*Adapted excerpt from: God hears us and wants us to approach Him
with sincere and honest prayer
PIC by wng.org
Did you know this?
Active sin blocks prayer
So, if you want to pray effectively – you absolutely cannot keep sin. As they say, “you gotta ‘fess up”.
Just as it is true that a confession to receive Christ is not effective …if you try to keep your sin — so it is true that prayer is not ever effective if you are harboring some sin in your heart Psalm 66:18. God sees deep into your heart. He reads you easily – like reading an open book. So He sees our sincerity and truthfulness, or lack thereof. You got signs of an unrepentant heart?
We love to quote “ask anything…” 1 John 5:14, but it seems we often neglect warnings about repentance, warnings against keeping on with our sins. Why is that?
See in one link or: John 14:14, Matthew 18:19, John 16:23-24.
Approaching God…properly, with specificity to His uniqueness
We love the first part of this promise, but often overlook the rest of it:
1 John 5:14
This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us.
The verse does not stop at “ask anything”. Because God is Unique to the inth degree, there is a spiritual specificity, a natural order, and proper procedure to approaching the Holy Presence of our Most Holy God. Have we maybe lost that awareness?
Giving sanctuary to sin
Sin disturbs God. Sin is no small thing when approaching Holy God. An appropriate question for us all, perhaps: What is my attitude toward sin?
Am I flippantly dismissive of the seriousness of my “sin”? What is my attitude toward my behaviors that go against God’s will for me? Do I even know what being sinful is?
Am I flippant with God Almighty: Google it: flippant “not showing a serious or respectful attitude”, “cheeky, frivolously disrespectful, shallow”, lacking deference? What’s up with that?
If we do not think like God Almighty – we most likely think along with the enemies of our soul — the world, the flesh, the Devil. And that is not good.
God is not like the enemies of our soul. Unlike those enemies, He hates sin. And we should also.
Excerpt from Always biblical from my soul
Self Determination. I see a lot of confusion these days amongst Christians. We are fighting the good fight, always warring with the three enemies of our soul. But there is a lot of conforming to the world Romans 12:1-3 instead of conforming to God’s think.
God requires repentance
When we sin, His Spirit convicts, and brings us to our knees. If we are His.
John 10:27
The sheep that are My own
hear My voice
and listen to Me;
I know them,
and they follow Me.
God, The Supreme Entity of Creation, requires we talk to Him “consistent with His plan and purpose” 1 John 5:14. Want your own way, “whatever”? Well then what you’ve got then is “talking to the ether”. Your prayers are hindered.
God warns us that if we give sanctuary to sin, He will not hear us. You cannot pray effectively from a “Sanctuary Heart Space” given-over to sin, so to speak Psalm 66:18. That is outside prayer’s purvue. 1
We cannot harbor pet sins inside some imaginary “Sanctuary City” we’ve set aside in our inner heart — and at the same time be pleasing to God. That is not taught in Scripture.
My attitude has to be guarded well. I must aim to be always biblical from my soul in all things, and confess my sin when I fail. If not, my prayers are not effective.
See: | First repent | Pray biblically…How to pray |
God warns us: If I have active sin unconfessed sin in my life, in my thoughts… He will not answer my prayers Psalm 66:18 KJV.
Sin breaks daily relationship with God. But of course, sin does not break our salvation, because Christ secured our salvation on the cross. God is bigger than our sin and much, much stronger than the Devil.
If I regard sin and baseness in my heart
(“harbored sin in my heart” in the NET version)
[that is, if I know it is there
and do nothing about it],
The Lord will not hear [me].
– Psalm 66:18 AMP version
Enjoy divine fellowship
If we are to enjoy daily fellowship with our Savior, then our heart will need cleansing regularly – because we sin regularly. Cleansing through repentant prayer is needed again and again – not to save us again, but to restore fellowship again. And that is how we have constant effective prayer.
Salvation is a one-time happening. When a sinner gets saved — God saves that sinner – and He Himself secures that salvation – forever. There is no losing what God Himself secures! However, sin builds barriers to fellowship, so we must repent again and again.
