Terrorists in Canada

The Cause, the Cure, the Need of Reform, and the Resulting Joy


Part 1 - The Cause


In the early years of the seventh century, a wrong understanding of God, indirectly created by the Roman Catholic Church's depiction of God, resulted in the creation of Islam – Muhammad's version of God/Allah and His laws. (The word Allah is not a name, it translates from the Arabic Al-Lah 'the God').


In 213AD, a theologian named Tertulian created the idea that God is a trinity of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This resulted in the Catholic Church creating the Nicene Creed in 325AD, and later in 381AD, the Church changed this Nicene Creed and made its official doctrine the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. Unfortunately, these creeds/doctrines are still believed by many Christians today.


Islam's 'prophet' Muhammad wrongly believed that this trinity concept was composed of Father, Son, and Mary, due to the Catholic iodolization of Mary: (from the Qur'an 5:116) – O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people: take me and my mother as gods, apart from Allah? So Muhammad, who was illiterate (“unlettered prophet” Qur'an 7:157,158), stated that the Christian's holy book was corrupt, and that God is one, not three in one. The creation of Islam's Qur'an was the result of Muhammad's belief of the Bible being corrupt. Being illiterate, Muhammad may not have known that in the Bible Jesus stated: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). (More on this later in Part #2.)


The following nine verses are instructions to Muslims from the Qur'an (All quotations from the Qur'an written here are from Majid Fakhry's book An interpretation of the Qur'an, New York University Press, copyright 2000, 2004; which was approved by Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.):


1 - O believers, do not take the Jews and the Christians as friends; some of them are friends of each other. Whoever of you takes them as friends is surely one of them. Allah indeed does not guide the wrongdoers (Qur'an, 5:51).

2 - Unbelievers are those who say: “Allah is the Messiah [Jesus], son of Mary” (Qur'an, 5:17).

3 - Those who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary, are unbelievers. Unbelievers too are those who said that Allah is a third of three [the trinity] (Qur'an, 5:72,73).

4 - Fight those from among the People of the Book* [translator's footnote: *Jews and Christians] who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden and do not profess the true religion, till they pay the toll tax out of hand and submissively (Qur'an, chapter 9 vs 29).

5 - O Prophet, fight the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be stern with them. Their abode is Hell (Qur'an, 9:73).

6 - Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them see how harsh you can be (Qur'an, 9:123).

7 - When you meet the unbelievers, strike their necks till you have bloodied them (Qur'an, 4:47).

8 - You shall find others who wish to be secure from you and secure from their own people; yet, whenever they are called back to sedition* [translator's footnote: *polytheism] they plunge into it. If these do not keep away from you, nor offer you peace, nor hold their hands back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them. Those, We [Allah] have given you clear authority over (Qur'an, 4:91).

9 - Indeed, the punishment of those who fight Allah and His Messenger and go around corrupting the land is to be killed, crucified. O believers, fear Allah and seek the means to win His Favor. Fight in His way so that you may prosper (Qur'an, 5:33,35).


These instructions teach Muslims to kill Jews and Christians if they don't follow the teachings of Muhammad found in the Qur'an. The result is the creation of the Islamic terrorist.


The accusative call of 'Islamophobia' from Muslims is a purposeful distraction from the truth about Islam. One has to be aware of the Muslim tradition of “taqiyya”, an Islamic juridical term whose shifting meaning relates to when a Muslim is allowed, under Sharia law, to lie to non-Muslims to advance and protect Islam. The Qur'an's instructions teach Muslims to kill Jews and Christians (especially Jews) if they don't follow the teachings of Muhammad found in the Qur'an. This is the major cause of terrorism in the world today. There is no such thing as a 'radical' Muslim; the Muslim we label as 'radical' is one who is wholeheartedly following Islam.

Muslims in Canada need help to understand the truth about God and Canadian law. They have been fed false information that has misdirected them in their lives. Jesus warned us that in the last days there would be many false prophets, and no matter what religious beliefs a person has, Jesus' teaching of loving one another is the only way that makes sense.


