Feeling shamed

It is said that when we sin, we should also feel ashamed. When we experience the emotion of shame, it means that we still have our conscience with us. We should immediately turn away from sin and turn to God confessing what we have done wrong.

It is also said that when we sin, we may not experience the emotion of shame. This is because we have never received Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and been born again. As we have not received the Holy Spirit within us, we do not have the new nature that comes through salvation. (2 Corinthians 5 : 17)

Zephaniah 3:5.
The LORD is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame.

Hosea 4:7.
The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.

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At peace

How to remain peaceful in restless times

Do I face life’s trials and heartaches?
How can I remain peaceful in restless times ?

First I need to know the object of my affection. If I have drifted, I must go to HIM in prayer, confess and ask HIM to restore me.
Perhaps my life has gotten off course. I may find myself complaining to God and wishing that I were in a different set of circumstances. But I must remember that God has a plan for me right where I am. I learn as I grow through life’s difficulties, and God uses each one to teach me more about His faithful love and care.

2 Peter 3:14 - 18
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen.

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L O S T

Many of us today feel that we have lost contact with God. We are puzzled as to why HE has withdrawn HIS blessing from us. We have alternately obeyed God and disobeyed HIM. When we obey HIM, HE blessed us and when we disobeyed HIM, HE disciplined us. Our enemies’ main intent is always to destroy. They want to destroy us with lust, pride, jealousy, materialism, financial indebtedness, physical illness, resentments, antagonism, criticism and discrimination

When we are in such a situation, the only remedy is to go to God’s Word, confess our sins and claim God’s victory over those areas of our lives that are destroying us, ask God to reveal the idols of our lives and we must turn away from idol worshipping.

1 Samuel 7:3
At that time Samuel said to [the Israelites], 'If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then He will rescue you from the Philistines'

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The new versus the old

In our natural inclination we do not have a hunger for God. It is the Holy Spirit who sends conviction and creates within our human heart a desire for God

As Jesus put it, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me, draws him" (John 6:44).
- no one is righteous.
- no one understands the things of God;
- no one seeks God.

The natural man depends on his own resources, his own wisdom, to find meaning and purpose in his life. This leads to conflict, discord and frustration.

The man who trusts in God has the privilege of depending on God everyday, for joy, peace, love. These provide him the meaning and purpose of life.

Romans 3:10-12
As it is written:
There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.

(0371)

Waiting patiently

We do not like to wait. Yet God blesses those who do. (Proverbs 8:34)

Act calmly
We must not complain and grumble. God will help us achieve this.(Galatians 5:22)
We must have trust. God likes those who are steadfast in seeking HIM. We must be obedient and live our lives according to His plan and purpose.

Anticipate
We must expect that God will do what He has promised. He always keeps His word.

Be patient
If the answer does not come soon enough as expected, we are to remain calm. We must continue to remain calm, if we are placed in a situation when an opportunity is about to pass us by, or the pressure to respond seems almost too great. We need courage to fulfill this commitment.

Psalm 130:1 - 8
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins

(0310)

When I am in trouble

God has given us some promises to help us find our way through trials.

- When we wait on Him, He will give us insight into our situation - since He sees all things, He knows what steps we are to take. We may be surprised at the instruction, though, for His ways are not like our human ones.(Isaiah 55:8 - 9) When people hurt us badly, God's Spirit will remind us that vengeance is the Lord's; our part is to live at peace with them. (Romans 12:17 - 19)

- As we meditate on Scripture, His Spirit will show us the relevance of God's Word to our problem. We may be faced with someone making unreasonable financial demands of us. How are we to respond? God may tell us to meet the request or even to give extra in order to bless that person.(Matthew 5:40 - 41)

- The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual promptings to guide our actions and decisions.

