Bible Verse of The Day: Isaiah 66:12-14

Isa 66:12-14, “For thus says the LORD, "Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees. 13  "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem." 14  Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad, And your bones will flourish like the new grass; And the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants, But He will be indignant toward His enemies.” (NASB)

Through Isaiah, God states he, “extends peace to her like a river”.  A river flows through an area without concern for where it is going. As long as there are no barriers, the water just continues to flow. Eventually, it will cover the whole area. Everything it flows over will be nurtured by the river. Everything around the river will be nurtured. The whole area will receive the benefits that the river’s water brings.

Next, God describes what will happen to the nation of Israel. “…Glory of the nations like an overflowing stream…” Any nation that follows God’s will enjoys the same peace as the individual. This nation will enjoy inner peace. While following the will of God, their endeavors will be blessed. God will be with this nation. Even though God is directing this to the nation of Israel, it applies to any nation that follows God’s will.

Verse 13 compares God to a mother comforting her child. Consider how a mother comforts her child? Her presence provides the child comfort. The child knows that his mother will do everything to protect him. The child’s mother will provide for his needs. Everything that the mother has is at the child’s disposal. If someone threatens the child then the mother will bring all of her resources to bear on the child’s enemies. God is telling us that he will do all these things for us and more.

These promises from God should bring us great comfort. Consider that the creator of the entire universe is promising to use his power to help you. These words should cause several changes within us. It should bring us inner peace. How much greater of an ally could we have then God? It should cause a desire to please him. It should motivate us to cultivate the traits and attitude that will create a God fearing life.

Finally, God explains who will enjoy these benefits. These benefits will be open to God’s servants. Consider what a servant was at this time. If you had a servant then the servant did whatever you needed them to do. It did not matter what you asked. It did not matter how long the task took. It was the servant’s duty to do your will. Consider Abraham’s servant. Sara even asked her to have Abraham’s baby. She did that without any hesitation.

We must treat God in the same manner. We cannot be flippant with our attitude towards God. We cannot be a Sunday only Christian. Our walk with God must continue throughout the week. It must be an everyday event. We must actively search out God’s will for our lives. Once we know what he wants for us then we must apply it. We must create such a habit in ourselves that we follow God’s will without hesitation.

As with any other blessing, God warns us about not following his will. “But He will be indignant toward His enemies.” Indignant is not a passive word. It does not mean that God will just look the other way at his enemies. Indignant means, “feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment.” God has just described the level of benefits that his servant’s enjoy. Consider now the opposite. If God can bring so many benefits then how much destruction can he bring? If we are seen as God’s enemy then he will show anger or annoyance at us. Paints quite a picture doesn’t it. Which side of this coin do you want to be on?

Bible Verse For Today: Isaiah 42:16

Bible Verse For Today: Isaiah 42:16  "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone."

Have you ever been walking in a dark room and stub your toe? When that pain shoots up your leg, you realize the value of a light. If only you had turned the light on then your toe wouldn't be yelling at you right now? You react by quickly locating the nearest light switch. You don't want to make that same mistake twice. Our lives are no different.We have two choices in life. 

We can spend our lives finding our own way in the dark. This results in many "stubbed toes". We spend our lives bouncing from one stubbed toe to another. We continue to lean upon our own understanding of life. We think that we can make our own successful plan. No matter how dark our circumstances get. This doesn't seem like a very good plan does it?

Through Isaiah, God is providing us another way. He tells us that we are not alone in this world. God knows that we have no idea what is ahead of us. We are like the blind. We do not know the path ahead of us any better then a blind person in a new building. However, we are never alone. God promises to guide us through "a way they do not know". No matter what we are facing, if we trust God then he will guide us through it.

God also promises, no matter what the obstacle, he will provide us a way out. Through Isaiah God tells us, "I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places in to plains." God is not promising that we will not have difficulties. However, if we trust him then he will always provide a solution to our problems. We just have to trust that God can and will provide a way out. We also have to realize that God's way out may not always be the way we would choose.