If Canada is “founded on principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law” as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom state, then God's laws should take precedent over man's laws, but which religion gives the right understanding of God's laws? From the Bible, in the Old Testament portion, Jews were instructed to love God and love their neighbours, and in the New Testament portion, when Jesus was instructing His followers, He said: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' / This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' / All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37,38,39,40).

Jesus also said: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44,45).


Nowhere in the New Testament are there instructions to hate, hurt, punish, terrorize, or kill neighbours. Muslims need help to understand the truth about God; not the Qur'an's instructions of killing your neighbour, but rather the Bible's instructions to love your neighbour.


Without Muslims and Christians learning the truth about their respective religions, there will be much bloodshed in Canada's near future. Paying attention to what is already happening in various countries in Europe, and understanding the root of the problems in the Middle-East (Israel's Jews surrounded by Muslim countries), should warn us of what is to come to Canada with all the new immigrants.


Canada has room for many immigrants, but, immigrants and refugees that come with a seriously infectious disease would be quarantined and cured before being allowed free entry into the country. Muslim immigrants and refugees come with a mind poisoned with the doctrines of the Qur'an. They should be reeducated before being allowed freedom of entry.


According to the Canadian Criminal Code (Part VIII Section 318:1,2,4, and Section 319:1,2), the Qur'an should have been labeled hate propaganda already. In Canada the Qur'an has not been subject to these laws because of Taqiyya, an Islamic juridical term whose shifting meaning relates to when a Muslim is allowed, under Sharia law, to lie to non-Muslims to advance and protect Islam.


Justin Trudeau's Liberal Government brought in Motion-103. The purpose of Motion-103 was to silence those that would speak the truth about the nature of Islam. The term 'Islamophobia' is being used as a weapon to turn the public against one another and as a diversionary tactic so that Islam is not examined for what it is. Calling those who speak the truth, 'guilty of Islamophobia', is a muzzling effort to hide the truth. Motion-103 should be recognized for what it is – a lie to control the disclosure of Islam. Motion-103 should be rescinded and Mr. Trudeau and those who created Motion-103 need to step down.


Part 2 - The Cure: The truth about God, one, or three-in-one?


Both Christianity's and Islam's respective religious books state that God is one. The Bible is not corrupt as Muhammad stated, but the doctrine from todays Christian Churches, originated by the Roman Catholic church, is. The following discourse may help us to better understand religious truth.


In the New Testament portion of the Bible, Jesus' apostle Paul quoted from one of the Old Testament statements from God through His prophet Isaiah. This statement from God may seem a little odd to us, but it is important to know. Here it is: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate (Corinthians 1:19). Also, the Bible states that Jesus spoke to His disciples clearly, but to the crowds, only in parables. Why? There is a good reason for both of these statements. Jesus not only spoke in parables, He was a living parable. This will make more sense later in this discourse.


The Bible is not corrupt as Muhammad stated, but it does have a few poorly translated words in it. Some are minor, but one is significant. All of today's English translations of the Bible translate John 1:1 thusly: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The original Greek verse did not use the word 'Word', but rather Logos. Our English dictionaries give the following definition for the word Logos: cosmic reason (giving order, purpose, and intelligibility to the world); in other words – Divine Expression – God communicating to man.


More importantly, the word with, in the second portion of the sentence, has been mistakenly used as the translation of the Greek word πρός (pros) which has six meanings: toward, towards, concerning, to, on, or unto. The word with from our English dictionaries has 28 different meanings, and the only definition that coincides with any of the six Greek definitions is the 19th one which is, 'in regard to'. Concerning, and in regard to, have a different meaning than the other 'with' definitions: in the company of, next to, beside, coming along side, etc. These last four definitions give the understanding of more than one. The word with in John 1:1 is a mistranslation of the original Greek word πρός (pros). The verse in John 1:1 from the Greek should have been translated: In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was concerning God, and the Logos was God.


