The Real Truth

Q4. (20:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? He want's his nation to survive and have a son. It shows obedence. It's all up to God.

Q3. Why is Hezekiah's healing important for his nation? How did it relate to God's promises to David? So the nation would not be without a King in a time of War. It relates to God promise to David because of the off spring.

Q2. (19:15) How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah's prayer (verse 15) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord's Prayer? How are they important to faith? How are they important to God answering the prayer? By setting the stage God is to be put on. Higher than anything in Heaven or in Earth. They both give God all the glory, honor, and power. They are impotant to faith because is labels God as the creater of Heaven and Earth. Without faith one cannot believe that. They are important to God because it lets him know who he really is. And to see if you give enough respect and ackowledgement that his is Lord of all.

Q1. (19:14) What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message before the Lord? What is the underlying principle illustrated here? How can we apply this principle to our own lives? What happens when we don't apply this principle? The significance is that it is an insult to God himself and it needs God's response. After preparing all we can we need to take are problems to the Lord; because the battle is His. Almost in the same way. I have read a many things that defile and disgrace the Lord name. I should just print it out and present it to the Lord. If we don't apply this prinicple we can easily go weary as mere humans, and hope be able to do the Lord's will.

Q4. Why is a person's attitude with regard to giving related to that person's attitude towards praise? Why does an attitude of possessiveness with regards to giving get in the way of worship? In what sense do all your possessions belong to God? What then should be your relationship to your possessions? How will these truths re-energize your giving? Your praise? God loves a cheeful giver. It not hard to assume that God loves a cheeful praiser. Where you money is therein lies one's heart. Giving is a sgin of worship. God made everything. I own my possessions; my possessions do not own me. I will contiune to be humbe and have faith that my giving and praise will be noticed.

Q3. Verses 11 and 12 both attribute various characteristics to God, such as glory, honor, and might. How might you begin to mention God's greatness in your own prayers? Where is this kind of praise found by example in the Lord's Prayer? What are your favorite songs that point to God's greatness? I can mention all the wonderful things God has done and will do in my life. My favorite song just says Holy, Holy, Holy.

Q2. In what way does praise exalt God? Why should we exalt God? What does this exaltation do in us? What does it say about us? Our praise exalts God because it let's him know that he is great, powerful, glory, majesty, and splendor. Praise is also the language of faith. Because God almighty deserves that we exalt he. It strengthens the faith in us. That God exalts us which is by his grace, but he is always exalted above all.

Q1. In what way do our prayers of praise "bless" God? What do we mere humans have that God desires in a blessing? What are prayers like, that don't include blessing God? It gives God all the glory. It says that "our generosity can touch others" so our generosity to praise God without the sense of duty can touch God. Praise and worship. Selfish and disrecpectful to God.

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves? To know that you have sinned against the Lord and the fact that He may take his Holy Spirit away from us. By have a broken heart and spirit it keeps us humble to the grace of God. It is a sacrifice becuase we are giving up our inermost being. We don't want to feel guilty so we pretend or resist the fact.

Q3. Is it possible to have a pure heart? How does God bring about a pure heart? What is our part in this? Yes it is possible to have a pure heart. God's can cleanse me if all of my sins; not only actions but the sins if my heart. Our part is to simply ask and believe in God's Lovingkindess.

Q2. In his prayer does David seek to minimize his sins? No, David does the exact oppsite. Even more so to acknowledge he sinned against GOD and not just to Uriah and Bathsheba. To maximize them? I'd say he does maximize them. On the other hand can you even do than? I say that because David doesn't just use one word to desribe how he feel but mulitple words to describe his sins and transgressions, etc. Why does an authentic prayer for pardon require clear, unvarnished acknowledgement of sin to be effective? So that one can truly understand what they've done and and to truly repent from it. It's almost like the story in Acts. The couple secertly kept money from the selling of the land. And they died becuase of it. Well if sin was that money you better give it ALL up and not try to "trick" God that you're not really ready to repent.

In what way does a prayer for pardon require faith? Faith to believe that God will restore your place in His presence. What is that faith based on? Faith is simply the belief in the characteristics of God. How does a person gain the faith to pray this prayer in confidence? By staying humble and grateful. By confessing one's sins to God.

Q4. In what way does Abraham show persistence? Why is persistence necessary in prayer? Have you ever experienced "praying through"? What was it like? Abraham bargains with God to save people from fifty all the way to ten. And Abraham didn't jump from fifty to ten he went by intervals. Persistence is necessary because "praying until assurance of an answer comes." Yes I have prayed through and peace came over me, it was exactly what I needed.

Q3. Do you think Abraham's boldness pleased God? Why or why not? Yes, because it shows Abraham has great faith that God will allow him to "bargain." What might cause God to take delight in your prayers to him? To show faith and God loves you when you pray to him.

Q2. How did Abraham demonstrate his humility before God? By constantly giving God the glory, and by stating that he is mere dust that shouldn't even be speaking to God. Why must boldness be tempered with humility? To be bold and have no humility would be disrespect to God. We need to know our place.