Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).

Jesus taught His disciples how to pray;

"This, then, is how you should pray:'Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your
name,Your kingdom come, your will be on earth as it is in Heaven.Give us today,
our daily bread.Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.And
lead us not into temptation, but deliever us from the evil one.'{for yours is
the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.}-Matthew 6:9-13
NIV

This is a template for our prayers, we do not have to pray these exact words, but our prayers should include;
(1) Praise for who God is (verse 9),
(2) That His work on earth will be done (verse 10),
(3) Our needs, and not just a "wish list" (verses 11 & 12),
(4) Appeals for strength and deliverance, and not just for ourselves, but for others (verse 13).

A vital part of your spiritual life is your communication with God. Prayer is one way that God communicates with us. How much do you communicate with God? Communicate with God everyday and you will grow closser to Him. Pick a time and a place where you can go off quietly and be alone."But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly.then your Father, who knows all secrects, will reward you (Matthew 6:6 NLT)." Remember to let God talk to you, allow for some quiet time so He can.

Link to myspace

I've created a myspace similar to this.

Here is the link to the myspace: http://www.myspace.com/encouragementdaily

Go there and add me as a friend, if you have a myspace account.

Temptation

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' [Deut. 8:3] "
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[Psalm 91:11,12]"
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'[Deut. 6:16 ]"
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'[Deut. 6:13 ]"
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

I know many of you face temptaion everyday. I have faced a lot of temptations in my life and it has given me encouragement to know that Jesus was tempted. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15)." The "high priest" in this verse is refering to Jesus. Just remember that Jesus didn't give in to temptation. Read back over the verses to see what Jesus did when He was tempted. Also remember, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (Hebrews 10:13)."

Jesus Appears to Thomas, John 20:24-31 (NIV)

24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (a. John 20:31 Some manuscripts may continue to)

Thomas need proof that Jesus really did raise from the dead (verse 25b). We that are alive today have never seen Jesus face to face so it makes it harder for us to believe, right? That's where faith comes in, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)" Jesus said we are blessed because we believe eventhough we haven't seen. Blessed means holy; enjoying happiness; bringing pleasure (Webster's Dictionary plus Thesaurus 1993). Doesn't that give you encouragement to know that Jesus told us we would be holy & happy because we believe in Him. It gives me hope that things will work out for His glory!

I encourage all who read this to trully believe that Jesus raised from the dead.