Without the proper understanding of the meaning of the words Logos and with, the reader, because of the 'trinity' belief, created by a member of the Catholic Church – Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullianus (c155 AD – c240 AD), has been given a wrong idea of God. He or she thinks of the 'Word' of God as being someone besides God rather than God Himself. Even the last part of the sentence gives us the truth – the Word was God.


The Bible says that God is Spirit. The meaning given for the word spirit in both Hebrew and Greek, from Strong's Concordance, is the idea of air moving – a current of air, or a breath of air. Although no material substance such as air will ever describe spirit, it is the closest thing we have to understand God's parable to us. If we were to think of air as being omnipresent as God is omnipresent, and to think of that air taking on moisture as God took on flesh, we would have the nearest comparison that we could think of to describe this parable. Just as we cannot see air which is all around us – ever-present, we can't see God who is omnipresent – ever-present. But when air takes on moisture and forms a cloud that we can not only see, but be physically affected by (rain, lightning, and thunder), the air is still everywhere-present. When Jehovah God took on flesh as the man Jesus, who could be seen, heard, and touched, He was still everywhere-present, a living parable. (This rules out modalism, the changing from one form to another.)


Jesus often spoke in parables, and as a man, was a living parable, teaching us of His love. He was God, who is Spirit, within a flesh and bone body, speaking to us – Divine Expression. From the Bible: The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being (Hebrews 1:3).

Not the physical formation of flesh, but the person within the body, because God is not flesh and bone, He is Spirit. From the Bible: In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).

Jesus said: I and the Father are one [one and the same] (John 10:30). Because He is God, nothing is impossible; He can do anything. When He died on the cross, He only died a physical death, not a spiritual death, and because He is God, He rose from the dead. It was the physical body that died, not the Spirit. Jesus called Himself the resurrection: I am the resurrection and the life. / Nothing is impossible with God (John 11:25 / Luke 1:37).


Why did God, our Father Creator, who is Spirit, present Himself as the “Son” of God? One answer is that God did not want man to form an image in his mind of God, who is infinite and omnipresent, as a finite, three-dimensional (height/width/depth) person of flesh and bone. When Jesus came in the flesh as the son of God, He spoke and lived as an example of a man in perfect obedience (sinless) to our Father Creator , and, to show the depth of His love, He died on the cross to pay for our sins: a living parable.

John 1:14 from the NIV bible wrongly states: The word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

But the original Greek words state: as of an only begotten from a Father (parable).

(The KJV and the New American Standard Bible state 'as' in their versions.)


Jesus, when incarnate, told us: And do not call anyone on earth 'father' for you have one Father, and He is in Heaven (Matthew 23:9).

And yet, God's prophet Isaiah called Jesus Everlasting Father: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Councelor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:6,7).


The man Jesus was Jehovah God inhabiting flesh. While in the flesh as a man, being an example for us, Jesus prayed in front of His disciples saying: Holy Father, protect them by the power your name–the name you gave me... (John 17:11). The name Jesus means: Yah-saves or Yehovah/Jehovah-saves. (The English letter J was unknown before the 14th century.)

Yehovah-saves (English) comes from the Hebrew word Yehoshua. Yehoshua translates to Iesous in Greek because the Greek language does not have the “sh” sound in its language, and the letter 's' on the end indicates a masculine name. The Greek word Iesous translates to English as Jesus. Jehovah-saves = Jesus


From the Old Testament, when Moses asked God for His name, God said: “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14).

And Jesus, as man, said: I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am (John 8:58).

Jesus' apostle Paul wrote: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form... (Colossians 2:9).

Jesus is our teacher: Nor are you to be called 'teacher', for you have one Teacher, the Christ (Matthew 23:10).


Jesus is both the Lord and the Spirit: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. / All those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus – their Lord and ours (Romans 10:9 / 1Corinthians 1:2).

