The Real Message of Easter

Other day I was chatting with some of my friends on social media and since Easter is around the corner, I asked them their plans for Easter as they too are Christians. And I got replies like going to church, celebrations with family (which means lots of chicken after the 40 days Lent and booze), Easter eggs(the demand for the egg is so high that you have to pre-order at the bakery!) This made me to think What is the REAL MESSAGE OF EASTER? Is it just about eating, drinking and celebrations?

Like my friends, many people still think Easter is all about fluffy chicken, once-a-year midnight mass, celebrations and Easter eggs. Although the egg represents 'new life' but we hardly realize that our new life is in Christ. The real meaning of Easter is lost, just like Christmas. We have become like heathens and Easter is become just a mere celebration.

So what is Easter?
God's word very clearly tells us that man's destiny is to be the children of God's eternal family. We are the most important and placed highest amongst God's creation. “You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psalms 8:5-6).God is building his family, in his image, having his name so that we may see him in eternity. But like every movie has a villain, our villain is the sin that is battling against us and within us.

In the old testament, the priest would sacrifice the bull, or the lamb as a sacrificial sin offering and its blood would make atonement and purify their sins. That's the old order of atonement. But that could not take away the sins of human beings completely. That is when God decided to send the SAVIOUR, the Hero of our lives, His one and only son to this earth to be the sacrificial lamb for us. He was born without sin and he lived without sin. Yet the sins of this world came upon him. He bore it all. He was led to the cross as a sheep taken for slaughter but he did not open his mouth. Jesus died on the cross for our sins once and for all and we have direct access to Him. The lamb of God(Jesus) was bodily resurrected on the third day and is in heaven preparing a place for us so that when He comes back, He will take us to heaven to be with him till eternity. We no longer have to sacrifice animals for our sins or have to confess our sins in front of our priests. We don't have to lament on every Good Friday and make merry on every Easter. That is the real message of Easter. YES, our Lord is not dead, HE IS ALIVE FOREVER.

How then should I enjoy my Easter?

Our Easter should be daily. We need to celebrate Christ daily by fulfilling his commandments, out of which the most important is the great commission. "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20)." Our purpose on this earth is to preach the good news of the resurrected Christ to the ends of the Earth. Today we live in a rapid change. People's heart are filled with lots of fear,insecurity, incapability, diseases, dread proving that we are not able to cope with the problems around the world like rising cases of crime and evil, sexual rebellion, alcoholism, political and social issues etc. This is where we Christians can be best involved in the hour of need by spreading the love of Christ - the real message of Easter. This is the real joy that Jesus gives.

Am I capable of becoming Jesus' disciple?

Many times we think, am I worth? But the Bible says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4). So be of good cheer, For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But the good news is that we now have the forgiveness for our sins and have the opportunity to enter the family of God. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9) Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalms 34:14).
And you automatically qualify to become the disciples and children of God.

I heard a story of a couple who went to a coffee shop to drink coffee. After having their coffee, they threw the cups in the trash can and left. Later, a rag picker came and collected the cups. He saw a message on the cup which said scratch the cup. He scratched the cup and saw a gift inside of $1 million as the coffee shop was conducting a scratch and win contest and the rag picker won it. It all depends on us how we use what is available to us. God is with us always but its our choice of whether to accept him or reject him. So I encourage everyone that through this Easter, let us become more diligent in having a closer walk with God, renew our mind, body, soul so as to become a living sacrifice for him and be a aroma pleasing to him in between our colleagues, friends, family, relatives DAILY. Do not forget for even a single day for what the Lord has done for you by dying on the cross.

Happy Easter!

Overcoming Failures

We've all put our heart in doing something and have many times failed to achieve it. It may be during our childhood or while we were teens or even when we grew up and became adults. We all have tasted the bitter drink of failure from time to time - bad exams, wrong relationships, being unsuccessful in whatever you do or even having failed GOD.

Bible too talks about failure and recognizes that human beings fail. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. James 3:2. But the question arises - how do we handle failure in the situation that we are in and at that moment. There are 2 choices in front us- either we feel depressed or seek deliverence. Its easy to be depressed and give up and blame it on God or on ourself for the circumstance, which is what we do most of the time. But Jesus wants us to be delivered. Even in complete devotion and love to God we may fall. That is why God gave us his son Jesus who died for us so that we may get up and start our life again. No one is perfect but God does not want us to face failure for our entire life. Handling failure is a vital part of our spiritual life and a sign of our maturity.

