5 Bible Verses That Helped Me Get Closer To God

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

John 14:15

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Shortly after I was saved, God began to work on my heart to be a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was 16 years old and I had just been saved a few months. I wanted to know God’s plan for my life, but I didn’t want to admit that His plan was for me to preach His Word. After seeing another young man answer God’s call, I began to see myself preaching. With this overwhelming thought of standing and preaching, I was scared and did not  want to give up my plans for life.

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Matthew 6:5-7

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Daniel 10:16-19

And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

How to Feel Closer to God

1. If you are unfamiliar with God and don't know Him very well (ie: vaguely by name) then perhaps you should start by just locking yourself in your room. This will help you to feel that you are now alone with the Sustainer.

2.  Take a deep breath and try to clear your mind of all things that trouble you. Then, say aloud, "Hi, God. I saved this time for You. Will You please come and talk to me?" This may feel absurd at first but know that God truly listens and cares. Remember, "Ask and you shall receive." There is nothing wrong with asking for God to talk to you.

3.  Then, as you would speak to a friend or someone you really trust, unloosen your tongue and tell God all that bothers you. Or, tell Him something great that's just recently happened to you (ie: your team just won a game, someone you like asked you out, or you made a new friend). God listens and understands--always--so you won't have to feel silly.

4.  Another great way to feel closer to God is to get to know Him. What does He like? What does He dislike? What makes Him happy, sad or angry? What does He value? What does He think is foolishness? All these answers are in the book He gave to us through men He loved so we could know Him better. We call that book the Bible. He knows it very well. It has His promises in it that He makes for all of us. It has the story of Jesus (The Gospel of St John)and how He came to the earth and died on a cross, even though He didn't do anything wrong, so that we would be forgiven for our sins. It tells us what a "sin" is. As we learn about our Creator and our relationship with Him, we will get closer to Him.

5.  We can feel closer to God if we try to do the things He likes. If you came home from work and ignored your wife and brought home a girlfriend or two, you wouldn't have a very good relationship with her. You wouldn't feel very close to her even when you were alone with her. Relationship takes time and effort, and maybe a few flowers! God likes flowers too. He created them and He likes to hear about your enjoyment of them. In fact, God loves a thankful heart. If you don't know what else to say to God, tell Him how much you appreciate all the things He's made, all He's done for you, all He's given to you.

6.  Don't make promises to God that you can't keep. And if you fail on a promise, go back and make amends with Him. Maybe He will want you to make amends to others. Maybe not. Recognize, when you pray, what your feelings are so that you can understand Him better. Open your heart and be honest-He already knows whats in your heart. YOU need to see whats in there-and be honest about it. If you lie, you are only lying to yourself because He already knows the truth.

7.  Be aware that He can and will talk to you through your day to day life. He may talk into your heart during prayer ("Wow-I wouldn't have ever thought of that!") or throughout the day through other people who never knew what you said in prayer, or circumstances that are so very unusual. Also, He is usually more interested in answering the "Why?" instead of the "What?" or the "When?" Sometimes He answers "Yes", sometimes "No", sometimes "Not now".
 

Texas passes one of toughest anti-abortion laws in US

Texas politicians have given final approval to one of the US's toughest anti-abortion bills, but opponents are set to challenge the legisation in federal court.
More than a thousand pro-choice and anti-abortion demonstrators packed the state capitol in Austin late on Friday night as senators voted on legislation that has made Texas the focus of nationwide abortion-rights activism.
The senate passed House Bill 2 by 19 votes to 11 just before midnight local time. Texas governor Rick Perry is now due to sign it off.
Texas is one of several states that have sought to restrict access to abortions this year, but it has attracted the most attention due to the publicity surrounding Democratic state senator Wendy Davis's bid to block the bill with an almost 11-hour filibuster.
"The key will be what the courts will do," Sylvia Garcia, a Democratic senator for Houston and a former judge, said before the vote. "I think the Texas proposal is on a path to litigation, to being held unconstitutional. We'll have to wait for the courts to ultimately decide."
Last Monday a federal judge issued a ruling temporarily blocking the introduction of a new abortion law in Wisconsin. Like the Texas plans, the law calls for doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The Texas bill also insists that clinics upgrade to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centres and bans abortions after 20 weeks.
Republicans blocked attempts by Democrats to dilute the measures on Friday, including an amendment that would have allowed exceptions to the 20-week limit for victims of incest or rape.
When Davis, her fellow Democrats and noisy protesters successfully stalled an attempted vote on the original bill on 25 June, Perry swiftly recalled lawmakers for a special session lasting up to 30 days to give the proposals another chance to pass.
Perry said on Fox News last Sunday that the shouting that scuppered the vote was "mob rule". During this session, which began last week, officials have been strictly enforcing a ban on what they consider to be disruptive conduct. But there was no silencing the crowds who gathered on all four floors of the capitol's huge rotunda on Friday for the climax of weeks of protests and rallies related to the bill, creating a heady, unruly atmosphere.
Many chanted slogans and songs and brandished banners. Some of the anti-abortion activists held up placards referencing the Bible. Those against the bill wore orange, and those who termed themselves "pro-life" dressed in blue.
By mid-afternoon the orange demonstrators heavily outnumbered the blues and the queue to enter the gallery stretched along a staircase and almost to the end of one wing of the statehouse, with hundreds standing for hours in the hope of seeing the proceedings. There was silence in the halls when Wendy Davis spoke shortly after 11.30pm. "Tens of thousands of Texans will not be able to make the long drive, sometimes hundreds of miles, to the closest clinic," she said. "We are about to take away from victims of rape and incest a chance to reclaim their lives."
Security was tight on Friday. The Texas department of public safety issued a press release saying it had confiscated containers suspected to contain urine, faeces, paint, confetti and glitter.
For a time, troopers even took away tampons on the basis that they could be used as missiles. Garcia believes that the publicity generated by the bill and the degree of dissent marks "a tipping point for women in Texas and across the country". The 62-year-old said the legislation is "part of an extreme agenda by radical right groups who would prefer to ban abortions around the country".
Democrats argue that the bill will force the closure of all but five of the state's 42 abortion clinics, resulting in a loss of access to other family-planning services they provide, such as advice and disease screening.
Opponents also claim it will force women in rural areas to travel vast distances or seek medical help from black-market sources. However, those in favour say that tightening regulations will help protect women if complications occur.
"It's not just about abortion, it's about women's healthcare and whether we allow government to chip away at constitutional rights," Garcia said. She accused Texas Republicans of putting women's safety at risk to satisfy personal political ambitions.
After the vote, Davis tweeted: "The fight for the future of Texas is just beginning." There are rumours that she may run for governor next year.

