Post by humble angel on Apr 22, 2009 20:19:40 GMT -5
Brothers and Sisters,
Many people have said over time things such as " How come my prayers don't get answered"? Or " Why doesn't God hear me"? There are two different reasons people have for praying to God, and if you are doing it for the wrong reason, your prayer will not be heard.
Ask yourself... When you pray, are you praying because of God convicting your heart, or are you praying just because it is out of a ceremonial church practice that you are conditioned to do out of habit?
Do you turn to God because you know you are a sinner and in need of repenting, or are you using God as a way out of messes you have gotten yourself into, and can't get out, and leaving out the fact that you are a sinner?
One is out of sincerity, humbling yourself before the Lord and truly repenting to Him of your sins, while the other is a means of simply praying to yourself and not to God.
What does God say...
Luke 18:10-13 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Now look at the next verse to see how God viewed those two men praying...
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Point to ponder...
We are all sinners and all fall short of the Glory of God. Even when we do things that appear to be for God, but are actually things that are making us look like Christians, but are still falling short of God's Glory ,because we have chosen not to repent of those sins daily.
The first man who was the Pharisee, felt that he was without sin or in need of judgment from the Lord, but the publican admitted to being a sinner and humbled himself before the Lord.
We are to turn to Jesus for daily cleansing of our sins first and foremost. We don't even need to ask Jesus for anything other than forgiveness for our sins because He already knows our needs. What the most important thing that is required of us as children of God, is daily repentance of our sins, striving hard to improve ourselves where we fail, through daily studying of God's Word. Let His Word speak to your heart, and it will help you change what needs to be changed.
Application Part...
1. Now you know that nagging uncomfortable feeling you get inside your heart that just wont go away don't you? That's conviction and it comes from God.
2. Are you praying without repenting of your sins? That's praying to yourself.
3. Are you like that pharisee that is so puffed up that you cannot see your own sins, because of all those things you have done in the name of God, skipping over the most important, the most required thing that God expects from us, which is repenting of our sins.
1 John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
How can you worship God if you are covered in sin, knowing He will not even look at you, let alone listen to you? Sin is what separates us from God, and because of our sins, we cannot even get close enough to God to have a meaningful relationship with Him. But God and His angels do rejoice over the repenting of a sinner.
Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
4. Now as you read Luke 18:10-13 can you honestly see any similarities between your way of praying and those of the pharisee's prayer, or the prayer of the publican. If you can't be honest with yourself, then you can't be honest with anyone, not even with God.
5. Are you letting those scriptures or this Daily Bread speak to your heart?
One of those men were praying in a way that is pleasing to God, while the other one was praying in a way that was only pleasing to himself, and was not heard by God. He did not receive God's blessings.
We've all have found ourselves talking to someone and suddenly they are no longer standing there, and you ended up talking to yourself. We've all done that. Well that is what happens when we pray the way the Pharisee prayed. Like him, we end up praying to our self because God walked away.
6. Are you a pharisee or a publican figuratively speaking? Are you praying the you have been conditioned to pray, or are you praying because God is convicting your heart, and you need to repent of your sins?
7. Search your heart today and get it lined up with God, placing your sins before Him, humbling yourself in prayer,and you shall be heard.
8. Remember that even after we are Born Again,that no matter how good we try to be, and how obedient we are to God, we shall never be worthy of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. That is why it is call being saved by grace, and the Lord our God shall always be greater than we are, and is deserving of our repentance because He demands it and requires it every single day of our life.
Let us pray...
Father,
I come to you a sinner. I am not worthy of You being in my life, and I am grateful for the mercy You show me daily. Have Your way in my life Father, bringing me to my knees more than I do. Line me up with Your will, and replace what I want from life with what You want from me in my life for You. I know Father that I cannot be any good to you if my heart remains puffed up, and it hides my own sins from my own eyes, which in turn causes You to take Your eyes off of me. And it is then when I feel totally alone in life.
Father, I want to be drawn closer to You and that starts with admitting that I am a sinner every day of my life. And I shall turn to You, and humbly ask for Your forgiveness, even if I am not worthy of such mercy that You so graciously bless me with. Help me to become the Christian You can be proud of with the things You see in me, so that I don't try to point them out to you myself, through self serving prayers, and not ones of true sincere repentance.
Father I praise and thank You for giving me another chance to improve upon myself, but in a humble way. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen!
A special thanks to my pastor Jay for providing us with Today's Daily Bread.
God bless you always
Carol
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Visit my restaurant website.... sites.google.com/site/townsquarecafe/Home?pli=1
Thanks sis!!!