Psalm 32:1 - 8
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding-place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

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Be committed to obey HIM

Obedience is a mark of our ability to trust God, especially when it comes to facing serious decisions or important challenges. God may direct us along a certain course, but we find ourselves doubting His ability to protect and deliver us safely. However, a person who lives by faith will continue moving forward as Abraham did without yielding to feelings of doubt or fear. The greatest benefit of obedience is blessing. God always rewards obedience with great blessing.

Be convinced that God will fulfill every promise
The ultimate question is not "Will God do what He promised?", but "Am I willing to trust Him even though His timetable is not my own?"


(0376)

Death of my old nature

We must ask God to enable us to put away completely our old human nature - the former lifestyle corrupted by deceitful desires.

We must ask God to help us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, to put on a new nature, created in His likeness in true righteousness and holiness.

We must God to make us holy and righteous with his righteousness!

Ephesians 4:22-24
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness

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Justification by faith

I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause.

It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the astonishing Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God. By the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified,
not because I am sorry for my sin,
not because I have repented,
but because of what Jesus has done.

I am saved !!!.

The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord.

Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The indestructible safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these thing ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God.

Romans 5:10
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

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Be attentive

So often we are focused only
on the things that we like,
on the things that we are good at doing, or
on the things that we are interested in accomplishing.

God wants us to use every piece of his spiritual armor. He wants us to be disciplined and grow in the areas of our spiritual weakness and the areas we do not necessarily find exciting or interesting. Our evil opponent is cunning and will try to attack us in the areas of our weakness and defenselessness. So let us not just commit to be attentive in the areas of our interest and strength, but also in those areas where we are not.

Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

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Source of our strength

Some of our strength to fight evil comes from
our experiences in the past,
the encouragement of others,
our knowledge of the truth in the Scriptures.

Ultimately, however, our strength comes from God's mighty power.

Paul uses his letter to the Ephesians to remind Christians that this power is what raised Jesus from the dead (1:19-20). Through that power in us, God can do much more than we can ask or imagine (3:20-21).

Most important of all, as we put on our spiritual armor and dedicate ourselves to spiritual discipline, God blesses us with his power and might. We can be strong in God's mighty power.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

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Why is HE doing this ?

A Christian worker has to learn how to be God's noble man or woman in the midst of a crowd of ignoble things.

All God's men are ordinary men made extraordinary by the matter He has given them.

Unless we have the right matter in our minds intellectually and in our hearts affectionately, we will be shoved out of usefulness to God.

We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no matter in them of God's almighty grace, no matter of His mighty word.

It is not that you have got God but that He has got you.

Why He is doing it, we do not know.

Never choose to be a worker, but when God has put His call on you, you will be filled with misery if you try to avoid God. He will do with you what He never did with you before the call came He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.

1 Corinthians 9:22
I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

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Renewing your mind

This is the key to holding onto the blessings of God.

When pressure comes,
when troubles and trials are bearing down on you,
remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead!

Remember that when Jesus arose, you arose. When He came out of hell and defeated the enemy, you came out of hell and defeated the enemy. His victory is your victory because you're in Him.

2 Timothy 2:8
Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ, the Messiah, [as] risen from the dead.

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Individual discouragement

If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a big personal opportunity ahead !!.

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to correct their wrongs. After the first strike for God and for the right, God allowed Moses to be driven into blank discouragement, He sent him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared and told Moses to go and bring forth His people, and Moses said - "Who am I, that I should go?"

In the beginning Moses realized that he was the man to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in the individual aspect, but he was not the man for the work until he had learned communion with God.

We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and we start to do the thing, then comes something equivalent to the forty years in the wilderness, as if God had ignored the whole thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged God comes back and revives the call.

We have to learn that our individual effort for God is disrespect; (see Matthew 3:17). We fix on the individual aspect of things; we have the vision - but we have not got into God's stride.

Exodus 2:11
Moses went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens.

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Be at peace with others

It is not enough to turn from evil. We can clean the rotten things out of our life, but if we do not actively practise what is good then a worse evil will rush into the void. (Mat. 12:43-45)

Let us be a people eager to do good and with a passion to "wage peace."