Now the Lord [Jesus] is the Spirit and, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Lord is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17,18)


God is Holy and He is Spirit. Spirit is what God is, the word Holy is not His name, it is an adjective modifying the noun Spirit, telling us what kind of spirit He is. Jesus, who is Lord, is Holy. The Lord Jesus is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Both Jesus and Moses declared that God is one. Yet most Christians claim that they have the Holy Spirit in them, and that Jesus is with God the Father in Heaven. They do not yet know who Jesus really is.


Even Jesus' disciples didn't understand who He is: Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us”. Jesus answered, “Don't you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” [Seeing the Spirit, not the flesh.] (John 14:8,9).

And Mark may not have understood who the man Jesus really was because he misquoted the Scriptures. Mark was quoting Jehovah God in Malachi 3:1 of the Old Testament where Jehovah said: “I will send my messenger [John the Baptist], who will prepare the way before me.” But Mark, in his quote of the Old Testament wrote: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”. (Mark 1:2)


In the Bible, Mark wrote you instead of me. But is it possible the early leaders of the Catholic church changed the scriptures? The idea of trinity started in 213AD, and the earliest copies of the New Testament that still exist today were made in 340AD, 127 years later. The Roman Emperor Diocletian who ruled Rome from 284AD to 305AD, hated the growing sect of Christians in his empire. He wanted to root out the causes of Roman decline. Religious reasons were the top of his list. He destroyed any Christian writings he could find.


In the Bible (John 14:21), Jesus said that He would clearly show Himself to us if we would love and obey Him. He also stated that God is Spirit (John 4:24) and Jesus' apostle Paul tells us that there is only one Spirit, one Lord, one God, and one Father: There is one body and one Spirit ...one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all. / God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (Ephesians 4:4,5 / John 4:24)


Paul also tells us that Christ lives in us (in “born again” Christians) and equates the words Christ and God: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness (Romans 8:9,10).

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test (2 Corinthians 13:5).

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19).

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).


When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:4), He spoke as our Father Creator from heaven. When we call on the Lord Jesus (Yah-saves, Jehovah-saves), Jesus, our Father in heaven, who is Spirit, comes to live in us. He is the Holy Spirit. He now speaks to us as He is, the Spirit inside of us, IF, we are “born again” (also called “baptized in the Spirit”).

The following three verses from the Bible, Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, and Luke 3:16, all state: He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.


Here again is that earlier statement from God that seems a little odd to us : I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. The Bible was not meant to be interpreted by man; its spiritual meanings are revealed by the Holy Spirit – Jesus: The anointing [the Holy Spirit] you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you (1John 2:27).

When we read the Bible, we need to ask the Lord Jesus to help us to understand it. Jesus said: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:14).

And Jesus' apostle James wrote: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).


“God is Spirit,” what does that mean to each individual? If Jesus had said 'I am God' rather than 'Son of God', so many would think of God as a being with arms and legs etc., such as us. But He is Spirit, omniscience, omnipotent, everywhere present, all knowing, and eternal – always existing. How does a simple man comprehend this? Only by spending time with Him, getting to know Him, does one begin to understand Spirit. If nothing is impossible for God to do, why can't we believe that He can create a body for Himself to walk and talk with man, His creation. Why can't we believe that He can be the man Jesus as an example to us of His requirements of us, and especially to show the depth His love for us by physically dying on the cross for us? God is teaching us what He means by love: the willingness to suffer for the sake of others.


Do we have three spirits to deal with, or is God one as Jesus, Moses, and even Muhammad declared? Nowhere in the Bible does it state that God is three-in-one. The Roman Catholic Church pressured a Dutchman named Desiderius Erasmus (Catholic theologian, 1466 AD – 1536 AD) to add an extra verse to the Bible, Erasmus did it, but reluctantly (See – A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix, Chicago: Moody Press, 1968 page 450). This extraneous verse is found in the King James Version of the Bible: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (1John 5:7).

