Word of Faith preaching has falsely given believers the understanding that they can dictate to God what He should do in their lives – how and when He should bless them according to what they believe is best for them. Insecure Christians believe that they can circumvent their insecurities and their warped perceptions of God - if they pray long and hard enough - what nonsense. I fell for that misconception and struggled with it for over ten years.
The truth of the matter is that God is already inclined to accept us, bless us and to guide us through the good and the bad times.
Prayer, I believe, is simply the natural expression of the heart of a person who is in covenant relationship with God. This kind of prayer cannot be learned from a book – it is something that must be allowed to develop and be expressed by an individual as he learns more about God in his own personal way and develops an intimacy with Him. Too many times we try to use prayer as a formula to “move the hand of God”. Yet we fail to comprehend the fact that God already has a plan for our lives, that He accepts and loves us as we are that He will meet our needs without our coaxing and striving through prayer and works.
God’s plan for our lives will unfold naturally – if we allow it. Our well intended means of trying to “help” God only makes matters worse. The test, I believe, is in how natural, and enjoyable, the expression of our words are before Him. Empty words recited verbatim from the latest Christian book will do little to change the heart of God and to improve our lives in some way.
And another thing: why do Christians try to ask God to give them those things that the Bible says we already have in Christ? Surely, we have made prayer into a ritual, an obligation that we ought to fulfil? Prayer has become, to a great extent, the expression of the wants of insecure Christians.
The Bible tells us that we have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Furthermore, Jesus Himself told us that every material need we have would be added to us – when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). So why is it that we ask God in prayer so often for those things the Bible says we already have?
16 For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
John 1:16 AMP
Photo Prayer 2 courtesy of khrawlings
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