What problem have you been having? What situation in your life is causing you "stubbed toes"? Have you turned the light of God onto the situation? If not then why not? Isn't it time to take the problem to God in prayer? If you completely trust that God will help you then he will. Just be open to the way out that God provides. It may not be the solution you were looking for. But, trust God and the path will become clear in front of you.

Bible Verse of the Day: Matthew 6:25-34

Anxiety is a huge problem in the United States. Pharmeceutical companies earn billions each year by selling us anti-depressants or other anxiety medications. Regularly we hear about someone who has committed suicide. We even see suicides among our younger children. Today's Bible Verse of the Day will shed some light on anxiety.

Matthew 6:25-34, "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26  "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27  "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28  "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29  yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30  "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31  "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32  "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34  "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (New American Standard Bible)

Jesus is telling us here that we should not worry at all. If we have the proper faith then we should realize God created us all. If God created us all then isn't he capable of taking care of us? Jesus specifically tells us not to worry about what we will wear or eat. This takes faith. Not the type of faith that comes from simply sitting in church, listening to the sermon, singing some songs, and getting a "good feeling". This requires the type of faith that comes from studying God's word. From realizing that God is capable of keeping his promises to us and will do so for his children. hopefully this verse will help you curb your anxiety.

Why is Christianity Really Under Attack?

Over the last 50 years, attacks against Christianity have increased. Initially, I believed that it wasn’t just Christianity. I thought that all religion was under attack. I blamed this on a general trend for society to belief that it did not need a higher power. People were simply deciding to go it alone. However, a recent scan of “religious news” headlines shows a different trend. It is not religion at all that is under attack. It is Christianity. Why is Christianity really under attack?

What prompted me to ask this question? A search of today’s tweets made me start questioning why Christianity is under attack while other religions are not.

• Religion News tweeted, “What to do if Westboro hate group shows up on your doorstep: http://bit.ly/1hjTPPf #religion +http://bit.ly/WestboroHateCult …” In fact, Westboro Baptist were mentioned in multiple news stories.

• Religion News also vilified Christian Counselors, “Christian counsellors ban therapy aimed at 'converting' gay patients: http://bit.ly/1hjTFY8 #religion #LGBT +http://bit.ly/LGBTandReligion” They didn’t even spell counselors right.

• Huffington Post decides that a Christian preacher cutting church short for football is news. “WATCH: Pastor leads fastest Sunday service ever because of. what else.. football http://huff.to/1cX1rFw”

These stories did not surprise me. Christianity has been under attack for awhile. What got my attention were other religions being reported in a positive manner.

• Religion News reports a positive story about Wicca, ” Not a broomstick in sight: Meet the modern-day witches: http://dailym.ai/L3EEPi #religion +http://bit.ly/WiccaWitchcraft”

• Huffington Post reports about observing the birth of the prophet Mohammed. “Observing the birth of the Prophet Muhammad http://huff.to/1djqxPW”

• While open Christian prayer is being vilified in schools and workplaces, Huffington Post will help you learn from a Buddhist. “WATCh: Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg shares how to find real happiness at work http://huff.to/19TktyJ”

Why is Christianity being treated so differently then other religions? Answering this question requires that we look at the teachings of these different religions.

Christianity teaches personal responsibility. It teaches that we all have the right and the freedom to make our own choices. At the same time, we have the right and the freedom to live with the consequences of our choices. It is not anyone else’s responsibility to bail us out. It is especially not the government’s responsibility to hold a gun to someone else’s head and make them bail us out.

Christianity teaches that we should care about our fellow man. Many commandments given by God are meant to instill in us a love for our fellow human beings. We are told to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We are requested to give of our means freely. That money is then used to help people in the community.

Christianity teaches us that right and wrong are not abstract concepts. Right and wrong are set forth by our creator. Morality is not determined by the whims of society at any moment in time. Right and wrong have been the same for centuries. This will not change. What was right and wrong yesterday, will be today, and will be tomorrow.

