Religious people are generally carnal and are sometimes the most miserable humans you will ever meet!
Our life here on earth is constantly in a spiritual war that cannot be won by the carnal minded. Seeking a spiritual transformation is a must to live in holiness. Otherwise you will always be defiled by anger, immorality and idolatry to mention but a few!
Living as an untransformed religious person can be exhausting because you don’t have the anointing that squashes evil in your environment!
On the other hand, a person who has gone through a spiritual birth (truly born again) is anointed, guided and protected by the power of the Holy Spirit. Such a human-being is spiritually-victorious, happy, peaceful and has a tendency to be prayerful.
If we are spiritually transformed, have a repentant heart, spend enough time in prayers and the scriptures, then it is possible to understand God’s mind about an issue!
My wife and I are amazed at how much God has answered our prayers! Some of our prayers looked somehow impossible but the outcome has been humbling!
We have learned along the way, to resist some human attitudes (whose source is the devil), by acquiring a spiritual mindset!
Let’s go through some of these attitudes in details!
Stop grumbling
We grumble and complain against God but our actions and attitudes point to something else.
Mathew 15:8 (NIV)..These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…
Romans 1:21 (NIV) For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him…
Numbers 14:27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me.) (Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
We embrace and engage the world using our own ability and hope that it will bring us some success.
When it does, like the pagans, we honestly believe in our hearts that we did it! We praise our tools, our culture, our religion or other humans, but pay a lip service to God by saying with our lips, “it is God”!
When we fail, we grumble and complain against God.
God wants us to succeed in all we do, He doesn’t hold away any success from us.
He is simply not truthfully involved by us in the first place.
The biggest success of any human is to be transformed spiritually!
God wishes that we understand who He is and who we are in His kingdom. God would wish that we involve Him first and allow Him to discipline us from selfish spiritual orphans to His lovely children. He wants to free us from being slaves of our sinful habits!
Let’s hunger to understand God
God has both qualities of a father and a mother and wants the best for us. Just like your mama once told you when you were struggling teenager, “Don’t embrace worldliness it only breeds trouble”. As God’s children, our spiritual life faces many dangers. Our human heart (soul) can become interwoven with what fills the world as recorded in Galatians 5:19-21(NLT)
…sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other
These lifestyles replace the need for God in one’s life!
James 4:4-5 (NIV) You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?)
Allow the Holy Spirit to transform your thinking and get rid of all ingrained falsehoods
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Ephesians 4:22-25 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body
Be filled with compassion, mercy and forgiveness for others
Matthew 9:13 …’I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Reflect on God’s goodness and generosity in your life, so be thankful in your heart always.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Always be joyful. Continually be prayerful. In everything be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Jesus
Expect God to keep his promises on prayers
2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
John 16:23-24 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Embrace a sound doctrine by listening to God only
Jeremiah 23:21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear
Be ready for God to answer your prayers in His way. Which has normally a good surprise in the end.
Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD
What should be our attitudes during prayer?
Be private, prayer that is a public show has no reward. Prayer is a private matter for an individual or a group, you don’t have to be loud to attract God’s attention. Unnecessary loudness during prayers is sometimes a red flag that you should pay attention and discern the spirits operating in a region, group or in an individual!
Mathew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
1 Samuel 1 :13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard… God heard Hannah and blessed her with a son.
Be specific, it is your father.
Mathew 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Forgive others
Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Be desperate. Being needy towards God and not man is good.
Jeremiah 29:13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Romans 3:11 (NIV) … there is no one who seeks God.
Be truthful
John 4:24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Spend enough time with God. Jesus often did that!
Matthew 14:23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
What should be our attitudes after prayer?
Be steadfast in faith that he will do it
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Fight all doubts. Doubt is like cold water to a flame
Mark 11: 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
James 1:6-8 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Have patience. There are many verses in the bible about being patient with God. He will do it at his own time. Patience should be our lifestyle.
Psalm 5:3 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;…Blessed are all who wait for him!
Don’t give up! We ought to pray because we face dangers every day. Giving up exposes us to these dangers!
Luke 18:1 (NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
When we face danger, what does God wish that we do? We can see a glimpse of God’s mind in the following scripture. He expects us to take our positions and stand still for He will do it!
2 Chronicles 2017 (NLT) But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory…for the LORD is with you!”
I hope the article has been of much help as you endeavour to have an effective prayerful life!
May God richly bless you!
[Article Author: Joseph GM]
Live In Victory 