Luke 18:10-11 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.”
Pray real prayers, not ritualistic repetitions. Real authentic prayers are heard in heaven, not religious or legalistic prayers. Prayer is not a religious routine. The secret of powerful prayers are not the length, language or the linguistics but it is in our sincerity and authenticity. Jesus said, And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:7-8). Jesus categorizes repetitive rituals as “babbles” or ‘nonsense’. In the parable of the “Pharisee and the Publican” who went to the temple to pray, the prayer of the Pharisee was just babbling and boasting but the Publican was genuine and honest. “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13).
The key to get real with God is to talk to Him before we talk to anyone around us. Spend a few minutes/hours of authentic conversation with Him before you engage in any worldly conversation. 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 (Matthew 6:6). Get alone with God, be authentic and be accredited.
The prayer life of Jesus was very contagious. The disciples who travelled with Him knew that the secret of His power was drawn from His prayer routine early in the morning. Hence they asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1a).
Pray real prayers:
1. Alone: Getting alone with God before we engage with people or social media will make our prayers real and authentic. If we check instagram, FB or Whatsapp before we have our one-on-one conversation with God, the worldly concerns will clutter and corrupt our prayers. Getting alone with God is like recharging the battery of our phone to get through the day. Our visions will die and missions will fail if we don’t prioritize and recharge ourselves in God’s presence.
2. Authentic: God is not flattered by ‘flamboyant expressions’ or ‘flow of language’. He is not impressed with a deep ‘prayer voice’ or ‘special vocabulary’. Simple childlike prayers are more powerful than superfluous language.
3. Accredited: Prioritize prayer over any other appointments of the day. We get rewarded if we check-in regularly in the prayer place. We will be accredited when we prioritize our personal prayer time with God.
Authentic prayers alone with God are accredited powerful prayers that will be heard and will fetch answers from heaven.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me with my resolution to get alone with you and pray sincere authentic prayers regularly and meticulously. Amen.
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