Prayer and Humility

Prayer, when it is defined as asking or petitioning God for anything, is not, of itself, a relationship with God that enables a Holy Spirit connection with Him. There are other elements that bring this about. The major one is humility toward Him. The definition of humility that I like best is in 1 Peter 5:5-7, where it says: "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

When prayer is combined with humility, it has a lot more impact. Philippians 4: 5-7 says: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The unconditional trust in God of being anxious for nothing precedes prayer, and results in the peace of God that passes all understanding which keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. This is humility toward God. Then prayer follows. Prayer is talking to God. What precedes it is our relationship and trust in God. The order is important because righteousness is important when we pray. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).

At Least 4 Dead in Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue

At least four people were killed and three officers injured responding to an active shooting incident in the area of a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, local media and CNN reported.

"There are fatalities," an emergency responder said on local television station KDKA that was simulcast on CNN. The conditions of the officers were not immediately known.

One white male suspect was in custody, KDKA said, adding that responding officers "received fire."

Here's How Satan Will Try to Attack Your Identity

The devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." (Luke 4:3).

You form your identity in one of two ways: you achieve it by yourself or you receive it from God.

Why Christians believe in resurrection, not reincarnation

Every time Christians recite the Apostles’ Creed, they affirm their belief in what will happen to them after death: “'I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.”

The belief in the resurrection of one’s physical body at the end of time is central to Christian theology, and finds its basis in the resurrection of Christ, who rose in body and soul three days after his passion and death.

But according to a new Pew survey, 29 percent of Christians in the US hold the New Age belief of reincarnation - the belief that when one’s body dies, one’s soul lives on in a new and different body, unrelated to the first.

How a new study says premarital sex affects marital happiness

People who have had only one lifetime sexual partner have happier marriages than people with two or more lifetime partners, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies.

The study’s author, Dr. Nicholas Wolfinger of the University of Utah, found that women who have been sexually intimate only with their spouses are most likely to report having “very happy” marriages, at 65 percent. Among women with between six and ten lifetime sexual partners, only 52% reported being “very happy” in their marriage, the lowest in the study.

7 Shocking Facts About How Early Christians Worshipped

Over 2 billion people who profess belief in Christianity each Sunday gather all over the world to worship God. It is a remarkable occurrence that should make us think and give pause over the significance of such a united event weekly. Just imagine in your mind when praying and bowing the head, when lifting up your hands or voice in worship: You are at the same time joining countless other believers at that very minute in the same worship of our Risen Lord.

It all goes back to apostles who walked the dirt trails of Israel with a radical rabbi who taught with "authority," not like the scribes. Jesus did not institute verbatim the Lord's Day, or command His disciples to gather on the first day of every week with significance and purpose. He rather followed the custom of His day in attending the synagogue services along with other devout religious of the day.

40 percent of U.S. children born to unmarried parents, rate increasing worldwide

New data shows that an increasing number of babies worldwide are born to unmarried parents.

The data was released in an annual report published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA.).

Christians Arrested, Forbidden From Praying in Church

A military group in Myanmar has detained ethnic minority Wa and Lahu Christians and ordered them to pledge that they will not pray in churches but only in their homes, Catholic news agency UCAN reports.

Legal pot will have 'disastrous effects,' Canadian bishops say

Canada’s bishops reiterated their opposition to the legalization of recreational marijuana Wednesday, the same day that legal marijuana sales began across the country.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops underlined “the ethical problems involved with the recreational use and abuse of this drug” in an Oct. 17 statement.

Is This Sabotaging Your Walk With Holy Spirit?

What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? Some may refer to it as being filled with—or sensitive to or anointed by—the Spirit. It sounds really spiritual, but being led by the Spirit is actually a very practical part of living the Christian life.

Simply put, to be led by the Holy Spirit just means to be obedient to Him.

The Holy Spirit does such awesome, yet practical work in the lives of God's children. He is our Comforter, Counselor, helper, intercessor, Advocate, strengthener and standby. He teaches us and guides us into truth, and He even brings the things we learn back to our remembrance as we need them.

The Spirit Reveals

What's God doing in your workplace? How do you know what you write out for the day is of the Lord? Charisma Media's Dr. Steve Greene explains how to stay centered on the Lord in this workplace devotion. Pull down from God's word in 1 Corinthians 2: 9-11 to receive the Lord's Spirit instead of getting caught up by methods of the daily grind.

This Attitude Is Key if You Want to Pray With a Pure Heart

Worship is the beginning of prayer. It is the first step, the starting point. Consider the fact that almost all man-made ideas for prayer or quiet times begin with worship, such as one of the more popular, ACTS: adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Yet of far more importance is the fact that the King of the universe began His model prayer with worship: "Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name" (Matt. 6:9b, Luke 11:2b).

The word for worship in the New Testament is proskyneo. It means "to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence." Worship is blowing kisses to God. It is an act of love, and it is a response to love.

Sexual assault linked to higher rates of infertility in women

Women who have experienced sexual assault may be more likely to suffer from infertility, a new study has found.

The findings of the study, which looked specifically at female veterans, are to be presented at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's conference in Denver this week.

Archbishop Chaput to youth synod: Developed nations stuck in a 'moral adolescence'

While the idea of being “forever young” can seem appealing, the underdevelopment of morality is a problem in developed nations, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia told the Synod of Bishops Thursday.

The answer to this problem is Christ, whom the Church must present more strongly and confidently to young people, he noted in his second intervention to the assembly Oct. 4.

Parents Fear the Worst After 52 Children Missing at 'Warrior of God' Bible Camp

The church where more than 80 Indonesian children were studying the Bible has moved about 2 km from where it stood on Friday last week, before disaster struck.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the west coast of Sulawesi island caused extensive soil liquefaction, a phenomenon that turns the ground into a liquid mire that can flow and skid buildings across the land, and pull victims under.

In Scotland, flying the Vatican flag 'provocatively' could be criminal

Police Scotland maintains that “if flown or displayed in a provocative manner or altered,” the display of the Vatican flag could be a criminal act.

Scotland has experienced significant sectarian division since the Scottish Reformation of the 16th century, which led to the formation of the Church of Scotland, an ecclesial community in the Calvinist and Presbyterian tradition which is the country's largest religious community.

Sectarianism and crimes motivated by anti-Catholicism have been on the rise in Scotland in recent years. Football hooliganism in the country can be linked to sectarian football clubs.

“It would be very concerning if the Vatican flag was in any circumstance deemed offensive,” a Church spokesman said, according to the Scottish Catholic Observer.

The Herald obtained the Police Scotland document which shows symbols and flags, the “provocative” use of which could be a crime.