Many people have said over time things such as " How come my prayers don't get answered"? Or " Why doesn't God hear me"? There are two different reasons people have for praying to God, and if you are doing it for the wrong reason, your prayer will not be heard.
Ask yourself... When you pray, are you praying because of God convicting your heart, or are you praying just because it is out of a ceremonial church practice that you are conditioned to do out of habit?
Do you turn to God because you know you are a sinner and in need of repenting, or are you using God as a way out of messes you have gotten yourself into, and can't get out, and leaving out the fact that you are a sinner?
One is out of sincerity, humbling yourself before the Lord and truly repenting to Him of your sins, while the other is a means of simply praying to yourself and not to God.
What does God say...
Luke 18:10-13 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Now look at the next verse to see how God viewed those two men praying...
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Point to ponder...
We are all sinners and all fall short of the Glory of God. Even when we do things that appear to be for God, but are actually things that are making us look like Christians, but are still falling short of God's Glory ,because we have chosen not to repent of those sins daily.
The first man who was the Pharisee, felt that he was without sin or in need of judgment from the Lord, but the publican admitted to being a sinner and humbled himself before the Lord.
We are to turn to Jesus for daily cleansing of our sins first and foremost. We don't even need to ask Jesus for anything other than forgiveness for our sins because He already knows our needs. What the most important thing that is required of us as children of God, is daily repentance of our sins, striving hard to improve ourselves where we fail, through daily studying of God's Word. Let His Word speak to your heart, and it will help you change what needs to be changed.
Application Part...
1. Now you know that nagging uncomfortable feeling you get inside your heart that just wont go away don't you? That's conviction and it comes from God.
2. Are you praying without repenting of your sins? That's praying to yourself.
3. Are you like that pharisee that is so puffed up that you cannot see your own sins, because of all those things you have done in the name of God, skipping over the most important, the most required thing that God expects from us, which is repenting of our sins.
1 John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
How can you worship God if you are covered in sin, knowing He will not even look at you, let alone listen to you? Sin is what separates us from God, and because of our sins, we cannot even get close enough to God to have a meaningful relationship with Him. But God and His angels do rejoice over the repenting of a sinner.
Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
4. Now as you read Luke 18:10-13 can you honestly see any similarities between your way of praying and those of the pharisee's prayer, or the prayer of the publican. If you can't be honest with yourself, then you can't be honest with anyone, not even with God.
5. Are you letting those scriptures or this Daily Bread speak to your heart?
One of those men were praying in a way that is pleasing to God, while the other one was praying in a way that was only pleasing to himself, and was not heard by God. He did not receive God's blessings.
We've all have found ourselves talking to someone and suddenly they are no longer standing there, and you ended up talking to yourself. We've all done that. Well that is what happens when we pray the way the Pharisee prayed. Like him, we end up praying to our self because God walked away.
6. Are you a pharisee or a publican figuratively speaking? Are you praying the you have been conditioned to pray, or are you praying because God is convicting your heart, and you need to repent of your sins?
7. Search your heart today and get it lined up with God, placing your sins before Him, humbling yourself in prayer,and you shall be heard.
8. Remember that even after we are Born Again,that no matter how good we try to be, and how obedient we are to God, we shall never be worthy of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. That is why it is call being saved by grace, and the Lord our God shall always be greater than we are, and is deserving of our repentance because He demands it and requires it every single day of our life.
Let us pray...
Father,
I come to you a sinner. I am not worthy of You being in my life, and I am grateful for the mercy You show me daily. Have Your way in my life Father, bringing me to my knees more than I do. Line me up with Your will, and replace what I want from life with what You want from me in my life for You. I know Father that I cannot be any good to you if my heart remains puffed up, and it hides my own sins from my own eyes, which in turn causes You to take Your eyes off of me. And it is then when I feel totally alone in life.
Father, I want to be drawn closer to You and that starts with admitting that I am a sinner every day of my life. And I shall turn to You, and humbly ask for Your forgiveness, even if I am not worthy of such mercy that You so graciously bless me with. Help me to become the Christian You can be proud of with the things You see in me, so that I don't try to point them out to you myself, through self serving prayers, and not ones of true sincere repentance.
Father I praise and thank You for giving me another chance to improve upon myself, but in a humble way. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen!
A special thanks to my pastor Jay for providing us with Today's Daily Bread.
God bless you always
Carol
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Visit my restaurant website.... sites.google.com/site/townsquarecafe/Home?pli=1
Thanks sis!!!