Spring is coming!

Here in the heartland spring is around the corner, farmers and gardeners are thinking about what to plant, where to start and how much seed they will need. Although they won’t see results for months they are preparing now so when it comes time to harvest, they will receive the rewards of their labors.

A farmer or gardner does not plant seed and then ignore it until harvest time, a farmer/gardener weeds, a farmer/gardener waters, a farmer/gardener tends too their fields and protects it from predators, who want to steal the seed or the fruit of the seed.

A farmer does this on a large scale, a gardener does this on a smaller scale, but both understand the principle of working the land, planting the seed and harvesting.

why we would be any different?

As the Church, that is the body of Christ: us as individuals so there is no misunderstanding, we are too work the soil, plant the seed ,we are too water, we are too tend too the fields watch over and protect from varmints what God gave us.

And like the farmer/ gardener we are to have faith that God will take care of the seed we sow in His name, the results are up to the Lord of the Harvest, and He will take care of the results.

The Church has to have faith like this, sometimes I wonder if we do. We get discouraged when we don’t see direct results, but I can tell you from my life many poured into me and planted and watered, but God took His time to harvest what was planted, in my case it was 33 years.

Others have planted, watered and prayed for 40, 50 or more years to see someone come to the Lord.

Never give up on what God is doing, we do not toil in vain, if you are planting gospel seeds, cover them in prayer and trust God to grow them, remember a seed must die to bear fruit, and a lot of seed is in un-fertile ground that must be worked, but rest assured God is at work, trust Him, don’t get discouraged you might not see the harvest, but God will harvest what is sown in His name,keep doing what God has asked you to do and He will take care of the rest.

God’s word says this;

“The sower sows the word. Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”....”The kingdom of God is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. The soil produces a crop by itself — first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head. As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come.” And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.” Mark 4:14-20, 26-32 CSB

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 CSB

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.”James 5:7-8 CSB

Where is your peace and security?

Everybody has a plan for peace and security, they promise their plan is the one that will work. But none of them have ever delivered on that promise.

The world is in chaos and distress, why because the ruler of this world is evil and vile and his ways are death and destruction.

Things will only get worse from here on out as we move closer to the end of days, this world will not be destroyed by global warming or by the hands of man in any way.

One day God the creator of all things will destroy this earth and create a new one for His children, then there will be peace and security no more sin, death, sickness or sorrow, those who put their faith, hope and trust in Jesus will be there.

Until that day comes live as we are called not to be worried about this old world, but to share the hope and promise we have to those who are hopeless.

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Standing out in the crowd.

Living by faith, most say they do. But few actually follow through. When they are tested by fire they so easily bow as the crowds do and give in.

There have been men and women through the ages that have stood against the crowd walked through the fire and trusted God. Not all of them came through untouched by the flames. But they all came through with God at their side and went on to bigger and better things

I don't know if you're in the fire now, just came through the fire or are standing at the door of the furnace, but this I know you must decide if you are going to bow down to the god of this world, or trust the God of heaven and earth to see you through.

God is not looking for the crowd He is looking for those who will stand out from the crowd.

Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”  Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

Daniel 3:15-27

Do you trust in God's providence?

The providence of God is written on the pages of time, and is displayed ever second of everyday in our lives.

Just as God provided everything for Is real as He led them through the wilderness He does us, our faith may be stretched but do not lose heart, God is faithful always.

Trust in Him and His providence.

God's providence is shaping our lives, and shaping history. We are not at the mercy of a cyclical, happenstance repetition of events or ideologies, moving aimlessly through time and space. Our destiny is not controlled by powerful nations, great men or circumstances. It rests securely and comfortably in the hands of God.

For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this immense wilderness. The Lord your God has been with you this past 40 years, and you have lacked nothing.’ Today I will begin to put the fear and dread of you on the peoples everywhere under heaven. They will hear the report about you, tremble, and be in anguish because of you.’ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land to you. Begin to take possession of it.’ The Lord our God handed him over to us, and we defeated him, his sons, and his whole army. There was no city that was inaccessible to  us, from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead. The Lord our God gave everything to us.

