The question here
When it comes to effective prayer, the question is,
“Do you want God to answer when you pray?”
Do you? Of course you do! We often pray because we feel a need, and we want God to answer us.
But maybe you are setting yourself up to fail. The clear answer to “reaching God” is here in the Bible:
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”
– Psalm 66:18
Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing,
Or to practice deeds of wickedness
With men who plan and do evil;
And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain).
– Psalm 141:4
Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:19
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin].
– Ephesians 4:30 (Ephesians 4:17—5:21)
What you are “up to” with living – directly affects God’s relationship with you (even with how you treat your brother: Matthew 18:35). How do you live your life daily? What are you practicing daily? Are you reaching God?
Nobody can just waltz blithefully MirWeb:lacking due thought or consideration into God’s Courts in prayer and casually (flippantly?) tell God how it’s going to be! God does not answer those who waltz in. 1
Be aware of the caveats
The powers of prayer promised by God are mighty. But there are caveats, parameters that we must be aware of in order to be within God’s framework for prayer. After all it’s God’s realm we are reaching into.
Just as there are parameters for salvation, there are parameters for prayer. God is not “at our beck and call”, itching to do what we tell Him to do.
See some of these “caveats” in one link or: Mark 11:23, Luke 1:13, Matthew 26:39, James 4:3.
God is there. God is not distant. He died for us in order to be close. But there are specific ways to reach Him.
…God is there
yielding I repent
and take His grace extended….
– Source: God is there
___________
God is not some far away, distant-from-you, dis-concerned bubble of energy, inside some aura of mist on a mysterious planet far far away in a different galaxy. Star Trek might lead one to believe that!
But the Bible says that Creator God created us to walk and talk with us, to commune with us, like He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8).
– Source: God is not distant
The mind of God
A major truth of importance in prayer is: we do not know the mind of God.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and decisions and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it would be paid back to him? 36 For from Him [all things originate] and through Him [all things live and exist] and to Him are all things [directed]. To Him be glory and honor forever! Amen.
– Romans 11:33-36
Some people seem to think they know God well. They know God so intimately that they say,
“I know what God wants.
I know what God will do in this situation.
The Holy Spirit reveals God’s mind to me.”
The 2017 prayer of Sindee shocks me with it’s impudence and disregard for truly biblical prayer. (Sindee basically told God to heal Nabeel Qureshi in 2017… shortly before Qureshi died of stage IV stomach cancer). See more here: Do you pray like this, not heeding Scripture?
So, how do you pray? We should of course pray. There are some fantastic promises by God about prayer – absolutely fantastic. However, God is not a fantasy genie in a bottle we rub. He is The Real One, Omnipotent Creator of All, Majestic in all of His ways, Holy and above reproach.
What we know of Him
Mirriam Webster gives some pertinent terms that describe our inscrutable God. Even with what we know of Him announced loudly in His Creation, written-out in the Bible for us, and from what Jesus taught us about prayer — God Almighty is still unknowable, enigmatic, mysterious, incomprehensible.
“In accordance with God’s will”
Some caveats to keep in mind when praying:
* God’s will is preeminent. “…it will be done for him [in accordance with God’s will].” – Mark 11:23. We must never presume to know it.
* Our will, our wishes, our wants… should be yielded, be submitted to His will.
* Faith is a must. We must believe in His ability to answer.
* Many attitudes displease God and result in “unanswered” requests, like: Pride, lack of submission, lack of yieldedness, arrogance, haughtiness, anger, resentment, hate, presumption, wanting our will over His….
* God is never in debt to us: never owes us, never repays us. To tell him so… is ridiculous, insulting, and will quench His Spirit (Ephesians 4:17—5:21)
* We should listen for the “still small voice”(1 Kings 19:12) of the Lord.
– 1 Kings 19:12
____________
If we do not think like God Almighty thinks Excerpt:
Because of a lack of Bible knowledge, we start to go off-course and begin deceiving ourselves. We must verify verify verify what is or is not of God. Like Jesus said:
“…you are greatly mistaken
and
you are deceiving yourselves!”
– Verse 27 of Mark 12:24-27
___________
God is not a fantasy genie in a bottle we rub.
Talk to God Almighty with a clean heart (Psalm 51:10). Don’t try to rub His bottle.
See: BibleGateway site search of “a clean heart“
FOR MORE:
Prayer is about coming to God on His terms. How’s that working-out for you?
___________
What knowing the Bible does for you
Prayer with God? I just don’t get it
BibleGateway site search of “a clean heart“
One minute away from the Kingdom of God
If we do not think like God Almighty thinks Excerpt: Because of a lack of Bible knowledge, we start to go off-course and begin deceiving ourselves. We must verify verify verify what is or is not of God. Like Jesus said:
“…you are greatly mistaken
and
you are deceiving yourselves!”
– Verse 27 of Mark 12:24-27
Do you pray like this, not heeding Scripture?
Make Self Talk… God Talk. It goes on and on and on
Jesus prayed, saying,
39“…if it is possible
[that is, consistent with Your will],
let this cup [a]pass from Me;
yet not as I will,
but as You will.”’
– Matthew 26:39
42“…My Father,
if this cannot pass away
unless I drink it,
Your will be done.”
– Matthew 26:36-46
“…what we know of Him
announced loudly in His Creation,
written-out in the Bible for us,
and from what Jesus taught us about prayer…”
(and in our conscience)
Praying for the world to get better? Excerpt: Wishin’ for a better world
Per Bible prophecies: The world is not going to get “better” over these next few years. Jesus will reign on earth and bring change for the world after “the end“. 2
What Does It Mean to Not Quench the Holy Spirit in 1 Thessalonians 5: 19? | Equip.org | Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, talks with Myla who wants to know what does it mean when Scripture says not to quench the Holy Spirit | Published: Jun 12, 2020.
What does it mean to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)? | gotquestions.org
What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)? | gotquestions.org
Quenching the Spirit | Michael Youssef, Ph.D. | ltw.org | Oct 11, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians 5:19 and Ephesians 4:30.
How then should we live now… believing the Rapture is just around the corner?
In light of Christ’s return, how are we to live our lives?
Practicing sin, not following Christ
Ever grasped that feeling of being wrong with Jesus?
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The Inclusive Yet Exclusive Salvation of Jesus
Tangible Evidence | …A Collection of Apologetics |By the website It Has Been Written
3 Major Scientific Discoveries In The Past Century That Point To God | By Stephen C. Meyer 2, 2021.
Library of Historical Apologetics
Institute of Creation Research (ICR)
Footnotes
- You actually merely waltz into thin air – not God’s presence. You’re just talkin’ to yourself!
Isaiah 57:15
For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. - Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:3-8; Matthew 24:6; Matthew 24:14; Matthew 24:13; Matthew 13:39; Matthew 13:40,49; Matthew 21:41; Matthew 16:24-25.
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