PART 8 A LONGING OF THE SOUL

8 

Before We Ask Anything from God, What Should Constitute the Motives of Our Prayers?

Have you ever attempted to pray and didn’t know what to pray for? Have you ever wondered, when you prayed, if God really heard what you said? Have you ever thought that prayer was just a waste of time? My answer to these questions is yes, yes, and yes.

For most of my Christian walk, I honestly didn’t like to pray in a group setting. It seemed as if everyone had a prayer for whoever or whatsoever that went on and on and on. Did the person they prayed for healing get healed? Did the person they prayed for concerning salvation get saved? Did the person they prayed for that God would help them get a job get a job? I wanted to see some results of the prayers that were offered right away.

Another issue I had with corporate prayer was how long it lasted. It could’ve gone on for over an hour, depending on how many believers attended. When I attempted to pray alone, I found that my requests were minimal and very short. Since what I just said was about my younger years in ministry, I believe I’ve learned a little more about prayer in my formative years.

What we’ll focus on in this chapter is as important as what we pray for, i.e., our motives. We’ll learn what can interrupt our prayers and what steps we can take to prevent such from happening again. Let’s turn our Bibles into the Book of Philippians.

 

Philippians 4:6

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

The Apostle Paul was instructing the Philippian believers to be careful (uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune⁸²) for nothing (that [there’s] to be such confidence in God as to free the mind from anxiety, and such a sense of dependence on him as to keep it calm⁸³) when they pray.But in every thing (for every event, prosperity and affliction alike⁸⁴; everything about the supply of your wants, and the wishes of your families; everything in respect to discomforts, embarrassments, and trials; and everything relating to your spiritual condition.) by prayer (approaching God) and supplication (an earnest sharing of our needs and problems) with thanksgiving (thankfulness; an attitude arising from a remembrance of God’s goodness in the past and a realization of his blessings in the present⁸⁵) let your requests (of definite and specific things) be made known (expressed) to God.       

In summary, every member of the assembly of the saints can and should go to God in prayer with unreserved confidence, knowing that there’s nothing too great or too small to bring before Him.

Something else that can inhibit our prayers is found in the Book of James.

 

James 4:1-3

The Apostle James was writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad who were Christian Jews living outside of Palestine. One of the things he noticed was why their prayers weren’t being answered by God.

1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

He said the reason there were wars and fightings (contentions) happening amongst them was because of their lusts (of something desired, which caused them to do injury to others). What was it that brought about much division?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

What caused much disruption was that they coveted what other believers had, i.e., their possessions. They kill (envied) their brethren instead of seeking what they wanted through fair and honest means or by purchase or [negotiation].⁸⁶ They chose to get what they longed for through ungodly means (e.g., fraud, violence, etc.).

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

Some of them even went to God and prayed for success in their aspirations for worldly prosperity that was based on covetousness instead of seeking property [so that they may glorify God] and do good; that they may relieve the poor and distressed⁸⁷ and further the kingdom of God. They received not what they asked God for because they asked amiss (from wrong motives with a view toward self-indulgence and carnal gratification).⁸⁸

The key aspect of prayer isn’t what we pray for, but whether our mental attitude, speech, or actions are godly. Before we pray, we should be reflective of our thoughts, words, and actions. If we’re aware that we’ve been occupied with worldly thoughts, we should admit wrong to God the Father.

 

What are some examples of worldly thoughts and actions?

Some of these can be found in the Book of Romans.

 

Romans 1:29

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers

I’ll delineate a few of them.

�-�fornication - all sexual contact between the sexes which is beyond the bounds of lawful marriage⁸⁹ between a man and a woman

�-�wickedness - a desire [to injure] others⁹⁰

�-�maliciousness - the act of doing wrong                                   

�-�covetousness - the desire [to obtain] what belongs to others⁹¹

�-�envy - pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence or happiness in another⁹²

�-�murder - taking away the life of another by any means⁹³

�-�debate - contention that follows from malice [(deep-seated] meanness) and covetousness⁹⁴ (the desire of obtaining what belongs to others)]⁹⁵

�-�deceit - lying, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage⁹⁶

�-�malignity - misinterpreting the words or actions of [others] or putting the worst construction on their conduct⁹⁷

�-�whisperers - give hints of evil in [others, and communicates] the evil report under an injunction of secrecy, knowing that it will be divulged⁹⁸

It’s unfortunate that in many churches, the emphasis is on doing, doing, and doing. We get involved in this or that, but what we think remains the same. And when we engage in prayer, there’s little or no reflection on what we’ve previously thought, said, or done.

What else can affect our prayers? Please go to the Book of Jude.

 

Jude 20

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

The Apostle John was speaking to the beloved (the divinely loved ones), instructing them to build up themselves (establish themselves more firmly) in the most holy faith (seek to establish themselves most firmly in the belief of the doctrines⁹⁹ of the Christian faith).

 

What are some of these doctrines, you ask?