Deuteronomy 2:7, 25-25, 31, 33-33, 36

What happened on Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday?

Some consider Saturday to be a day of nothing but fear and unrest, and for Jesus followers it probably was.

But not for Jesus.

Jesus though His body lay in the tomb, He was not there.

Ephesians 4:8-10 ESV

Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”  (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1 Peter 3:18-22 ESV

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

*"The word "preached" in verse 19 is not the usual word in the New Testament to describe the preaching of the gospel. It literally means to herald a message.

Jesus suffered and died on the Cross, His body being put to death, and His spirit died when He was made sin. But His spirit was made alive and He yielded it to the Father. According to Peter, sometime between His death and His resurrection Jesus made a special proclamation to "the spirits in prison."

To begin with, Peter referred to people as "souls" and not "spirits" (3:20). In the New Testament, the word "spirits" is used to describe angels or demons, not human beings, and verse 22 seems to bear out this meaning.

Nowhere in the Bible are we told that Jesus visited hell. Acts 2:31 says that He went to "Hades" (New American Standard Bible), but "Hades" is not hell. The word "Hades" refers to the realm of the dead, a temporary place where they await the resurrection.

Revelation 20:11-15 in the NASB or the New International Version give a clear distinction between the two.

Hell is the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades is a temporary place.

Our Lord yielded His spirit to the Father, died, and at some time between death and resurrection, visited the realm of the dead where He delivered a message to spirit beings (probably fallen angels; see Jude 6) who were somehow related to the period before the flood in Noah's time. Verse 20 makes this clear. Peter did not tell us what He proclaimed to these imprisoned spirits, but it could not be a message of redemption since angels cannot be saved (Hebrews 2:16).

It was probably a declaration of victory over Satan and his hosts Colossians 2:14-15, 20 ESV

by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.  If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—
(Also re read.)1 Peter 3:22;.

Ephesians 4:8-10 also seems to indicate that Christ went to “paradise” (Luke 16:20; 23:43) and took to heaven all those who had believed in Him prior to His death.

The passage doesn’t give a great amount of detail about what occurred, but most Bible scholars agree that this is what is meant by “led captivity captive.”

So, all that to say, the Bible isn’t entirely clear what exactly Christ did for the three days between His death and resurrection. It does seem, though, that He was preaching victory over the fallen angels and/or unbelievers. What we can know for sure is that Jesus was not giving people a second chance for salvation.

The Bible tells us that we face judgment after death (Hebrews 9:27), not a second chance. There isn't really any definitively clear answer for what Jesus was doing for the time between His death and resurrection. Perhaps this is one of the mysteries we will understand once we reach glory."*

If today your soul is held captive, know this Jesus paid the price for your freedom,  Today is the day of salvation, do not harden your hearts.

*A portion of this is from http://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-go-to-hell.html

