Praying Unprofitable Prayers

What exactly is your approach in prayer? When there is something on your heart that you really want God to answer, how do you go about praying for it?

The church I grew up in taught us that when bad things happen, we are to go to God and put our petition before Him. Then we were to labor and fght in prayer until we were satisfed our prayers got through to God. Having done this, you then leave the prayer session believing with all your heart that what you have prayed for will happen. We were told not to let anything shake our faith, because it is our faith that had the power

to materialize what we had prayed for. Moreover, the scripture teaches that a doubtful, double-minded man, shall receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:8). Hence, we took that to heart. We continued, holding our prayer in our heart, and protecting it from any inkling of doubt.

We would shut out any voice that opposed what we had asked for and we would do whatever was necessary to hold on to our faith. Sometimes it required singing songs or quoting scriptures to keep the faith alive. We had to at all costs do nothing to negate our faith or block our blessing. However, this is a false concept and an unproftable approach. Here are some of the scriptures that were used to encourage this behavior:

Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

James 1:6-7

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

Matthew 21:22

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

1 John 5:15

And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Mark 11:23

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Though these are all powerful scriptures, if your perspective on them is wrong, so will your approach in prayer be wrong.

A SON’S PRESPECTIVE OF PRAYER

In order to see the true perspective of prayer we must shift our focus from belief for a moment and put it on who we are as born-again believers.

John 14:16-17

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Listen to what this scripture is saying. Jesus is foreshadowing the coming of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a Comforter indeed, but He is also the Spirit of Truth. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are made one with God. Therefore, we are also made one with the Spirit of Truth. Thus, our new birth causes us to see and know truth.

We are able to see and know the contents of God’s heart, we are able to sense and feel His will. He enlightens us concerning those things that He will perform.

Jeremiah 24:7

And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

God has given us a heart that knows Him. He did so by birthing us of His own seed. We are His offspring; therefore, we think as He does, we see as He sees, and we know as He knows. We are indeed New

Creatures.

1 Corinthians 15:45-47

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

There was a vast distinction between Adam and Jesus. Even though both walked the earth, one was a man; a living soul, while the other was a spiritual being from Heaven. However, Jesus was sent to earth for a purpose, and in order to fulfill that purpose, He needed to be clothed in flesh.

1 Corinthians 15:48

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. We too are spiritual beings, clothed in fesh, to fulfl the purpose of our God in the earth.

John 7:28-29

28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.

29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.

John 8:55

Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

Jesus was from the Father. In other words, He was born of the Father, and given a purpose to be fulfilled in the earth. His very make-up allowed Him to know the Father; He was in the Father and the Father was in Him, how could He not know the Father?

John 20:21

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Once again, it is confirmed, as He is, so are we in this world. Because we are seated with Him in a heavenly place, we are lords from Heaven, sent on a mission to reconcile souls to God. We bring with us the knowledge of God; without it, we cannot accomplish His will. Even as God was in Christ, so is the Godhead in us, continuing to work the ministry of reconciliation.

Philippians 2:13

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Seeing it is God who is working this ministry through us, do you think He would allow the ignorance of others to stop His purpose? No! He would not leave His purpose to the fallibility of man. So instead, when He saved us, He weaved into our hearts a knowledge of Him. As He said, “I will give them an heart to know me...” Thus, when we pray, wanting nothing but to serve the will and purpose of God, we need not fear.

Furthermore, we do not leave a prayer session fighting to believe God. If we are holy, we know whatsoever we asked, we received. Nevertheless, if it was not the Father’s intent to grant the request, He would also make that known to us.

A SPIRIT OF FEAR

A spirit of fear is introduced into the equation when we wonder if God will actually perform what we have asked Him to. Sin and selfishness have in the past, caused us to fall into the description given to us by Apostle James.

James 4:3

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Take a look at how the Amplified Bible puts it.

James 4:3 [AMP]

You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask [d]with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires.

There are many saints who still today walk in darkness, seeking their own will. These will receive nothing from God. Notice the case James is presenting, these saints pray, expecting to receive from God, yet they do not because their prayers were inspired by lust. When you are not pure God will not honor your prayers. On the other hand, if we are holy, and we ask a thing that is not according to His will, the Lord will reveal to us that it is not. He did this with Paul, as he sought relief from the thorn of buffeting given to him, but after three sessions of prayer, the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul that His grace was sufficient. Thus, the reason the Lord did not answer, was because He wanted Paul to walk in the experience and revelation of grace. This is different from those who ask amiss. Notice that the Amplified version explains the word amiss as “with wrong motives”. When you pray amiss God is not obligated to explain why He is not going to do a thing. In fact, you have no fellowship with Him at all, because light cannot fellowship with darkness. You can continue from this point deceiving yourself into believing that God has answered your prayers, by modifying the truth of the situation. However, when God does something, it needs

no modifcation, it will be evident that it is His doing.