Now, let’s compare these teachings to some of the religions that are being portrayed positively.

• Wicca uses a very loose moral code. One Wiccan that I used to work with described his moral code as “Do no harm but do whatever you want”. I warned our boss at the time that such believes leads to an unstable person. They are left with being able to do anything they can justify in their own minds. Humans can justify a lot of things.

• Muslims believe that religion and government should go hand-in-hand. All laws should be used to further Muslim beliefs. If you are not Muslim then you are an infidel. Infidels should either be killed or taxed into submission. Or in other words, they believe in big government.

• Among their many beliefs, Buddhists believe that we should turn back the clock on progress. To quote one of their websites, “In the process of producing the things we feel will make us happy, we have polluted our environment to such an extent that the very air we breathe and the water we drink now threaten our health and well-being. We love the freedom and independence a car can give us, but the cost in accidents and environmental destruction is enormous.”

Contemplating on these different beliefs, I saw the real reason that Christianity is under attack. Christianity stands in the way of humans that simply want to gain power. A person that does not answer to anything of this world is not afraid of humans that simply want to rule over him. A central welfare system allows people to continue behaving badly. If someone is more worried about how many times he can get laid then being productive then he is more controllable. Christians believe in freedom. This leads us to believe in the smallest government possible. In short, if you are in power and want more power then you need to get Christians out of your way. Could this be the real reason that Christianity is under attack?

Daily Devotional: What is Faith?

Faith is one of the most talked about items in Christianity. There is only one verse that gives us a definition of faith. Heb 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Is all faith the same? To answer this question, we need only look at Jesus’s words. Mat_6:30, "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!”  On several occasions, Jesus rewarded people with a large amount of faith. Mat_9:22, “But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well.”

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Heb 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

In Hebrews 11, we find out that faith is what justified our forefathers. Noah was justified by following God’s wishes. Heb 11:7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

By faith Abraham followed God’s wishes. Heb 11:8-10, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

By faith Moses followed God’s wishes. Heb 11:24-29, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25  choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26  considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 27  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. 28  By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29  By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.”

The list goes on but you see the point. Our ancestors faith led them to follow God’s wishes. It was not their works that justified them. Their works were produced out of their faith. It was the faith that justified them. Faith is what leads us to trust that God will keep his promises to us. Without faith then it is impossible to cultivate the traits that allow us to lead a God centered life.

Why is the Bible so complicated?

Gallup poll tells us that 52% of Americans claim some form of Christianity. Yet only one of five Americans read their Bible. Of the ones that read their Bible, 50% state they only read it a few times a year. That means only five percent of those claiming Christianity read their Bible regularly. One cause is they see the Bible as too complicated. Why would God make the Bible so complicated that people will not read it?

Part of the problem is not the Bible at all. Part of the issue is the traits that prosperity has brought the United States. Consider just a couple of these:

United States has become addicted to instant gratification. Consider the fitness industry. Fitness equipment industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Each new piece of equipment promises to get us in shape with little effort. Yet, more Americans are obese then ever before. We want someone else to do the work for us. We would rather trust what a preacher, pastor, priest tells us then search out the answers for ourselves. These habits are robbing us of the pearls in the word of God.

United States is addicted to taking shortcuts. We do not even write letters to each other anymore. We use cell phones to send short messages via text. Even then, we cannot even be bothered to write out our thoughts. We invented a whole language based on shorthand. Cliff notes created a cottage industry on keeping students from needing to read a whole assignment. These are just a few examples.

These traits are leading us to abandon the Bible. It is causing us to turn to any so-called preacher that promises to show us the way. Instead of using God’s blessings as a measure of success in our lives, we are using how church makes us feel. For many, walking into a building on Sunday and getting the same feeling from the 10 piece band as a rock concert passes for religion.

True religion is more than simply feeling good in a building. True religion is measured by the changes that are evident within our lives. How many people attend “church” but yet go home and beat their wives? How many listen to a rock band on Sunday morning but then get into drunken driving accidents before Monday morning? Consider what God really meant the Bible to do.