The 66 gospels of Jesus

ld Testament Book	Main Revelation	Key Prophecies* / Types of Jesus
Genesis	The Seed of the Woman	Messiah would be born of the seed of a woman (Gen 3:15, Luke 1:34-35) Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob (Gen 12:3, 17:19, 28:14, Luke 3:23-34) Messiah would be a king in the line of Judah (Gen 49:10, John 1:49) Typified in the person of Melchizedek (Gen 14:18) The life of Isaac - the sacrificed son (Gen 22) The life of Joseph - the rejected brother (Gen 37)
Exodus	The Passover Lamb	Typified in the life of Moses - the deliverer The Passover Lamb (Ex 12, John 1:29,36) The Manna from Heaven (Ex 16, John 6) The Rock struck at Horeb (Ex 17, 1 Cor 10:4) The Tabernacle (Brazen Altar, Lampstand, Table of Showbread, Ark of the covenant etc) (Gen 25-30)
Leviticus	The High Priest	Typified in the sacrifices and offerings (Lev 1-7) In the Jewish festivals (Passover, Atonement, Lev 16, 23) In the scapegoat (Lev 16:7-9) In the person and duties of the High Priest (Lev 16)
Numbers	The Cloud and The Fire	Messiah would be a King (Num 24:17) Typified in the bronze serpent (Num 21:8-9) The Water from the Rock (Num 20)
Deuteronomy	The Prophet Like Moses	Messiah will be a prophet (Deut 18:15-19, John 6:14) Messiah would be worshipped by angels (Deut 32:43, Luke 2:13-14) Typified in the cities of refuge (Deut 4:41)
Joshua	The Captain of Our Salvation	Typified in the person of Joshua (our leader into the promised land) In the Promised Land In the Commander of the Army (Josh 5:13-15)
Judges	The Judge And Lawgiver	Typified in the Judges (for He is true Judge of the living and the dead)
Ruth	The Kinsman Redeemer	Messiah would be a descendant of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:12-17) Typified in the life of Boaz - The Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 2:1)
1 & 2 Samuel	The Prophet of The Lord	Messiah exalted by God with power (1 Sam 2:10, Matt 28:18) Messiah would be a descendant of David (2 Sam 7:12-16, Matt 1:1) Messiah would be the 'Rock' (2 Sam 23:2-3, 1 Cor 10:4) Typified in the life of David - The King in Exile (1 Sam 22) The life of Jonathon - the faithful friend (1 Sam 18:1-4)
1 & 2 Kings	The Reigning King	Typified in the life of Solomon (the Millennial Reign) In the life and miracles of the prophet Elisha (multiplying bread 2 Kings 4:42, healing leper 2 Kings 5)
1 & 2 Chronicles		Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah (1 Chron 5:2, Luke 3:23-32) Typified in Solomon's temple In the Wisdom of Solomon (2 Chron 9:22)
Ezra	The Faithful Scribe	Typified in person of Zerubbabel, the rebuilder of the temple (Ezra 4)
Nehemiah	The Rebuilder of the Walls	Typified in the person of Nehemiah, the rebuilder of the walls of salvation
Esther	Mordecai	Typified in the person of Mordecai
Job	The Dayspring From on High	Typified in the sufferings of Job and the blessings that would follow
Psalms	The Lord Who Is Our Shepherd	Messiah would be the Son of God (Ps 2:7, 12, Matt 17:5) Messiah would be resurrected (Ps 16:8-10, Acts 13:30-37) Messiah would be despised & crucified (Ps 22:6-8, 14, Luke 23:21-23, Matt 27:35) Messiah would be hated without cause (Ps 69:4, Luke 23:13-22) Messiah would be Lord, seated at the right hand of God (Ps 110:1,5, 1 Pet 3:21-22) Messiah would be in the line of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4, Heb 6:17-20) Messiah would be the 'stone' rejected by the Jews (Ps 118:22, Matt 21:42-43) Key Messianic Psalms: Chapters 2, 8, 16, 22, 45, 69, 89, 109, 110, 118
Proverbs & Ecclesiastes	The Wisdom of God	Messiah would be from everlasting (Prov 8:22-23, John 17:5) Messiah would be the Son of God (Prov 30:4, Matt 3:16-17) Typified in the Wisdom of God (Prov 8:22-31)
Song of Solomon	The Lover & Bridegroom	Typified in the Bridegroom's love for, and marriage to, the bride
Isaiah	The Suffering Servant	Messiah would be born of a virgin (Is 7:14, Luke 1:34-35) Messiah would be Immanuel "God with us" (Is 7:14, Matt 1:21-23) Messiah would be God and Man (Is 9:6, John 10:30) Messiah would have the 7-fold Spirit upon Him (Is 11:1-2, Matt 3:16-17) Messiah would heal the blind, lame, deaf (Is 35:5-6, Mark 10:51-52) Messiah would be proceeded by a forerunner (Is 40:3, Luke 1:17) Messiah would be a light to the gentiles (Is 42:6, John 8:12) Messiah would be despised by the Jewish nation (Is 49:7, John 10:20, Matt 27:23) Messiah would be whipped and beaten (Is 50:6, Matt 26:67, 27:26) Messiah would die as a guilt offering for sin (Is 53:10, John 18:11) Messiah would be resurrected and live forever (Is 53:10, Mark 16:16)
Jeremiah & Lamentations	The Weeping Prophet	Messiah would be God (Jer 23:6, John 13:13) Messiah would be a righteous Branch (Jer 23:5) Messiah would be our righteousness (Jer 23:6, 1 Cor 1:30)
Ezekiel	The Son of Man	Messiah would be a descendant of David (Ez 34:23-24, Matt 1:1)