This is true of any relationship. Sin builds barriers – and confession restores fellowship.
A good Psalm for a good prayer is Psalm 51. This is a key verse of repentance before God.
Those who repent: *two groups
1- Unbelievers in unbeliefism who then turn from there sin and turn to Jesus – get saved on the spot.
2- Children of God, those already saved, born again, freed from condemnation, will repent daily from sins in their daily life, to regain close fellowship.
________
Unbelievers…why anyone is rejected by God. Will you be turned away by Jesus?
* Those who turn to Jesus for salvation come to Him in their sin and repent – to start their new life in Christ.
Children of God
* Those who already have that new life — repent of sins to renew relationship daily. We are wise to return to God in daily prayer, refreshing our relationship with Him to be fresh and vibrant.
________
Warnings about sinful practices…Galatians 5:14-19
The practice of sin can slip into anyone’s daily life – unnoticed, so easily. Even worse, they can also slip into church practices and ruin many for all eternity. So Scripture warns us to learn new habits. “Watch out!”
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].” 15 But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the [g]sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. 17 For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the [h]sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.
18 But if you are guided and led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law. 19 Now the practices of the [i]sinful nature are clearly evident: they are….”
See: | God’s sin list |
| Why might many Charismatics not be saved |
| Making God Speak | Misrepresenting God |
| Caught-up with a practice God has said not to practice |
Choosing Hell over Heaven…not a choice I prefer!
Now of course it must be said that some folk just plainly don’t give a rat’s tail about their sin. And, well, that’s just the way it is for some. What a sad, sad, tragic error. So of course I wrote-up a list so they can know exactly what to practice on their way.
Excerpt from: The sins we can practice to go to Hell. Just so you know…SATIRE
How to go to Hell (a bit of satire…)
It’s an easy-peasy choice, choosing Hell. You’ve chosen not to accept Him. Why is that? Following is a giant list of what you can do — to go to Hell. Not difficult to get there – as there are many practices you can choose from. Or, just stay as-is, the easiest choice (just make “no choice” at all) because God has divided eternity for all of us.
My Tribute… Lyrics
“How can I say thanks
for the things You have done for me?Things so undeserved,yet You gave to prove Your love for me….”
God has given us a better option than to stay the course on the road to destruction. In fact Jesus died to save us. His desire is that we all get saved 2 Peter 1:4. God is asking us to repent and follow Him.
He commands
all people everywhere
to repent
[that is, to change their old way of thinking,
to regret their past sins,
and to seek God’s purpose for their lives],
We who want to be in on God’s blessings for eternity — we do care what He has said, and we do want to be more righteous.
pray
“consistent with
His plan
and purpose”
1 John 5:14
I pray this often
When I pray, I often use this Psalm Psalm 51:10 to first repent. “Oh Lord, I repent of this… and ask you to cleanse me….” Then I know God hears me and He will answer my prayer. He promises to hear us when we pray with sincerity and truth, with a clean heart – with “a right and steadfast spirit“:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.
– Psalm 51:10
See: | How prayer works |
| To reach God, first repent |
| Psalm 51. Wash me. Cleanse me |
| Psalm 51 type repentance and salvation |
| Turn shame into repentance |
| Growing into our natural new life in Christ |
FOR MORE:
With prayer, we love to quote “ask anything…” 1 John 5:14, but many often neglect warnings about repentance Psalm 66:18 and praying according to His will. God is a given, but prayer depends on “the person in prayer”.
___________
Approach God with a true and sincere heart
God hears us and wants us to approach Him with sincere and honest prayer…Approaching God
Always biblical from my soul…in all things Excerpt: Self Determination
I see a lot of confusion these days amongst Christians. We are fighting the good fight, always warring with the three enemies of our soul. But there is a lot of conforming to the world instead of conforming to God’s think.
These enemies come at us full bore, and some things in our insides can get bent and twisted. They can malform bits and pieces of who we are.
What have you become over time? What are your thoughts today? Are they based on The Good Book?