God wants us to repent and seek god. If we look at the life of King David, he had failed in many situations. In one occasion when David decided to bring the ark back, he failed at his attempt as he planned to bring the ark back with his own wisdom and knowledge but when we further read in the Bible, he sought God's word and was successful in bringing the ark into Jerusalem which led into joyous celebration for all children of Israel. David, despite of his wrong decision and failure, he did not get depressed but decided to seek God and do the right thing and in the end found success. Almost all important figures in the Bible, to name a few - Abraham, Peter, Moses all failed but they not only recovered from their failures but they learned from it and confessed their sins to God and gained favour and strength from God. Humble yourself to God and acknowledge your mistakes and failures and he will lift you up in due time.

God did not restrain us from failing either because He wants us to fail or He wants to punish us for disobeying Him but He wants to teach us as part of his discipline. Hebrews 12:11 says, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Be disciplined and self controlled, practicing the fruits of the spirit so that we may get what scripture says in Philipians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Get help from the word of God. Word of God will give answers to all your doubts, fear and failures. Bible is full of verses to comfort you in times of need. Here are some verses that you can meditate on when you face trials or failures in your life -

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Romans 5:8 - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

2 Cor 12:9-10 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Acts 2:38 - And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:3-5 - More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Proverbs 28:13 - Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

The words of our mouth can bring failure into our lives. We need to be very careful about the words that come out of our mouth. We say words like nothing good happens to me, I will never be able to do this or achieve this. Though were saying this but we don't realize that what we are in large part is because of what we speak. They are like seed that is planted, once we speak they take root and product fruit. We speak words of defeat and failure and can't expect success in our life. Confess the word of God and release yourself from the curse of a bad mouth.

Above all, never give up. Pray without ceasing. God has a set time for our miracles. Remain active and do the right things. We can do all things through Christ and boldly declare our destiny. We need to have a vision for our victory and have to see ourself happy and successful and give light as it comes to pass. We have to understand the true purpose of God's calling in our life. God tells us to be active, enthusiastic, energetic, on fire and zealous. God wants to defeat our flesh and win the battle for us. Trust in the Lord at all times. I wish that God may give you all the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Intimacy with God

Have you ever wondered being a Christian, why do we still feel emptiness in our heart? Do you know of Christians who are successful in life but do not have the fullness of God in the inside of their lives? It’s tragic that many amongst us are unhappy and seeking the pleasures of the world. It is only because we do not have an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Christ came to give us abundant life, to heal the broken hearted, to remove pain, to show us there is more to life. All we need to do is to trust him enough to tell him all our secrets, every decision, every thought. Jesus knows everything about us, but when we tell Him and let Him be part of our lives, it shows we trust him. We can't divide our life to be spiritual and material. Every area of our life has to be Jesus-controlled. Many of our secrets may be very sad that we may not wish to think about and give them to Jesus but doing that is the first step to a closer walk with God. Matt 22:27 says "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths. These verses and many other verses in the bible talk about us loving God and leaning on Him for everything so that he may lead us to the right path. God promises to give the BEST and not the rest only we when let God take complete charge of our lives. The deeper your relationship with God, the more devil will be afraid of you. When Adam and Eve were in the Eden, they could hear the sound of the Lord because they had a closer walk with him. Our fellowship should be like what Adam and Eve had with God in the Garden of Eden.

But how do we get closer to god. Here are some simple ways to do so: 1) Making time for God: All of us have 24 hrs but some do more in the same time. It’s our daily lifestyle that shows how spiritual we are. We need to give God the priority in our life. Discipline our lives to read and meditate on the word of god daily. Spend time in prayer with God. Matt 6:33- But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. We should approach God not only when we have sorrows but also in our good times. When we get good scores in our exams, or a promotion at work or may it be any achievement, we give the credit to our hardwork. We say, our hardwork paid but we should not forget that God’s favour and grace was with us always.

2) Study and meditate the word of God- Get deeper in the word. Take a subject and meditate on it. Eg- If you lack discipline. Look for verses on discipline. Keep some good study material, reference bibles, memorize verses. What sets Bible apart from other books is that, God speaks to individuals through it. Studying the gospel will be a good idea. You will understand Jesus better. The parables will help understand the love and compassion that Jesus had. The more you study the Holy Spirit will unfold mysteries of the word of God. Initially you may not notice much of a difference but slowly the bible verses will take on a new meaning for you and slowly your bond will get stronger with Jesus and you will feel that your prayers are been answered. All you need to do is hang on to God and trust God to do that change.

3) Prayer- Prayer is the strongest weapon to fight the devil and flee temptation. Pray diligently, pray without ceasing, pray like Jesus did and you will see God’s power , mighty hand, God’s blessing and victory in your lives.

Jesus will never turn us away if we let him be part of our life. He will extend all his help to build an intimate relationship with Him.

