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I always thought that God knows from beginning to end and knows all the choices we would make for our lives so how does prayer change things? Are there scriptures that support this idea? I want to pray effectively for my family and friends in need.

Would you please give us your thoughts on the concept of a believer cheapening the grace of God?

There is some confusion among my husband and me and some of our close friends over the meaning of 2 Cor 9:8-9. All of us believe in tithing and practice it, plus we all give above the tithe to other ministries. Some of us believe it says we should give to everyone who ask us for money no matter what. Others say we should try to be discerning in who we give money to. We all want to be generous. If we do not give to everyone who ask us for money or financial support, are we being disobedient to this scripture?

Re: “Cheap Grace” A question arose regarding giving an account for ourselves. It’s mentioned more than once in Scripture (Jesus and Paul making such statements – sorry don’t have the verses to back them up this time), and has caused a few discussions I’ve had with others. Will you please help us on this issue, as we know our sins were paid for by Jesus’ sacrifice for us on Calvary?

I believe that, surely, it must be God’s will that I love Him more than I do, and that my faith be greater than it is.

I am taught, however, that I must have faith for my prayers to be answered. If my faith is weak; if my belief is not strong; it seems that God will not answer my prayers for greater faith or stronger belief and love of Him.

So, what can I do with my need for God-given faith if the little faith I have is not great enough for Him to grant what I ask Him for? How can I avoid the Catch 22 of having too little faith for my prayer for more faith to be answered?

I ask:

1. to ensure my Salvation and to have the “Blessed Assurance” I see in others ;

2. to know His will for me and to be made strong enough to do it;

3. to serve him (and to be rid of a desire for some form of recognition) .

If it is my motives that are impure in my prayer for increased faith and love of God, where can I get the faith I need for him to answer my prayer to rid me of those impure motives?

Re: Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. When we decide to serve Him first, this decision must be followed by action or it will be as useless as if we did not decide to do so in the first place. To honor God with your lips and not your heart is not acceptable. This worries me. If I am doing anything like what I should be doing it will be a big surprise to me. And I suspect I am not alone. I just read that most of us are in the same boat. What do you think? Your opinion will be greatly appreciated. And anxiously awaited.

I am seeking your advice concerning prayer. Our Pastor is leaving and we are having a farewell banquet for him and his family. There will be many in attendance including pastors from other churches and I have been asked to offer the opening prayer.

The idea of praying aloud in front of so many makes me nervous. I always pray from my heart but in this case would it be okay to write something and memorize it?

Also when I think about what to say in the opening prayer, the book of Psalms comes to mind but I don’t know why. Is there something there I should know concerning this? Perhaps a word from Psalms that I should use in the prayer?

My daughter always prays “that God will open the door if it is intended to be His will, or He will close the door, if it is not His will.” I do not believe this works, primarily because usually people praying that way, want an almost instant answer, and to my experience, God does not act that quickly.

Recently they put a down payment on a home, without selling their other one first. And there appears to be some problems, and she said “But, I prayed God would open doors or close them.” I tried to explain to her, but she said then how are you ever suppose to know? Maybe you can give her a better answer than I can.

I think some people hear that verse that says “God will open the door that no one can close” and take it to mean the above? Thank you so much, you are wonderful, and God is doing great things through you and nothing can be better than that.

I want to start off by saying that I love your site, and I think it’s the best.

My question is this. I’ve been discussing with my friends lately on how to become saved. I told them that if we believe in Jesus and realize that we are sinners, and we are in need of savior then we are saved. We must have faith in Jesus Christ.

The question that they always throw at me is this. “If Jesus paid for our sins then can we just go around and do anything we want and still be saved?” My answer is, yes, they are still saved, but if they are truly saved then they would want to try and honor Jesus.

Is there a good way for me to answer this question that they are throwing at me?

Re: Rev 12:10. “For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down ” This passage appears to refer to the tribulation believers. (Jews and Gentiles) What exactly is he accusing them of? Is it because they are not sealed with the Holy Spirit and they are being accused of not following His commandments?