Loris Venegas

Abraham sets the example for us all by praying bold, persistent prayers but with humility and respect toward the "judge of all the earth. " Jesus speaks of this persistence and boldness when he tell the parable of the friend that asks for bread in the middle of the night- that the friend does not rise because he is a friend- but because of the boldness-"ASK and you will receive, SEARCH and you will find. KNOCK and the door will be opened." (Luke 11: 5-13) Abraham constantly yielded to God and approached God as an obedient child to his loving Father. He let God know that He knew his place as "dust and ashes" and that God has the final authority and power. Boldness must be tempered with humility in order that we assume our proper role as "followers" of Christ. His strength is perfected in our weakness- God can only work in our lives if we give Him authority over our lives.

Abraham argued that God is a holy and righteous God- the judge of all creation and that He can only act in a way that is aligned with His true nature. Therefore, He should spare Sodom because He is right and just at all times. God never departs from His true nature- He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow! Abraham had confidence and faith in our holy and righteous God. And prayed persistent prayers!

The people of Israel disobeyed God's command not to have any gods before Him and not to make idols. Their disobedience and rebellion angered God. A loving God that is righteous and holy despises sin. God's sentence to destroy Israel and raise up a new nation is justified because God's desire was to raise up His holy people and he made it clear that when laws were broken that the transgressions must be dealt with harshly in order to " get rid of the evil among you" (Deuteronomy 21: 21; 22:21; 22:24) God's commands have always been in the best interest of His people--yet they continued to rebel.

It is clear that for the scriptures that since we are sinners we must always ask for forgiveness- Sin can even be unrecognizable to us- since sin is whenever we experience a "lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness." Asking for forgiveness also keeps us humble! That is part of the reason it is hard for some people to practice forgiveness. Matthew 6:14 is not only what Jesus commands us to do- but it is a universal truth whether one follows Jesus Christ or not. You must forgive in order to be forgiven. When a person cannot forgive he ultimately ends up the one being hurt but his own inner turmoil.( I love the allegory Pastor Wilson write of the monkey being trapped by himself! ) Healing and freedom follows forgiveness. We can only experience God's blessings and forgiveness if we set ourselves free by forgiving others-deserving of it not! Unforgiveness and hate IS sinful bondage as Pastor Wilson states. Our Heavenly Father wants us to live in freedom and joy so His light can shine brighter THROUGH us as true sons and daughers of our Father in heaven.

I agree with many of the other students that pride keeps us from asking for help and pride keeps us from completely submitting to God (independent of Him). When we ask for our daily bread, we are asking and acknowledging that He alone is the provider of our needs. We ask for today only, not for tomorrow, because we a giving God control over our future.

We are asking that God Kingdom- The power and glory of heaven be brought down to us. As Christians, we are meant to bring the councils of heaven down to earth. We are brokers of the power of Almighty God through our prayers for the world, ourselves and our loved ones. When we claim that "His will be done" not only are we submitting to His will (and letting go of OUR desired outcome) but we are also acknowledging that He is in charge of our lives and is The Almighty! It is a posture of obedience. One way this prayer affects our lives is the freedom that obedience and submission to God brings. It seems as if those things would not bring freedom, but we can have freedom from worry and let the Holy Spirit bring peace.

When I put God first above all things, and share and live the Good News, I honor God as the holy glorious God that He is. I dishonor Him when I chose my own way instead of His, when I mirror the world and not the love, grace, and mercy of the Most High God that lives in my heart. I try to be in the presence of God always, praying constantly throughout the day. I approach with reverence, thanksgiving and praise- For He is Elohim, our all powerful God.

My name is Loris Venegas and I live in Colorado! May God bless you all for searching deeper His heart!