Bible is meant to create a desire for God in us. God made his creation in his own image. He could have made us to simply follow him. However, God chose to give us free will. God wants us to follow him because we want to. Anyone can sit in a building in Sunday and listen to a sermon. However, desiring to follow the will of God is the trait that causes us to apply it to our lives. Desire lays the foundation of our faith.

Bible prepares us to receive God’s gifts in our lives. God wants us to appreciate the gifts he gives us. Have you ever bought your child a toy only to have him destroy it within an hour? If you require your child to work for the money, to buy the toy, then does he treat it differently? God realizes that his children, of all ages, act the same way. If we are required to have some sweat equity in our faith then we appreciate the gifts God gives us.

Bible is meant to cause a change in us. God does not give us commandments or examples simply to play games with us. Every commandment, every example causes a change within us. Consider the example of cultivating an attitude of humility.

An attitude of humility requires us to realize that we have no control in this life. Once we realize that we really cannot control the world around us then we are ready to accept God. Only then are we ready to accept a higher authority. When we accept that God is there then we can start to build our faith. Only with proper humility are we able to completely turn our problems over to God.

Turning our problems over to God provides us with peace. Have you ever been with a child who is afraid of the dark? When they go to sleep they are afraid of what is in the dark. Notice how their attitude changes when you sit beside them, until they go to sleep. They trust that we can protect them. This trust gives them the peace to go to sleep. It is no different with our adult problems. Once we turn them over to our father then we should be able to sleep with the same trust as our children.

Humility is only one example. Every time we ingrain a commandment of God into our lives then we experience a similar progression. Take a moment and consider how following some of God’s other examples changes us. How does giving of our time and money change us? How does going to church change us? Every lesson in the Bible can cause a change in us.

Bible helps us to avoid consequences. God does not warn of to avoid sin simply because he wants to test our will. God does not play games with his creation. Every commandment, every example that God gives us is meant to keep us away from the consequences of sin. If we follow God’s commandments and examples then it will cause changes in us. These changes will help keep us from the consequences of sin.

Bible helps us to maximize God’s ability to work in our lives. James tells us that God tests the faith of his children. He does not do so because he is some supernatural trickster. God test us because he needs us to cultivate the spiritual maturity to carry out his plan for us. Studying the Bible provides the seeds of spiritual maturity. Spiritual mature gives God the clay to mold us into the Christians that he wants us to be.

Complication itself is part of God’s plan. God knows that we are a people prone to boredom. Once we figure something out then we move on to something else. Bible was put together in such a way to avoid this. We could study the Bible for years and never uncover all of its wisdom. However, the destination is not the point. During our Bible studies we will find the answers to whatever problem facing us. We will find strength to carry on. We will find guidance to lead the world around us.

Do not mourn the fact that the Bible takes study to understand. Realize that everything God does is part of his plan. Rejoice that he gave us such a book that can answer any situation we are facing. Realize that studying the Bible is the seed of greater things to come in our lives. Does that change the way you see the Bible? Does it make you want to spend some time with it today? I know for me it does. If you want to fulfill God’s plan for your life then you are going to need to spend some time with him. I urge you to spend just a few minutes each day with the Bible. You will be surprised the change it can make in our life.You can view more about church of Christ beliefs here.

Bible Verses About Prayer

Prayer is one thing that any Christian knows about. However, many are not familiar with. Prayer provides us a chance to talk with our heavenly father. Scripture gives us many examples of the importance of prayer. It also shows us how prayer helps our daily Christian walk. I hope you will walk with me through these bible verses about prayer.

Many verses teach us how to pray. Matthew tells us that prayer must be performed with the right intentions. Mat_6:5-6, "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Prayer is not supposed to be a thing to get us attention. It is a private conversation between us and our heavenly father.

Matthew 6:9-15 is one of the most memorized passages in the Bible. These passages are known as the Lord’s Prayer. However, memorizing this prayer and repeating it word for word completely violates the verses before it. Mat 6:7-8, "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8  "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Jesus warned us specifically about praying with repetition.

