Life Recovery Ministry | Using the Bible for recovery and significant life changes

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. Thank you again for your timely response and consideration in helping others. Thank you for considering new alternatives to make the work easier for me and others. Thank you for your willingness to contribute.

I believe I am being led to remind you that volunteer work is more important than any donation. If God leads you to donate in addition to volunteer work, I can't stop you, but we must remember that your time is most valuable. When you are spending time to glorify him, you are doing His will. I pray that you and your husband pray together to determine what God wants both of you to do. It will become evident when He shows you what He wants you to do.

Thank you again for considering your time and resources that God gives you to help others who are less fortunate than yourself. I do look forward that we might meat so you can feel more confident in what you must do.

I also copy a letter here that I sent another lady so you get the picture on what might be happening with the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry. It will give you a better percpective on who God is leading me to become and how I am using whatever resources God gives me.

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. Thank you for your research about grants and sharing that information with me. Thank you for caring about others.

I have only tracked the financial contributions, no food contributions. Since the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry has been incorporated early this year, I have only received about $1,400 cash which God requires me to purchase food (all documented). All of the rest of the funds come from my pension and side jobs I work and God provides. That may total about $500 or $600 per month or so in addition to cash contributions from others. Supporters also contribute considerable food, but God hasn't given me the time to put a value on that. I believe God wants me to consider that food to supplement the meals which I buy and prepare for the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry and being an addition to what I would normally provide. I consider the delivery of that food as being a good steward for the effective distribution of others desires to feed the homeless and poor. There is considerable value to the additional food, but I don't have time to account for possible value of that in addition to maintaining the checking account, buying the food and resources, preparing the food and products necessary, cooking the food, cleaning up the mess, loading up the carts or wagons, distributing the food equitably, providing intercessory prayer, providing Bibles and guidance, providing fellowship and Good News, preparing services and messages as requested, meeting with other pastors and helpers, attending churches and Bible studies, working a part time job, spending considerable time on buses to get to where I need to be, picking up ice and food at restaurants and stores daily, keeping track of inventory, storing and cleaning clothing and products for the homeless and poor, studying the Bible and meditating as God requires, preparing email ministry as God leads me, and dozens of other things I need to do. Do you get the picture? In any case, thank you for doing some research and I hope your efforts might become fruitful to the 200 constituents that God is leading me to help in order to glorify Him.

So, no financial statement will be provided until more volunteers are provided and office space makes the management of time and resources more effective. As I see it, the money goes first for food that is not provided by others, next will be to share space in an office, then for the office supplies and tools to support potential volunteers as needed, then maybe a small salary to me so I don't have to work a part time job to buy food and pay my utilities. I should be in my own apartment, but God has given me a roommate so I have some funds to give to Him. We pay $950 per month for a 1 bedroom apartment and I pay about $170 in electricity, $150 in phone, $40 for bus pass, about $82 for Stafford Loan, $95 for present tuition for another bachelors (I expect to continue with a masters and doctorate in ministry in the future), and other office equipment and supplies (printers, computers, peripheral equipment, software, ink cartridges, paper, card stock, stamps, etc.). Do I need to go on? I am surviving on a pension of just over $1000. God led me to start this and I have continued to do this for 1-1/2 years only with God's support.

I do have a couple of degrees in Business Management, and I used to manage a $110 million dollar budget and track the cost for a multibillion dollar utility, so I do know how to manage a lot of money. I used to earn over $100 thousand per year. So, the little funds needed to help 200 souls should be no problem, if I had more helpers. I do have a few reliable helpers and supporters now, but it is not easy to survive in Waikiki with the little money God gives me. But, even if I never get any assistance from a soul, I will still do this and give everything I have to Him. I will live in a studio or a room if I have to. I was homeless and even lived in a cemetery when God gave me the food to distribute for the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry while being a volunteer pastor for another church last year. Any other questions? Get the picture? Grant depletion is not a problem if it is God's will. He will provide more if He desires the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry to be funded by grant funds, or others who hear the voice of God will share more of what God gives them to take care of the real needs that exist - and those needs will always exist on Waikiki Beach, no matter what the politicians, residence, visitors, and police think. Someday, the physical and spiritual needs and civil rights of the homeless on Waikiki Beach will be provided for as long as God is leading me as He has, even if it only comes through me, from Him.