The one-off offer Jesus makes to everyone…God is asking us to repent
The Godman Jesus said, “Follow Me”
Darkness_looking-out-of-your-darkness. Laimannung-CIUOQIsEUSI. Unsplash
Psalm 51. Wash me. Cleanse me.
Psalm 51 type repentance and salvation
Jesus can save your soul for all eternity
Getting saved is fast. Be saved in one minute
Salvation and receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit
What was it like – your confession to Jesus?
How you can know you are a Christian
Growing into our natural new life in Christ
Keeping sin AND getting God’s Holiness also
Refuse to admit your sin…keeping sin
You’ve chosen not to accept Him. Why?…Why is that?
The sins we can practice to go to Hell. Just so you know…keeping sin
Claiming a sin as God’s will for you…what NAR-type Charismatics practice
God teaches us to reject sin…not to keep it active
There is a broad road that says Heaven but goes to Hell…stay the course on the road to destruction
The sins we can practice to go to Hell. Just so you know…SATIRE: a list so they can know what to practice on their way. Excerpt: How to go to Hell (a bit of satire…)
It’s an easy-peasy choice, choosing Hell. Following is a giant list of what you can do — to go to Hell. Not difficult – as there are many practices you can choose from. Or, just stay as-is, the easiest choice (just make “no choice” at all) because God has divided eternity for all of us.
Caught-up with a practice God has said not to practice?…personal and church practices
Do not attend apostate churches…they ruin many for all eternity
What Scripture supports and defends – and we should also
Excerpt: I want to be a more righteous person. We all should want more righteousness. We must seek after God.
What happens when you do not know what the Bible says on a matter?…Do I even know what being sinful is?
If we do not think like God Almighty
God is there... for us, well, actually – here inside for us. Excerpt:
Every waking moment
every day anywhere
my mind is on
my heart stays open
my soul is listening
my inner voice speaks
and God is there and speaks to me
every day anywhere I go….
See Cedarmont Kids – Down in My Heart – Lyrics
“Oh the wonderful love of our blessed redeemer”
John 3:16…inside my insides – down in my heart
God takes care of sinners…He cares about us.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty Excerpt:
…So you think the balance of your good and bad will please Most Holy God?
That all you’ve done for good outweighs the bad in Holy Courts above?
Have you tried that in some lower court in town here? That work for you?
Extreme to the inth degree…God is Unique to the inth degree. Excerpt: Our God reveals Himself in the Bible to be extreme to the nth degree. That is to say:
perfectly, absolutely, extremely, totally, unconditionally …
– https://www.dictionary.com/browse/to-the-nth-degree
To become “saved”…
-
- We do not have to become perfect. (He does the perfecting.)
- We do not have to stop sinning (and in fact we are totally unable to stop sinning).
- We are not required to clean-up our act.
To walk freely into His Gates, we simply accept His grace freely given to us. His justice declares us “forgiven” when we bow our will to Him with sincerity and truth, asking Him to forgive and clean-us-up. In that moment of “repentance” we are declared set free forever.
The Holy Spirit resides inside the true believer
Your “New Leaf”…once you have repented
Salvation and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit
Is your life fruit – Agape Love?…the fruit of the Vine
The Righteous Person…we do want to be more righteous. Excerpt: By definition in the Bible, a righteous person is someone with an attitude that says,
I want “to seek and submit to the will of God”
God is at work in us
God is at work in us “to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.” (Philippians 3:7-16)
God is at work in all non-believers… to inspire them to turn around, to turn to Him. He wants all of us to “to seek and submit to the will of God”. Does that describe your life?
The definition in Luke does not say: The righteous person is one who does not sin. The righteous person is the one who sins less than others. The righteous person is better than others. The righteous person is always doing the right thing. No – Scripture does not say that.
In fact, God expects that we will sin – because He knows our heart:
James 3:2
For we all stumble and sin
in many ways.
John 8:7
However, when they persisted in questioning Him,
He straightened up and said,
“He who is without [any] sin among you,
let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Rely on the Spirit of God in you
Are you being warned by the Holy Spirit about being “out“?