When you speak to your earthly parents, how many times do you simply repeat the same conversation over and over again? You don’t!! Then why would you do this to your heavenly father? He does not want meaningless repetition. God wants us to bring our fears, our doubts, our worries, our needs, and our gratitude to him. How can we do this is we simply repeat one prayer over and over again?

As Eastern religions have gained popularity, people speak of the importance of meditation. They speak about using meditation to ease their stress. That is what prayer was meant to be. Prayer was meant to be time for us to bring the worries of the day to our heavenly father. Man turned it into a time to repeat a few memorized prayers. We took the power out of prayer.

Several verses illustrate this. We don’t see any verses where Jesus said to meditate. We do see that, after a hard or busy day, Jesus went to his heavenly father in prayer.

• Mat_14:23, “After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.”
• Luk_11:1  It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."
• Luk_5:16  But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
• Luk_6:12  It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
• Luk_22:41  And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,  
• Luk_9:28  Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

On the night he was taken to die, Jesus went to his father in prayer.

• Mar 6:44-46, “There were five thousand men who ate the loaves. 45  Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away.  46  After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.”
• Mat_26:36  Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
• Mar_14:35  And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.

Prayer is critical to a Christian life. Jesus told a parable about prayer. Luk 18:1-8, “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2  saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3  "There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4  "For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5  yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" 6  And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; 7  now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8  "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Faith plays a large part in prayer. We cannot be the type of Christians that do things simply because we are supposed to. This is part of the reason why Jesus warned against simply praying with repetition. We must have enough faith to believe that God can hear us and will act upon our requests. Mar_11:24, "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

Our lives are very hectic. It is very easy for us to get wrapped up in our daily concerns. We also live in a country that is growingly turning its back on God. If we allow it then the world will gladly separate us from God.  Prayer also provides us the chance to once again focus on God. Luk_22:40  When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

We are told to bless those that curse us. We are told to pray for them. Luk_6:28, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” We are also told to pray for those who persecute us. Mat_5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

Why would God tell us to pray for people that are trying to hurt us? It cannot be just for their benefit. They probably won’t even know that we are praying for them. Could it be to cause a change in us? If someone is persecuting us then we can either approach it with patience or strike back at them. Praying allows us a chance to get rid of those feelings. Through prayer, we put away our bitterness.

Jesus told another parable about payer. This one illustrates the spirit we are supposed to have when we pray. Luk 18:9-14, “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10  "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  11  "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  12  'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' 13  "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' 14  "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

We are not to pray only when we want something. We are to pray consistently and constantly. 1Th_5:17, “pray without ceasing;”

If we pray with the proper spirit then we will not harbor ill will against anyone. Without this, we can carry with us wrath and dissension. If we bring these things into the church then we cause wrath and dissension among everyone. 1Ti_2:8, “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

We are told that, if any among us are suffering, they must pray. Jas_5:13, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.” We are told, if we are sick then we are to ask our brothers to pray for us. Jas_5:14, “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;”

If we approach this verse with a little modern science then it takes on a whole new meaning. Science tells us that stress can make illness worse. Stress put a strain on our system. This strain can compromise our immune system. Once our immune system is compromised then we are more likely to get sick. If we are already sick then stress can hinder our recovery.

Obviously, our creator already knew this fact. That is why he tells us to pray. Through prayer, we leave our problems on him. By getting rid of our problems, we do not have to worry about stress.

We are going to sin. There is not a prefect Christian. Overcoming sin, requires us to realize that we are not alone. God told us to confess our sins to one another. Jas_5:16,   “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you maybe healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” By praying for each other then we gain strength from each other to overcome sin.

Selfinshness is another trait against God that pray can help fight against. 3Jn_1:2,  “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” By praying for each other then we take focus off of ourselves. We cultivate the love for other human beings. It is vey tough to cultivate a love for other people and be selfish, at the same time.