Thank you for your consideration to help others. Thank you for doing whatever God leads you to do. If He leads you to help the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry, then I and the other directors look forward to meeting with you. God bless you and your family.

I hope this helps to guide you in any decisions you make with the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry. Thank you again for considering helping others.

~~ I Refuse To Be Discouraged ~~

I refuse to be discouraged,
To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
and here's the reason why . . .

I have a God who's mighty,
Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
and I am on His team.

He is all wise and powerful,
Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God remains the same.

My God knows all that's happening;
Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort,
He is my dearest friend.

When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God;
Into His arms I go.

When circumstances threaten
to rob me from my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast,
Where all my strivings cease.

And when my heart melts within me,
and weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.

The great "I AM" is with me,
My life is in His hand,
The "Son of the Lord" is my hope,
It's in His strength I stand.

I refuse to be defeated,
My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me,
as through this life I trod.

I'm looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God,
I'm resting in His love.

I give God thanks in everything,
My eyes are on His face;
The battle's His, the victory is mine;
He'll help me win the race.

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. Thank you for desiring to hear the voice of the Lord, and some of the commentary I put together focused on life recovery and significant life changing experiences.

If you no longer desire to receive these messages, please let me know and I will remove you. On the other hand, if there are others who you think might enjoy seeing different perspectives of how the Word of God is touching just one man, let me know and I will include them in future episodes of this ministry.

Almost two years ago, I was led to prepare Bible studies focusing on Life Recovery Ministry. I and others had Bible studies on the beach, in my apartment, in restaurants, on benches, in offices, and where ever the Lord seemed to make it happen. The Bible studies in my apartment were every morning for several months, but the participation did not seem to justify the time spent. So, I stopped focusing on this ministry, until a few months ago when others began asking for more by way of email. I hope you are receiving these words in the intent God desires them for you in your life.

Today, as I was out on the street distributing meals on Waikiki Beach, several groups asked me to lead intercessory prayer for their lives and the lives of others they love. About 125 dinners (chili hot dogs, lunchables, candy, and strawberry juice) were served and three times I was stopped for prayer, five times for fellowship, one time for a Bible, and I stopped at Kukui Hele Po AA Meeting. I guess I had gotten out about 5 PM and I returned about midnight. Rick and I started preparing the meal early in the morning; so a full day was put in to do something about helping the poor and homeless today. These are actions I do 4 to 6 days a week. Then I contemplate the day by reading scriptures to help me prepare for the next day, as God desires to use me.

In any case, the intercessory prayers led me to Matthew 8:5-13. Now there are many more scriptures that reinforce the need for prayer, but something inspired me to study, meditate and contemplate the impact of these words so that others may understand the importance of those words. These words clearly show me that Jesus will is the Father Gods will. It is also an example of how faith can cure anything because it is the Fathers will, not ours. But the faith of each one of us must be present to allow Gods will to be done. Healing is without doubt, Gods desire. Can we humble ourselves? Can we recognize our inferior status? Do we recognize Jesus name with unlimited power to heal? Can we accept others attitude of faith as Jesus did? Can we see that we are ALL subjects of His kingdom?

I tend to use the New Living Translation (NLT) in most of my messages because of its ease in understanding by many I have spoken with, but I also use many others. If you prefer to use your Bibles translation, that is okay also to me. Whichever translation you use, it is important that the Bible touches your heart.

Faith of the Roman Officer

5When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6"Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and racked with pain."
7Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."
8Then the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! 9I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, `Go,' and they go, or `Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, `Do this or that,' they do it."
10When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel! 11And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12But many Israelites--those for whom the Kingdom was prepared--will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go on home. What you have believed has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour.

When the centurion asked Jesus to come heal his servant, Jesus responded, "I will." Jesus was saying, "My will is to heal him because My will is the Father's will. And the Father's will is to heal everyone who allows Him to. Therefore, I will come heal him."

Some suggest Greek I in 8:7 suggests that Jesus' words there are probably better translated as a question: "Shall I come and heal him?" Most Palestinian Jews, after all, considered entering Gentile homes questionable. Here Jesus erects a barrier the Gentile must surmount, as an outsider who would request his favor must first acknowledge the privilege of Israel, whom other peoples had oppressed or disregarded. Such initial rejection was a not uncommon ploy for demanding greater commitment. Rather than protesting, the centurion acknowledges his questionable merit before Jesus, adopting the appropriate role of a guest, totally dependent on a patron's benefaction - a role centurions themselves often filled for local populations.

