Most Christians feel that their prayers are the only prayers that are heard by God. They feel that if they ask ANYTHING in the name of Jesus, it will come to pass. So they pray like this ” Father, I come to you in the Name of Jesus. Make Joe and Mabel miserable until they accept you. They are unsaved and are headed for hell. If they experience some of that hell now, they’ll turn to you. Bob is really miserable at his job. Take him out of it. I know you want your children happy, Lord. Julie stopped smoking, thank you Jesus. Let her get sick if she ever touches another one. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the rent. I need $800 by next Friday. Thank you, Lord for supplying our needs. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
So what’s wrong with that prayer? Nothing, if you’re a ceremonial magician! You may as well draw a circle on the floor, draw a pentacle in the circle, burn some incense, and address a god or goddess of your choice. Wiccans wouldn’t even pray that prayer, and yet you look down on them. So, what’s wrong with the prayer? Everything, if you’re a Christian. Yes, I know you were taught in a big evangelization seminar to pray that people be made miserable until they got saved. I also know that several people with big healing ministries will pray that someone get sick if they ever touch the cigarette, drink, or drug they’re being delivered of. All the prosperity ministries will pray for a certain amount of money by a certain date. It doesn’t make it right and it doesn’t mean that God our Father, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, will hear or answer that prayer. What do you mean? The prayer is addressed to God. Yep… GOD WHO?
Prayer can reach two places…the occult region of the mind or the Spirit. Since God is Spirit, He can only be reached through the Spirit. In the Spirit there are no banks, Walmarts, or car dealerships. There are only the qualities of God. God will give you the Power to get wealth…the wisdom to deal with your life…the power to heal. He doesn’t rain hundred-dollar bills down from heaven. The promise is: if you seek the kingdom of God first and foremost in your life all the material things will be taken care of…and your motive needs to be pure. If you are seeking the kingdom of God only to have your needs taken care of, you’re off. Seek the Kingdom of God to fellowship with God…to hear the still small voice…to know that He is God…and all these things will be taken care of. Jesus told us that to pray for “stuff” was to put ourselves on the same level as the pagans.
When we pray for stuff, we are praying to some entity that rules the occult region of the mind. No matter whether we have addressed the prayer to the Most High God or not, it will only reach the head honcho of the occult. We have spent years praying to something other than God. Shocking, isn’t it? If something is clear, heartfelt and owned, the unconscious will manifest it
The prayers for other people…the intercessions…are totally off the wall. We were given free will…suppose Joe and Mabel don’t want to be Christians? They have a right not to get saved. God won’t violate their free will. Who are you to do it? As far as praying that they be made miserable…isn’t that manipulation? God doesn’t manipulate. At least, any self-respecting witch would know enough not to pray that prayer. They know it can and will come back on them at least three times. Even if salvation IS God’s will for all people, He doesn’t force it on them. To pray that someone get sick if they stumble in the process of giving up a substance is cursing them…plain and simple. The subconscious mind doesn’t know that you mean you want them to get nauseous…it takes you literally. It will make them sick. Do you want to see them delivered from the cigarettes or do you want them dead from cancer or a heart attack? The way we pray…the way we talk…the way we think are all crucial. Forget what you learned at the prayer seminar and do a study on New Testament prayer. Better still, just put these few things into action and in subsequent days we’ll refine the mechanics of prayer and what they will yield.
Let’s take Jesus at His word and seek the Kingdom of God as our top priority. For today, let’s take a few minutes, get quiet before God, and say” I’m here, Lord. I’m listening for your voice. Thats all I want, to hear you and know you. Your Grace is sufficient for me.” As we do this we’ll see a different quality in our relationship with God. In the days to come, we’ll deal with things like how to quiet our minds…how to deal with material needs…what intercessary prayer is about. Get quiet…enjoy His company! Shalom.
