believe, but they have been corrupted through the temptations of the evil one.

In prayer, we should pray for all the teachers, whether they be parents, pastors or priests; so that they will bring glory to the Word and help all in their journey to the kingdom of heaven. As we pray for them, we should also pray for ourselves that we may not be deceived, that we may not be misled, and that we do not presume to be wise in our own estimation, but that we seek the wisdom and discernment to know what is of God, what is of man and what is of the evil one.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier