The Jesus Prayer

Jesus Christ

What do Christians use if we want to meditate? We talk to God. We do not call it meditation, but prayer.  I found something quite by mistake. It is "The Jesus Prayer". Actually, it comes from the Greek Orthodox part of Christianity. I love it.

"The Jesus Prayer is not recited as a Mantra, but as a prayer to the Person of Christ. 

The Jesus Prayer. - 'Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.'

Power Of The Jesus Prayer Is In The Name Of Our Lord
The prayer begins with the name of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts we are told, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The power in the prayer comes from our proclaiming the Lord’s name. 

In its simple form we confess our faith in Jesus Christ as our God and Lord. Saint Theophan the Recluse emphasizes the importance of this prayer when he says, “Only with the help of this prayer can the necessary order of the soul be firmly maintained…” (Art of Prayer, p 92) 

Here he powerfully says that this particular prayer is essential if we are to put our soul in charge, being fully directed at God. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov6 says, “By the power of the name of Jesus the mind is freed from doubt, indecision and hesitation, the will is strengthened and correctness is given to zeal and other properties of the soul.” (On the Prayer of Jesus. p 25) 

He is saying that as we engage in this prayer the mind is freed from its confusion caused by the attack of numerous thoughts that distract us from God. As the mind is tamed though our repeated repetition of this prayer, the mind is brought under control through God’s grace so that we can use our rational faculties to direct our bodies in an appropriate way allowing us to act in a manner that is consistent with the teaching of Jesus.

Clicking on the Jesus Prayer will take you to the website where it is explained in detail. I hope that you receive the blessing that I received from this.

Truth

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I started a class on Sunday called "The Truth Project" by Dr. Del Tackett, who is associated with "Focus on the Family." The major question Dr. Tackett poses is: "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?" How do we know what we really believe.

There are five of us in this study. We hope some others will join us, but it is okay if they don't. The class is on a video with a facilitator. We are praying for each other each day.  "The Cosmic Battle: Battle between God's Truth and the lies and illusions of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God, against His nature and His word." There are bible references for everything and I am really looking forward to the study this week.

Wednesday morning, I am joining another group to study Deuteronomy. They meet from 9:30 a.m. to noon. This is a Beth Moore Study group. We have a facilitator and I think she said that she has 16 signed up. I am looking forward to this class also. Since I miss Sunday Morning Bible Study, both of these classes will ensure that I don't fall behind on my studies to be able to help others to understand the Gospel.

If you are interested in "The Truth Project", you can go to the TruthProject.org .

I pray that you all have a wonderful day in Christ!

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME - ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!