The non-stop work of God inside you and me…His Spirit convicts
Being faithful little by little…Cleansing is needed again and again
Half a Day without the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 5:15-21. The Holy Spirit’s Filling Bible study with Dr. Peter Larson
Available: Printable PDF download
God speaking…speaks to us through His written Word. Excerpt: Hey! I Am speaking here. See: Search Results for: 7 I Am statements You may know me simply as “God”. From the Old Testament, my name is, Jehovah, or Yahweh (pronounced ˈyäˌwā), or Lord, I Am – the One that made all there is. I have been calling you to come to Me. I tell you the truth
What God asks of us in the Bible…believe what God asks of us in the Bible. So when we read what He has told us, our response to Him should be to believe Him.
Why might many Charismatics not be saved: because…
This is God speaking…A satire where God says, “Oh, I misspoke, folks.”
“I am against you”, God says Ezekiel 13:8 Excerpt: Do you think anyone will be in Heaven to whom God said, “I am against you”? If God is against you, why would He bring you to His Home Heaven? Will never happen, of course.
That puts the NAR type church folk at risk – the worst type of risk. I’d get out of Dodgemeaning. Time to skedaddle, real quick.
See: Will you be turned away by Jesus?
REFERENCES for
“I am against you”:
See in one link, or: Deuteronomy 6:15, Deuteronomy 31:27, Matthew 22:29, Ezekiel 13:8, Ezekiel 13:9, Ezekiel 13:20, Ezekiel 14:9-11.
Will you be turned away by Jesus?
Why God is against me IF I claim my words are God’s own
Misrepresenting God…Careful with who you believe.
Caught-up with a practice God has said not to practice?…He has condemned doing that
The Controversy of God speaking to you directly
Ghosts, Spirits and Demons…Test the spirits
The tragic error many live in all their life…What a sad, sad, tragic error. Excerpt: The Way of God is for us to be “born again“. To accept us, God the Savior makes us brand new. He saves us – out of sin – into a new birth, a second birth. This time it is a spiritual birth where He makes you forever born of God. That is radical! He certainly is radically extreme to the nth degree.
That moment in time is when you enter His realm – spiritually. Your moment of death is when you enter the real real in His physical, magical Kingdom in Heaven. But you must be born again to enter there. Otherwise, well, there is a place, an entirely different existence… for those who reject His offer to get saved. 2
God is easy, light-handed, gentle…What mercy.
John 3:16…What love.
Oh How Marvelous...What grace. What a huge loving God is here for us.
God’s wonderful blend of dynamic power, immense love, divine forces, and human transcendence
How prayer works…prayer is easy
Pray biblically…How to pray
Approach God with a true and sincere heart
God is easy, light-handed, gentle…He is gentle and kind. – Matthew 11:29-30
PIC: Coach Kennedy praying…fired for his faith
Prayer with God? I just don’t get it Excerpt: I just don’t get it. How can I actually be allowed into God’s very presence? Why would He allow me that?It is so incomprehensible, meeting with God in prayer. I can’t grasp the magnitude of it all.
Self-talk Prayer…Speaking to God silently inside your mind: God-Talk… praying to God without voicing it
Make Self Talk… God Talk. It goes on and on and on…a series on prayer
_________
Enter His gates
with a song of thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him,
bless and praise His name.
– Psalm 100:4
_________
“God is now
proclaiming to mankind
that all people everywhere
are to repent”
“30 So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent,
31 because He has set a day on which He will judge [a]the world in righteousness [b]through a Man whom He has appointed,
having furnished proof to all people [c]by raising Him from the dead.”
– Acts 17:30-31
What was it like – your confession to Jesus?
Why might many Charismatics not be saved?
Caught-up in a practice God said not to practice?
Keeping sin…something not yielded to Him
Refuse to admit your sin…unrepentant sin
Sincerity and Truth…pray with sincerity and honesty
What you think and practice as compared with what Jesus thinks
Being tested to know for sure your faithfulness to God Excerpt: Our faithfulness to Jesus is being tested by Him. What is His testing showing you about your practices and faith? Our worldview can show us that (1) we are in agreement with Jesus, or it can, tragically, (2) reveal we are on a different faith-track than what Jesus taught us. If we are off His faith-track, then we are off His Salvation-track. What track are you on?