Jesus didn't know and had never before seen the centurion's servant. Jesus wasn't even in the servant's presence. But Jesus knew the will of the Father.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) uses the words, 8 "But the officer said, Lord, I'm not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well."Jesus commended the centurion for his faith and sent him home. There the centurion found his servant healed and set free!

Healing the servant was God's will. Jesus had probably never seen the centurion or the servant before; He didn't know them. But Jesus knew the will of the Father healing for all!

The Gentile mission was at most peripheral to Jesus' earthly ministry: he did not actively seek out Gentiles for ministry, and both occasions on which he heals Gentiles he does so from a distance (see Mat 15:28). The Gentile mission became central to the early church, however, and early Christians naturally looked to accounts of Jesus' life for examples of ministry to the Gentiles.

The significance of the passage is clarified by some basic information about Roman centurions and what they represented to Jewish people in the first century. In this period soldiers in the Roman legions served twenty years. Unlike aristocrats, who could become tribunes or higher officials immediately, most centurions rose to their position from within the ranks and became members of the equestrian (knight) class when they retired. Roman soldiers participated in pagan religious oaths to the divine emperor.

Matthew here demonstrates that a call to missions work demands that disciples first abandon ethnic and cultural prejudice. His Jewish readers would be tempted to hate Romans, especially Roman soldiers, and perhaps their officers even more. Jesus' teaching about accommodating a Roman soldier's unjust request, paying taxes to a pagan state that used the funds in part for armies or paying a temple tax that the Romans later confiscated for pagan worship would seem intolerable to anyone whose allegiance to Christ was not greater than his or her allegiance to family and community. But Jesus is not satisfied by our treating an enemy respectfully; he demands that we actually love that enemy. No one challenges our prejudices - and sometimes provokes our antagonism - more than a "good" member of a group that has unjustly treated people we love.

This Roman soldier was one that Jewish people would have to count as an exception. The slave was probably the centurion's entire "family" (Roman soldiers were not permitted to have legal families during their two decades of military service. (Matthew's audience may even think of Jewish relatives enslaved by the Romans after Jerusalem's fall in A.D. 70.)

Matthew reports such self-humbling on the part of both Gentiles who entreat Jesus for help. The centurion's initial announcement of the need is an oblique form of request; one rarely simply presumed on others' favor, and one of higher social status rarely would utter a direct request unless desperate. And the centurion admits his status as a humble requester of Jesus favor.

The man shows faith not only by acknowledging his own unworthiness but also by recognizing that Jesus' power is so great that this request is small to him. Most of the centurion's contemporaries would have balked at such faith; even Jewish people considered long-distance miracles especially difficult and rare, the domain of only the most powerful holy men like Hanina ben Dosa. The centurion reasons, however, from what he knows: he himself can issue commands and receive obedience because he is under authority, that is, backed by the full authority of the Roman Empire, which he represents to his troops. In the same way, the authority of Israel's God backs Jesus, and a mere command from his lips banishes powers in subjection under him, such as sickness.

Do we have such faith to recognize the greatness of God's power? Those who are submitted to Jesus' will may act on it today, recognizing that the authority he provides to carry out his work is his and not our own.

Jesus accepts the centurion's recognition of Jesus' great authority as faith and heals the servant. But the text also offers a second lesson, a lesson about our prejudices. Jesus "marvels" (NIV was astonished) only twice in the Gospel traditions, here at a Gentile's faith and in Mark 6:6 at his hometown's unbelief. It is often those closest to the truth who most take it for granted and those who have had the least exposure to it who most recognize its power when it confronts them.

Many church workers focus on getting people saved in churches where new people rarely visit; we may need to focus more on sharing the faith by word and deed in our communities outside church walls, and across cultural barriers as well. As one missionary statesman put it, "I do not see why anyone should hear the gospel twice when so many people have never heard it once."

The centurion's story has thus highlighted faith as the "one thing needful." It is a practical faith which expects and receives results. Such faith renders tradition and heredity meaningless, and of such is the kingdom of God. The warning in this story may be especially urgent in an age when Africans and Asians in the community of Jesus may well be called on to show `Christian' Europe what Christian life really is."

