C4 Connextion Corner

  POWER OF PRAYER by: Rev. Lula A. Baker James 5:17b The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous person avails much! PRAYER IS COMMUNICATION WITH GOD WE PRAY TO GOD, BUT IN THE NAME OF OR THROUGH THE ACCESS OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR INTERCESSOR! There are many different types of prayer: Adoration, Exaltation, Petition, Supplication, and Thanksgiving, just to suggest a few. Paul tells us we ought to pray all KINDS of prayers, sing and make melody in our own hearts Colossians 3:16-17 We are to always have an attitude for prayer. He says in Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing! Luke 18:1 admonishes us to Pray and not faint! II Chronicles 7:14 tells us that if the people that are called by God's name would humble themselves and pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways; he would forgive our sins and heal our land!! In the scriptures, Moses prays to know how long he has to live (Psalms 90:12). David asks the same in (Psalms 39:4)! Hezekiah prays for an exten...

Power of Prayer I have been on earth long enough now not to assume anything, so let me begin by talking about what prayer means. In addition to a definition, I will try to express the power of prayer in my estimation. I found prayer to be a solemn request for help or expression of thanks expressed to God on an object of worship. With that being said, let see what prayer can do. Prayer and meditation can influence our state of mind, which then can affect our state of the body. It can help with anxiety, sadness, blood pressure, sleep, digestion, and breathing. It also can influence our thinking. So why then would I begin this blog in this fashion? Simply because God created or formed us to be social beings, meaning that the key to co-existence is communication, just as we communicate with each other. There must be communication with God, which is done by prayer.  However, when we communicate with God, there must be one critical component, that being faith. The scripture reminds us in...

Power of Prayer: There is two sides to everything, even prayer! Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:15- What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with the understanding…  In order to recognize the power of prayer, I believe it is essential for one to have an in-depth understanding of what prayer is at its core. Wikipedia sites prayer as “an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication.” It continues by saying that prayer “refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ancestor.” I know that may have been a lot to digest, but let me break it down in simpler form.  For starters, prayer is our primary communication tool, which can be used to have a conversation with our Heavenly Father and show gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prayer allows you an opportunity to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. During prayer we are able to ...

Rise Up and Pray! Luke 22:46 Prayer keeps the spirit calm and connected to God. Praying and staying “watchful” keeps us open so we can recognize answers and keeps us alert to what may be hindering our prayers. I am sure we have noticed that when we do NOT pray, a piece of our spirit is lost and the view of our circumstances suffer. The Power of prayer gives us strength to pray specific prayers that will divert enemy attacks. Question?   What is keeping us from praying?   I’m not talking about a casual, run out of the door, “thank you God, keep me safe”, dash to a meeting prayer, which is needed, but what is keeping us from making an intentional effort to spend time alone with the Lord?   What keeps us from sitting, asking, crying, waiting, listening, watching and praying in his presence?         Distractions, Distractions, Distractions .   During this awful pandemic, we have certainly had many distractions, but we have also, ...

Let's Appreciate The Free Stuff By Min. J.R. Porter From the previous writers, you learned the benefit of having God's Grace, but we often take advantage and don't appreciate it until Grace helps us in the time of need. If Grace is a gift of God, we sure don't act like it. When someone gives you a gift, whether it's good or bad, it's still a gift, and we as humans ought to cherish and appreciate that gift. We choose if we like the gift or not from the person who gave it to us. I'm so glad God doesn't treat us like that. God doesn't say I will give Grace to those I like and not to those I dislike. God says, here's my unmerited and unworked gift called Grace that I give to you. My God, I'm getting excited just writing this blog. Unmerited and unworked means we don't deserve it and don't have to work for it. God freely gives his kindness called Grace to us.  Remember when your parents used to take you school shopping and brought you almo...

I would say that when most of us lay down to sleep at night; we have access to some form of covering: a flat sheet, a comforter, a quilt, or something else to cover us. When I was growing up I made sure I had a cover even during warm summer nights to protect my ears from mosquitos which would enter the bedroom that my brothers Tony, Timmy, and I would share. Most people would in fact say that they use a cover for protection, security, and comfort. Isn’t it wonderful that God has already provided protection, security, and comfort for those who have accepted and believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior? God’s Word declares that “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Before we go any further let’s make an affirmation and declare that “I am covered by grace”. There’s so much to say about grace, but I believe even all of that would be insufficient without acknowledging the simple truth that it’s God’s ...

Mutual Benefactors   Most people when they apply for a job think about the benefits they'll receive first. Whether it's a 401(k), health & dental, paid vacations, etc. Nevertheless, benefits entice us to work. Yet, when it comes to our Heavenly Father (the boss of all bosses) we get lax in our callings or downright quit our post. Truth be told, no benefits can outmatch or outperform the benefits we receive from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. American Express once had the slogan "never leave home without it", Grace resides in that same realm. It's like oxygen. We may not be able to see it but it's real. In fact, I retract that statement. You can see grace. It is tangible, alive, and vibrant!    God’s grace becomes visible when we, His children, turn from our wicked ways and decide that we will always serve the Lord. By taking this stance, God’s love is passed through us, to people that may never receive him. Like Pastor Lula stated,...