Profitless Prayers
What’s wrong with my prayers? The intimate conversations with God, prayers, have become selfish and self-centered and recited merely out of emotions and lusts. Why have prayers turned in this direction? Because the world has changed. Society dictates this is an era for pleasing self and obtaining riches to show the world your status. Or, the world has condemned you or have wronged you and prayer time is an opportunity to plead with God for forgiveness or vengeance. Lastly, God’s love and the love for people have turned into seeking favors for you and yours only.
Do not misunderstand me; praying is not a step by step process. And if it is not carried out to the letter of the law your prayers will not be heard. God is our Almighty Father who should be treated with reverence and honor. There is a way we approach our earthly parents for guidance, instruction and assistance. There is a respectable gateway to God for His wisdom and support. Please read Prayer 101, it is scripture lead way to pray. Listed below are prayers that may have limited effect.
Prayer of penance. Penance is a devotion to show sorrow. Many people have a prayer pleading and begging God to forgive you. Multiple tears are shed with overwhelming sorrow. Mourning and grieving on what was committed. Declaring to do all sorts of things to obtain forgiveness. I am in no means oversimplifying asking for forgiveness. However, if you go into deep mourning every time you pray pleading for forgiveness because of same act you committed. The devil is at work. The beating yourself up process is the devil’s way of telling you that God will never forgive you and you are unworthy. He is whispering in your mind, condemnation, sorrow and grief. He is attempting to push you over the edge. To cause you to give up on yourself and turn from God. Don’t listen to him.
No unforgiveness in your heart
If unforgiveness is your heart, angry or sorrow is also in your heart. Someone has hurt, offended or disappointed you and you cannot get over it. As you get more into the Word of God, you will learn forgiveness does not help the other person, he helps you to heal. See My Personal Pathway below.
The get ‘em God prayers
These are petitions with heated questions and vengeful demands after someone has offended you. Now, you want God to get them and pay them back. Depending on the offense, you may pray for fire and brimstone to rain upon your offender because you are child of God. Vengeance does belong to the Lord, however God is long suffering. He gives time for all of His children to repent. Think about it this way, if you offend someone purposely or accidently do you want destruction to rain on you?
Tantrum prayers
“I’m mad at you God prayers” are expressed because you did not get what you wanted or thought you deserved. How do you react if your child throws a tantrum? Falling on the floor and wailing of the legs, demanding their requests, do you give in? Most parents do not. Why do you think God is going to answer this type of prayer? It may be a reason why you did not get what you requested.
Self-righteous prayer
The bragging prayer is from the so call good person prayer. I give my tithes weekly. I go to Church on Sunday. I am head of a youth group. I’m not perfect, however, I am better than most. You begin listing to God of all the good works completed compared to others. You are bragging to God. God is not a respecter of person. This means God shows no favoritism or partiality according to your good deeds.
Self-works prayer
Similar to the self-righteous, you feel God owes you something. You will say, God I will do this or I done this, now bless or pay me. This type of request puts God as owing you something. God blesses not because man is good. God blesses because He is good.
Selfish prayer
Give me one million dollars or let me win the lottery for 10 million dollars. God wants you to trust and believe in Him, not a system of gambling, receiving something for nothing. Many people who do win the lottery without the wisdom of God, generally lose the fortune almost as quickly as receiving the money.
I am doing the best I can prayer.
Where is my blessings? I am doing my best. Many people have said or prayed this prayer. The trouble is they are measuring their abilities or “their best” by their standards or against other people. God’s judges on a different level as man.
Woe is me prayer.
The grievous prayers start with sorrow, tears and weeping. You tell God, how the world is against you. You ask God, why the world is against you. And you finish with, if there is not a blessing or breakthrough soon, you cannot carry on. God will never put no more on you than you can handle. If you study the Word, you would know that with man things are impossible, but with God all thing are possible.
Just this once prayer.
God help me this once and I will never do this or that again. Or, a person makes an unreasonable promise. God help me this one time. I will go to church everyday no matter what. I will stop lying. I will donate half of my salary to charity, etc. Some people complete the promise made. Most after they are delivered they go right back to their old ways. Don’t make promises to God you are unable to keep.
Selfish motives prayers
This is a humble, but selfish bid. God grant me just enough for just me and my family. Why would you limit God? He has an overabundant amount of blessings to give away. And, God wants to bless you so you can bless others and His people, not just you and yours.
Avenues of Aspirations
Reflection Road
- Think about your prayers. Are they selfish? Self-centered? Think about ways to improve your communication to God.
- Have you prayed and your requests were not fulfilled, did you become angry with God. Are you still angry with God? Did your prayer mimic any of the prayers listed above?
Devil’s Drive
The devil will encourages you to make profitless prayers. He does not want your prayers to be heard. He knows when prayers are not answer he can make his move.
World’s Way
The world enacts selfishness and pride. So the ineffective prayers above, the world sees no problem with them. If you are praying these prayers are you receiving results? Probably not, this gives room for the devil to move. He will whisper your prayers are not being answered, resulting in God does not love you or hear you.
Personal Pathway
I had unforgiveness in my heart. Someone offended me. I remained angry with that person for an entire year. I went through the motion of forgiveness. I spoke the words of forgiveness to myself and in my prayers to God, but bitterness burned in my heart. One day I was driving to work and an overwhelming sorrow overcame me and I started to cry. God spoke to my heart. You must forgive. Immediately I knew. That day, I apologized to that person. Even though that person played a fair share in the matter, it did not matter to me. Once I released forgiveness, I felt healed. I began to receive God’s gift of peace. I felt a burden was taken off me. Forgiveness does not necessarily help the other person, it helps you to heal and to get rid of Satan adding sorrow and angry in your heart.
Lord’s Lane
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 King James Version (KJV)
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1 King James Version (KJV)