Daniel	The Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven	Messiah would be 'a son of man' given an everlasting kingdom (Dan 7:13-14, Luke 1:31-34) Messiah would come 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Dan 9:25, John 12:12-23) Messiah would be killed (Dan 9:26, Matt 27:35) Revealed as the 'stone' (and His kingdom) that smashes the kingdoms of the world (Dan 2:34,44) Typified in the 4th man in the fiery furnace - one like 'the son of gods' (Dan 3:25)
Hosea	The Bridegroom	Typified in Hosea's faithfulness to his adulterous wife (Hos 3)
Joel	The Baptizer With The Holy Spirit	Messiah will offer salvation to all mankind (Joel 2:32, Rom 10:12-13) Messiah would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)
Amos	The Burden Bearer	God would darken the day at noon during Messiah's death (Amos 8:9, Matt 27:45-46)
Obadiah	The Mighty Savior
Jonah	The Forgiving God	Typified in Jonah being 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish (Jon 1:17, Matt 12:40)
Micah	The Messenger With Beautiful Feet	Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2, Matt 2:1-2) Messiah would be from everlasting (Mic 5:2, Rev:1-8)
Nahum	The Avenger of God's Elect
Habakkuk	The Great Evangelist, Crying For Revival	Messiah would come from Teman at His return, full of glory (Hab 3:3) Typified in the life of Habakkuk (his intercession and prayer for his people)
Zephaniah	The Restorer of the Remnant
Haggai	The Cleansing Fountain	Messiah would visit the 2nd temple (Hag 2:6-9, Luke 2:27-32)
Zechariah	The Pierced Son	Messiah would be Priest and King (Zech 6:12-13, Heb 8:1) Messiah would be ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech 9:9, Matt 21:6-9) Messiah would be God (Zech 11:12-13, John 12:45) Messiah would be pierced (Zech 12:10, John 19:34-37)
Malachi	The Son of Righteousness	Messiah would appear at the temple (Mal 3:1, Mark 11:15-16) Messiah's forerunner would come in the spirit of Elijah (Mat 4:5, Matt 3:1-2)
New Testament Book	Main Revelation	Titles / Names Revealed of Jesus
Matthew	The Messiah	The Son of David (Matt 1:1) The King of the Jews (Matt 2:2) The Son of God (Matt 2:15).  The Bridegroom (Matt 9:15)
Mark	The Miracle Worker	The Holy One of God (Mark 1:24) The Servant (Mark 10:45) The King of Israel (Mark 15:32)
Luke	The Son of Man	The Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69) The Consolation of Israel: (Luke 2:25).
John	The Son of God	The Only Begotten Son: (John 1:14,18) The Lamb of God (John 1:29,36) The Bread of life (John 6:35) The Light of the World (John 8:1) The I AM! (John 8:58) The Door of the Sheep: (John 10:7,9) The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) The Resurrection and life (John 11:25) The Way, the Truth, the Life (John 14:6) The True Vine (John 15:1)
Acts	The Ascended Lord	The Prince of Life (Acts 3:15) The Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)  The Just One (Acts 7:52). The Hope of Israel (Acts 28:20)
Romans	The Justifier	The Rock of Offense (Romans 9:33) The Deliverer (Romans 11:26) The Lord of the dead and the living (Romans 14:9) The Root of Jesse (Romans 15:12)
1 & 2 Corinthians	The Last Adam	The First-fruits (1 Corinthians 15:23) The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
Galatians	The One Who Sets Us Free	The Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 1:3)
Ephesians	The Christ of Riches	The Head over All Things (Ephesians 1:22) The Cornerstone: (Ephesians 2:20)
Philippians	The God Who Meets Our Every Need	The Name above all names (Philippians 2:9)
Colossians	The Fullness of The Godhead	The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15) The Head of the body (Colossians 1:18) The Beginning (Colossians 1:18) The Firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18) The Hope of Glory (Col 1:27)
1 & 2 Thessalonians	The Soon Coming King	The Lord of Peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
1 & 2 Timothy	The Mediator Between God And Man	The King of Ages (1 Timothy 1:17) The Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)
Titus	The Blessed Hope	The Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13) The Great God and Saviour (Titus 2:13)
Philemon	The Friend, Closer Than a Brother	The Lord Jesus Christ (Philemon 3)
Hebrews	The Blood That Washes Away My Sins	The Heir of All Things (Hebrews 1:2) The Faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17) The Author and Finisher of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2)
James	The Great Physician	The Lord of Glory (James 2:1) The Judge at the door (James 5:9)
1 & 2 Peter	The Chief Shepherd	The Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4) The Chief Shepherd  (1 Peter 5:4)
1 & 2 & 3 John	Everlasting Love	The Eternal Life (1 John 1:2) The Righteous (1 John 2:1)
Jude	The God our Saviour	The Only Wise God our Saviour (Jude 25)
Revelation	The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!	The Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last: (Revelation 1:17, 22:13) The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) The Word of God (Revelation 19:13).  The King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16)The Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)