Christian Cartoons

Here are some nice christian cartoons

Testimony of Mr. Thomas Uledar – How God saved him and 100s of other in Cama Hospital when Terrorists attacked Mumbai on 26th November, 2008.

Today while checking my mails, i received this mail of how Mr Thomas Uledar and other 100's of people were saved so miraculously by God on 26th Nov 08 when Terrorists attacked Cama Hospital in Mumbai. So i thought it has to be shared with everyone. I have now one more reason to Praise and Thank God and hope after you read this, you too will feel the same.

The Bible says "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty GOD - Psalm 91:1 And "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in the times of trouble"

My name is Thomas Uledar, I am a believer, Jesus saved me 12 years ago. He saved my life then and now He's given me a new meaning to my life. I am involved in Children Ministry and also run classes where we teach English. On 31st October 2008, I got married to a girl who is a believer and has the same calling i.e. involved in Children Ministry.

I have been preaching and teaching the Word of GOD since many years, however this was the first time I experienced this reality in my own life. I used to think of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego how GOD saved them miraculously, however the LORD helped me and my friends to experience this in our lives.

This is how God saved me from the hands of terrorists on 26th Nov 2008 in Mumbai.

My sister was admitted in Cama Hospital just adjacent to Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus). She delivered a baby girl on 25th November 2008, but her baby had slight complications due to which she was kept in incubator.

On 26th November 2008 myself, my Mom, elder brother, elder sister, aunty, cousin brother, two brother in-laws and two of my believer friends (totaling 10) went to visit her. It was quite late about 9.30 pm that we decided to go back home. We wanted to leave in two groups. Five left earlier and the rest of us were also leaving the Hospital. Suddenly after 15 minutes, the 5 who left earlier came running into the Hospital asking us to run and shouting that terrorists were firing bullets in the CST station.

We all started running back into the Hospital as we saw 2 terrorists entering into the building premises. They shot dead two security guards at the entrance.

We, the 10 of us are all believers in Jesus and were cautioning people to hide in the hospital room and wherever they could. They all responded well and went to hide. My mother and Aunty went into the 2nd floor where my new born niece was, in an ICU. Rest of us ran to the 5th floor to be with my sister. There were many other ladies in the Ward (Hospital General Ward). We tried to secure the doors but could not as there was no lock inside. Hence we tied the gate outside the doors with a piece of cloth and switched off all the lights in the Ward.

After few minutes I noticed that a tube light at the corridor was on and so I went out of the room to switch it off and my younger brother-in-law (Timmesh Chinakar) and one of my friend (Soumen Ghosh) followed me. I could not locate the switch, when I turned back to head for the ward, I saw the 2 terrorists coming up the stairway and they were armed with AK 47 assault rifles & guns. As I saw them I was stunned, at this time I prayed in my heart "Father I am coming Home, receive me" because I felt there was no way of escape. However there was no fear at all in me because the Word of GOD says "The LORD has not given us the spirit of fear, but of Power, of Love and of a Sound Mind" (II Timothy 1:7), further one of them (Ajmal Qasab) came directly towards me and pointed the rifle at my chest and asked "Where are the other people"? I replied "I don't know as I came running up the stairs".

At this time they saw my brother-in-law they caught hold of him too and then they asked me what is this? I replied "This is a hospital sir people are already half dead here" he looked at me in anger and took us inside the ward. In the meantime my friend (Soumen) was hiding under the Nurse's desk holding the scissor in his hand thinking of attacking the other terrorist (Abu) but LORD gave him the wisdom not to use the scissor because the Word of GOD says "For all who take the sword will perish by the sword" suddenly the terrorist (Abu) saw my friend and asked him to stand with us he stood with us quietly. Abu told us if we have mobile phones to throw on the floor, so we did accordingly. They then told the 3 of us to lie down on our stomachs and then started loading their rifles, after loading their riffles we were asked to stand with our hands up. However there was hope in us according to Romans 15:13. Then Abu started looking around for people in the ward like a hungry lion. But the LORD took control of each and everything. The most incredible thing was that there were many newborn babies and some ladies who had undergone operation just few hours back but nobody made any kind of noise. I believe the Holy Spirit took control over the little babies and all were protected and kept them unharmed.