This verse does not exist in the earliest existing manuscripts: Codex Vaticanus 340 AD, Codex Sinaiticus 400 AD, and Codex Alexandrinus 450 AD. Neither is it found in Jerome's translation of the Bible into Latin for the Catholic Church (400AD).

When Jesus was asked 'Which is the greatest commandment?' He began with this statement: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”. He did not say that God was three in one – the supposed “trinity”.


Part -3 The Need For Christian Reform


The following is a short essay on the need for Christian Churches to exhibit the teachings of Jesus.

Some time ago, Reginald W. Bibby (a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge, one of the Canada's premier trackers and interpreters of social trends) surveyed almost 5,000 students aged 15-19 on what they found "very important to them". Their statements in response were as follows: 86% – friendship; 85% – freedom; 84% – trust; and 81% – honesty. Only 13% of the students said 'involvement in a religious group' was important to them. This is not difficult to understand why, when so many religions misrepresent who and what God is because of their different doctrines about God. Here is the dictionary definition of the word doctrine: That which is presented for acceptance or belief; a particular principle.

The main principle or belief given from the Bible is: God is love.

And here are the dictionary definitions of the word love:

1 - The benevolence and mercifulness of God towards mankind. [resulting in]

2 - The adoration or devout affection of man towards God. [and]

3 - The kindness and charitableness man should show towards others.


This is exactly what Jesus taught: love God and love your neighbour. Jesus said: You are my friends if you do what I command. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12,13,14).

And, on the cross, He did just that. God, who is Spirit, took on flesh as the man Jesus to help us understand the depth of His love for us. He died a physical death on the cross to pay for our sins so that we could have a wonderful abundant life now, and an eternal life with Him in heaven.


Jesus (God in flesh) stated: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples... you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. I am the way and the truth and the life (John 8:32,14:6).


True friendship, freedom, trust, and honesty the students are looking for, is found in Jesus. If we ask Jesus for the gift of His Spirit in us, His love in us, we then: will be better friends; will be more honest and trustworthy; will enjoy absolute freedom; and we will love our neighbours.


Real true intimacy, close friendship, can only begin with the intimacy God/Jesus gives us. But how will these students ever know Him and His love when Christian churches can't get along with one another? Christian churches, all around the world, are separated from each other over their differing doctrines: Catholics; Lutherans; Pentecostalists; Oneness Pentecostalists; various Baptists groups; Anglicans; Seven Day Adventists; Mennonite; etc. Names that declare division, not united love. Where is the friendship and love? The only name/word that belongs in front of the word church should be Jesus. The Bible states that Jesus is the head of His Church; it is Jesus' Church. Loving God and our neighbour as Jesus commands will bring forth what the students are looking for.


When will Christian churches settle their differences so people like these students can find the true love of God? The Bible tells us: I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10). My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love (Colossians 2:2).


A Choice: From the Bible, Jesus as man stated: Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him (John 14:21).

He also said: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:14).

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved / Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [that name is Jesus /Jehovah-saves] will be saved. (Romans 10:9,13).


But also, when speaking about Judgement Day (in Islam, the Last Day), Jesus said that not everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven. He said: Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!' (Matthew 7:22,23).

Jesus' response of: I never knew you, conversely means they didn't know Him either. They knew about Him, they believed in who He is, the Lord, and they performed many works, but there wasn't a connection, a relationship. God is love, and His desire is for us to know Him, to meet Him in person now.


Here it is again: Jesus, as a man, when speaking to His disciples, said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him (John 14:6,7). Have you met Jesus yet?


Part 4 – Developing Intimacy with Jesus ( Bible quotations from the New International Version.)


