The most sacred bestselling book ever written is the Bible. It is the most historical, yet the most modern, up-to-date life manual that has ever or will ever exist in our lifetime. That's because the Bible is God's personal letter and sacred life-instruction manual to humanity. It's God's revelation given by inspiration from the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit of the Lord has inspired chosen individuals throughout the ages to write the Word of God. All prophets of the Old Testament (OT) and the apostles of the New Testament (NT) did not speak on their own behalf. They were divinely inspired by the Spirit of the Lord (the Holy Spirit), to reveal the Word of God to everyone, then and now. This is true of the OT Jeremiah, true of OT Daniel, true of NT Peter, and of NT Paul. These sacred Bible scriptures did not come from the imaginations of nor the personal understanding and knowledge of these messengers. The didn't come from them at all; they came through them.
The Bible is both exciting and interesting to read. You can never get bored if you open your mind, heart, and spirit to let God mover through your very center and reveal it's meaning to you. Throughout the Bible we can learn about how God demonstrated His help to us through different people and various methods. An example in the Old Testament where a shepherd boy David is empowered by God to slay a fierce overwhelming foe, the giant Goliath, and then becomes a beloved king. An example in the New Testament is of a short-tempered fisherman Peter, whom Jesus took as one of His disciples---whose cowardice later cause him to deny Jesus at His trial prior to the Crucifixion--- yet through the love of Christ, Peter was forgiven and then was fire-baptized with the infilling on the Holy Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost, which led him to become one of God's most anointed and productive apostles; the foundation, the "rock" upon which the early church was build.
We can't deny that today we are more technologically advanced than any other time in recorded history. Our personal computers, laptops, Blackberrys, GPSs, I-Phones and cell phones are among our most precious commodities. Cell phones seem to have no-doubt become a "must-have" and indispensable possession across generational lines---connecting grandparents-parents-children. Many of our youth today can program a cell phone faster than they can flip the pages of a Bible to The Lord's Prayer. Can you imagine if we were to treat our Bibles like we cherish our cell phones Today?
When I wrote a special prayer for my daughter Dena in May of 2002, little did I know it would impact so many people's lives around the country and abroad today. She had just turned eight years old the month before, and we'd just moved into a new home and she was missing her old friends. I wanted her to have something extra special that could comfort her for the first couple of weeks as she made the transition to new home, new school, new friends. He dad and I would take turns having comforting talks and praying with her before she went to bed at night. But I wanted to give her something extra that would help to brighten up her day as she woke up in the morning. What could I have given her that would be beneficial both short and long term?
When you pray this prayer you are trusting in the Holy Trinity with "all your heart and not leaning on your own understanding" for supernatural guidance and protection. This prayer is a petition and a praise simultaneously. Let's take at look at how and why this remarkable prayer works:
In October of 1998, three years before the horrific 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy, I did a discussion and book signing for my national bestseller 10 Bad Choices at the popular Borders book store in the World Trade Center. It was a very pleasant evening and the book discussion went well. The even was supposed to end at eight in the evening, but it just kept going because we were having a very pleasant discussion about the importance of God in our lives and relationships, and the men and women who attended were very interested and wanted to know more. A very articulate woman in the audience asked, "Dr. Grace, how do you keep you faith so strong?"
"There are many demonic and evil-thinking people in the world today. They have come for a sick purpose---murders, drugs, child pornography, and sexual orgies, are nothing short of demonic presence. But nothing can harm you if you wrap yourself in the Word of God and His Holy Spirit because "Greater is He that is in you, the he that is in the world."
Have you ever felt bewildered about your personal destiny and direction in life? Or, ever felt that you didn't know whether you're going to make it through, but you just know that you have no choice, but to make it through? You may sometimes feel as if you've been missing out on life---merely sleepwalking through, taking whatever is dished out to you---feeling as if you're in the middle of a bad dream, wishing that an alarm clock would go off in the middle of unhappy circumstances and wake you up to a renewed and better life. You may have tripped on life's path numerous times, or have been purposely tripped up by someone else's wrongdoing, or may have tripped over your own bad choices. Many times you may sit and reflect on your accumulated experiences, and declare, "If only I could live my life over again. I wish I knew back then, what I know now." You cry out to God, "Of I could jus start afresh; Father, I need a rebirth, a second chance, a do-over!"
It is unfortunate, but true that many people live their lives wishing to "one day" accomplish their dreams, but neglect to properly plan how to move from Point A to Point B in life. They take each day as it comes, drifting aimlessly, and embracing what is placed in front of them. They have not prayed deeply and asked the Holy Spirit of God to reveal their life's purpose to them. They just continue to wish for things to change; the most popular wish is, "I wish I had a million dollars." There's nothing wrong with wanting a better life or a million dollars. My point here is to help you to get into the habit of walking towards your blessings with faith and purpose instead of just hoping that one day it will happen without any purposeful effort on your part. This would be an unfortunate waste of your valuable and precious life. It reminds me of the Biblical account of the man who languished at the Pool of Bethesda for over thirty-eight years.
Living out your purpose and succeeding in life doesn't always come easy. It take a lot of prayer, patience, and perseverance. Many times you will feel as it it's hopeless to try to stick with it. On some days, you may be unable to see the silver lining beyond the clouds. At other times, you'll cry for comfort and guidance. And then there are times when you will get a moment of discouragement and may want to give up. But keep in mind, the bigger the challenge, the bigger the blessings. God will give you double for your trouble. Just keep seeking the comfort, guidance and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus at all times.