Suddenly Abu saw my elder brother (Vasu) who was lying near the bed GOD gave him the wisdom to pretend as if he was dead. Abu saw him very closely he wanted to be sure if he is dead so he kicked him on the sides but he rolled down and fell as if he was dead. The LORD confounded their (Abu and Qasab's) minds and made them blind as HE did with Syrians in the time of Elisha. As he heard the noise of firing by policemen down the building he stood on my brothers thighs and started firing from the window. Then they told us to go inside the bathroom and Qasab followed us, there were four latrine rooms inside, in first room my elder bro-in-law and my friend were there which had no latch, in second room my cousin and a one more person was there, in third room my sister who had delivered the baby and my elder sister were there and the fourth room was empty. When Qasab came in he kicked the second and the third door but the LORD did not allow him to kick the first door which had no latch otherwise it would have opened easily. Qasab pointed the gun towards my brother-in-law and asked him to call the people out. The LORD gave wisdom to my bro-in-law and he called out in HINDI "Come out" and then in Telugu (language spoken in Andhra Pradesh) "Don't come out" . The terrorists could not understand this language. The Word of GOD says "A thousand may fall to your side and a ten thousand to your right hand but it shall not come near you". Qasab asked us to stand facing the wall we obeyed him, he was trying to shoot us but he was unable to do so as the Word says "The weapons formed against you shall not prosper"(Isa-54:17). As Abu was searching in the ward he found an elderly man (Harischandra Shrivardhankar-56 yrs old). He was asked to stand with us but he refused and kept pleading with him" Don't kill me in the bathroom, kill me here itself". So they caught him by his hair and pinned him on the ground. They told him say "Allah" and shot him on the shoulder (we later found that the bullet went through his body and had hit the floor) and stabbed him on his back.

We were praying in our hearts "LORD save him" knowing that next is our turn. But the Word of GOD says "I will satisfy you with long life" and "Call ME in the times of trouble and I will rescue you and you shall glorify ME".

Abu found one more person in the corner of the ward, who was an employee of the hospital. And made him stand with us in a queue. Both of them (Abu & Qasab) were trying to shoot us but were unable to do so because I believe that the LORD sent HIS angels to save us..

We were just waiting for them to shoot at us and suddenly they stepped backwards and went out of the bathroom and locked us from outside. However inside there was no latch to keep ourselves safe. Through this the LORD was showing that "I AM the Redeemer and battle is MINE". Later my brother told me that when he was lying on the floor they (Abu & Qasab) stood in the ward for around ten minutes quietly. In the meantime few policemen went on the sixth floor searching for them. Abu & Qasab followed the policemen on the sixth floor and shot two of them dead and left others injured. The LORD confused them to such an extent that they wasted their arms & ammunitions by exploding 4 Hand Grenades and firing 100s of bullets on the walls, ceilings and empty elevators (we could hear the gunshots). (I visited this floor a week later and photographed the walls.)

Meanwhile we were praying and interceding inside the bathroom and the HOLY SPIRIT led us in prayer, we were confessing the Word of GOD, binding the spirit of terrorism and death simultaneously releasing the Spirit of Life. No one came till 2 hours, then 10 policemen came and opened the door. When the doors were opened we saw the old man who was shot, lying on the ground, my brother who was unharmed and other people injured on the floor. We helped to take the injured to G.T. Hospital. I would also like to share that I used to faint at the sight of blood but the LORD strengthened and enabled me to help the injured people. We came back to Cama Hospital, we opened the doors of the Consulting rooms and other room where the people were hiding to tell them that they are now safe..

I had asked the Lord "Why did you allow 10 of us believers to be trapped by terrorists in the Hospital"? The LORD GOD answered me "Because of your presence other people were saved". My mind went to the book of Genesis where Abraham pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah & God promised him "If I find 10 righteous people I will save the city".

I had prayed "LORD I don't want to die now, and I want to serve you. Nevertheless, I leave it into Your Hands, if I die so be it". The LORD saved not only me but also hundreds of people in CAMA hospital.

Praise be to the LORD for this great miracle. I urge you my friends share this testimony wherever you get chance to share that the name of our LORD be glorified through this testimony. And forward this mail to as many as you know.

Now I really want to use this New Life for Jesus.

Thank GOD.

T.H.O.U.G.H.T.S

As i went through this magazine (Activated), i came across
this wonderful article which i felt a need to share it
with all. An accepted and common hitch in every one's life
is the battle with the mind. But with inflow of positive
thoughts and Gods grace and power which is a great secret
of overcoming bad thought. I encourage you read the
article below if you really need to come out of the bad
the thoughts of the minds. This will surely help.

Source: Activated Vol 8: Issue 11

" I JUST CANNOT OVERCOME MY BAD THOUGHTS," a woman wrote
me, asking for advice. "As you may remember, I had wrote
you before about someone near to me who is very spiteful
and says such unkind things, and i told you that i had
overcome my urge to say anything back. i have been able to
control my tongue, but i haven't changed my thinking any.
I may have self-control outwardly, but I’m seething on the
inside."

