Category Archives: Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

What Happens When We Die

What Happens When We Die – in simplicity, we actually meet God.

Chorazin, Israel – north of the Sea of Galilee

What Happens When We Die – Chorazin, Israel – north of the Sea of Galilee

Look at the pictures above and below of Chorazin, Israel, a Bible city, in northern Galilea. The city is a few miles from Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. The city is also called Korazin. Jesus talked about Chorazin in both the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Today no one lives in this ancient city, the residents (as far as we know) have all died. What happened to each of them after death?

God, on His calendar has a date for our birth and a date for our death. It is usually non-negotiable, at least I know of few who been able to change those dates. Life and death is in the hands of God.   Death is unknown to us, it just happens.

Here is one of Jeremiah’s Prayer in Jeremiah 23, I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Read more in the article:  What Happens When I Die.

Chorazin, Israel - north of the Sea of Galilee

Jeremiah’s Prayer – a man’s life is not his own – picture of Chorazin, Israel – north of the Sea of Galilee

Prayer is Connecting with God

Prayer is connecting with God in reality.

Prayer is connecting with God


Prayer is connecting with God – a river in Oregon

But prayer is hard without the Spirit.  In John 4, Jesus says “God is Spirit and they that worship (pray) Him,must worship (pray) in spirit and in reality“.   So we need  to pray with the spirit, our human spirit, to contact God in reality. God created man with Body, soul and spirit.  Notice the ‘s’ on spirit/Spirit. Upper case ‘Spirit’ refers to the Spirit of God, since He is Spirit. Lower case ‘spirit’ refers to our human spirit. God gave us a spirit to contact God who is Spirit. Prayer in reality comes when we contact God in spirit.

Prayer is simple. Prayer is just talking to God. Nothing formal is necessary.

God exists and listens, we just need to talk to Him.    Prayer does not need to be formal or in some special place. Prayer is just talking to God in reality. So we don’t need make-up something, just start saying what is on your heart as you talk to God.  Prayer is just a dialog between us and God.  Prayer can be alone for with others.    Prayer can be when we love God and when we hate God. Sometimes we are hurting because of something that happened, so tell that to God.   Prayer can be what we feel when we are very encouraged and when we are very depressed and low.   Prayer can be when we think we are perfect (only God is perfect), and when we are a sinner (and we all are sinners) and when we feel we are a saint.  Prayer can be when we are happy and when we are sad. Sometimes after we pray we feel high and sometimes low.

The Spirit makes it easy, because He knows how and what to pray.   Without the Spirit, prayer is hard. With the Spirit prayer us easy.  Romans 8:26 And in like manner the Spirit joins also its help to our weakness; for we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting, but the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Look at the prayers of David in the Psalms where David just talks to God. David tells God just what he thinks and how he feels.  When David is low, he says “God, I am depressed”.

When David was feeling great, He praises God. Sometimes when he is low is also praises God.  Psalms 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established praise because of thine adversaries, to still the enemy and the avenger.

Also consider some of the points in the article on “Prayer is Talking to God”

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord - lake in Montana

Trust in the Lord – lake in Montana

We trust in many things like food, our house, our job, our bank account, hard work, our family or society. When things do not work we sometimes drop all else and trust the Lord!  But only because we have come to our end, at least we think our end. So now to try to trust the Lord everyday is a stretch for many of us.   Our understanding of life and events is somewhat limited, so that’s why the verse says to not rely too much on our thinking or understanding.  God knows better than us, even though we like to think we understand everything.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;  6 think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.

Look at the story of Joseph in the Bible. Joseph had a vision to be a governor in Egypt, yet God let him through all kinds of very difficult trials.  If Joseph had not been Egypt’s prisoner, he could have never been Egypt’s governor.

Every difficulty we pass through prepares us for our future work for God. So right in the middle (but this is hard to do), we need to trust in the Lord.

Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving

Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving - Seagull, Cannon Beach, Oregon

Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving – Seagull, Cannon Beach, Oregon

Prayer starts with thanksgiving, thanking God for all He has done.  Sometimes this is hard to do, but thanksgiving helps our prayer.   But this verse starts by telling us to be careful for nothing, that is, don’t worry about anything, just pray.  Then it says to just let God know what’s going on, just talk to God.  Then after all these items, there is the peace of God that goes beyond what we think and feel.  This peace guards our hearts by filling us with the peace of God.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful about nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses every understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts by Christ Jesus.

Sunflower in San Diego

Sunflower in San Diego

Sunflower in San Diego

While with my wife, son, daughter, and grandson I took this photograph in San Diego. No special close-up lens and no special lighting, just standard sunlight on a beautiful day in San Diego.

We get depressed, but God is never depressed.  We get low, but God is not low.  We get worried, but God is not worried.  Our anxiety and concern level gets high, but God is not worried.

God is very confident that He can finish the work He started in You.  Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ: God does not get discouraged when He looks at us and observes us.  God is not discouraged when we fail. He already knows we will fail.  He knows the purpose He created each of us for and never gives up on us. 

The Lord is My Strength – Prayer

Consider this verse:  Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.   In this verse, it does not say to “pray for strength”, it says the Lord is my strength. So the prayer for strength is simply to say “The Lord is my strength”.  Just say this a few times, and the realization will hit you, it’s not  asking for strength, it’s declaring the fact about where our strength comes from. Our strength is not a thing, but a person Jesus Christ. This is the best prayer for strength.

God Removes All Tears

In the New Jerusalem, where all God’s people will be for eternity, God removes all tears and crying.  All bad and negative things have been dealt with. No more pain, no more crying, no more devil, no more sin,and no more bad things. Everything evil is taken care of by God.  Right now on the earth is a lot of good and bad, and lot of wonderful things and a lot of evil. So be sure you are ready for acceptance into the New Jerusalem by receiving Jesus Christ.  Your good works will not get you there, just a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away