Psalm 34:14
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

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Follow HIM

We must let go and let God take control.

Joseph was a righteous man, God-fearing and honorable. So when God interrupted his life with a nearly unbelievable message, we read that "he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him."

When we choose to follow Jesus Christ's leading, we can be sure that our lives will be disturbed. Joseph's life certainly was disturbed. As he chose to obey God's call, he not only found further divine guidance in crisis moments, but he was also blessed beyond measure to live in the presence of the Infant who would be called Jesus, the Savior.

Matthew 1 : 24
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him....

(0340)

Be alert all the time

Be careful of your words. We have to be careful of what we say not just for a few hours or a few days, but all the time. It is not an easy task !! As time progresses, the circumstances around you may not have changed so it can be hard to keep up with our best behaviour. We need to put patience to work and put on our best behaviour at all times.

Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles.

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HE is everywhere

Look at the speed of communications today. Technology has enabled us to meet and talk to people over the world instantly.

What is even more amazing is that God knows and hears our prayers even before we think about them or open our mouths. He even knows about our thoughts, how our prayers will be answered and how we will respond to the answer

Matthew 6 : 8
Your Father knows what you need before you ask

Psalm 139:1 - 4
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away You know my every thought. You chart my path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, You know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it

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Problem solving

We encounter problems every day of our life, irrespective of our religion, language or race. God strengthens every Christian to face every difficulty. !

God knows every future circumstances and prepares us to withstand the trial. Once I come across a problem, I go to God and seek HIS wisdom and directions. Once I did that, the problem is contained and I can trust God to help me resolve the situation. I only need to act on my faith and God always gives a solution to the problem.

Whether we are troubled, under crisis or in peaceful times, we must build a strong foundation of trust and communion with God. This relationship will withstand any hardship.

Problems in our daily lives are unavoidable but God is faithful to solve our difficulties through prayers.

2 Chronicles 20


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In difficult times

When I go through a hard time, my experience is both physical and spiritual. And it is during this period of hardship that I must remember that God always cares for me.

If you experience physical suffering, it is difficult to see the hand of God. We need to offer praise to God, believing that “all things do work together for our good if we love God and are called according to HIS purpose”. By believing and trusting God, we increase our faith.

If you experience spiritual suffering, trace your steps back to the point in time when you wondered away from God and believe that “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Whatever you may be experiencing, go to God for HIS blessing and be assured that HE cares for you.

Psalm 37 : 19
He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough

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Walk by faith

To believe the Bible to be true and the miracles of the Bible to be true is a matter of faith. To believe upon Jesus for salvation is a matter of faith. Everything about Christianity requires faith.

What is faith ?
It is the belief, the devotion, the trust in somebody or something without having to rely on logical proof.

When I believe and receive Jesus as my Saviour, I am acting on faith.
When I pray, I am acting on faith.

Faith is about everyday living, believing that God is real and that He makes a difference in my life. I walk by faith and I live a life of faith.

2 Corinthians 5 : 7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

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Feeling relieved !

When I confess my sin

I recognize sin for what it is in God’s eyes.
I am honest and
I get rid of my secret.

Our confession will bring forgiveness and healing.

Let us ask God to help us to overcome temptation and to live a life for God

James 5 : 16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

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What does it mean to be hungry ?

Being hungry is more than a stomach growling for food. It is more than a heart longing for approval. It is more than a deep desire to succeed. It also means our spirit longing for something that will satisfy.

Jesus described Himself as bread to help us to understand that we need Him to live. Knowing Jesus and being in relationship with Him gives us the food necessary for life.
We need to be in constant communion with Jesus. We need to read the Word of God everyday.

John 6:63
Jesus goes on to say, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life"

John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty"

John 6:48 -- 51
I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If a man eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world

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Seek HIS help

We do not live a trouble free life. In fact, Jesus said that in this world we would have trouble (John 16:33). We need not fear trouble nor be overcome by it. HE would be our shelter during the storms of life.

