Month: May 2019

People don’t die for something that they know to be a lie.

~ wzippler

emptytomb
The night before Jesus trial all of Christ closest friends either flat out betrayed him, or let him down. Not only did Judas get him killed, but Jesus who was so stressed out that he was sweating blood (Luke 22:44) a process known as Hematidrosis Jesus ask his friends to stay up and pray for him, yet they fell asleep twice! Then when he was arrested they scattered like cowards, to make matters worst Peter denied him three times. This doesn’t paint a picture of brave men who would be willing to die for anything, yet three days later Jesus rose from the dead, and these very same cowards who ran away when Jesus needed them most, suddenly became brave enough that they endured stonings, torture, prison, and even long torturous deaths.

Why would they deal with all this, if they knew that Jesus was still dead?  They would not! They knew how dangerous it would be for them when they started telling the world about Jesus. Many of them endured minor beatings that would have discouraged them if they didn’t know it was dangerous to preach.  Yet they kept on preaching even as the persecutions got worse.  Some of the Disciples were still alive when the Great Fire of Rome happened that Christians we accused of causing which caused the persecutions to get worse, yet they kept on preaching.
In one way they are similar, both sets of people believed that they are dying for the truth. If the resurrection were a lie the disciples would have known it, and the cowards that ran away the night that Jesus was arrested would have never of became some of the bravest men that the world has ever known.

If you would like to know more about the evidence for Christ, please consider purchasing
Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World 
by Josh and Sean McDowell   
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Are you praying to God, or just moving your mouth?

~ wzippler

Woman praying        Have you ever told someone you were fine when you were actually feeling terrible?
It is like we are programmed to tell people we are fine. We don’t intend on lying, it is just a reflex like pulling your hand back when your hand gets too close to the stove, you don’t think about it, you just do it.

I think our prayers can get like that. I know multiple seasoned citizens who have been saying the exact same prayer before eating as they were taught when they were three.
You have to wonder, are they actually expressing their gratitude to God for their food, or are they just reflexively saying the words that they were taught to say decades ago?
Ask yourself that same question, Are you really talking to God when you bow your head, or just moving your mouth? If your answer is uncertain or in the negative try re-reading the Psalms. There are some great players in there. Look for inspiration to change up your prayers a bit.  Just changing a sentence or two can refocus your mind to actual prayer. And don’t forget to ask God to help you focus on him.