PIC: prayer-888757_1280. Pixabay
…the many reasons we must first repent
“Turn my eyes away from vanity
[all those worldly,
meaningless things
that distract
—let Your priorities
be mine],
And restore me
[with renewed energy]
in Your ways.”
– Psalm 119:37
Experiencing a “normal” Christian life absolutely incorporates a constant habit of confession and submission to Christ.
It is not a difficult process to receive forgiveness from God. There is no austere courthouse, no lawyers involved, and the results are instantaneous. God is a spirit, and He hears our prayers, wherever we may be.
He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us James 4:8.
– Adapted from Distracting meaningless things
__________
“There are no requirements about how we come to God in prayer,
except that we
bow our heart in humbleness and truth,
with a sincere desire to know Him.
It is not possible to fool God, because He sees into the inner workings of our heart and mind.
He knows what we think.
He knows what we feel…
so prayer can even be “thinking to Him”, non-verbal.”
– Source: Vortex of Good & Evil
__________
First: Repent
Repentance is a necessary first step when approaching God in prayer.
Daily I practice spiritual breathing: I breathe out with confession of sin, and I breathe in the freshness of His forgiveness and the power of His Holy Spirit.
I stay current in my relationship with God, daily doing a refresh: I will not allow my inner soul to stagnate. I can, but I chose not to. I can stagnate in many ways: wallowing in sin, self-pity, self-condemnation, negative self-talk. But I reject that way of living.
– Source: God Is My Refuge and Strength
Here are some important reasons why we must first repent when approaching God.
When we pray, first repent:
* To reach God in prayer: To reach God, first repent
* To become saved: Matthew 3:2, Matthew 3:8 | See: What saves you
* To pray effectively: Psalm 66:18. “If I regard sin and baseness in my heart [that is, if I know it is there and do nothing about it], The Lord will not hear [me]”
* If you want to restore relationship with God: Isaiah 57:15 “…who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite“
* “That you may be healed and restored” – confess your sins: James 5:16
* To receive my sight: “at the cross, at the cross – where I first saw the light”
… At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the lightAnd the burden of my heart rolled away, rolled awayIt was there by faith, I received my sight
– Lyrics. Songwriters: Isaac Watts / Don Wyrtzen / Ralph E. Hudson
* To roll away your burdens: “and the burdens of your heart …will roll away (Lyrics)
* To not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit: See these in one link or: Psalm 66:18, Psalm 141:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 4:17—5:21
— From 1 Thessalonians 5:23:
* To separate yourself from “profane and vulgar things”
* To “make you pure and whole and undamaged”
* To “make you…—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose”
* To keep all of yourself complete, “your spirit and soul and body”
* To keep yourself blameless— to “[be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”
__________
1 Thessalonians 5:23
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
__________
Are you reaching God?
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.
You actually merely waltz into thin air – not God’s presence. You’re just talkin’ to yourself!
– Source: To reach God, first repent
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.
Swift Synthesis of 1 Thessalonians 5:23 from the AMP version: I pray that God Himself [through the Holy Spirit in you] will sanctify you entirely, in other words – may He separate you from worldly things, “make you pure”, “make you …whole and undamaged”, make you “consecrated to Him”, which means “set apart for His purpose”, and may He keep all of who you are blameless — your “spirit and soul and body“…so when Jesus returns — you will have a blameless life to present to Him.
All of this, by His Spirit inside us, is only possible if we first repent. If we do not repent of sins, we continue unabated MerWeb: abate , under His condemnation (if lost) or — out of fellowship with God (if born again), and damaged. Mercy, mercy me. 1
Psalm 119:37
…restore me
[with renewed energy]
in Your ways.”
Acts 17:27-28
27 This was so that they would seek God,
if perhaps
they might grasp for Him
and find Him,
though He is not far
from each one of us.
28 For in Him
we live and move and exist
[that is,
in Him we actually have our being]
FOR MORE:
To repent of sins is the first step when approaching God in prayer. Repentance changes everything. Do you first repent when you go to God in prayer?
_________
To reach God, first repent Excerpt: Talk to God Almighty with a clean heart (Psalm 51:10). But maybe you are setting yourself up to fail. The clear answer to “reaching God” is here in the Bible:
See these in one link or: Psalm 66:18, Psalm 141:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 4:17—5:21
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)
Signs of an unrepentant heart Excerpt: When I reconcile with God everything changes. You know? That happen in your life? Or not? We need to get this right. Are you for real? You can fool yourself and others around you, but not God.
When I reconcile with God everything changes
“Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
How Prayer Works *Also: click here to jump to more about PRAYER
God hears us and wants us to approach Him with sincere and honest prayer…go to God in prayer
More than Conquerors in Christ…develop a habit of confession and submission
James 5:16 “Confess your sins to one another”
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored.
“The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”
Do not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 4:17—5:21
The one-off offer Jesus makes to everyone
Salvation in Christ is beyond HUGE
The Way to Salvation always involves obedience to Jesus
Keeping Sin…Habits
Fickle piccadillies…Habits
Distracting meaningless things…Habits
Turn my eyes away from vanity
[all those worldly,
meaningless things
that distract
—let Your priorities be mine],
And restore me
[with renewed energy]
in Your ways.
– Psalm 119:37
Return to restart section: FOR MORE
Self-talk prayer…prayer can even be “thinking to Him”, non-verbal.
Make Self Talk – God Talk. It goes on and on and on
What God asks of us in the Bible
When difficult times assail us
Return to restart section: FOR MORE
Prayer with God. I just don’t get it
Footnotes
- Mercy, Mercy Me – The Hypocritical Christian.
God’s Mercy
https://hypocriticalchristian.com/?s=Mercy%2C+mercy+me
Aug 21, 2024 — Saying God is merciful is to say that he loves unconditionally, that God forms us, and we grow when connected to him.What does the phrase “mercy me” mean?
English Language Learners Stack Exchangehttps://ell.stackexchange.com/search?q=mercy%2C+mercy+me
Apr 2, 2020 — “Mercy me!” is an old-fashioned expression meaning “God have mercy on me!” and would be used in a situation where the speaker feels alarmed or afraid, or even….
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