By: J.M.G. — 5/21/23
This article is going to be about prayer:
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him (Son of God), that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us,” (1 John 5:14 NKJV).
Verse 15 tell us that, “If we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
First off, note how v.14 and 15 are positioned between John’s testimony of “eternal life,” v.10- 13, and the “sin” issue, v.16-19.
Too many miss that!
Now, are we to believe, as many believe/teach, that we can pray for whatever we wish and God is obligated to answer by giving us what we prayed for?
Please pay attention.
I love the way the Amplified Bible reads: “And this is the confidence- the assurance the [privilege of] boldness – which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan) He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.”
Before John penned 5:14, he penned 3:22: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
Now if we just take “whatever we ask we receive,” we miss the point. The point is “because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
We can’t just pray carnal/fleshly/self-pleasing prayers and expect God to fulfill them. The same John who penned 1 John 3:22 and 1 John 5:14, also penned 1 John 2:15-17, the “LOVE NOT THE WORLD” texts.
Please note that tiny, but powerful word, “IF” ( John 2:15; 5:14,15; “if” – on condition that, in case that, supposing that; a condition or qualification. See all my articles on the “if/“then” clause).
So, dear ones, our prayers must be in accordance with God’s will, plan, and purpose. I’ve heard believers pray for things that you know were harmful to their spiritual well being.
I may add, God will (at times) permit some of our carnal/selfish prayers to be met in order to teach us painful lessons.
Yep, been there, done that!!!
We have not a liberty to pray at random for what we will. Too many in the last several generations have been seduced/tricked into praying for $$$, by all those slick televangelists et al. “God wants you to have the Biggest, the Best, and the Most!” Really? Just where in Scriptures do we read this?
Oh, yeah, I forgot – Solomon was blessed by God, so we too can be blessed. Yes, He also was blessed with divine wisdom/understanding/ knowledge but he failed to apply them in his latter years. That saint of God turned into a man of LUST and IDOLATRY.
Take note:
“Did not Solomon king of Israel SIN by these things?… pagan women caused even him to SIN,” (Nehemiah 13:26). This man had it all. But it was his undoing.
If and when we pray amen, our prayer and prayer miscarriage, we should seek Him, WHY?
It is said that Martin Luther interpreted himself, when he said, “Fiat Voluntas Mea” – “My will be done” – mea, Domine, fuia tua”- “My will, BECAUSE thine.”
Our prayers can be answered (in His time) when they are His desires.
The modern Church lacks discernment these days. It prays for devilish, not divine things. It doesn’t know the difference between the carnal and the Christian, between the Spirit of God and the spirit of the devil.
Prayer:
We can pray out of:
1) The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit)
2) Our human spirit, and
3) the spirit of the devil.
Example: Luke 9:51-56
Jesus’ disciples, James and John, when they were rejected by the Samaritan village, they wanted God’s FIRE to come down from Heaven and CONSUME them, v.54. In response Jesus said “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of,” (v.55). It wasn’t time for God’s full wrath to fall but time for salvation – wrath was in the future.
Let it be said, there are times when the Spirit will bring judgment/ punishment. We need to be alert (in spirit) as to God’s moods. (See my 2 magazines on the Wrath of God: see that the Lord/Holy Spirit does punish, refuting the love, love, love spirit that so many churches adhere to. (See Words of the Spirit, May 21, 2023 at JesusCallsToAll.com).
Vengeance belongs to God (see Psalms 94:1; Nahum 1:2,3; Romans 12:19; Exodus 20:5).
Just remember, God has His “love” side and His “judgment/punishment side.
We are NOT the devils/demon’s messengers in going to God upon his errands, we are God’s soldier saints, fighting for, not against Him. When we pray amiss we can bring God’s judgment down upon us. Even righteous Job prayed amiss – as in the paroxysm of his trial/tribulation – begs the LORD to take away his very life. The worlds troubles can crush our spirit to live.