The two dictionary definitions of the word Christian are:

The definition of Christian given here is inadequate; it is correct, but incomplete. Just believing in who Jesus is, doesn't make you a Christian; the Bible states that even demons know who Jesus is. And, trying to live according to Jesus' words found in the Bible doesn't necessarily make you a Christian either. To be a Christian you must have a relationship with Jesus, and the only way to have this relationship is to spend time with Him. Reading the Bible gives us intellectual knowledge, but the Bible was not meant to be interpreted by man; its spiritual meanings are revealed by Jesus.


When we read the Bible, we need to ask the Lord Jesus to help us to understand it – prayer. Jesus said:

Jesus' apostle James wrote:


When we pray, the Lord turns the intellectual knowledge into spiritual knowledge, but there is a problem. What do we think of when we hear the word prayer? We are taught (usually by example) that prayer is asking of God, whether for others, or for ourselves. But the dictionary definition of the word prayer is twofold:

Here are the definitions Young's Analytical Concordance gives for the word prayer, and the number of times that the word prayer is used for each particular definition: whisper-1, wish-1, intercession-1, meditation-2, beseeching or supplication-12, pouring out-36, song of praise-72.


Unfortunately we Christians spend more time looking for what we can get from God, rather than giving to Him our time in worship – thanking and praising Him for who He is, what He has done, and is now doing for us.

God has given us insight on the best way to approach Him:

Paul also gives us understanding when he is talking about the gift of tongues:


Intermingle praise with thanksgiving because we can thank God for His greatness, for all He has created, for His infinite knowledge and wisdom in caring for us, for His patience with us, for His grace towards us, … the list is endless.


Starting with thanksgiving and praise helps us to understand the goodness and holiness of God, which, in turn, reveals more of our sinful nature. Confessing our sins, asking for forgiveness, and believing that He does forgive us, helps us to understand better the depth of His love for us. When we ask God for something for ourselves (supplication) or for others (intercession), we can ask with selfish motives. However, the time spent thanking and praising God first, changes our hearts and minds so that we know what to ask.


Bible reading is fairly easy, it is learning to pray well that is difficult. If we can set a certain amount of time aside each day for prayer (even if just five minutes to start with) and every few days increase that time a little growing to about an hour minimum), we will begin to build our side of our relationship with the Lord Jesus.


When we were first born in the flesh, we were helpless; we were fed and cared for. However, as we began to grow, we started to feed ourselves. It is the same when we are born in the spirit; God's joy carries us along until we are strong enough to feed our minds/souls through the tools He has given us to use. Just as the body needs both food and drink; so the mind/soul needs food (scriptures) and drink (prayer). If one or the other were missing, we wouldn't grow.


Strong muscles don't just happen; it takes exercise or work, through time, to develop them. Strong Christians don't just happen. Time spent praying alone with Jesus strengthens our relationship with Him.


Jesus said:


Remaining in Jesus is being mindful of Him, constantly communicating with Him, talking to Jesus about His attributes; about what He has created, why He created us, what He is promising us, who He is, His character, His love for us, and so on.

God, who is love, is always giving; and we, who want to be like Him, need to learn to give to Him. Spiritual dryness happens because we have wandered away from Him, thinking about ourselves instead of Him.


Why should God give us more if we don't learn to give in return? To enjoy more of God's Spirit we need to give more to Him; and since He created everything, including us, and has no needs, there is nothing we can give Him but our time in thanks and praise. And even of this, God has no need. Our giving of thanks and praise is for our good; it is we who need to learn to appreciate Him. The focus of our time with Him should be mostly thanks and praise.


The author of Hebrews 13:15 stated:


Jesus' apostle Paul, in closing statements to the Church of Thessalonians, gave these final instructions:


We are in error when we ask God to bring Spiritual revival; He has given that job to us. Paul said:


These last two statements by Paul gives us the key to spreading the gospel: the world will see Jesus through our joyfull mindfullness of Him. It is up to us to stir up His gift in us, His love, and His joy. With enough practice, praying to Jesus is no longer burdensome. Intimacy with Jesus becomes joyful, fun, and exciting!!


Comments/Contact - jim@jitt.ca