Plane fire closes Heathrow airport runways

A fire on an Ethiopian Airlines jet on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport has forced Britain's busiest airport to close both of its runways as emergency services tackle the blaze.
No one is believed to have been on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a type of long-range, mid-size airliner, which has been at the centre of troubles in the recent past following a series of battery fires. The plane was on the stand and there were no reports of injuries.
Earlier this year, battery smoke coming from two Dreamliner planes operated by Japanese carriers led to a grounding of the world's 787 fleet and a halt to all deliveries of the planes to airlines.
The BBC reported that the plane on fire at Heathrow was the first 787 Dreamliner to resume flights after the grounding.
The incident caused all landings and take-offs to be suspended at around 5pm on Friday as the busy summer holiday get-away period builds up.
The battery problems followed endless production difficulties for the Dreamliner, which has been marketed as a quiet, fuel-efficient aircraft, carrying between 201 and 290 passengers on medium-range routes.
It should have entered passenger service in 2008 but it was not until October 2011 that the first commercial flight was operated by the Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways.
Thomson Airways became the first British carrier to operate the ultra-green Dreamliner earlier this month. British Airways is due to take delivery of the first two of its 24 Dreamliners, while Virgin Atlantic is set to get the first of its 16 Dreamliners in September next year.

Paris train crash kills six people and injures hundreds

Link to video: Paris train crash aftermath

At least six people have died and over a hundred were injured when a packed French intercity train derailed and crashed at high speed into a station outside Paris.

The French railway company SNCF said the train travelling from Paris to Limoges was carrying 385 passengers when it derailed at 5.15pm on Friday at Brétigny-sur-Orge in Essonne, 20km south of Paris.

Four of the train's seven carriages ploughed into a crowded platform at rush hour on one of the busiest days of the year for holiday getaways.

Security services have been working on the wreckage where passengers are believed to be trapped in mangled carriages, which were lying on their side.

The French president François Hollande, visiting the scene, said six people were killed and 22 were seriously injured, including one who was in a critical condition. The prefect's office in Essonne said a total of 180 people were injured. Hollande said three inquiries had been launched into what caused the derailment.

Michael Lesaunier, the owner of a cafe beside the busy suburban station told iTele: "The train approached very, very fast, knocking out everything in its path. It was rush hour, the platform was full."

He added that the passengers he had seen were very shocked and talking of serious injuries.

Boris Berson, a passenger travelling in one of the carriages that did not derail, said the passengers in his unaffected carriage were shaken and "did not know what was going on".

El Mehdi Bazgua, 19, who saw the derailment from the window of a different RERC local suburban train, told Le Parisien website: "I heard a massive noise and saw a cloud of sand that covered everything. I saw stones and wires on the ground. Then the dust lifted … We saw the first injured. I saw a man with an open head wound. Lots of people were cut. Lots of train passengers were blocked under the train."

He had heard of very bad injuries and said a lot of passengers on his train were crying. One of the wounded passengers asked observers not to film the accident.

 

Rescue workers assist victims at the scene of the derailment. Photograph: Etienne Laurent/EPA

Several witnesses described the train as appearing to "split in two". One witness told Europe 1 radio of a scene of chaos and panic at the station where he said the derailed carriages were "crushed".

The Socialist mayor of Brétigny, Bernard Decaux, told Le Parisien: "Three carriages were tangled up one behind the other", with a fourth lying on its side. He added: "I have no idea of the number of casualties, I've just been told it risks being very heavy. There are people injured by ballast."

He said "Everyone was running in all directions. It was panic. It was an apocalyptic sight."

At the scene, Guillaume Pepy, head of SNCF, in tears in front of the TV cameras, talked of a "rail catastrophe".

Hospitals in Paris have been on emergency alert to treat serious injuries, including from electrocution. As hundreds of emergency staff worked on the wreckage, the cause of the derailment has not yet become fully clear.

The train had left Paris-Austerlitz station at 4.53pm and was scheduled to pass through Brétigny station at high speed without stopping on its way to Limoges at 8.05pm. But carriages three and four derailed and careered into the train platform, dragging others behind them.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK!

P.SQUARE - PERSONALLY