Evidence supports this as an authentic saying of Jesus. Matthew may draw Jesus' words here from another context to reinforce the point that this story prefigures the Gentile mission, which Jesus endorsed in advance.

kingdom") refers to Jewish people-those who expected salvation based on their descent from Abraham. The damnation of those who thought themselves destined for the kingdom sounded a sober warning to nationalist Jews of Matthew's day; it sounds a similar warning to complacent Christians today.

Rome was the great power that lay to the west, and Matthew had earlier illustrated the coming of pagans from the east. Pagans thus would recline at table (the standard posture for feasts and banquets) in the kingdom with the patriarchs - the messianic banquet Israel expected for itself.

"Exceptions" can make a difference. When one white minister living in the U.S. South was experiencing the deepest trauma of his life, some African-American Christians took him under their wing and nursed him back to spiritual and emotional health. The white minister began to experience the spiritual resources and strength that the black American church had developed through slavery, segregation and contemporary urban crises and was eventually ordained in a black Baptist church. Subsequently he discovered slave narratives and other accounts that brought him face to face with what people who looked like him had done to the near ancestors of his closest friends. He became so ashamed of the color of his skin that he wanted to rip it off. But the love of his African-American friends and the good news of Christ's love restored him, and soon he began to feel part of the community that had embraced him.

He often joined his friends in lamenting the agony of racism and its effects. But one day after a Sunday-school lesson, a minister friend said something about white people in general that he suddenly took personally. "I didn't mean you," the black minister explained quickly. "You're like a brother to me." The black minister made an exception because he knew the white Christian, but the white Christian wondered about all the people who didn't know him. He had experienced a taste of what most of his black friends regularly encountered in predominantly white circles.

The next week the ministers were studying together the story of the centurion's servant in Luke, and they noted that the centurion's Jewish contemporaries viewed him as an exception to the rule that Gentiles were oppressors. They also noted that the Gospels tell this story because that exception in Jesus' ministry points to a huge number of Gentile converts pouring in at the time when the Gospels were being written.

If even a few people become exceptions and really care enough about their brothers and sisters of other races to listen, these exceptions can show us that the racial and cultural barriers that exist in our societies do not need to continue. If we are willing to pay the price-which will sometimes include hints of rejection from people we have come to love-we can begin to bring down those barriers.

These words clearly show me that Jesus will is the Father Gods will. It is also an example of how faith can cure anything because it is the Fathers will, not ours. But the faith of each one of us must be present to allow Gods will to be done. Healing is without doubt, Gods desire. Can we humble ourselves? Can we recognize our inferior status? Do we recognize Jesus name with unlimited power to heal? Can we accept others attitude of faith as Jesus did? Can we see that we are ALL subjects of His kingdom?

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. As I began studying the Bible today, I was led into scriptures about marriage. 1 Corinthians 7 was the voice of the Lord speaking to me, but many others came into view. I may review and discuss others with you in the future.

I guess I needed to reflect on the errors I have made in the past. I do not desire to make the same mistakes in the future. Maybe there is someone you know that might desire a Word of God to change their lives.

1 Corinthians 7
Instruction on Marriage
1Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. 2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
3The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. 4The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband also gives authority over his body to his wife. 5So do not deprive each other of sexual relations. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time, so they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control

Marriage is the God-given place for sexual _expression and fulfillment. Our body doesnt belong to us; it belongs to God. But here Paul is saying that our body also belongs to our spouse. If we see sexual fulfillment outside of marriage, we will be trapped by selfish pleasure seeking. Only in marriage can our sexuality be acted out with concern for and commitment to the other person involved. If we belong to God and to our spouse, we have the potential to act in ways to bring them great joy. Our challenge is to not seek only our personal gratification. As we keep our sexuality within the bounds of marriage, we experience the joy that comes from living faithfully with another person before God.

. 6This is only my suggestion. It's not meant to be an absolute rule. 7I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness.
8Now I say to those who aren't married and to widows--it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9But if they can't control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It's better to marry than to burn with lust.

If we were single, we may feel that recovery and life changing experiences would be easier if we had the help of a spouse. If we are married, we may think we could focus more on recovery and life changing experiences if we were unmarried. Whether we are single or married, there are difficulties that we must deal with. When we wish we were in a different situation, we are usually wanting to avoid the responsibilities of our present situation. We should seek ways to improve the situation we are in rather than abandoning it for something else. Abandoning relationships or desperately grasping at new ones will never solve our problems.