In whatever situations or circumstances, know that God promises to be a shelter for you. Let us ask God to help us to seek HIM and walk with HIM. Ask God to help us to study HIS word and guide us to HIM. Tell God that we can bring all our cares and concerns and decisions to HIM and HE will empower us with divine strength

Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust

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Being spiritually sensitive

Do you, after having made your decisions and yet experienced a vague nagging sense that all is not well ? This happened to you because of your lack of godly sensitivity to make wise choices.
God wants us to differentiate between truth and error as well as to choose between what is good and what is best. Satan always tries to frustrate God’s plan and will try to reveal something nice to us way before God shows us His best. As a result we jump at the first and miss the latter.

Those who have the sensitivity to make good choice would have recognized the Holy Spirit’s warning and have waited. The believer would have prayed and trusted God until he is clearly receiving His assurance to act. God will give us spiritual discernment if we ask Him. God’s will is not always logical according to human reasoning.

Colossians 1:9-12
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

In order to be spiritually sensitive to God’s will, we need to know that God has a personal interest in our decisions and we can be spiritually sensitive to His will when we are making decisions.

We must not allow our own thoughts influence our own decisions. We may be rational but we not able to see the true nature of many situations and events. We may be deceived by external appearances and our pride hinders us to seek godly wisdom.
We have insight on the working of the Holy Spirit when we are dependent on God’s wisdom. The Holy Spirit is able to tell us the biblical meaning, give us spiritual gifts and help us with spiritual sensitivity in making decisions. With the help of the Holy Spirit we are linked to God’s mind and be aware of God’s will for our lives.

In order to have this ability to be sensitive to God’s will in our lives, we need to understand God’s Word. From His Word we can come to live accordingly to God’s will and pick up God’s wisdom for any situation from His words

1 Corinthians 2:10-14
... but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

When we seek God’s will daily and make an effort to understand Him, we will develop our ability to be spiritually sensitive to His will. We must devote our time faithfully to study His Word and subject ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Samuel 17 : 37 – 39 we learnt that David exercised spiritual discernment throughout his life. David finally ascended the throne only after God’s plan was finally revealed to him, but not without making mistakes. By living out what we learn and study the cost of making mistakes we will grow in spiritual discernment.

Hebrews 5:12-14
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

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Effective prayer

It is known that some people are more effective in their prayers than others. It is recognized that prayer is a vital aspect of our faith.

We must pray according to His will.
Prayers will only be answered according to God’s will. We must pray according to what we believe God’s will to be. In Romans 8 : 26 – 27, we are told that the Spirit actually translates our prayers into the prayers that should be said according to God’s will.

We must believe that God will answer our prayers in accordance with His will. Hebrews 11 : 6 and Romans 4 : 20 – 21 tell us that it is a matter of the heart, and a matter of faith.

We must pray and ask in Jesus’ name.

We must pray continuously and without ceasing.

1 John 5:14-15.
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Romans 8:26-27.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Matthew 21:21-22.
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Matthew 14:13-14
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

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According to HIS plan

No matter what physical condition you may be in, whether you are a diabetic, or a cancer patient, you must hold on to God’s promises of a plan for your life. Pray to God and ask to be healed and also for His plan for your life. You must continue to study God’s word and step out in faith, trusting God would use you according to His plan for you.

Proverbs 3 : 5 - 6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight

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Renewing your mind

We may be born again in the image of Jesus but do you still find yourself falling short of that perfection ?

To avoid such a situation, we must renew our mind. We need to study God’s Word, meditate on it and let it change us from inside out. We must be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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Be helpful

What is a spiritual hypocrite ?
When we see other folks fall, we discriminate, mock and criticize them instead of interceding on their behalf. By doing such acts, we are not listening to the way the Spirit of God works in us.

Do you take the burden of these souls before God ?

1 John 5:16
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

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