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| Thread Review (Newest First) |
| Posted by Guest - 09-18-2012 08:10 AM |
| Chris8, this is for you. |
| Posted by Guest??? - 08-22-2012 05:35 PM |
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. The Bible tells us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) – always to be in contact with the Lord as He is with us - all the time. “He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) It is incomprehensible to most people, especially to Christians, that there may be times when it is wrong to pray. But the Bible is clear on this issue. According to the Word of God, here are the specific times when it is wrong to pray: 1. When the answer is already in the Bible. 2. When you have sin in your heart. 3. When you cannot hear God’s answer (His still small voice). 4. When the “prayer” you are praying is New Age meditation – and not Biblical prayer 5. When you have something against someone else 6. When someone else has something against you 7. When you are not praying in the name (character) of Jesus. 8. When you are dictating to God what you want Him to do, and the time frame in which you want it done! 9. When you are only praying for gifts from God rather than praying to know God, Himself. 10. When you are not obeying all that you already know. 11. When your prayers include “vain repetitions.” 12. When you publicly pray like the Pharisees – “to be seen by men.” 13. When you have no intention of obeying God’s law. 14. When you have turned your back on the Lord. 16. If you don’t help the less fortunate. “Without faith (Belief), it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6 Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way a person can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. As long as you think you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything. To say that ‘prayer changes things’ is not as close to the truth as saying, ‘Prayer changes me and then I change things.’ God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.” Never say that it is not God’s or "if it's God's will" to give you what you ask. Anytime you add "if", you just canceled your prayer. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow man? Are you irritable and cross, but you still want spiritual blessings? We often refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. For most people, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong – a friendship, and unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives. . .” Matthew 7:8 . |