Some of them are the gospel of Christ, the Trinity of one God in three persons, each of whom is a deity (has divine attributes), the Incarnation of Christ, Christ’s atonement, redemption, forgiveness of sins, eternal security, etc.

And as important as these truths are, another one is often neglected or misunderstood. It’s learning about the new person God has made us at salvation and how to replace carnal ungodly thoughts with the divine perspective of such as revealed in the Word of God.

John concludes this verse by saying praying in the Holy Ghost. What does this mean? This is prayer, which takes its life and power from the Holy Spirit.¹⁰⁰ Wow! Did you get that? Before we pray, we should be operating in the life and power of the Holy Spirit.

To live this way, we need to enter into a spiritual state that’s described in the Book of 1 Thessalonians.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:1-4

1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

As you have received (learned) from us (Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus) how you ought to walk (behave toward one another) to please God, this quality of life should increase more and more. How were they to treat one another? By obeying what’s declared in the next verse.

2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.                                                                                                                

They were to follow the commandments (instructions) declared to them in this regard (as to how they should live). And what is it that describes such conduct? The next verse will declare this to us.

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

Whatever these commandments were, they pertained to a process that’s God’s will called sanctification, which would help them abstain (to be completely set free) from fornication (sexual immorality).

 

What is sanctification about?

There are two aspects to sanctification. The first work is in overcoming the propensities to evil in our nature, checking and subduing the unholy habits we had formed before we became Christians; the second part of the work consists [of] cultivating the positive principles of holiness in the soul.¹⁰¹

    

What was it that these Christians needed to do so that the tendencies toward sexual immorality would be subdued?

4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

They needed to know how to possess their vessel in sanctification and honour. The word possess means to exercise self-control or to gain mastery over. Over what, over their vessel? The word vessel means the body, the place where the sinful nature resides, and a receptacle for the soul. This question remains.

 

How does a Christian gain mastery over his body, where the sin nature resides?

This is found in the Book of Romans, chapter 12. If you remember, we took a look at this back in chapter 3. But because of its importance, I’m going to reiterate it here again.

 

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The Apostle Paul strongly urged the believers in Rome to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God. The words living sacrifice in Koine Greek means to present your body as those who live by the Spirit. The word holy means purity and freedom from sin.¹⁰² But in the following verse, he says that this can’t happen unless you follow a specific divine prescription. Let’s go there and find out what this is.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

And be not conformed to this world. The word conformed means not putting on the form, fashion, or appearance of. The appearance of what? The appearance of the world. The word world means the standards of the [world] as much opposed to the spirit of genuineChristianity.¹⁰³But rather be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. The word transformed means to appear as a new person with new habits. How’s this cultivated? This is accomplished by the renewing of your mind.

The words renewing of your mind mean a complete change for the better of the believer’s mental process. Another meaning is that God transforms our minds and makes us spiritually minded by using His Word. As you meditate on it, memorize it, and make it a part of your inner man, God will gradually make your mind more spiritual.¹⁰⁴Did you get that? This is profound.

So, there we have it, our scriptural confirmation. Let’s repeat what we’ve emphasized throughout this study. When we confess known sin and learn God’s perspective about any area of weakness from His Word by memorizing, meditating upon it, and applying it, we’ll be operating under the rule of the Spirit. And when the Spirit agrees with what we’re being occupied within our mental attitude, He’ll actively co-labor with us.

There’s our answer to what it means to be praying in the Holy Ghost.

With that said, I’d like to leave you with an article that provides additional information on the importance of motive in prayer.

 

PRAYER: WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVE?

One of the most suspenseful features of a mystery novel is not just figuring out “[who done it],” but why that person would have done it in the first place. As you hang on every page and search for clues, you scrutinize each scene and wonder why they made certain statements, why they were talking to that person, why they were seen leaving a certain place, and so on. [It’s] mental gymnastics trying to figure out some of the clues, but when the author [explains] all the clues to your cliffhangers, you feel such relief and satisfaction. Finally, the whole book makes sense as you comb through your memories of how the drama unfolded.

However, one overlooked aspect in the drama of our Christian life is often our motivation for doing things. This can be true of our actions, but my focus for today will be on our motivations in prayer. Our prayer closet is often the place where we reveal ourselves most fully as we make our requests and deepest [desires known] to God. Since our daily actions and attitudes spring from our time with God in prayer and devotional Bible reading, it only makes sense to begin here. You could say [it’s] the first “domino” of your day.

Many Christians realize that asking God for anything through prayer must be done by faith. When we realize our need [for] His wisdom, we can receive grace in order to sustain us through the trials of life.

While we understand that our heart must be filled with faith, we must also examine our heart to ensure that it is not influenced by the wrong motivation. We know that doubt will quench our faith in God, but did you know that a wrong motivation in prayer will also stop God’s attempt to answer our prayer?

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. �" James 4:3

God acknowledges that we have come to Him in prayer, perhaps even believing that [He] can and will grant us our petition. However, this verse states that [it’s] possible to ask for something for the wrong reasons. The phrase “ask amiss” means that we have asked God for something in a faulty manner. In this case, the faulty manner could be that our heart [isn’t right with God,] and we ask in the wrong spirit. [We’re] not the first ones to experience this problem:

“And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit [wasn’t steadfast] with God (Psalm 78:8).”