10Now, for those who are married I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord.[1] A wife must not leave her husband. 11But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.
12Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man[2] has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13And if a Christian woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not have a godly influence, but now they are set apart for him. 15(But if the husband or wife who isn't a Christian insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is not required to stay with them, for God wants his children to live in peace.)

Many of us have been hurt by divorce, either as participants or as children of divorced parents. Paul firmly reminded his readers of Gods command to avoid divorce at all cost. Yet He recognized that there are situations in which divorce is a legitimate option. God wants us to live in harmony with one another. When we are not experiencing harmony, we need to examine our life to see where we might need to change. If, after making appropriate changes, we still face significant problems, we may need to help our spouse through a similar process. Often a marriage counselor can facilitate this process. Divorce is an option only when one of the partners refuses to remain faithful to the marriage commitment.

16You wives must remember that your husbands might be converted because of you. And you husbands must remember that your wives might be converted because of you.
17You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in, and continue on as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. 18For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. 19For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God's commandments.
20You should continue on as you were when God called you. 21Are you a slave? Don't let that worry you--but if you get a chance to be free, take it. 22And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, the Lord has now set you free from the awful power of sin. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. 23God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.[3] 24So, dear brothers and sisters,[4] whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God.

The Roman world was filled with oppressed people, many of whom had been taken as children to a foreign land to serve as slaves. Some of these slaves came to believe in Christ, and, naturally, they yearned for freedom. They may have thought they could be better Christians if they were free. We may fall into the same trap. We look at others and think that different circumstances would make recovery and life changing situations easier for us. Instead of wishing for miracles, we can start the recovery process no matter what our situation. When we turn our will and our life over to God, we have a new power at work within us regardless of our outward circumstances.

God bless you and your family. I pray these words may be useful to you or your loved ones.

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. As I have been studying the Word, I was touched by the words in Amos 5:11-13, 24.

There seems to be some injustices in Honolulu politics or government influence on the homeless. The words in Amos sounds like the same things that are happening here. I believe it is the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry's mission to include a legal mission to correct some injustices here in Waikiki, and maybe in Hawaii, and hopefully, in the United States. We have a dream to see homeless treated like real people.

11You trample the poor and steal what little they have through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, you will never live in the beautiful stone houses you are building. You will never drink wine from the lush vineyards you are planting. 12For I know the vast number of your sins and rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13So those who are wise will keep quiet, for it is an evil time.

14Do what is good and run from evil--that you may live! Then the LORD God Almighty will truly be your helper, just as you have claimed he is.

The prophet describes a life of recovery and life changing events. It comes form God alone, not from anywhere else. To seek God means to admit our helplessness and commit our life to Him, letting Him change us. Those who knew me 2 year ago can see the changes in me due to God, not me. But how do we avoid the various failures mentioned in these verses? God reveals Himself uniquely in the Bible; it is our infallible guide to the truth. We need to see God's will through His Word and with His help, live by it.

When we seek God, we seek the all-powerful Creator of all things. He created the stars and the rest of the universe from nothing. He controls both day and night and makes it rean. He cannot be hindered or stopped by the best human efforts. When we commit our life to Him, we can be sure that He is capable of helping us change ourselves and the world.

15Hate evil and love what is good; remodel your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on his people who remain.
16Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: "There will be crying in all the public squares and in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail and lament. 17There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will pass through and destroy them all. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

Warning of Coming Judgment

18How terrible it will be for you who say, "If only the day of the LORD were here! For then the LORD would rescue us from all our enemies." But you have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will not bring light and prosperity, but darkness and disaster. 19In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion--only to meet a bear. After escaping the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house--and is bitten by a snake. 20Yes, the day of the LORD will be a dark and hopeless day, without a ray of joy or hope.

It is possible to fool ourselves into thinking we are spiritually right with God. Amos calls here for honest self-examination. When Jesus Christ returns, it will be a time of joy and of the completion of recovery and life changes for those whose faith is genuine. Those of us who have not been honest with ourselves will be lost forever (Matthew 7:21-23). Let us all take a moral inventory now. Where do we stand with God? How can we change to be more like He wants us to be?

21"I hate all your show and pretense--the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. 24Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry.

No amount of religious activity is going to make up for the dysfunctional lifestyles and government policies we have. We may fool others into believing that we are all right because we go to church three times a week or give 20% of our income to the church. But God will not look favorably upon our religious activities if we are not doing good to others and following His guidelines for healthy living. The Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry mission is to do good to those that everyone else does not want to see. They must be see as real people who need respect as real people, just like the blacks, the women, the gay, and any other minority group in the United States. What is Hawaii doing to the homeless?