Daniel, in his captivity (Babylon) set his “face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications…” (Daniel 9:3). He was not a free man but a captive. Nevertheless he didn’t feel sorry for himself; he prayed! James 4:3: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask AMISS, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (NKJV); “You do not ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives.Your intention is, [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual (carnal/fleshly) pleasures.” Amplified Bible.
Amis: Strong’s (Greek) 2560 = Kakos, an adverb from 2556; badly (physically or morally): amis, diseased, evil, grievously, miserably, sick, sore. (total occurrences in the KJV = 16).
If the Christian Church had been praying the right kind of prayers, we would not be in such a HELLISH condition as we see today. Whole denominations/organizations et al., supporting the MURDER of the unborn, supporting/promoting the LGBTQ plus movement, going along with political correctness/wokeism etc., etc.
Today’s Church (a part of it) will persecute true believers while failing to deal with its unmortified flesh/corruption. Colossians 3:5 tell us to, “kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire harking in your members – those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry [the deadifying of SELF and other created things instead of God],” Amplified Bible.
Now, you tell me if today’s church is not given to these sins/vices? You tell me if God’s ANGER is not HOT against today’s church and world in general?
Paul goes on to write:
“It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will) the sons of disobedience.” (v. 6). God is ANGRY with today’s worldly Church as well as with the world, especially the US. Do you honestly think He is gonna overlook, even join up with this sin infested Church calling itself “Christian?”
Some ministers are so spiritually sick that they believe the LORD is in league with them!
Show me in Scripture where the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, angels or saints condone sin.
The cesspool of sinfulness/corruption has overflowed its banks. God had set standard/banks for mankind to live – yet, when they overflow, and are to such a great stinking height lift up as to over top the required/demanded standard to live by, and it becomes a GREAT, GREAT ABOMINATION!!!
Time to Repent!
TREASON! CONSPIRACY!
We should know when what we pray for is delayed or denied there is a reason. If we insist and persist in demanding God to answer our prayers – amiss ones – we’ll suffer the consequence.
How many pray for carnal things while hardly ever seek Him for spiritual things? Miscarriage. Our prayers will miscarry when we pray not according to God’s will. Oh, we may think it may be His will.
God’s plan for men is that he/she may prosper by prayer. Now I know the word “prosper” has been overused by all those $$ lovers we’ve seen on TV, heard on the radio or been to their meetings. The 70’s and 80’s were blooming and booming with such “prosperity perverts” – give me 100,00 and God will bless you with 1,000.
Allow me to quote one of their New Testament favorites:
“Beloved, I pray that you may PROSPER in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers!” (3 John 2, NKJV).
Some how our Prosperity Perverts had gotten us to believe that John was referring to $$. The theme is about hospitality, not about money. Genuine hospitality for traveling Christian ministers/workers (v. 5, 6, 7, 8). Their men and women neither asked/accepted anything from the ones they ministered to. No begging for $$, no “BIG promises,” if you give, God will multiply your finances.” John wrote to Gaius that he may “prosper,” i.e. do well in his giving, be blessed spiritually. Gaius, unlike Diotrephes, was taking care of traveling missionaries, teachers etc. In our previous missionary travels (been in many nations of the world) we’ve been blessed by so many who were rich in hospitality. Many were dirt poor $$ but rich in Christian love.
Faith and Prayer
Many times our prayers are not answered because they lack faith. Just as a bow without the arrow is no use, prayer without faith is of no use. I will say, God at times will answer our prayers out of pity for us. But normally we need faith in what we pray for. The bow without the arrow is of no use, and the arrow without the bow as little worth; and both without the hand/arm strength is worthless. How many pray with little or no umph, no strength put into their prayer life.
Take Joshua of old, when the Lord spoke to him about entering Canaan’s Land! “Every place that the sole of your food will tread upon I have given you…” (Joshua 1:3). No placing his foot upon the land, no promise or land! We, like Joshua, have to walk out our salvation, not just pray for it to fall into our possession. Have a good journey!