When our lives reflect disobedience, we indicate through our actions that our heart [isn’t] aright nor our spirit in step with God. It demonstrates our selfish desires, yet prayer is intended to be unselfish. Even when we pray for ourselves, the goal is to glorify God in the answer. This is a pure motivation that also serves as a filter to help validate our request for our needs.

Therefore, [there’s] a possibility that our prayers are simply acts designed to satisfy our personal pleasure rather than to be used for the glory of God. God wants to give us our request, but not for selfish reasons.

Let’s look at one example from the Word of God. In Matthew 20:20, the Bible tells us that the mother of two of Christ’s apostles, James and John, came to Jesus “desiring a certain thing of him.” The Lord listened to the mother’s request as she stated that she would like for Jesus to grant permission for her sons to sit on each side of His throne when the Lord would reign as King. Jesus replied, “ye know not what ye ask.” Jesus would not grant such a request because it was done for all the wrong reasons. While the mother was sincere in her petition and clearly believed that He would be able to grant such a request, the answer she desired would only benefit her [sons] and would not glorify God.

The petition was asked out of love for self rather than out of love for the [Savior]. Additionally, it was a request that went against the teachings of Jesus Himself. As He continued His response, He reminded the disciples that those who would be the greatest among them would be those who humbled themselves as ministers and servants (Matthew 20:27-28). Having great authority over men was of little value in the eyes of Jesus. Even though Jesus had all authority over all things (Matthew 28:18), He took this opportunity to demonstrate once again that He Himself was a minister sent to give His life a ransom for many. The mother’s request for her sons to receive commendation, position, and favor was not in keeping with the spirit and teachings of the Lord.

Like you, when I [pray,] I want a response to my prayers. I desire to receive the “something” that I’m asking for �" words to share with a friend who is hurting, the knowledge I need to lead and manage projects at the office, the strength to help out around the house, the right attitude when faced with frustrating situations, and many (very many) more things I need throughout the day. What can I do to ensure that I get all those “somethings” that I need from God? Is it possible to filter my motivations to ensure that [they] align with the heart of God? Fortunately, God’s [Word] explains how I can be sure that my heart is [alright and my spirit is steadfast] with God:

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. �" Psalm 5:1-4

In this text, there are three basic aspects to David’s prayer: God’s assurance, our attitude, and God’s answer. God promises to answer our prayers when we practice these three attitudes in our lives. Psalm 5:3-4 captures the aspects of reverently approaching God as the King, looking “up” by faith, and abstaining from the wickedness which He abhors.

Let’s really dig out this truth. Here are some examples of some in the Bible whose experiences reveal God’s response to improper and proper motives in prayer:

 

1. Saul �" I Samuel 14:37; 28:6

a. Reason: Saul was disobedient �" I Samuel 15:18-19

b. Reason: Saul was selfish by wanting to look good before the people �" I Samuel 15:30

c. Reason: Saul’s pride caused him to reject God’s word �" I Samuel 15:16, 23, 26

d. Result: God did not answer his prayer

 

2. Ezra �" 8:21-23

a. Reason: To seek direction from God

b. Reason: To determine the right action to take

c. Result: “He was intreated of [us.]”

 

3. Moses �" Deuteronomy 9:9-19

a. Reason: To receive a message from God

b. Reason: Because of great sorrow over sin

c. Result: “…the Lord hearkened…”

 

4. Esther �" 4:16

a. Reason: Because she was facing death

b. Reason: Because God’s people were facing extinction

c. Result: God gave the victory

 

5. Nehemiah �" 1:3-4

a. Reason: Because of the needs of others

b. Reason: Because of his sorrow for Jerusalem

c. Result: Revival �" read chapters 8-9

From these examples, we can see that the ultimate purpose of prayer is so God can be glorified in the answer. As in the example of Saul, selfishness will ensure that you are left without any grace or guidance from God. However, the other examples established the principle that it is completely acceptable (and expected) for Christians to pray for themselves or for things that will benefit them as long as the motivation is correct (Matthew 6:11). Of course, how and when God answers that prayer is still determined by His own desires, but per this [text,] you can be assured that He WILL answer.

Nevertheless, [it’s incumbent upon Christians] to examine the motivations of their prayers. Are there times when the things we seek in prayer are more for our personal benefit than for the glory of God? Do we pray for appointment to leadership positions so we can receive honor, or do we seek things to further the cause of Christ? Our motivation in prayer is very important. If we are only motivated by selfishness, our petition will be denied and rejected. However, [we’ll] receive whatsoever we ask of God when we are motivated by a desire to see God glorified. Check your motivations at the door of your prayer closet. Be sure that your heart and spirit are set aright and [steadfast] with the Lord!¹⁰⁵

Did you know that one essential thing will cause all of someone’s prayers to be null and void? What could this be? Let’s find out by turning to the next chapter.