Acting with your heart, soul, strength, and with your mind
God forgives all wrongdoings of all repentant sinners, no exception
_____________
By this faith
you are saved
[reborn from above—spiritually transformed,
renewed, and set apart for His purpose],
if you hold firmly
to the word which I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain
[just superficially and
without complete commitment].
– 1 Corinthians 15:2
Also see: Romans 6:4-7 and Colossians 3:1-4.
_____________
Jesus warned us not to be dishonest with Him
We know what Jesus believes. Do you agree with Him?
The great water down of Jesus’ message to us all
Virgins, Talents, and Judgement
Every believer’s new life in Christ: Ephesians 1
This is a three part series on the new life:
NOTE: The new believer’s “new life” begins by getting born again, saved. And then we continue that life, living a forever life now, growing and maturing. Every believer has “new life”, not merely a “make-over”, but brand new.
Living a forever life now Excerpt: What God does to you
Do you know what God does to you when you genuinely accept His forgiveness with sincerity and truth? He saves you. He changes you to an immortal soul homeward bound for His Home Heaven (1 Corinthians 15).
Genuine or false…genuinely
The well-guarded soul…My attitude has to be guarded well
Betting your eternity on your thinking
Know your thinking – Save your future
What we will be like in God’s Home Heaven
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The [human] body that is sown is perishable and mortal, it is raised imperishable and immortal. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in strength; 44 it is sown a natural body [mortal, suited to earth], it is raised a spiritual body [immortal, suited to heaven]. As surely as there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.
– 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
So, God sent His Son into the world. Do you know why?
About evidences for faith in Jesus
Evidences showing us that Jesus is Messiah…more proofs, clear evidences
Scientific visualization proofs for an Intelligent Designer God
What God asks of us in the Bible
What knowing the Bible does for you
What happens when you do not know what the Bible says on a matter?
The Bible is the standard for Christian thought and practice. Not me. Not you.
The Bible is able to “give you the wisdom that leads to salvation”
Betting your eternity on your thinking
When you are wrong and just don’t know it
Always biblical from my soul…in all things.
Does God give new revelations – or is the Bible enough? Excerpt: New Revelations are mere man’s words. Does God give new revelations? No. According to the Bible God does not give new revelations today. He does not need to. Why? Is the Bible enough? Absolutely. Totally.
“for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness”
– 2 Peter 1:1-12 NASB
Read this again in the Amplified version: 2 Peter 1:1-12
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
As if your mindset is protected by God
Why believe such stupididiotic things
What a Crock – Having No Religious Affiliation
Still sneering? “Who’s sneering now?” See: Jude 1:10; Acts 17:30-31
_____________
“They went out from us
[seeming at first to be Christians],
but they were not really of us…” – ever.
– 1 John 2:19
________
About being apostate – following another gospel…Go warns us about being apostate
“You are not of God”, Jesus said
Christ secured our salvation on the cross
You cannot lose what God keeps secured for us…God is bigger than sin and bigger than the Devil
What God secures – you cannot lose…There is no losing what God Himself secures!
Why we never lose our salvation in Christ…But: you cannot lose what you never had!
We are pressured in every way, but not crushed
What a wild and woolly rollercoaster ride we are on
Footnotes
- Sanctuary cities in the Old Testament were to prevent revenge killings and to protect the wrongly accused. They did not condone wrongdoing. See GotQuestions.org at https://www.gotquestions.org | Cities of Refuge. What were the cities of refuge in the Old Testament? | Feb 10, 2025 — Of these forty-eight cities, six were designated as cities of refuge. The cities were Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. See: Joshua 20:1-9.
- Anyone
Actually — anyone (Romans 3:23), everyone, will be ceremoniously “thrown out” into “the abyss” (the bottomless pit, the dwelling place of demons), into Hell — if they reject Christ Jesus — not just “the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah]” (verse 12).“Rejectors” (all those “who will not recognize Me as Messiah”) will not be in God’s Home Heaven. How very huge the bummer.
– Source: Jews and anyone who rejects Jesus.
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