What does the voice of the Lord speak to you as you read these words. I would appreciate your responses.

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. As I was studying the Bible today, I have been led to share what I am hearing. Maybe this might be the voice of the Lord speaking to you.

19Again I tell you this: If two of you agree on earth about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am with them."

This is what I see in the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry, the church under the sky of Waikiki. Where ever I go, and at least one other is there in His name, church is happening.

We try to make the truth of God so complicated, but He has made it so simple. Time and time again, as we have acted on these verses of Scripture - as we have agreed with someone in prayer - such marvelous things have happened. And it will work for us too!

God said that He watches over His Word to make it good. Jeremiah 1:12 says, "...for I will hasten my word to perform it." The margin says, "I watch over my Word to perform it."

If we would look for as many reasons for God to keep His Word and for it to work as we do for it not to work, God's Word would always work for us. Many times we are hunting around for something negative, saying, "Well, maybe it wasn't the will of God after all."

Then why did Jesus say, "If two of you shall agree, it shall be done"?

The negative side of Matthew 18:19 and 20 is that if we don't agree, it won't be done. Isn't that simple?

13Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing songs of thanks to God. 14Is anyone among you sick? He should send for the church leaders and they should pray for him. They should pour oil on him in the name of the Lord. 15The prayer given in faith will heal the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

Since God has the power to heal us spiritually, emotionally, and physically, prayer is one of the most powerful tools available to us in recovery and life changing situations. When we pray to God, we call upon that power and display our faith (faith is substance) that He can help us. Prayer is essential in the process of putting our broken life into God's caring and capable hands. He is more than able to help us and guide us to healing process by bringing our problems to God. He is listening, and He has the power to rebuild even the most shattered life.

16Tell your sins to each other. And pray for each other so you may be healed. The prayer from the heart of a man right with God has much power. 17Elijah was a man as we are. He prayed that it might not rain. It did not rain on the earth for three and one-half years. 18Then he prayed again that it would rain. It rained much and the fields of the earth gave fruit.

This part shows that confession is an important part of our personal prayer life. God invites us to confess our sins and failures to Him through prayer. When we bring our sins and defects of character before God, He starts the healing process in us. Prayer is never a waste of time; it yields amazing results! God responds powerfully when we display our faith by sharing our problems with him. I can testify to many prayers answered on the beach as I have prayed with those who asked intercessory prayer. The power of two or more believing is, in fact, powerful. My testimony has proven it.

22We will receive from Him whatever we ask if we obey Him and do what He wants.

More evidence of the truth. What does He want in your life? Everyone has the opportunity to hear the voice of God telling each of us what He wants for us as we humble ourselves and take care of the needs of others (see Phil 2:3-4).

Jesus again commented on the power of faith. Seemingly impossible answers to prayer, including life-transforming recovery, can occur as we live by faith and grow in commitment to God. This passage does not suggest that we pray for the withering of a fig tree or the actual relocation of a mountain. It tells us, however, that incredible answers are given when we pray to God and believe that He will answer. Oh, the power of two or three.

5"And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
7"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. 8Don't be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

Public prayer is open to many distortions and abuses. Some individuals use majestic sounding, churchly jargon that impresses people, but not God. Others think that the key to answered prayer is repetition, thus reducing it almost to a chant or mantra. Both attitudes miss the mark because they assume prayer has more to do with techniques than internal attitudes and realities. True heart-to-heart communication with God, whether private or public, is rewarded and will have a profound effect on our progress in recovery and life changing events. My life is an example of that success in life changing events through prayer.

9Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. 10May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. 11Give us our food for today, 12and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. 13And don't let us yield to temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

Jesus gave His disciples a model prayer to follow. This prayer is more than just a model for our prayers; it is a model for our life in recovery. We are to acknowledge God in our life and honor His name. Our greatest desire should be to see His Kingdom established and His will don on earth, both in our life and in the world in general. God;s daily provision for us is another petition important for recovery. We must ask for forgiveness of our sins and forgive those who have wronged us. Finally, God wants us to ask for protection from Satan's temptations we face each day. If we are praying these things and living them in our world with God, we are truly on the path of recover and life changing events.