Humility is required at the time of salvation.....

therefore its not really a gift. Grace is the TRUE GIFT. Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. What causes a person not to be saved? It is pride to refuse to acknowledge the conviction of the Holy Spirit to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. God will not dwell in our prideful thoughts of ourselves. Philippians 2:4-8

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Nation from the greek word "Ethnos"

I believe that ALL Christian movements have been at one time genuine depending on God's will and plan as He did during the Tower of Babel that scattered everyone who were speaking different languages. In the New Testament, there were many verses that talked about Christians being scattered all over the world. Why? Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." Nation from the greek word "Ethnos". Strongs defines Ethnos as a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together as a company, troop, swarm. A multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus the human family a tribe, nation, people group (Culture). I was involved in a deaf culture for many years and reached out to them. God had a purpose for each one of us. All Christian movements are genuine as long as they do not teach a different kind of Gospel which is SALVATION. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures is great news. Jesus purged our sins, He mediates grace to all who believe, is wonderful news for this sinful nature world. Our Messiah, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all Christians who did not reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit. God's will is for our redemption, adoption and the obtaining of our eternal inheritance in the heavenly blessings (Ephesians 3:10,11). The bottom line is this: Nothing holy and genuine will be done in someone's life until their will is surrendered in active obedience to the Holy Spirit. This is between the believer and God. As long as our conscience is clear and our heart is pure before God, don't be concerned with issues. In Romans 14:5 "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." 1 Corinthians 10:28-29 "both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake, the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?" There are many movements because there are Christians who will follow their conscience, feelings, beliefs and personal worship preferences. This is between God and each individual believer. There are different preferences of beliefs and different style of worship. Some prefer one worship style while other prefer another worship style. The key is that we must worship God in Spirit with other believers regardless our "personal" opinion or loyalty to our movements. I hate getting tied to movements and denominations since I have been in so many of them over the years. I am a CHRISTIAN first. Debates like this are getting OLD. Its okay to discuss but to play games who is right and who is wrong. That's pride. We need to start respecting other's people beliefs and learn to agree to disagree. I just want good debates and agree to disagree if needed.

Additional Thoughts about Prayer

I want to add that there are no steps or rules of prayer. However, a mature Christian will understand the attitude of prayer. Humility is putting God first in our prayers while pride is putting God last in our prayers. In Matthew 6:9-13 deals with the first half focusing on God, His will and plans before coming to our personal petitions. God does not always say yes to every prayer even though we expect Him to do so. We are not to have faith in prayer but rather have faith in God and His character. God does promise that He will answer prayers but His answers can vary and often we missed His true answers. Sometimes, the answer will be NO for one reason: "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives" (James 4:3). This also may includes that He will not give grace as well. God will not respond to self-centered requests unless it is according to His good and perfect will (His plans). Mature Christians will not be discouraged for a "no" answer because it is more than likely that the answer is delayed because of His plans. The cause of failure is not failure itself but rather, other reasons why God chose to wait or look for grace that He have provided or any other answers He already gave that we may be over-looking. God does answer in a different way. The answer may not be the one you like or accept but God will give it to you anyway. Often He will give the promised compensating grace (Sufficient of Grace). We have to understand that God may be delaying the answers because He has something better for us than what we have asked (John 11:1-6; Luke 5:1-16; Luke 8:40-56). Also keep in mind that God may be witholding what we ask in order to do special work that He have placed us according to His plan and will (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Remember, God knows before you ask because He is ALMIGHTY God. Romans 8:26 says that "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for". The Holy Spirit will help us know what we pray for. We have to keep in mind that Satan can fool us and that there are times when God answers "no" and we missed His true answers. This is when Satan comes in and answer "yes" by tricking a believer into believing the blessings may actually came from God. Quotes: God's timing is infallible. He takes every factor and contingency into account. We often want to pluck unripe fruit, but He will not be pressured into premature action. If He in His wisdom delays the answer to our prayer, that delay will in the long run prove to be for our good (Hebrews 12:10). It will be either because He has some better thing for us, or because there is something He desires to achieve in our lives that can be effected in no other way. J.Oswald Sanders, Guidelines for Disciples, pg 126 Tepid praying does not move God's arm. J.Oswald Sanders, Guidelines for Disciples, pg 124 The mature disciple will not stumble because of apparently unanswered prayer. He will not, however, adopt a fatalistic attitude; he will examine his prayers and seek to discover the cause of failure" J.Oswald Sanders, Guidelines for Disciples, pg 124-125

More about Prayer

Daniel 9 (NIV) Daniel's Prayer 1 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus [a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian [b] kingdom- 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. 15 "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Daniel 9 (NLT) Daniels Prayer for His People 1It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.[a] 2During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the LORD, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.[b] 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I wore rough sackcloth and sprinkled myself with ashes. 4I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. 5But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. 6We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke your messages to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land. 7"Lord, you are in the right; but our faces are covered with shame, just as you see us now. This is true of us all, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. 8O LORD, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11All Israel has disobeyed your law and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. "So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out against us because of our sin. 12You have done exactly what you warned you would do against us and our rulers. Never in all history has there been a disaster like the one that happened in Jerusalem. 13Every curse written against us in the law of Moses has come true. All the troubles he predicted have taken place. But we have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. 14The LORD has brought against us the disaster he prepared, for we did not obey him, and the LORD our God is just in everything he does. 15"O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. 16In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city of Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. 17"O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. 18"O my God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins--for everyone knows that it is yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful. 19"O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, for your people and your city bear your name." From John MacArthur’s “Drawning Near” Devotional Book 1. Danial 9: 1-3 …..Uncompromising prayer brings glory to God 2. Daniel 9: 2-3……God’s Sovereignty doesn’t eliminate the need for prayer 3. Daniel 9: 2………Effective Prayer is always consistent with God’s will 4. Daniel 9:3……….The more you understand God’s holiness, the more you’ll recognize your own sinfulness. 5. Daniel 9:4…………God will not respond to self-righteous prayers 6. Daniel 9:4…………Confession brings forgiveness and guards God’s character. 7. Daniel 9:5-16………Others should be the primary focus of your prayers. 8. Daniel 9:4,7,9……...God’s attributes authenticate your prayers. 9. Daniel 9:16-19……..God’s glory must be the ultimate goal of every prayer request we make. Other Verses of the Bible Ephesians 6:18………….Spiritual victory is directly related to the quality of your prayer life. Luke 18:1……………….Prayer should never be limited to times, places, or circumstances. Matthew 6:9-15………..Jesus gave six elements that constitute true prayer Matthew 6:9……………Prayer begins with the recognition that God is your Father and has the resources to meet your needs. Matthew 6:9……………With God as your Father, your life has eternal significance. Matthew 6:9…………….Prayer should always exalt God. Matthew 6:9…………….God is holy and deserves your highest respect and your humble obedience. Matthew 6:9……………..Sound theology that results in holy living hallows God’s name. Matthew 6:10……………When you pray, “Thy kingdom come,” you are praying for Christ to reign on earth as He already does in Heaven. Matthew 6:10…………….Relinquish your will to Christ’s sovereign rule Matthew 6:10…………….Conversion to Christ involves three elements: invitation, repentance, and commitment. Matthew 6:10…………….The only acceptable response to Christ’s offer of the Kingdom is to receive it , value it and pursue it. Matthew 6:10…………….Your prayers make a difference! Matthew 6:10……………..Praying for God’s will to be done on earth is an aggressive prayer. Matthew 6:11……………...God is glorified when He meets your needs