That letter reminded me of a story about a little boy
named Jimmy who was punished for doing something that his
mother had told him again and again not to do. At last she
said, " You sit in the corner until i tell you that you
may get up." Jimmy sat there, but he was very angry and
willful about the whole thing. After a while his mother
asked "Jimmy, are you ready not to obey?" And Jimmy said,
"Well, I'm sitting down, but I'm still standing up in the
inside!

Often it's the inward struggle of the mind that's the
hardest to win. That's why God's Word makes it so plain
that we're supposed to take control of our thoughts:
"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
Whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8 KJV)

I once heard someone say that he believed the greatest
power God has given is the power to think. Our thoughts are
a vital part of us, and they accompany us wherever we go.
We can no more get away from our thoughts that we can get
away from our shadow. When our thoughts are positive and
principled, they become the best of traveling companions,
but when they aren't, they dog our steps and rob us of
happiness and peace of mind.

It's the old foundation principle that our desires, which
are what motivate us, are the direct result of our
thinking. We exhaust our energies dealing with those
results, which failing to deal with the source, which is
the mind; we fail to "think on these things."

All high and holy aspirations come from high and holy
thinking. When we stop to consider the miracle of life,
the world God created for us, and the marvel of His love,
we realize that we're surrounded with so much love, we
realize we're surrounded with so much that's beautiful and
wonderful. It's an awful shame that our thoughts go
wandering among weeds and brambles, when they turn to
ungodly and ugly things.

We get so busy that we don’t take time to think properly,
to meditate. It reminds me of another story about a mother
who went to visit her son in the big city. He was so busy
rushing here and there that all he had time was for, "
Hello, Mother!" and she said to him, “Son, when do you do
your thinking?"

Many of us are like that. We get too busy to stop and
think, to turn our thoughts toward God and the life-giving
truth of his Word, so "set our minds on things above, not
on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2)

The battles of life are first fought on the battleground
of the mind, and the issues of life are determined there.
Murder is first committed within the precincts of the mind,
before the shot is fired. The thief puts out his hand and
steals the watch, but first he has stolen it within the
precincts of his mind. We teach our children that they
shouldn't do this or they shouldn't do that because it's
wrong, but do we teach them to think? Do we teach them to
center their thoughts on things that are "true, honest,
just, pure, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy"?

Thinking seems to be lost art these days. People don't
take the time to think things through. If they did, God
would allow them a plan; He would show them how to get the
things done or how to unravel the problem situation if
they would just stop, look to Him, and give him a chance.

Getting back to that woman's letter, it seems almost
unpardonable to allow our minds to linger on thoughts of
hate and criticism and resentment. But how do we overcome
such thoughts?

The only way to get rid of impure thoughts is to overthrow
them with thoughts that are "pure and lovely." The way to
get rid of malicious thoughts is to overthrow them with
loving, positive thoughts. The only way to reap a proper
harvest from the fertile garden of the mind is to
carefully sow good seed and carefully tend the crop. As my
father taught me when i was a little girl, " Sow a thought
and you reap an action. Sow an action and you reap a
habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow character
and you reap a destiny" God's word says that as we think
in our heart, so are we ( Proverbs 23:7)

Thoughts may seem to be the most insignificant of things,
known only by ourselves, but psychologists tell us that
each thought influences the total of our consciousness. If
a thought is repeated enough times, it becomes a thought
pattern. Those who train their minds to think kind,
gentle, loving thoughts will grow to be kind, gentle and
loving. But those who habitually think negative thoughts
will develop ugly temperaments and be ruled by feelings of
resentfulness, bitterness, and anger. Their life will
shape itself, not in a way that is beautiful, but in one
that is debasing. They will find their soul bending
downward in a sort of a permanent moral curvature, while
those who " set their minds on things above" grow straight
and tall and true.

Ask God to help you “set your mind on things above," and
as you continue to look to Him, He will transform you
through the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). That's
the secret of overcoming bad thoughts!

Five Finger Prayer

" Prayer does not equip us for the Greater work. Prayer is the Greater work." Oswald Chambers

Have you ever thought folding hands while praying had a meaning?? Here is an easy way to pray.

1. Your Thumb is nearest to you when you fold uour hands. So begin our prayer by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember.

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This include teachers, doctors, ministers. They need support and wisdom in leading others in the right direction. keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. This reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the country, our nation, our leaders. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain, They need our prayer always.

5. Last but definetely not the least is our little finger, the smallest finger of all which is where should place our relation to God and others. As Bible says, " The least shall be the greatest among you." By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.