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God hates showy prayers, so there’s no pressure, no right way other than being open and honest with him.
Instead of long, loud, and fancy, the prayers that move God are simple, authentic, and heartfelt. But simple is not the same as safe.
Jesus never asks us to do something he wouldn’t do himself. He calls us to a life of faith, not a life of comfort.
Praying from the heart is personal and unmistakable.
Your prayers matter. How you pray matters. What you pray matters. Your. Prayers. Move. God.
Instead of just checking a box, your prayers might actually change eternity, shaking hell, scaring demons, and enlarging heaven.
If you call out to him, God assures you that he hears the cries of your heart.
With all his heart, David wanted to please God. He fought against his anger in order to protect and show honor to the king. Yet knowing that his motives weren’t always perfect,
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24).
Be forewarned, this prayer has the potential to convict you. To correct you. To redirect your life. To change the way you see yourself. To change how others see you.
That’s why we need Christ. Not just to forgive us, but to transform us.
Our ways are not God’s ways. That’s why we need Christ. Not just to forgive us, but to transform us. To redirect us. To make us new.
The most common lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
most common lies
Without Christ, your heart is deceitful. That’s why this prayer of David’s is crazy dangerous. “Search my heart, Lord.”
It was then that I realized the closer I got to Jesus, the more I’d have to face my shortcomings. My pride. My selfishness. My lust. My critical spirit.
Instead of simply asking God to do something for you, ask God to reveal something in you.
“Lord, reveal what holds my mind hostage. Show me what I fear the most. Go ahead, help me face what terrifies me.”
God showed me that what I feared the most
revealed where I trusted God the least.
Our fears matter. Because ultimately, our fears show how we’re relying on our own efforts and not trusting in our Savior. The truth is we—you and I and everyone—are always inadequate. We’re never enough. We’re always weak. But here’s the incredible thing: when we’re weak, God’s power is made perfect (see 2 Cor. 12:9).
You need God for every moment of every day. Everything you do of value is born out of his heart, his power, his grace.
To please God, to serve him, to honor him, to live for him, you cannot be driven by fear. You must be led by faith.
So pray and step into your fear. Let God propel you forward by faith. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Remind yourself that you love pleasing God more than you fear failing.
As God reveals your fears, he will also build your faith. You need him. You need his presence. You need his power. You need his Spirit guiding you. You need his Word strengthening you.
Faith doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Faith means you don’t let fear stop you.
If you’re like me, you’re good at accusing others, and equally good at excusing yourself.
First, consider what others have told you about you. Is there an area of your life, your habits, your relationships, or your actions that others have suggested needs to change? Is there some area of your life that is challenged by others? Have loved ones expressed concern for you, or asked you to consider getting help?
She suggested that if more than two people that you love and trust suggest you have a problem, you should recognize that you have a problem and deal with it immediately.
Would you ask God to show you if this is something he would have you change?
That place that I had been most sure that I was right was the place that I was most wrong.
Denying the truth doesn’t change the facts.
I’ve consistently battled with putting the approval of people ahead of the approval of God.
Lead me. Pray it. Search me, God. Know my anxious thoughts. See if there are any offensive ways in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.
Your deepest need becomes a gift when it moves you to depend on Christ.
Keep me from harm and free from pain makes sense. Who wants hardship? Who wants to struggle? But I wonder if we might as well be praying, “God, don’t let me grow. Don’t let me get stronger. Don’t allow me to trust you more.” Even though trials are never fun or easy to endure, God can often use them for his purposes.
If we pray only for protection from trials, then we rob ourselves of our future maturity.
But if that’s our only desire, our biggest priority, then we may miss the perseverance that our trials produce.
If we pray only for protection from trials, then we rob ourselves of our future maturity.
Instead of just asking God to keep you safe, give you more, and protect your life, you may have to ask God to break you.
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.”
To be wholly useful to God, we have to be empty of self.
I would have to surrender to God. God would need to break me.
We don’t realize what blessings might be on the other side of God’s breaking.
How much do you make in a year? Now imagine, in one moment, with one single display of worship, giving that whole amount to Jesus. That is what this woman did. She broke the bottle and gave it all.
Remember, this woman was not doing a job that she loved. One year of wages equals one year of shame. One year of humiliation.
When she broke the bottle, she burned her bridges.
Some believe that Jesus’ “do this” also refers to how we are to live. We don’t just remember Jesus during Holy Communion at church; we remember him in how we live our lives daily.
Because Jesus’ body was broken, because his blood was poured out for us, we too should live daily for him, broken and poured out.
we empty our lives to make a difference in the lives of others.
Who wants to be “broken” and “poured out”? That sounds painful at best, miserable at worst. But it’s in the giving of our lives that we find true joy.