This is not mine, but I had to share http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/jesus66books.htm

Only By The Grace of God

A lot of us are struggling with legalism in our lives and the lives of those around us, even though we know that it is the grace of God that saves us. We try hard to live by the rules, and we assume God will love us more, reward us more and overlook our mistakes. We make hundreds of rules up to live by, in reality Jesus said, Matthew 22:37  "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great commandment. 39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

We make it so hard on ourselves and those around us, no wonder people are turned off by us, I've been a dedicated rule-keeper and I struggle with this, knowing God will never love me anymore than He does right now or when He sent Jesus to the cross for me. My parents taught me some basic rules, and most of them were excellent, but they're not really biblical, and have nothing to do with me standing before God.

Rules like we all need a solid eight hours of sleep each night (I have broken this rule every day of my life.) You brush your teeth in the morning, and before going to bed, wash your hands before every meal. Period. Close your eyes when you pray, I peeked during prayer time as a kid many times, and the Pastors and older people in the congregation didn’t always close their eyes, so I decided that either he was a phony, or that this  "eyes-closed" rule might not be iron-clad.

 We define Christianity by a list of arbitrary rules, therefore reducing our relationship with God through Jesus Christ to an exercise of futility of rules. God cannot and will not be put into a box. He's so much bigger than that. And His grace is greater than anything our finite minds can muster up .

Make no mistake. We will stand right before God, not on the basis of our ability to keep an exhaustive list of rules, the Pharisees and Sadducees did this but only the by the  shed blood of Jesus Christ. In Christ alone we are found Justified, and Righteous.

 When our faith is in Him, His grace "covers" us.

Romans 5: 1Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 2We have also obtained access through Him

by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3And not only that but we also rejoice in our afflictions,  because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.